~Notes from Minagi~
Hey all, sorry about the long interval between updates. You know, school's winding down (finally), and I had a few overly large projects I had to do in a short span of time (probably because I am terrible when it comes to procrastinating). But, hey, all that's done now, and I can finally post this.
Here's the deal. Chapter Seven was not originally supposed to be divided. But, I got to thinking this morning after I finished this, "It's gonna be incredibly long if I don't separate it." So, I decided to. This is only the first part. The second part is soon to come (hopefully)! Arigatou and ja ne!
An eerie silence filled the lab, echoing in its vast nothingness. The twenty thousand-year-old genius sat staring, bewildered, at the space pirate. Her words bounced through Washuu's head.
"The force causing Ryoko's dreams is…me…"
It was impossible! There was no way Ryoko's best friend could be the cause of her pain. Yet she was. It was all there in front of her, spelled out in a web that before seemed to make no sense at all. Kyoko was the cause of everything, no denying it. But Washuu wouldn't give up without a fight.
"No, Kyoko," she said, trying to keep her voice steady. "It can't be you…"
"It is, Washuu! There's no other explanation!" Kyoko's head jerked up as she said this.
Washuu opened her mouth to say something, but decided against it and closed it again. Instead, she gulped and continued to look at the crossing red lines on the board. She wasn't really paying any attention to them, though. Her mind was drifting back into the past, back into her own insights on the problem. She had found that there were two forces causing it; one was human, the other unreadable.
"But you can't be the only…force causing this," the genius protested again. "When I did my research, I found there was something else."
"No, you must have gone wrong somewhere," the red head said sadly. "I am the only one."
"That's not been proven," Washuu shot out. She didn't like the thought of being wrong.
"It makes no difference! I am still a cause!" Kyoko wiped a tear from her eye before continuing. "What can we do?"
"We? WE? I don't know what WE can do, but what about you?"
Though tears kept falling from the young pirate's dark eyes, her voice was full of anger at Washuu's words.
"You have to help me."
"How? I have nothing to help you with!" The scientist was having a hard time excepting this whole situation.
"Washuu, YOU are the only one I can trust! You are the only one who can help me!" Kyoko shouted.
Washuu shushed her and turned back to her computer.
"I'm sorry, but I don't know what to do," she said, closing her end of the conversation. She hoped it would shut Kyoko up, but it didn't.
"If you don't do it for me," she began, "do it for your daughter."
Washuu stopped what she was doing. This girl was desperate for help, and she was willing to do whatever it took to stop herself from hurting Ryoko any more.
But why me? The little girl thought.
"You are the only one I can turn to. If I told anyone else, they'd be scared of me. I know that sounds weird coming from a pirate, but…" Kyoko's voice trailed off.
Washuu sighed deeply. "All right, what do you want me to do?"
The young woman dried her eyes. She hadn't thought about solutions to the problem yet.
"Uhhhh," she said stupidly.
"You mean to tell me," the genius said, eyebrow raised, "that you haven't thought about a possible way to stop this?"
"I was hoping you could come up with something," the red head said, ashamed.
"Mm-hm. So, you thought you could come in here, lay all this on me, then expect me to come up with something to do, is that it?" Washuu was getting extremely annoyed.
"No! I wanted to help, but I have no ideas…except…maybe…" Kyoko stood in her spot and thought. Then, she shook her head, saying it was impossible.
"What? What's impossible?"
"I was just thinking we could all go into an alter-dimension (seeing as you're such a GENIUS and you're great with alter-dimensions). That way, I could stay out of the way, yet stay close enough to everyone I can see if the situation worsens!"
Washuu tried confusedly to put it all together in her head. She hated situations when she was confused. She was a genius, and geniuses don't get confused (that often)! But lately, it had become an often occurrence.
After a few minutes, she spoke.
"Why can't we just stay here?"
"Because I know this place, the lay of the land," was the response.
"Okay, so why don't we just go somewhere else?"
"Such as?"
"Umm, the United States?"
"First off, been there, done that. Second, George Washington's teeth weren't made of oak, they were made of cherry."
Despite the situation, Washuu couldn't help but snort with laughter. Even in a tense situation, it was good to know one person had a sense of humor.
"Washuu, I'm serious."
"Ooookaaaay?" That wasn't a joke? Oops. "Right, how about…oh…I don't know…Great Britain?"
"Naah, can't go back."
"Why not?"
"I pissed off the monarchy," Kyoko said simply. Washuu knew not to go into details, so she continued to ramble of countries, each one being turned down.
"Okay, Kyoko, the only place I haven't suggested is future Tokyo! How about that?!" the genius spat angrily.
"Washuu, for all we know, future Tokyo could have street names!"
