Chapter #4: No Need For Boredom.
The look on Washu's face when she saw Katsuhito walk into her secret tent was priceless. So was that of all the captive animals that were soon set free. How exactly he managed to find her was none of her concern, apparently. Katsuhito inherently knew that Washu hadn't set up camp where she claimed to have. He was disturbingly good at stuff like that. Washu was whisked to the troubled camp scene with a bag full of medical supplies five minutes after they freed Kiyone from the trap she had sprung. Her arm was broken in one spot. Thankfully it was a clean break so nothing to drastic had to be done. Washu treated the injury like an expert, setting it in a tight splint and giving her some unusual pills that would heal her at twice the normal rate.
Apparently it wasn't an official medical medicine but Washu had found it, tested it, and made the stuff better. Kiyone hesitated at first, but Washu assured her that taking the medication was completely safe and the side effects were nominal, although several golden hamsters during the initial testing were stricken blind. Of course, Washu didn't let Kiyone in on that little secret. Once Kiyone had popped one of the pills and subsequently passed out cold the instant it landed in her stomach, Washu headed for the ladies tent where Ryoko was currently residing. It smelled horrible in there because she hadn't had a chance to wash off all the filth she had acquired.
Mihoshi, on the other hand, was using the showers at the moment. Ryoko had made sure to get as much of the mess off of her and on Mihoshi as she could during their walk back to camp. It looked as though she were groping an unwilling partner. Ryoko was lying down with her eyes closed as Sasami carefully washed her legs so Washu would have a clean area to examine. She motioned for Sasami to leave and then sat down beside Ryoko, carefully regarding her injured knee.
"They said you have a muscle pull and a bad sprain." Washu said. "And they were right. Now this injury can be treated in one of two different ways. One, I can set it in a nice little splint and give you some pills to take. Two, I'll administer a shot of super narcotics into your knee. That's my preference because it'll heal almost instantly. You'll also be my first live subject for this drug."
"I'll take the pills." Ryoko said.
"But it's for science!" Washu claimed.
"So was Locke."
Washu couldn't counter that logic even if she tried, so she switched her tactics up a bit and decided to become deviously persuasive.
"Please?" Washu asked. "It's called Mend and I swear it's totally safe."
"What are the side effects?"
Washu had a "friend" who was not so much of a friend as she was a "partner" that really should have been called an "associate." This "underling" had sent her a sample of the drug for analysis a couple months back. Intrigued by the super medicine, Washu quickly began experimenting with it. Seven rabbits in the first batch of testing became deaf. The second group fared a bit better but became paralyzed beneath wherever they were injected. For Washu, the third time was always the charm as she managed to work out all the kinks in whatever she was playing with by then. This medicine was no exception. When she had finished experimenting with the drug, Washu reluctantly returned it to her colleague who prepared a full case of Mend and sent it to a hospital in Alaska. So far they hadn't bothered using it.
With that in mind, she knew how to answer Ryoko's question.
"There aren't any side-effects to this drug." Washu lied. "You'll be fine."
A brief pause followed as Ryoko considered the two choices.
"I'll take the shot." Ryoko decided. "But only because I want to be walking again real soon."
"Nobody could blame you for that and I promise you won't regret it." Washu assured her, smiling brightly.
Washu reached into her bag and took out a small container, which she opened. Inside was a frozen bottle of eerily blue liquid. She drew fluid from it using a rather sharp needle. Ryoko shuddered uncomfortably. She hated needles. After filling the needle, Washu flicked at its tip a couple of times. Ryoko could feel her fear trying to get the best of her. Her entire body was freezing despite the heat outside. Ryoko looked down at her swollen kneecap and then at the sharp tip of the needle and tried to gauge how much this was going to hurt.
"Close your eyes and count to ten. It'll all be over before then." Washu said gently. "You won't feel a thing."
Ryoko did so. The needle hit her at three. Her scream came at eight. Outside, Ayeka was eating some rice crackers along with Sasami. They jerked when they heard Ryoko's shriek.
"Look Sasami, that brought some animals out." Ayeka said.
Sure enough, some forest critters did come out to investigate. Others fled in terror, especially the birds. Keeping their personal safety in mind, Ayeka and Sasami moved a great distance away from the tent should Ryoko decide to explode in a fit of rage. As for Ryoko, she had only found herself lying on her back while foaming at the mouth twice in her entire life. This added an incident to the occurrence of such a position, which briefly made her consider that she could now think of it in terms of odds. This was unacceptable. In any case, she was currently in an indescribable amount of pain.
Washu was saying something to her, but she couldn't hear any of it. Her ears were ringing to much. Oddly enough, the pain only lasted for about two minutes which felt like twenty for her. The swelling in her knee began to lessen, returning the skin to its original shape. After about ten minutes of sitting in a moderate drug induced stupor, everything started to feel normal again. Washu remained in the tent the whole time, carefully studying Ryoko's reaction to the medicine. It wasn't very reassuring.
Because she was slightly high, her attempts to throttle Washu for lying about how the injection wouldn't hurt failed. Washu watched in amusement as Ryoko tried grabbing at her from the floor without moving anything else but her arm. She could only manage to snatch at the air.
"You said that wouldn't hurt." Ryoko mumbled in a barely audible tone. "Get over here so I can beat the snot out of you for being such a little twit. . .and a liar."
"It would have hurt more if you knew it was going to hurt a lot." Washu said. "Does that make sense?"
"Yes, actually." Ryoko said. "Everything makes sense now."
Butterflies were dancing all around the tent in Ryoko's visual hallucination. The world seemed to feel like one whole being housing thousands of souls. The mysteries of time and space were revealed to her in quick whispers by a snake wearing a blue bandana. In the background, Nagi danced skillfully to a random rap song. That brought Ryoko's attention back to normal. There was no way in hell Nagi would ever dance. Maybe she would if she ever caught Ryoko, but that wasn't going to happen. Even if she did manage to do that, Nagi would have to be in a damn good mood. Almost a pure euphoria. In other words, she'd have to be on drugs. Just like Ryoko.
That's when Ryoko realized what was happening to her and she tried to break free from it, but that only made her head start hurting. All Ryoko could do was embrace the darkness, diving deep into it and passing out in a comatose stupor. She had fallen asleep with her eyes open. Washu reached over and closed them.
"Perfect! It works!" she declared happily.
Ryoko abruptly grabbed Washu by the arm tightly while she still could and held the little scientist in place. Her eyes were narrowed into a deadly glare and Washu would have been afraid if she couldn't clearly tell that Ryoko was still stoned.
"Everyone loves a good pirate song." Ryoko said in a slurred tone. "I swear Washu, when I snap out of this. . ."
