Tenchi Muyo Fan Fiction ❯ Project Pinnacle ❯ No Hard Feelings ( Chapter 5 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Disclaimer: Tenchi Muyo and its characters are property of AIC and
Pioneer. The proceeding story, though based on pre-existing characters, is
the property of the author and may not be reprinted without permission.
All original characters found herein are also the property of the author and
may not be used without permission. (Did that sound official? I hope so.)

Note to Reader: I have omitted a few minor characters, because their
appearances would not have contributed further to content. This saga is
meant to be read after "The Masato Saga." If you haven't read it you
won't be totally lost, but it helps. I certainly hope this saga is going well
thus far. To be truthful, I'm kind of looking past it to some other projects.
If you have any comments you'd like to make regarding this or any of my
stories, please e-mail me. I always clear out my account regularly to make
sure there's plenty of room for fan mail. (Incidentally, there's still LOTS
of room...)

No Hard Feelings

Chapter 1: Full Disclosure

"Do you know why Washu wants us here?" Kiyone asked to
Tenchi.
"I have no idea," Tenchi replied.
After dinner had concluded that evening, Washu had requested that
everyone meet in the living room. All she had said was that she wanted to
tell them all something. She had adjourned to her lab a few minutes ago,
and had not emerged since.
"Well, from the way she's feeling right now, I think it's pretty
important," Arcese said.
"I wouldn't be too sure about that, if I were you," Ryoko said.
"You'd be surprised what she thinks is important."
"Do you think it has something to do with you, Arcese?" Sasami
asked.
"Why do you think that?" Arcese inquired.
"Well, the last time she had us all meet here," Sasami remembered,
"it was to tell us about you."
Washu emerged from the lab before Arcese could respond. She
carried a folder under her arm, and wore a very dour look on her face.
"Washu, what's all this about?" Kiyone asked.
Washu didn't answer, or even seem to acknowledge Kiyone's
question. She merely plopped the folder on the coffee table and sat in the
last available seat on the sofa. Her eyes were cast down for several
moments.
"Washu?" Arcese asked. He didn't like the feel of her emotions at
that point. They were full of worry.
Washu sighed. "I've got some good news and some bad news,"
she said.
"Well, spit it out!" Ryoko said impatiently.
Washu brought her eyes up from the floor. "The good news," she
began, "is that I have finally and definitively figured out Arcese's past."
Arcese's eyes lit up. "You have?" he asked, bearing his teeth in a
smile. "That's great!"
Washu held up her hand, preempting any celebration that might
have ensued. "The bad news," she continued, "is that you won't like it."
The smile vanished from Arcese's face. "Why not?" he asked.
Washu took the file from the table and opened it. She decided to
skip pleasantries and be blunt; there was no way she could sugarcoat this
news. "Do you all remember Dr. Weisz?" she asked.
Understandably, everyone's face adapted a look of shock and
surprise. Except for Arcese, who was not familiar with that name. Ryoko
winced in anger at the remembrance of what Dr. Weisz had put her
through. His creation, Cage, had almost destroyed her. It made sense
now, considering the source of the synthetic being, why Arcese was
originally programmed to kill her. Arcese was Dr. Weisz's latest tool to
fulfill his desire to gain fame and recognition by killing Ryoko.
"Are you saying that Arcese was created by Dr. Weisz?" Ayeka
asked.
"Yes," Washu confirmed. "According to some of the dates from
the files in Arcese's database, construction on him began very soon after
Tenchi killed Cage."
"Persistent little bastard, isn't he?" Ryoko sneered.
"Unfortunately, that's not all," Washu said sullenly. "Arcese's
files are not secure, meaning that they can be copied. I think we have to
assume that they have been."
"Why is that?" Arcese asked.
"Because, according to your original prime directive," Washu said,
"you were supposed to have killed Ryoko by now. Since she's still alive,
Dr. Weisz has to assume that you have failed. My guess is that he has
copied your files and placed them into another android of similar design."
"But how could Dr. Weisz know that Ryoko is still alive?" Tenchi
asked.
"Yeah, it's not like I'd call this guy up and tell him anything,"
Arcese said.
Washu nodded. "I found something else in Arcese's programming
that is very interesting," she elaborated. "Apparently, Arcese's empathic
abilities were originally designed to only seek out Ryoko's emotional
signature. Whatever accident that caused the deleting of his files must
have also expanded that ability to include everyone. As it turns out,
Ryoko's emotions act as a kind of trigger to Arcese's programming. If
Ryoko's signature is turned off, then Arcese is, too."
"Turned off?" Ryoko asked. "You mean death."
