I'm not making money from this and I don't own the characters. AIC and Pioneer do. The Battle By Kenzie Kennedy Washu sat inside a closed bubble. The bubble had been tested against everything she could get her hands on and had passed with flying colors. Working through tools that her laptop controlled she manipulated the energies. Washu began to sweat a bit. Pure energy is what she was dealing with. True, she couldn't be killed but it would hurt quite a bit if she did something wrong right now. Hours later, it was done. Washu dried her forehead with a towel. Now to let them gain power, she thought. *** "Tenchi!" Ryoko crowed to him. "Why don't we-" "No, Ryoko, I have to practice." Tenchi continued to climb the steps to his grandfather's house. "Grandfather's been upset at me lately for not practicing as much. Any more upset and he's going to attack me in the bath." Ryoko pouted until Tenchi asked if she'd go and help Sasami prepare dinner for him. Always willing to be in the kitchen, Tenchi knew it was a way to exit quietly. *** "Oh, Ryoko!" Sasami said as the girl appeared by her. "Did you want to help me make dinner?" Ryoko nodded. Sasami gave her some peppers to chop up. "I really love the garden. It's so beautiful!" The garden had been encased in a shield so that it wouldn't die on Earth's surface. Sasami didn't have to play outside in bad weather either. "Do you really like it?" Ryoko asked. "Oh, yes! Ryo-ohki and I sailed boats down the stream." Sasami giggled. "We had to pick them up at the bridge because they were too tall." The two girls continued to make dinner. *** Sitting at the dinner table, Washu asked, "Ryoko, has Lady Areta called? Ryoko nodded through a mouthful of soup. She swallowed and said, "She wants me there tomorrow." "But she said she wouldn't need you for days!" Ayeka interrupted. "Yeah, I know. She said that she found the catalogs somewhere." Ryoko turned to Washu. "So can I use one of the portals tomorrow?" Washu nodded. *** The next morning, Ryoko ate breakfast and left. Nobuyuki decided to go to town to shop and he asked everyone to go. They all said yes. Washu was just passing her lab on the way to go to the car when she heard something from inside. She opened the door and peeked in. Alarms were going off everywhere. Checking the damage, she found that the cages had gotten open and her animals were out. Washu looked toward the door sighing. If I go, they'll destroy my lab. If I stay they won't destroy as much of my lab. Stepping out of the lab, Washu announced that she couldn't go. Everyone was willing to help her look for her stray subjects but Washu said she didn't want to spoil everyone's fun. She shooed them out the door and watched the car fade off into the distance. Scuffing her feet on the floor, she trudged back to the lab. The real reason had been there were some very delicate objects in here and she was really going to let Mihoshi have free rein in her lab? Washu snorted. Not in this lifetime. She stopped in her tracks. Waitaminute. As far as I can tell, I'm immortal. Okay, not in this century, then! *** Washu had been in the lab for an hour. The music was blaring really loud. Some of this Earth music was really very good. Singing the lyrics to "She Blinded me with Science", Washu hunted her prey. "Why do you contend with these creatures, Washu? You could snap more up in seconds." Washu turned around, bumping her head on the underside of her desk. She saw no one. "Who's there!" she yelled. No one answered. Shrugging, she went back to the cornered little litsprow. *** Two hours in the lab was enough! Washu thought. Crawling into tight places, getting bitten... Washu sneezed. And all the dust! My next invention will be a creature who eats all the dust out of there. Washu got the takeout she had ordered from Paris out of the house refrigerator. It's such a pretty day outside and no one will bother me with questions or fighting, she debated. Decided, she picked up the styrofoam container and went outside. The Guardians had gone with Ayeka, so they weren't around to talk to. Washu breathed in the spring air. So calm, so quiet, she thought. Picking up her silverware she began to eat. A cloud moved over the sun. Washu sat in the darkness of it. Concentrating on her food, she didn't notice it wasn't a cloud. After a few bites more, Washu looked up. If it was that huge of a cloud, she should have seen some of it pass overhead. Discarding Mihoshi crashing again seeing as how she was in town, Washu looked up. A great figure of a woman stood, blocking the sun. Her regal face stared down at Washu. Washu felt an inexplicable urge