Disclaimer: The characters in this fan fic are the property of AIC and
Pioneer.  Only three characters are mine.   Please do not sue me.  Enjoy the
fan fic.

Tenchi Muyo!
Ryoko's Precious Secret
Chapter 7: Reality

"Washu."  Tenchi called.  "We need something to cover her up with, so that
her son doesn't see her like this and to keep her warm."  Tenchi said in
bitterness.

Washu walked toward his side and unhooked her cloak.  She wrapped around the
shivering Ryoko, while Tenchi held Ryoko in his arms.

"There.  That should do it."  Washu said with no happiness in her voice.

"There is our exit."  Gratin-Lar said to everyone.

They walked through and saw two figures standing in front of them.  The
small one ran toward them.

"Mommy."  He cried out.

Washu stepped in front of him and Tenchi.  She caught the little boy and
whispered something in his ear.

"Why can't I see my mommy?"  The little boy said in bitterness.

"She is very ill, and you need to be strong for her and yourself."  Washu
said still hugging the boy.

She was beginning to feel tears in her eyes.  She knew Ryoko will never be
the same after the incident with the demon god.  Her child has witnessed a
hell not made for the living.  She watched in front of her as the others
moved toward the flying Ryo-Ohki.  She slowly pulled him away.

"You will have trouble understanding now, but when you are older I will tell
you."  Washu said and picked up the weeping boy.

She followed the others and held the little boy tight to her.  She felt bad
not being able to tell him the truth, but it would hurt him more than help
him.

Ryo-Ohki teleported the group aboard and flew back to earth.

(One day later in Washu's lab)

They had just got back, and Ryoko was quiet the entire time.  She was in
Tenchi's arms in her private quarters aboard Ryo-Ohki.  But, now she was
asleep on a bed in Washu's lab.  Washu found brain damage.  She was trying
to repair the damage, but it would only get worse.  That is when Gratin-Lar
looked at the readings and placed his hand on Ryoko's forehead.

"It is just as I feared."  Gratin-Lar replied.

"What?"  Washu asked in an upset tone.  The stress was getting to her.

"She has been manipulated by Chaos."  He replied in a soft understanding
voice.

"What do you mean?"  Tenchi asked as Ayeka walked to his side.

"Chaos has tortured her mind, and made her see images that weren't real.
When we got her, these false memories it implanted have not been activated
until recently."  He said biting his bottom lip.

"She knows that the memories are false. She can fight them."  Tenchi said in
hope.

"I am afraid not.  Chaos can manipulate her mind..."  He could not finish.
These people loved her and telling them the truth would only make matters
worse.

"What?"  Tenchi asked impatiently.

"I am sorry Tenchi."  Washu replied as tears fell from her cheeks.  "I think
I know what he is saying."  She stopped to hold back her tears.
"Our...our...Ryoko is...Chaos."  She said and fell to her knees crying, but
Yosho caught her.

"What is she saying?"  Tenchi asked feeling his heart beat faster.

"Ryoko never had life when she was born.  Washu made a deal with Chaos to
bring her to life, but Chaos told her there was no price.  I am afraid there
was a price."  Gratin-Lar said.

"Price."  Tenchi replied.

"Yes.  The price is that when Chaos is destroyed, Ryoko will turn into Chaos
so it is reborn."  Gratin-Lar replied.

"Are you telling me that Ryoko is already starting to change into that
thing?"  Tenchi asked.

"Yes and no.  She is just being turned onto its side.  The memories it
implanted will turn her against us."  Gratin-Lar said and began to walk away
from Ryoko's limp body.

"Is there anything we can do?"  Yosho asked.

"Yes, there is."  Gratin-Lar said and turned to look at Washu.

Yosho helped the goddess to her feet.

Washu cleared her throat and tried to speak without crying, "I can remove
the bad memories, but I need help holding her down.  I can only tell you
that when we begin, be careful because she apparently cannot heal until
these memories are removed."

"What is the risk?  I mean why are you acting that it is hopeless."  Tenchi
asked in worried concern.

"If she struggles and I am not quick enough to jump back, it will kill her
by overloading her brain with memories and destroy it.  She will be killed
instantly."  Washu said trying to keep herself from falling to her knees
because of the bitterness.

"We will have to try." Tenchi said with confidence in his voice.  "Grandpa,
can you go see how Sasami and Ryshu are doing?  Gratin-Lar I will need your
help with Ryoko.  Ayeka you can help Washu with whatever needs to be done."
Tenchi said.

"I will, Tenchi."  Yosho said.

"Right."  Ayeka replied.

Gratin-Lar acknowledged Tenchi's order by walking back to Ryoko's bedside.
He gave Tenchi a reassuring smile.  Tenchi smiled back and turned to hold
Ryoko's hand.