"Yes," Washu answered. "Arcese was programmed to deactivate
once he completed his mission. And, as I said, his files are not secure,
which means that Dr. Weisz is probably tracking his movements through
some remote censor."
"So, he knows where I am?" Arcese asked.
"More than likely," Washu said. "My guess is that he will send
another android to try and kill Ryoko."
Tenchi pursed his lips. "This is not good," he said.
"Well, I'm not too worried about it," Ryoko said. "That last reject
he sent didn't turn out to be too much. I'm sure we'll be able to handle
another one he sends."
Washu looked her square in the eye. "No," she said, "we won't."
"Are you sure?" Ayeka asked. "From what I've seen of Arcese,
it's quite obvious that he has special abilities, but he doesn't seem to be
particularly powerful. If this new android is based on him, I fail to see
how he could pose a problem for us."
"I know," Ryoko cut in. "I mean, I've blown Arcese to kingdom-
come."
"And he's still standing, isn't he?" Washu asked. "The simple fact
of the matter is that Arcese has the potential to generate immense power,
the likes of which I have never seen before."
"Oh, come on," Ryoko said flippantly. "How much stronger can
he be than me?"
Washu once again bit her eyes into Ryoko. "Let me put it this
way," she said. "I developed an arbitrary scale to rate power levels, using
the average human power level as one. Compared to that, Ayeka's full
power level is about three hundred and twenty. Ryoko, your power level is
in the neighborhood of seven hundred. Tenchi's Jurai power can just
about break a thousand. From the data I've gathered, I've found Arcese's
power level, at full potential, to be within the range of about five to ten
thousand."
Just about every jaw in the living room hung open. "How?" Ayeka
asked. "How can someone be that powerful?"
"Washu, are you sure your numbers are right?" Arcese asked.
"I've never fought a day in my life. I wouldn't even begin to know how to
get that kind of power."
"All the information on how to gain your power was erased."
Washu said. "I managed to recover the file, but it was so damaged that it
can no longer integrate with your system."
"Well, who says I want it to?" Arcese asked a little indignantly. "I
don't want to fight."
"Arcese wouldn't hurt anybody," Sasami said.
"As much as I respect Arcese's choice to be nonviolent," Washu
said, "I don't think we have much choice in the matter. If this new android
that Dr. Weisz sends is anything like Arcese, then Arcese is the only one
who stands a chance against him."
"But you said that his fighting files were deleted," Ryoko reminded
her.
"Yeah, I'd have no idea what I'm doing when it comes to fighting,"
Arcese confessed.
"You're going to have to learn," Washu responded.
"Do you think I can?" Arcese asked. "I mean, how much time do
we have before this other android shows up?"
"I don't know," Washu said. "I think we'll have to assume the
worst. We'll begin your training tomorrow."
"Training?" Arcese asked. "With who?"
"Well, considering that Ryoko is the most capable fighter here
when unprovoked, I guess it will be her," Washu answered.
"Me!?" Ryoko snapped back. "You want me to teach the person
who was sent here to kill me how to fight? Why don't I just cover myself
in ketchup and visit the lion cage at the zoo?"
"Ryoko, I'm not going to kill you!" Arcese insisted.
"I still don't trust you," Ryoko said to him. "Not after that stunt
you pulled when Tenchi was in town."
"Oh, don't blame him for that again," Tenchi pleaded. "That was
as much my fault as it was his."
Ryoko continued to leer at Arcese. "I still say you were trying to
get in my pants," she said.
"For the last time, Ryoko, I would never dream of sleeping with
you," Arcese returned.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ryoko asked. "You think I'm
ugly, don't you?"
"I didn't say that!" Arcese said, waving his hands in front of him
defensively. "I'm only saying that, as our relationship stands right now, I
don't want to sleep with you. That's all."
"As our relationship stands right now," Ryoko replied, "I want to
give you a punch in the gut!"
"All the more reason you should train with him," Washu cut in.
"You both start tomorrow. And I won't take 'no' for an answer, Ryoko."
"Then don't expect me to go easy on him," Ryoko said icily. She
turned to Arcese again. "Don't come crying to me when Washu is picking
bits of you up off the forest floor again."
"Washu, are you absolutely sure this is necessary?" Arcese asked,
displeasure evident in his voice.
Washu looked at Arcese with considering eyes. "Arcese, I gave
you the ability to think and feel for yourself," she said. "I fully intended to
allow you to use those abilities to live your own life. However, in this
case, you have no choice. If you don't fight, Ryoko will die."
