Author’s Note: Most of the characters in the following story are not mine and in no way
do I claim them to be.  Nor do I claim that I created the universe that the characters are
placed in.  The characters and the universe remain the property of Hitoshi Okuda, Pioneer
LDC, INC and Kadokawa Shoten Publishing CO.  Please do not sue.  This is a fanfic
and is nothing more than a show of my appreciation to the creators of Tenchi Muyo.

 

No Need for Dark Warriors

Chapter 9

Now was gone.  There was no now, there was only when, now was nothing more than the
future and when was now.  The whiteness was all around them when Ryoko and Washuu
awoke.  They had passed out for how long they did not know for time had ceased.  They
felt as if they were floating and they could actually hear time as it slipped backward all
around them in the form of many voices speaking in reverse.  Were they still on board
Ryo-Ohki?  They did not know, only the whiteness surrounded them.  At length Ryoko
rubbed her head and groaned.

"Where the hell are we?"

Washuu looked around the whiteness and shook her head.  "We're in Time.  I seemed to
have made a slight miscalculation in my machine, I wasn't expecting to get knocked out by
the force."

"I'll say.  My stomach feels like it’s going to come out my ears."

"That's normal.  Hmm."  Washuu looked at the device on her wrist.  "We should only have
to wait a minute or so and then it should be time."

"Say."  Said Ryoko.  "What is that doohickey on your wrist anyway?"

"Oh."  Washuu flashed the device toward Ryoko proudly.  "Its my Anti-spectral
Gamatron Time Shifter Control Device or AGTSCD."

"Huh?"

"It tells me when to hit the stop button on the machine."

"Oh.  What happens if your timings off?"

"We miss our target and float around Time for all eternity."

"Oh... Great."  Ryoko looked around.  "Hey!  Where are the others, and Tenchi?"

"Oh yes, the others.  They're here, but we just can't see them.  You see time distorts over
distance and so even though they're nearby we can't see them or the ship that we're
technically still in."

"Oh, I guess that makes sense."

"Of course it does!  Now be quiet, I have to stop the machine at the precise moment."

Ryoko did as instructed.  After a moment Washuu's eyes lit up and she flipped a button on
her AGTSCD.  With a shudder that lifted and disturbed the guts the whiteness faded away
and Ryoko and Washuu found themselves on the bridge of Ryo-Ohki only now they were
looking at empty space stretching before them.

"Where are we?"  Said Ryoko after a long pause.

Washuu took in a deep breath.  "We are about four weeks in the past."

Another long pause and then Ryoko asked a second question.  "What do we do now?"

"The first thing we have to do is go to the others, they're going to be very upset.  After that
we have to find the Koi and stop it."

"What happens if-"

"If we don't stop it?  In that case history will remain unchanged.  Lets not think about that
right now.  I have to go and work on the machine, I'm sure its burned out, I'm also going
to be working on modifying Ryo-Ohki to make her more powerful, we're going to need
it."

"Wait a second!  How are we going to find the Koi?"

"I have ways.  Right now you need to go and help with the others."

"Me?"

"Yes you.  You need to do that, I'm going to be busy."

"But-"

"But nothing!  Look, this is bad and I mean really, really bad.  I need this from you."

Ryoko nodded and stood.  "Alright.  I'm with you."

"Good," Said Washuu thankfully.  "Then there still might be some hope."

 

To be continued…