Tenchi Muyo Fan Fiction ❯ Autumn of Life ❯ Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

"Tenchi!!!!!!!" Ryoko wailed a cry of pain that seemingly reverberated throughout the known universe. He heart exploded along with that ship. She clutched her chest as if to squeeze the hurt right out of her body, but to no avail. Her world was hers alone-Washu, Ryo-Ohki, no one else existed at that one solitary moment of grief. Nothing existed but silence and the wicked pain of loss which shred her heart into a million pieces. Ryoko fell to her knees in tears.

The pirate had no time for sorrow. After Ryo-Ohki's blast obliterated Clay's second ship, the wreckage, gasses and debris suddenly withdrew back into the center of the explosion. Instead of expanding from the blast, the ship began to implode, collapsing upon itself like a dying star.

"Ryoko……get…..to…..the controls! Now!" Washu ordered her daughter in an attempt to snap her out of her grief if only for a moment to save themselves from their own pending doom. "Ryoko!"

"Washu?" She was numb but this state was not foreign to her. Ryoko had felt this before once, a long time ago. She remembered the pain Kagato had caused her when he destroyed the Ryo-Ooh. Tenchi had died that day as well.

"Stand aside!" In an instant, red-haired Washu took command of the ship. "Ryo-Ohki! We've got to get out of here, quick!"

"Miyaaaaaaaa….." The little cabbit-ship cried in her own pain from wounds Clay had inflicted upon her. She was so scared-scared she was the one that killed Tenchi and Ayeka. She was scared for her mommy too. Because they were linked mentally, Ryo-Ohki felt every ounce of Ryoko's pain.

"I know, sweety, I know, but that's ship is going to implode and either drag us into it or incinerate us with the final wave after the implosion. Ryo-Ohki!"

"Miya, miya, miya!" The cabbit uttered with excitement. She had found something in space, something that felt familiar.

"Look! A small craft!" Washu's eyes widened at the possibilities. "Ryo-Ohki! Can you lock onto it and put the petal to the metal and get us out of here?"

"Miiiiiiiyyyyyaaaaa!" It was done.

Kilometers away from the cabbit-ship, a mere jaunt in the relativity of space, Clay's Ganali ship, or what was left of it, collapsed upon itself. Silence.

Then with the ferocity of a raging river, a shot rang through space and time. The shock wave propelled all objects in the vicinity of the craft outward through space like the ripples on a pond created from a stone tossed through the surface of the water. Ryo-Ohki was traveling at just about the fastest speed she could ever remember. Still, the expanding circle of energy that emanated from the destroyed ship grew ever close.

"C'mon, C'mon!" Washu grit her teeth as she monitored the wave chasing them.

"Oooops! What's going on? Ryoko?" Mishoshi's ever pleasant face appeared on one of the view screens.

"Mihoshi! Get out of here!" Washu replied as Ryoko stared into space.

"Ummmmm kay…..Yukinojo?"

"Complying, Mihoshi, strap yourself down…." Her robot replied.

Two ships, one with a craft in tow, zipped through space in an attempt to escape the wave of energy flowing toward them. One the bridge of Ryo-Ohki, the space pirate, Ryoko, sat calm and reflective as she watched the blue ripple of energy catch up to her. He was gone, destroyed like a piece of paper crumpled up in your hands. Ayeka too, was gone, never to fight with her over Tenchi's love. For a split second, jealously ran through her mind. She was jealous that the princess had died with Tenchi and she had not.

"Damn you, Ayeka," She uttered. But as soon as it appeared, that envy slipped back into the pain of loss. Ryoko loved that boy more than her own life. She watched him grow from a child to a kind young man. Years before he had released her from her prison in that cave, she had managed to project herself outside to watch him play. She comforted him in silence when his mother died. She watched him mature until that wonderful day he had stolen his grandfather's keys to the gate on the cave and made his way in to find her tomb. For seven hundred years, she had waited, waited for the day of her release so she could seek vengeance upon his grandfather, Yosho for imprisoning her, Kagato's servant, in the cold waters of hell in that cave. Tenchi freed her and to her surprise, he freed her from that hate as well. Now all she knew was love, love for that simple boy with brown hair and chocolate eyes. However, she loved only a sweet memory, her prince was dead and she wished she could join him.