"Well, if you're not going to cooperate, why don't you just leave!" The scientist was getting rather aggravated. She didn't want to kick Kyoko out of her lab, but it seemed as though this wasn't the right time to discuss possible solutions to the problem, seeing as neither one of them had gotten any sleep.
"I'm sorry, Washuu," Kyoko said sincerely. "It's just-"
"Kyoko…" Washuu tried to cut the space pirate off.
"-I'm really scared! I mean I never-"
"Kyoko!"
"-wanted to hurt Ryoko! Ever! And-"
"Kyoko! It's all right! We can discuss this tomorrow!" The little pink hared girl got off her pillow and walked cautiously over to the heart broken girl.
Kyoko stopped abruptly and looked at Washuu. Without warning, she fell to her knees in tears. The genius crouched down in front of her, laying her hand on her shoulder.
"Look, Kyoko," Washuu began in a gentle voice, "if it makes you feel any better, I'm really sorry about yelling at you. Both of us need sleep, and I've got a feeling I need it more than you do. I know you never meant for this to happen, and I will be more than willing to help you end it…tomorrow."
It helped a little, but the space pirate couldn't seem to calm her tears. Even still, she managed to say, "All right…tomorrow." Then, she got up and walked out of the lab.
~*~
The long hallway stretched before him, it's blackness providing him with little light. Tenchi shut the door to Ryoko's room. After the two had quieted down, they both had fallen asleep, and now it was two-o-clock in the morning. The young couple had to sneak in through Ryoko's window from the roof in order to avoid waking anyone up. Tenchi, after bidding the pirate good night, began his short journey down the dim corridor.
Suddenly, an almost silent rustle reached his ears. He heard breathing, but it was ragged and uneven, almost inhuman. Still he saw no one. Slowly, he ventured forth on his own (like stupid people do in horror movies, only this time, no freaky music), trying to keep his own oxygen intake steady. There was a thump from behind him, and he turned around to look, but saw nothing. Nothing but the vast darkness.
When the prince turned his head back around, he came face to face with a figure a little shorter than his beloved demon summoner, and ten times paler. Its eyes were a bloody and hateful red, and they bore into him like a knife, and its fist was clenching tighter and tighter. Electricity jumped from between its fingers. Tenchi knew he was in danger.
He tried to call forth the Tenchi-ken, but it wouldn't come. It was no use. The creature's other hand reached up and loomed near his neck, as though it longed to strangle him. Yet it hesitated. Tenchi snapped his eyes shut.
Light. Warm, sweet light flooded down the hallway. The redheaded space pirate blinked furiously, then shook her head. Her mind raced with thoughts, and Kyoko tried to keep up. But the harder she tried, the farther she fell back. She raised her left hand and covered her eyes, groaning.
"Where the hell am I?" she whispered to herself.
"Kyoko-san, what are you doing?" Sasami's innocent voice drifted to her ears.
Kyoko looked at her surroundings and found it even more confusing. She was standing in front of Tenchi, and her right hand was extended towards his neck. She quickly lowered it to his shoulder and shook it.
"You all right?" she asked him. He didn't answer. He just stood there, eyes as big as saucers. He seemed petrified. Under normal circumstances, she would have found this very funny. These, however, were not normal circumstances. His stone-like face just made her mind spin faster.
"He looks like he's seen a ghost," the little princess said, coming up to the pirate's side.
"No kidding. I wonder what happened."
The young pyromaniac took a step to the side of the one blocking her way, but she immediately overbalanced and fell to the floor. Her coordination was terrible, as though her brain and leg muscles were no longer communicating with each other. Her head pulsated, and she was having a hard time gathering her thoughts. Her eyes stung, but she managed to focus on two deep red objects below her. Through the mists of the scramble, she felt her hand reach out and pick them up.
Suddenly, the storm of her mind cleared up. Everything began to work like it should.
"Kyoko-san!" Sasami shrieked in alarm. "What's wrong?!" She fell to her knees to help the fallen girl.
Tenchi suddenly jolted out of his petrified stupor. He shook his head vigorously and looked wildly around for the creature that attacked him. But he saw no sign of it. All he saw was a scared little Sasami helping up the newest member of the household.
"What in the hell is going on here?" he asked, more to himself than anyone else.
The two girls looked up at him. His face clearly showed confusion. He had no idea what had just happened. And to make the situation worse, neither did the other two.
"What are you doing?!" The trio grimaced at the sound of this voice. They knew they were going to have to do some fast-talking. Aeka had just woken up.
"Tenchi, what the hell?" So had Ryoko. In fact, within seconds, the entire family (with the exception of Washuu and Katsuhito) was crowded out in the little corridor, demanding to know what was going on.
