Disclaimer: Tenchi Muyo! Is copyright AIC/Pioneer Ltd.
All characters are property of their respected owners.
Wake Up Dreaming: A Tenchi Muyo! Story.
Chapter 4
"What did you say?" Miyuki demanded.
"Huh? What are you talking about," Tenchi said furrowing his brow in confusion.
"Di – did you say… Ryoko?" Miyuki said, her voice trembling.
"Uh… yeah," Tenchi said slowly, but not quite understanding Miyuki's reaction until it was too late.
"The Demon of Jurai! Shit! She's here? And she's alive? Wh – who are you really?" Miyuki sputtered. "You know what, it doesn't even matter. I have to call this in to the Kurru Station right now!" Miyuki spun around and quickly started to make a mad dash to her hovering vehicle that stood idle close by.
Tenchi growled in anger and reached out to grab the scrawny girl.
"Hey!" he shouted. "Do you know where she is?" he demanded yanking the small doctor back by her collar.
"Don't hurt me! I just don't wanna die!" Miyuki said with tears in her eyes.
Tenchi's own eyes quickly softened and he released her.
"I – I'm sorry. Miyuki. Please, I need your help. I need to find her," he begged.
"What on Orakk would you want with a monster like that?" Miyuki spat in disbelief. "She'll kill us all! I may not have been alive back then but I've seen all the footage! The old news reports! More importantly, I've seen the damage! She's pure evil!" the light haired young woman started rattling on and on about the hatred she and apparently many people still held for Ryoko.
Tenchi frowned and his heart ached. Maybe his idea wasn't so well thought out after all. He didn't even consider the fact that the rest of the universe may not have forgiven Ryoko for the destruction and death she had caused. They didn't know the whole story though. They didn't know how Kagato manipulated, controlled and forced her and Ryo-Ohki to commit those crimes. He sank to his knees and stared at the ground. His found his breathing a bit difficult as his chest seemed to seize up. He closed his eyes and smiled a very sad but enlightened smile. My heart hurts for her, he thought. I am in love with her. I really am.
"I'm in love with Ryoko." He said the words clearly and he felt a tremendous mental weight instantly vanish.
"What!" Miyuki stammered. "Are you insane? Have you been listening to what I've been saying?" She said hysterically.
She stamped her foot in the sand and Tenchi reached up and grabbed her wrist gently. He looked up and stared into her green eyes, his own brown ones glistening with unshed tears.
"Sit down with me Miyuki, I think there's some more you should know," Tenchi said.
***
Darkness swallowed the room. Grungy metal and twisted nightmarish machinery hissed. Slow methodical dripping from somewhere in the room echoed on the concrete walls, making music with the dilapidated equipment beeps. Thick black wires and tubing hung from the ceiling and stream periodically sprayed outward from sockets and connecting points. Small computer panels barely lit up the dingy underground dungeon laboratory. The small panels dotted the walls and some of the clunky geometric machines. In the middle of the room a large contraption that looked a little newer than the rest loomed over everything spreading jagged twisted shadows throughout the already chilling room. Long, thick, grimy tentacle-like limbs extended from the bottom and top of the strange device restrained a suspended female figure in its center. The big metal limbs hissed softly adjusting ever so slightly every time a small weight imbalance caused movement. At their ends, the tentacles had big cuff-like pieces that clamped securely down on the young woman's shins, biceps, and forearms. One small special arm that was thinner than the rest had a secure grip on her left wrist. Lights and advanced looking paraphernalia adorned its cufflink. A large round machine covered with large blinking lights rested like a demented crown on the woman's head. Wires seemed to slither down from the darkness and attach themselves to the odd head ornament.
