Disclaimer: This is an original story based on characters and situations created by Masaki Kajishima, and owned by Masaki Kajishima, AIC and Pioneer. I don't own ANY of it!!!!
For anyone interested in offering reviews of this story, you can post your comments up at Fanfiction.net or send stuff to me at mccpcorn@hotmail.com
The Story so Far: Ryoko is back in her own body at last, but what about the others?
Tenchi Muyo: Changing Faces
---------------------------
By Mccpcorn
CHAPTER 16: WHAT HAPPENED LATER
===============================
'Where am I?'
The first thing Ryoko noticed was that it was her own voice.
Experimentally, she tried raising her right arm. She found it was covered in a blanket, as indeed her whole body was. She was about to pull it free when a gently restraining hand was placed upon her right shoulder.
'Easy now. You're in Ayeka's room, in Ayeka's bed,' a familiar voice replied. 'You've been here for five days.'
Ryoko blanched as well as she could. 'Five DAYS??'
'Yes.' Washu's features materialised above Ryoko's face. 'You needed extensive reconstruction to your neural pathways. Had to make sure all the aspects of your mind fitted back into their proper niches. Wasn't difficult, but it takes time. Easier to do with you asleep.'
No wonder she felt sluggish. Ryoko felt the covers drawn back slightly, and this time Washu let her move her arm. And as she held it out in front of her face, Ryoko saw it WAS her arm.
Which meant that - 'Washu?'
'Yes. We're all safe now.'
For a moment there was silence. Then Ryoko let out a ragged sigh. She closed her eyes. 'I'd hoped it was just a bad dream.'
Washu shrugged, not that Ryoko saw it. 'Well things were cut pretty close. But at the end of the day we made it.'
And yet, even as she spoke those words, Washu knew she would never tell Ryoko just HOW close it had been...
* * *
A chain is only as strong as its weakest link; and Ryoko was about as weak as she had ever been....
-----
Sasami had become linked to Ryoko, who was in turn linked to Mihoshe. Mihoshe had become tangled up in Ryoko's strong feelings for Tenchi, with Kiyone suffering a similar fate in Tenchi's body - with the added factor of being Mihoshe's closest friend.
As Washu's daughter, Ryoko was also linked to the scientist. But with Washu in Ayeka's body, Ryoko had also become tied to Sasami's big sister, her own great rival.
It had been a classic domino set-up. And when Ryoko began to lose it, the whole Masaki family had begun to unravel.
Yet somehow, Ryoko had stabilised, going far beyond the theoretical break-up point Washu had calculated.
Perhaps being trapped and helpless had insulated her; her mind not needed for the moment, it had merely shut down to preserve itself. Or perhaps Ayeka's arrival had given Ryoko something to focus on, the distraction she'd needed to remind herself of who and what she was.
Perhaps. For the most part Washu suspected Tsunami, but would long keep that suspicion to herself.
* * *
It takes only a second to make a mistake; fixing one can take months, or even years....
-----
Even with Ayeka and Ryoko both alive and intact, the outcome had been far from certain. Repairing the damage was always going to involve more than simply swapping everyone's personalities back into their own bodies.
As Tenchi rushed back to the house with Ryoko and Ayeka, Washu was forced to bypass the safety protocols on the Personality Transference Transceiver. It left almost no margin for error in her hurried calculations, but at this stage in the game unacceptable risks became necessities.
Getting everyone back in their own body had been only the start; Washu soon found that everyone had needed some level of reintegration between mind and body. It was like trying on a some clothes that you know SHOULD fit, but for some reason snag here or there. Everyone found themselves suffering disorientation, and their senses had all needed careful realignment.
Sasami had been worst, at least for physical damage. She'd been in bed two whole days having her wounds scrubbed and bound. Kiyone had cooked in her absence, but had needed help every inch of the way because her equilibrium was totally screwed. Washu had not escaped either, and had needed treatment for cuts, bruises, a severely sprained ankle, as well as mild exposure.
To everyone's surprise, Tenchi and Mihoshe had come out almost unscathed. Even now they busied themselves about the house, looking after everyone with cheerful, uncomplaining demeanour. It was probably just the relief of being back in their own bodies, but on the other hand they'd stuck pretty close by each other.
Yet the two of them seemed more sombre, or perhaps deeper would be a better word. They seemed to have gained a wisdom, a special understanding of those around them, and each other. Mihoshe's perception of others seemed especially canny.