to flee from this woman. Quickly suppressing it, she stood up hands on hips. "Yes, sister?" *** Sasami crept out of her hiding place. By now her sister would have realized she wasn't there and would have turned back to get her. Hopefully. She had a bad feeling about leaving and then the part of her that was Tsunami said to stay. "Tsunami, what's happening?" she whispered. "You must get out to the yard right now, Sasami." Tsunami whispered back. Sasami started to run out to the yard. "What's going on?" she asked again. Tsunami said calmly in front of her, "Tokimi has come." *** "Hello, Washu. It's been a long time." Tokimi said to her. "Would you mind coming down here? It's a bit of a stretch on the neck." Washu bellowed. Tokimi looked at her with disgust. "If you wish it." Tokimi's form shrank to become mortal size. "You will join me now." "No, I won't. We've been over this before, Tokimi." Washu said. "Then you will die." Tokimi raised one hand. "NO! Stop, Tokimi!" Tsunami's mist form rose out of the lake. Tokimi turned and grinned. "Ah, younger sister. Still trapped to appear only over water? How sad. If you would simply take over the child, you'd be able to fight me." "I am able to fight you. I appeal to your better nature." Tsunami said. Tokimi laughed. "What better nature, as you call it? I am the power of evil, you are the power of good, and Washu balances between us." "Washu is not balancing between you. Washu is minding her own business." Washu stated. Tokimi's attention came to Washu again. "Then as I've said you will die." "What's the difference? If I'm minding my own business it's as if I'm dead." "Yes, but you always have the possibility of coming to your senses and with my dear sister around to put ideas in your head you might be swayed to her point of view." Tokimi said. "And what is her point of view?" Washu asked. "Have your memories been damaged? Her point of view is that we should leave the universe alone. Be passive goddesses instead of active ones. Be "there for the people" instead of rule them." Tokimi's eyes glittered. "Okay, and my viewpoint was to leave them alone entirely." Washu remembered. "Yes." Tsunami said softly. "A middle opinion that could not be taken advantage of by either myself or Tokimi." Tokimi fired a shot from her hand. Washu dodged it. "What was that for?" she screamed. "A warning. The next one you will have to fight me." Tokimi gloated. "I can't fight! My gems are gone!" Washu told her. Tokimi laughed. "All the better then." "Sasami was left at home, Tokimi. Soon you will have the prince and princess of Jurai to contend with!" Tsunami warned her. "Let them come. They are nothing compared to me. Mere mortals." Tokimi said to her sister. "Ah, but they can arouse the entire universe to your name. No one will bow down to you then." Tsunami raised her point. "Then I shall go to another dimension. Be reasonable, sister. With Washu out of the way, we can proceed as we like." Tokimi paused. "Or are you just stalling for time? What are you up to, Tsunami?" *** Ryoko yawned as politely as she could. Lady Areta was going on and on about a particular plant's virtue over another. Ryoko couldn't listen to anymore! "Lady Areta, I really must be getting home now. My family is expecting me for lunch." She hastily lied. The Lady Areta stopped in midsentence. "All right, then. Same time tomorrow? I'll have the appropriate things ready for you that we've decided on today." *** Ryoko stepped through the portal to Washu's lab. "Washu?" she called. Hearing no answer, she made her way to the door. Looking at the empty house, she concluded they must be outside. Walking outside, she spotted Washu talking to another woman. Great, she thought, is this another person out of my memories? "Hey, Washu!" she called. *** Tokimi looked up and smirked. "Is this one of your champions, Washu?" Ryoko, Washu said through their link, go get Tenchi. He was going to town. Bring him back here. Ryoko nodded and phased out. Washu turned back to Tokimi. "You mean you don't know?" Washu taunted. "You think I have nothing better to do than keep track of you, Washu?" Tokimi laughed. Tsunami called to Tokimi. "Why don't you tell her the truth, Tokimi? If she hadn't summoned the gems to her a few weeks ago, you wouldn't have been able to find her. That's why you sent Dr. Clay for her. You couldn't approach her when she was fully believing she was human." Tokimi's attention turned to Tsunami. Washu wiped a sleeve across her forehead. Hurry, Ryoko. *** Ryoko glided above the road, too high for anyone to notice her. Her eye caught on a vehicle heading back toward