Sasami shrank beneath her sister's accusing (and rather psychopathic) stare, and Kyoko had to keep herself pre-occupied. Ryoko was glaring at her and Tenchi like no other. She bent down next to the little girl and helped her up, wrapping her arms protectively around her back.
"Nothing happened!" Tenchi said.
"Tenchi had come downstairs with me for some hot chocolate," Sasami lied. Her voice was soft, but at this point in time, it was also one of those where you heard every word she said. As she started talking, everyone stopped what he or she was doing to listen. "When we came back upstairs, Tenchi bumped into Kyoko, knocking her down. That's all that happened."
"Honestly, Sasami-chan?" Aeka questioned.
The little blue-hared princess backed away from the one holding her to face her sister. Instead of answering, she gave her older sister a big, toothy grin.
Laughing, the first crown princess shook her head and mumbled something that sounded like, "You and your hot chocolate." She then took her sister's hand and led her back to their room for bed.
As the rest of the gang left the hallway, moaning and grumbling (and, in Mihoshi's case, sleepwalking), Tenchi and Kyoko stood dumbfounded. Sasami had just lied to her sister…to everyone…just to save their backs. They owed her one. Big time.
~*~
The cold. Its bittersweet familiarity encircled Ryoko's body like the wind. The young oni found herself once again trapped inside the dimension of sorrow that had haunted her in her nightmares for so many nights. Only, this time it was different. This time, the pain of dreams and death past didn't wait. It met her there with a vengeance unlike any other.
"Not again," Ryoko choked out through a mouthful of blood. "Tenchi, please help me."
Red tears began to form in the corners of her eyes. She looked up and saw standing before her a semi-transparent little girl with long, light blue pigtails.
"Sa…Sasami-chan, what are you doing here? Get out!"
Sasami's mouth moved, but no sound came out. She reached out for Ryoko, and Ryoko raised her hand. When the two made contact, Ryoko screamed as even more blood poured from her wound, spilling to the invisible ground like a waterfall.
Suddenly, a flashing florescent blue blade came out of nowhere, decapitating the small princess. Ryoko tried to shout, but her head seared with white-hot agony.
Out of nowhere, Sasami's older sister appeared, and she ran over to the little girl's bloody remains. A look of utmost horror and sickness crossed her face.
Ryoko screamed out for Ayeka, and she choked on her own red body fluid as it dripped from between her lips. She watched as the princess fell to her knees in tears.
From behind Aeka came Tenchi, who also looked down at Sasami. His reaction was different. He had to turn away and puke. The sight of the small princess's insides spilling out over the invisible ground was too much for him.
The prince dared another look around, and his eyes came to rest on his love, bleeding and dying. Her breaths were coming in short, piercing gasps as her heart began to slow. A pool of blood and fluids had formed around her body, soaking almost every inch of her black and red battle suit. This really was a painful way to die.
Tenchi walked uneasily over to Ryoko and knelt down beside her, placing one hand over her wound and the other around her shoulders.
The demon summoner's pain increased yet again, and it took a while to realize why.
Tenchi's fingers were digging into her side, into the open injury. They were twisting and turning, pulling what life she had left away from her as they tore away chunks of flesh and tissue.
"You still don't know who I am, Ryoko?" came a voice from beside the almost dead space pirate. "My, my. I'm very disappointed in you."
Ryoko raised her eyes to where she believed Tenchi to be, but instead of finding him, she found a dark shadow. It radiated hate and the longing to kill. She knew she had seen the shadow before, yet she couldn't place it.
The shadow's fingers twisted once more inside her body before ripping out, bringing Ryoko's very soul with it. On her final breath, Ryoko let out an ear-piercing scream. A scream that woke her up…
Ryoko's scream once again echoed around the house, waking everyone inside. As usual, Sasami was the first up and ready to help her friend. But this time it was different. There was that feeling…something was totally wrong. Even Tsunami could feel it.
The little girl dashed out of her room and into Ryoko's, closely followed by Tenchi. Kyoko and Kiyone had gone to get Washuu.
The scared demon summoner was curled up and crying out of fear. Strange, but no one had ever seen her so scared before. The two standing before her knew the dream had changed somehow.
Tenchi carefully walked over to Ryoko's bedside and sat down. Immediately, Ryoko responded by setting up and lying back down in his welcoming arms. Her head lay against his chest, and she could feel his muscles through the thin fabric of his shirt. The boy noticed the one in his arms smelled faintly of chamomile and cherry blossoms, and her silken strands of hair brushed his neck and chin. Her body trembled, and he felt its every move as it vibrated through her large, red nightshirt and into him.