She then snorted and made a guttural gurgle as her head slumped off to the side. Ryoko still had a good grip on Washu, who pried the hand off. The space pirate began snoring gently with her eyes still open. Washu closed them again but used a bit more caution. Sighing, she gathered her equipment and stepped outside the tent. Everyone had disappeared. Washu looked around slowly, trying to see where they were hiding or where they might have gone to.
"Is it safe to come out now?" Tenchi asked, poking his head out from a nearby tree.
Washu nodded. Tenchi, Nobuyuki, and Katsuhito slid down the trunk of the tree. Sasami and Ayeka stepped out from behind a large rock. Mihoshi and Kiyone emerged from some nearby bushes.
"Well, that was a close one!" Nobuyuki exclaimed.
"What do you mean?" Washu asked suspiciously.
"We thought we were going to have to scoop you up in a sandwich bag after Ryoko got done with you." Nobuyuki said.
"How thoughtful." Washu responded listlessly. "Well, I'm done here. Let me know if anything else happens. I'm always ready."
She headed over to the back of the family van and popped it open. Inside was her hovercraft. She took it out and started it up, quickly speeding away from what she fondly referred to as the Danger Zone.
Day Three - Two days after day one.
Ryoko woke up long after everyone else had. She couldn't hear anything outside so she presumed that they had all gone off somewhere without her. Just as well. She could do with being alone for a little while, especially after she woke up as it took her around an hour to adjust. Someone had taken Skeeter. Ryoko stood up easily, her former injury completely healed. On occasion her knee would suddenly become very cold and the drugs still hadn't completely faded from her system yet. Other than that, she was fine. That's why she protected Sasami from a barrage of killer spiders yesterday when the two had gone off together to explore the nearby cave.
Of course, Ryoko was the only one who could see the killer spiders and Sasami didn't bother arguing. The journey inside the cave was an uneventful one. For Sasami. Ryoko kept stringing together sentences that didn't make any sense and blasting stuff at random. Nothing of interest was gained out of their spelunking except for some highly interesting stories from Ryoko about how to properly combat vampire pirates on the way out. Even Ayeka began worrying about Ryoko's current state of mental health. Washu assured them that the drug would eventually run its course. Until then, she'd experience some problems.
When they criticized her for hurting Ryoko, Washu defended herself as she usually did, which was by throwing science and the good of humanity into the debate. In the end, Washu won the argument and Kiyone was very happy with her choice in choosing the pills over the mystery liquid. When Washu reminded her that she hadn't even offered Kiyone any Mend, Kiyone said she wouldn't have taken that option anyway. And so everyone was right, which meant nothing had been settled. Washu had done what she thought was best for Ryoko. Tenchi knew the medicine might have done more harm than good. Kiyone thanked her instincts for being leery of Washu's little games. Sasami just wanted everyone to get along. She had also opted to watch over Ryoko for as long as she was feeling loopy. In fact, she had held Ryoko's hand the entire time the two were in the dull cave. Ryoko didn't remember their trip that way, though. It didn't matter.
Ryoko emerged from the tent and looked up at the sky. It was full of overcast clouds. Hopefully it wouldn't rain.
"Ryoko, you're finally awake." Katsuhito observed.
It defied all her refined senses of perception, but somehow Katsuhito's presence had gone undetected during her initial assumption that she was the only one around the museum. . .camp site. They were camping. Ryoko almost socked herself upside the head. The drugs were really messing with her system. From Katsuhito's tone Ryoko was able to judge that he wanted her to get something done. Currently he was rummaging through the case they'd filled with preservative food. It looked as though they were running out. Sadly, this was due in part to Ryoko's insatiable munchies. Absently she looked down at her stomach and wondered if she'd gained weight during the feeding frenzy she engaged in the other day.
Damn you, Washu! Ryoko thought. How could I have let her trick me so easily? The scientist had side-stepped the problem of what side-effects would occur in Ryoko after she had been exposed to Mend by blatantly dodging what she deemed Ryoko already knew, which was not what the space pirate had been thinking when she let Washu have her way. Washu merely promised Ryoko nothing terrible would happen to her. Little things like not being able to stop eating rice cakes and octopus balls were not deadly, although they were quite annoying. Thinking about her mistake didn't do anything for her either than fuel her determination to stop trusting certain members of the family. Sasami, Mihoshi, and Washu all ranked highly on her imaginary list.
After thinking through those issues, Ryoko realized that she was hungry. Katsuhito approached her and she put on the most neutral look she could manage. If he was going to boss her around like she knew he was, Katsuhito would meet some resistance depending on how he asked for help.
"Did you sleep well?" Katsuhito asked.
"Why, yes. I slept rather well." she answered, playing his game.
"Good. It's nice to have plenty of rest. You get a lot of energy that way." Katsuhito said, toying with her patience.
"Of course." Ryoko said with a fake smile.
"In a place like the forest, it's good to have an abundance of that. It helps you keep up with things that need to be done. . ." Katsuhito was cut off.
"What do you need?" Ryoko asked, slightly agitated.
"We are out of food." he established.
"You want me to take a trip to the snack shop?"
"No. I was thinking that maybe you could go and catch a few fish."
"Are you getting tired of not having anything elegant to eat out in the wilderness?"
Katsuhito narrowed his eyes at her.
"Being cunning is a good trait to have under the appropriate circumstances."
Ryoko sighed.
"Why are you asking me?"
"Because everyone else is gone. I'm not sure where they went."
"Very well then. I'll go fishing." Ryoko conceded. "But only because I also want something to eat."
Katsuhito's left eye twitched. Ryoko tensed and expected him to attack, but he didn't. Instead he merely nodded and stood waiting for her to leave. She entered the girls' tent and took Ryo-Ohki's diving suit out of her bag. It was packed neatly in its own carrying case. Ryoko suddenly realized that she didn't know where her pet was. Sasami must be keeping it company. Those two were always off somewhere. It was almost like Ryoko no longer owned the thing. However, that could be changed with an extra special carrot. It worked sort of like a whistle. If Ryoko took the vegetable out of the plastic case it was in, Ryo-Ohki would come running no matter how far off it was. Like just about everything else they used that defied common scientific knowledge, Washu was to thank for this. Even though working with carrots wasn't really her thing, she wasn't above creating organic food with special properties. Among them were some ingredients that would stuff a person full quicker, causing them to eat less. Washu soon abandoned that project to develop a more effective way of preserving all the spare plutonium she had lying around her lab.
