Tenchi Muyo Fan Fiction ❯ Choices and Consequences ❯ Bondage and Pain ( Chapter 9 )

Tenchi Muyo: Choices & Consequences: Bondage and Pain

I do not own Tenchi Muyo, or any of its characters or ideas, but I wish I did. As for this story, it was written as a sort of what if, while I wait for OVA 3 and GXP to be released stateside. I started on this after wondering, what if he actually did make a choice? For those that have read the "True Tenchi Novels" that detail the backgrounds on the characters, I have not read those. I guess you could say that this is an AU as I have made certain decisions on their backgrounds to fit my story. And if the Character appear OOC, there is a good reason.

I want to send a very BIG THANKS out to Doug Dennis, Top Quark (Shadow Quark) and Chendzeea Li for helping me with this story.

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From Last time:

Out in space near Saturn, an old man looked at his display. "Sir everything is ready," called one of the crewmen from behind him.

"Very well," he acknowledged before stepping into the light. The gray, curled ends of his beard had similarities to the tendrils of a certain sea creature. Scanning his displays once more, the old man finally gave the order. "Ok, activate the gems, and bring her here. I want her kept immobile, but not harmed."

"Aye Sir!" Chorused around the bridge, and his henchmen began working on their terminals.

"Soon Washu! You and that boy will feel my vengeance!" The ship shuddered once as it came to life, journeying out of the ice belt. From their hiding spot in the dark side of the planet, their cover made it impossible for them to monitor the earth all of the time.

Back on Earth the four were still at the shrine, "Tenchi you understand that we still have to have the duel, honor still demands it."

"Yes grandfather I know, I…" he trailed off as Ryoko fell to her knees. "Ryoko?"

"AHHH!!! DAMN IT! It hurts…." Her head lifted up and there was a green tint to her eyes.

"Ryoko!" they all shouted. Yosho readied himself for a fight; he knew those green eyes quite well. Tenchi tried to put his hand on her shoulder but she shoved it away, only hate and malice lined her features now. She looked all around before she flew up into the air and disappeared.

"RYOKO!" Tenchi shouted again, desperately, but his plea was only answered by the wind.

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And now

Tenchi Muyo: Choices & Consequences: Bondage and Pain

In the distance, they could hear the familiar cry of Ryo-Ohki, but this time her cry filled them with sadness, for her mourning and tears could be heard. Her cries of sadness echoed over the hills, but she was not seen, and neither was Ryoko. Tenchi, Ayeka and Yosho stood there for several minutes looking up to where Ryoko had disappeared. A sense of dread passed through them, but none knew what really was going on.

"Tenchi…" Ayeka asked quietly, "What happened?"

"I don't know… I hope Washu will know."

As if on cue a black portal appeared in front of them and Washu jumped out. "Ryoko… Where is she?"

Tenchi pointed up to the sky; "She screamed again, then she left…" He shook his head trying to clear his confusion. "What's going on?"

"I don't know yet, but a few moments ago my sensors picked up a ship near Saturn…" Her voice dropped off and the three were sure that she was scared of what she saw.

"And?" Tenchi prodded.

"And, the ship… is the Soujya," the scientist finished quietly.

"WHAT? No way! I destroyed that thing!" He screamed at her.

"It's been rebuilt… And…."

"And?" Ayeka asked when Tenchi's voice failed him.

Her head fell when she told them, "And… I detected the controlling gems on it."

"Controlling gems?"

"Yes, they were designed by him to control and pull power from Ryoko's gems."

"AYEKA!!! TENCHI!!!" The two turned to see Sasami running towards them crying. They did not even have to guess, they knew from earlier that Ryo-Ohki was gone too.

"What are we going to do now?" The elder princess asked.

Looking back up at the sky Tenchi decided, "The same thing we always do, we go after her."

"This is getting to be a bad habit," Ayeka mumbled dryly.

"Washu…" Tenchi started to say, but he wasn't sure what to ask.

"Miss Washu," Yosho broke in, "Isn't there a way to prevent her from begin controlled?"

Washu huffed, "Yes, but she won't let me do it."

"Why not?" Sasami asked her eyes still full of tears.

