"The Unspoken Journey" An AMG Fan Fic, an official "Ai Shiteru" Side Story, and a Tenchi-Muyo x-over By: icezer230, a.k.a Shu.
E-mail: icezer230@yahoo.com (C&C welcome)
Webpage: http://icezer.itgo.com/fanfic.html
A BUNCH OF COPYRIGHTS (OTHERWISE KNOWN AS LEGAL JARGON)
This story and the characters of Rhiana, Kei, and Nao belongs to me (icezer230, a.k.a Shu). The characters true to AMG are copyrighted by Kosuke Fujishima and his associates. Brett, Chia-Yao, Syliana, and the other immortals (unless mentioned otherwise) from the 'Oh! My God!' fanfiction are copyrighted by Darkwind (a.k.a Brett Handy) and have been used with permission.
The character of Kenji from the 'No Mere Mortal' fanfiction is a creation of Ed Sharpe. The characters true to Tenchi Muyo belong to the illustrator(s) and the distribution companies (whoever they are). If you haven't read chapter 1 or part 1, please read it! Warning: This fanfic contains some pretty dark elements. There are some sexual references, but it couldn't even be counted as a lime.
A LEGEND, FOR THOSE WHO NEED IT.
**=thought
""=speech
()=explanations
[]=insertions/interruptions by the author!*****
"Well, the diagnostics show nothing out of the ordinary...if you were mortal, that is," Washu said as she skimmed through some print-outs.
"Hm...That's strange. But it doesn't explain why I don't seem to have any powers in this dimension," Skuld replied, flexing her arms as she stretched. It had been a very long examination and her muscles were practically asleep.
"It _is_ strange, isn't it? Brett and Urd seemed to have a pretty good grasp of their powers when they were here...but my hypothesis is that there's probably two reasons for your lack of powers: your age and your power source," Washu said, counting off two fingers.
"How is that?" Skuld asked, still not getting it.
"Due to your age and experience, I would think that you aren't used to having a power source that is from a different area, even if it _is_ available. That would be a good explanation to why you still seem to be able to constantly regenerate yourself in this form. Your power source could be weaker or non-existent or you _could_ be using another source that you don't know how to use yet," Washu explained.
[Author's note: Constant regeneration was actually mentioned in the AMG Manga chapter "The Goddesses' Big Crisis," where Skuld first makes her debut as an accomplished debugger. The world of the immortals has many more dimensions than the mortals so a two-dimensional person wouldn't be able to see someone with three dimensions, which is why mortals don't normally see immortals. Immortals create their forms by constantly regenerating their atomic structure just so immortals can see them, which means that a bunch of energy must be given off.] "So what does this have to do with getting back to my own dimension?" Skuld asked. She didn't really have time to play long guessing games with Washu. She wanted to go home. Maybe her sisters could help her with her power problem.
"You see, to get back to your own dimension, I must use some of your powers...the machine that I created to send both Brett and Urd back simply does not draw enough out of the energy that is supplied to this house. Since you don't have any, I'm afraid I won't be able to send you back!" Washu said with a flourish.
"Right. So I have to figure out a way to get my powers back, and fast...Any suggestions?" Skuld asked. Ryoko, who had been silent up to now, began to pipe up some suggestions, eager to share her knowledge about this dimension's galaxy.
"What about drinking some mana juice from Ishtar? Or going to a Tree of Life and eating some of its bark? Or..."Ryoko said excitedly.
"Wait! Do you know how long it'll take us to get to those places you just mentioned? Even _find_ those things? They're all _legends_, Ryoko!" Washu snapped after showing the number of light years needed to get there...even with the fastest ship she could build.
"What about building a transport chamber?" Skuld asked, remembering her own invention.
"Well, I have one but it can't go that far," Washu mused.
"Well, you'll never know before you try it. Let's go and upgrade it," Skuld said with one of her mad-scientist grins. Washu returned the same grin and it was Ryoko who sighed with exasperation. She knew they weren't about to stop until they perfected it...and that meant, a week or two without real company. *Why did Tenchi had to go on that vacation for so long!* she thought miserably.