the house. She appeared right in front of the car. Nobuyuki slammed on the brakes missing her by a few inches. Everyone poured out of the car. "What's wrong, Ryoko?" Ayeka asked. "Someone's attacking Washu. Tsunami's there." Ryoko panted. "Washu sent me for Tenchi." Tenchi nodded definitively and stepped over to Ryoko. Ayeka went with him. Ryoko looked at her in shock. "I can't take everyone." Ryoko explained. "Mihoshi and Nobuyuki will drive the car back." Ayeka said. "Tenchi and I will go with you." Ryoko gave up and flew with the two people down the road. *** Washu fell. Tokimi was playing with her. "Ah, Washu, how could you fall so much in your power?" Tokimi gloated. "Tokimi, how could you destroy your sister?" Tsunami called. "Easily. I'm not going to destroy her." Tokimi said. Washu looked at her. "No, I'm not going to kill you Washu. Just make you see my side of things." Tokimi continued. "I took over race after race and they have grown powerful. Tsunami took over the Juraian people and they have also grown powerful. Now you will take over a race and we will have our game of who is most powerful." "No! It wasn't like that at all. I saw the evil you were doing and wanted to counteract it." Tsunami said. Washu snorted. "Either way, I will not accept a race as my own." "Then we are at an impasse. I guess you need more persuasion." Tokimi grinned. *** Ryoko, Tenchi, and Ayeka appeared. "Mom!" Ryoko shouted as she saw her mother lying on the ground, the tall woman above her. Ryoko, don't let her know you're my child. Tell Tenchi to give you the gems and then come to me, Washu told her. "Tenchi," Ryoko whispered. "I need all the gems." Tenchi nodded. Holding the hilt toward her and praying, the gems began to glow. Tokimi's eyes were no longer fixed on Washu. The boy, she thought. The gems appeared on Ryoko's wrist and neck. She phased from beside Tenchi to beside Washu. Tokimi anticipated this and blasted Ryoko gently. Ryoko fell to the ground beside Washu. "Why would you fight me, child?" Ryoko struggled to get up. "You hurt my mother." Tokimi stared at Ryoko. Washu felt despair. "No, Tokimi." She said weakly. "No what, Washu?" Tokimi considered Ryoko. Then she started to laugh. "You mean... they don't know? Oh, how delicious. Do I tell them or make you tell them? I think I'd like the pleasure myself." Tokimi laid one finger to her cheek. "How to do it, though?" Growing tall again, the sky dark as night behind her, Tokimi became all in the sky with two outlines in the stars behind her. One everyone recognized as Tsunami but the other... was Washu? What did this mean? Tokimi let the sun regain the sky and came back down to earth. "She never told you she was a goddess?" Turning to where Ryoko lay, "She never told you that you were a goddess's child?" Tokimi smiled gently. "Well, how else better to show Washu my way than to hurt her child?" Another gentle blast burned Ryoko's skin. Washu reached one hand falteringly and touched Ryoko's right wrist. The gem flashed once and appeared in Washu palm. Washu sat up, clear-eyed and free of pain. The neck gem went to Ryoko's right wrist. Washu touched Ryoko's right wrist again and the gem flew to her palm. Washu's form grew to adult size. Ryoko's left wrist flared as Washu touched it. Washu felt...complete. "Are you as ready to challenge me now, Tokimi!" Washu's voice echoed around the landscape. Washu knelt in the ground and touched her child. Ryoko's skin healed and she eased into a gentle sleep. Her body appeared by Tenchi and Ayeka. Washu turned in their direction. "Take care of her." Tokimi studied her nails. "As ready as ever." Washu narrowed her eyes and started to collect the energy that was hers in the beginning and hers at the end. "But we don't have to do it that way." Tokimi continued. Washu waited. "What way then are you proposing?" "I'll make you see my way of things." Tokimi said. "If you can keep from interfering with this planet for three days, then I'll never bother you about this argument again. Otherwise, we'll fight, destroy this beautiful house you've lived in, probably kill everyone in sight-" "Done." Washu said. *** Tokimi gone Washu stood alone. Her adult body shrank to become her child body. All the vibrancy went out of her. The three gems sparkled in the sunlight held floating above her palm. Casting a glance at the others protecting her daughter, she attempted a half-hearted smile. Sasami ran forward. "Washu, are you all right?" she asked. Washu looked down at her and smiled. "Yes, Sasami. I'm all right." The car that Nobuyuki drove came creeping up the drive with Mihoshi hanging out