Erik Tuttle "Three Gems for Power" part 3 >>CHAPTER EIGHT<< "Tokimi Attacks!" Everyone thought that it would be best to have Ryoko's funeral back home on Earth so that's where Washu took them. She then asked Tenchi to pick a good place to rest her daughter's soul. Tenchi chose a spot underneath one of the flowering cherry trees that Ryoko always used to rest in and that's where they all stood now. Beneath a tall cherry three that wept it's bright pink blossoms down to the earth along with everyone's tears. Ryoko lay on top of a greatly stacked pyre wearing the same cyan and pink dress that she had worn when Tenchi first met her on the roof of the school. Ryoko's arms were crossed over her chest and her face was downcast. Sasami wept into Ayeka's arm, as Mihoshi wept into Tenchi's arm, as Kentaro held Washu, and even he cried for his mother. Washu approached the pyre and looked down at Ryoko. "Oh Ryoko," she sobbed. "I gave you life from my lab but you were so much more to me than just a machine. I'll miss you." Washu then placed a bouquet of flowers on her daughter and stepped back. Mihoshi cried, "I'll miss you!" Sasami then stepped forward carrying Ryo-Ohki in her arms. The little cabbit wept along with the rest of them. "Here's Ryo- Ohki," Sasami said through her tears. "She's going to miss you to but I promise that we will all take good care of her. Goodbye Ryoko." Ayeka took a step towards the pyre but stopped halfway there. "I'm sorry for all that I've done to you Ryoko! I, I never met to hurt you so much!" Tears streamed down Ayeka's cheeks as if they would never stop. She managed to get control of her emotions once again and took a step back next to Sasami. Now Katsuhito, Nobiuki, and Tenchi all approached the pile of wood that held their friend's body above the earth. Katsuhito and Nobiuki had brought flowers that they placed along side Washu's but Tenchi had brought no flowers. He stood beside Ryoko's limp body holding the sword Tenchi in his fist. "I always did mean to give these back to you Ryoko," he said as he held out the sword and closed his eyes. Moments later all three gems disappeared from the sword and reappeared on Ryoko's body. "There," he said fighting back the surge of sadness he felt inside. "They are yours again Ryoko." "I wish.... I wish we had more time to spent together mother," Kentaro spoke. "I bid you a safe journey. Farewell and live the rest of your days in piece." He stood back and held out his hand. Energy sprang from his palm and ignited the pyre. "Let us go," he said. The night's dark blanked covered the earth in sleep while the pyre's flame raged on. Kentaro sat on the ground watching the flames as they danced and licked at the sky. He heard a sound behind him and turned to see his grandmother Washu at his back. "Hello Washu," he said to her. "What brings you here so late?" "What brings you here?" she answered more than asked. "Hmmm," Kentaro thought, "I don't know you that well but it seems like something that you would say." Washu took the spot next to him and claimed it for her own as she sat down to watch the fire burn. "Now is as good a time as any to get acquainted," she said. "I loved that girl, really I did. I just didn't truly realize it until now though. It's true that I did create her but regardless of what I used to do it she was still my daughter. I never got time to spent with her either you know. I was a fool. I gave her a preprogrammed memory so she already knew everything I wanted her to know. There was no teaching her to read or to eat. No merrymaking on gift day, no watching her grow and dream of boys her age in school," Washu sighed. "As fate has it there would have been no time for that anyway. Kagato stole her and me just a few days after she was born. My poor girl had no time to grow and be a child, she had no joy. I wonder what it must have been like. Funny though, I guess I was like that once. Being the first thing to ever exist. I wonder what it must have been like." "So why did you do it Washu?" Kentaro asked without taking his eyes off of the flames. "I must admit," said Washu. "It was all because of those gems. I knew what they held inside them I knew what they did or could do. I knew that I could never use my powers again so I made Ryoko so I could. I made her to be controlled, I never once thought of her as a person. The minute she walked out of the womb she was under my telepathic control. Funny, I guess the first one to grant her freedom from that was Kagato. This being how it was could I actually be worse than Kagato? I keep telling myself no, but that shadow, that creeping shadow of doubt still remains. After your father imprisoned me I spent a