Ryoko was the young female captive. Her body hung limply from the metallic tentacle arms. She let out a low sorrowful moan as she opened her eyes and regained consciousness. Her normally bright, mischievous gold orbs seemed dull and tired. And indeed, she was exhausted, alone, heartbroken, and afraid. Although the machines were disgusting and looked out of date they were writhing with advanced technology underneath their skin. Technology that she didn't know anyone but Washu, Kagato, and possibly Jurai's scientists could possess. Beads of slimy sweat rolled down her face, dripping off of Ryoko's chin. She moaned in pain and gently turned her head slightly to look up at her restrained left arm. The small thin robotic tentacle attached to her wrist squirmed and twitched as if it were a sentient being. The organic metallic material also seemed to expand and contract as if it was sucking the life out of her. It wasn't doing that exactly but it was extremely painful. Kagato used a similar technology on the Souja when Ryoko had attacked in blinding rage at the thought of Tenchi's death. He had used it to draw upon the power of her gems and restrain her while he attempted to capture Tsunami. This tentacle seemed to be doing the same thing; draining her of power.
"Whoever you are! Stop! Stop it!" Ryoko cried, pleading to whomever was controlling the contraption to stop the excruciating pain.
She had stopped using her usual method of threatening her captors with pain after the first day of torture. She struggled weakly and the other larger tentacles had no problem restricting her movements. Large electrical surges shot through the tentacles eliciting shrieks of pain from their captive. She convulsed and shuddered trying to pull away but that just resulted in more intense shocks. After almost five minutes of continuous shock, the room dimmed down to a dull gray-brown once again. Ryoko's golden eyes were glassy and tears caused by the shocking pain trailed down her cheeks from the corner of her eyes. Her chest heaved and she panted heavily as she slowly recovered.
Ryoko eyes stared downward at the cold concrete floor below her.
"Just kill me," she mumbled.
It had been almost two days since she was captured that night on the beach. Well at least two days from when I first regained consciousness, she thought. Ryoko felt hollow and empty. The tears that had previously been forced by physical pain were now emotional.
"Tenchi…" she sobbed. She didn't want to think he was dead, but if he weren't, how would he find her? She had failed him, and he would certainly have forsaken her because of that. She felt her heart being torn into pieces. Doubt and rejection filled her head. What if I only saw what I wanted to see at the carnival? Was he just going to use me? Take advantage of my feelings and my body? Then abandon me, throw me away like some kind of… whore? Ryoko shook her head.
"My Tenchi… My Tenchi…" she wailed. "He DOES love me, he does! He's not like that! He won't leave me here!" she shouted into the darkness.
A second wind seemed to flow through her and even though her left arm burned with considerable pain she pulled it forward roughly, triggering the electric shock. She thrashed and shook, the neon blue electrical charges lighting up the room surging through her. She growled loudly and her eyes started to take on their usual intense golden glow. She let loose an angry roar that shook the machines around her. The machines increased their charge tremendously but they couldn't quell Ryoko's rage this time.
"Aaaarrrgh – ha!" she screamed and used the last amount of energy she could muster to force orange plasma out of her hands into the machines holding her. And suddenly all was quiet. She whimpered as the savage pain stopped. The machines held her still but she could hear them sizzling and short-circuiting.
"Ten – chi! I'm here, Tenchi!" Ryoko cried hysterically. She yanked her right arm and she heard the metallic mechanisms fail. Using her last bit of strength ripped the arm from its socket plugged into the ceiling. Steam and crackling electricity spewed from the mechanized orifice like a wound. She gasped loudly when the contraption's power suddenly seemed to fail. The tentacles still held their grip on her but they could no longer suspend her in the air. She collapsed to the ground with a thud and clanking of metal. Ryoko reached up and furiously yanked the ring-like ornament off of her head and pulled the wires out of it. Using all of her strength she hurled it at the wall causing a small explosion.
It was quiet for a few minutes. She sat on her hands and knees panting heavily. She swallowed hard and drops of sweat fell to the floor.
"Tenchi! I love you!" she moaned.
***
"Please, Miyuki. I know some of it is hard to believe, but its true. Especially the parts about Ryoko. She's not what you think. Not anymore," Tenchi pleaded.