"He who has nothing to die for has nothing to live for."
--Moroccan ProverbPART 3: WHEN REALITY BITES "Are you guys absolutely _sure_ it's safe?" Ryoko asked uncertainly when she looked at the mirror-like portal they had built over the course of two weeks. The two scientists had barely slept, much less eaten, and it showed. If there _were_ any mistakes on the trip, the two scientists would probably too tired to fix it...or think about it.
"Snore," Washu said as she plopped onto the floor. Ryoko raised an eyebrow at her 'mother' and sighed. *She'll never learn...* she thought. But further derogatory thoughts were halted by Skuld's reply.
"I think so. We did a lot of tests. We just need a few days to rest and pack some stuff for the journey..." Skuld mumbled just before falling asleep next to Washu. Ryoko had no other choice but to cover the both of them with blankets and turn off the lights to the lab before getting some rest herself.
*****
The Song of Death...it was the very last part of the Song of Life. It seemed to come from the beating of her heart, but she realized that it was actually coming from an external source. She realized, for a start, that it was the beating of war drums. Ancient war drums. The ones she had long forgotten about. The ones that were used to fight Evil. The ones...the ones that somehow always made her sad and shed silent tears. But for what, she didn't know.
Then the rhythmic drumming of horse hooves. Hundreds of them. Thousands of them. From all directions. But where was she? She opened her eyes and realized that she was standing on a clearing inbetween two forests. She could feel the solid ground beneath her start to shake as the sounds of horse hooves started to come closer. A sudden chill suddenly came over her, and the grass began to sway. They began to move along with the wind. The wind that brought with it only ashes and decay. Only the horrible prospect of death and destruction.
Then, deafening shouts of war--from men and beasts, surrounded her eardrums until she thought they would burst. She tried to cover them, but the cacophony seemed to become even louder. She dropped to her knees, unable to stop the sounds from reaching her. Her eyes were wide with terror. Where was she? What was she doing?
And then it came. The metallic clashes between steel, the shouts of agony, the thumps on the ground where men lay fallen, the yelp of another's victory. All around her, in samurai attire, the men slew and slew and slew. The grass that had once been green was now a deep bloody red...but the men seemed to pay no attention to her.
She tried to stop this chaos, but to no avail. They were deaf--and if they weren't, they wouldn't have listened. When she tried to touch one of them, she found that her hand went through them, and realized that she was only a spirit...a spectator. She tried to shut her eyes away from the brutality of the sight, but the visions still went on in her mind no matter what. The scenes replayed over and over again nearly made her crazy, but a shout...a voice...that called her name...made her turn around and look.
"...Skuld!" a faintly familiar man shouted at the top of his lungs. He was a foreigner, there was no doubt about that. He was wearing some sort of armor...but he was no samurai, that was for sure. There was something familiar in that man, that man that had just called her name. And then, it came to her. *Chia-Yao!* she thought, and began to run towards him.
"Chia-Yao! Can you hear me? Can you see me?" Skuld asked, beside him and his horse as he tried to find an opponent. His eyes widened with surprise...and he looked around him, as if he had heard or seen a ghost.
"Skuld?" he asked.
"I'm here," Skuld said, wanting to touch him. But she knew she would pass through his body...like all her previous attempts.
"Skuld! What are you--Urk!" Chia-Yao said before his eyes widened and he fell from his horse. His back had been struck by an arrow. Skuld saw the blood gushing out of him and knew that it was her fault that he had been hit. After all, she had distracted him, hadn't she? Her tears ran freely down her cheeks and she ran to his side, but when she tried to touch him...as she had suspected, her fingers went through him. He looked as if he was dead. For all Skuld knew, she had killed him. And it was all her fault.
