Tenchi Muyo Fan Fiction ❯ Tears ❯ Memories ( Chapter 1 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: kempodragon 
Ryoko discovers the joys of motherhood
Anime/Manga: Tenchi Muyo Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 08.29.2001 | Pages: 1 | Words: 5.1K | Visits: 957 | Status: Work In Progress
Ryoko discovers the joys of motherhood
Anime/Manga: Tenchi Muyo Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 08.29.2001 | Pages: 1 | Words: 5.1K | Visits: 957 | Status: Work In Progress
Tears: Chapter 1
It was after midnight at the Masaki home. Mihoshi and Kiyone were out on their patrols, Aeka, Sasami, and Tenchi were sound asleep, along with Nobuyuki. In Mayuka's room however, there was the sound of Ryoko's beautiful voice singing a haunting lullaby to the nine month old May. Ryoko had heard Tenchi's mother Achika sing it to him while she was imprisoned in the cave, and it had always stayed with her. She thought it fitting that she be the one to sing it to his daughter, and always made sure that no one else heard her sing to Mayuka. Ryoko was terrified that someone else would sing it to May and take away one of her most precious gifts the she had to give to Mayuka. Soon the baby was fast asleep, and after making sure she was comfortable in her cradle, Ryoko quietly teleported out of the room.
Emerging back in her room, Ryoko lay down in bed and thought about how Mayuka changed life for everyone. Everyone wanted to take turns holding, feeding or playing with her during the day, but oddly Ryoko was the only one willing to change diapers all the time, be it day or night. She had also started doing other chores around the house, including washing the clothes and keeping May's room clean and the bedding fresh. She had even broke down and asked for Washu's help in how to properly feed her and fix the baby formula. Everyone had commented on how responsible Ryoko was acting, but no one knew why exactly. Ryoko had said that she would be Mayuka's personal trainer and everyone had passed that off as Ryoko being her usual brash self. What no one realized was that Ryoko had meant every word and more. She had treated May horribly, even after Washu had confirmed her claim that she was Tenchi's daughter. When Ryoko had learned of Yuzuha's control over May, it was like watching her own life repeat itself. Mayuka's death could just have easily been her's by Kagato.
When Washu had brought her back as a newborn baby, Ryoko had vowed then and there history would not repeat itself. Mayuka already had a father that cared for her, and unlike Ryoko, she would have a mother that would ALWAYS be there to hold her and comfort her against the nightmares, AlWAYS be there when she was needed, AND NEVER, EVER leave her alone when she cried out for love.
Ryoko had long since accepted the fact that Washu couldn't be there when she was growing up at the hands of that bastard Kagato, but the emotional scars left by the beatings and pyschological torture had never healed. For her own sanity, she had buried the memories of her life under Kagato. At first, she had accepted that this was what life was like because she had never known anything else. Later during her imprisonment, she had begun to think on her own for the first time in her entire life, and the realization of what she had done combined with the horror of being totally isolated in the cave pushed Ryoko completely over the edge. More than once she had tried to commit suicide, but something held her back each time. Finally her desire to escape this madness caused something in her to snap and she felt herself rising out of the cave into the sunlight. Thinking at first that this was nothing but another dream that she had created, she tried to move away from the cave and realized that she couldn't move beyond a 10 yard radius. She realized that somehow she had left her body behind, and was seeing the outside world for the first time since her imprisonment. She had spent all of her time outside after that, but was still unbearably lonely, simply because no one could see or even hear her. After several centuries of looking out at the world, Ryoko had despaired of ever being free, but stayed outside watching because inside meant having to face her nightmares, real or imagined.