great deal of time in there and I forgot nearly everything. I forgot about why I created Ryoko and what those red gems I gave her did. Kind of like alshimers eh?" "I see. So you never showed your daughter any form of compassion?" Washu was caught off guard by his question. She lowered her voice until it was almost inaudible. "No," she breathed. "That's okay," Kentaro said as he arose to leave. "You never had a chance to. Just like no one ever had a chance to show you or myself either. Perhaps it just runs in the family." She spoke as he began to walk away. "Kentaro. I'm sorry." "No don't be, there is no use in that. Get some sleep Washu, tomorrow will be hard." After Washu had left the site of the pyre a quiet petit figure emerged from the shadows to watch the last of the files flames fall into a bed of smoldering embers. Princess Ayeka looked into the fire's dying flames and sighed. "You know sometimes," she said to no one. "I would hope and dream for this day. The day that you would finally be gone, but now. Now for some reason it is different. I miss you. Little did I realize that you Ryoko yes you, were actually the best friend I had. It is true that we did fight a lot but as serious as it sounded we both knew that it was just play. Although I will admit that there were times when we did say things that were met to hurt. Oh Ryoko I'm sorry and I do miss you, please have a safe journey. Friend." Ayeka then turned back into the darkness and headed back towards the path home. Ryoko watched her go and gave a sigh. "Oh Ayeka," she said. "I'll be back don't worry about me. Friend." Washu took a step into her lab a gazed across the cold empty floor. Here we go, she thought sadly to herself. A chair materialized before her and Washu took a seat and summoned her data storage device before her. Quickly she hit a few buttons until the screen displayed two large words. Ryoko Project. Washu opened the file stem and looked at all the information she had gathered in order to make her greatest work possible. "No need for this anymore," she said but then something caught her eye. "What's this?" she asked. The display gave the names of three files that Washu never remembered seeing before. Well it's been about 5,000 years since I've actually looked at all this information, she told her self. But I don't remember any of the rest of this stuff either so, let's have a look. Washu set the device to open the first of three files. A little crab figure appeared on the screen telling her that the file had completed loading. Then a small play cursor popped up on the screen.! Washu was puzzled but pressed on the icon anyway. After she had touched the button an image began to play and along with that image there was sound. "Oh my god," Washu whispered quietly to herself. The morning arrived on time as mornings often do and let its cosmic glow fall upon the Earth. The birds sang and everything was happy. Or at least it should have been. Everyone at the breakfast table was silent in memory of the events that had occurred last night. The food was good like it always was but no matter how he tried Tenchi just couldn't stomach it. "Do you like the food Tenchi?" Sasami asked. "Of course I do Sasami," he said. "Then why don't you eat some more?" "Oh Sasami it's just that after last night well... I'm just not that hungry." "Oh I see," she said a bit disappointed. "Hey where's Washu?" Tenchi asked trying to change the subject. "I don't know," said Ayeka. "She's probably still asleep in her lab." Then everyone at the table heard a door open and close. Washu came to sit down at the table. "Well thanks for saving me some food," she said when she saw the serving containers almost completely full. Tenchi noticed that her eyes were incredibly red. He knew she had been crying a lot. But man that's still a lot of tears, he told himself. Maybe you should say something. Nah I think everyone feels the same as Washu right now, it would be pointless. "I wonder where that nice Kentaro man is?" said Sasami. The vacuum of space spun around Lady Tokimi just as the planet below her spun around its sun. The Lady was in her human form as she looked down on the planet below her. "Washu I knew you would return to the Earth," she vocalized to the cold emptiness. "Surprisingly enough though you haven't detected me yet. No matter I guess that I can just destroy the planet from here." "Washu hasn't detected you but I have." Lady Tokimi spun at the voice behind her to see a man with gray hair and sunglasses wearing a shirt, a pair of pants, and a long gray cloak. "Who are you? You're not from around here." "No I most certainly am not." "What do you want?" "Nothing more that the