[Author's Note: If you'd like to find out how all this came to be (Chia-Yao in battle), you can go read Chia-Yao's side story, which is written by Guest Author Brett Handy. This side story is about Chia-Yao's experiences during the 3 months while Skuld is gone. But what could she do? She could only watch as the blood steadily poured out of his wounds, slowly flooding the blood-covered grass. She could only watch, stunned and horrified, as his face slowly turned paler as time went by. And then, to shut out the scene before her, she closed her eyes. It actually worked this time.
Blackness surrounded her once more, and when she realized where she was, she found herself alone in her sleeping quarters at Tenchi's house. It was then that she wondered what had just happened, and whether or not she should feel guilty. *I mean, it was only a dream, right?* Skuld thought and had unknowingly spoke out loud. She strangely felt some relief when there was no reply. It was too horrible for a dream, and dreams...well, for a goddess, they were almost nearly true. She shivered at the memory and image of Chia-Yao's pained visage as he fell from his horse. All because of her. It wasn't fair.
*****
"Skuld, what happened to you? You look terrible!" Washu commmented as she saw a sleep-deprived Skuld the next morning. "Maybe we shouldn't start travelling today..."
"I had a particularly bad dream last night and I had trouble falling back to sleep. That's why I'm so tired today. I know you wanted to start testing the transport upgrade today so why don't you start ahead of me? I'll catch up when I get better, all right?" Skuld replied, yawning as she said so. Washu sighed at not being able to work with Skuld; then nodded her head reluctantly, and went into her lab. Ryoko, who had just came in from feeding Ryo-oki her breakfast, looked at Skuld and felt her forehead.
"Can't sleep because of your love troubles?" Ryoko teased.
"Actually, I dreamt about one of them last night. The funny thing was that I couldn't get it out of my head. This dream actually stuck to my mind and it wouldn't let me go to sleep..." Skuld said. Ryoko listened attentively with amazement and after the little discussion, Skuld dragged herself back to her sleeping quarters.
*Poor Skuld...She's taking all of this so hard. But she seems a little sadder than usual. I wonder what's wrong though. Nobody takes dreams _that_ seriously* Ryoko said. But then, no one she knew had been an immortal...
*****
Skuld closed her eyes in an attempt to get some more sleep. She was really worried about Chia-Yao now, but she couldn't go back since she didn't have any powers. Besides, what could she tell him? She still didn't know what to say to him. Him _and_ Rhiana. *Yes...Rhiana. What about her? I can't go on like this forever. I've got to face reality sometime, I know...but...I'm so confused* she thought miserably.
In an instant, she was in another place. A place she actually recognized in her childhood. This was the place where she encountered Loki. She shuddered at the thought as she remembered what they talked about that day. That day....
"Skuld," a deep and cold voice said from behind her, in a way that was almost like a command. She instantly turned around to see Loki, an eccentric immortal who could be termed as mischevious and often demonic--in the eyes of mortals. Everyone avoided him in Heaven. He was hard to understand because he was different. Different from everyone else.
"Skuld," he repeated.
"...L-Loki," she said, barely a whisper.
"Yes. You're here..." he said, smiling a smile that could only be described as frozen cold. He stared at her as if he was staring into space. It was as if he was staring _through_ her.
"Good. Have you agreed then, to what I have proposed to you?" Loki asked in that strangely rich voice of his.
"Proposal?" she asked, testing the word on her lips.
"Have you forgotten already, child? To ask me to become your mentor throughout your manifest is to ask me for something you believe you can pay back with. Once you become Goddess of the Future, you must do something for me...in return for what I do for you...It will make the manifest easier for you to handle, child..." Loki said.
"Manifest?" she asked again. Loki was speaking of things she had not heard of before.
"Yes, The Manifest. You will acquire the knowledge of the Past and Present. In doing so, you will decide the fate of the Future. That is your fate, child. But this knowledge will not come easily..." the man said. "Which is why you have come to me, isn't it, child? Can you already feel the power in you, ready to explode, ready to take over?"
