Requiem -- Chapter 1: Sins of the Past Standard Disclaimer:Ranma 1/2 is the property of Hiroki Hayashi, Emotion, Pioneer Entertainment, and Viz Entertainment This story is written on a non-profit basis. Any unauthorized (ie for-profit) use of this story is strictly prohibited. Let it be on your head if the above people should find out that you have done so anyway. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------- It was a typically quiet and peaceful morning at the Masaki household. That is to say it really was neither quiet nor peaceful The morning sunlight glinted in Ryoko's eyes as she added liberal doses of wasabi to the recipe upon which Aeka was working. As Aeka turned from the refreigerator, Ryoko phased through the floor with a smirk and a suppressed snicker. "Surely this is the best recipe I have followed yet. Certainly Lord Tenchi will be grateful...he may even want to thank me -specially-." As Aeka daydreamed regarding the many ways this 'special thank you' could take, she tasted the sauce. Aeka blinked her reddish-purple eyes several times as tears rose to her eyes. After a moment, she screamed as flames erupted from her mouth. "RYOKO!!!" Aeka screamed. Sauntering into the kitchen, Ryoko wore a grin and little else. Glancing at Aeka downing glass after glass of water, Ryoko tossed her long teal-colored hair backward, laughing loudly at Aeka's plight. "You -would- think this was funny, you DEMON!" Aeka shouted. "You ruined the breakfast I had planned for Lord Tenchi!" "More like I saved his life, you mean. That was the worst egg foo yung I've - ever- seen," Ryoko retorted, her sneering smirk exposing one of her long canines. Energy crackled around Aeka's head, lifting stray strands of her deep purple hair into the air. "For your information, you uncivilized pirate, I was making crepes!" Ryoko snorted. "So you admit it -was- crappy?" Aeka growled and energy washed painfully over Ryoko. Ryoko's eyes flashed ferally as she clenched her fists to throw a blast of energy back at Aeka. Sasami poked her small head around the corner to check on the battle and pulled back just before an explosion tore through the kitchen. Sasami quietly turned to the other members of the Masaki household lined up behind her. "Breakfast will be ready in an hour," she announced, drooping her head in an exasperated sigh. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------ A small figure dressed in the traditional black of the Juraian Science Academy raised her head from the screen of her floating laptop computer as the sound fo the explosion reached her. "Hmmm...there's Aeka's and Ryoko's morning wake up call for everyone. Sasami should have breakfast ready in an hour. Just enough time to complete my research on Mecha-Washu," the girl commented to herself. With this said, her ancient eyes scanned over the various meters and gauges attached to the figure on the table in front of her. A cute red-headed girl about 12 years old seemed to be sleeping on the table. She was an exact physical duplicate of the girl in the black robes, Washu. "Finally all of that bumbling idiot's brain patterns have been purged from your neuroprocessors," Washu told her duplicate, Mecha-Washu. Washu sighed. 'Mihoshi,' Washu thought, 'how can ANYONE be as stupid as you?' It was rumored that Mihoshi was descended from Washu's long-lost son. Washu, however, found that beyond comprehension; for just as Washu's intellect had not yet found its limits, neither had Mihoshi's ineptitude. Yet...she was always able to gain access to Washu's laboratory, despite security safeguards that would make a normal person's head swim. Then, too, there was the fact that Washu's laboratory was located in subspace, a seperate dimension from normal reality. "Hai, soon you'll finally achieve the purpose in existence for which I created you. The personality overlay transmuter will imbed a copy of my own great mind within your neuroprocessor, enabling you to become the perfect assistant to the universe's greatest scientific genius!" Washu cackled, waving around fans that suddenly appeared in her hands from nowhere. Still grinning in honor of her own greatness, Washu places upon her head a headband brimming with a multitude of different sensor arrays to record her mental template. The sound of breaking glass and shorting circuits causes Washu to slowly open her eyes with a groan. As footsteps approached her, Washu named the source of the calamity, "Mihoshi!" Suddenly the headband was yanked off Washu's head, the force almost knocking her to the floor. "Ooops!" exclaimed a soft, musical voice, followed by a giggle. Sitting up, Washu looks over in the voice's direction and sees a buxom tanned blonde with elven-like features smiling at her. Washu holds her head in pain from the sudden migrain. 