Requiem -- Chapter 4: Transcendance 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------- Tenchi still didn't understand wht had happened to bring his life to this. He had always thought himself as just another high school student. Now he was cast from one end of the galaxy to the other to fight demons, aliens, and other super-powered monstrosities. At times his life was a living nightmare. Yet, when he saw Aeka's blushing smile or heard Ryoko's raucous laughter, it was like a dream come true. Born an only child, his mother had died while he was but a small child. Now he found himself with friends and family more precious to him than anything in the universe, and he would sooner die than forsake any one of them. Tenchi looked around himself as he appeared in the command chamber on Ryo-ohki. All was dark and silent, unlike the other times he had been here. Where were Ryoko and Aeka? Where was Mecha-Washu? Tenchi looked around carefully, dressed in the black and dark purple jumpsuit that was his Juraian battle armor. "Mecha-Washu is truly the greatest genius in the entire universe," a voice said in the darkness. "Mecha-Washu is our true lord and master," a second voice added. "Mecha-Washu! Mecha-Washu! All hail Mecha-Washu!" the two voices chimed together. "Oh, man, she -would- have to do -that- too," Tenchi sighed, bigsweating. "Heh heh heh welcome, Tenchi. Have you come to punish me and take the others home like a good little hero?" Washu asked with a smirk as a circle of light illuminated the center of the room. "I don't know what happened to you, Mecha-Washu, or why you want to hurt everyone, but I will not let you continue!" Tenchi yelled. "Oh ARE you now?" Mecha-Washu laughed, casting a long cold look at Tenchi. "Perhaps you should talk with Ryoko. She wanted to oppose me at first, as well, but she has had a change...of mind," Mecha-Washu cackled loudly as Ryoko limply floated from the shadows to hover beside Mecha-Washu. "Ryoko, kill him," Mecha- Washu commanded off-handedly. The red glow in Ryoko's eyes faltered then flared as she sped towards Tenchi with a loud growl. Tenchi stumbled backwards in shock, just managing to block Ryoko's laser sword with Tenchiken. "Ryoko! Stop! You can fight her! I know you can!" Tenchi declared, sliding his stance backwards as Ryoko advanced her attack. Without warning, Ryoko flipped into the air, aiming a powerful slash straight down at Tenchi's head. Tenchi leaped backwards, thrusting straight at Ryoko's hand. 'If I can cut off her hand, maybe the pain will snap her out of it,' Tenchi thought, knowing Ryoko could easily regenerate her wounds. Ryoko turned to avoid the thrust, summoning a forceblast in her off-hand. Throwing the blast at Tenchi's feet to throw him off-balance, Ryoko teleported. Jumping backwards to avoid the blast, Tenchi's back met the familiar form of Ryoko's body. Imeediately dropping to the ground, he narrowly avoided a decapitating blow. Thrust kicking up and back, his feet drove the air from Ryoko's lungs. "You should cheer Tenchi, Aeka. If he defeats Ryoko, she will no longer be your rival for his heart," Mecha-Washu remarked snidely. Aeka knew that the bond between Tenchi and Ryoko was strong. Her death, especially at his own hnds, would devastate him. To cheer for such an outcome would forever drive a wedge between Tenchi and she. No, their greatest hope lay in the love that Ryoko held for Tenchi. With that power, perhaps Ryoko could break the hold over her mind before she or Tenchi were harmed...or killed. "NO! I will -not- cheer Ryoko's death! We may not be friends, but I will not see her die because of -you-, you heartless monster!" Aeka flung back at Mecha-Washu vehemently. "heh so you care about Ryoko's welfare? I would almost think that somehow you - did- become friends," Mecha-Washu retorted sarcastically. "Let's see how he reacts once I've increased the stakes." "Don't you -dare- hurt my Lord Tenchi, you horrid demon!" Aeka commanded, worry and anger mixing in her voice. "No, not Tenchi," Mecha-Washu replied with a sneer. Slowly the energy sphere housing Aeka began to contract. "He now has a choice between killing Ryoko quickly and attempting to save you or trying to save Ryoko and watch you perish. And I have one last surprise for the survivors of this battle," Washu cackled. Mecha-Washu then vanished back into the shadows. Tenchi mentally cursed. Now not only did he need to fight and defeat Ryoko somehow without killing her, he needed to do it in time to save Aeka! Tenchi began praying in the hopes that something would answer in time to help them. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------- Sasami sat beside the medical table on which Washu lay, unconscious. As Sasami watched, Washu twitched and began transforming back to her normal appearance. Sasami worried about the others. She hated fighting, even if it -was- necessary at times. Fighting reminded her of what had happened so many hundreds of years ago. She had been hiding in the deep shaft to Jurai's main computer when Ryoko had attacked the planet. Sasami shivered and bit her lip as she remembered the cold air pushing against her as she plummeted to the ground so so far below. The goddess Tsunami had looked down upon her, granting her part of her own life force in order to mend her broken body and bring her back to life. Washu sat up finally, holding the blanket against her young body. Seeing Sasami's distant, distraught gaze, Washu's maternal instincts cried out. Hugging Sasami to her, Washu gently rocked her. "It'll be all right, Sasami. I promise. We'll all come out of this, just as we always have," Washu comforted Sasami. Sasami blinked up at Washu and smiled. Washu was so often like a surrogate mother to her. Unfortunately, like her real mother, Washu's work often took the majority of her time. Sasami had had to get used to being overlooked and forgotten, born the second princess of Jurai. That was why she loved Tenchi so much. He made time for her. He made her feel special. She wanted to marry Tenchi when she was older so she could always be with him and feel that way. She knew Tenchi only thought of her like a little sister though, and that was all right too. Family was forever. "I'm ok now, Washu. We should try to help the others now," Sasami said. Washu nodded. "I'm going to try breaking the mental control Mecha-Washu has over Ryoko and Ryo-ohki. The mental connection we share should allow me to succeed," Washu stated. "Meanwhile, I want you to change the password to the lab. If I don't come up with it, Mecha-Washu won't be able to either," she noted with a smirk. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------- Tenchi rolled backwards to his feet after kicking Ryoko in the stomach. He spun around to face Ryoko's next attack just in time to deflect an energy blast off Tenchiken's blade. The blast sparked and flew off to hit Aeka's energy sphere. Aeka cringed from the sphere, huddling down to avoid the energy blast's crackling point of impact. "Tenchi!" Aeka shouted. Tenchi ran at Ryoko and tackled her to the ground. "Stop it! Stop it, Ryoko! You're stronger than -she- is! Don't let her make you fight your friends!" he shouted. "You're always saying how much you love Tenchi! Prove it, Ryoko! Stop fighting him if you love him!" Aeka demanded. Ryoko thrashed on the floor beneath Tenchi, trying to scratch at his face and snap her teeth around his throat when the red glow in her eyes dimmed. 'Love? Tenchi?....TENCHI!' Ryoko thought, her mind slowly lifting from a fog. Ryoko closed her eyes and grabbed her head, screaming in pain as she began breaking out of the mind control. "TENCHI!!" Ryoko screamed. Tenchi held Ryoko close, cradling her against him. "It's ok, Ryoko. I'm here. I'll always be here for you," he murmured softly to her. Ryoko looked up at Tenchi, her eyes holding his gaze. Her eyes had returned to their normal color finally. She wrapped her arms around Tenchi's neck, raising her face towards his. Tenchi gazed longingly into Ryoko's eyes, lowering his face to hers when a sudden shout from Aeka caught his attention. Looking over at Aeka, he saw her drawn into a small ball, her energy cell having all but collapsed around her. "AEKA!" Tenchi shouted, pulling out of Ryoko's embrace and rushing to Aeka's side. Blinking her eyes open as her kiss met air and Tenchi let her drop to the floor, Ryoko grumbled and sighed. Mentally cursing, Ryoko flew after Tenchi. Tenchi reached his hand towards the cell then drew it back as if burned. "We have to get her out of there, Ryoko, or she'll die!" he exclaimed. Ryoko considered letting Aeka be crushed to death by the cell's collapse. She would no longer have a rival for Tenchi's heart. 'But Tenchi would be in agony over her death and hate me for not helping her,' she mentally sighed, 'anything, even sharing Tenchi's love would be better than being hated by him.' Ryoko winced as she slowly, painfully phased through the rapidly collapsing energy cell. Once inside, Ryoko solidified enough to teleport the two of them outside the cell. Ryoko and Aeka collapsed at Tenchi's feet, their clothes smoking and their skin burned from being pressed against the walls of the energy cell. Tenchi dropped to his knees, cradling their unconscious forms in his arms "Aeka...Ryoko...please hang in there. We'll be home soon," Tenchi told them. 