She had reached the absolute low point of depression when the day came that she would never forget. A young woman carrying a baby was walking by entrance when the baby suddenly looked at her and SAW HER!! He even reached for her, and his mother asked him if he saw a demon. For the first time in her life, Ryoko felt hope though she didn't have a name for the emotion. She watched afterward for this boy who could see her, and as time went by began to care about him, even after he lost the ability to see her. Her heart grieved with Tenchi when Achika died, and she was desolate the day Tenchi moved away. Then came the day of her release, and her dreams of finally holding Tenchi were turned to dust when he looked at her like she was a monster. At first she was hurt, but then she saw what had happened after she left her body. Without her spirit in it, her body had become dessicated and horribly deformed. Tenchi had fled and tried to reseal the cave, but without Tenchiken to hold her, she had easily passed through the rock. Angry at him, but not wanting to harm him, Ryoko had followed him home invisibly. She had spent the time healing herself, and enjoying the feeling of the sun upon her, the feeling of being free. Ryoko finally decided to throw a little scare in him and after that forgive him. THAT idea had also turned into disaster, when that damned sword had interfered and after losing her temper she had fought with him more out anger at the way things were turning out than because she wanted to hurt him. She ended up losing her hand and replica gem that she had created, at which point she felt like giving up. When Tenchi apologized to her and even praised her regenerating her hand, hope sprang anew. With a flourish, she had disappeared and rushed back to his house where she hoped to start over with him.
After that her life had become a bit of a roller coaster, first with Aeka and Sasami, later Mihoshi, then her worst nightmare come true, Kagato taking control once more. Then compounding the horror, Tenchi was apparently killed. Summoning reserves she never knew she had, Ryoko had broken free, and joined the others on Ryo-ohki. At that point her own life meant nothing, but she knew she would need all the help she could get to destroy Kagato. The fight ended disastrously because she couldn't think clearly, and she was captured once more. The next thing she knew, she was in front of Mihoshi and some kid who claimed to be, of all things, her mother!! At first she refused to believe, but then Washu had exposed her feelings about Tenchi. Deciding to deal with this later, she had gone back to finish Kagato off. She was defeated once again and was ready to accept death, when the miracle of miracles happened, Tenchi appeared. At first, he had trouble fighting Kagato, but then he had cast aside his doubt and summoned the Lighthawk Wings with which he had killed Kagato and finally set Ryoko free once and for all.
Life became relatively peaceful afterwards, with the occasional surprise, like babysitting little Taro, or Ryo-ohki assimilating the Masu and gaining a new form. Aeka and her had developed a certain respect for each other, but they still fought simply because neither of them were willing to admit that they cared about each other. She had been shocked to learn that Washu had had a child before her, and the loss of her son because her in-laws disapproved of her heritage had confirmed everything that Ryoko hated about the so called nobility. When Zero lay dying, Ryoko saw Washu act like her mother for the first time in her eyes. She had agreed to merge with Zero for many reasons, not the least which she knew all too well what it was to be a slave, and Zero deserved the chance to be free. Zero had helped her start expressing her feelings, but it was hard to break the habits of over five millenia, mostly because she had never been allowed to feel emotions of any kind.
The visit of Jurai's King and Queens had been one of the most memorable events at the Masaki home. While Azusa was all bluster and Funaho reminded her of Achika, it was Misaki who still made Ryoko shake her head in wonder. That woman was a class all by herself, and Ryoko counted herself lucky Misaki considered her a friend. After the first visit, the Royal Family came by off and on, and if it was just them, Ryoko would stay with everyone, but if some other suitor for Aeka's hand came with them, Ryoko would disappear either in the shrine itself or Washu's lab. She did this because even though both Funaho and Misaki had let Jurai know about Kagato's control over her, and thus under Galactic Law she was deemed not responsible for her action, the noble families refused to believe the truth. Every time they saw her, they felt it was their "duty" to free the universe from the "demon" by killing her, and Ryoko would promptly give the pompous idiot the thrashing of his life and dump him in the lake with Funaho and Misaki laughing and even Azusa snickering behind that stern look of his. After the third time this happened, Ryoko grew tired of the game and started making herself scarce. She had seen enough fighting and killing in her lifetime and all she wanted was to live her life in peace. It was at this point that she also started to stop fighting with Aeka, again because she was tired and just wanted peace in her life.