Washu's words rang in Arcese's ears. All this time he had denied
his original destiny, hoping that it would dissolve into his past. Now, it
had once again come back to haunt him. It seemed that, merely because of
the abilities he had, he had no other alternative than to fight. "Alright," he
sighed, "I'll do it."
"Good," Washu said as she got up. "I'll be observing you while
you train, and I'll help you as much as possible. But, to tell you the truth,
even I'm not completely sure of what you're capable of."
Arcese looked down at the floor dejectedly. Washu noticed as his
normally blue-gray eyes changed to a lighter, more vacant gray. She
walked over and put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry to have to ask
you to do this," she told him. "But, like I said, we really have no other
choice."
Arcese nodded. "I guess I understand," he said.
"We'll start early tomorrow," Washu said as she adjourned to her
lab.
The group in the living room dispersed. As the two made their
way upstairs, Mihoshi asked Kiyone, "So, if this new robot is just like
Arcese, then why is Washu so worried? I mean, Arcese is really friendly."
"But he didn't start out that way," Kiyone said. "Washu made
Arcese the way he is. He started out as Ryoko's assassin."
Arcese overheard the two talking, and winced at Kiyone's
statement. It was hard for him to believe that, at one point in his life, he
had wanted to kill someone. The more he thought about it, the more he
realized that he owed Washu much more than his life.
He felt a tug on his sleeve, and looked down to see Sasami
standing beside him. "Are you really going to fight?" she asked with
concern.
"I have to," Arcese said. "It doesn't look like there's any way
around it. Besides, it's to help all of us, so it won't be so bad."
Sasami hugged him around the waist. "Promise me you'll be
okay," she said.
Arcese put an arm around the pigtailed princess. "Sasami, I don't
know what's going to happen," he said. "All I can say is that I will do
everything that I can to help protect all of you. That I do promise." He
gently pushed her back and knelt down to her eye level. "Hey, don't worry
about it, now. Things may turn out completely differently than Washu
thinks."
Sasami turned her face away. "Washu's never been wrong before,"
she said.
Arcese put a hand to her face and turned her eyes back to his.
Arcese's eyes had turned pink. "Hey, cheer up, kiddo," he said with a
smile. "You heard what Washu was saying about my power level. I can
take care of myself. Don't worry about a thing."
Sasami forced a smile in response. "I guess you're right," she said.
"Just be careful, okay?"
"I will," Arcese assured her. He watched as Sasami went up the
stairs. He hated the fact that anyone was in danger, but he was very glad
that it was not Sasami whose life hung in the balance.

Chapter 2: Training Begins

The sun was barely peeking over the horizon the next morning
when Arcese and Ryoko faced each other on the lawn, Washu standing off
to the side observing. Ryoko shivered as she wrapped her heavy coat
around her more tightly. "You would have to pick the coldest day of the
year for me to train him, wouldn't you?" she asked angrily.
"It's winter," Washu said. "What do you expect? Just fire up
some energy blasts. That'll warm you up."
"I wish Tenchi was here," Ryoko said, clasping her hands. "I never
get cold when he's near me."
"Hey, can we just get this over with?" Arcese asked impatiently.
"I'm not too keen about doing this, either."
"Yes, let's get started right away," Washu insisted. "Now, Arcese,
you do know how to gather some energy, right?"
"Yeah, I can gather enough to fly," he said.
"Okay, go ahead and do that," Washu said.
Arcese tensed and shut his eyes. He began to glow faintly, a pallid,
ghostly blue enveloping him as he absorbed energy. After several
moments, he opened his eyes again. His feet lifted off the ground and he
began to hover in the air. "This is the strongest that I've been able to get
so far," he said.
Washu summoned her computer. The day before she had created a
program to measure power levels remotely according to the arbitrary scale
she devised. According to the program, Arcese had raised his power level
to two hundred and seven; not nearly strong enough to match up against
Ryoko. In fact, it was not as strong as Arcese was able to get; from what
she had seen of him clearing the rainstorm away the day Sasami got sick,
he was capable of much more. However, she did not want to push him too
hard. "I guess that will have to do for now," Washu said. She hoped that,
as Arcese fought, he would learn to gather more energy. "Now try and
attack Ryoko."
With his heart not really in it, Arcese flew towards Ryoko in an
effort to mount some kind of attack. Ryoko made no effort to move as she
watched patiently. Arcese sped up, his fist cocked back to strike. He
brought it forward with as much strength as he could muster. Ryoko
brought her hand up and caught the punch with minimal effort, stopping
its progress cold. She smiled smugly. "You'll have to do better than
that," she said. "Let me show you how it's done, rookie." With her free
hand she slapped Arcese hard across the face, sending him flying several
meters.