Ayeka cut the petite scientist a disapproving look, "Because she won't just do what she needs to and has to torment Ryoko by leaving her in the dark and locked up over night," Washu looked back at Ayeka disdainfully. "Ryoko told me what you did to her before, she told us all. That's why she's scared of the dark and being alone." Ayeka was beyond angry, "all of this could have been avoided if Washu had actually acted like a mother, and not a scientist. I've listened to her at nights, the crying, and the whimpering. Even with both Tenchi and I there, she's still scared."

"I apologized for that already!" Washu shouted, but it didn't even faze the princess.

"How could you! You did this to her! You let her be controlled and… and… AHHH!" She could not continue her rant as a sharp pain went thorough her stomach.

"Ayeka!" Tenchi and Sasami went to her side to hold her up.

"Tenchi… what's… AH! Wrong…" She continued to hold herself, but the pain was increasing.

Moving closer, Washu took Sasami's place and placed her hand on the princess' stomach. "It looks like the stress is causing contractions. We need to get you to my lab."

"What? It's not time yet… I still have two months…" Another sharp pain cut her protest short.

"Washu," she looked over at Tenchi. "Take her to the lab; since Ryoko took Ryo-Ohki I'm going to get Mihoshi and we will go after Ryoko in her ship."

"Tenchi…" He looked down at Ayeka when she called to him. "Bring her back…"

"I will, just go with Washu, ok?" She nodded her head and he turned to Sasami, "Go with your sister, she'll need you too."

"Ok Tenchi."

The three girls vanished inside the portal and Tenchi started to run to the house when Yosho stopped him. "Tenchi!"

"Not now grandfather."

"Yes now." Tenchi turned to see his grandfather smiling. "You have grown a lot since yesterday, but there is still much you have to learn."

"I know, but I have to go get her."

"That is not what I mean, when you fight, it is all or nothing, if you stop before you are done, then you will surely loose."

"What?" he looked at his grandfather confused, but then when Yosho turned away, Tenchi shrugged his shoulders and ran down the steps to the house. Bursting into the house, he saw Mihoshi watching the TV, as usual. "Mihoshi!"

"Ahhh!!" She jumped up screaming.

"Sorry, I need to borrow your ship."

"Huh? My ship, but you can't go anywhere with it, it's strictly prohibited for anyone besides a Galaxy Police officer to fly the ship…"

"OK!" He said interrupting her, "Will you take me in it?"

"Take you…" She suddenly blushed, "Oh Tenchi I thought you'd never ask… but this is kind of forward, and you said that you were married to Ayeka and Ryoko… how would they feel if I was to do that?"

"What?" He thought about what he said and groaned, "No, I need you to help me… someone's kidnapped Ryoko!"

"Kidnapped? But she's not a kid anymore… I know to Washu she is, but she's over five-thousand years old and…"

"MIHOSHI!" She stopped and looked at him scared, which caused him to regret yelling at her, but he had to do something. "Look, someone has taken Ryoko against her will; we need to go after them… will you help me?"

"Oh, of course I will!" she grabbed her cube and giving it a quick turn she was dressed in her uniform, then with another they both were aboard her ship. "Do you know which way they went?"

He shook his head sadly, "NO, but I know Ryo-Ohki was flying, can you track her?"

Washu interrupted, "That won't be necessary," a view screen appeared with her face on it.

"Why's that?"

"Whoever took over Ryoko's body is using her to have Ryo-Ohki fly away from the planet, but Ryo-Ohki's sending back a beacon for someone to follow. Seems this time Ryo-Ohki isn't completely under their control too, but she is still obeying Ryoko."

"Do they know she is?" Mihoshi asked the ship when it took off into the air and Tenchi held onto the chair as though his life depended on it.

"I don't see how they couldn't… I think anyone in three systems can pick up her distress signal," Washu shrugged and Tenchi had a very bad feeling.

"So we're flying into a trap?" Mihoshi added while rubbing her chin thinking. This action had both Tenchi and Washu watching her carefully. "Ok!" She squealed happily, "Let's get going!"

Washu fell over and out of view while Tenchi fell back into a chair groaning. "Why did I think things would be different…"

"Yukinojo!" Mihoshi called sweetly. Tenchi watched a metallic head dropped down from the ceiling.

"Yes Miss Mihoshi."

"HI! Um, are you picking up a signal?"

"If you mean the Distress Signal sent by the Ryo-Ohki, then yes. I have plotted our course to follow them, but they are moving faster than we can, so we will have to wait for them to stop to catch up."