"Let's begin." Washu said as she walked toward the group in surgical
clothing.

Ryoko could only see darkness surrounding her.  She just kept falling into
the black void.  She was scared, lonely, and cold.  She could only feel the
cold wind of Chaos.  She was going mad.  She could only see the images of
Tenchi and Ryshu stabbing her over and over.  She thought she saw Tenchi
kiss her, but the darkness seemed to be the only real world around her.  She
looked at her naked body.  It was scratched and punctured by those thorns,
but what happened.    She tried to remember, but saw a bright white light
and began to awaken.

"Her eyes are opening."  Washu said and jumped back from Ryoko.

Ryoko looked at the figures staring at her.  One was Tenchi and the other
she did not know.  It was an imposter.  This must be another illusion and
they were going to kill her.  She wanted it to stop.  She was taking deep
breaths and tried to escape her captors.

"Let me go."  Ryoko scream in fear.

Tenchi and Gratin-Lar held onto her with all of their might.  She was
kicking, but they had her by her arms.  Tenchi tried to calm her down, but
she was not listening.

"Ryoko, it is okay.  I got you away from those vines of thorns.  You are
safe.  Please calm down."  Tenchi said sincerely.

Ryoko felt blood rush through her body.  The pressure of them holding her
down and her struggling made it gush out of her body.  She could not breathe
and began to cough out blood.  She began to feel pain all over her body.

"AHHHHH!"  She screamed in pain.

Yosho and Ryshu were with Sasami in the kitchen.  They were cooking lunch
for everyone, until a woman's scream broke their silence.

"Mommy, I am coming."  Ryshu yelled.

"I am afraid not."  Yosho said and caught the little boy.  "We have to be
patient.  Your mother is feeling the effects of her wounds.  We just have to
relax her, and she will be okay."  Yosho said calmly with a small smile.

"But I want to help."  Said the little boy who began to miss the cave where
he and his mother lived peacefully until now.

"You can help by cooking her this lunch."  Sasami said putting on a fake
smile.

"Okay."  The boy said with a smile.

(Back in Washu's lab)

"There I did it.  She will be asleep until I trigger whatever woke her to
begin with.  I just hope she stays this way until I can finish getting rid
of this garbage in her brain."  Washu said and went back to work.

"It will be alright.  She is strong.  She will pull through."  Tenchi said.

"I hope so.  I don't think I can see her in such pain again."  Ayeka said
trying not to get emotional about the cyan haired woman on the bed.

(Two hours later.)

"We did it."  Washu said putting her brain equipment away.  "Ryoko will
hopefully be back to normal shortly.  See.  She is already starting to heal
her wounds."

Tenchi looked at her and asked, "Can I be alone with her?"
"Of course."  Washu smiled.  "Come on everybody, out."

Everyone left the lab, including Ayeka even though she was pushed by Washu.
They closed the door leaving Tenchi and Ryoko alone.

"I know what to do.  I can feel your pain.  It is attacking you while your
unconscious."  Tenchi said to himself trying to figure out how to stop it.

"Hold on Ryoko.  I am coming."  He said and tried to link to her mind.  "If
we are one, then I should be able to link with her.  I hope it works.  I
just know that the damned thing is going to replace those memories once we
leave her for a few seconds."  Tenchi said feeling his hatred for Chaos
grow.  He closed his eyes and began to link.

"No!  Not again."  Ryoko screamed as she was falling back into the black
void, and watching an angry Tenchi and Ryshu falling after her.

"We have come Ryoko to finish what we started."  Yelled the Tenhci in a
maniacal voice.

"Get away from me."  She screamed.

"But, mommy I am doing this because I love you."  The little boy said with
an evil grin.

Ryoko could not think.  She was so scared, and frightened and, then saw an
angel figure appear in front of her.

"I am here for you, my Ryoko."  The angel said.

She saw the long golden hair.  It looked like a man, but its voice was so
pure.  She felt safe.  She watched as the angel blasted a bright light that
obliterated her chasers.  When it vanished there was no trace of their
existence.

"Who are you?"  Ryoko asked still shaken.

"I am your savior, and one here to destroy the evil Chaos."  It said with
that pure high-pitched voice.

The angel reached its hand for her to grab.  She did so and was pulled up to
its height.  It began to mover toward her.  She closed her eyes, but was
distracted by a scream of war.

"Noooo!"  A man's voice cried and slashed through the angel's body with a
white sword.

"Hehehehe!"  The angel laughed.  "You are a servant of Chaos."  It said.

"Ryoko do not listen to it.  That is Chaos.  It is manipulating you.  I am
here through our mind link.  Please, trust me."  Tenchi begged.
"Fool.  She will not believe a servant of evil like you."  It said with over
confidence and blasted the same white light that destroy the evil Tenchi and
Ryshu.