Miyuki sat in the sand about an arm's length from Tenchi with her arms crossed.
"That's very hard to swallow. Can you prove any of it?" she said skeptically.
"Well…" Tenchi started.
He couldn't. He didn't have a thing on him and no other witnesses from his home to prove anything different. Wait. He did have something.
"Here, this won't prove everything I'm telling you but it will at least prove that I'm related by blood to the Juraian Royal Family," Tenchi said and held out the Tenchi-ken.
"A piece of wood that you just dug up?" Miyuki said flatly. "What do you think I am, stupid?"
"Trust me," Tenchi said and handed the odd looking hilt over to Miyuki. "It's the master key. A powerful sword that once controlled a Juraian tree-ship and held Ryoko captive for seven hundred years on Earth." Tenchi said. "Only members of the Juraian royal family can touch it."
"Psh, yeah okay like I'm going to believe that," Miyuki said rolling her eyes and she reached out and grabbed the sword.
No sooner had she said the words and gripped the hilt that the sword began to glow and blue bolts of electricity shot outward from it, shocking the smart talking girl. She yelled in pain and tossed the sword aside into the dirt.
"Ow! Oh crap! That hurt," she said clutching her hand close to her chest.
Tenchi just looked at her with a smug expression on his face and reached over, effortlessly retrieving the Tenchi-ken. Miyuki stared daggers back at him and huffed in frustration.
"Even the whole 'Prince of Jurai' thing is a little strange. I mean if they really did know about all of you living on planet Earth, wouldn't they have just made you all live on Jurai in the first place? Woulda been a hell of a lot safer then some backwater planet." Miyuki stated trying to break Tenchi's story. "And you know what, you're right that doesn't prove anything about the biggest problem here which is that the Demon of Jurai is here!" Miyuki said, her voice slightly cracking and the mention of Ryoko.
"Well first of all, some secrets are better left where no one knows about them, like Washu and Ryoko for one thing," Tenchi said. "And secondly, Emperor Azusa let Aeka and Sasami stay on Earth with me because they asked him to," Tenchi said.
"My, my – a little close to the princess, aren't we, Tenchi? First name basis, no formal titles of any kind?" Miyuki said teasingly.
Tenchi looked down and lowered his voice to a mere mumble.
"No, I… uh – well, yes she's my… um…"
"Lover?" Miyuki finished the sentence sarcastically. "You look like your normal and nice enough but it seems to me that you like to play with the girls a lot there, eh Tenchi?" Miyuki said narrowing her eyes and jabbing him in the ribs.
"No, I don't," Tenchi said, suddenly serious.
"Well you could have fooled me," Miyuki said, not the least bit intimidated.
Tenchi sighed.
"Look, Miyuki. I need to find her. I'll do anything. I – I just need her," he said looking into her eyes.
Miyuki looked back and for some reason she felt a little… bothered. He is so cute, she thought looking back into his puppy dog eyes. She turned away to hide her blushing cheeks and mumbled to herself. After a few seconds she wrinkled her nose and adjusted her glasses again.
"Okay fine," she said. "You had better be right about this," she added quickly. "And… I want you to start answering my questions!" she said lightheartedly.
Tenchi looked back at her wide-eyed. A slow smile crept onto his face.
"Alright," he said surprised at her cooperation.
***
Ryoko knelt there, feeling exhausted and drained. And even though she seemed to make the restraining tentacles malfunction, the small special one sucking at the gem on her wrist still seemed as active as ever.
She heard the hiss of a door opening in towards the front of the dingy containment area. The echo of heavy boots bounced off the walls as a large daunting figure walked toward her. She wanted to try and tear the remaining tentacles off of her and run but she didn't have the strength. She just continued to pant and stared at the floor. The footsteps kept on coming closer and finally two large combat type boots appeared in her field of vision.
"Look here, Demon," a deep voice commanded.