Ryoko took the covered carrot and placed it in her pocket. She picked up the carrying case for Ryo-Ohki's diving gear and left the tent. Katsuhito was standing right outside of it with a moderately expensive fishing pole that he silently handed to her. Ryoko couldn't remember him packing anything like that, but she was glad to have it anyway. It beat using a stick as it wouldn't break as easily. Whenever Ryoko fished on her own time, she usually wound up using a spare tree limb. Sometimes it would snap in two and then she would have a very hard time catching Ryo-Ohki afterward, who usually tried to wear her out by hiding somewhere underwater until Ryoko became bored and went off to do something else.
She began heading towards the lake while trying very hard not to think of what Tenchi and Ayeka were up to. Ryoko did so by stringing together some random improvised tune inside her head. Eventually she reached the large lake and stood still for a moment, taking in its refined beauty. After finishing with that, she hid the fishing gear and pulled out the carrot that would summon Ryo-Ohki. She broke it in half using her hands and carelessly tossed the two pieces wherever they would fall. Having done this, she sat down beneath a large tree and patiently waited for Ryo-Ohki to appear. Three minutes later Ryo-Ohki skidded to a messy stop next to the two halves of its preferred snack. It instantly began eating the handout in between trying desperately to catch its breath. Ryoko sat silently until her pet was nearly done with the second half. She then snuck up behind it and snatched the animal. Even though it was surprised, it didn't bite since it knew Ryoko's smell. It also had a good idea of what was coming next, which is why it began struggling. Ryo-Ohki's eyes widened at the site of the fishing gear and wet suit.
Ryoko had somewhat perfected the ability to stuff Ryo-Ohki in the suit no matter how hard the thing fought against her. It was truly a sight to behold as it somewhat resembled a yo-yo master doing a ton of tricks in quick succession. Ryoko was so good at this that Ryo-Ohki didn't have time to analyze her technique. It felt as though one moment it was in her hands and the next it was trapped inside the uncomfortable rubber suit. Ryoko took the line of her fishing pole and looped it around a tiny hole at the top of the glass helmet that covered Ryo-Ohki's head. Finally, she strapped a miniature oxygen tank to Ryo-Ohki's back.
This routine had become so common that neither of them needed to exchange instructions. They both knew their role in this little activity so words were unnecessary. Ryoko targeted a random spot and slung the fishing pole over her shoulder with her thumb hovering over the line release. Ryo-Ohki signaled Ryoko that it was ready by tugging on the line. Instantly Ryoko launched the line forward sending it and Ryo-Ohki sailing through the air. A small splash broke from the waters surface when Ryo-Ohki hit it in the cannonball position. Ryoko sat down while her pet stayed above water for a while, swimming around and looking for a decent place to catch fish.
For a while, nothing happened. Birds chirped, insects sang and hardly visible bits of pollen and mildew danced together creating a nightmare for anyone with allergies. It was all very relaxing. Ryoko dozed off with both her hands still holding the pole, although now her grasp was somewhat limp. Ryo-Ohki found this very discouraging when it noticed from across the lake while emerging to scout for a different spot to explore. Once it found a nice spot, it dove under. Not more than five seconds later it jumped about fifth-teen feet in the air, mewing hysterically. Directly beneath it was a very large fish that was about five feet in length. Ryo-Ohki wasn't entirely sure if the fish could eat it, but that provided little to no comfort for the terrified animal. The fact that the fish kept snapping at it didn't help matters. They both hit the water loud enough to stir Ryoko out of her nap. Her attention was fully seized when the fishing line shot out of her hands. It had almost been dragged completed underwater when she dove for it. As she stood up with the pole, she noticed Ryo-Ohki swimming frantically towards her with something rather large behind it. Shortly after she realized her pet was in trouble, it disappeared from view. Ryoko quickly reeled in the line, noticing she was encountering some heavy resistance.
Ryo-Ohki was probably trying to swim in the opposite direction she was reeling. Suddenly the line went limp for about ten seconds before it slowly began drifting towards the shore where Ryoko stood. She walked backwards out of the shin deep water she had dove into and waited patiently for Ryo-Ohki to appear. It finally threw itself halfway on and halfway off the shore. The lower half of its body was still covered in the water. Ryoko set the pole down and ran over to Ryo-Ohki.
"Are you okay?" she asked. "Where's the fish?"
Slowly, Ryo-Ohki turned its head and glowered maliciously at its owner before motioning to its lower half. The fish was there. It had swallowed the pet/spaceship/pet spaceship clear up to its shoulders, but hadn't entirely managed to get its prey down its throat, which was currently being blocked by Ryo-Ohki's feet. The fish eventually suffocated. It took a couple of tugs to dislodge Ryo-Ohki from the gaping maw.
"Good job!" Ryoko congratulated. "This thing is big enough to feed everyone!"
Ryo-Ohki didn't bother replying. Its job was done. It had humiliated itself at the expense of hunger and now it wanted to go home. Ryoko tossed the fish farther on land in case it suddenly revived and decided to slither back into the safety of the lake. Ryoko took Ryo-Ohki's diving suit off and put it back inside the case. She then carried the case, fishing pole, and fish all the way back to camp while Ryo-Ohki ambled gloomily from behind, trying to figure out just how much it'd let Ryoko abuse its abilities before it decided to draw a line. Once Ryoko and Ryo-Ohki got back to camp, everyone but Katsuhito, Tenchi, and Ayeka were already there. And they were eating. Ryoko stood slack-jawed for a moment while she watched them feast. Obviously they had gotten food from the convenience store. Katsuhito suddenly appeared beside her, which startled her considerably.
"You knew!" Ryoko said accusingly. "You knew they were going to go off and buy food like they just went and did!"
"Just went and did?" Katsuhito repeated, blinking.
"And where are Tenchi and I-Ache-Uh?" Ryoko demanded. "You know where they are, don't you?"
"I think fish will taste a lot better than processed meat, don't you?" Katsuhito asked, avoiding her second question. "Besides, I asked Sasami to go to the store earlier to buy some seasoning so she could cook something nice for everyone."
"Now you're ordering her around? And what about my other question?"
"I am most certainly not pushing Sasami around. It was merely a suggestion. Besides, she likes to cook. You know that. Everyone likes eating what she cooks, too. Nobuyuki was the one who bought the junk food. He's impatient, as always."
"Then why did you order me around?"
"I didn't do that, either. You could have gone off and done what you wanted to. I would have been upset, but I doubt I would have absolutely forced you to do what I asked."
"I'll remember that the next time you make a suggestion."
"No, I'm afraid you'll still do it anyway."
"Because you're so persuasive and intimidating, right?"
Katsuhito smiled happily.
"Precisely." he said. "In any case, I always happen to be right. I've never asked someone to do something that didn't benefit them as well. That is how you ask a favor."
"Then do me a favor."
"What's that?"
"Tell me where Tenchi and Ayeka are. . .or you don't get this fish!" Ryoko said.