Indeed, Skuld was feeling a little more energy than she should have had. It was a little unnerving, at the least, but she listened to the man as he spoke.
"I could...keep this energy until you needed it. Until your Manifest is needed. That is why you come to me," Loki said, his gray eyes dancing in the dark.
"What do you mean, acquire the knowledge of Past and Present?" Skuld asked, her tone more than just a little frightened.
"Don't you know anything? Child...You must bear with you the guilt of the Past, the unknowingness of the Present. And from there, you must and will build the Future. This is what happens during the Manifest. You will be unable to stop it when it comes. And it will come and go like the wind, unsuspecting. And you will suffer. Suffer horribly. So...do you wish for my help? You will but owe me one favor..." Loki said, his smile reappearing.
Skuld knew of his wisdom and trickery. He was famous for it. Yet she wasn't sure what she would do. Loki could do good at times, but it was all to his own benefit. But then again, Urd never trusted Loki, and that was why she decided she didn't. Above all, Urd had good character judgement. She had gone through more things than she would have in her life time.
"I answer you, Loki. You help is unnecessary. I will go through this myself, for that is my fate," Skuld replied defiantly at the man who had frowned.
"Foolish child. Your path will not be easy, remember this. When I wanted to give you a favor, you denied me this pleasure. And when the time comes, I will deny you yours," Loki said, disappearing into the darkness.
*This was what had happened here in this room, but what does this memory come up now, and why am I still here?* she asked herself. She had nearly forgotten about the conversation since it happened decades ago, but when she came back to this room, it all came back to her. It was like she was being fed pieces of the puzzle, but until all the pieces were together, she would have to wait until she could figure what was going on with her.
*****
"What's happening to her? She's convulsing!"
"I don't know! Her eyes aren't focused!"
"You idiots! She's having a manifestation!"
"How do _you_ know?"
"Why the hell does everyone call me the greatest scientist of the universe then?" Washu asked, angry.
"What do you _mean_, manifestation?"
"She's probably of the right age. It's a pity her sisters or another immortal isn't here to help her through this... We're helpless! I'm not sure what she's going through but it's most likely that part of her abilities is prescience...she _is_ after all the Goddess of the Future!" Washu replied.
"OK, we know that much, but how do we stop it?"
"...I'm afraid you got me there," Washu said quietly after thinking for a moment. The others had restrained Skuld on a table to stop her from moving too much. The glazed, crazed look in her eyes was painful to see and when she started screaming, everyone visibly winced.
"WHAT!? You don't know how to stop them?"
"Of course not. I've never treated an immortal before, I don't know what to do! I suppose I could calm her down with some drugs but that will take her out of it, and it'll only delay the rest of the manifestation...or make it even stronger..." Washu mumbled the last few words.
"Just do something! She's not going to last for long!" Ryoko panicked.
"OK, just give me a minute or two to get the things to sedate her with," Washu said, whizzing past her with determination.
"But you said..."
"It'll give us time to try and get someone to help her! Now help me inject these!" Washu said as she came back with a bunch of needles.
*****
"...I tried to call you but I couldn't find a telephone....I sent a message through the internet but you rarely checked it...I wrote a letter and I sent it with a o-o-ow...it's not supposed to take so long...and I can't wait for you..." screamed a loud techno-dance tune blared through loud speakers. Skuld thought she recognized the song, but she couldn't really place where she heard it before.
Skuld winced as her eardrums got blasted with the loud, offensive music. It wasn't that she hated techno--the song was actually cool--but the music was definitely too loud for her. She opened her eyes slowly, unsure of what she would see, but what she saw surprised her. It was a high-tech disco club of some sort, with dozens of people dancing fanatically to the beat.
"...My heart is ringing so I'm singing this song for you..." the music continued. The dancers were all wearing clothes that seemed to change colors as they moved. The swirling and changing of the colors made Skuld's head pound. She used the both of her hands to clutch her head to keep them still. Then her eyes caught something--a woman, moving right in the middle of all the chaos. Her eyes widened when she realized it was _herself_. An older version, surely, but her nonetheless. *Where the hell am I?* she thought.
