All characters are property of AIC and Pioneer LCD. This story line is based on the Tenchi Muyo OVA. It is not my intentions to rip off other people's work so if this story resembles another, it does so inadvertently.
Chapter 4
Ayeka couldn't overhear what was being said between Washu and Ryoko. However, she had little doubt that she was a part of the topic when Ryoko pointed at her. Ayeka quickly changed into her fighting suit. Ryoko's hand returned to her side. Washu took a step closer to Ryoko and had something to say that seemed important. Before Ayeka knew what happened, Ryoko was standing just in front of her with her orange blade lined up to cut off her head. Only Washu's blade prevented Ryoko's strike from falling. Ayeka stumbled backwards.
"Why are you acting like this?" Washu questioned. Ryoko bore down onto Washu.
"Is that supposed to be funny? If it is, your since of humor is wasted on me." Ryoko growled. Washu pushed Ryoko back until the two stood apart from each other.
"What have we done to you?" Washu asked.
"I'm tired of your questions." Ryoko replied. Ryoko lunged at Washu with her blade. Washu blocked Ryoko's attack again. Ryoko counter by launching successive quick attacks. Washu was having a hard time but she was able to fend off Ryoko until the two blades were locked once more.
"I don't want to hurt you." Washu stated. Ryoko smiled. Ryoko reached out and grabbed Washu's naked blade with her bare hand. Washu's eyes widened upon seeing her daughter's hand burn. Ryoko smiled all the more wickedly.
"What makes you think you can hurt me?" Ryoko asked. Ryoko withdrew her blade from Washu's immobilized sword and slashed at Washu's head. Washu ducked only to receive a powerful kick to the throat. Washu was stunned. She dropped to a knee and gasped for breath. Ryoko launched a flurry of punches that connected with Washu. Ryoko finished Washu off with a straight right to her chin. Washu flew backwards and slid to a stop a few meters away from the group. She was out cold. Ryoko put away her sword then lifted her left hand to eye level. She examined her burnt hand. She produced a small ball of green light at the tip of her right index finger. She pointed the ball of light to the palm of her left hand and her hand regenerated. Sasami rushed up to Ryoko. Mihoshi tried to stop Sasami but she was out of reach before Mihoshi could get a hold of her.
"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU RYOKO!? WHY ARE YOU BEING SO MEAN!? I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU LIKE THIS ANYMORE!" Sasami screamed as she tightly gripped Ryoko's waste. Ryoko reared up with surprise.
"SASAMI!" Ayeka screamed. Ayeka was about to attack Ryoko but was held in place against her will. Ayeka looked over her shoulder to see Tenchi holding her back.
"LET ME GO!" Ayeka bellowed as she struggled to get free of Tenchi's grasp.
"Wait! Look at her." Tenchi pleaded. Ayeka looked back to Ryoko. She was frozen in place as if she was unable to move. Ryoko's eyes moved back and forth rapidly as though she was confused. Sasami started to cry as she continued to hug Ryoko. Ryoko looked down at the little girl hugging her around the waste. She calmed down and for the briefest of moments, looked like she had come back to her normal self. However, the rest bit was short-lived. Ryoko's face became expressionless once more. She reached down and removed Sasami's arms from around her sides then vanished.
"Come back Ryoko! Come back!" Sasami yelled then sank to her knees and sobbed. Tenchi let go of Ayeka. Ayeka immediately ran to her sister. Tenchi hurried over to Washu. Mihoshi was already trying to help Washu and it appeared to be working. Washu was coming to. Tenchi was surprised to see Washu not cringing in pain but struggling to smile.
"Are you going to be all right, Little Washu?" Tenchi asked. Mihoshi helped Washu sit up.
"She seems faster than before." Washu started through a choked voice. She coughed a few times then tried to clear her throat.