"Don't get discouraged, Arcese," Washu said. "Just keep on
attacking. I know you can take a shot better than that." In the back of her
mind, Ryoko knew this statement to be quite true. After Arcese's
masquerade as Tenchi she had hit him with one of her most powerful
energy blasts, and it only served to slow him down a little.
Arcese got back up and again flew at Ryoko. He began punching
wildly with both fists, but hit nothing but air as Ryoko effortlessly dodged.
Arcese moved nimbly, but again was no match for Ryoko. Tired of such
childish games, Ryoko finally swung her own fist and slammed it into
Arcese's stomach. She grabbed Arcese's arm and spun him around once
before heaving him up into the air. The momentum generated by Ryoko's
throw was too much for Arcese to overcome, and he continued to slice
through the troposphere. Suddenly, Ryoko materialized in his path and
brought her elbow down heavily into the middle of his back, causing the
direction of Arcese's flight to completely reverse. Again, Arcese found
himself unable to gain control of his own direction, and plummeted to the
earth. He watched in horror as the ground beneath him got closer and
closer. Just before impact, Ryoko materialized underneath him, and
Arcese's chest plowed into Ryoko's knee. With a final swat of her hand,
Arcese was cast into the ground, a flurry of rocks and soil erupting from
the earth as he crashed noisily, creating a deep hole that nearly caved in on
him as he lay prostrate.
"Arcese, I know you're stronger than this!" Washu said firmly.
"You know it, too!"
Pausing a moment to collect himself, Arcese emerged from the
crater his body had made in the ground. Not wasting any time, Ryoko was
immediately upon him punching him furiously. As she attacked she
spoke, each word punctuated by another blow landed. "Let's... see...
what... you're... really... made... of!" she yelled as she hit him mercilessly,
using almost all of her power. To cap off the barrage, Ryoko spun around
and gave Arcese a hard kick to the head, sending him again sprawling to
the earth. Sensing that she had successfully shown Arcese what true
power is, she ground her heel into his head in triumph.
"Ryoko, why are you being so rough?" Arcese asked from
underneath her foot.
"If Washu says you can take it, then I guess I have to believe her,"
Ryoko said snidely, pressing her foot harder into the back of his head.
"Arcese, stop screwing around!" Washu shouted. "Get up and
fight!"
"I can't!" Arcese said desperately. "I'm not strong enough!"
"Too bad for you," Ryoko said. She picked Arcese up by his neck
and slammed him into the trunk of a nearby tree.
"Royko, I know you're supposed to fight me," Arcese said, lifting
his face from the splinters, "but at least don't act like you're enjoying
this!"
"Who says I'm acting?" Ryoko said angrily. While pinning Arcese
against the tree she powered up an energy blast in her free hand. "Get
ready to eat it, you deceitful son of a bitch!"
Arcese was stupefied. Upon searching her emotions, he found that
Ryoko did harbor some ill feelings towards him for pretending to be
Tenchi, but nothing that would warrant this kind of aggression. There was
no reason for her to be this angry. "Ryoko, stop it!" Arcese pleaded.
"I decide when this fight is over!" she snapped. She prepared to
slam the energy into Arcese. As she brought the hand forward, she was
blinded as Arcese flashed in a brilliant iridescent blue. A tremendous
unseen force catapulted Ryoko from her feet and sent her sprawling
several meters. Arcese's glow dissipated, and he turned to face Ryoko, a
surprised look on his face. He had no more idea about how to explain
what had just happened than Ryoko did.
Ryoko got back up to her feet, staring a hole through Arcese as she
righted herself. She clenched her fist, which Arcese noticed was
trembling. "I knew you were hiding something from me," Ryoko said
through gnashed teeth. "Maybe now you won't be such a wuss!"
"I don't know what's gotten into you, Ryoko," Arcese said in a
serious tone, "but I want you to stop this right now. Someone is going to
get hurt!"
"Yeah, you!" Ryoko shouted. She dashed towards him again and
began another assault. This time, however, Arcese noticed her attacks
were more reserved, more cautious. As well, he could sense a fear
growing within her. He truly had no clue what this was all about. Were
his empathic abilities malfunctioning?
"Arcese, try an energy attack!" Washu said, continuing to observe
the battle eagerly.
"I'm not sure I know how," Arcese said as he tried to stave of
Ryoko's attack.
"Remember what you did during the rainstorm," Washu told him.
"You can do it again. Just concentrate!"
"This stupid robot can't do anything!" Ryoko shouted. "We should
make him do housework! All he'd be good for is mopping and dusting.