About 3 years after the Royal Family's first visit came the other great moment in the Masaki's lives, Mayuka's appearance. Hearing her call Tenchi "Daddy" in that sweet, innoncent voice had brought back memories she had thought forever buried. Kagato had made her call him Daddy when she was a child and would later use that as an excuse for beatings and torture. "I am your Daddy and you must obey me." he had said in that sibilant voice of his. Then he would seize control of her mind and make her say "Yes, Daddy" in the same sweet voice that May had. She had lashed out at Mayuka to make her stop calling Tenchi that name. Even now, just the thought of hearing someone say "Daddy" sent shivers through her. She had thanked the gods that Sasami had called Azusa "Father", because she honestly didn't know what she would have done otherwise.
Shaking her head to clear such morose thoughts, Ryoko thought about the happiness she felt taking care of May. Here was someone who could accept the love she had to give, some one she didn't have to act like she was invulnerable around. As she had focused all of her attention onto Mayuka, her relationship with Tenchi had improved to point that he had actually taken her out on several dates!! She had puzzled about this for weeks, and then it dawned on her that she was the reason Tenchi had always avoided her. Her throwing herself at him and offering such unconditional love had scared him, and he had pushed her away so he could have breathing space. A baby needed such love however, so Mayuka had in effect become a buffer for the intensity of Ryoko's love.
Originally, everyone was supposed to take turns with Mayuka's care, but it quickly became apparent that a fixed schedule would never work. Mihoshi and Kiyone were always on call, and had to be ready to leave at a moments notice. Sasami was still too young to be getting up in the middle of the night to feed or change a baby. While Washu knew how to care for a baby, she had told them flatly that she couldn't make that kind of full time commitment that would be needed. That had left Tenchi, Ayeka and Ryoko to decide. They had tried alternating days, but after several times in which Tenchi and Ayeka had slept through Mayuka's crying, Ryoko had put her foot down. She told them that she would take the night shift, mostly because she slept very little during the night, and everyone else could help during the day. That had been the start of her caring full time for Mayuka. While she had to give credit to Ayeka for trying, it was clear that caring for a newborn was more than Ayeka or Tenchi bargained for.
The arrangement worked better than anyone expected, and life quickly settled into a routine. During the morning, Ryoko would bathe Mayuka and change her if necessary. They would then go to breakfast where everyone had fun feeding the baby. When May was still strictly being bottle fed, Ryoko had fed her almost exclusively at first and only a direct order from Tenchi had gotten her to share the baby feeding. After breakfast, Ryoko would hand May to the rest of the family and grab a nap until time for the soaps. During the early months when Mayuka spent the majority of the time sleeping, Ryoko had either brought her cradle next to the couch or had simply stretched out on the couch with May laying on top, cradled protectively in her arms. Nobuyuki had snapped a picture during one of the latter times and told everyone that Achika had done the same thing with Tenchi. He had then embarassed Tenchi big time by showing his baby pictures to everyone at which all of the girls had great fun saying how cute Tenchi was. After lunch was play time outside if the weather was nice or in the special playroom in Washu's lab during bad weather. Ryoko always kept a bottle on hand and plenty of clean diapers within easy reach during these moments just in case. Ayeka, Mihoshi and Kiyone would help her by watching Mayuka while Ryoko did the laundry or had another nap until supper.
Dinnertime was when Tenchi would get to play with his daughter. He was in college now, studying both drafting and art. While he knew that someday he would have take up the duties of the Crown Prince of Jurai, he had convinced Misaki and Funaho to at least let him finish his education on Earth and get used to being a father. When he wasn't at classes, Yosho, Nobuyuki, and Ryoko had made it quite clear he was expected to care for Mayuka and be her father. Yosho still made Tenchi train, but he did make one small concession. If Mayuka cried out her needs, Yosho would wait and not whack Tenchi on the head while he was distracted, for which Tenchi was eternally grateful.