"That's not a favor. It's extortion."
"It ends with both people being satisfied, though."
"Yes, but to what degree?"
Ryoko leered at him.
"You're absolutely incorrigible. Here, take your damn fish. I'll go look for both of them myself."
"Both of whom?"
"Ayeka and Tenchi!" Ryoko snapped. "They're off together somewhere. . .she's probably gathering flowers with him or something. How boring. Is that his idea of a good time?"
"Gathering flowers?"
"Or throwing a skipping stone at a lake, necking under a tree, talking about their feelings and nature, or anything else that's disgustingly feminine. It's just the type of person Ayeka is!"
"But you're feminine."
"Yes, but to what degree?"
"Now who's being incorrigible?"
A blood vessel in Ryoko's brain exploded.
"It bothers me." Ryoko said.
"That someone would choose a delicate woman over one that likes to party?"
"Did you just say choose?"
"Yes, but I was using a different set of circumstances. I was not referring to either Tenchi or Ayeka. Would you stop and take a look at yourself right now?"
Ryoko halted her jealously and realized just how ridiculous she was acting. It was foolish to get so worked up over Tenchi simply not being near her, but it happened more often than she cared to admit.
"Now do you feel better?" Katsuhito asked.
She nodded. A wave of relief came over her. Now she could think a lot more clearly. Ryoko had forgotten what that felt like after the collar fiasco. However, she was not completely calm. A roaring fire of envy still burned deep within her, keeping her jealousy warm. At least she had it under control.
"It's amazing you managed to catch a fish big enough to feed everyone. I expected you to bring at least ten back, but it looks as though you've caught all ten fish in just this huge one."
"Well, I had some help." Ryoko said, looking at Ryo-Ohki.
It held its head up indifferently and walked over to Sasami.
"Now you can clean them."
"Can't you get Ayeka to do that?"
The thought of a princess working her fingers around fish intestines was almost priceless. Katsuhito didn't seem so eager.
"Fine." Ryoko consented.
"Don't worry, I'll help." Sasami assured, appearing suddenly at Ryoko's side.
Sasami already had the necessary tools to begin the messy operation. Sasami led Ryoko away from the others to a spot with a log and a pile of sticks ready to be lit. She laid out a towel and instructed Ryoko to put the dead fish on it. Ryoko then skinned the fish while Sasami prepared a fire and set a pan over the wood she eventually kindled. It would have been better if they had a more civilized way to cook the fish, but this would work just as well. Sasami's expertise would be severally limited, though. Ryoko didn't think that she could prepare a gourmet meal out in the wild unless she really tried.
That seemed to be the case. Sasami was already adding a couple of ingredients to the pan. While Sasami prepared the pan a bit further, Ryoko cut the fish into halves that could be cooked.
"You should help make these." Sasami said. "We haven't had a chance to practice for a while."
Ryoko thought about it and didn't think she should be allowed to say yes, even though she really wanted to. No matter how hard she tried not to, Ryoko would probably find some way to mess up the meal, even under Sasami's guidance. Perhaps this was because Ryoko had never cooked for herself. During her days as a pirate, most of her meals consisted of food that was ready to eat. On rare occasions she would have to use an alternative such as fishing, but Ryoko went out of her way to avoid situations like that because she knew she couldn't cook. Sasami sensed Ryoko was in deep thought about this problem and smiled slightly as she was amused at Ryoko's reluctance to try.
"Come on, Ryoko." Sasami urged. "At least let me show you how to apply seasoning properly."
"Alright, but only because this is important to me."
"I know you can do this, Ryoko. You just need practice. A lot of practice."
"Maybe I'm cursed." she muttered.
Sasami made some final touches to the pan to ensure it was completely ready to properly cook a slice of fish given the limited conditions. After that, they began frying the fish. Ryoko felt a little silly preparing food outdoors and far away from the appliances she was use to, such as a stove or toaster oven. It took a while, but the two of them worked hard at it. Ryoko was concentrating fiercely and desperately hoping this would be her breakthrough. Sasami even seemed to be confident about this, although she didn't dare to mention that she was literally holding Ryoko's hand throughout the entire process. Nothing unnoticed went into the pan. Eventually the food was finished and placed inside a plastic container.
When they had packed everything up and cleaned the area they had been working in, both of them returned to the campsite. Ryoko held the container full of fish as the family tents came into view. They soon learned that they had missed an opportunity to go swimming, which didn't bother either of them. Everyone but Nobuyuki was quite hungry and the site of food finally arriving caused their stomachs to grumble with anticipation. Apparently Katsuhito hadn't allowed them to spoil dinner by eating anymore of what Nobuyuki had bought after Sasami and Ryoko had gone off to prepare the fish. Then again, it wasn't like they could even if they tried. Nobuyuki had eaten all of it.
Why Katsuhito had done this perplexed Ryoko, who figured he might be giving her a chance to show off in a dignified fashion. If the meal was anywhere near as good as Sasami managed to make them, Ryoko would be well on her way to being up one over Ayeka and will have satisfied a personal goal. It was almost like he was doing her a favor she hadn't asked for. Was he coming on to her? Unlikely. Ryoko gagged impulsively. Sasami might have talked to him about this, but somehow Ryoko doubted it. Maybe he just knew. Katsuhito was good at things like that. Tenchi and Ayeka were back and sitting together, which caused Ryoko to grit her teeth and roll her eyes.
Perhaps the forest was bringing out something in Ayeka that she failed to see. If she thought about it deeply enough, the forest was like Ayeka in many ways. That could be why Tenchi was around her. It was her element. She really wanted to start asking questions, but chose wisely to refrain from doing so. In time, Ryoko would get a moment alone with him. Acquiring that valuable commodity was a lot harder now that she wasn't trying to seize it aggressively. Maybe it was time for a change, because being passive was getting old.
"I'm glad none of you chose to spoil your dinner." Sasami said to them.
Nobuyuki grinned and said nothing.
"I've made something extra special for tonight with the help of Ryoko."
She should have seen the reaction coming. Sasami immediately regretted crediting Ryoko, but she wasn't the type of person not to acknowledge the help of someone else.
"Uh-buh-wha?" Kiyone babbled incomprehensibly.
"I agree, I'm shocked too!" Mihoshi said, somehow deciphering Kiyone's nonsense words.
Tenchi's stomach still hurt from the noodles Ryoko had made him a week ago. He hadn't gotten the taste out of his mouth quite yet and he wasn't sure he ever would. This meal wasn't something he was looking forward to. He would still eat it out of respect for the effort she put into it. Ryoko deserved that much.
"Now hold on a second." Sasami said, a little bit nervous. "How about we put all of Ryoko's former mistakes behind us and eat this delicious fish."