He's so weak, he's not worth my time!"
Arcese was amazed at Ryoko's audacity. What on earth was she
doing? It didn't even seem like she believed what she was saying, and yet
she continued to goad him on verbally. "Ryoko, what are you doing?"
Arcese asked, trying to shed some light on her behavior.
"I'm trying to kick your ass!" she yelled. "And I'm going to do it,
too!"
"Ryoko, this is training, not a deathmatch!" Arcese said.
"Speak for yourself!" Ryoko snapped. Her energy sword then
extended from her hand. Her initial swipe went cleanly through Arcese's
side. Arcese screamed. The external blows that she had given him before
did not serve to inflict any damage, but the sword slicing into his side
caused him intense pain. The unfamiliar sensation caused him to recall
flashes of the only other time he had felt something so terrible, the crash of
his ship when his past was taken from him. Equating this pain with having
something so important taken from him momentarily caused his rage to
take hold. Before Ryoko could slash with her sword again, Arcese made a
tight fist and plowed it into Ryoko's stomach.
Upon the blow, Ryoko stopped dead in her tracks as a spray of
saliva escaped from her mouth, which gaped in shock and pain. Her
energy sword disappeared, and her arms went to wrap around her stomach
as she sank to her knees, coughing and gagging. As a thin trickle of blood
made its way from the corner of her mouth, she collapsed completely,
breathing heavily and laboriously.
Arcese knelt beside her. "Oh, God," he blurted, "I'm sorry. I
didn't mean to hit you that hard. I just... I... I didn't know..."
Washu rushed up to the two. She grabbed Ryoko's arm and bent
down to hook it around her shoulder. She stood up and supported Ryoko
as she led her back to the house. "Good job, Arcese," she said. "My
computer shows that your power level jumped up to over one thousand."
"Washu, you have to believe me," Arcese said desperately,
following behind her, "I never meant to hurt Ryoko. Honest!"
"I know you didn't" Washu said. "But don't worry about her;
she'll be fine. After all, she expected this to happen."
Arcese was confused. "She... expected this?" he asked.
"Yes," Washu said. "We both discussed this last night. I told her
to try and provoke you so your power level would go up."
"Provoke me?" Arcese asked. "What does that have to do with
anything?"
"I had a suspicion that your ability to absorb power was somehow
connected to your emotions," Washu said. "That might have been a result
of whatever erased your memory. The incident might have caused not
only your empathic powers to expand, but also your emotions to become
connected to your entire programming. I thought that, if the right
emotions manifested themselves, your power might automatically shoot
up. Which it did."
"So, Ryoko was just acting?" he queried.
"For the most part," Ryoko said weakly, her free arm still clutched
tightly against her stomach. "I still think you're a total perverted jerk."
"Just so long as you didn't mean all the stuff you said," Arcese
said. "Why couldn't you have told me what you were up to to begin
with?"
"If I did that," Washu said, "then it wouldn't have worked. You
would have known Ryoko was acting and you wouldn't have powered up.
I had to see if we could strike that chord in you to trigger your power.
Ryoko, as she is so adept at doing, managed to push all the right buttons."
"I could have killed her!" Arcese said angrily.
"You wouldn't have killed her," Washu said nonchalantly. "You
can't. You like her too much. But think: if you could do this to someone
you like, what could you do to someone you hate?"
Arcese was even more confused. He had no idea what Washu was
getting at. Washu continued, "The android that's coming here is going to
try and kill Ryoko. I know that makes you angry. Let that anger be your
power."
Arcese finally understood what Washu had intended to do. She
knew that his ability to fight was on more than a physical level, so she told
Ryoko to attack him both physically and mentally. Once attacked on both
fronts, he had no choice but to defend himself.
Tenchi had just woken up and was coming down the stairs when
Washu entered with Ryoko staggering at her elbow. He rushed to them in
a panic. "Ryoko, what happened?" he asked with overt concern. "Are you
alright? Say something!"
"I'm okay, Tenchi, really," Ryoko responded, discomfort evident
in her voice. "Just let me catch my breath, okay?"
Tenchi took her by the arm and led her to the couch. "Lie down,"
he told her. "I'll get you some water."
Ryoko laid on the couch and watched as Tenchi galloped off to the
kitchen, a tremendous hope stirring within her. It was very rare that
Tenchi treated her with such concern. She smiled as he returned with a
glass of water. Tenchi sat next to her and propped her head up on his
shoulder. "Here, drink," he said, holding the glass to her lips.
Ryoko swallowed the water gratefully. "Thank you, Tenchi," she
whispered.
"What happened?" Tenchi repeated. "Don't tell me Arcese did this
to you..."