Tenchi felt a burst of energy run through him.  He wanted to scream, but
this was his and Ryoko's mind.  They can control themselves, not this demon.

"It will not work, Chaos.  If you want to hurt me, attack me in reality."
Tenchi said trying to sound confident in his skills.

"Don't listen to him Ryoko.  He wants to trick you, so that you will join
him."  The angel said.  "Enjoy this attack.  It will destroy your brain
because this is real."  It raised its hands, but nothing happened. Then,
Tenchi felt as if his head was going to explode.  He tried to keep the link
activated, but he was weakening.

"NO!  Tenchi is right.  A true angel would not destroy evil; it will give
that being another chance and try to save lives.  Not destroy them."  She
said and fired a blast of energy at the creature.

When the blast cleared, the black figure of Chaos was in the place of the
angel.

"I am impressed, but he must die and you must come with me."  It said
coldly.

"Ryoko!"  Tenchi called.

She looked at his brown eyes, and nodded her head toward him.  He
acknowledged her and nodded back.  They both got to their feet and ran
toward the dark figure.  Ryoko jumped forming her energy sword.  Tenchi
stayed low and both swung their blades at the figure's body.  The figure
vanished laughing at them.

"Very well.  I will leave you two alone, but I will not be defeated so
easily."  Its voice echoed.

"Wake up, Ryoko.  It is over."  Tenchi said to her and vanished in front of
her.

She closed her eyes, to feel the warmth instead of cold.  She watched as a
bright light surround her.

"Welcome back, Ryoko."  Tenchi said with a smile.

She could only smile back.  She tried to set up, but couldn't.  She looked
at Tenchi again.  He looked worried.  She wondered why.

"What is wrong?"  She asked in a shaky voice.

"I almost lost you to that thing.  I can't understand it.  It can't be that
a creature like that can exist."  Tenchi said, his eyes filling with hatred.

"Don't!"  Ryoko yelled feeling her strength return.

Tenchi looked at her in confusion.  The hatred leaving his eyes.

"What?"  He asked with love in his eyes.

"You will just be like it, if you let hatred take over."  Ryoko said with
worry in her eyes.

Tenchi smiled at her as he noticed the scratches disappear.  She looked down
to notice that there was a lot of blood stained in the sheets she was under.
She looked back at Tenchi and bit her bottom lip.

"Tenchi."  She said trying not to laugh.

"Yes."  He said passionately.

"Where are my clothes?  She asked.

"Your clothes."  Tenchi said, puzzled at her question.  "Oh.  Your clothes
are right over there.  I will go get them."  He got to his feet and ran into
the darkness of the lab.  She waited and watched as he ran back to her side.

"Here you go, Ryoko."  He said breathing heavily.

"Thanks."  She said with a caring smile.

He turned around, so she can put her clothes on.  He waited, but did not
hear a sound.  He turned around in worry to see a dressed Ryoko sitting on
the bed.  She was in black sweat pants and a black short sleeved shirt.

"You were so quiet."  He commented, never realizing she could be so sneaky.

"It is a useful skill when you are always on the run."  She smiled.

Then, Ryoko's smile vanished and was replaced by fear and worry.  She got to
her feet, and began to limp to the door, but tripped.  Tenchi caught her.

"What's wrong?"  Tenchi asked.

"Ryshu is in danger."  She replied using Tenchi to get back to her feet.

"What, how?"  Tenchi asked finding nothing else to say.

"He said he will leave me alone, but that he wasn't finished.  That means he
is after my son."  She tried again to walk out of the lab, but felt warm
arms pick her up."Let me carry you.  It will go much faster."  Tenchi said
as he lifted her into his arms and ran for the door.

He opened the door to see all of his friends in a circle.  He set Ryoko down
on the floor and tried to look to see what the commotion was about.  He
looked to see Ryshu on the ground unconscious, but his eyes wide open.

"What happened?"  Tenchi asked.

"I don't know.  He was trying to go see Ryoko and collapsed right after you
entered the room."  Washu said with worry in her voice.

"No."  Ryoko said and crawled through the surprised faces of her friends.
She stopped and tried to wake her son from his trance.  "This can't be
happening.  Take me."   She screamed looking at the ceiling.  "But, I beg
you not my son."  She said and began to cry on the little boy's chest.

Darkness filled the sky above the Masaki house.  Thunder roared and it began
to rain.

To Be Continued...

I hope you like this chapter.  The story is getting more complicated than I
bargained for.  If you are confused about the plot and the concept of
Chaos's character, write me and I will try to explain.  Please e-mail me for
your comments about the series at washu@saiyan.com.  Thank you and stay
tuned for Chapter 8.

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