When they had found out about Mayuka and her heritage, the Royal Council had gone into shock. Several of the more bigoted members wanted to immediately kill the "abomination" when Azusa had suddenly stood up and faced the entire Council. "When Space Pirate Ryoko killed women and children, she did so against her will and still paid a horrible price for her crimes. Now she must live with what she has done for the rest of her days. What you are proposing is even more monstrous and I will NOT stand for it. ANYONE attempting to harm that child will be stripped of all titles and rank and turned over to the Galaxy Police for his or her crimes. And be assured that the trial will be in full view of the public so all will know what kind of person would do such a thing." Azusa had thundered and thus settled that issue. While he was protective of his daughters like any father and therefore looked upon Tenchi as someone who had to prove himself worthy of his Ayeka, the thought of harming an innocent baby was abhorrent to him. Shortly afterward, he and his wives had gone get their first look at Mayuka. They had walked in while Ryoko and Mayuka were having a nap together, and Azusa had almost woken them when Misaki and Funaho had glared at him together. Without saying a word, all three had left and waited for the two to wake up.
When Ryoko had gotten up, she was treated to a sight like she'd never seen. Misaki's reaction to May was totally predictable, and Ryoko wondered who was the bigger baby. The fact that Ryoko acted the same way around May while no one was watching was something she conveniently chose to forget. Funaho had sang quietly to her great-great-granddaughter in a voice very much like Achika's . It was Azusa who surprised everyone. He had played with May and acted like a great big goofball around her. Upon seeing everyone's faces, he had said with great dignity that grandparents had the right to spoil their grandchildren, and he had never been able to play with his granddaughter or great-grandson when they were children so he had a lot of lost time to make up. Mayuka had soiled her diapers right then, and Azusa had calmly changed her diapers without even breaking a sweat. When Ryoko complimented him on it, he replied " Do you really think that my wives would let me get out of doing the dirty work or that they would trust the servants to take of our children? Many's the time I had to get up when my children needed feeding or changing in the night." At this, Ryoko had looked right at Ayeka and Tenchi and they had the grace to look away embarassed.
After everyone went to bed, Ryoko would first set a bottle to warm up for any late night feedings. Next she lay Mayuka's clothes out for the next day and setup the changing table. After making sure that May was asleep, Ryoko would then head to her own bed. In her room, she first made sure that her nightlight was on before laying down. 700 years in that cave had left her forever afraid of being alone in the dark. After she had taken up permanent residence in the Masaki home, Ryoko had tried to sleep at night like everyone else. Though her body didn't need sleep, her mind did in order to be able dream. She had lasted two hours before her fear had sent her fleeing into Tenchi's room where she had crawled into bed with him, shivering and sobbing. He had almost scolded her but saw that she wasn't acting. After calming her, he had tried to find out what was wrong but she had fled to the roof. She had been ashamed and couldn't bear the thought of telling him that she was afraid of the dark like some child. She had spent the rest of that night on the roof, out where she could see the world.
The next morning she went to see Katsuhito, figuring he would be someone she could trust with her problem. She didn't recognize him as Yosho, mostly because he kept his power very low along with Tsunami's illusion. She told him that she had been awake the entire time in the cave, not asleep like the legend said and now a dark room was too much like the cave to her. He had listened gravely to her story, and then gotten up and rummaged around in of the chests. He had handed a small object to her and told her that it was Tenchi's nightlight when he was young. The nightlight had helped until Ryo-ohki was reborn at which point she no longer felt so alone at night. She still needed the light to help hold her fear at bay, and avoided sleep during the night as much as possible. The only time that sleep came easily was she was drinking or when she was in the sun. Ayeka thought these habits were proof of Ryoko's worthlessness, but Ryoko thought differently. Out in the sun was where she felt safe alone and alcohol dulled the fear and pain enough to where she could bear it. When May entered her life, she had lost almost all desire to drink because now she had happiness to counteract the pain. She still needed a nightlight, but at least she woke up without feeling all 5000+ years in the morning.