knowledge that you will depart from this place now and never harm another just soul. Simple enough." Tokimi laughed at the man. "What are you talking about? Do you know who I am?" "Of course I do Lady Tokimi, why else would I be here if I didn't know you or any of the plans listed on your dark agenda?" "My, my boy you do seem to know a lot. Too bad that's not a good thing for you. Perhaps you know to much." "I know all that I require, and perhaps that is to much. But what are you going to do about it? Destroy me?" "That's exactly what I had in mind," smiled Lady Tokimi. Across the black carpet of space an energy bolt arced it's way towards Kentaro who deflected it with a mere twitch of his finger. "Ah so the little one has some power? Well no matter. Here," Tokimi addressed Kentaro. "I'll give you your best shot at me. What do you say maggot?" "I say that would be most a unfair advantage that favored my side." "Ahahaha! What do you think you are?" "Something more than you think." "Well why don't you prove it?" Tokimi spread her arms out as if she was being crucified. "Here I am." "Hmm," Kentaro calculated the outcome of the next few minutes in his mind. "Are you sure Lady? I wouldn't want this fight to end to soon," he summoned his broad sword into his palm. "I wouldn't call this a fight," challenged Tokimi. "It's more like a small tussle. You couldn't even begin to damage me boy." "Somehow I knew that you would say that," Kentaro rushed forward, sword in hand as he let a deep battle cry escape his lips. Tokimi grinned, this would all be over soon and she could then become the most powerful goddess of all. When she figured the boy had gone far enough she placed a transparent energy shield in front of herself for him to run into. She cried out when his blade slashed neatly through the shield, there were only milliseconds left for her to avoid the killing blow! Dodging the kill by a fraction of a second Tokimi cried out as the orange blade bit into her form. It carved down the entire length of her shoulder to her knee in a downward slash that ended with a precision thrust through the kneecap. The woman arched her back and screamed in pain. She then pushed out with all her force and sent the man reeling across the star line. "Ah! WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU!?" Tokimi was in a furry as she began to heal her wounds. "Like you said your highness, I am just a boy." "No you're not you fool and you know it! Blood of the god's leaps inside of your veins! I damn you!" "What a shame," Kentaro smirked as he swooped in for another attack. >>CHAPTER NINE<< "We Need Ryoko" "Ah!" "Little Washu what is it?" asked Tenchi as he leaned over the table to examine his friend. "It's Tokimi! She's above the Earth and she's fighting!" "Tokimi? Fighting who?" "It must be Kentaro!" shouted Ayeka as she got to her feet. "Come on Tenchi we need to help him!" "Yes but how can we? Neither of us can breath in space!" "Now you can," announced Washu with a snap of her fingers. "Are you sure Little Washu? I don't feel any different?" "Well now Tenchi you wouldn't," said Washu. "Now come on lets go! I can teleport us there." Sasami looked from one person to the other and sighed. "I guess I can keep the food warm in the oven," she said. Washu and the others arrived in space to be greeted by the sight of their close friend Kentaro locked in close combat with Lady Tokimi. "Tokimi!" Washu shouted as Tokimi pushed Kentaro back with an energy ball. "Ah sister! So you have finally found me, how misfortunate!" "No I wouldn't say that sister. Sounds more like my lucky day." "Depends on how you look at it." "True. Now how about we settle this like civilized people and have a nice long chat?" "No I don't think that would work sister I'm sorry. I truly believe that I would rather kill you." "Fine I guess that you can have it your way. We can fight, but here how about a more suitable arena?" Washu held her hand above her head and a large stone slab appeared above her. It's size resembled a football field except on all sides there was a straight row of pillars that all arched together to form a sort of boundary against space. Washu and her companions phased into the arena and landed on its hard stone floor. "Washu there's gravity!" Tenchi sounded surprised. "Well Tenchi dear if you really want to fight in zero G then you can go back out side," she said. "Heh good point." Tokimi made herself visible twenty yards away and viewed Washu. "Clever plan Washu." "Well Tokimi you said you could defeat us so I just wanted to make the battle field a little more homely." "It will do you no good." "I guess all we can do is find out." Kentaro also appeared inside