The pirate listened to the gentle rhythm of Tenchi's beating heart. His body heat made her feel protected, and his arms around her back only made the feeling stronger.
But visions of the nightmare continued to torture her mind.
"T-Tenchi?" Sasami said, uncertainly. She took a step towards the bed. "Is…is Ryoko going to be all right?"
Tenchi silently nodded his head. Then he looked down into the pirate's blue-white hair and tightened his grip around her. She continued to shake, and her shoulders heaved up and down with every gasp.
"Ryoko?" he whispered.
"Please," she pleaded desperately, "don't let go."
That's when Tenchi knew it was bad. Usually, Ryoko liked to endure her problems alone. But not this time.
Washuu, Kiyone, and Kyoko walked into the room rather briskly. Kiyone walked over behind Sasami, putting her hand's on the little girl's shoulders.
"Are you okay, Sasami-chan?" she asked.
"I don't know," was the almost silent reply.
Washuu glided over to the bed and sat down on the other side of the frightened space pirate. Ryoko turned her tear-stained eyes towards the genius, never moving her head from the comfort of Tenchi's chest.
It's times like this, she thought, that I'm glad you're my mother.
Washuu was taken back by this thought. She had heard what her daughter had secretly said, and it shocked her. She was sure her face showed her surprise.
*You heard me?* Ryoko asked telepathically.
*Y-yes. I did.* Washuu's face broke into a gentle smile at the summoner's next words.
*I meant it.*
*You have grown, Little Ryoko.*
Ryoko smiled, but the smile faded as she became aware of another presence in the room. A presence which she feared. It brought back the visions of her dream. Her face became emotionless, and she turned her head away from her mother. She could feel it. The blood. It's coppery taste filling her mouth as it dripped from her lips. The feeling of the shadow's hand ripping out her soul from her body…
The oni closed her eyes, remembering everything about her dream. Everything down to the feelings she felt deep in her dying heart.
Washuu gasped and clutched her own stomach. It felt as though it had burst open, such was the pain Ryoko was showing her. Everything she was seeing and feeling was being sent to her by her daughter.
"Washuu!" Sasami screamed, running from Kiyone.
"No!" Washuu held up her hand, stopping the little princess. Her breathing became uneven.
"Ryoko?" Tenchi's voice broke Ryoko's concentration, and all attention turned to him. "Are you okay?"
Ryoko's eyes softened, and she raised her hand to his cheek. He became slightly stiff for a split second, then relaxed. He was getting used to her doing these kinds of things now. Well, for the most part.
"Kyoko!" Washuu suddenly shouted, startling everyone in the room. She got up and walked to the door. "Follow me."
"But…why?" Kyoko's voice came out of the shadows of the room, quiet and scared. Ryoko hadn't noticed her friend was in the same place as she was.
"Don't argue, just come." The genius stalked out of her daughter's bedroom.
"Yes, ma'am." Kyoko replied, following. Her shoulders were hunched, and she didn't walk with her usual bounce. In fact, she didn't look at all like herself. Her face was white, and her hands visibly trembled.
It's as though she thinks Washuu is going to punish her, Tenchi thought.
Kiyone, Ryoko, Tenchi, and Sasami watched the doorway as the red head slouched through. As Kyoko exited, in walked Aeka, eyelids drooping and obviously exhausted.
"Sasami, what are you…st…still…" her voice faded when her eyes came to rest on Tenchi and Ryoko.
"Aeka…" Ryoko said in an almost soothing manor.
Instead of listening, the first crown princess stood up straight and looked to her sister.
"Sasami-chan, don't go to bed to late. Hurry back."
"Yes, sister," Sasami replied in a chipper yet tired voice.
Upon the princess's reply, Aeka gracefully backed out of Ryoko's room. But instead of going back to her own room, she leaned against the wall just outside the room. Her heart was racing, and she was having trouble holding back the tears. She didn't want to believe what she had seen; Ryoko lying in Tenchi's arms. She didn't want it to be true, but she knew it was. She knew the heartbreaking truth.
No! Stop it, Aeka! It's NOT true! She thought to herself.
More thoughts terrorized her heart. Thoughts like, Why? and Where did I go wrong?.
"Well, Ryoko, I can't believe it. You…you…" Aeka couldn't bring herself to say it. She picked up the pieces of her heart, dignity, and pride from the floor and walked into her room, lying on her pink futon.
Nothing could stop her now. The gashes made in her spirit bled, and Aeka let the tears come. She let them spill over her puffy red face and into her violet hair. They splashed to her pillow, which became soaked in a matter of minutes. She couldn't bear the thought of losing Tenchi. She never thought she would. She always knew he would choose her, but he didn't, and she found out the worst way possible. She had to face the fact.