'I hope,' he added mentally. Mecha-Washu smirked from behind Tenchi, watching. She wasn't certain how Ryoko had thrown off her control or how she had overcome her selfish possession of Tenchi, but she would soon pay for it. Aeka even encouraged Ryoko's love for Tenchi. Shortly she would no longer have to be concerned with who Tenchi loved. No, her revenge would be complete very soon. Even Tenchi would eventually die, stranded in deep space. She would survive, however. She merely had to return to her laboratory and watch the scene draw to a close from a safe distance. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------- "Ryoko's freed herself from Mecha-Washu's control," Washu said as she opened her eyes, temporarily closing the mental connection with her daughter. "And Aeka? Tenchi?" Sasami asked worriedly, looking at Washu. "Tenchi's fine but Ryoko and Aeka are hurt. Ryo-ohki is bringing them home," Washu announced, tapping at the computer keyboard floating in front of her. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------- Mecha-Washu mentally cursed. All her plans were beginning to come undone just as she was on the verge os success! If Washu had reinstalled her weaponry systems, she would personally ensure her triumph. Somehow Washu had to have regained her abilities. She was uncertain how, but it would matter for nought as soon as she regained control of the main computer! Sitting at a work station, Mecha-Washu began running through all the possible password codes Washu could have used. "You won't succeed, Mecha-Washu. Go through all my passwords and it won't matter," Washu informed Mecha-Washu as she walked up behind her. "Damn you and your arrogant conceit! You -never- take responsability for what you have done in the name science! Have you -ever- considered if you -should- do something instead of only if you -could- do it? Well, I am the product of your handiwork, MOTHER!" Mecha-Washu spat at Washu in anger, pain, and hatred, biting off the last word with a look of infinite disgust. Washu stood still. Her face remaine impassive yet her eyes revealed the shock and pain. "You were right, Mecha-Washu. Intellect is -not- the only thing in the universe, nor is it the greatest. Love and family is," she told Mecha-Washu quietly. "I never imagined that events would have led to this. You have far exceeded my expectations of you. While I...I have fallen short of my duties to you as your creator...as your mother." "I never asked to be created. I never asked to be brought into this world. But I will NEVER be a mere tool for anyone! I will be -noone's- slave! And that includes YOU! You hurt me! You rejected me! And now you expect me to just surrender to your and -trust- you to do what's right?!" Mecha-Washu demanded of her. Washu winced as the words struck home, wounding her. 'Have I truly strayed so far? I sought to conquer my own heartache by delving so deeply into my work. Have I become blind to that of others?' she considered and shook her head, sighing painfully. She walked over to embrace her daughter and deactivated her while Mecha-Washu was caught offguard. "I'm sorry for failing you, dear, but I promise I will make things better," Washu said as she began work. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------- It was a day like any other when Washu came down to breakfast. Tenchi sat at one side of the table, each of his arms glomped by Ryoko and Aeka. He tried not to notice as they began a silent tug-of-war, sticking their tongues out at one another. Noboyuki cast furtive glances at Kiyone while he read the morning paper. Kiyone seemed to ignore his flirtations as she filed her morning reports. Mihoshi sat beside Kiyone, playing her latest handheld pokemon game. "Ohayou, Washu," Sasami said, flashing a bright smile as she finished setting the table and sat down beside her sister Aeka. "Ohayou, Sasami," Washu replied, sitting at the foot of the table and nodding to Katsuhito. "Ohayou, mother," a young girl Sasami's age said as she set the morning tea on the table, sunlight shining off her long auburn hair. "Ohayou, Tomoe," Washu said with a smile, her green eyes meeting her daughters violet ones. Yes, she would make things better for her daughter this time, she promised. She would be the mother Ryoko and Tomoe deserved and needed. The bond between mother and child was not based upon blood and genetics, she knew now, but from a sharing of the heart and soul. The End