"Is it delicious?" Tenchi asked.
"It should be."
"Sasami, watch what you say." Ayeka warned, somewhat bored with this scenario.
"I'm sure everyone is still hungry." Sasami continued. "And we all know that the lodge and snack shop don't really serve good food."
"Everything was packaged process food." Ayeka complained.
"And the snacks in the snack shop gave me a tummy ache." Nobuyuki complained. "They were too greasy! Now I know how Ryoko felt when she ate those berries."
"No." Ryoko interjected suddenly, shocked that Nobuyuki would even consider such a thing. "No, you don't."
"So with that in mind, let's try to enjoy this meal we've cooked together." Sasami finished.
She took the container from Ryoko and sat it on the table. Katsuhito passed out paper plates and plastic utensils. Everyone began serving themselves, finding the fish to be exquisitely tasty. The entire time Ryoko kept hoping that nothing bad would come of this. Mihoshi started chocking right after finishing her first serving, but that was only because a bone was stuck in her throat.
X
Inside a red tent with a design of a smiling crab sewn into the fabric, a most peculiar individual slept.
"I am the ruler of the galaxy." Washu muttered in her sleep, then continued snoring. "I am the ruler of the galaxy." she repeated.
"Washu!" Sasami called.
Washu awoke, considerably startled.
"Where what who how when?" Washu asked rapidly.
She sneezed. Washu rubbed her nose and snapped her fingers together as Sasami entered the tent, which caused a floating light to turn on. A glazed expression was on her face. Sasami, however, looked quite frightened.
"Does this have anything to do with the Woods Demon?" Washu mumbled.
Sasami shook her head.
"Was Ryoko right about those drunken campers?"
Sasami again shook her head.
"What then?" Washu demanded.
"Ryoko helped cook and now everyone has really bad indigestion." Sasami answered.
The scientist narrowed her eyes at Sasami, which looked quite funny as she was so tired.
"Well, Sasami, what have we learned today?" Washu asked sarcastically. "Do I need to bring the portable stomach pump?"
"I don't know." Sasami said, frightened.
"Pass me the pump."
Washu pointed over to a black case, which Sasami handed to her. Other than the case and a large safe, nothing else was in the tent. Washu probably kept everything she was experimenting with in the safe so she didn't crowd up her tent.
"But Washu, I was there the whole time Ryoko cooked!" Sasami said.
"What did you have to eat?" Washu grumbled.
"Fish."
Washu's eyes bulged out in surprise. Her face went pale.
"What is it?" Sasami asked. "Wait. . .you experimented on the fish in the area, didn't you?"
A grin slowly spread across Washu's face. She nodded slightly.
"That might be the reason everyone's feeling a bit down." Washu said, putting it far to lightly. "Could you pass me the cure. . .wait, no. Forget I said that. Just stay right there, I'll get it."
Washu thrashed out of her sleeping bag and stumbled over to the safe, frantically dialing the combination.
"How long ago has it been since you ate the food?" Washu asked, trying to remain calm.
"Maybe about seven hours."
"And you weren't affected?"
"No. . .I feel just fine."
"Interesting."
Washu grabbed a pen that was on top of the safe and made a quick note on her hand about what Sasami had just said. She then popped open the safe and took out one of the shelves inside. It was full of odd looking vials that didn't appear to have seen the light of day for quite a while. One of them was purplish in color and had T-Virus written across it. Sasami couldn't figure out where she had seen something like that before, but it made her feel very anxious.
"What did you do?" Sasami asked.
"Nothing, nothing at all. Everyone will be just find as soon as I. . .where did I put that antidote?" Washu yelled.
She tossed the shelf idly aside. The T-Virus vial went sailing through the area. Washu totally freaked out when she saw it sailing for Sasami, who efficiently snatched it out of the air and handed it back to Washu. She took the virus back and looked around to see if any of the other vials had shattered, even though it wouldn't have mattered. If anything had broken, they would probably be dead by now. Or worse. All the containers were made out of the same glass that had housed Locke, so only a severe amount of pressure could break them. Still, if Washu wasn't in full panic mode she would have been more careful when sifting through her concoctions.
"Washu, are they going to die?" Sasami demanded. "Did you poison the fish?"
"No!" Washu shouted as she tore her safe apart. "Let's just say that's the last time I try to replicate a failed experiment I read about in another mad scientist's journal! Can we please leave it at that?"
"Washu, is that what you're looking for?" Sasami asked, pointing at something outside of the tent.
Washu turned so quickly she gave herself a whiplash. Standing just outside the light of the tent was a raccoon that had snatched a familiar looking container full of murky black liquid capped with a cork. She dropped the highly expensive microscope she was holding in surprise, hearing it crack audibly when it hit the floor.
"Get him!" Washu ordered Sasami.
The raccoon blinked and quickly scurried off. Sasami sprinted after the animal, pushing herself to the limit. She had a difficult time keeping up with it. The ground wasn't even and there were to many bushes and rocks in her way, but Sasami didn't give up. Not even when it climbed a large tree. She quickly crawled up after it. By the time she reached a branch to secure her grip the animal had already disappeared.
"Sasami!" Washu called from beneath her. "That's the wrong one! I can't find what we need, but the pump should work!"
"Why do things like this always happen as a result of what you tinker with?" Sasami asked.
"Because this world doesn't have enough room to house a genius like me! Get down from there."
"Okay." Sasami said, sliding down the trunk of the tree carefully.
"Take me to the car." Washu instructed the moment Sasami reached the ground.
They both ran off and weren't there to see what happened the moment the curious raccoon took a sip of the juice it had run off with. One would come to expect a slow death as a result of sampling anything from Washu's lab, but what the raccoon had stolen was nothing more than a cup of coffee about a month old that Washu had accidentally mistook for something else. She lost a lot of beverages that way, but she could never be too careful. When Sasami and Washu reached the van, Nobuyuki was in the passengers' seat, completely passed out. He had driven Sasami here earlier and switched seats when he couldn't stay awake anymore. Nobuyuki figured that Washu might be able to drive so he moved his body out of the way so they wouldn't have to when they got back.
His face was deathly pale and had a slight green tint to it. Washu cursed and got into the drivers seat. She checked Nobuyuki's neck to see if he was developing horns and was relieved to discover otherwise. Apparently everyone was still relatively normal, but she didn't know how long that would last. Washu started up the car and drove off back to where the others were. Sasami sat directly behind her with the stomach pump in hand.
"Sasami, listen to me." Washu said frantically. "You're going to have to use the stomach pump on Nobuyuki."
"But Washu, I. . ."