the window. "Would you mind terribly if I fixed lunch?" Washu asked. Sasami shook her head. Washu sent her proposal into the gems and through their power it was granted. A huge blanket stretched out on the lawn with plenty of food on it. Nobuyuki and Mihoshi got out of the car, Tenchi and Ayeka sat down on the blanket along with Sasami, and Washu went to her daughter. "Oh, Ryoko," she said as she sat down. "I didn't mean for you to find out this way." Touching her daughter's forehead lightly, Ryoko awoke out of her false sleep. "Washu?" she said. "Yes, Little Ryoko?" Washu said. "I had the strangest dream...." Ryoko said as she sat up. Washu snickered. Just like Ryoko. "You were a goddess and Tokimi was here." Ryoko frowned. "I don't even know who Tokimi is. Hey, why am I outside?" Washu took a deep breath. "I am a goddess." Ryoko looked at her. "Explain." Washu stood up and held out her hand. "Let's go over with the others so I'll only have to explain the whole thing once." Ryoko nodded and took Washu's hand to steady herself. *** After everyone had eaten and was sitting around expectantly looking at Washu, she began. "In the beginning... of everything I suppose, there were my sisters. We don't know really where we came from or where we'll go. We do know that other gods and goddesses came after us, but they're not our children. Tokimi was the evil one, eldest, and always power-hungry. Tsunami was the youngest, always good, and gentle. I-I was the half-way point in between. The balance between good and evil. To tell you the truth it's not that hard being between. The evil is very petty, like sarcasm. The good are things that benefit everyone. Science is neither good nor evil it just is. I suppose that's why I became a scientist." Washu mused. "Gods and Goddesses usually pick a galaxy or people or something like that to become their own. Fame and Fortune you know. Tokimi could pick any planet she wanted and it would turn evil, power-hungry, and probably blow itself up. Tsunami chose the Juraians because she wanted to counteract some of Tokimi's work and they turned out mostly good. I, I chose neither. I thought and have always thought we should just watch and leave everyone alone. And that is what Tokimi wants me to decide between, to see it her way." "And to decide, she's going to see if I can last three days without intervening on the Earth's behalf." Washu said. "Wait a minute," Tenchi said. "She's going to damage the planet just to prove a point?!" Washu hesitated, then nodded. "Miss Washu, you cannot allow that to happen." Ayeka said. Washu focussed on her and said calmly, "Why not?" Washu got up and walked back into her lab. *** Washu ran straight to the house. She ran into her room and fell on the bed. I can't, I can't, I can't, she thought. "Washu, this is ridiculous! Do you hear me, ridiculous!" she shouted at herself. "Tokimi'll give the earth a little shake that won't hurt it any. Or if it does hurt it, I can fix it with one of my machines. Machines are allowed just not goddess powers." Washu began to breathe once again. "I am the number one scientific genius in the universe. There's nothing she can come up with that I can't fix." "Washu?" came a tentative voice. "In here, Ryoko." Washu called. Ryoko appeared at the doorway. An uncertain look was on her face. "It's not true, is it?" Ryoko asked. "Yes, it's true, Ryoko." Washu sighed. "I got into a fight with both Tsunami and Tokimi over that whole race issue. I fled to the academy, registered, and wiped my memories. When you attacked me in the lab a few weeks ago, Tsunami appeared and told me you wouldn't live unless I summoned the gems. I did and my memories came back to me." Washu fell silent. The bed dipped as Ryoko sat down next to her mother. "So that means..." "You're a godchild." Washu sneaked a peek at her daughter. Ryoko was just staring at the floor. "What's wrong?" Ryoko's face started to scrunch up. "Oh, Ryoko, it isn't that bad! You're still the same person!" Washu cried. "It-it's not that," Ryoko choked out. "What is it then?" Washu said concerned. "Ayeka's been calling me a monster the whole time and I'm the child of a god!" Ryoko shrieked. "What's she going to think when she figures it out!" Ryoko dissolved into laughter. Washu laughed as well. After the laughter had worn them out, Ryoko asked, "What about the gems? If they're yours-" "That is being solved." Washu said solemnly. "In the meantime..." The gems appeared above Washu's palm and flew to Ryoko. "They are yours, my daughter." *** At dinner that evening, Washu showed up late. Everyone stared at the floor and the conversations