"Ryoko is much stronger than I thought and she was just playing with me. But, Sasami may be the strongest of all of us." Washu said as she took a few deep breaths. Washu stood up and walked over to Sasami. Ayeka backed away from Sasami as Washu walked up to her. Washu leaned over and hugged Sasami. Sasami didn't know what to do so she hugged Washu back.
"Lord Tenchi." Ayeka said to Tenchi. Tenchi turned to face Ayeka.
"Yes?" Tenchi asked. Ayeka looked up and slapped Tenchi. Tenchi raised his hand to his face.
"If you ever prevent me from helping my sister ever again, I'll…I'll…" Ayeka tried to finish but was unable to before she started to cry as well. Ayeka brought her hands to her eyes. Tenchi stepped close to Ayeka and pulled her to himself. Ayeka broke down and buried her face into Tenchi's chest.
"I'm sorry Ayeka. I thought if you distracted Ryoko, she might hurt Sasami and you. I didn't mean to make you so upset." Tenchi explained. Ayeka didn't continued to cry. Mihoshi looked around and couldn't handle being in the middle of such an emotional situation.
"I can't take this." Mihoshi declared before a cascade of tears streamed from her eyes.
* * *
Ryoko was having trouble thinking clearly. Before her latest encounter with Sasami, everything made since. Now, she was being distracted by random and obscure memories. Ryoko was becoming agitated by her inability to purge these nuisance thoughts from her head. What was more was that her doubts were starting to manifest into terrible headaches. Ryoko grabbed the sides of her head and clamped her eyes shut in an atempt to settle down but it didn't work very well. Ryoko needed to get her mind off of what just happened. She teleported a few times and covered a great distance. Ryoko smelled a hint of salt in the air and heard the distant sound of waves breaking. She lifted off the ground and flew skywards until she was able to see the ocean. She flew to the shore and set down on the damp sand only a few meters away from the water. Ryoko sat and tried to clear her mind. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the sound of the ocean. It didn't take long for her headaches to subside. Ryoko opened her eyes to see the sun shining off the water like golden glitter. A memory flashed through Ryoko's mind. Ryoko tried to hold onto the memory but it faded before she could identify it. Ryoko continued to look out over the sea. She had forgotten what she was doing on this planet and she let go of all of her anger. Ryoko sat peacefully and watched the waves break a few meters from the shore then her eyes followed the swells as they surged onto the shore. After a long while, the peace allowed Ryoko's thoughts to wonder once more. The more she thought, the more her mind's eye witnessed the scene with the little girl…the little girl that cared for her.
* * *
The city was now completely evacuated. The only things that could be heard were the crackling of flames from burning debris, the groaning of leaning buildings, and the sound of small fingers typing quickly. Tenchi, Washu, Mihoshi and Sasami were sitting on the same steps of the government building that Ryoko was sitting on when she unleashed her second attack on the city. The group was awaiting some direction from Washu who wasn't being very responsive.
"Don't you think we should try to find Ryoko?" Mihoshi asked.
"We'll find Ryoko when it's necessary." Washu replied. She didn't look up as she continued to type. Despite Ryoko's deeds and the beating Washu just took, Washu was in a good mood.
"Has something happened, Little Washu?" Tenchi asked upon noticing Washu's change in demeanor. Washu smiled.
"Yes. During the moment Sasami hugged Ryoko, I was able to see Ryoko's thoughts." Washu admitted.
"And?" Ayeka asked. Washu stopped typing and looked up.
"Ryoko is in terrible pain. The only things she knows or remembers are the bad parts of her life. Essentially, everything unpleasant that has ever happened to her makes up who she is right now. The only instance of anyone being nice to her took place only a few minutes ago when Sasami hugged her." Washu explained.
"So all I had to do was give her hug and none of this would have happened?" Mihoshi asked.
"That would have been a bad idea for three reasons. One: Tsunami protects Sasami, so there was little chance of Sasami being hurt, in the short term anyway. Two: Sasami is the only one among us who Ryoko doesn't know because, in Ryoko's mind, Sasami is the only one of us who hasn't done anything bad to her. That explains why she didn't recognize Sasami earlier. Three: Ryoko remembers the incident with the miso the other morning. You would have been killed before you knew you were dead." Washu finished. Mihoshi gulped noticeably.