"Ok, hang on people! Contact with the residual energy in Five, Four, Three….Two……" Washu called out as the ship rolled and lurched with the oncoming wave.

It was over. Quiet. Dark. Alone.

"Washu! Are we dead?" Mihoshi's voice wailed once more over the communication screen on Ryo-Ohki.

"Hahahahahah! Not with the greatest pilot in the universe at the helm!" She jumped with joy. "Great work Ryo-Ohki!"

"Miyaaaaaa…….." The cabbit answered weakly.

"Right, honey…….Mihoshi, we're coming aboard, she's injured."

"Ok, Yukinojo, assist them……Washu? Where's Tenchi?"

"Mihoshi? Don't forget the object we were towing….."

A solitary tear fell down Ryoko's cheek and fell to the silver surface of the floor.

***

"Miya!"

"Hold still. You really shouldn't wiggle so much….I can't get the bandage on you!" Mihoshi held the soft, brown, half cat, half rabbit creature in her arms and attempted to bandage her left paw. "You took a bad beating you know….."

"Thank you Mihoshi." Washu put a comforting hand on the blonde galaxy police officer's shoulder.

"Miss Washu, will Ryoko, be alright?"

"She's a tough bird, Mihoshi, we'll see. Now, bring Ryo-Ohki and let's see what or hopefully who is in that pod! Ryoko?"

"Huh?" The pirate answered.

"Little Ryoko, come with us, please?" Ryoko obeyed and slowly followed the others into the docking bay.

The room was filled with steam and smoke from the craft. It was barely the size of a golf cart and round with a small round porthole in the front. It was brown and smooth and reminded Mihoshi of those wonderful cups she and her partner Kiyone used to drink their warm green tea from so many years ago.

"Hmmmmmm." Washu murmured and sat down in mid air. Before she had time to fall on her bottom, a purple velvet cushion materialized beneath her and levitated her body in comfort. The child-like scientist snapped her fingers and an opaque laptop computer appeared before her. She began typing furiously upon the glowing keys.

"Well, we have a life form and ladies, it is Juraian!"

"Let me in!" Ryoko flew toward what seemed to be the door of the pod. Her heart skipped a beat when she heard the word Juraian. Her Tenchi could be in there, he could be….alive. She clenched her right hand into a tight ball and with a zip and a whiff of ozone, her orange light saber appeared as she made her way to slash open the pod door. She stopped dead in her tracks a foot from the porthole.

Blood. Four bright red streaks smeared upon the glass of the window brought all Ryoko's hope to a screeching halt. She extinguished her sword and with a shaking hand, fingered the crimson marks. She shivered as she examined the stain on her finger and she knew. Ryoko knew this was Tenchi's blood. She did not understand how, but she knew. And with that realization, the woman fell to her knees.

"Ryoko?" Washu popped off of the cushion and made her way to the pod, she also saw the blood. She examined the door carefully and found what appeared to be a release lever and she moved it slowly.

With a rush of steam, the door opened. Washu and Mihoshi strained to make out the figure seated behind all the haze. When it had cleared, there sat the Princess crying softly.

"Ayeka!" Mihoshi ran to the Princess' aid after she had placed little Ryo-Ohki on her shoulder. "Let me help you out…..are you hurt?"

"…….Uh…..no….." she replied.

Mihoshi undid the restraints allowing Ayeka to slip feebly out of the craft. The Princess was bruised and weak so she held tightly to Mihoshi's arm.

"T….Thank you, Mihoshi……Washu?" Ayeka's pleaded with Washu in one last hope that she was not the only one rescued. The scientist's eyes confirmed her worst fears.

"Ryoko?" Ayeka saw the pirate kneeling beside her in silence. Ryoko kept her head down, not wanting to see the truth in the princess' eyes. "Ryoko?" She repeated, pleading for comfort, herself. Ayeka knelt down to Ryoko's level and finally caught her eyes. The pirate was in tears.

The two rivals embraced and the floodwalls were released. Tear of loss and pain struck the metal floor as Ryoko and Ayeka consoled each other the only way they knew how, by sharing their mutual grief.