"Yes, I did," Arcese said. Being preoccupied with tending to
Ryoko, Tenchi had not noticed him enter. Arcese cast his eyes to the
ground. "I'm very sorry," he said solemnly.
"Arcese, there's nothing to apologize about," Washu told him.
"We both had this planned out well in advance. Ryoko knew the risks,
and she accepted them. After all, whether she likes it or not, you're her
guardian angel, as it were. So, she has to do everything possible to help
prepare you for the coming battle. And, if that means taking a sucker
punch to the gut, then so be it."
"You make it sound so simple," Ryoko groaned. "It feels like he
turned my stomach inside-out."
"Oh, stop being so melodramatic," Washu said with a dismissive
flip of her hand. "You know as well as I do that you'll be up and around
again in about a half hour."
"Ryoko, does it really hurt?" Tenchi asked.
Ryoko looked up at Tenchi and smiled. "Lying here, with you,"
she said, "makes me feel better. Thank you, Tenchi."
Tenchi blushed as he suddenly realized what he was doing. Ryoko
was leaning on his shoulder. He was... touching her! He suddenly felt a
tightness rising in his throat. Any second, he expected Ryoko's arms to
surreptitiously coil around him and squeeze him in the mother of all bear
hugs. He felt sweat beading on his forehead as he stared nervously into
the eyes of the space pirate.
Ryoko could not help but snicker as she saw the familiar
nervousness take hold of Tenchi. It was the cutest thing she had ever seen.
That was where she received the majority of her enjoyment from trying to
seduce him. Of course, she more than secretly hoped that her come-ons
would lure Tenchi into bed with her, but for the most part she merely
delighted in watching Tenchi completely freeze up like a cornered puppy.
She found it delightfully ironic that Tenchi could go toe to toe with the
fiercest beings in the universe, but turn to jelly when threatened with a
kiss.
Tenchi grew a bit more nervous as Ryoko's expression changed.
He had never seen that smile on her face before. He began to shake a little
as he wondered what new and devious tactic Ryoko was going to try next.
Understandably, he was greatly surprised when Ryoko merely sighed and
shut her eyes as she sank her head farther back on Tenchi's shoulder.
Tenchi tensed a little. Was this a trick? Was she just waiting for him to
relax before surprising him with some cleverly and overzealously-planned
seduction. He waited for several moments in a state of catlike readiness.
"Jeez, Tenchi, I could hang a coat on you!" Washu said, noticing
the rigidity of his body. "Relax."
Tenchi looked questioningly at Arcese, in hopes that his insights
would guide him. Arcese gave him a knowing smile. "She's not going to
try anything," he said softly. "She just wants to rest on your shoulder,
that's all. Let her rest."
The three then turned their attention to the stairs, where footfalls
could be heard. Ayeka and Sasami had emerged from their rooms.
"What's going on?" Ayeka asked drowsily. "I heard talking. Is
everything--" her words were cut off as she noticed Ryoko propped up on
Tenchi's shoulder. "Oh!" she started. "Is this... you mean... Tenchi?"
Arcese walked over and put a hand on Ayeka's shoulder. "Don't
worry," he assured her. "We just had an incident during training, that's
all. Ryoko's a little hurt, and she wants to rest. Just rest, that's all."
"Oh," Ayeka said with a sigh of relief. "How silly of me. Of
course."
"Hey, Washu," Sasami asked, "don't you want to take Ryoko into
your lab and help her get better?"
Washu watched as Tenchi continued to look concernedly at Ryoko.
He gently stroked his hand over her hair. Ryoko moaned quietly in
response. "No," Washu said, "I think Ryoko is in the very best of hands."

Chapter 3: Change of Opinion

"Well, Arcese, you're progressing quite nicely," Washu said from
her place of observation on the sidelines. It was the fifth morning of
training. "According to my program, you can raise your power level to
over fifteen hundred at will."
"It is getting easier," Arcese confessed. "I hope it's enough."
"It has to be enough," Ryoko said, panting heavily after the
morning's exertions. "I can't even keep up with you anymore."
"I won't lie to you, Arcese," Washu said gravely. "The android
that Dr. Weisz sends will be able to gather much more energy. If we hope
to stand a chance, you're going to have to do better."
"I don't know if I can," Arcese said. "Dammit! I wish I could do
more."
"You can do more, Arcese," Washu assured him. "A part of you
still knows how to do this. It's just a matter of finding a way to wake it
up."
"Hey," Ryoko called. She was hunched over, hands braced on her
knees. "I hate to be a party pooper, but I'm feeling kind of dizzy. Can we
stop?"
