This is the next story in the Mistakes and Reunions saga, obviously. I don't own any of these characters except for Takara and Ken. The others belong to ACI and Pioneer LDC, Inc. Enjoy. This is about how Ryoko find out something about her experiences with Tenchi and what the propose is. Washu tries to help her but she's too late to save the unfortunate. Mistakes and Reunions Part 9 Lost Loved Ones Ryoko ran out of the room as fast as she could, leaving Tenchi. She was a little confused by what Washu had said before leaving the room. Ryoko reached the stairs and saw Washu walking around the corner towards her lab. "Washu!" she called, causing Washu to stop where she was. "What is it, Ryoko?" she asked as she waited for Ryoko to reach her. Ryoko stared at her for a while, wondering if she heard right. "What did you just say? Who did you leave by themselves?" Ryoko asked with a raised eyebrow. Washu looked at her lab door and then back at Ryoko. It was almost like she was confused by the question. "I said Takara was by herself in the lab. I have to go check on her," Washu said. Ryoko took a step back at the mention of her daughter's name. Washu knew how Ryoko felt about that and this upset her. She seemed to toss the name around like it wouldn't effect Ryoko at all. "Takara?" Ryoko repeated, still not sure if she was hearing right. Washu nodded her head and started to head for the lab but Ryoko grabbed her arm, stopping her. "Is this some kind of sick joke?" Ryoko shouted. She was upset at the fact that Washu was playing games with her. She knew that Takara was gone. Washu looked at her like she was slapped in the face. "What are you talking about? This isn't a joke! Takara is in the lab and I have to make sure tha-" Washu started but froze in mid sentence. It was like Ryoko was watching a movie and someone had hit the pause button. "Washu?" Ryoko asked, letting go of Washu's arm. Ryoko looked around the room and noticed that everything and everyone was in mid-motion. Tenchi was in mid- air going down the stairs, Ayeka was standing at the bottom of the stairs, looking up at Tenchi but the others were no where to be seen. Ryoko looked Washu straight in the eyes but saw nothing. It was like looking at a painting. "What's going on?" Ryoko asked herself. She was the only one moving. "This is a dream, Ryoko," someone said from behind her, answering her question. Ryoko spun around to see someone she really didn't want to see right now. Ken. "What..." Ryoko started but was too dumbfounded to finish her sentence. Ken smiled and walked down the stairs in her direction. "I'm glad to see you well, Ryoko. I really didn't expect you to live after that whole incident," Ken said as he lazily made his way over to Ayeka and leaned against her like she was a statue. "What are you doing here? What's going on? What did you do to my friends?" she asked once she found her voice. Ken chuckled and rubbed his eyes. He was obviously growing impatient with Ryoko's ignorance. "Like I told you before. This is a dream. You're sleeping right now. Remember when you fell asleep right after you came out of your coma? Well, your'e still sleeping. I've been playing around with your head, leading you to believe you were still awake. I just got bored with it," Ken explained. Ryoko gave him a confused look, not fully understanding what he was saying. Ken let out a long, irritated sigh before continuing. "Ayeka helped you with your clothes, right?" Ryoko nodded her head. "You fell asleep, correct?" Ryoko nodded her head again. "Well, you never woke up. Don't worry, you're not dead. You just slipped into another coma so to speak. You thought you woke up but it's all been a dream," Ken explained again. Ryoko looked around and noticed that everything was starting to melt away. It was like someone was erasing a picture on a piece of paper. She looked back at Ken and saw that he was smiling at her as he also melted away. "Wait! I still don't understand why you're doing this!" Ryoko shouted as darkness surrounded her. She could hear Ken laughing in the background. "You see, Ryoko, it's easier to take control of you in your sleep. That's why we entered your dreams," Ken said. "We?" Ryoko asked, wondering who this other person was. Ken started to laugh again and it sent chills up Ryoko's spin. Another voice then popped into her head and it was someone she wanted to hear even less than Ken. Kagato. "Well Ryoko. I finally found you. The only difference is that I have control over you this time," Kagato said as he appeared in front of her. Ryoko jumped back and took her fighting stance. "You're