Ryoko had won…
Hey all, sorry about the long interval between updates. You know, school's winding down (finally), and I had a few overly large projects I had to do in a short span of time (probably because I am terrible when it comes to procrastinating). But, hey, all that's done now, and I can finally post this.
Here's the deal. Chapter Seven was not originally supposed to be divided. But, I got to thinking this morning after I finished this, "It's gonna be incredibly long if I don't separate it." So, I decided to. This is only the first part. The second part is soon to come (hopefully)! Arigatou and ja ne!
An eerie silence filled the lab, echoing in its vast nothingness. The twenty thousand-year-old genius sat staring, bewildered, at the space pirate. Her words bounced through Washuu's head.
"The force causing Ryoko's dreams is…me…"
It was impossible! There was no way Ryoko's best friend could be the cause of her pain. Yet she was. It was all there in front of her, spelled out in a web that before seemed to make no sense at all. Kyoko was the cause of everything, no denying it. But Washuu wouldn't give up without a fight.
"No, Kyoko," she said, trying to keep her voice steady. "It can't be you…"
"It is, Washuu! There's no other explanation!" Kyoko's head jerked up as she said this.
Washuu opened her mouth to say something, but decided against it and closed it again. Instead, she gulped and continued to look at the crossing red lines on the board. She wasn't really paying any attention to them, though. Her mind was drifting back into the past, back into her own insights on the problem. She had found that there were two forces causing it; one was human, the other unreadable.
"But you can't be the only…force causing this," the genius protested again. "When I did my research, I found there was something else."
"No, you must have gone wrong somewhere," the red head said sadly. "I am the only one."
"That's not been proven," Washuu shot out. She didn't like the thought of being wrong.
"It makes no difference! I am still a cause!" Kyoko wiped a tear from her eye before continuing. "What can we do?"
"We? WE? I don't know what WE can do, but what about you?"
Though tears kept falling from the young pirate's dark eyes, her voice was full of anger at Washuu's words.
"You have to help me."
"How? I have nothing to help you with!" The scientist was having a hard time excepting this whole situation.
"Washuu, YOU are the only one I can trust! You are the only one who can help me!" Kyoko shouted.
Washuu shushed her and turned back to her computer.
"I'm sorry, but I don't know what to do," she said, closing her end of the conversation. She hoped it would shut Kyoko up, but it didn't.
"If you don't do it for me," she began, "do it for your daughter."
Washuu stopped what she was doing. This girl was desperate for help, and she was willing to do whatever it took to stop herself from hurting Ryoko any more.
But why me? The little girl thought.
"You are the only one I can turn to. If I told anyone else, they'd be scared of me. I know that sounds weird coming from a pirate, but…" Kyoko's voice trailed off.
Washuu sighed deeply. "All right, what do you want me to do?"
The young woman dried her eyes. She hadn't thought about solutions to the problem yet.
"Uhhhh," she said stupidly.
"You mean to tell me," the genius said, eyebrow raised, "that you haven't thought about a possible way to stop this?"
"I was hoping you could come up with something," the red head said, ashamed.
"Mm-hm. So, you thought you could come in here, lay all this on me, then expect me to come up with something to do, is that it?" Washuu was getting extremely annoyed.
"No! I wanted to help, but I have no ideas…except…maybe…" Kyoko stood in her spot and thought. Then, she shook her head, saying it was impossible.
"What? What's impossible?"
"I was just thinking we could all go into an alter-dimension (seeing as you're such a GENIUS and you're great with alter-dimensions). That way, I could stay out of the way, yet stay close enough to everyone I can see if the situation worsens!"
Washuu tried confusedly to put it all together in her head. She hated situations when she was confused. She was a genius, and geniuses don't get confused (that often)! But lately, it had become an often occurrence.
After a few minutes, she spoke.
"Why can't we just stay here?"
"Because I know this place, the lay of the land," was the response.
"Okay, so why don't we just go somewhere else?"
"Such as?"
"Umm, the United States?"
"First off, been there, done that. Second, George Washington's teeth weren't made of oak, they were made of cherry."
Despite the situation, Washuu couldn't help but snort with laughter. Even in a tense situation, it was good to know one person had a sense of humor.
"Washuu, I'm serious."
"Ooookaaaay?" That wasn't a joke? Oops. "Right, how about…oh…I don't know…Great Britain?"
"Naah, can't go back."
"Why not?"
"I pissed off the monarchy," Kyoko said simply. Washuu knew not to go into details, so she continued to ramble of countries, each one being turned down.
"Okay, Kyoko, the only place I haven't suggested is future Tokyo! How about that?!" the genius spat angrily.
"Washuu, for all we know, future Tokyo could have street names!"