"What are you doing, Miss Washu?" Ayeka asked. Washu continued to type.
"I'm cross referencing the data I took from Ryoko in my lab with what I know from tapping into her mind. I might be able to find a way to bring back the real Ryoko." Washu said.
"The real Ryoko?" Tenchi asked.
"It's hard to explain but when I looked into Ryoko's mind, it didn't feel like Ryoko. It was more like a thrown together copy that embodied Ryoko's unpleasant memories and all of her power." Washu stated.
"If the Ryoko we see is a fake, then where is the real Ryoko?" Sasami asked.
"She's there, Sasami. I felt her there but she is very distant. She is far away like in a deep sleep." Washu paused for a moment. Washu sat quietly for a moment.
"She never woke up." Washu thought out loud.
"She what?" Ayeka asked. Washu's head turned sharply towards Ayeka.
"She never woke up from the deep sleep she was in when we found her in the cave." Washu quickly typed in a few commands on her keyboard. She studied the results for a minute before commenting.
"A subversive program took over Ryoko's body and imprisoned the Ryoko we know in her own mind." Washu said as the reality of the situation came to light.
"A program? I didn't know she was that much of a machine." Tenchi pointed out.
"Ryoko is no machine, silly boy. The program would be a genetic program written into her DNA. The same could be done to you or me." Washu clarified.
"Who would want to do this to Ryoko?" Sasami asked.
"The only person who had access to her, the know how to implement such a procedure and who was clever enough to put his plan into action." Washu commented.
"Kagato?" Tenchi asked.
"That bastard is harassing us even from the grave. He got off light with what you did to him." Washu said to Tenchi. Tenchi could hardly disagree.
"How are we going to get Ryoko back?" Mihoshi asked. Washu sighed.
"I don't know how we are going to do that. Ryoko's body has matured much more since the time she fought Yosho seven hundred years ago. The power she wields is more than she has ever had. In her current state, she could be one of the strongest beings ever. How we are going to subdue that kind of power is really beyond me. The only thing I can think of is a psychological attack. She is divided with herself right now and confusing her further might present us with the opening we need to free Ryoko. However, the actual act of confusing her will be very, very dangerous." Washu stressed.
"With Tsunami on our side, I think that Ryoko will be hard pressed to give us that much of a hard time." Ayeka boasted as she pulled Sasami to her side. Sasami blushed. Washu didn't reply.
"Right?" Ayeka asked with less confidence.
"When Kagato possessed all the gems, he was able capture Tsunami." Washu finally answered.
"But we have Lord Tenchi to help as well." Ayeka said trying to bolster everyone's spirits. Washu sighed.
"Kagato built Souja to wield the full power of the gems. He didn't use the gems to fight Tenchi. Ryoko now possesses more power than Souja did and she can and will fight Tenchi with that new terrible power." Washu calmly explained her concern.
"What about Grand Ma?" Sasami suggested.
"That's true. Lady Seto will pull out all the stops to…" Ayeka paused.
"Obliterate, destroy, to completely annihilate anything that threatens the sovereignty and might of Jurai. We have to save Ryoko, not kill her." Washu finished making her point.
"We still have the Galaxy Police." Mihoshi added.
"I would say that the same applies for the Galaxy Police, however, I don't think that the Galaxy Police will be able to hold off Ryoko for too long." Washu stated coldly.
"What are we going to do?" Tenchi asked. Washu looked thoughtful for a moment.
"We'll see. Sasami, stay close to me. Let's go find Ryoko."