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The next morning dawned bright and clear, with the promise of being a beautiful spring day. It was a Saturday, so Tenchi would be home and Ryoko had already decided that everyone would have a picnic out in the fields. Mayuka was full of energy and playing with everyone outside would hopefully wear her out enough so that she would sleep during the afternoon. Ryoko wanted to be able to sleep on the roof out in the warm sun but knew that it wasn't safe for May. She always put May's needs above her own wants, but still managed to work in a little time off for herself. After breakfast, Ryoko told Sasami to make a picnic lunch, and Sasami gladly agreed. Sasami was turning into a beautiful teenager, and Ryoko knew that soon she would have more competition for Tenchi's heart. Caring for Mayuka had given her the maturity to be able accept this, but Ryoko still hoped that Tenchi would marry her.
After giving May to Ayeka, Ryoko teleported to the roof for a snooze. She loved the warm sunlight upon her, as it reminded her once again that she was truly free of both Kagato and the cave. Meanwhile, Ayeka was playing with Mayuka and laughing at her antics. The years away from court and having someone unafraid to speak her mind had done Ayeka a world of good. She no longer acted like the spoiled, snobbish princess that she had been when she first came to Earth. She had never been able to trust anyone except for Sasami and Yosho, but neither of them was her age, and therefore could understand her problems. When she had met Ryoko, she already had a grudging respect for her candid words and lack of fear of her position. As time went by, Ayeka grew to trust Ryoko, when they weren't fighting over Tenchi. Here was someone who she could trust to give an honest opinion, with no hidden agendas or false words of praise. Ryoko despised the hypocracy of the nobility, having seen what Kagato was like and when Ayeka tried to act like she above everyone or had higher morals, she didn't hesitate to expose Ayeka's attitude for the lie that it was.
Now that Ryoko was acting as Mayuka's primary caregiver, she and Ayeka had grown very close. Tenchi had also taken Ayeka out several times and Ryoko had helped pick out a nice outfit for her each time. Ayeka had returned the favor when Ryoko went out, and afterward they had both shared what happened on the dates, giggling like schoolgirls. Like Ryoko, Ayeka had matured to the point where she could accept Tenchi picking someone else, but she still hoped to win Tenchi's hand in marriage. She was amazed at how responsible Ryoko had become and had admitted to herself that Ryoko was a much better mother to May than she was.
Just before lunch, Ryoko woke up and headed out to carrot fields to get Tenchi. He only worked the fields occasionally due the increased demands on him and Washu had created a few robots to take care of Ryo-ohki's precious carrots. Tenchi agreed to the picnic and headed home to clean up. She then invited Yosho and afterward headed to the lab to get Washu. Her relationship with Washu had improved to the point where she could call her "Mom" like Washu wanted, but a large gulf still remained between them, due to the emotional scars that Ryoko still bore. Washu wisely did not push Ryoko, but bided her time. She knew that someday her daughter would open up to her and Ryoko's tortured soul could finally begin healing.
After inviting Washu, Ryoko went to the living room and picked up Mayuka. She took her flying while the others brought lunch. Mayuka loved flying and would laugh happily with her, enjoying the sensations. Washu said that May had the potential to also fly on her own, and Ryoko was looking forward to the day she could teach her. For now she just held Mayuka close, happy to be able to give her love to this wonderful child. They landed in the field where Sasami had already setup lunch, and settled down to eat. After lunch, Mihoshi and Kiyone, who had come back that morning, had watched May while everyone else enjoyed a nice peaceful afternoon. The two GP's had just arrested a particulary nasty child molester and needed to take their minds off having to deal with such a monster.