"Well, if you're not going to cooperate, why don't you just leave!" The scientist was getting rather aggravated. She didn't want to kick Kyoko out of her lab, but it seemed as though this wasn't the right time to discuss possible solutions to the problem, seeing as neither one of them had gotten any sleep.
"I'm sorry, Washuu," Kyoko said sincerely. "It's just-"
"Kyoko…" Washuu tried to cut the space pirate off.
"-I'm really scared! I mean I never-"
"Kyoko!"
"-wanted to hurt Ryoko! Ever! And-"
"Kyoko! It's all right! We can discuss this tomorrow!" The little pink hared girl got off her pillow and walked cautiously over to the heart broken girl.
Kyoko stopped abruptly and looked at Washuu. Without warning, she fell to her knees in tears. The genius crouched down in front of her, laying her hand on her shoulder.
"Look, Kyoko," Washuu began in a gentle voice, "if it makes you feel any better, I'm really sorry about yelling at you. Both of us need sleep, and I've got a feeling I need it more than you do. I know you never meant for this to happen, and I will be more than willing to help you end it…tomorrow."
It helped a little, but the space pirate couldn't seem to calm her tears. Even still, she managed to say, "All right…tomorrow." Then, she got up and walked out of the lab.
~*~
The long hallway stretched before him, it's blackness providing him with little light. Tenchi shut the door to Ryoko's room. After the two had quieted down, they both had fallen asleep, and now it was two-o-clock in the morning. The young couple had to sneak in through Ryoko's window from the roof in order to avoid waking anyone up. Tenchi, after bidding the pirate good night, began his short journey down the dim corridor.
Suddenly, an almost silent rustle reached his ears. He heard breathing, but it was ragged and uneven, almost inhuman. Still he saw no one. Slowly, he ventured forth on his own (like stupid people do in horror movies, only this time, no freaky music), trying to keep his own oxygen intake steady. There was a thump from behind him, and he turned around to look, but saw nothing. Nothing but the vast darkness.
When the prince turned his head back around, he came face to face with a figure a little shorter than his beloved demon summoner, and ten times paler. Its eyes were a bloody and hateful red, and they bore into him like a knife, and its fist was clenching tighter and tighter. Electricity jumped from between its fingers. Tenchi knew he was in danger.
He tried to call forth the Tenchi-ken, but it wouldn't come. It was no use. The creature's other hand reached up and loomed near his neck, as though it longed to strangle him. Yet it hesitated. Tenchi snapped his eyes shut.
Light. Warm, sweet light flooded down the hallway. The redheaded space pirate blinked furiously, then shook her head. Her mind raced with thoughts, and Kyoko tried to keep up. But the harder she tried, the farther she fell back. She raised her left hand and covered her eyes, groaning.
"Where the hell am I?" she whispered to herself.
"Kyoko-san, what are you doing?" Sasami's innocent voice drifted to her ears.
Kyoko looked at her surroundings and found it even more confusing. She was standing in front of Tenchi, and her right hand was extended towards his neck. She quickly lowered it to his shoulder and shook it.
"You all right?" she asked him. He didn't answer. He just stood there, eyes as big as saucers. He seemed petrified. Under normal circumstances, she would have found this very funny. These, however, were not normal circumstances. His stone-like face just made her mind spin faster.
"He looks like he's seen a ghost," the little princess said, coming up to the pirate's side.
"No kidding. I wonder what happened."
The young pyromaniac took a step to the side of the one blocking her way, but she immediately overbalanced and fell to the floor. Her coordination was terrible, as though her brain and leg muscles were no longer communicating with each other. Her head pulsated, and she was having a hard time gathering her thoughts. Her eyes stung, but she managed to focus on two deep red objects below her. Through the mists of the scramble, she felt her hand reach out and pick them up.
Suddenly, the storm of her mind cleared up. Everything began to work like it should.
"Kyoko-san!" Sasami shrieked in alarm. "What's wrong?!" She fell to her knees to help the fallen girl.
Tenchi suddenly jolted out of his petrified stupor. He shook his head vigorously and looked wildly around for the creature that attacked him. But he saw no sign of it. All he saw was a scared little Sasami helping up the newest member of the household.
"What in the hell is going on here?" he asked, more to himself than anyone else.
The two girls looked up at him. His face clearly showed confusion. He had no idea what had just happened. And to make the situation worse, neither did the other two.
"What are you doing?!" The trio grimaced at the sound of this voice. They knew they were going to have to do some fast-talking. Aeka had just woken up.
"Tenchi, what the hell?" So had Ryoko. In fact, within seconds, the entire family (with the exception of Washuu and Katsuhito) was crowded out in the little corridor, demanding to know what was going on.