dreaming, Ryoko. No matter what you do, you won't get rid of me. You have no idea what you're doing right now. I have full control over you," Kagato laughed. Ryoko thought for a moment and then collapsed to her knees. There was no way she could think of getting out of this one. * * * "Tenchi sat on the couch in thought after Takara left the room. He was curious as to how she knew all this stuff. * No sense in wondering about it. I might as well go check on Ryoko * he thought to himself as he got up from the couch and headed up the stairs. He opened the door to Ryoko's room and saw that she was thrashing around on the bed. "Ryoko!" he yelled as he ran to the bed. Tenchi sat on the edge of the bed, holding Ryoko down as she thrashed in her sleep. "Ryoko, wake up!" he shouted as held her down by the shoulders. She didn't wake up. "Tenchi! What's going on?" Washu asked as she ran into the room. "She was thrashing around, having a bad dream and I tried to wake her up but she wont," Tenchi explained as Ryoko calmed down. Washu walked over to the bed and called up her laptop and started to type. She scanned the screen, unable to find the problem. "I don't know. She must have just been having a bad dream," Washu said as she looked at Ryoko. "Then why wont she wake up?" Tenchi asked. Washu rubbed her chin in thought before walking over to her daughter, shaking her lightly. "Ryoko, wake up," She said. She started to shake her a little harder when she failed to open her eyes. "What do you think it could be?" Tenchi asked as Washu typed on her laptop again. Washu let out a sigh as the results popped up on the screen. "She's in another coma," she said. Tenchi shook his head in disappointment at the news. "Why?" he asked. "I don't know," Washu said. "What should we do?" "There is nothing we can do except wait for her to come out of it," Washu said as her laptop disappeared. She looked over at Ryoko and let out a long sigh. "Tenchi, can I have a moment alone with her please?" Washu asked, never taking her eyes off her daughter. Tenchi nodded and left the room as quietly as he could. Washu looked at Ryoko's sleeping face but it soon clouded over as tears formed in her eyes. She walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. "Ryoko, please wake up," Washu pleaded, hoping that Ryoko might hear her at some subconscious level. The tears ran freely when Ryoko's eyes didn't open. "We're all worried about you, Ryoko. We want to see you get better. Even Ayeka is worried about you. That has to mean something," she said. She ran a hand along the curve of Ryoko's face and chin. It was so soft and young to the touch. "I told Tenchi you were in a coma and that is true, but this isn't a normal coma. This is cause by something else. I just could tell Tenchi that because he would worry too much," Washu said, more to herself than anyone. She stared hard at Ryoko but nothing came of that. Washu couldn't help it anymore and the tears flowed freely from her pain ridden, emerald eyes. "Ryoko, please," Washu said in between quiet sobs. It hurt so bad to see her daughter like this. Ryoko had upset Washu so much but she could help but love her even more. "I love you, Ryoko. It hurts to see you like this. Please wake up," Washu said as she leaned over, resting her head on Ryoko's chest. She stayed like that for a long while, soaking Ryoko's shirt with tears. Washu sat up after a moment and looked at Ryoko's face through clouded eyes. "Please get better," Washu said as she got up and wiped the tears from her face. She couldn't bear to see Ryoko like this anymore and left the room. * * * Ryoko sat with her knees drawn up to her chest with darkness all around her. She had been like that for what seemed like hours. * Ryoko, please wake up * she heard a very familiar voice say to her. "Washu?" Ryoko said to herself as she looked around. She listened to see if she would hear her mother's voice again but it never came. "Now the fun starts," she heard Kagato say. She looked around but still saw nothing but darkness. "What do you mean by 'fun'?" Ryoko asked in a bitter voice. She could hear Kagato's evil laughter. She was tired of playing his game but there was nothing she could do to end it. "Let's go see Takara," Kagato said. "Takara's gone!" Ryoko shouted. She didn't want to believe anything he said. "Oh, but she isn't, Ryoko. She really is alive and she is in the Masaki house. She's a very smart child for her age. I'd say the next Washu and for me, that could be dangerous. I have to get rid of her and this is the perfect opportunity," Kagato said as he laughed. Ryoko