"If you want," Washu said. "In fact, let's call it a day. I want you
well rested for tomorrow morning, Ryoko."
"I can't wait," Ryoko said with dark sarcasm.
Washu returned her computer to subspace and made her way back
to the house. Arcese stayed behind and ambled over to where Ryoko
hunched on the ground, breathing heavily. "Sorry I wore you out," he
said, extending a hand down to her. "Need a hand?"
"No!" Ryoko snapped at him. "I don't want your help."
Arcese withdrew his hand. He could feel that Ryoko was very
irritated. She had felt similarly every day that they trained. "Ryoko, you
can't still be mad about me being Tenchi that day, can you?" he queried
anxiously.
"None of your business," Ryoko replied icily. "Just leave me
alone."
"Ryoko, tell me what's wrong," Arcese said.
"I said leave me alone!" Ryoko screeched. "I don't want your
damn help!" Her anger was becoming more and more apparent to Arcese.
He decided he couldn't leave her in such a state. He also wanted to know
what was eating at her. He sat down next to her.
"Ryoko, I don't know what's on your mind," Arcese began, "but I
think I deserve to know. If you give me a reason why you're mad at me,
maybe I'll understand better. At the very least I'll know never to do
whatever it was I did again. If you're not mad at me for pretending to be
Tenchi, then what?"
Ryoko hugged her knees and stared down at the ground. "I don't
want your help," she said thinly.
Arcese was about to give up; it was obvious to him that Ryoko was
not in a talkative mood, and he got up to leave her to her skulking. Then,
it hit him. 'I don't want your help.' That was her problem. She didn't
want Arcese's help. She was too proud to admit that she needed someone
else to fight for her. Arcese understood, now. He resumed his seat next to
Ryoko.
"I know how you feel," Arcese began. "You've been self-
sufficient your whole life. There's never been anything you couldn't
handle by yourself, has there? And here you are, angry at your own
helplessness. And I, the symbol of that helplessness, understandably bear
the brunt of your aggression."
"I am not helpless!" Ryoko shouted back angrily.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way," Arcese said, trying to calm
her. "Ryoko, you're probably one of the toughest people I will ever meet,
both physically and mentally. Your pride is what gives you your veneer of
invincibility. I can only imagine how angry it must have made you to hear
Washu tell you that you weren't strong enough."
"Yes, you can only imagine," Ryoko confirmed with venom in her
voice. "Mister perfect-fighting-machine."
Arcese sighed, sensing the jealousy behind her vitriolic sarcasm.
"Hey, if it was up to me," he said, "I would have been just as content being
no more powerful than, say, Mihoshi. But this power that I have comes
with responsibilities, and that means I must fight for those that cannot
fight for themselves. And, as much as you don't want to admit it, you are
one of those people."
"Quit rubbing it in!" Ryoko said with immense frustration.
"I'm just trying to justify myself," Arcese replied. "Considering
the situation, no one will think any less of you if you call for backup. I
certainly won't."
"You think I give a damn about what you think?" Ryoko asked
through clenched teeth. "How do you think I feel when I have to put my
life in the hands of someone I don't even like?"
"Why are you so hell-bent about refusing my help?" Arcese asked
defensively. "Like it or not, I'm the only one that can protect you right
now. And I'm actually willing to do it. Personally, I feel that I have to tell
you that the way you've been treating me doesn't exactly warrant my
kindness."
"Don't act like you're doing me any favors!" Ryoko yelled. "I
want to fight alone."
"And I want you to fight alone, too!" Arcese insisted, to Ryoko's
great surprise. "You think I like the fact that I'm forced to fight? I don't
want to do this. But I have to because I'm the only one who can. Neither
of us has a choice here. I'm in the same boat you are. If I could somehow
give you my power to let you fight, then I'd do it in a heartbeat. I have no
desire at all to do this. I've done so much to try to deny the purpose I was
originally created for: to fight. And now I'm doing just that. Do you
know how easy it would be to turn my back on you and let you get killed?
Do you want to know why I don't? It's because I want to help you, even if
it means fighting. Why can't you let me do that? It's one thing to be
proud, Ryoko, but it's another thing to be stupid!"
Ryoko turned away. She couldn't think of anything to say. She
never liked the idea of someone fighting her battles for her, like she was
some helpless child. And now, sitting next to her, was someone she
couldn't stand, who was openly putting his life on the line for her. It made
her feel so useless.
"I'll bet you wouldn't feel this way if Tenchi was fighting for you,"
Arcese said.
"How can you even think about making that comparison?" Ryoko
asked coldly. "Tenchi and I fight alongside one another because we care
about each other."