Ryoko refused. The man was huge. He looked human but he had to be at least seven feet tall. He was very well built and wore a dark green military suit type uniform under a large heavy black cloak. He had dark tanned skin and a strong angled chin. His head was covered in short cropped dark green hair and he had icy blue eyes that looked like they held an intense dislike for his cyan haired prisoner.
"I said look at me!" the man commanded angrily and knelt down and forcefully grabbed Ryoko's chin and forced it up towards him.
Ryoko struggled and the large man swiftly hit her across her face as hard as he could. She yelped in pain and fell over clumsily since the metallic arms still had their grip on her.
"What are you doing here, monster?" he spat.
"I don't know!" Ryoko yelled back.
Judging by how these people captured her and by how they were treating her now, Ryoko thought it best not to mention Tenchi at all in case he was alive somewhere.
"There are no ancient ruins for you to plunder here, you wretched creature! You had better come up with a better excuse then that! We know who you are, Demon of Jurai!" The menacing man said with venom.
Ryoko rolled back onto her knees and tried to get up to her feet but her tormentor kicked her side with bone-crushing force. Ryoko gagged and coughed clutching her side with one arm the other one still restrained by the draining equipment. He smiled seeing her on the ground in pain.
"How does it feel to be at the mercy of those you thought you destroyed?" he said nastily.
Again Ryoko attempted managed to get to her knees.
"You look like a pathetic whore, you sorry excuse for life," the military figure said.
Ryoko was still catching her breath and she tried to look as angry as possible with the man. In truth, every sentence he spoke felt like someone throwing acid on her heart. Memories and images quickly rose to the surface of the crimes she committed. Men, women, and children's bodies covered in blood. Entire planets destroyed leaving only smoldering ash and space dust. So much death and murder, usually for trivial artifacts and information leading to the whereabouts of Tsunami.
Laughter rang out in Ryoko's ear.
"Are you crying? I didn't think it was possible for something like you to cry!" the large man said in between demeaning laughing.
Tears blurred Ryoko vision and she choked out whimpers of guilt and pain. The man knelt down again to her level.
"Look at you. How can you even show emotion? How can you have a conscience after all you've done to the universe?"
Ryoko tried to retreat weakly and move further into the dark disgusting room.
"Come here!" the man said and reached forward grabbing Ryoko's face in his hand.
He pulled her forward so that she was mere inches from his face. Her eyes were wide with fear and tears and shaky sobs escaped her. The unnamed assailant lowered his voice to a raspy growl.
"Maybe there's still something your good for, huh? How many times have you been used up space trash? You any good with that pretty mouth? You haven't said much so I only imagine you spend most of your time down here on your knees."
Ryoko trembled and tried to pull away again and he hit her sending her to the ground. She fell over in pain and desperately pushed back against the floor trying to move away from her attacker.
"Stop! Get away from me!" Ryoko yelled at him.
This only seemed to infuriate the man. His intense eyes grew wide with rage and he pulled his arm back ready to punch her again. Ryoko anticipated the hit this time and sent her own free fist flying towards his. With all the strength she had left, her knuckles smashed into his easily shattering the bones.
The big man doubled over in pain falling away from Ryoko clutching his arm. He screamed profanities in agonizing pain and Ryoko just backed up further away from him. The power on the grimy metallic arm drawing power from her gem increased ten fold sending waves of intense pain through Ryoko as well. Two more men in identical uniforms rushed into the dark room hurriedly and helped the larger man in the cloak get to his feet. He was growling and yelling all sorts of curses at Ryoko while bodily fluids ran from his nose, eyes, and mouth.
"Fuck! Damn that bitch!" he yelled.
Jagged pieces of snapped bone protruded from the huge man's mangled hand. The two soldiers escorted him out without saying a word or looking at Ryoko. As soon as they were gone, the pain in Ryoko's arm went from excruciating to just a dull sting.
