Disclaimer: I do not own any characters in Tenchi Muyo. They are the property of Pioneer/AIC
A/N: Thanks to ni9htdreame12 for the review :-)
Memories Past
Part 2:
Ryoko floated on a black wave of darkness that rippled and shimmered as she floated by. She didn't know where she was or how she had gotten there. Looking around herself, Ryoko tried to see through the inky blackness. But everywhere she looked there was just more of this black substance that surrounded her.
Where am I? Wha...what happened? The last thing that she remembered was lying down on the couch in the living room, and closing her eyes.
I must have fallen asleep. Then this must be a dream. So…if this is a dream…I should be able to wake up. Ryoko closed her eyes and willed herself to awaken. But to her dismay, when she opened her eyes she was still in the pitch, black room.
Well, it doesn't appear as if I'll be waking up anytime soon, Ryoko thought resignedly. Looking around again, Ryoko decided to explore her surroundings.
Stretching out her arm, Ryoko held up her hand, and opened her palm. The gem on her wrist began to glow a deep-blood red color. Suddenly a white sphere of light appeared in Ryoko's hand. The sphere of light lit up the darkness that surrounded her, allowing Ryoko to see what was there.
There didn't seem to be anything except more darkness. Seeing this as she continued to shine her light around, Ryoko cried out in frustration, "What the heck is going here? What kind of stupid dream is this anyway?"
Suddenly, as if in answer to her cries, a bright light pierced through the darkness a short distance ahead of her.
Ryoko watched curiously, interested in what was going to happen next in this strange dream that she was having. As Ryoko continued to watch, her curiosity slowly turned to horror, as the light got closer.
"No…no…it can't be true. I'm dreaming. This is just a dream. I saw you get killed. I watched with my own eyes as Tenchi sliced you in half. Stay back. I'm warning you. STAY BACK!" Ryoko screamed.
The white sphere of light that Ryoko had in her hand began to contort and twist, until it became a long, bright, red blade of light. Taking a step back, and holding her blade up in a defensive manner, Ryoko eyed the figure in front of her warily.
"Why my dear Ryoko. It has been such a long time since I last saw you. It doesn't appear as if you have forgotten me, judging by the way that you are reacting. But then, how does a slave forget its master?" And then Ryoko's greatest nightmare stepped forward and came face to face with her.
"Hello Ryoko. Have you missed me?" Kagato asked, and then began to laugh wildly. Ryoko could only stand and watched in shock, horror, and not a little revulsion for this monster that had almost destroyed her life.
Somewhere in the back of Ryoko's mind, she noticed that the black room that she had been in had dissolved away. The two of them were now standing in a room that closely resembled the training room aboard the Souja. Taking a few steps backward to put more distance between them, Ryoko eyed her nemesis in stony silence.
"Now come Ryoko. Let us not play these games. Aren't you going to tell me how much you've missed me?"
"You're dead," Ryoko stated without emotion. "You're dead, and this is just another one of those strange dreams that I've been having. I'm not really here and neither are you."
"Shame on you Ryoko. I'm surprised that you haven't figured it out by now." As Kagato spoke he moved forward two steps, closing the distance between himself and Ryoko.
"I don't know what you are talking about," Ryoko said, her golden eyes turning hard.
"Well let me explain it in a way that even you can understand. You my dear Ryoko have been infected."
"What! What kind of nonsense are you talking about now? What do you mean infected?"
"I am talking about the virus that Master Kagato implanted in your head."
"Master Kagato? What are you talking about? I thought you were supposed to be Kagato."
"No I am not Kagato. I am his legacy. I am his greatest creation. I AM THE KAGATO VIRUS!" (Who shall now be known as KV)
"Hahaha. This dream just gets better and better," laughed Ryoko, her blade falling to her side as she continued to laugh.
"YOU DEAR MOCK ME," roared KV. The Kagato Virus raised its hand and a long sword appeared in it.