the arena with his sword lit. "Enough of this! Tokimi I desire to end this combat!" "You want to die so soon young man? Eager to join your mother?" "What do you know of my mother Tokimi!?" "Nothing boy, nothing at all." Soon the battle was joined once again. Ryoko watched the battle from another plane and her eyes narrowed. Her son danced back and fourth weaving his bright blade in and out of an invisible patchwork before him. Tokimi was on the defensive but Ryoko could sense that her power was far greater than the gray haired boys. "It's time to go back now." A large face appeared behind her and spoke. "So you are ready to be born into a new body?" "No like I told you before I am ready to return to my home dimension." "I am sorry my lady but as I have told you many a time, that is impossible." Ryoko's mouth curled to form a semi-circle reaching from one ear to the next. "So you still believe that you have power over me?" "You are dead there is nothing you can do." "Well that is true. I am indeed very dead but I am also a goddess so I choose when I die and when I live. Are you beginning to understand now?" The face became drawn with fear. "You cannot go," it said in a shaky voice. "Just watch me," and in a flash Ryoko wore her black and red battle armor. Her face was also painted with coordinated black lines. "I believe that it is time to go." Her gems began to glow a vibrant blue and red energy lines tore at the surrounding space. One of the beams shot a path through the astral image of Washu who surprisingly looked up and dead on into Ryoko's eyes. "Hey Mom." Ryoko lifted both of her arms heavenward and phased out of the land of the dead and into the real world. >>CHAPTER TEN<< "Ryoko Resurrected" Kentaro was slammed full force into one of the arena's many pillars, he cried out as the shock rushed in and out of his body. Cracks split the pillar up, across, and down it's sides when the warrior was hammered into it. "You are no match for me child." Lady Tokimi slammed him back into the pillar over, and over, and over, and over once again. Pretty soon there was no air left in the man's lungs that he could yell with and dry scratching noises began to emanate from his esapogus. "Tokimi that's enough!" Washu stepped forward and stared daggers into her sister. "Oh but sister Washu the boy isn't dead yet." "I said that's enough! If you really want to battle then you can battle with me!" "You fight Washu? Really this must be some kind of gag. What am I missing?" "Pretty soon you're going to be missing more than the joke Tokimi! Huh? What in the-?" In a white glow Ryoko materialized neatly beside Washu. "I think I can get this one." Ryoko clenched her right fist and gave a shrug. "Doesn't look to bad to me." "Ryoko!?" Tenchi's voice came like a sweet song to Ryoko's ears. "Yes Tenchi?" "How did you get here? I thought you were...." "Yes I'm pretty sure that everyone thought the same." "Mother...." Kentaro managed to croak. Ryoko went to him. "Taken quite a beating haven't you?" His eyes lit up at her humor as he replied, "Yes." "That's okay." She got up and turned just in time to absorb one of Tokimi's energy blasts full in the chest sending blood, bone, and flesh all high into the air. The bolt pulled her up off her feet and threw her back into one of the other pillars in the far corner. A gasp escaped the small gathering. Tokimi chuckled. "Really and I thought she might actually be a problem, but then it seems that she was only pretending to be a goddess." "How could you Tokimi!" sounded an enraged Washu. "She wasn't even ready for that!" "Well that's why it was so... funny." Washu charged and Tokimi pivoted to begin a new combat. The red haired scientist moved in slow mouton, her body exaggerating every step. Ryoko had just returned! JUST RETURNED and now she was dead AGAIN! Why would a woman such as this, one who causes so much destruction and feeds off death, why no HOW could she call Washu sister? The first goddess felt a tear on her eye as she charged her hands for an energy attack. Tokimi simply hung their watching Washu advance. Tokimi simply hung there on the end of an orange rod while her legs thrashed and kicked out around her. The evil goddess screamed. "What is this?" "Damn for an age-old goddess you sure are pretty stupid auntie Tokimi," Ryoko addressed her relative who hung from the end of her beam sword. "I may not know how to be an omnipotent being but I think that even after 700 years of exile I still make one hell of a space pirate." With her extended palm Ryoko charged an energy bolt and let it fly at point blank range. The explosion rocked the arena Washu had constructed and cracks began to open in the