"You have to do it! The sooner we get it out, the better!" Washu yelled, not taking her eyes off the road. "There should be an instruction booklet in that case. Read it and do exactly as it says. You can do this, Sasami."
She opened the case and took out the instruction booklet, which was written entirely in red ink except for a small section in black that advised the reader to play close attention to everything that was written in red. The instructions resembled a sophisticated college textbook that used complex words to disbar anyone who wasn't a stubborn intellect from understanding them. Luckily, Sasami was somewhat of a prodigy. She hooked the device up to Nobuyuki's belly as best she could and then hit the button to start the machine, which was mysteriously labeled as blend. A loud sucking noise filled the vehicle for no more than five seconds. Sasami had expected the operation to last longer than it had. The container filled up with a liquid that resembled what Sasami almost did upon seeing it.
"Good work." Washu said. "Now pop the lid and make sure his kidneys didn't get pulled through."
"Uhh. . .I think he's alright. Look, he's breathing." Sasami offered helpfully. "Why did you bring a stomach pump with you, anyway?"
"Well, you see. . ." Washu began.
"Whew!" Nobuyuki said, starting to wake up. "I'm hungry. I hope there's some fish still left."
Final Day.
Once Washu finished curing everyone, she was forced to explain herself clearly. This eliminated her ability to produce enough BS to wiggle her way out of the truth. Apparently she had released a chemical into the water that accelerated the evolution of the fishes inside the lake. Most of the sample had mysteriously died, which was when Washu discovered the fundamental mistake the former researcher had made while performing this study. By then it was to late. The only fishes that survived began internally harvesting a toxin that would make them poisonous to eat. This would assure that they would be exempt from the food chain.
Washu wouldn't have even bothered doing this if she had read the entire study first. She figured that it might accelerate the evolution for everything, which would have been an interesting thing to see, but apparently it only worked on fish and nothing else. Still, Washu was far to intrigued to let something like this just pass her by, so she made a note to continue this experiment later on under her own terms. The serum she'd been looking for would stop the side-effects someone would experience after eating the meat. Washu had hoped to find some animals to try it out on, but apparently the damnable stomach pump worked just as well. The reason why Sasami hadn't been affected continued to elude her.
What exactly would happen if someone had the fish in their stomach for more than twenty four hours was something Washu intentionally left out of the discussion. Luckily for her, nobody asked. They probably didn't want to and if they had, Washu would have been in serious trouble. After managing to convince Katsuhito not to punish her for unintentionally harming his family, Washu was free to go without so much as a slap on the wrist. She knew she was stretching the limit here, but Washu cared more about the future of science than she did lesser aspects such as ethics, humanity, and the safety of others. First there had been Locke, and now she had this black spot on her record. At least they didn't turn her in.
Without making a note to be slightly more careful next time, Washu departed and the night ended normally, given the questionable circumstances. Two days passed by without incident. Ryoko kept to herself, Tenchi either went strolling alone or took Ayeka with him, Sasami began playing Breath of Fire 2 for Ryoko, Nobuyuki continued loading up on snacks, and Katsuhito contemplated growing a goatee but thankfully decided against it. Kiyone and Mihoshi remained Kiyone and Mihoshi. It seemed like the worst was behind them as everyone finally began to relax. Washu referred to it as the eye of the storm and didn't bother reminding everyone that it happened at home every so often.
The final day of camping soon fell upon them. It began pleasantly enough for Tenchi, who had a dream completely devoid of any hidden meanings. That meant Ryoko and Ayeka weren't in it. Lately he had been spending time with Ayeka, and they spoke of things he chose not to share with Ryoko. Ayeka was always a bit wiser when it came to certain issues and he didn't have anyone else to turn to. As a result, they bonded. However, Ayeka was a bit distant, as if she suspected he favored Ryoko more, which wasn't necessarily the case. Truthfully, he still wasn't sure and didn't think he'd ever be sure. That's mainly what they talked about when nobody else was around.
Ayeka was both helpful and patient with his concerns. No definitive solution came out of their discussions, but Tenchi felt a lot better after speaking to someone about it. Either way, it was time to balance things out. On this final day, he'd check in with Ryoko as his mind was currently clear and he'd have an easier time dealing with her. He might have made a mistake to have kept his distance from her for so long, but it was good for Ryoko. That initial insatiable love sickness she had felt for him was beginning to fade away. For the first time in months, she'd probably be able to see things clearly. Now he'd see her mostly for who she really was.
The only thing that would complicate matters at this point would be the ever present rivalry between Ayeka and Ryoko. Additionally, he'd have to watch out for Ryoko if she ever got into one of her moods again, which seemed likely. Tenchi stepped out of the tent, ready to try and enjoy himself. Katsuhito was already packing a few things nobody had really used. Kiyone was helping him with this. Ryoko wasn't on the scene, and neither was Ayeka. This was a good start. Sasami was sitting on a nearby log with Ryoko's GBA in hand actively battling her way up to the point where Ryoko had once been. Tenchi noticed this and was intrigued.
"Are you almost there?" he asked.
"This game sucks." Sasami complained. "I like fighting games better."
"But. . .RPG's have fighting in them."
"Yes, but it's not a test of skill. It's a test of levels and how many potions you should carry into the next dungeon. Boring!"
Tenchi was about to speak again, but a huge explosion interrupted him. The ground trembled violently beneath them, flipping Tenchi over and causing him to land flat on his back, which knocked the air right out of him. Sasami tipped over on the log, sending the GBA flying. A gush of hot wind followed that blew anyone over who had still managed to keep their balance. It smelled highly sulfuric and flattened Tenchi into the earth he was laying on. From over the trees he could see a fairly large mushroom cloud ascending into the sky. It was orange in color. For some reason it appeared to be carrying an electrical current. Bolts of thunder pulsed visibly in an unpredictable pattern around the top.
The exact same orange clouds began invading their campsite, enveloping them inside a tangerine fog. Without even having to guess, they all knew this was Washu's doing. Katsuhito helped Tenchi up while Sasami stumbled over to the portable gaming unit. She picked it up and discovered what she had feared most. The data had been erased and the screen was broken. Sasami sighed and tossed it carelessly over her shoulder. She wasn't too fond of handheld gaming to begin with.
"What was that?" Mihoshi asked, totally surprised.
"Tenchi, hurry up and go see if Washu's okay." Katsuhito instructed. "Take the van!"
Katsuhito tossed him the keys. He caught them and was about to take off running but stopped short as someone was holding him back.
"Let me come with you!" Sasami asked, letting go of his arm once she had made her request.