And just like that, it was dark, cold, and lonely again. Ryoko covered her mouth with her hand and a mournful sob escaped her throat. She was shaking uncontrollably and tears created rivers down her cheeks. Her painful cries echoed on the dark walls and she covered her entire face with her hand.
"TENCHI!" she screamed his name at the top of her lungs before continuing her deep soul shattering sobs.
***
Tenchi awoke with a start.
"Ryoko?" he said looking around.
"Hey there cutie. You alright?" Miyuki said from the driver side of a strange hovering vehicle.
"Yeah, yeah I'm fine," Tenchi said. "I just thought I heard someone call me," he said mystically.
"Hm nope, just me here and its been a pretty quiet ride," Miyuki said.
Tenchi stayed out on the beach all day until it had become too dark to keep on searching. He wanted to stay even longer but Miyuki eventually convinced him that they could come back tomorrow.
"You know, she's probably alive," Miyuki said gingerly glancing over at Tenchi. "I mean, if she has even half the power people claimed she had… well then she had to have survived," she continued trying to cheer Tenchi up.
It didn't help. But Tenchi was focused on something else now.
He was sure he heard someone calling him. It wasn't the first time this had happened either. He remembered another time when he had the same feeling. He was at home in Washu's lab. She was performing some tests on him trying to figure out more about how he was able to summon Light Hawk Wings. He could hear her then too. It felt like Ryoko was calling to him. Shortly afterward, everyone found out that Dr. Clay had captured Ryoko and that an imposter android, Zero, was posing as Ryoko to get to Washu. Tenchi never did find out if Ryoko had 'called' to him for help before she was taken but he had his suspicions. Tenchi let out a frustrated sigh and rubbed his face and eyes.
"Where are you?" he said to himself.
"Don't worry, we'll find her. I've logged in what areas we've searched into my ship's computer. After all, there is only a certain area she could be in. We can head out earlier so we can get up to this region tomorrow morning," Miyuki said pointing at a northern point of the beach on her holo-map.
Tenchi rested his cheek in his hand and stared at the map.
"Thanks, Miyuki. For everything."
***
A small screen crackled and lit up, coming to life in the darkness. A very large man stood over the control panel impatiently rubbing his left hand, which was wrapped, completely in a white cast. After a few moments the screen flickered and another man appeared on the other end.
"Kurai is dead?" the first man said.
Only a nod from the other was given.
"Well then I guess you don't have to worry about your job anytime soon," he said darkly. "I have something you might want," he said and flipped a few of the switches near the control screen.
The other person on the screen narrowed his eyes and smiled evilly as an image of the captive Ryoko appeared before him. As quickly as it appeared, it disappeared and only the cloaked man remained.
"You know the statute of limitations on Ryoko went up about three and a half years ago?" The man on the other line answered. "You should just give her up to Jurai. I'm sure we can find a way to… deal with her," he said.
"Oh don't worry, she'll be 'dealt with' with or without any Juraian consent or interference," the military man responded covering his injured hand.
"Haraj…" the Juraian official said threateningly. "You will hand her over to us and we will decide how to punish her." The lumbering military figure now known as Haraj leaned closer to the screen.
"You pathetic Juraians can come here then and pick up the pieces of her dismembered corpse," he growled in a way that made the Juraian official step back.
Haraj narrowed his blue eyes and smiled before giving a mock salute and cutting the transmission off.
After a moment of composing himself, Haraj removed his cape and stepped out of the dark room into a lavish, inviting hallway. As he walked towards the ornate staircase he heard voices and shuffling at the bottom of the steps. Reaching the bottom of the steps and peering around the corning he saw a light purple-haired girl and a young man with short spiked black hair. The girl looked up.
"Oh, hey Dad, I didn't know you were here," the girl chirped.
"I hope you don't mind that I have a friend over for dinner tonight. His name is Tenchi," she said motioning to the man next to her.
Haraj smiled darkly.
"Not at all my dear Miyuki, not at all."