Late in the afternoon, everyone reluctantly agreed it was time head back. Sasami had to start dinner and Mayuka getting tired. After helping pack up, Ryoko picked up May and flew back to the house. She put May in her cradle and gently sang her to sleep. After telling Ryo-ohki to keep an eye on her, Ryoko started to clean the house. By the time everyone else arrived, she had finished cleaning and had turned on the TV to catch the Galactic News. While she rarely left the Earth due to her reputation, Ryoko had recently begun to take interest what was going on in the universe, mostly because she had spent her life in isolation. After her release, she had paid little attention to what was going beyond the Masaki household because she needed to learn simply what it meant to be free. Later, as she healed to the point where her natural curiosity began to assert itself, she became painfully aware of how little she knew. While she knew science and math, and had picked up a basic knowledge of government and law, her awareness of arts, culture and music were almost nil. Kagato destroyed those things and had ruthlessly prevented her experiencing the emotions that would have allowed her to understand them.
Caring for May had made her realize that she needed to know what going on in the universe. She had started to watch the news and began to watch the different educational programs. Washu had let her peruse through her immense library of music and art, and Tenchi and Ayeka helped her learn about the culture of Earth and Jurai. She vowed to herself that Mayuka would not grow up with no knowledge of the universe around her, so she spent much of her free time learning what she had always wanted to know but had been prevented from actually finding out.
Around dinnertime, Mayuka woke up from her nap and immediately let everyone know she was hungry. Taking her from the cradle, Ryoko brought her to dining room and began feeding her supper. After supper, everyone went into the living room and sat down for some quality family time. They were all enjoying a movie, when Mayuka suddenly spoke her first word. She had attempted more than once to speak, but this time she managed to speak clearly to be understood. The word "Mama" came out and everyone just looked at her, hardly believing it. She said "Mama" again and looked directly at Ryoko. Ryoko just sat there in shock, her mind in turmoil. Mayuka had always directed her love at Tenchi when she first appeared, and Ryoko assumed that her first word would be "Papa". Instead, she was calling Ryoko her mother, and it rocked Ryoko to her very core. Tears flowed from her eyes as she remembered all times she had called out for her mother, and never received an answer. Desperately, she tried to control herself and bury those memories, but it was too late.
Like a dam that had been breached, Ryoko's wall that she had erected around her memories had been broken and her emotions would no longer be denied. More and more memories came to the surface, and Ryoko's whole body was racked with convulsions as she cried. She suddenly cried out "Mommy!!" as she had so many centuries ago, and this time Washu was there to hold her. She had come running out from the lab in her adult form, having felt her daughter's distress through her pyschic link. Scooping up her daughter in her arms, she held Ryoko against her shoulder. Ryoko at this point was completely unaware of her surroundings, and was reliving all the horrors that she had experienced but had never been able express. She was screaming in a voice that held all the pain and terror of her youth, and crying tears for all those she had hurt and killed but never allowed to grieve.
Hour after hour it went on, Ryoko crying her very soul out and Washu gently rocking her and speaking soothingly to her. Ryoko's eyes had already dried up and her voice become hoarse, but she sobbed anyway, unable to stop. Finally, around 1:00 A.M., Ryoko slowly gained control of herself. She became aware of her eyes being cleaned of the salt that encrusted them and a glass of juice being held to her lips. A voice told her to drink slowly, and her parched throat gratefully accepted the cool liquid. Her vision cleared for a minute and she saw Washu's face and felt her arms around her. Ryoko looked at her and managed to say "Momma?" before falling unconscious in her mother's arms.
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Afterword:
This is the first chapter of a multi-part saga. If you think that everyone is acting OOC, go back and watch the OVA's and MnE. Every thing is based on how the characters all acted throughout. I've given Azusa more credit for his actions than most people, because do you really think that Misaki or Funaho would actually care about him if he was the overbearing jerk or evil person that I've seen him portrayed in a lot of fanfics? The lullaby is "The Lonely Moon" which was sung Ai Orikasa, Ryoko's Japanese voice over artist, and therefore belong's to Pioneer/AIC. Please send questions, C&C to me at billdrown@lamere.net as I'm interested your thoughts.