stopped. Ryoko looked at everyone, shrugged, and went back to eating. Washu acted as if nothing was out of place, just sat down and started eating. Tenchi had a thought, made a face, and quickly started eating again. Washu noticed it though. "What were you thinking just now, Tenchi?" "Ummm...." "Come on. Tell Little Washu what's on your mind." Washu wheedled. "Uh... Where does an immortal, number one scientific genius in the universe, goddess sit? Anywhere she wants." Tenchi explained his face beet red. Everyone at the table laughed and dinner went much more smoothly after that. *** Ryoko and Ayeka were in the onsen after dinner. "So, what do you think, Ayeka?" Ryoko asked. "About what?" Ayeka asked back. "About me being a god child." Ryoko answered slyly. Ayeka looked dumbfounded. "I think if I turn out to be anything connected to god, I'll scream." She said calmly and sipped her tea. "What's that supposed to mean?" Ryoko said nastily. "Well, I'm living with a goddess named Washu, I have a sister who's going to assimilate with the goddess of my planet, and a friend who's a god child. Really, what next?" Ayeka said smiling. Ryoko sank into the water, blowing bubbles to the top. *** The next morning was when it all broke loose. Mihoshi was up early and had seen the six o'clock news. Floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, everything was out of season and the world was in an uproar. She woke everyone up in time to watch the six thirty news on another station. Washu's face turned to stone. She immediately turned on her heel and marched into the lab. Before she went in, she asked, "Ryoko, could you bring me breakfast in about an hour?" *** How dare Tokimi do this! Washu fumed. She kicked her machines into repairing the earth. The floods had to be drained, the clouds from the hurricanes had to be absorbed, and the tornadoes had to be sucked up into the sky. The damage had to be rectified as well, but she'd leave that to the government. That's what they were there for. *** Ryoko called Lady Areta and said there was a family emergency on Earth. Lady Areta was okay with it, but she wanted Ryoko there as soon as possible. Ryoko said she'd be there in four days. When she disconnected the call, she offered a prayer to whatever deities were listening that the Earth was still around in four days. "I heard that!" Washu called. *** The next day was even worse. Volcanoes were spring up in the Great Plains in America. Robberies were going on at all of the major museums. People were being killed. Washu employed more of her machines to deal with the volcanoes. She investigated the murders and robberies and turned clues over to the police. Hah! Beat that, Tokimi! *** The morning of the third day, everyone was up by five thirty and waiting for the news to start. Sasami had gotten up really early and made breakfast. Tenchi and Ryoko were sitting on the sofa eating off their knees. Ayeka had sat down and eaten at the coffee table. Mihoshi was just happy as a clam sitting to the side of the TV. Nobuyuki was still asleep because he had to go to work. Everyone had congratulated Washu for her promptness. No one would voice why Washu didn't simply say that she was guardian of Earth. After all, if her philosophy was to keep her nose in her own business, what would be the harm of it? Pretty soon the news came on and the announcer started off with normal everyday things happening. Nothing was wrong and everyone relaxed. Then he said something about a small plague starting in Africa. No one paid any attention to it because it was so small and went about their work of the day. *** By the noon news, it had spread to all of Africa, South America, Europe, and was making its way around the globe. But no one watched the twelve o'clock news, so no one found out about it. *** Dinner time rolled around and as they were flipping through the channels, they saw masses of dead bodies. "Ugh, turn it off." Ayeka said. Washu grabbed the remote from Mihoshi and flipped it back to that channel. The reporter said, "Yes, it's hard to believe that this plague started this morning in Africa. It has already killed at millions of people and is approaching a billion. That's one sixth of our planet's population. It started in Africa and has now spread over all of the world except for Japan, Hawaii, and some of the smaller islands. No one has been able to find a cure or even figure out how it spreads. You have dying people driving bulldozers trying to carve graves out. The plague begins with spots of red on the victim's skin and then fever takes over in a couple hours and the person dies." The