"Oh, and why do you think I'm going to fight alongside you?"
Arcese asked. "Because I have nothing better to do? Ryoko, if I didn't
think you were worth saving, I never would have agreed to this."
Ryoko was shocked. "Are you saying that you really want to do
this?" she asked. "Just because of me?"
"Yes," Arcese said simply. "I want to fight for you. Is that really
so hard to believe?"
Suddenly, Ryoko felt horrible. "That's really nice of you," she
said, "but I don't want to have to owe you anything."
"And you won't," Arcese said with a smile. "Consider this my
way of saying I'm sorry for fooling you into kissing me."
"That's right, you did, didn't you?" Ryoko realized. "You do owe
me one. Hey, wait a minute, you've kissed me twice! Even if you do
fight, you'll still owe me one!"
"Well, I certainly hope I won't have to fight again," Arcese said
with levity, sensing the dark cloud over Ryoko dissipating. "Maybe I can
think of some more reasonable way to make it up to you."
"How about I put a clamp on those lips of yours?" Ryoko asked
with a wry smile. "That would make me feel much safer."
Arcese chuckled. "I'm sure we'll work something out," he said.
Ryoko stood up and stretched. "I need breakfast," she said. "I
think my hunger is making me too friendly with you."
"Well then, for my sake, maybe you should go on a diet," Arcese
said as he followed her back to the house.
"Not a chance, pal," Ryoko said. "I still think you're a letch."
"I am not a letch!" Arcese said sharply. "I was doing Tenchi a
favor."
"You were doing yourself a favor," Ryoko said. "You just wanted
me to come on to you because you think I'm so sexy."
"That's the last thing I wanted!" Arcese revealed. "Do you have
any idea how nervous you made me?"
"So you don't think I'm sexy, huh?" Ryoko said. By now they had
entered the house, and their seemingly heated argument was attracting the
attention of every other ear in the house. "You think I'm a hideous hag?"
"Did I say that?" Arcese asked with outrage. "Did those words
come out of my mouth? Do you have wax buildup in your ears that
prevents you from hearing correctly? All I said was that I didn't want you
coming on to me!"
"Because you think I'm unattractive," Ryoko reasoned aloud.
"For God's sake, Ryoko, I didn't say that!" Arcese returned.
"So you do think I'm attractive," Ryoko said. She smiled,
knowing she had him cornered.
"Well, I... I mean..." Arcese stammered, trying to find something,
anything to say that would qualify himself.
"So, what is it, Arcese?" Ryoko asked shrewdly. "Do you think
I'm sexy or not?" Everybody's ears perked up a little bit more as this
conversation took a very interesting turn.
"I... I... I suppose... in... in a purely physical sense..." Arcese
stammered.
"Ah, so you did want me coming on to you!" Ryoko said
triumphantly. "You were hoping you'd get to see me naked, you naughty
boy!"
"Thinking you're attractive and wanting to see you naked are two
different things entirely!" Arcese said with authority.
"Are they?" Ryoko asked slyly.
Arcese knew that Ryoko was playing with him, and he was a bit
uncomfortable with the idea. He decided to bite the bullet and come back
over the top so he could get her off his case. "You want validation?" he
asked. "You want me to admit it? Fine! ATTENTION EVERYONE! I
THINK RYOKO IS SEXY, AND I WOULD BEG HER ON HANDS
AND KNEES TO SEE HER NAKED!"
At Arcese's declaration, everyone stopped what they were doing
and rushed into the living room, just staring at him. Was it really Arcese,
the reserved synthetic being, who just said that he wanted to see Ryoko
naked? It seemed unusual, if not completely implausible.
"Yes, everyone, you heard me right," Arcese said as he placed his
hands on his hips. "Are you happy now, Ryoko?"
"Yes, I am," Ryoko said with a snicker. "But you still owe me
one."
Arcese watched as Ryoko walked into the kitchen to wait for her
breakfast. He sat down on the couch, utterly defeated. Sasami sat down
beside him, giving him an eager glance. "You like Ryoko?" she asked.
"Yes. I mean, no. I mean, not like that," Arcese said with effort.
His face turned red.
"You can tell me," Sasami said. "I won't tell anyone."
"Sasami, I know it's not my place to say," Arcese began with
forced dignity, "but shouldn't you be making breakfast now?"
"Okay, no problem," Sasami said as she got up to leave. "I'll make
sure Ryoko gets her breakfast." She gave Arcese a wink.
Arcese drooped his head between his knees. [Great,] he thought,
[now even Sasami thinks I'm a letch.]