floor. After the smoke dissipated there was nothing left except for Ryoko standing like a statue, power blade in hand. "She's not dead!" screamed a frightened Washu. "I know," said Ryoko. "She's right behind me." Tokimi ceased charging her attack. "But how?" she stammered. "Not only can I sense your every move at this range but Tsunami also telepathically told me what you would do a minute before I even impaled you on my sword. She also had this great idea. Something about a family reunion here where a certain unnamed goddess gets striped of her powers." "NO! NOT I! I AM LADY TOKIMI!" "Well you're not Meg Ryan that's for sure," mouthed a serious Washu. A blue light shown next to the scientist and Sasami appeared. "I hope I'm not to late," said Tsunami. "This cannot happen!" Lady Tokimi sighted Ryoko. "Where did you get all of this power?" "You gave it to me." "WhAt!?" Ryoko let her wrists hang forward to show Tokimi the gem's that made their homes there. "Those gems! All of Washu's power!" "Has been reawakened," Washu articulated. "Then that's impossible! There are only three goddesses in existence there can never be more!" Ryoko knew she had Tokimi against the ropes. "Exactly that's why your existence will be nullified... demon." "No! Washu help me! I'm your sister," claimed Tokimi. "Not one that I ever remember having until about a week ago, besides we didn't like each other in the first place. That was the reason why we spilt. Don't you remember?" "Damn you sister! Damn you to hell!" Washu brought her palm to bear before Tokimi. "Don't call me that," she said. Tokimi's form began to tremble and shake. Electricity shot from one part of her body to another the purple beams formed arcs and lines that danced across her features. Half of Tokimi's body began to fade. "NO!" Another half vanished from existence. "PLEASE!" All that remained now was a floating head warped in anguish. "SISTER!" "I just told you never to call me that!" Poof, and that was it. Tokimi was gone. In the air before Washu four purple gems appeared and clattered to the ground. "There she is." Washu took a step forward and picked the gems from off the stone floor. "She looks better that way," Ryoko joked. "Guess I wasn't much help was I?" Tenchi looked at the sword hilt in his hand and back to Washu. "Well we wouldn't have wanted to leave you out now would we Tenchi?" Washu chuckled at her own joke. "OH TENCHI!" Ryoko glided over to wrap her arms around the young man's neck. "You came all this way just to see me didn't you?" "He most certainly did not!" Ayeka stepped in. "Hey back off princess he was yours for a whole week!" But Ayeka wasn't listening to Ryoko anymore. Sasami and herself were both kneeling on the ground next to Kentaro. "Are you all right mister Kentaro?" Ayeka asked as she grasped his shoulders. "Yes Ayeka I am fine." He looked into her eyes. "Thank you," he said. "Hey Ayeka! Sasami! Don't worry about him he's tough!" shouted Ryoko. Ayeka smiled. "So I see." >>CHAPTER ELEVEN<< "Advent of the new goddess" Fat and orange, the carrots came out of the ground with surprising simplicity as Tenchi labored the day away in the fields. "Yesterday was just CRAZY wasn't it Ryo-Ohki?" "Meow!" "I still don't recall it all, there was just something very strange about how things happened. I mean sure fighting Kagato was weird and so was running through Doctor Clay's space ship, but.... I don't know." "Meow!" "I'm sure you understand it all don't you cutie?" "Meow!" "That's what I thought." Water from the onsen bathed Ryoko in its warm embrace while she glided along beneath it. All of her movements were more sluggish and graceful as the water distorted her perception of the world around her. Every single drop of water felt like a finger on her naked body and she was relaxed. When she returned to the surface and opened her eye's Ryoko saw Washu smiling at her from the edge of the huge pool. "What's so funny?" "Oh nothing is funny Ryoko dear I just have to smile at all the memories that you bring back to me." "Mom what are you talking about?" "Ryoko dear I think you should come with me. There's something I think you should see." The subspace lab was dark and dim like it usually was whenever Ryoko came in. She saw two chairs in front of her and took the one on the right for her own. "So what is this all about?" "Oh I just figured we should have a family movie night once and awhile," Washu sounded happy. "After all it's been about 5,000 years hasn't it?" "5,000 years since what?" Washu sat beside her baby girl and waved her hand. One of the familiar clear black screens appeared before the two women. "Nino you bumbling bucket of bolts! You need to take the