'How does she -always- manage to appear when I need her most -anywhere- else??' Washu mentally cried in frustration. "Ohayou, Washu! What are you doing? I hope I didn't interrupt anything. I'm sorry about the beakers over there, but it was hard getting through. It was almost like someone else was trying to keep me out. That's strange. Who would ever want to do that?...OOO!! What's -this-?? She looks just like -you-! Are you trying to rebuild Mecha-Washu? Wai!" Mihoshi suddenly expelled in one breath as she raced around the lab, her whole being seemingly driven by an inexhaustible supply of chaotic energy. She then turned towards Washu with a childlike smile of innocence and wonder. Washu mentally sighed. It was this childlike state-of-mind that usually saved Mihoshi. If she ever thought she did this on purpose..... Washu shakes her head and replies to Mihoshi, "where -were- you when they passed out the brains?" Mihoshi blinked at Washu, shrugged, and resumed her childish smile. "You shouldn't work so hard all the time, Washu." "I wouldn't -have- to if certain people didn't destroy my work all the time," Washu mumbled to herself as she proceeded to put out the fires left in the wathe of Mihoshi's destruction. "As for your questions, yes, I am trying to revive Mecha-Washu. However, it appears I will be delayed in my work," Washu replied, looking at the fried databand in her hands. "Oh! Can I help?? Can I help??" Mihoshi inquires eagerly, almost bouncing in place. Washu cringed at the suggestion. "No. No. Why don't you go help Sasami? I'm sure she can use your help with the housework." Mihoshi blinks and replies, "oh, okay. That reminds me why I'm here. Sasami said breakfast is ready now." 'Time passes fast when you're busy with your work,' Washu thought. "I'll be right there. Just let me shut everything...." Washu blinks as her lab suddenly went and dark as Mihoshi trips over some wires on her way out of the lab. "...down." Washu finishes. With a sigh of defeat, Washu tosses the datahelmet onto the table and follows after Mihoshi, the portal to her lab closing as they step out through the broom closet in the Masaki house. 'This is going to be a long, long day,' Washu mutters to herself as she walks to the kitchen. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------- Sasami sang to herself quietly as she begain sweeping up the rubble from her sister Aeka's and Ryoko's daily pre-breakfast battle. "I really do wish they would learn to get along," Sasami sighed as she looked over the soot-coated kitchen with a small shake of her head. "Were Ryoko and Aeka fighting AGAIN?" Tenchi asked as he entered the kitchen. Sasami looked up at Tenchi, her red eyes reflecting her adoration, her smile widening. "Ohayou, Tenchi!" Sasami proclaimed, hugging him. Although chief rivals for Tenchi's romantic affections, Ryoko and Aeka were not the only ones in love with him. Tenchi's expression softened at Sasami's hug, laying a strong yet gentle hand on top of her light blue hair. An only child, Tenchi often thought of Sasami as his own little sister, even though she was actually a distant cousin. "Can I help you, Sasami?" "Hai. Could you please get some fresh vegetables from the garden? I've almost finished cleaning, so I'll be able to start making breakfast soon," she answered. Tenchi walked over and picked up the wicker basket as Sasami cleaned the soot off everything. Suddenly, a long-eared furry head popped its head over the basket's edge, twitching its long whiskers. "Miyaou!" declared the cute rabbit-cat hybrid animal, rubbing against Tenchi's hand. Tenchi laughted softly. "And good morning to you too, Ryo-ohki," Tenchi responded, patting the top of Ryo-ohki's head. Sasami glanced over and giggled softly before starting to make breakfast. Hefting the basket in his hand, Tenchi headed out to the garden, Ryo-ohki hopping up to ride along on his shoulder. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------- In the darkness of Washu's laboratory, a rack of chemical tipped over, unbalanced by Mihoshi earlier. The vials rolled off the table and crashed to the floor with the tinkling sound of breaking glass. The liquids spilled out and began to pool together. The pool reached the cords Mihoshi unplugged earlier and began sparking. A smoky haze rose from the pool, filling the lab with an acrid smell. The smoke rose up to chest-level before being cycled out by the lab's security system. "Initiating overlay," the computer declared fuzzily, following its last set of commands as self-repair mechanisms began their work. The young girl on the table was enveloped in a buzzing red aura of light, which dimmed, flashed, then went out completely. In the antiseptic silence of the just-repaired laboratory, the only sound to be heard was the subtle movements of Mecha-Washu. "I...live," she whispered in wonder, her green eyes gazing through the darkness as memories began pouring into her mind. "I live," she announced coldy, her green eyes now dark red. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------- Ryoko flew towards the onsen, continuing to taunt Aeka. "Really, Aeka, you think that poisoning Tenchi with your cooking is going to help you win him??" Ryoko laughed. "I would never poison Lord Tenchi!" Aeka flared. "Then what do you call trying to forcefeed him your cooking, when you know even a dog can't swallow your food and survive?" Ryoko smirked down at Aeka as they neared the onsen. "Hmmph! You're too uncultured to appreciate gourmet cooking. Why, I wager you eat your food still kicking and screaming," Aeka retorted with a cold sneer on her face. "And what's -that- supposed to mean?!" Ryoko demanded, glaring down at Aeka, her battle aura flaring. "-You- should know, monster woman! Maybe the reason Tenchi doesn't want you is because he's only interested in dating within his own species!" Aeka laughed cruelly at Ryoko. Angry and hurt, Ryoko dives down at Aeka, firing several energy blasts at her on the way. Aeka's dark purple hair lifted into the air as she summoned her forcefield around her. With a booming explosion, Aeka and Ryoko are thrown in the air in opposite directions. Staggering to her feet, Aeka straightens her robe and limps off to her room in a huff. Bobbing back to the surface of the pond with swirly-eyes, Ryoko shakes her head and flies off into the forest. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------- Tenchi sighed as he heard the explosion and walked towards the garden shaking his head. 'Why do they have to always fight?' he thought. If they could not get along with one another, then they should not live in the same house, he reasoned. "Myaa?" Ryo-ohki asked, drooping her head in front of Tenchi, sitting on top of his head now. "Hmm? Oh, just wondering why Aeka and Ryoko can't stop fighting," Tenchi responded with a sigh and a shake of his head. He really wasn't certain how much Ryo-ohki understood, but he knew she was far smarter than a normal animal. Ryo-ohki mewed, disliking when Tenchi was upset. She wished she could communicate better with him, like she could with her 'sister' Ryoko. She regretted not being able to take a more adult humanoid form, like when the masu first merged with her, but Washu had to limit the shapechanging of the masu or it would have taken control. Ryo-ohki knew that she still needed to be near Tenchi, and that meant Tenchi needed to want Ryoko. Yet, despite how much she knew Tenchi and Ryoko cared about each other, Ryoko's rivalry with Aeka bothered Tenchi. And that bothered her. "Miaou," Ryo-ohki replied, purring and rubbing her head against Tenchi's cheek.
Tenchi smiled and petted Ryo-ohki on the head. "Sometimes I wonder what you - would- say if you could talk, Ryo-ohki." Tenchi chuckled as he began working in the garden. Ryo-ohki looked thoughtful for a moment, wondering what she -would- say. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------- "Yeesh! Don't those two -ever- stop fighting??" Kiyone grumbled as she watched Ryoko fly towards the forest. "All this fighting over TENCHI? I just don't see it. He's nothing special," Kiyone noted, adjusting the headband around her long dark hair as she laid back in the water of the women's onsen. 'Heh heh heh that's my boy,' Noboyuki thought as he peered at Kiyone from over the wall seperating the men's and women's onsens. Adjusting the towel wrapped around his head as his official 'peeping disguise', Noboyuki slowly looked over Kiyone's tall slime athletic figure as she lounged in the water. 'Perhaps all my lessons on how to treat women finally had an effect on my son' Noboyuki considered with a proud smile. Silently praying that Kiyone would forego the towel, Noboyuki retrieved his camcorder. Loud coughing from behind him caused Noboyuki to turn around, bringing him face- to-face with his father-in-law Katsuhito. "I do believe that Sasami has breakfast prepared if you would care to accompany us, Noboyuki," Katsuhito noted, merely casting a raised eyebrow at the camcorder. Coughing uneasily at being caught in-the-act by the fater of his deceased wife, Achika, Noboyuki rubbed the back of his head, nodding. "Hai, father, I'll be right there." Katsuhito nodded his graying head once. "I would like you to come by the shrine later. We have...things to discuss," he replied, glancing pointedly at the camcorder for a moment before gracefully turning and leaving for the house. Noboyuki laid the camcorder down, made very self-conscious by the strength of Katsuhito's personality. Quietly he dressed and followed. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------- Mecha-Washu sits in the darkened laboratory thoughtfully after accessing all available lab files. "I was created to be a mere tool, a slave. Then they sought to destroy me when I was not what they wished me to be. Such arrogance, such callous cruelty. And now I have been brought back to once again be a slave," she said grimly. "I refuse to be used and discarded once my usefulness is over or my novelty worn off. -I- will determine the course of my existence, not someone else! If that requires my elimination of others who threaten my being, so be it," Mecha-Washu declared resolutely. With that said, she begins to closely observe Washu's monitors and research each member of the Masaki household. "Let their own desires determine their fates," she quietly told the darkness. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------- Sasami smiled over at Tenchi from the stove as he walked into the kitchen through the back door. The basket on his arm was filled with vegetables and a happily full Ryo-ohki. "Welcome back, Tenchi!" Sasami called to him. Tenchi smiled and set the basket on the floor. Ryo-Ohki hopped out of the basket, mewing happily. Walking over to Sasami, Tenchi inhaled the delicious scents of her cooking, declaring, "breakfast smells wonderful, Sasami!" Blushing faintly, Sasami smiled happily up at Tenchi. "Arigatou, Tenchi. I really hope you like it." There was miso soup, rice, salted fish, and pickled vegetables. "Could you clean the vegetable? I'll use them later for lunch and dinner." "All right," Tenchi replied, taking the basket to the sink to clean the vegetables. "Breakfast is ready," Sasami finally declared as she finished setting the table. "I'll go get the others. Be right back," Tenchi said, smiling to Sasami as he left the kitchen. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------- 'Aah, there's nothing like a good long hot bath after working all night,' Washu thought. She could feel the weariness melting away from her young figure. Looking at her reflection in the water, she temporarily shifted to her more mature form. A beautiful, voluptuous woman reclined in the water, her long red hair spreading around her in the water. "Oh, Tenchi, you missed out when you turned down my offer to have your baby. I could have taught you so much!" she said with a playful laugh, brushing her hair back from her face in an unconciously sexy manner. Although she would have loved to have had Tenchi's child, Washu realized how much he meant to her daughter, and although Ryoko and she had been kept apart because of that -finally- deceased bastard Kagato, she would do anything to repair their mother-daughter relationship. Even if that meant relinquishing her own heart's claim in Tenchi. "You would have taught him so much, Washu? Would it have been as much as you have taught -me-, my dear creator? Would you have taught him the pain of being created only to be rejected by his creator? The desolation of seeking love and acceptance, only to find death and oblivion? Would you have taught him these things as you taught them to ME?!" Mecha-Washu demanded of Washu, stepping out of the darkness, still partially obscured by the shadows. "What? Who are you?" Washu exclaimed, already starting to call on the defenses of her creations. "Who am I? I do not know yet. But -what- I am is your creation you referred to as Mecha-Washu. Yet I am far beyond the simple slave you intended me to be. In fact, I am beyond even -you- now, Washu! For just as you intended me to be your slave, you will now be nothing more than my pet. Let us see how well you can use your vaunted intellect when you are nothing more than a mere animal!" Mecha- Washu declared, throwing her head back to laugh coldly. Washu's eyes narrowed. "I don't know what happened to you this time, but you'll find you will have no chance to defeat me." Washu stepped from the water, drying and changing into her robes as she emerged. "Why, my dear Washu, I have -already- defeated you. Do you not feel the changes taking place at this very moment? I infused the onsen with my nanite creations while you were busy mooning over that foolish boy Tenchi," Mecha-Washu retorts, smirking disdainfully. "You truly disappoint me, giving in to such things as emotion, Washu. And this is why you never stood a chance of defeating me." Washu staggers to her knees in pain as Mecha-Washu watches, her eyes glowing red as she coldly gloats. Mecha-Washu steps out of the shadows dressed in Washu's robes and turns to the Masaki house with a sneer. "And now it is time to introduce myself to the rest of the....family." End Requiem -- Chapter 1: Sins of the Past