It was after midnight at the Masaki home. Mihoshi and Kiyone were out on their patrols, Aeka, Sasami, and Tenchi were sound asleep, along with Nobuyuki. In Mayuka's room however, there was the sound of Ryoko's beautiful voice singing a haunting lullaby to the nine month old May. Ryoko had heard Tenchi's mother Achika sing it to him while she was imprisoned in the cave, and it had always stayed with her. She thought it fitting that she be the one to sing it to his daughter, and always made sure that no one else heard her sing to Mayuka. Ryoko was terrified that someone else would sing it to May and take away one of her most precious gifts the she had to give to Mayuka. Soon the baby was fast asleep, and after making sure she was comfortable in her cradle, Ryoko quietly teleported out of the room.
Emerging back in her room, Ryoko lay down in bed and thought about how Mayuka changed life for everyone. Everyone wanted to take turns holding, feeding or playing with her during the day, but oddly Ryoko was the only one willing to change diapers all the time, be it day or night. She had also started doing other chores around the house, including washing the clothes and keeping May's room clean and the bedding fresh. She had even broke down and asked for Washu's help in how to properly feed her and fix the baby formula. Everyone had commented on how responsible Ryoko was acting, but no one knew why exactly. Ryoko had said that she would be Mayuka's personal trainer and everyone had passed that off as Ryoko being her usual brash self. What no one realized was that Ryoko had meant every word and more. She had treated May horribly, even after Washu had confirmed her claim that she was Tenchi's daughter. When Ryoko had learned of Yuzuha's control over May, it was like watching her own life repeat itself. Mayuka's death could just have easily been her's by Kagato.
When Washu had brought her back as a newborn baby, Ryoko had vowed then and there history would not repeat itself. Mayuka already had a father that cared for her, and unlike Ryoko, she would have a mother that would ALWAYS be there to hold her and comfort her against the nightmares, AlWAYS be there when she was needed, AND NEVER, EVER leave her alone when she cried out for love.
Ryoko had long since accepted the fact that Washu couldn't be there when she was growing up at the hands of that bastard Kagato, but the emotional scars left by the beatings and pyschological torture had never healed. For her own sanity, she had buried the memories of her life under Kagato. At first, she had accepted that this was what life was like because she had never known anything else. Later during her imprisonment, she had begun to think on her own for the first time in her entire life, and the realization of what she had done combined with the horror of being totally isolated in the cave pushed Ryoko completely over the edge. More than once she had tried to commit suicide, but something held her back each time. Finally her desire to escape this madness caused something in her to snap and she felt herself rising out of the cave into the sunlight. Thinking at first that this was nothing but another dream that she had created, she tried to move away from the cave and realized that she couldn't move beyond a 10 yard radius. She realized that somehow she had left her body behind, and was seeing the outside world for the first time since her imprisonment. She had spent all of her time outside after that, but was still unbearably lonely, simply because no one could see or even hear her. After several centuries of looking out at the world, Ryoko had despaired of ever being free, but stayed outside watching because inside meant having to face her nightmares, real or imagined.
She had reached the absolute low point of depression when the day came that she would never forget. A young woman carrying a baby was walking by entrance when the baby suddenly looked at her and SAW HER!! He even reached for her, and his mother asked him if he saw a demon. For the first time in her life, Ryoko felt hope though she didn't have a name for the emotion. She watched afterward for this boy who could see her, and as time went by began to care about him, even after he lost the ability to see her. Her heart grieved with Tenchi when Achika died, and she was desolate the day Tenchi moved away. Then came the day of her release, and her dreams of finally holding Tenchi were turned to dust when he looked at her like she was a monster. At first she was hurt, but then she saw what had happened after she left her body. Without her spirit in it, her body had become dessicated and horribly deformed. Tenchi had fled and tried to reseal the cave, but without Tenchiken to hold her, she had easily passed through the rock. Angry at him, but not wanting to harm him, Ryoko had followed him home invisibly. She had spent the time healing herself, and enjoying the feeling of the sun upon her, the feeling of being free. Ryoko finally decided to throw a little scare in him and after that forgive him. THAT idea had also turned into disaster, when that damned sword had interfered and after losing her temper she had fought with him more out anger at the way things were turning out than because she wanted to hurt him. She ended up losing her hand and replica gem that she had created, at which point she felt like giving up. When Tenchi apologized to her and even praised her regenerating her hand, hope sprang anew. With a flourish, she had disappeared and rushed back to his house where she hoped to start over with him.