balled her hands into fists as the hateful voice filled her head. "You won't get away with this, Kagato!" Ryoko screamed. "Oh, but I already have, Ryoko," he said as his voice died out. Ryoko fell to her knees and put her hands in her face because she couldn't do anything. She didn't know if he was telling the truth or not but there was no way for her to find out. The only thing she knew right now was darkness. * I love you, Ryoko * she heard Washu say. She looked around but still saw nothing. "Washu!" Ryoko shouted as she looked all around her. She could feel the anger rising within her as she thought of her situation. "What do you want, Kagato?" Ryoko screamed, but no answer came. Tears of hate and anger fell from her golden cat eyes as she realized there was nothing she could do to help herself. * * * Washu walked down the stairs slowly, lacking her usual spunk. Tenchi gave her a worried look as she reached the bottom step. She stood there, looking at the floor in silence for a long while before raising her red eyes to Tenchi. He looked at her and gave her a small smile for comfort. "Don't worry, Washu. She'll be okay," he said. Washu walked over to him and leaned against his chest, wrapping her arms around his waist. Tenchi returned the hug and let Washu cry on him. He stroked her long red hair as she sobbed into his shirt. "It hurts so much to see her like this," Washu said as she stopped sobbing. "I know. I feel the same way," Tenchi said as he looked at Washu's streaked face. She smiled at him and wiped the tears from her eyes. "What did she ever do to deserve such a punishment?" Washu asked. Ryoko had done some pretty nasty stuff in the past but it wasn't her fault. Kagato had control over her. "Thank you, Tenchi," she said. Tenchi smiled and gave her a friendly hug. Tenchi looked up the stairs and almost fell over in surprise to see Ryoko standing at the top of the stairs. "Ryoko!" he called to her. Washu's eyes widened as she turned around. She smiled from ear to ear as she saw he daughter slowly descend the staircase. "Ryoko! You're okay! You really should be in bed, though," Washu exclaimed as she ran to her. She stopped in front of Ryoko but was surprised to find that Ryoko had no intentions of stopping for her. "Ryoko?" Washu asked as her daughter pushed past her. Washu gave Tenchi a worried look as Ryoko slowly continued on her way down the stairs. "Washu, what's wrong with her? She looks like a zombie," Tenchi said as he looked at Ryoko. Her eyes were glazed over as they stared off into space. Washu got in front of Ryoko again but that didn't stop her. She walked right past her again. Almost like she wasn't there. "Come with me to my lab, Tenchi. I have an idea," Washu said as she ran in the direction of her lab with Tenchi close behind. They got inside and Washu immediately called up her main computer and started to type as fast as she could. "Washu, what are you doing?" Tenchi asked as he stood behind her. "Tenchi, I told that Ryoko was in another coma, right?" Wahsu said as Tenchi nodded his head. "Well, it's not a normal coma. It's caused by something else. Right now, I'm figuring that someone else is controlling her body and I'm going to find out who it is and stop them," Washu said as she stopped typing to read the data on the large screens in front of her. Tenchi waited patiently as Washu read the data. Her eyebrows were wrinkled with concentration as she worked. "How are you going to stop them?" Tenchi asked. "What's going on?" Takara asked sleepily as she walked into the main room. Tenchi turned and looked at her as she made her way over to Washu. "Go back to sleep Takara," Washu said as she continued to work. Takara cocked her head slightly, thinking of what could be wrong. "It's okay Takara. Washu has everything under control," Tenchi said as he walked over to the pondering little girl. "Is Ryoko okay?" she asked with worry as she drew closer to the computer screens. Washu turned and looked her straight in the eyes. Takara could see the pain and anger behind Washu's green eyes and it worried her even more. "Go back to bed, Takara," Washu said as she turned back to the computer. "I want to help. You know that I can run theses machines, Washu. Let me help," Takara pleaded as she walked over to Washu. Washu looked at her again and let out a long sigh and went back to work. "Takara, go see if you see Ryoko coming," Washu said as she pointed to the door. Takara turned and ran to the door without question and went to open it but it opened for her. She took a step back and saw Ryoko walk through the door. "Ryoko," Takara