reporter suddenly looked at his hand. "Oh, no." he whispered. The camera shut off. Everyone at the dinner table sat in silence. Tenchi was the first to speak. "Washu." He began. "No." she said softly. "I can't." "Why not! The people of Earth are dying!" Tenchi yelled. "You don't understand!" she screamed. "Explain it then, Miss Washu." Ayeka said. "Tenchi is an earthling. I might understand. I am a princess. It is my duty to look above the rights of the small and concentrate on the rights of the many." Washu looked at the floor. "It begins long ago. You know Tokimi takes over races and they become mean? Well, every single race has turned out that way. Tsunami took over one race and they are almost totally good compared to Tokimi's." "So what's the problem?" Ryoko asked after a good couple of minutes wait. "I'm scared." Washu said in a very small voice. You could almost imagine her being a scared twelve-year-old. If you didn't know her better. "Scared of what, Miss Washu?" Ayeka said gently. "If I'm both good and evil balanced, then what chance would the population have? Would they continue to live forever, hung in the balance? Would they die immediately? Would you have both be sides of good and evil balanced, neither willing for millenia?" Washu's hands crept up to her face. "No, sister." Tsunami said from Washu's glass of water. Washu peeked out from behind her hands. "Oh, great. I'm never drinking water again." "The race itself will decide it's fate. Tokimi's races always end up mean because she is evil. An evil presence turns people mean when they are around it too much. My Juraians aren't evil or truly good, only those I spend time around." Tsunami chuckled. "A race that is perfect does not exist. You may accept the Earthlings as yours without fear. As you would know if you had consulted the gems." Washu turned as someone tapped her on the shoulder. Ryoko stood there with all three gems in one hand. Washu smiled and summoned them. Posing the question to them and receiving their answer from the energy of the universe she smiled. "Can I borrow these?" she asked Ryoko. Ryoko nodded. "All right, then." Washu narrowed her eyes. She stood up from the table and walked out of the room. Curious, everyone followed. Washu stood in the yard. The semi-warm breeze floated down from the trees. The flowers were beginning to spring up and bud. Everything smelled like Springtime. Washu sighed. What a wonderful season to do this. Washu's gems floated in her hand. Shedding her child form, she stood in the yard as an adult. Her academy uniform melted away to reveal a long pale green gown. The neckline was modest with marvelous flowered embroidery. The gown was made out of a thin material that loved to wave in the wind. Washu's red hair accepted a tangling web of green threads braided in it with beads dangling. The gown fell short of the ground by several inches to reveal soft green slippers. "Tokimi," Washu whispered. A lady dressed in flowing gown of red, orange, and yellow appeared in front of her. "Have you decided then?" Tokimi smirked. "I accept." Washu said proudly. "Say it. Say the words that I have longed to hear for so long." Tokimi grinned evilly at her. Ryoko longed to smack the smile off her face, but she held back. "I accept the guardianship of the planet Earth and am the Goddess of it." Washu said obediently. Tokimi's face relished the imagined pain on Washu's face. "Now you see it my way. We shall compete against each other." "No." Tokimi's face grew shrewish again. "What do you mean, Washu?" "As guardian and Goddess of this planet named Earth, I am in charge. I have full jurisdiction. In other words," Washu took a deep breath and yelled, "Get off my planet!" Tokimi started toward Washu with a frown on her face. Washu backed up a few paces and held the gems in her right hand. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." Tokimi stopped. "What could you do?" she said and started forward again. Washu spoke the goddess's true name to the gems and Tokimi's form faded away screaming. "What did you do, Washu?" Ryoko asked. "I made her go back to her own dimension." Washu paused. "The hard, slow, and painful way." Washu looked around the yard. "So this is my planet now." Everyone looked at her cautiously. What would be her next words? Washu sighed. "Maybe when you and Tenchi get married, Ryoko, I can give it to you as a wedding present." For everyone who thinks that Tenchi and Ayeka and Ryoko should have gotten their chance to fight Tokimi, well, it was a sister thing. I am planning someone they can fight in the next chapter or maybe the one after that.