* * *
Ryoko was starting to feel her head ache once more. She was unable to completely clear her mind of obscure memories. Ryoko grasped the sides of her head in pain as she rose to her feet. Something caught Ryoko's attention and the headache dissipated. Ryoko took a few steps forward until the surf rolled over her feet then slid back down the beach into the sea. Ryoko closed her eyes once more and smiled brightly. She took in a deep breath and sighed with relief. She opened her eyes once more to see the sun slowly sink in the sky and approach the horizon. Ryoko crossed her arms and stood patiently. Someone was coming.
* * *
Tenchi, Washu, Mihoshi, and Sasami climbed up a sand dune until the beach came into view. The sun was halved on the horizon. Tenchi scaled the dune and surveyed the shoreline. He looked down the beach until he noticed a silhouetted figure standing alone further down the beach. Long spiked hair confirmed it was Ryoko. Tenchi looked back to Washu. Washu looked to Tenchi and nodded. Tenchi made his way down the dune straight for Ryoko. The rest of the group followed slowly and kept a large gap between Tenchi and themselves. Tenchi concentrated on Ryoko harder with every step he took towards her. Tenchi couldn't believe he actually was feeling this way about Ryoko. He tried to hide his anxiety behind the memory of the way he felt upon meeting Ryoko. Times were different then and it's true that Tenchi was afraid of Ryoko. But even then, Tenchi could tell Ryoko wasn't set on seriously hurting him. This time though, Tenchi didn't know what to expect. Ryoko's familiar shape outlined by the sparkling water wouldn't normally cause him any distraction except for what was usual for a boy his age but Tenchi felt like getting too close to Ryoko was dangerous. Ryoko didn't turn to meet him like she normally would. She just stood, and looked over the water. Tenchi felt his heart start to beat faster. Whether it was out of fear for what might happen to Ryoko or fear of what Ryoko might do to him, Tenchi wasn't sure. Tenchi stopped only a few meters from Ryoko. He looked at her. Ryoko was wearing her blue and yellow dress but the colors didn't appear the same due to the failing sunlight that rendered everything it touched a bright hue of orange. The final rays of daylight struck Ryoko's face and her skin almost glowed. Her shadow was deep and dark. Ryoko was vision of two opposites that fit each other perfectly, like a brilliant ray of sunlight that bursts through the clouds of a raging storm.
"There's no point in trying to sneak up on me. I felt you coming from over a thousand meters away." Ryoko spoke softly. Tenchi found Ryoko's tone almost alluring despite her words.
"I wasn't trying to sneak up on you. I came straight towards you." Tenchi pointed out. Ryoko didn't reply. A wave rolled past Ryoko and stopped half way between Tenchi and her before rolling back into the ocean. Tenchi tried to think of the right question. He took a step closer to Ryoko.
"Don't come near me. Your presence annoys me." Ryoko said. Tenchi paused and considered what Ryoko said. He was taken back a bit by her sharp comment but he felt like there was more to it than that.
"Is it just me?" Tenchi asked. Ryoko turned and faced Tenchi. She still wore no expression but the way she moved made Tenchi feel like he struck a nerve. Tenchi took half a step backwards. Ryoko remained silent and stared at Tenchi. The contours of Ryoko's face were hidden by her shadow but her eyes stood out distinctly. Tenchi didn't know what to expect. He was confused and that meant he was vulnerable but Ryoko didn't move.
"If I see any of you again, I will make you regret finding me." Ryoko calmly stated before she disappeared. Tenchi was almost expecting Ryoko to vanish but he still felt like he let her down. He turned to face the group. Everyone approached and they all looked happy that another fight didn't break out. However, Washu looked happier than usual.
"Yes?" Tenchi questioned Washu after noticing her more cheerful expression.
"That went better than I thought it would." Washu stated merrily.
"I think she was being serious about us following her, Little Washu." Tenchi explained.
"I got that impression as well." Ayeka said as she joined Tenchi's side.
"How are we going to help her if all she wants to do is fight?" Mihoshi asked. Washu pondered Mihoshi's question for a few seconds.
"We may have to bring the fight to her." Washu said.