Tenchi nodded and they both got inside the van and headed out toward Washu's camp site rather quickly. As they neared it, the effects of the blast became painfully evident. The trees in the area had been broken in two, stripped bare of their bark, or completely torn out of the ground. Plenty of dead animals littered the path and most of them had an expression on their faces that seemed to ask just what exactly had hit them as they figured it would be polite of whatever or whoever was responsible to notify them properly, as their lives had just been ended. The spot where Washu's tent had been was now the site of a crater about twenty feet wide and ten feet deep.
A strange luminescent material covered the soil. It was light blue in color and pulsed rapidly. Tenchi and Sasami got out of the van and began looking around for Washu. She wasn't in the crater. It looked like nothing had survived the blast.
"Washu?" Sasami shouted, feeling a dreadful panic creeping up on her.
Nobody answered. Neither of them believed that Washu could have possibly been killed. No experiment ever got the best of her. Could her luck have finally run out?
"I'm up here." Washu responded weakly.
Apparently not. She was in a nearby tree that hadn't been decimated by the blast. It was an older, stronger tree that had been slightly uprooted. Washu was thrown over one of the branches and currently supported only by her chest. She seemed to weak to care about the uncomfortable position. In both of her hands she held two broken Florence flasks. One was still dripping liquid that ate the ground upon impact.
"Amazing. The first one to screw up the day was me. Damn it. . ." Washu said hopelessly. "I'm becoming a member of the family!" she cried out in utter despair.
"What are you talking about?" Sasami asked.
It took a moment for Washu to respond.
"This never happened before I met you guys. Oh, sure. I had plenty of accidents, but not like this. I've had such a mean streak of bad luck these past few months."
"What happened here?" Tenchi asked.
"Whoops." was all she said. That pretty much summed the situation up.
"I see." Tenchi responded, fully understanding the hidden meanings in that simple word.
"I think I saw my life flash before my eyes." Washu said. "I could have done without that."
"Can you get out of the tree by yourself?"
"Probably." Washu said. "I don't think anything's broken."
She threw down the useless flasks before moving her body so it was parallel to the branch. Washu stood up and balanced herself. Tenchi and Sasami watched closely as she began carefully stepping toward the trunk. Without warning the branch suddenly cracked and sent Washu falling directly into Tenchi's arms. He caught her, but she was slightly more heavy than he expected. Tenchi stumbled backward with Washu cradled against his chest and then fell over. Washu was now oddly positioned on top of him. Sasami blushed and looked the other way.
"Umm. . .are you okay?" Tenchi asked.
"I'll probably glow blue for a week if I'm exposed to light for to long, but considering what I was playing with I should be thankful you're not infertile right now for coming into contact with me."
"Excuse me?" Tenchi shouted.
Something dislodged from the tree Washu was just in. Sasami screamed and dove aside, nearly avoiding the falling object. It slammed into the ground and imbedded itself there. Washu's safe had escaped the blast, although it was smoking. Sasami sighed in relief. At first she thought some of Washu's other dangerous chemicals might have been released into the air due to the explosion, but it appeared as though nothing immediately life threatening was in the atmosphere. Washu noticed her disaster proof safe stuck in the dirt and nodded approvingly. Inside the heavily reinforced chamber of solid metal were a couple of things that were capable of causing a worldwide epidemic. She had a much bigger vault with stuff like that in it back at her lab.
Whenever Washu desperately needed inspiration or stress relief, she'd take out one of the vials and fiddle with it, getting pleasure out of how she held certain death in her hands so freely. Just to be certain that privilege would never reverse itself, the containers were made out of the stuff Washu typically used to stabilize violently incompatible chemicals because nothing was as pretty as two conflicting elements living together in a place where they couldn't vent. Her bag with the separate universe was also in there.
She got off of Tenchi and opened her safe.
"What are you going to do about all this land that you've destroyed?" Sasami asked.
Washu opened up her bag and began emptying the contents of her safe into it. Unsavory samples of measles, small pox, and the Bubonic plague fell into a ninth dimension in which the only thing that existed was whatever came into it. Washu was trying to buy some time so she could come up with a good answer to Sasami's question. People from Jurai were always such extreme environmentalists. Then again, so was Washu. To an extent.
"I don't suppose you'll let me leave it like this." Washu ventured.
"Of course not!" Sasami said.
"Washu. . ." Tenchi began, slightly nervous. "There are other people around this area that might have heard that blast and when they see the damage you've done. . ."
"As if. They won't be able to track me. I'm not registered on this planet. They'll think aliens did it and they would be right. I am an alien, after all. I think you have to live on a planet for a year or so before you're actually considered a citizen, but I've never paid attention to those details."
"You don't even have proper documentation to be on this planet, do you?" Sasami asked.
"No way, it's too expensive! Then there's that stupid test. I hate that test. I'm also not a fan of restrictions and being policed for six months to show good faith that I'll behave. Besides, I don't think they care. You know how many people come to Earth? They don't even know we exist, Sasami!"
"But what about all this?" Tenchi asked, gesturing at the destruction. "Do you intend to get away with it?"
"Yes."
"Don't you have any remorse?" Tenchi asked incredulously.
"You can't get everything right on the first try."
She sorted through a couple of her vials before selecting one and pouring it's contents into the earth. Grass began to slowly emerge from the dead soil, which appeared to be getting steadily healthier.
"There. While I can't do much about the trees, this fantastic fertilizer will replenish the grass."
"We'd better get out of here." Sasami said.
"What about the dead animals?" Tenchi asked.
Washu sighed impatiently and clapped her hands together. She said a prayer for them, much to the dismay of Tenchi and Sasami. While the greater side of Washu would admit fault and seek to rebuild the ecosystem she had just destroyed her selfishness realized that it would take far to much time and Washu was not an inherently good person. She was more neutral than anything else.
"Gather them up and have Ryoko cook them. If you do that, they will have died for a reason."
As if on cue, the space pirate entered the scene.
"Good God!" Ryoko shouted.
"Will you people please calm down?" Washu asked. "The blast was nothing more than a surge of electrically compressed air. I'll not bother explaining how exactly that feat is accomplished, but all it did was blow over a few trees and electrocute a number of animals."
"No, that's not what I meant." Ryoko said.
"Did Mend finally wear off?"
"Yes, and oh, my. . .everything is way to real, Washu." Ryoko said. "I feel so cold and I think I finally understand why Mihoshi is so stupid."
Washu raised an eyebrow, silently encouraging her to continue.
"It's because she just is!"
"Alright, you're going to need some medication to help you come down from Mend." Washu muttered.
"There's no time for that. A bunch of curious campers are right behind me."
"Then wouldn't they be here by now?" Washu asked cynically.
"No, you don't understand. . .I can hear them. . .and they're about three hundred yards away. I think."
Washu felt goose bumps pop up all over her body. Ryoko didn't appear to be kidding.