As the song dwindled to an end, the older version of her laughed and left the dancing floor to go to the bar. Following a hunch, she went after the older version of herself and tapped her on the shoulder once she settled down. The older version of herself turned around and nearly fell off her stool.
"HUH!?" the older version of her said in a very smart manner.
[Author's note: Notice the extreme sarcasm.] "Hi. Mind if I sit next to you?" she asked, taking the stool next to her older version.
"Er...I-I guess not...Who are you?" the older version of her asked.
"No, no, who are _you_ and what am _I_ doing _here_?" Skuld demanded.
"Hey wait a minute, don't get so angry. I was just dancing with a bunch of my friends and then all of a sudden you came up. You look so much like me...how is that possible?" Skuld's twin asked, looking at Skuld closely.
"Is your name Skuld by any chance?" Skuld asked. She couldn't believe how stupid her 'twin' was. *Did she lose her memory or something?* she thought.
"No, sorry. Is that another person who looks like...us?" the twin asked. Skuld mused this new piece of information very carefully.
"I don't believe it to be so. Anyway, what's your name?" Skuld asked.
"Kaminaga Noriko, or the other way around, if you're looking at it from a gaijin's point of view. It's strange, isn't it...how we look so much like each other? It's like staring into a mirror when there is none in front of us..." Noriko amusedly. Skuld realized at once that this person was her human counterpart: the physical embodiment which her own physical body was sculpted from when her immortal body took on a mortal shape. *Was this possible? I thought counterparts were not supposed to meet each other...* she thought.
"Yeah...It is. Do you have any sisters by any chance?" Skuld asked.
"Sisters?...Yes...and no. You see, I have two sisters. Both of my sisters are married and have kids by now so they kind of left me to my own demise. They call it independence but...well, I kind of think of it as...neglect," Noriko said into a glass of coke.
"Neglect? How so?" Skuld asked, amused at the antics of her lonely counterpart.
"They're too busy to care about their own little new families to care about me. I'm the odd one out you know? I'm not exactly very comfortable with my...er...nieces and nephews either," Noriko asked, sheepishly. She had put a hand behind her head and her face was blushing.
"I'm assuming you're living on your own?" Skuld asked before drinking a sip of her own coke glass. The bartender had been a little confused at the two customers who looked exactly like each other (except for the clothes). In the end though, he concluded that the two were twins.
"Yeah...It's good to have your own place but it gets kind of lonely sometimes, not having anyone there to make food when you're hungry..." Noriko sighed.
"Really? I've always wanted a place of my own but I love my sisters too much to be separated from them too long," Skuld said. The differences and similarities between the two of them were amazing to discover. *But why am I here?* she thought to herself.
"Noriko! There you are! I've been looking all over the place for you!" a male voice, somewhat familiar to Skuld's ears, shouted over the racket of the music. The two females looked over to see a Kenji look-alike, smiling as he came towards them and kissed Noriko. Skuld was stunned. They were...boyfriend-girlfriend?
"Kenji! You won't believe who I found here. This is Skuld, Kenji. Skuld, Kenji. He's my boyfriend," Noriko smiled, beaming as she introduced Kenji to her. Kenji looked surprised but he seemed to take it quite well.
"Wow, is she your twin? You look so much like each other, it's hard to believe! I guess I'll have to pay careful attention to who I kiss, huh?" Kenji said, laughing whole-heartedly. Noriko laughed and playfully socked him in the arm. Kenji mockingly sulked at her. Skuld could only watch this with amazement. So much amazement that she didn't realize that she was slowly fading away.
"No, she's not, Kenji. You've met all my sisters, remember?....Hey, what were we talking about again? There seemed to be something..." Noriko said, shaking her head as if trying to remember. Kenji looked puzzled and shrugged it off as the two of them went to the dance floor to dance to a slow romantic song. The two had forgotten that Skuld had even been there.