* * *
Ryoko materialized on the border of a large forest. She looked to the sky and saw that the sky was clear and starlit as far as she could see. Her thoughts returned to what transpired at the beach. Ryoko took in a deep breath then let it out in a sigh of relief. Ryoko suddenly became aware that she wasn't alone. She looked uphill from the tree line to see a figure come into view. The hair on her neck stood up with anger when she realized it was Tenchi. Ryoko shifted her stance so that she faced Tenchi squarely. Her feet were spread to shoulder width and she leaned forward and scowled at Tenchi. Ryoko lifted off the ground about a half meter. She tilted her head forward so her eyes were barely visible from beneath her brow. Rage was building and starting to fester inside Ryoko as she watched the young man stride confidently towards her. He was clad in his Jurai battle suit and had the master key in his right hand. Red flames sizzled across Ryoko's battle suit as it materialized around her body. Ryoko's golden irises were replaced with solid white as her anger continued to build.
"You stupid fool! You dare make light of my warnings? I'll make you suffer to the point where you will beg me to kill you." Ryoko ranted. Tenchi stood his ground and looked unaffected.
"You're all talk." Tenchi calmly stated. If Ryoko was a machine, she would have surely blown a fuse upon hearing Tenchi's last comment. Ryoko was livid to the point where words failed her. She released a deafening roar as she charged Tenchi. Tenchi summoned his blade and stood ready. Ryoko was just outside of sword stroke range when she stopped in front of Tenchi. Ryoko furiously pitched balls of energy at Tenchi as fast as she could. Huge pieces of earth flew into the air along with embers of burning grass and roots that were unfortunate enough to be in her line of fire. Ryoko only stopped when she was convinced that there was little left of Tenchi and the hillside. Smoke and dust rolled towards the tree line and spilled into the forest. Ryoko flew about ten meters into the air as to be above the clouds of smoke. She wanted to see the results of her attack. Ryoko pointed her palm towards where Tenchi stood and the smoke was blown away. The hillside was reduced to loose soil but nothing remained of Tenchi. Ryoko's eyes narrowed as suspicion of a trick started to mount in her mind. Ryoko closed her eyes and concentrated on feeling every movement around her as far out as she could. The nocturnal animals that started to stir in the forest made it difficult for Ryoko to track anything that might attack her. Ryoko started to drift away from the tree line slowly. Her trepidation made her all the more alert. Ryoko whipped around in time to raise a defense to Ayeka's attack. The Jurain Princess was clad in her battle suit as well. She blazed across the prairie with exceptional speed that was only barely too slow to land a successful dash attack. Ryoko smiled at Ayeka's clever strategy. Just before Ryoko was about to say something about Ayeka's effort when Ayeka launched herself backwards until she was a safe distance away from Ryoko. Ryoko was confused by Ayeka's tactic and stood in place as she tried to figure out what Ayeka was up to. Ryoko was blasted off her feet and hit the ground. Ryoko looked up in time to receive another blast in the face. Ryoko was knocked back another few meters. Ryoko quickly regained her composure and deflected a third shot skywards with her left hand. She looked across the field near the tree line to see Mihoshi kneeling with a large shoulder-fire weapon in hand. Mihoshi fired a fourth shot. Ryoko knocked the blast into the ground in front of her. The blast obscured Ryoko. Mihoshi looked around franticly to find Ryoko. Ryoko materialized behind Mihoshi and summoned her blade. Ryoko brought her blade parallel to the ground in order to cut Mihoshi neatly in two. Tenchi's blade met Ryoko's halfway. Ryoko looked to Tenchi's face. Tenchi shook his head. Mihoshi fell forward and scrambled to get away from Ryoko. Ryoko drew her blade back but she was hit by Ayeka's dash attack before she could take a swing. Ryoko skipped off the ground twice before she came to an abrupt stop on her feet. She looked at the threesome menacingly. Ryoko raised her hand two her face to wipe away something wet. She examined the back of her hand and saw that it was red with blood. Ryoko quickly wiped the corner of her mouth and found that her mouth was the source of her bleeding. She looked to the group of three who were now standing next to each other. Ryoko smiled with admiration.