"I AM KAGATO'S LEGACY, THE KAGATO VIRUS," KV continued to shout, slowly advancing on Ryoko, its sword held in an offensive position. Ryoko quickly brought her blade back up in front of her, in a defensive position.
"I WAS CREATED IN A LAB ABOARD THE SOUJA, WHEN MY MASTER TOOK YOU HOSTAGE MANY MONTHS AGO. I WAS DESIGNED TO DESTROY YOU BY KILLING YOU IN YOUR MIND. I HAD TO WAIT UNTIL YOU WERE IN A DREAMLIKE STATE, YOUR MENTAL DEFENCES DOWN, BEFORE I COULD ATTACK YOU."
KV stopped advancing on Ryoko, since he had backed her up into a corner. Smiling evilly, KV looked Ryoko straight in the eyes, and spoke much softer, "I have lain dormant in your mind for a long time. Waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike at you. You're mind was in a state of turmoil for a long time, but then it began to calm down. You found peace in your life. You seemed to be happy. What better time to attack but now."
"Your mad. You're just a figment of my overworked imagination. You're…you're not real." But even as Ryoko spoke the words, she couldn't hide the note of doubt that crept into them.
KV, noting this, moved in for the kill. "If you had noticed before Ryoko, there was a pain in your side this morning. Well, you could say that was just me flexing my muscles." KV smirked at Ryoko.
"That was you? Then…this is real?" Ryoko asked slowly.
"That is what I have been saying, you fool."
"Well then," Ryoko said, a sly smile on her face. "That means that I can really kill you."
Ryoko let out a loud battle cry, and charged the Kagato Virus.
KV merely smiled and raised its sword just in time to block Ryoko's first strike. After that it was almost impossible to follow the fight. They both moved in a blur of kicks, punches, hacks, and slashes.
Ryoko, fueled by her hate and anger of everything that this monster represented, hacked at sliced with everything she had.
KV blocked every strike that Ryoko made, but did not attack. This game of block and attack went on for quite awhile, with Ryoko beginning to tire, while her opponent looked as fresh as ever.
Finally, with her breath coming hard, and sweat poring down her face, Ryoko stopped her attack, and faced KV.
"Why…why won't you fight back, you coward?" Ryoko gasped out. "Are you afraid to?"
"You poor, deluded fool. I am invincible. No one or nothing can hurt me. So why would I be afraid of you? No, I was merely waiting for you to wear yourself out. Now it is my turn."
KV then raised its sword and pointed it straight at Ryoko. And with an amused smile on its face said, "Now don't move. This won't hurt a bit."
And before Ryoko could raise her blade to defend herself, KV crossed the short space separating them, and drove its sword right into her stomach.
And as a white-hot pain flared throughout her body, Ryoko screamed out the only thing that came to her mind. "TENCHIII…"
Tenchi, busy raking in the field, suddenly snapped his head up and looked toward the house.
"Ry…Ryoko?" Tenchi peered inquiringly at the house. Did I just hear Ryoko call out my name just now? No...It couldn't have been. It must have been my ima…"Ahhhhh…" Tenchi screamed out in pain, before dropping his rake, and grabbing his head.
"What…what is this pain? Where is it coming from?" Tenchi dropped to his knees and clutched his head, as the pain intensified. And just as he thought that he would pass out from the pain, it stopped. It just ended. Like someone had taken the flame from a candle and snuffed it out.
Getting unsteadily to his feet, Tenchi once again looked at the house, this time an expression of horror on his face. "No…no…It couldn't have been…It wasn't…RYOKO!" Tenchi yelled as he took of for the house, running as fast as his legs could take him.
As he leapt onto the porch, almost knocking over Ayeka, who was coming out to see him with two glasses of lemonade, only one thought went through his mind.
Please Ryoko…please still be alive.
To be continued…soon
(Souja- this is the space ship that Kagato had held Washu imprisoned on, in the Tenchi Muyo series. And it is also the place where Washu created Ryoko.)