Sasami shrank beneath her sister's accusing (and rather psychopathic) stare, and Kyoko had to keep herself pre-occupied. Ryoko was glaring at her and Tenchi like no other. She bent down next to the little girl and helped her up, wrapping her arms protectively around her back.
"Nothing happened!" Tenchi said.
"Tenchi had come downstairs with me for some hot chocolate," Sasami lied. Her voice was soft, but at this point in time, it was also one of those where you heard every word she said. As she started talking, everyone stopped what he or she was doing to listen. "When we came back upstairs, Tenchi bumped into Kyoko, knocking her down. That's all that happened."
"Honestly, Sasami-chan?" Aeka questioned.
The little blue-hared princess backed away from the one holding her to face her sister. Instead of answering, she gave her older sister a big, toothy grin.
Laughing, the first crown princess shook her head and mumbled something that sounded like, "You and your hot chocolate." She then took her sister's hand and led her back to their room for bed.
As the rest of the gang left the hallway, moaning and grumbling (and, in Mihoshi's case, sleepwalking), Tenchi and Kyoko stood dumbfounded. Sasami had just lied to her sister…to everyone…just to save their backs. They owed her one. Big time.
~*~
The cold. Its bittersweet familiarity encircled Ryoko's body like the wind. The young oni found herself once again trapped inside the dimension of sorrow that had haunted her in her nightmares for so many nights. Only, this time it was different. This time, the pain of dreams and death past didn't wait. It met her there with a vengeance unlike any other.
"Not again," Ryoko choked out through a mouthful of blood. "Tenchi, please help me."
Red tears began to form in the corners of her eyes. She looked up and saw standing before her a semi-transparent little girl with long, light blue pigtails.
"Sa…Sasami-chan, what are you doing here? Get out!"
Sasami's mouth moved, but no sound came out. She reached out for Ryoko, and Ryoko raised her hand. When the two made contact, Ryoko screamed as even more blood poured from her wound, spilling to the invisible ground like a waterfall.
Suddenly, a flashing florescent blue blade came out of nowhere, decapitating the small princess. Ryoko tried to shout, but her head seared with white-hot agony.
Out of nowhere, Sasami's older sister appeared, and she ran over to the little girl's bloody remains. A look of utmost horror and sickness crossed her face.
Ryoko screamed out for Ayeka, and she choked on her own red body fluid as it dripped from between her lips. She watched as the princess fell to her knees in tears.
From behind Aeka came Tenchi, who also looked down at Sasami. His reaction was different. He had to turn away and puke. The sight of the small princess's insides spilling out over the invisible ground was too much for him.
The prince dared another look around, and his eyes came to rest on his love, bleeding and dying. Her breaths were coming in short, piercing gasps as her heart began to slow. A pool of blood and fluids had formed around her body, soaking almost every inch of her black and red battle suit. This really was a painful way to die.
Tenchi walked uneasily over to Ryoko and knelt down beside her, placing one hand over her wound and the other around her shoulders.
The demon summoner's pain increased yet again, and it took a while to realize why.
Tenchi's fingers were digging into her side, into the open injury. They were twisting and turning, pulling what life she had left away from her as they tore away chunks of flesh and tissue.
"You still don't know who I am, Ryoko?" came a voice from beside the almost dead space pirate. "My, my. I'm very disappointed in you."
Ryoko raised her eyes to where she believed Tenchi to be, but instead of finding him, she found a dark shadow. It radiated hate and the longing to kill. She knew she had seen the shadow before, yet she couldn't place it.
The shadow's fingers twisted once more inside her body before ripping out, bringing Ryoko's very soul with it. On her final breath, Ryoko let out an ear-piercing scream. A scream that woke her up…
Ryoko's scream once again echoed around the house, waking everyone inside. As usual, Sasami was the first up and ready to help her friend. But this time it was different. There was that feeling…something was totally wrong. Even Tsunami could feel it.
The little girl dashed out of her room and into Ryoko's, closely followed by Tenchi. Kyoko and Kiyone had gone to get Washuu.
The scared demon summoner was curled up and crying out of fear. Strange, but no one had ever seen her so scared before. The two standing before her knew the dream had changed somehow.
Tenchi carefully walked over to Ryoko's bedside and sat down. Immediately, Ryoko responded by setting up and lying back down in his welcoming arms. Her head lay against his chest, and she could feel his muscles through the thin fabric of his shirt. The boy noticed the one in his arms smelled faintly of chamomile and cherry blossoms, and her silken strands of hair brushed his neck and chin. Her body trembled, and he felt its every move as it vibrated through her large, red nightshirt and into him.