"Oh good!"

"Can't we take a short cut or something?" Tenchi asked.

"Mihoshi, regulation specifically states that no-one but Officers are allowed on the bridge unless given special permission by Galaxy Police Headquarters."

Tenchi stepped forward, 'If Ryoko can accept her being a princess, then I can be a prince for a moment,' he thought then looked at the small head. "I am Prince Tenchi Masaki, Grandson of Yosho Jurai and Heir to the Throne of Jurai. I know you are under orders to accept commands from the Royal Family as well."

The little head had a bead of sweat running down its head and Tenchi had to wonder if a machine could really do that. "Yes Your Highness… I apologize… please make yourself comfortable." It then looked at Mihoshi, "Is this the Tenchi you were talking about before?" She nodded her head smiling and Tenchi swore he heard the thing gulp, even though it didn't have a throat.

The ship took off much faster than it had ever left the planet in the past, with a Jurai Prince on board it wanted to make up for it's previous mistake. Tenchi was grateful about it, even if he hated using his title to force someone, well in this case something, to do what he wanted. Following the beacon, Tenchi was able to find out that it was making a straight line for Saturn, so there were no possible shortcuts.

"Miss Mihoshi…" The robot named Yukinojo queried.

"Yes?"

"The signal has stopped, but the last known location was by Saturn, there appears to be a ship of some sort near there that the Ryo-Ohki has docked with."

"Is the ship moving?" Tenchi asked, and he was relieved when the ship responded no. "Ok, that should be the rebuilt Soujya from what Washu said earlier…"

"But that's impossible, during our reports to headquarters they said that the parts were confiscated and locked away!" Yukinojo protested, and Tenchi was sure had the thing had arms it would have been flailing them about.

"Look for yourself, what ship is it?" Both Mihoshi and Yukinojo were surprised to see that the Soujya had been rebuilt.

On board the Soujya, Ryoko had landed and was holding a scared cabbit. Ryo-Ohki wanted to leave, and since she was not being controlled this time it would have been easy, but she couldn't leave without Ryoko. However, she was able to hiss at the man who came to greet them. "Ah Zero, you have returned," he said though no one answered him. "Oh I see, you still believe that you are Ryoko then, very well…" he waved his had towards someone that Ryo-Ohki could not see; though the effect was immediate.

"AHHH!" Ryoko fell to her knees holding her head, and with the pain being shared between them, Ryo-Ohki too could not move either.

"Kagato has a marvelous ship, even better than my old ship. Surely, you remember you way around Ryoko." Through the pain, the girl nodded her head. "Good, I want you to go to the observatory, where you will find we have made many improvements. And, if you try anything," he pointed a finger at Ryo-Ohki, "then you will only be hurting her more."

Ryo-Ohki wanted to kill this man, with every part of her being she wanted to rip him apart. But she couldn't move. Ryoko was holding her again, and if she moved then Ryoko would be hurt even more, and so helplessly and hopelessly, she allowed Ryoko to carry her, while he laughed. Upon entering the observation room, Ryo-Ohki could see a small room at the far end. One that she knew was their destination. Desperately she tried again and again to reach Ryoko mentally, but nothing worked. She could only hope that someone could follow her signal.

"Sir," a voice called out as Ryoko stepped into the small room. From her perch, Ryo-Ohki watched someone approached the object of her hatred.

"Yes?"

"A Galaxy Police ship is approaching, they followed that things distress signal," he said pointing to Ryo-Ohki and she hissed at him too.

"DAMN those police! Tell me whose ship it is?" He demanded and Ryo-Ohki finally recognized him as Clay, the one that had kidnapped Ryoko before and replaced her with Zero.

'Zero, that's it!' she happily thought. 'Zero, can you hear me…' she called mentally. It was a long shot, but she hoped that she might be able to reach her.

'Yes, what's going on? Ryoko's scared… How can I hear you?'

For the first time since this started Ryo-Ohki smiled albeit inwardly. 'At least she's not alone this time.' She thought to herself. 'We have to get out of here,' she told Zero.

'I know, but how? What's Clay doing?' Ryo-Ohki noticed the hate associated with her previous masters' name, much like how Ryoko felt about Kagato.

'I don't know… Tenchi will save us,' she hoped.

"Sir, we've identified the ship as the Yukinojo, registered to Detective First Class, Mihoshi Kuramitsu."