said but it didn't change Ryoko's attitude. She seemed to be awake but there was no emotion in her eyes. They were glazed over, almost like she was in a trance. Takara looked at her for a moment as she stood there, unmoving. "Washu, what's wrong with her?" Takara asked as she turned around. This was Ryoko's opportunity to strike. She called up her energy sword as an evil grin crossed her face. Tenchi saw this and ran in their direction. "Takara! Look out!" Tenchi yelled just in time. Takara turned and duck right before Ryoko's sword collided with her head. Takara gave Ryoko a confused yet frightened look before scrambling across the floor towards Washu who was standing in front of the computers with her eyes closed. "Washu, do something!" Takara said as she looked back at her mother. Tenchi was wrestling with Ryoko to buy Washu some time but it looks like he was fighting a loosing battle. "Ryoko, snap out of it!" Tenchi yelled as he struggled to keep Ryoko's arms at bay. Takara looked back at Washu who still had her eyes closed. She had no idea what was going on and thus there was nothing she could do to help. * * * Ryoko still sat with her knees drawn up, hoping that something would happen. She had been in the dark for what seemed like hours. * Ryoko * she heard Washu say again. Ryoko lifted her head and listened to see if she would hear the familiar voice again. * Ryoko, please answer me * Washu said again. * Washu! I'm here. What's going on? I can't see anything * Ryoko said as she stood up. She could hear Washu let out a sigh of relief before she spoke again. * Ryoko, you're being controlled by someone else. I need to find out who it is and how they're doing this so that I can stop them * Washu said. * It's Kagato. He's keeping me in a coma and has control over my body. There's nothing I can do * Ryoko said as she looked down. She hated to admit that she was helpless but in this case, it was true. There was nothing she could do. She waited for Washu to answer but no answer came. * Washu? * Ryoko called. Still no answer. Ryoko looked around but again saw nothing but black. Where had she gone? Worry crept over Ryoko as Washu's silence persisted. "Ryoko?" she heard someone say from behind her. Ryoko spun around to see her mother standing there behind her. Ryoko smiled and ran over to her but stopped before she reached her. She looked at Washu for a long time, wondering if this was really her mother. "It's me, Ryoko. I entered your dream and I'm going to try and help you. You can break Kagato's control over you but in order to do that, you have to realize that you're not asleep," Washu explained. "But...," Ryoko started but then realized what had happened. Kagato told her she was asleep and there was nothing she could do so she wouldn't interfere. Ryoko felt anger rising in her as she realized that she had been lied to. What got her upset was the fact that she believed what Kagato and Ken had told her. * * * "Washu!" Takara shouted as Ryoko fought with Tenchi. Washu still gave no answer as she stood there with her eyes closed. "Ryoko, stop!" Tenchi yelled as she slammed him up against one of the computer consoles, knocking the wind out of him. Tenchi shook his head to clear his thoughts just in time to see Ryoko disappear from sight. Tenchi looked around, wondering were she went. The room was silent for a moment except the quiet humming of the computers. "Ryoko?" Tenchi called as he moved away into the middle of the room. Takara's eyes widened as she saw Ryoko falling from the ceiling, aiming her sword right at Tenchi. "Tenchi! Look out!" Takara screamed. Tenchi looked over at her and then looked up, seeing Ryoko lunging at him. He jumped out of the way but not in time. Ryoko's sword planted itself deep into Tenchi's right shoulder sending a flash of hot pain all through his upper body. He fell to the ground as his vision started to blur in and out of focus. Ryoko let out an evil laugh as she removed her sword from Tenchi's shoulder, leaving him in an unconscious heap on the floor. She slowly turned and looked at Takara with an evil grin on her face. "Ryoko, please snap out of it," Takara pleaded, knowing that it wouldn't help. She didn't know what to do. There was no way she could fight against her. She was only a little girl. Takara looked around for something to grab as Ryoko slowly made her way over to the little girl. * * * Ryoko watched as a window appeared in front of her and Washu. "This is what's going on back at the lab," Washu said as she studied Ryoko's face. Ryoko saw Tenchi laying on the ground with a pool of blood