With only mild cajoling, Tenchi had managed to persuade Grandpa that seeing as he was having such a great time away from the shrine that perhaps he should stop off the hot-springs on the way back, make a real break out of it. Whether Kashuhito would buy into the lie was one thing, but it had at least bought them the time needed to fix the worst of the damage.
But there was much that simply couldn't be fixed. Problems that could be dealt with only through time and learning.
Ayeka had kept almost to herself; at first she'd had difficulty even going to see Sasami. But the Crown Princess had persevered, and now nursed her sister in the living room. However, she still had a tendency to spend much time alone, usually near the lake by Funaho.
And then there was Ryoko...
* * *
Washu's eyes focused on her daughter.
Yes. That was who it was. Her daughter. How odd that she never truly felt that kind of empathy with her before. 'How are you feeling?' Washu asked Ryoko has she helped the pirate straighten up in bed.
Surprisingly, Ryoko accepted the scientist's help without comment. She must've been more tired than Washu had thought.
'Fine, I guess,' Ryoko mused around a yawn. 'Still a little tired. Kinda groggy too.'
'That's normal. You'll get over it.'
'Normal? How do you guess what's normal dealing with a situation you've never encountered before?'
There was an edge of challenge in Ryoko's words that almost made Washu smile. Yup, she thought to herself. Definitely back to normal.
'Twenty thousand years of experience is how I guess normal,' she told her daughter tartly. 'And you're FAR from being the first person I had to perform basic sub-neural brain surgery on.'
'Okay, okay...' Ryoko growled, clearly in no condition to argue the point. 'I was only asking.'
Washu stood. 'There's some fresh clothes on the dresser, and a pitcher of water. You may want to use the bathroom to freshen up, too. Depending on how you feel later, you may want to join us downstairs for dinner.' Washu headed for the door.
A sudden, stray memory clicked in Ryoko's brain; something she'd wanted to do.... 'Mom?'
Washu almost faltered in her step; the casual utterance of the word seemed to indicate a total acceptance of who Washu was to her. It was a kind of normalcy that she had never heard Ryoko use before, one that touched her far more deeply than she could ever have imagined. In as unflustered a manner as possibly, Washu casually turned. 'Yes?'
'You said, dinner, right?'
'Yes. Yes I did.'
Ryoko rolled clear of her blankets and sat up on the bed, dressed in a long, flowing nightie. Her eyes grew emotional. 'Mom... I'm sorry.'
Washu swallowed as a lump formed in her throat. 'That's okay, sweetheart,' she replied. 'We all make mistakes.'
Ryoko sniffed, looking for all the world as though she was about to burst into tears. She held her arms limply out at her sides.
An almost-memory surfaced in Washu; the desire to hold her baby close in her arms and keep her safe...
'Shh, Ryoko. It's okay baby, it's okay, REALLY,' Washu said, hurrying back over. 'You're safe now. Mommy's here.'
Ryoko squeezed her eyes shut, lowered her head a moment. Ryoko looked up into Washu's taught, emotional face as her mother placed her hands on her shoulders. 'See?' Washu said, smiling.
'Mom...?'
'What is it, sweetie?'
Ryoko hesitated. 'I really... I need to ask you something...'
Washu smiled again. 'What's that, baby?'
* * *
Tenchi was just nearing the top of the stairs when he heard it: a dull thud, with a kind of hollow sounding crack. There was a high-pitched shriek, followed by what sounded like a stumbling scuffle.
His heart racing, Tenchi leapt the last few steps to the landing. Aw HELL! he thought in alarm, What's happened NOW?? Has Ryoko suffered a relapse or something? What's going on!?
He thundered down the hall, just in time to see the sliding door to Ayeka's room get literally torn off its runner, splintering the door-frame into fragments. Tenchi was almost knocked aside by the wildly stumbling figure that emerged from the room with blind haste. 'WASHU!?'
From inside the room, Tenchi heard Ryoko bellowing: 'THAT'S for causing everybody so much trouble!! DAMN you, Washu! You and your DAMN samples!!'
The little scientist staggered into Tenchi's arms just in time. As they both cleared the doorway a water jug went whistling past Tenchi's head, shattering against the far wall as Ryoko continued hollered: 'AND GIMMIE SOME PROPER TASTE BUDS!!!!!!'
Tenchi blanched in surprise, then down at the woman in his arms. His eyes saucered as he saw Washu, her hands covering her face. 'Washu?? What IS it!?'
Washu raised her head; her hands parted slightly to reveal a very bloody nose.