lens cap off of the camera before you can film anything!" "Hey that's your voice," Ryoko said to her mother. "Oh yes, sorry Ma'am," a mechanical voice answered. The screen quickly changed from black into a world of reds, grays, blues, and greens. Washu was squatting down on a gray metal floor wearing her cargo shorts and black science academy top. Her hair was pulled back from her face and tied back leaving a fall of bright red behind the young scientist. "Got it?" The Washu on the screen asked. "Yes Ma'am we are ready to roll," commented the mechanical voice. "Good," said Washu and she turned back away from the screen to look ahead of her. "Lady's and gentlemen of his majesty's Royal Science Academy, I present to you the boldest and most advanced experiment of all time. It is infinitely complicated in its structure and infinitely primitive in its production. With great honor now I give you this miraculous miracle of hard work and time tested patience! Tada!" The Washu used her arms to motion to something off the screen. She held the pose for a moment and then opened her eyes and gazed in the direction of her upheld arms. "Ryoko come on over here!" she whispered. "Come on honey pie, come to your Mama!" A little foot in a small cyan slipper appeared at the end of the screen. Ryoko's eyes widened. A small toddler in a white baby dress moved clumsily into view. She had small hands and a small body and quite a bit of trouble taking steps but the cyan tresses that Ryoko say were none other than her own... just a little smaller. "Come he! re my sweet thing! Come on!" The Washu on the screen encouraged the little girl on the screen. The little Ryoko on the screen. "Washu...." Ryoko's voice died out and her eyes filled with tears. "Washu it's... its us." "Yes Ryoko it is." The Ryoko on the screen took two final shaky steps and fell into the Washu's arms. "Such a good girl!" The Washu praised and tossed the Ryoko up into the air and caught her again. "Wonderful performance," said the mechanical voice and then the tape went blank. "There are more like them," Washu looked at her daughter. The scientist's eyes began to grow hazy. "We were a happy family of three. Just you and me and the robot Nino. My lab was a bit more cozy back then but this is still it. This is the place where you were born and first learned to walk. This is where you grew into an impressive young woman. But you probably don't remember those day do you?" "No mother I don't." "Well neither did I until I found these on the night after your funeral. Kagato must have done something to us to make us forget." "Yes he must have." Ryoko leaned back in her seat and wiped her eyes as another video began on the overhead screen. She really raised me, Ryoko reflected back on the images Washu had shown her earlier that day. The calm waters of the lake helped ease her mind as she thought about what she had seen on the viewer. How strange, how very, very strange. A stick cracked from behind and Ryoko turned from the waters of the lake to see Ayeka behind her. "Hi Ayeka." "Good morning Ryoko," the Jurian princess greeted. "I need to speak to you." "Sure, about what?" "About you. Ryoko I want you to know that after you seemingly passed on I was very sad to see you go. It hurt me very much and I meditated about all the mean and nasty things I had said to you. Now I would just like to say that I am sorry. As things happen to stand I believe that you are one of the best friends that I have ever had." "Its funny Ayeka but I felt the same way. There is always a place inside my heart for you." "Good Ryoko, it makes me glad to hear you say that, but there is something else we should discus." "What?" "It's about what you did to Tenchi last night." "Oh that! Hahaha! Come on princess you know nothing happened!" "Well yes I guess I do," Ayeka looked out and across the lake. "By the way where is that son of yours?" "You mean Kentaro? Well he said that he had to travel back to another dimension to pick up some things that he left behind. The boy plans to live with us from now on." "REALLY!?" Ayeka practically jumped out of her shoes. "Yeah, why?" "Oh no reason, no reason at all. Ryoko can you tell me, does he have... well you know, someone that is... close to him?" "Other than me?" "I don't mean in a family sense you battle ax." "Hey why don't you-! Oh-ho-ho-ho! No I don't think that there is anyone in his life 'like that'. Why do you ask?" "Oh no reason. No reason at all." >>EL FIN<< Well looks like she's all done! Hope you've enjoyed my tale reader. To all of you that sent me support after you read the first ones I send my thanks. Long live the Tenchi line a thing of pure happiness in my life.