*****
When Skuld snapped out of her self-induced stupor, she realized she was at a different place. No more loud music. Noriko and Kenji were no longer there in front of her. In fact, she was sitting at the edge of a cliff looking over what seemed to be a bunch of canyons and desserts. She realized that in her hand, she held a staff of some strange design.
Her clothes had changed into a pale white color, and over it she had a white cloak of sorts. She also realized that there was some sort of head ornament placed on her head, but she couldn't figure out what she was. In a way, her dress was oddly comforting but she couldn't understand why.
Then, out of nowhere, a shadow blocked out the sunlight and she had to use her free hand to shade her eyes when the sun came back. She looked up to see what the shadow was and her eyes widened when she saw what it was. A vulture. It was carrying bits of flesh and bone in its beak.
Skuld turned towards where it came from, which was behind her. Her throat turned dry as she saw the amount of devastation and despair. It was eerily silent, with the wind accompanying her foosteps as she approached the mass of flesh and bone. Something had happened to cause this destruction, but she did not know what. She winced in disgust as she saw an eye fall out of a rotting skull, and when the vulture took it and swallow it in its mouth.
Then, all of a sudden, the rotting mass seemed to vibrate. It scared off the vultures and made them circle the cliff, high above in the air. Skuld's eyes widened as she saw pieces of bones and rotting skeletons seem to assemble rise from their graves. Her nose was instantly assaulted by the foul smell of rotting flesh as the wind changed its direction. She winced and covered her nose with her free hand, the one that did not hold the staff.
When she looked back at the mass, she began to see skeletal warriors carrying rotting swords and shields. The undead. They began to move all at once, towards her. She took a step back and realized that it was the edge of the cliff. The mass of bones moved closer towards her, making the distance between them lesser and lesser.
"What do you want?" Skuld shouted towards them.
"We want you to die!" the bones roared like a warcry all at once before rushing towards her. Fortunately, the undead didn't get to her yet. So she made up her mind and stepped back. And fell...into a black void. There was nothing. She couldn't feel anything, see anything. Wasn't she supposed to be dead? Both her mind and body were confused. *Where am I?* she thought, searching for clues. Then, a voice from inside her spoke to her.
Skuld, can you hear me? I'm from the future...the vision and place you saw where you broke up with Kenji...the place of your ultimate suffering...
"Y-you're from _that_ future?"
I see you get the point now.
"You can't be!"
Skuld, Skuld, Skuld...Don't try to deny what you know is true. I _am_ you! I am here to make sure you don't repeat the same mistakes! the voice inside her admonished.
"No! This can't be possible! It was just a dream!" Skuld tried to push away the voice from reaching her, but found that she couldn't, not even when she blocked her ears. She couldn't even muffle any of the sounds.
Skuld...Don't be so naive. Or have you forgotten your lesson? The lesson you've learnt during your time in my place? the voice asked her.
"What lesson?" she asked in return, confused.
Skuld...you are the guardian of time, Goddess of the Future. You hold the key...the key to all existence...
"...What do you mean, key to existence?"
Ah...Skuld...if I knew what I was getting into at your age...I'd probably quit my job if I could...
"Why? Is it so difficult to handle?"
Yes....for you...I...we...must control the balance of good and evil, wrong and right....but you see, I forget that what is wrong...is not the opposite of good...but just isn't just good...
"So what do you want from me? The past?"
I need to take control of your actions, if you will. I have to fix a paradox that happens in your time. Can I do that, Skuld? Will you trust me enough to let me do this?
"What do you mean? What are you going to do?"
I'm going to fix the paradox, Skuld. Trust me.
"How am I supposed to if you're not going to tell me what you're going to do?"
Skuld...Gosh, was I really that stubborn when I was your age? You weren't even going to take my advice on dumping Kenji, are you? Not even if you knew what the future was going to be?
"...H-how did you know that?"