"OHHH THAT WOMAN!" He screamed, and Ryo-Ohki felt a strange sense of gratification at his obvious discomfort. "Blast her to pieces!"

"Aye sir!"

'NO!' Ryo-Ohki cried out mentally in terror. Not even Mihoshi's ship could hope to last long against the Soujya.

Countless numbers of energy beams lanced out towards Mihoshi's craft from the Soujya. From inside the ship Mihoshi cried out, "Stop shooting! It's a crime to shoot at a Galaxy Police officer… if you don't stop shooting I'm going to have to place you under arrest!" Tenchi watched wide eyed as she jerked the control stick in many different ways tossing the ship around so much he was beginning to get sick.

'Zero, please… tell Ryoko that Tenchi's in trouble,' Ryo-Ohki tried.

'Tenchi? How do you know?'

'I don't think he'd let Mihoshi go alone… I know he's with her.'

'Ok…' the voice said, then all went quiet inside their little room. Ryo-Ohki watched Ryoko stand there unmoving. It felt like hours, though it was only a minute before she got a reaction. She was dropped to the floor when Ryoko grabbed her head screaming.

Clay and the others turned to see Ryo-Ohki lying on the floor holding her ears closed while Ryoko continued to scream, her pitch getting higher and higher, as did her volume. Though neither noticed they got their desired effect, the gunners had to stop shooting in order to hold their ears. Even Clay was in pain from Ryoko's inhuman screams. Clay may have been in pain, but he was not without his resources. Slamming his fist down on a button, a shield enveloped the small room muting out Ryoko's screams. Standing back up he watched; Ryoko seemed to scream for about another five minutes causing the walls of the shield to vibrate before she collapsed to the ground.

"I see, so she's broken through the control…" he hit a few buttons on a panel and the floor began to glow beneath Ryoko. She looked up at him, this time Ryoko's eyes had returned to normal, and he could see the heavy amounts of pain her eyes promised him if she ever got out of there. She tried to stand, but the glow from the floor only increased. Pressing something, he began to speak into a microphone, "I see you have broken the control, but it's no matter. You see the floor is absorbing your powers, soon you and your creature will be nothing but energy." Clay laughed and watched Ryoko saying something to him, but the shield prevented him from hearing it.

Looking over at Ryo-Ohki, Ryoko crawled to her, since she was still unable to stand. "Ryo-Ohki?" But the cabbit still had her ears covered. 'Ryo-Ohki?' She tried mentally.

'Ryoko?' she responded quietly.

'Yes, I'm here, I'm sorry.'

'It's ok… Tenchi… will be here soon.'

"The Yukinojo has broken through the outer defenses; they're aboard the ship now, a male… and the officer."

Thinking about it, he decided on a plan. "Clear everyone out of the room, and make sure they find their way here."

"Sir are you sure that is wise?"

Clay glared at the man, and then pulling something out from under his cloak, he fired it at the officer, incinerating him on the spot. "Next time I won't be so nice if anyone questions my orders!" The others did as they were told and setup a number of blockades to make sure Mihoshi and the male made their way to him. Turning to his prisoners, he turned on his microphone, "I'm sure you felt that, that was your power after all." He grinned and she began to curse at him, he didn't need a microphone to tell what she was saying. "Now now, don't worry… soon you won't feel any more pain," with that he cut the communication, but he made sure she could see. 'Zero and that Ryoko won't take me by surprise this time.'

He looked at the two in their cage, 'Kagato did a marvelous job on it, but these emotions get in its way,' he thought and then laughed. 'Imagine the great Washu calling this thing her daughter, it's obviously flawed.' After the last of his men left the room, Clay started to get things ready for his visitors. He smiled at finally being able to meet the boy that could create the Light Hawk Wings, even if he was going to have to kill him. It was unbelievable to him, the ship, its power and abilities, but what he loved the most was Kagato's research. Several of the computer systems had been the original ones and they contained a vast wealth of knowledge that Kagato had accumulated. 'I should have done something like this ages ago, he's collected more information than I have ever seen!' He thought in awe of the former pirate. 'Too bad this boy killed him; I would have liked this man.'

"Tenchi… which way do we go!" Wailed Mihoshi as they ducked under a steady stream of energy fire.

