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 13 Washuu had not been walking long when she found the young boy weeping as he leaned against the wall with his head in his hands. She approached him quickly but cautiously. “Why are you crying?” She asked warily for something did not feel right and she did not like being separated from the others. The little boy looked up and shook his head. “I’m crying because you’ll be in pain soon.” Washuu blinked nervously and she could feel her hair bristling. “Why would I be in pain soon?” “Because someone you love is going to die.” “What? What are you talking about?” But the boy did not answer and instead he took off down the hall. “Hey wait!” Washuu called as she started after the boy. “Where are you going?” Washuu was running so quickly after the boy that she lost track of her footing and plunged to the floor. A shout of surprise escaped her lips as she hit the floor hard and she lay there for a moment wondering if she had broken anything. But all she felt was a numbing pain; she would have a bruise but nothing more. Looking up she gasped. “What? How did I get in my lab!” Washuu looked around in utter shock. She was in her lab, but how could that be? She ran to the nearest computer screen and typed a few keys. Yes, she was in her lab but how was that possible? Was she dreaming? That was the only logical explanation, but this was so real. She walked around the lab in a daze for a while and then saw something move in the shadows. “Who’s there?” She called out in a voice that cracked with fear. “Does it matter little one?” Said a cold and cruel male voice that seemed more metallic than organic, Washuu recognized it as the voice she had heard coming from the Koi during the fight over Earth. “You have bigger things to worry about my dear, what of your daughter?” “What about my daughter?” Said Washuu dreadfully, recalling the crying boy’s words. “Where’s Ryoko?” The malevolent voice went on. “Oh she’s here, but you better hurry, she’s in very bad shape.” “What do you mean? What’s wrong with Ryoko?” “She’s dying I’m afraid.” Washuu’s heart sank. “What! That can’t be true!” “I’m afraid it is, you better hurry, hurry and you might still save her. After all, nothing is beyond the greatest genius of the universe.” Washuu was running now, running down sickeningly familiar passages strew with machinery. She had forgotten the possibility of this being a dream with the thought that Ryoko might be in danger, everything else had been driven from her mind. She stopped in one of the larger chambers of her lab where she kept the rejuvenation tubes and it was there that she found Ryoko, suspended in one of the tubes. Reaching the control panel that showed life support she felt her heart ripping apart. “Oh no, this is bad!” She said. “Hold on Ryoko! Mommy’s here to help you!” Washuu began typing furiously on the control panel in an attempt to save Ryoko’s life; all the while her eyes never left the pitiful life sign readings. “Come now,” Came a dark voice from behind Washuu, the same voice. “You must work faster if you want to save her.” “I can save her!” Washuu shouted without turning. “Oh really? Looks like her signs are dropping, better hurry.” “Shut up!” Washuu screamed as she felt her eyes burning with tears. It was bad, Ryoko was fading fast and nothing seemed to be working. “Oh dear, you’re losing her.” Said the voice. “Come on, I thought you were a genius, why are you having so much difficulty now? Life, such a fickle thing, it fades when you least expect it.” With a loud beep the line that represented Ryoko’s vital signs went dead. Washuu slammed the keyboard. “No! Ryoko no! Wake up! No! I can’t lose you now! No! No! No!” Each time Washuu shouted she would pound the keyboard until at last she could do so no more and fell to the floor. “Humph.” Said the voice. “Some genius you are, you cant even save your own daughter.” Washuu’s hands went to her face. “Nooooooooo!” Washuu’s head snapped up as she awoke and it was only after Tenchi subdued her that she stopped trashing about. “Washuu!” Tenchi yelled. “Washuu its alright! It was just a dream!” Washuu’s eyes snapped open and the first person she saw was Ryoko. Instantly the scientist burst past Tenchi and embraced Ryoko who was very shocked indeed by the action. “Your alive!” Washuu sobbed. “I’m so glad you’re alive!” Ryoko looked down at Washuu and tried to pry her off. “Um, yeah, sure mom.” “Oh you called me mom!” Washuu gushed as she wiped her eyes. “Call me mom again!” “No!” “Come on! Call me mommy!” Ryoko rolled her eyes and sighed but then gave up. “Fine… mommy.” After a moment Washuu released her hold on Ryoko and then looked around the room and saw that it was the same circular door-lined chamber. “How did I get back here?” Washuu questioned. Tenchi shrugged. “Probably the same way we got here, we just ended up here, I don’t quite know how.” There was a pause and then Ryoko asked. “Well, where do we go now?” Washuu nodded. “Well, we better get moving. We need to find a lift or something or we’re never going to make it to the core in time.” With a sliding noise one of the doors in the room opened and there on the other side was an elevator of some sort. Ryoko looked at the open door and then elevator beyond and shook her head. “This is weird.” She whispered. Washuu seemed to agree. “Someone’s clearly toying with us, but why?” “I don’t know why,” Said Tenchi. “But we might not get another chance. I say we take that elevator, it might be the only chance we have to change the future.” The others nodded, seeing the truth in Tenchi’s words and soon all four had entered the elevator. There were no controls in the lift but the moment they were all in the doors shut and they could feel the elevator move downward and gain speed rather quickly. “So Washuu,” Said Tenchi after a moment. “What can we expect to see when these doors open?” “I have no more of an idea than you do, but I don’t think it’ll be good.” “Oh comforting mom.” Said Ryoko.