"Three against one isn't very fair." Ryoko quipped. No reply came from the group. Ryoko's form faded then two replicas of herself drifted away from the original.
"There. Now we are even." The Ryoko on the left commented. The group of three looked concerned. Apparently, they weren't ready to take on Ryoko one-on-one. Suddenly, the Ryoko on the right and the one in the center screamed in anguish as two massive balls of energy burned them to nothing. The remaining Ryoko turned to face Washu who had Sasami at her side.
"There will be none of that." Washu stated calmly. The group of three rushed towards Ryoko. Ryoko hastily summoned a ball of energy and launched it at Washu. A singular light hawk wing appeared in front of Washu and Sasami and absorbed the attack.
"Try again." Washu taunted. Ryoko looked nervous. She tried to teleport away but Washu apparently raised a field around the area that prevented Ryoko's departure. Ryoko slammed into an invisible object and was electrocuted. Ryoko quickly landed and looked to Washu once more.
"How quickly we forget." Washu quipped once more. Tenchi's group was drawing closer and soon would be on top of her. Ryoko started to panic. Ryoko tried to think of a way to escape but nothing was coming to mind. Washu smiled upon seeing her plan come together. It didn't look like it was going to be long before she would have Ryoko subdued. Ryoko was now desperate. She needed to buy some time in order to regroup. Ryoko drew a large some of power from the gems then compressed it inside herself. Washu felt the surge of power.
"Brace yourself, Sasami." Washu advised as she held onto the little girl. Ryoko discharged her pulse of energy all at once. The shockwave radiated away from her in every direction. Ayeka saw the blast race towards her and managed to erect her field only a split second before it hit. The pulse rushed past Ayeka, Tenchi and Mihoshi. Ayeka found that she was drained after shielding herself and the others from Ryoko. Three light hawk wings defended Sasami and Washu proving Ryoko's increased output. The pulse continued outwards and ripped earth and grass until it reached the forest where it blasted every piece of timber it touched into splinters. Ryoko looked around to that the only effect of her attack was a slightly weakened Ayeka. Ryoko concentrated as she forced the power from the gems into her body once more. Ryoko was now bent on complete destruction and felt that the only way she could eliminate everyone is by getting them all in one shot. The gems burned white on Ryoko's neck and on her wrists. Washu's smile started to fade when she realized what Ryoko was up to.
"Stop!" Washu instructed Tenchi's group. Tenchi, Ayeka, and Mihoshi ground to a stop only a few meters away from Ryoko. Washu didn't want the worst to happen so she decided that she would let up for now.
"You win this round Ryoko." Washu admitted. Ryoko looked to Washu with a sinister smile.
"Checkmate." Ryoko stated then she laughed to herself. Washu noticed Ryoko increased the rate she was drawing from the gems by ten. Ryoko laughed even harder.
"Knock it off Ryoko!" Washu said with more concern. Ryoko increased the rate of power extraction even more. The heat radiating from Ryoko was starting to grow as the amount of energy she collected folded on itself.
"Ryoko! Please stop." Washu pleaded. Ryoko stopped laughing but her smile remained.
"When I go, I'll take this planet, this system and a small portion of this galaxy with me. There is no way you can escape." Ryoko summarized. The heat emanating from Ryoko started to become unbearable. Ayeka raised her shield and Tsunami's wings spread in front of Sasami and Washu. Everyone looked shocked as they realized what Ryoko had in mind. Tenchi got over his surprise and tried to think of how he could prevent Ryoko's plan from coming to fruition.