"I don't know, but we can't go this way." He looked around and saw an opening, "in there quick!" The two of them began ducking and weaving their way through the corridors, avoiding the heavy concentration of fire coming at them, but Tenchi couldn't help but feel that they were being led into a trap. 'Well grandfather said that knowing about a trap is the best way to avoid one… but how am I going to avoid this?'

It did not take long for the two of them to reach a large set of double doors. He looked at the doors and felt a chill run down his spine. However, they could not go beyond the doors, up the hall he could hear the footsteps of dozens of soldiers. From behind them, energy fire was still blasting into the walls nearby and Tenchi knew what was going on. 'Damn it… it's too late,' he thought. If they went forward, then they would be caught between in crossfire from both sides. The only other direction was inside this room. "Mihoshi, get ready…"

"Why? Which way are we…" she fell as an energy blast tore through the space her head should have been in. "Ouch…" she mumbled from the floor, though Tenchi was glad she wasn't truly hurt.

Grabbing her arm Tenchi thrust his back against the doors, throwing one of them open he pulled her into the room with him. Both of them landed on the floor hard, but he didn't let himself stay there. Forcing his body to move, he yanked himself off the floor pulling her up with him. Getting to his feet Tenchi scanned the room and could see at one end Ryoko and Ryo-Ohki locked in a force field of some sort. "Ryoko!" he screamed, and though she was looking at him and moving her lips, he could not hear her words.

"Ah so nice of you to join us," A voice called from the shadows.

"Who's there? Release Ryoko or I'll…"

"You'll what? Let me live? Let me go free? I doubt that." Tenchi cursed himself; he hadn't thought that far ahead yet. "Ah, detective Mihoshi…" A loud clang sounded behind them and Tenchi knew the door was locked without even turning around.

Mihoshi looked at this man; something was familiar about him. "What do you want?"

"You destroyed my life, my work, everything I had…" he stepped into the light and she could see who it was. And as the recognition set in, he brought up his arm pointing his hand at her. "For taking away everything I had…" A green pulse of energy appeared in front of him and it began to glow before it raced away from his hand towards the girl. Mihoshi could only scream in fright as it approached her, but Tenchi moved.

Seeing the blast headed for Mihoshi, Tenchi reacted and pushed her out of the way while trying to dodge it himself. Ryoko screamed in pain, the energy Clay was firing had come from her, but she had not felt anything like this, it was as if a part of her was in the blast. She looked back up to see that Mihoshi was lying on the ground, and so was Tenchi.

When he had pushed Mihoshi out of the way, her head had hit some of the computer controls knocking her unconscious in the process. However, Tenchi had not been able to dodge the blast. His entire left side was hurting. 'Oh gods… what happened…' he tried to lift himself up, but his left side was not responding to his movements. His right was responding, albeit slowly. Looking up he could see Clay preparing for another attack, from behind clay, he could see Ryoko. Her tears and screams told him all he needed to know. She was in pain, and it was because of Clay… looking at the deranged scientist he could tell that another blast was coming soon.

Focusing though his pain he remembered his grandfathers words, 'when you fight, it is all or nothing, if you stop before you are done, then you will surely loose.' He felt like he had already lost, it hurt to move, to breathe to do anything. But he had to do something.

Ryoko looked on in horror. Tenchi was on his back, blood spilling out onto the floor from his wounds. The wounds made her sick to even look at them. The blast clay had fired had taken out the wall behind Tenchi, and several other walls. However, what make her truly angry was that Tenchi had been hurt. From her position, she could see that his left leg and left arm were missing. The wounds were still open and blood was spilling out quickly. "Tenchi… Tenchi!!" She closed her eyes, and screamed, "TENCHI!"

The next blast Clay pulled even more energy as he laughed, Ryoko could feel her very essence being pulled away from her, and though she wanted to die with him, she would not loose him this way. She began to fight it, with everything she had left in her. Calling it all back to her, Ryoko concentrated on her essence, her love for Tenchi.

"Tenchi!" Ryoko screamed and stood up in her cage… all her power flowing out and back into her. She would not let this happen.

Releasing the energy Clay was building up; he intended to destroy the boy before he could summon the wings. And he smiled with satisfaction when the bolt slammed into Tenchi.

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To be continued…

I know it is cruel to stop here…

I could always use help with pre-reading the story before the next chapter is posted. If you would like to help please go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ffru/
I have the next several chapters posted there for my beta readers to help me on.