'DUH!' She explained with watering eyes. 'I think Ryuko bruke by dose!!'
-----
END OF CHAPTER 16
For anyone interested in offering reviews of this story, you can post your comments up at Fanfiction.net or send stuff to me at mccpcorn@hotmail.com
The Story so Far: Ryoko is back in her own body at last, but what about the others?
Tenchi Muyo: Changing Faces
---------------------------
By Mccpcorn
CHAPTER 16: WHAT HAPPENED LATER
===============================
'Where am I?'
The first thing Ryoko noticed was that it was her own voice.
Experimentally, she tried raising her right arm. She found it was covered in a blanket, as indeed her whole body was. She was about to pull it free when a gently restraining hand was placed upon her right shoulder.
'Easy now. You're in Ayeka's room, in Ayeka's bed,' a familiar voice replied. 'You've been here for five days.'
Ryoko blanched as well as she could. 'Five DAYS??'
'Yes.' Washu's features materialised above Ryoko's face. 'You needed extensive reconstruction to your neural pathways. Had to make sure all the aspects of your mind fitted back into their proper niches. Wasn't difficult, but it takes time. Easier to do with you asleep.'
No wonder she felt sluggish. Ryoko felt the covers drawn back slightly, and this time Washu let her move her arm. And as she held it out in front of her face, Ryoko saw it WAS her arm.
Which meant that - 'Washu?'
'Yes. We're all safe now.'
For a moment there was silence. Then Ryoko let out a ragged sigh. She closed her eyes. 'I'd hoped it was just a bad dream.'
Washu shrugged, not that Ryoko saw it. 'Well things were cut pretty close. But at the end of the day we made it.'
And yet, even as she spoke those words, Washu knew she would never tell Ryoko just HOW close it had been...
* * *
A chain is only as strong as its weakest link; and Ryoko was about as weak as she had ever been....
-----
Sasami had become linked to Ryoko, who was in turn linked to Mihoshe. Mihoshe had become tangled up in Ryoko's strong feelings for Tenchi, with Kiyone suffering a similar fate in Tenchi's body - with the added factor of being Mihoshe's closest friend.
As Washu's daughter, Ryoko was also linked to the scientist. But with Washu in Ayeka's body, Ryoko had also become tied to Sasami's big sister, her own great rival.
It had been a classic domino set-up. And when Ryoko began to lose it, the whole Masaki family had begun to unravel.
Yet somehow, Ryoko had stabilised, going far beyond the theoretical break-up point Washu had calculated.
Perhaps being trapped and helpless had insulated her; her mind not needed for the moment, it had merely shut down to preserve itself. Or perhaps Ayeka's arrival had given Ryoko something to focus on, the distraction she'd needed to remind herself of who and what she was.
Perhaps. For the most part Washu suspected Tsunami, but would long keep that suspicion to herself.
* * *
It takes only a second to make a mistake; fixing one can take months, or even years....
-----
Even with Ayeka and Ryoko both alive and intact, the outcome had been far from certain. Repairing the damage was always going to involve more than simply swapping everyone's personalities back into their own bodies.
As Tenchi rushed back to the house with Ryoko and Ayeka, Washu was forced to bypass the safety protocols on the Personality Transference Transceiver. It left almost no margin for error in her hurried calculations, but at this stage in the game unacceptable risks became necessities.
Getting everyone back in their own body had been only the start; Washu soon found that everyone had needed some level of reintegration between mind and body. It was like trying on a some clothes that you know SHOULD fit, but for some reason snag here or there. Everyone found themselves suffering disorientation, and their senses had all needed careful realignment.
Sasami had been worst, at least for physical damage. She'd been in bed two whole days having her wounds scrubbed and bound. Kiyone had cooked in her absence, but had needed help every inch of the way because her equilibrium was totally screwed. Washu had not escaped either, and had needed treatment for cuts, bruises, a severely sprained ankle, as well as mild exposure.
To everyone's surprise, Tenchi and Mihoshe had come out almost unscathed. Even now they busied themselves about the house, looking after everyone with cheerful, uncomplaining demeanour. It was probably just the relief of being back in their own bodies, but on the other hand they'd stuck pretty close by each other.
Yet the two of them seemed more sombre, or perhaps deeper would be a better word. They seemed to have gained a wisdom, a special understanding of those around them, and each other. Mihoshe's perception of others seemed especially canny.
With only mild cajoling, Tenchi had managed to persuade Grandpa that seeing as he was having such a great time away from the shrine that perhaps he should stop off the hot-springs on the way back, make a real break out of it. Whether Kashuhito would buy into the lie was one thing, but it had at least bought them the time needed to fix the worst of the damage.