around him and herself walking towards a frightened Takara. "Takara!" Ryoko shouted, hoping that she would hear her. Ryoko watched as her body stopped for a moment. The scene with her and Washu disappeared and she found herself in the lab but it didn't last long. She blinked and she was back with Washu in the dream world. "No no, Ryoko. We mustn't do things like that," she heard Kagato say as he once again took control of Ryoko's body. Ryoko balled her fists again as she saw her opportunity to stop this slip down the drain. "Ryoko, I don't know what you did, but you need to do it again," Washu said as she indicated the window in front of her. Ryoko saw herself kneel in front of Takara with her sword in hand. Tears were running down Takara's face as she stood cornered and helpless in front of the Kagato-controlled Ryoko. "Kagato, stop this! She has nothing to do with this! You have me, just be happy with that!" Ryoko screamed. She could hear Kagato's laughter rising in her head again. "You don't understand, Ryoko. A girl with her intelligence is far too great a threat to have around," Kagato said as his voice died out again. "I don't care! Leave her alone!" Ryoko screamed again. She was tired of playing this game. It was time to end it. Ryoko closed her eyes in concentration, trying to do what she did a few minutes ago. She realized that her love for Takara was greater than any control Kagato had over her. She opened them just to see the black world with her and Washu melt away. "I'm coming Takara," Ryoko said as a flash of light engulfed her vision. * * * Takara stood there, looking into the eyes of her mother, waiting for something to happen. Ryoko's eyes remained empty and lifeless. "Mom...," Takara said as Ryoko pulled her sword back. "Good-bye, Takara," Ryoko said as she lunged the sword forward. Before the sword made contact with Takara's chest, she saw something happen in Ryoko's eyes. The glazed over look was gone and all that was there was the concerned look of her mother. It all happened so fast that Takara didn't even feel the impact from the sword ripping through her small chest. She stood there, looking into the eyes of her mother as life slowly left her small body. Ryoko's eyes filled with tears as she looked around the room. She extinguished her sword and Takara collapsed to her knees. "Mom...," Takara said again. "Oh my God, what have I done?" Ryoko said to herself as she scooped Takara up in her arms, holding her close. "What's going on?" Ayeka asked as her and the others entered the room. Ayeka's eyes widened as she saw Tenchi laying on the ground. "Tenchi!" Sasami cried as her and her sister ran to his side. Ayeka felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Washu standing over her. "He'll be okay, I promise," Washu said as she looked over to where Ryoko and Takara were. Ayeka followed her gaze and saw Ryoko kneeling on the floor with a dying Takara in her arms. Tears ran down Ryoko's face as she looked upon the dying face of her long lost child. "Takara, you're going to be okay," Ryoko said in a choked voice. Takara smiled as she looked up at her mother. She raised a hand and moved a piece of hair that was dangling in front of Ryoko's eyes. "Don't worry about me, mother. I at least got to see you one more time. That was all I wanted," Takara said as her vision blurred. "You're not going to die, Takara. I won't let you," Ryoko said, her voice cracking as Takara let out a labored laugh. "Take care of Washu. You don't realize how much she loves you," Takara said. Ryoko closed her eyes and slowly shook her head. "I think I do," she said as she hugged Takara close to her. She realized that there was nothing she could do to save her daughter. After all theses years of thinking she was dead, just to find out she really was alive and in her home. "I love you, mom," Takara said. Ryoko's tears ran down her face like waterfalls as she hugged Takara tight against her chest. "I love you too, my little butterfly. My little treasure," Ryoko said. Takara weakly hugged her mother as tears ran down her face. They sat like that for what seemed like hours before Takara's body went limp in Ryoko's arms. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * That's it. There is one more story to come so this isn't the ending. Not yet at least. I was half-asleep when I worked on this so if some of it seems a little rushed or doesn't make sense, sorry bout that! Thank you for all the comments you've sent and I really enjoyed getting them. Please send more!! Good or bad, doesn't matter. Mail them to ryoko_washu2222@hotmail.com. Thanks!