The pirate listened to the gentle rhythm of Tenchi's beating heart. His body heat made her feel protected, and his arms around her back only made the feeling stronger.
But visions of the nightmare continued to torture her mind.
"T-Tenchi?" Sasami said, uncertainly. She took a step towards the bed. "Is…is Ryoko going to be all right?"
Tenchi silently nodded his head. Then he looked down into the pirate's blue-white hair and tightened his grip around her. She continued to shake, and her shoulders heaved up and down with every gasp.
"Ryoko?" he whispered.
"Please," she pleaded desperately, "don't let go."
That's when Tenchi knew it was bad. Usually, Ryoko liked to endure her problems alone. But not this time.
Washuu, Kiyone, and Kyoko walked into the room rather briskly. Kiyone walked over behind Sasami, putting her hand's on the little girl's shoulders.
"Are you okay, Sasami-chan?" she asked.
"I don't know," was the almost silent reply.
Washuu glided over to the bed and sat down on the other side of the frightened space pirate. Ryoko turned her tear-stained eyes towards the genius, never moving her head from the comfort of Tenchi's chest.
It's times like this, she thought, that I'm glad you're my mother.
Washuu was taken back by this thought. She had heard what her daughter had secretly said, and it shocked her. She was sure her face showed her surprise.
*You heard me?* Ryoko asked telepathically.
*Y-yes. I did.* Washuu's face broke into a gentle smile at the summoner's next words.
*I meant it.*
*You have grown, Little Ryoko.*
Ryoko smiled, but the smile faded as she became aware of another presence in the room. A presence which she feared. It brought back the visions of her dream. Her face became emotionless, and she turned her head away from her mother. She could feel it. The blood. It's coppery taste filling her mouth as it dripped from her lips. The feeling of the shadow's hand ripping out her soul from her body…
The oni closed her eyes, remembering everything about her dream. Everything down to the feelings she felt deep in her dying heart.
Washuu gasped and clutched her own stomach. It felt as though it had burst open, such was the pain Ryoko was showing her. Everything she was seeing and feeling was being sent to her by her daughter.
"Washuu!" Sasami screamed, running from Kiyone.
"No!" Washuu held up her hand, stopping the little princess. Her breathing became uneven.
"Ryoko?" Tenchi's voice broke Ryoko's concentration, and all attention turned to him. "Are you okay?"
Ryoko's eyes softened, and she raised her hand to his cheek. He became slightly stiff for a split second, then relaxed. He was getting used to her doing these kinds of things now. Well, for the most part.
"Kyoko!" Washuu suddenly shouted, startling everyone in the room. She got up and walked to the door. "Follow me."
"But…why?" Kyoko's voice came out of the shadows of the room, quiet and scared. Ryoko hadn't noticed her friend was in the same place as she was.
"Don't argue, just come." The genius stalked out of her daughter's bedroom.
"Yes, ma'am." Kyoko replied, following. Her shoulders were hunched, and she didn't walk with her usual bounce. In fact, she didn't look at all like herself. Her face was white, and her hands visibly trembled.
It's as though she thinks Washuu is going to punish her, Tenchi thought.
Kiyone, Ryoko, Tenchi, and Sasami watched the doorway as the red head slouched through. As Kyoko exited, in walked Aeka, eyelids drooping and obviously exhausted.
"Sasami, what are you…st…still…" her voice faded when her eyes came to rest on Tenchi and Ryoko.
"Aeka…" Ryoko said in an almost soothing manor.
Instead of listening, the first crown princess stood up straight and looked to her sister.
"Sasami-chan, don't go to bed to late. Hurry back."
"Yes, sister," Sasami replied in a chipper yet tired voice.
Upon the princess's reply, Aeka gracefully backed out of Ryoko's room. But instead of going back to her own room, she leaned against the wall just outside the room. Her heart was racing, and she was having trouble holding back the tears. She didn't want to believe what she had seen; Ryoko lying in Tenchi's arms. She didn't want it to be true, but she knew it was. She knew the heartbreaking truth.
No! Stop it, Aeka! It's NOT true! She thought to herself.
More thoughts terrorized her heart. Thoughts like, Why? and Where did I go wrong?.
"Well, Ryoko, I can't believe it. You…you…" Aeka couldn't bring herself to say it. She picked up the pieces of her heart, dignity, and pride from the floor and walked into her room, lying on her pink futon.
Nothing could stop her now. The gashes made in her spirit bled, and Aeka let the tears come. She let them spill over her puffy red face and into her violet hair. They splashed to her pillow, which became soaked in a matter of minutes. She couldn't bear the thought of losing Tenchi. She never thought she would. She always knew he would choose her, but he didn't, and she found out the worst way possible. She had to face the fact.
Ryoko had won…