"What did you do to her?" Tenchi asked incredulously.
"Me. . .she. . .April. . ." Washu said, temporarily unable to speak. "Three hundred yards, you say?"
Ryoko nodded.
"Let's get out of here." Washu said.
They all headed toward the van. Tenchi got in the drivers seat next to Ryoko while Sasami and Washu sat in the seats behind them. Sasami scooted as far away from Washu as she could. Washu couldn't blame her and began trying to sort out all her mistakes. Ryoko had probably had her senses heightened once the medicine had completely left her system. She was going through a phase brought on by being completely healed. That meant Washu might have accidentally given her an overdose. She'd probably be in this state for a couple of days at best but then there was no telling what other side-effects would occur.
Washu grabbed her hair in frustration. Why was everything suddenly falling apart all around her? She'd have to do some serious thinking once Katsuhito finished grilling her for destroying part of the forest. Until then, she had to fix her current problem, which was Ryoko's unusual awareness. The medication Washu was thinking of giving her might require an additional medication to come down from the pills designed to dull the effects of Mend. It'd be an endless cycle of drugs. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a vehicle shooting past them. Forest rangers. Boy, they'd have a mess to deal with. There would be clear evidence of a massive explosion and the only thing they would have to go on was a clunky old safe with Washu's unregistered fingerprints all over it.
When they neared the family campsite, Katsuhito emerged from the trees to meet them. He silently directed Tenchi to swing the van around and pop open the storage area. The moment he did, Katsuhito began throwing in the backpacks. Mihoshi and Kiyone appeared to be putting their stuff away as well.
"Well, this sucks." Ryoko said. "Looks like our trip is over. At least it ended with a bang, right?"
"Oh, shut up." Washu said darkly.
"No, she doesn't have to." Katsuhito said, throwing in the empty cooler. "You're going to be the one doing that while I have a very long talk with you about some new rules."
"It was an accident!" Washu insisted. "Did you know that when things blow up in my lab you guys don't even feel it as it's in a separate universe?"
Katsuhito stopped packing and stood silent for a while, looking directly at Washu.
"You've been blowing up things in my house?" he asked evenly.
"In a separate universe." Washu reasserted.
"That is attached to my house. Washu, answer this question for me. What happens if you make something so big that it totally destroys everything, including you?"
"Then only I would know about it." Washu said lightly. Her logic was flawless, but that wasn't the correct answer. "Seriously, though. . .can I have time to make a defense?"
"Yes, Washu. I'll allow you that because despite the fact that you've caused a massive panic throughout the campgrounds, I still consider you a friend. Also, I have a request."
Washu nodded.
"While you think of a defense, please keep this one problem in mind because it has suddenly become the forefront of my concerns. Let us presume that your lab is overtaken by a very large accident either directly or inadvertently caused by you. Would it be correct for me to assume that a vacuum would be created as a result of the disruption that might suck everything in the immediate area into some obscure layer of infinity?"
"I have a way of preventing that." Washu said.
Outside, Ayeka approached Katsuhito.
"Are we really leaving?" she asked.
"I was planning on heading home before the evening, anyway." Katsuhito began explaining. "However, this unforseen incident has sped things up quite a bit. I'm sure that the rangers are going to wonder what exactly caused that explosion. To do so, they will pounce on anyone who looks suspicious. That reminds me, did you pack that annoying floating television, Nobuyuki?"
He nodded.
"We're suspicious?" Ryoko asked.
"Have you checked your hairstyle lately?" Katsuhito asked. "And imagine what might happen if they find Washu's backpack. Personally, I think that's slightly incriminating."
"But won't they check us on the way out?" Ryoko asked.
"Most likely, yes. They will search our luggage when we pull out. But I've already thought about that. Ryoko, you get to be pregnant."
"Can Tenchi be the father?" Ryoko asked.
"Now wait just a minute!" Ayeka insisted. "She's fat enough to be pregnant already. You could store a baby kangaroo in that pouch she has."
Ryoko looked at Tenchi, who merely shrugged. The space pirate was unable to find anything remotely insulting at Ayeka's outlandish statement. For one thing, Ryoko was actually underweight by about three pounds, but she didn't bother telling anyone that.
"Ayeka, Ryoko is much better at telling lies than you are."
"But. . .the mere thought of her being able to spread her genes is overwhelming. Think about it. Two Ryoko's! That's not something you should joke about."
Ayeka's reaction was feeding Ryoko's ego perfectly.
"We should name her, Tenchi." she teased.
"Her?" Tenchi asked.
"Don't tell me you want a boy." Ryoko said in a disappointed tone.
"Washu, hand Ryoko your pack and have her stuff it underneath her shirt. That will prevent them from finding the pack." Katsuhito instructed.
"What happens if they see through our ruse?" Washu asked.
Katsuhito thought about it for a moment while Washu helped Ryoko stuff her shirt in such a way that made her look pregnant. Ayeka watched on helplessly, shaking her head and reminding herself that it was only a joke.
"Ryoko, can you fake going into labor?"
She gave him a thumbs-up. Katsuhito finished packing and then told Ryoko and Tenchi to sit in the backseat while Ayeka, Sasami, and Washu crammed together in front of them and Nobuyuki drove alongside Katsuhito. Mihoshi and Kiyone followed from behind in their own vehicle. Everyone sat in silence as they reflected on the whole trip in an effort to ignore the inevitable search that would come right before they exited the area. The general consensus was that the vacation had gone exactly as expected. Being away from the house did not constitute a fool-proof method of avoiding accidents. That was just how events played out when they were all together. It had nothing to do with karma or some other subconscious alternative.
Katsuhito couldn't stop thinking that he should have known better. Even so, the trip was fun while it had remained stable. Ryoko seemed to be dealing a lot better with her emotions and Washu was finally learning that she wasn't invincible. Tenchi got to spend a lot of time with Ayeka without Ryoko interrupting and they had all learned how much they valued life through the unfortunate fish experience. When taken at face value, the trip could have been viewed as a jumbled mass of dysfunctional idiocy, but there were some nuggets of hope buried deep beneath the surface. The entourage eventually came to the exit gate where they were required to sign out. While the guards checked their luggage and Katsuhito answered a couple of questions regarding the mysterious incident that had occurred earlier, Ryoko grabbed Tenchi's hand.
He looked over at her and saw that she was smiling mischievously.
"Now I'm finally having some fun."
The threat of being discovered and blamed for destroying a part of the environment was her idea of a good time. Tenchi was slightly alarmed at that, but at least Ryoko was happy. Perhaps just one instance with her on the way out could make up for all the time he'd spent with Ayeka.
"I'm glad." Tenchi said.