But there was much that simply couldn't be fixed. Problems that could be dealt with only through time and learning.
Ayeka had kept almost to herself; at first she'd had difficulty even going to see Sasami. But the Crown Princess had persevered, and now nursed her sister in the living room. However, she still had a tendency to spend much time alone, usually near the lake by Funaho.
And then there was Ryoko...
* * *
Washu's eyes focused on her daughter.
Yes. That was who it was. Her daughter. How odd that she never truly felt that kind of empathy with her before. 'How are you feeling?' Washu asked Ryoko has she helped the pirate straighten up in bed.
Surprisingly, Ryoko accepted the scientist's help without comment. She must've been more tired than Washu had thought.
'Fine, I guess,' Ryoko mused around a yawn. 'Still a little tired. Kinda groggy too.'
'That's normal. You'll get over it.'
'Normal? How do you guess what's normal dealing with a situation you've never encountered before?'
There was an edge of challenge in Ryoko's words that almost made Washu smile. Yup, she thought to herself. Definitely back to normal.
'Twenty thousand years of experience is how I guess normal,' she told her daughter tartly. 'And you're FAR from being the first person I had to perform basic sub-neural brain surgery on.'
'Okay, okay...' Ryoko growled, clearly in no condition to argue the point. 'I was only asking.'
Washu stood. 'There's some fresh clothes on the dresser, and a pitcher of water. You may want to use the bathroom to freshen up, too. Depending on how you feel later, you may want to join us downstairs for dinner.' Washu headed for the door.
A sudden, stray memory clicked in Ryoko's brain; something she'd wanted to do.... 'Mom?'
Washu almost faltered in her step; the casual utterance of the word seemed to indicate a total acceptance of who Washu was to her. It was a kind of normalcy that she had never heard Ryoko use before, one that touched her far more deeply than she could ever have imagined. In as unflustered a manner as possibly, Washu casually turned. 'Yes?'
'You said, dinner, right?'
'Yes. Yes I did.'
Ryoko rolled clear of her blankets and sat up on the bed, dressed in a long, flowing nightie. Her eyes grew emotional. 'Mom... I'm sorry.'
Washu swallowed as a lump formed in her throat. 'That's okay, sweetheart,' she replied. 'We all make mistakes.'
Ryoko sniffed, looking for all the world as though she was about to burst into tears. She held her arms limply out at her sides.
An almost-memory surfaced in Washu; the desire to hold her baby close in her arms and keep her safe...
'Shh, Ryoko. It's okay baby, it's okay, REALLY,' Washu said, hurrying back over. 'You're safe now. Mommy's here.'
Ryoko squeezed her eyes shut, lowered her head a moment. Ryoko looked up into Washu's taught, emotional face as her mother placed her hands on her shoulders. 'See?' Washu said, smiling.
'Mom...?'
'What is it, sweetie?'
Ryoko hesitated. 'I really... I need to ask you something...'
Washu smiled again. 'What's that, baby?'
* * *
Tenchi was just nearing the top of the stairs when he heard it: a dull thud, with a kind of hollow sounding crack. There was a high-pitched shriek, followed by what sounded like a stumbling scuffle.
His heart racing, Tenchi leapt the last few steps to the landing. Aw HELL! he thought in alarm, What's happened NOW?? Has Ryoko suffered a relapse or something? What's going on!?
He thundered down the hall, just in time to see the sliding door to Ayeka's room get literally torn off its runner, splintering the door-frame into fragments. Tenchi was almost knocked aside by the wildly stumbling figure that emerged from the room with blind haste. 'WASHU!?'
From inside the room, Tenchi heard Ryoko bellowing: 'THAT'S for causing everybody so much trouble!! DAMN you, Washu! You and your DAMN samples!!'
The little scientist staggered into Tenchi's arms just in time. As they both cleared the doorway a water jug went whistling past Tenchi's head, shattering against the far wall as Ryoko continued hollered: 'AND GIMMIE SOME PROPER TASTE BUDS!!!!!!'
Tenchi blanched in surprise, then down at the woman in his arms. His eyes saucered as he saw Washu, her hands covering her face. 'Washu?? What IS it!?'
Washu raised her head; her hands parted slightly to reveal a very bloody nose.
'DUH!' She explained with watering eyes. 'I think Ryuko bruke by dose!!'
-----
END OF CHAPTER 16