"Do something, Washu!" Ayeka demanded. Washu looked like she was at a loss. Light started to shine from behind Mihoshi. Everyone looked to see three wings of the light hawk form in front of Tenchi. Tenchi stepped into the wings and was clad in the same clothing that only appeared when he was shielded by his own wings. The third wing expanded in front of Tenchi. Tenchi melted through Ayeka's shield as though it wasn't there as he stepped towards Ryoko.
"Lord Tenchi!" Ayeka alarmed upon seeing him make his way towards Ryoko. Washu's worried expression quickly changed to a more inquizitive one. Even knowing Tenchi's power to create light hawk wings, Washu didn't know how to stop Ryoko. She knew Tenchi had something in mind but she couldn't figure out what that was. Ryoko looked at Tenchi as he drew near. Ryoko didn't even try to defend herself. She knew that she had enough power to destroy half the star system and it wouldn't be long before she had enough power to carry out her plan. Tenchi stopped only when he was just in front of Ryoko. The heat wasn't affecting him. He stood and looked at Ryoko. Ryoko smiled.
"No matter how much power you wield, you can't stop me from doing what I intend to do." Ryoko said triumphantly.
"That's true. There is nothing I can do. The only person who can stop you is Ryoko." Tenchi replied. Ryoko didn't know what to make of Tenchi's remark. She stood straight up and looked at him curiously. Tenchi stepped up to Ryoko and put his right hand on Ryoko's cheek. Before Ryoko could react, Tenchi leaned forward and kissed her. Ryoko's eyes opened as wide as they could and then some. She stopped drawing from the gems and her accumulated power vanished almost instantly.
"LORD TENCHI!!" Ayeka roared in protest. Washu exploded into laughter and covered Sasami's eyes.
"HAHAHAHA! She's awake now!" Washu sang. Tenchi removed his hand from Ryoko's cheek and stepped back. Ryoko remained motionless for a few moments. After a short while, she raised her hand to her face and touched her lips. Ryoko's eyes narrowed and her bottom lip started to tremble. Her eyes started to water then tears streamed down her cheeks. Tenchi was about step towards her again when Ryoko pointed her palm at Tenchi as though it was a weapon. Tenchi froze. Ryoko looked like her heart had just broken. She grit her teeth and tried to become angry but she couldn't stop herself from sobbing. Ryoko looked like a stiff breeze would knock her over. Her legs started to shake and she had to support her right arm with her left in order to keep it pointed at Tenchi. Ryoko staggered backwards and raised her hands to the sides of head.
"Fight Ryoko." Washu said. Everyone looked to the little scientist then back to Ryoko.
"You can do it, Ryoko." Mihoshi said.
"Please Ryoko. You have to do it." Sasami begged.
"You must." Ayeka added. Tenchi looked back at Ryoko.
"You must win." Tenchi finished. Ryoko started to shake violently. She dropped to a knee. Ryoko looked back up at Tenchi. She looked like she was trying with all her might to break free of something not seen.
"I...must...win." Ryoko struggled. Ryoko launched to her feet then stumbled backwards until she fell onto her back. Her back arched and her hands contorted as though she was in absolute agony. Ryoko screamed and writhed in pain until she faded and then she split into two Ryokos. One of the Ryoko's battle suits disappeared and was replaced with her yellow and blue striped Both Ryokos were outstreched upon the ground and didn't move. Washu instinctively knew that the Ryoko without the battle suit was her daughter and quickly ran to her side. Washu propped Ryoko's head up on her lap and lightly tapped her cheek with her hand.
"Wake up Ryoko. Wake up." Washu insisted. Ryoko's eyes cracked open. Her golden irises focused on Washu's face.
"I did it." Ryoko whispered. Washu smiled brightly.
"Yes you did. I'm so proud of you." Washu whispered back. Tenchi moved closer and looked over Washu's shoulder. Ryoko's eyes focused on Tenchi. Ryoko slowly raised her hand to her face and touched her lips. She faintly smiled then her eyes closed.
"Ryoko?" Tenchi asked with some concern.
"She's exhausted, Tenchi but she'll be ok." Washu reassured.
More to come.