I know you, Skuld. I _am_ you. Now give up and let me fix that paradox!
"Will you let me get back to my own dimension?"
Yes, yes..._that_ is where the paradox is, in fact.
"Really?"
Yes. Now hurry up already!
"...How am I supposed to 'give up'?"
Argh! Just say yes and I'll barge in!
"Yes."
*****
"I'm afraid you've got 'Wild Magic' upon your hands. I'm not exactly sure how to treat it myself. Usually the Manifest does not behave as such. It may be because she is in our world, and not in her own," Gorshel the Healer said. Gorshel was probably the best Healer this dimension had, and it had taken them weeks to get here--even at Ryo-oki's fastest speed.
"...Is there a chance though?" Washu asked hopefully.
"There's a definite but slim chance. I can wake her ...and that'll bring her out of the Manifestation for a while, but..." Gorshel paused, stroking his beard.
"But what?" Ryoko asked impatiently.
"She will continue to have Visions and her Manifest will continue. It must, in order for her to accept who she is. I don't know how long she'll stay conscious before she slips back in. You say she's an immortal?" Gorshel asked.
"Yes. What does that have to do with anything?" Washu asked.
"Then we can do nothing. I can wake her, but...I will not be able to stop the Visions. She must learn to control them, or she will die when she loses her mind. Yes, die. Immortals can die, believe it or not, when they lose control of themselves or their powers. I've seen this happen too many times..." Gorshel said as he put his right arm above Skuld's eyes. They instantly flashed open.
*****
"Arise, Immortal. How are you feeling?" Gorshel asked Skuld.
"I...I'm going through the Manifest, aren't I?" Skuld asked, not answering Gorshel's question.
"Aye, Child. You are," Gorshel replied.
"...That explains the Visions. Do you know how to stop them, Gorshel of Thanas?" Skuld asked, surprising everyone in the room except Gorshel himself. That piece of information was known only to a group of previliged few. Thanas was a planet that had been destroyed eons ago by evil forces.
"No, I do not...That Journey will be yours, and yours alone, to undertake, my friend," Gorshel replied, bowing deeply once before he left the room to take care of other patients.
"...What was _that_ all about?" Ryoko said after Gorshel closed the door, still stunned.
"...I've gained The Knowledge about the Past and Present. To be the Goddess of the Future, I must be the Master of Past and Present...to know and understand everything there is to know and understand," Skuld said as if she had memorized it. To Washuu and Ryoko, she looked totally different. So unlike the teenager who had one day barged into their dimension. She seemed to have aged so much in so little time.
"...Are you all right?" Washu asked, not really understanding what just happened still.
"I am fine, for the moment. But...if I don't learn to control my Visions, I...I'll die, won't I?" Skuld said rhetorically. There was an eerie silence to the room.
"...That's what he told us," Washu replied.
"I see..." Skuld said. Suddenly, her eyes widened and she started coughing madly, unable to stop. She put a hand to her mouth and when she took it away, she was surprised to see blood. Fresh blood, covering the palm of her hand.
"I'll go get Gorshel!" Ryoko shouted as she went through the nearest wall.
*****
"This is all I can do for her right now. Her body is not used to her new-found abilities and only time and an absolute control of her powers will allow her to adjust. If she does not, she will die. It is as simple as that. I will be in my laboratory to work on a potion to slow down the Manifest, but...if the Wild Magic gets to her, it will be too late," Gorshel said before leaving the room along with Washu, who had volunteered her knowledge to help him.
Ryoko, who had been left to guard Skuld, unexpectedly felt tears running down her face. Skuld beckoned her friend to her bedside and they held each other for a while, until the sadness went away. Ryoko, who had always been so strong and so optimistic, now looked so out of character that Ryo-oki was surprised.
"Ryoko, why are you crying?" Skuld asked her friend, stroking her hair as Ryoko wiped her tears on her sleeves.
