"Up, beast!" Roared a rough voice.
"I. Where am I?
"You don't need to know. Shut up and get to work! My master wants to see you!"
"But." suddenly, Ryoko felt a searing blast of pain along her side.
"Silence!" Ryoko turned to face her tormenter. He looked to be a humanoid, and was armed with a glowing whip. The energy Ryoko felt emanating from it felt very similar to the very energy which powered her sword.
"Take me to your master then. I can't stop you.
"QUIET! MOVE! NOW!" The beast shouted at her.
"Sure." He turned his back to her, and she formed her energy saber, slashing down through his head. There was only one problem. The saber wasn't there. "Nani?"
"I felt that." The beast broke out laughing. "What an idiot! A fool! Did you think we'd be letting you do whatever you want? You can't do a thing here. Move it, and don't try anything else." He stated, pointing with his whip
~~~~~~~~
"Ok Tenchi. It's like this. You and Ryoko are bonded. My mental link with her is failing, and I believe that your mental link is... stronger, and may get the job done. The love between you is, let's face it, much stronger than the love between her and I."
"You mean I've had a mental link this entire time and you never once told me?"
"Yes. I thought you already knew. But that doesn't matter now! Finding Ryoko does. So try to think about her, pretend she's right next to you. Try to talk to her like that."
"Okay. I'm doing that. but she keeps running away."
"There! The pattern is going out! I was right. It's heading for the Jurain ship. WHAT?" she jumped back.
"What is it Washu?"
"They're disappearing!"
"What do you mean?"
"The mental rays! They're just gone! Without a trace!"
"So they have a mental shield?"
"It's much more complex! This is completely erasing Ryoko's existence!"
~~~~~~~~
Ryoko tried to catch every detail of the passage as she walked through.
::Mom! Are you getting all this?:: Ryoko questioned through her link. However, something seemed wrong. Her mother didn't answer at all. A second later, the reason became clear. Inside her head, as if sent in return, she heard an echo of her own sending.
::Mom! Are you getting all this?:: She almost broke down then and there. She hadn't realized until now how much she had come to depend on the link. For the first time since waking from her cave, she was truly alone.
::No-one is coming for me.:: a single tear rolled down the side of her face. ::Not even... Tenchi."
~~~~~~~~
"Okay, Tenchi, this'll get you to that ship faster than they can scan you. Use the surprise to your advantage." She pointed to a small craft.
"Hai!"
"Get my daughter back, Tenchi. I'll be bombarding that ship from here."
"But what about their shields?"
"I invent much faster if I'm pissed, Tenchi. I've already got that covered." She smiled. "This might be the most fun I've had since cheating that idiot Clay into getting that stupid vase!"
~~~~~~~~
"Ryoko." Slowly, she looked up.
"Where are you?" Ryoko growled, "Show yourself, bastard! I may not have my powers but I still have my strength!"
"You think you need that, Ryoko? Perhaps... you'll think differently when you know who I am." The figure stepped from the shadows.
"Reibun..."
"Yes."
"I. Where am I?
"You don't need to know. Shut up and get to work! My master wants to see you!"
"But." suddenly, Ryoko felt a searing blast of pain along her side.
"Silence!" Ryoko turned to face her tormenter. He looked to be a humanoid, and was armed with a glowing whip. The energy Ryoko felt emanating from it felt very similar to the very energy which powered her sword.
"Take me to your master then. I can't stop you.
"QUIET! MOVE! NOW!" The beast shouted at her.
"Sure." He turned his back to her, and she formed her energy saber, slashing down through his head. There was only one problem. The saber wasn't there. "Nani?"
"I felt that." The beast broke out laughing. "What an idiot! A fool! Did you think we'd be letting you do whatever you want? You can't do a thing here. Move it, and don't try anything else." He stated, pointing with his whip
~~~~~~~~
"Ok Tenchi. It's like this. You and Ryoko are bonded. My mental link with her is failing, and I believe that your mental link is... stronger, and may get the job done. The love between you is, let's face it, much stronger than the love between her and I."
"You mean I've had a mental link this entire time and you never once told me?"
"Yes. I thought you already knew. But that doesn't matter now! Finding Ryoko does. So try to think about her, pretend she's right next to you. Try to talk to her like that."
"Okay. I'm doing that. but she keeps running away."
"There! The pattern is going out! I was right. It's heading for the Jurain ship. WHAT?" she jumped back.
"What is it Washu?"
"They're disappearing!"
"What do you mean?"
"The mental rays! They're just gone! Without a trace!"
"So they have a mental shield?"
"It's much more complex! This is completely erasing Ryoko's existence!"
~~~~~~~~
Ryoko tried to catch every detail of the passage as she walked through.
::Mom! Are you getting all this?:: Ryoko questioned through her link. However, something seemed wrong. Her mother didn't answer at all. A second later, the reason became clear. Inside her head, as if sent in return, she heard an echo of her own sending.
::Mom! Are you getting all this?:: She almost broke down then and there. She hadn't realized until now how much she had come to depend on the link. For the first time since waking from her cave, she was truly alone.
::No-one is coming for me.:: a single tear rolled down the side of her face. ::Not even... Tenchi."
~~~~~~~~
"Okay, Tenchi, this'll get you to that ship faster than they can scan you. Use the surprise to your advantage." She pointed to a small craft.
"Hai!"
"Get my daughter back, Tenchi. I'll be bombarding that ship from here."
"But what about their shields?"
"I invent much faster if I'm pissed, Tenchi. I've already got that covered." She smiled. "This might be the most fun I've had since cheating that idiot Clay into getting that stupid vase!"
~~~~~~~~
"Ryoko." Slowly, she looked up.
"Where are you?" Ryoko growled, "Show yourself, bastard! I may not have my powers but I still have my strength!"
"You think you need that, Ryoko? Perhaps... you'll think differently when you know who I am." The figure stepped from the shadows.
"Reibun..."
"Yes."