"I'm not crying! I'm just allergic, that's all!" Ryoko snapped unexpectedly, turning away to try and stop her tears from coming down.
"Don't deny what you know is true, Ryoko...Denial will hurt you even more later on along the way. Remember that. You _were_ crying, and that's good," Skuld said, as she closed her eyes. But the fear of more visions clouded her mind, so she stayed awake.
"W-what do you mean, Skuld?" Ryoko asked.
"There are two kinds of people in this universe, Ryoko. I want you to remember that. One kind is those who freely express their feelings without fearing any reprimand. Although they may experience more sadness, but it is a light kind of sadness, and they can satisfied that they have voiced their opinion. The other kind is the kind who hides their feelings inside, hoping that they will go away. They are the ones who experience the extremes of happiness and the extremes of unhappiness. Most of them end up becoming serial killers..." Skuld said.
"Are you saying I'm a serial murderer?" Ryoko asked, irritated.
"No, Ryoko, I'm merely stating a fact. But you _would_ become one, if you don't handle Tenchi's affair soon. I can sense it, the way you speak of...Ayeka, was it? You would kill for her," Skuld said.
"What are you talking about? I want Tenchi to be my husband, and if not, my lover!" Ryoko said, frowning at the way the conversation was going.
"There you go again, Ryoko. Why can't you admit you like her? Almost, if not the same, as your precious Tenchi? Is that why you get into so many fights with her? Think about it. You would fight simply because of some dumb excuse..." Skuld said before she drifted to sleep.
Ryoko sat there fuming. There was Skuld, one of her newest friends, and she was insulting the way she handled her relationship? *Ayeka? Is she going nuts or something?* she practically snarled in her mind. But back in the recesses of her mind, she felt a little guilty...a little guilty because in a way, it _was_ true. She had thought of Ayeka almost like a sister. Too bad they liked the same guy.
*****
"...What are you going to do now?" Washu asked sadly as she told Skuld the results the next day. It didn't look so good, but she was going to try and change them by challenging the odds. They had given her some medicine and she looked much better. But the crisis wasn't over. It hadn't even begun. The blood was only the first signs of trouble.
"I'm so tired, Washu...I want to back home. I miss my sisters. Do you think you can do that for me?" Skuld asked Washu. Her voice was cracked and very emotional.
"If I can do it once, I can do it again, Skuld...But are you sure you want to do this?" Washu asked, putting a hand on Skuld's shoulder. Skuld didn't reply but her head slowly nodded. Washu silently crept away from her and closed the door. After a while, Skuld shuddered--but no one knew whether or not it is from the winter cold or because of the tears that had suddenly found themselves running down her face.
***** END OF PART 3 *****
FOOTNOTES
Final comments!: This part is more spiritual and theoretical in the sense that Skuld has prescience and she manifests her powers, but it is truly one of my saddest and darkest written works so far. I was inspired by Raistlin (think DragonLance, the fantasy novel--one of my favs) and Caramon's mother, who couldn't control her visions and died because she couldn't wake up from them often enough...
Kudos to:
Brett-If it weren't for you and 'Oh! My God!', I'd never have written this in the first place. For that I'm truly grateful. There's just two things you need to do to make me even happier: update your homepage, and get the time to finish that Chia-Yao Interlude!
Feir-You and your feminist comments...really! *hrrmph* Carol'll have a field day about this *sly grin*. Just kidding! I'm glad I have you for my sounding board! Next agenda? Help me study for that AP Bio exam! (panicking already)
Jay-You've been the most enthusiastic pre-reader as of yet. I don't want to get rid of that Ranma 1/2 version yet (the bathroom scenes are just too good to miss)-yeah, the idea you gave me and the first basis for this interlude. Side story maybe? *grin* We'll see...
YOU-What can I say? You made it through, didn't you? Congratulations! Thanks for all the encouragement. If you've made it this far (I mean, there _are_ some really far out concepts in this chapter) I can only hope to improve my style! *grin*
*****
'Till next time, au revoir!