After that her life had become a bit of a roller coaster, first with Aeka and Sasami, later Mihoshi, then her worst nightmare come true, Kagato taking control once more. Then compounding the horror, Tenchi was apparently killed. Summoning reserves she never knew she had, Ryoko had broken free, and joined the others on Ryo-ohki. At that point her own life meant nothing, but she knew she would need all the help she could get to destroy Kagato. The fight ended disastrously because she couldn't think clearly, and she was captured once more. The next thing she knew, she was in front of Mihoshi and some kid who claimed to be, of all things, her mother!! At first she refused to believe, but then Washu had exposed her feelings about Tenchi. Deciding to deal with this later, she had gone back to finish Kagato off. She was defeated once again and was ready to accept death, when the miracle of miracles happened, Tenchi appeared. At first, he had trouble fighting Kagato, but then he had cast aside his doubt and summoned the Lighthawk Wings with which he had killed Kagato and finally set Ryoko free once and for all.
Life became relatively peaceful afterwards, with the occasional surprise, like babysitting little Taro, or Ryo-ohki assimilating the Masu and gaining a new form. Aeka and her had developed a certain respect for each other, but they still fought simply because neither of them were willing to admit that they cared about each other. She had been shocked to learn that Washu had had a child before her, and the loss of her son because her in-laws disapproved of her heritage had confirmed everything that Ryoko hated about the so called nobility. When Zero lay dying, Ryoko saw Washu act like her mother for the first time in her eyes. She had agreed to merge with Zero for many reasons, not the least which she knew all too well what it was to be a slave, and Zero deserved the chance to be free. Zero had helped her start expressing her feelings, but it was hard to break the habits of over five millenia, mostly because she had never been allowed to feel emotions of any kind.
The visit of Jurai's King and Queens had been one of the most memorable events at the Masaki home. While Azusa was all bluster and Funaho reminded her of Achika, it was Misaki who still made Ryoko shake her head in wonder. That woman was a class all by herself, and Ryoko counted herself lucky Misaki considered her a friend. After the first visit, the Royal Family came by off and on, and if it was just them, Ryoko would stay with everyone, but if some other suitor for Aeka's hand came with them, Ryoko would disappear either in the shrine itself or Washu's lab. She did this because even though both Funaho and Misaki had let Jurai know about Kagato's control over her, and thus under Galactic Law she was deemed not responsible for her action, the noble families refused to believe the truth. Every time they saw her, they felt it was their "duty" to free the universe from the "demon" by killing her, and Ryoko would promptly give the pompous idiot the thrashing of his life and dump him in the lake with Funaho and Misaki laughing and even Azusa snickering behind that stern look of his. After the third time this happened, Ryoko grew tired of the game and started making herself scarce. She had seen enough fighting and killing in her lifetime and all she wanted was to live her life in peace. It was at this point that she also started to stop fighting with Aeka, again because she was tired and just wanted peace in her life.
About 3 years after the Royal Family's first visit came the other great moment in the Masaki's lives, Mayuka's appearance. Hearing her call Tenchi "Daddy" in that sweet, innoncent voice had brought back memories she had thought forever buried. Kagato had made her call him Daddy when she was a child and would later use that as an excuse for beatings and torture. "I am your Daddy and you must obey me." he had said in that sibilant voice of his. Then he would seize control of her mind and make her say "Yes, Daddy" in the same sweet voice that May had. She had lashed out at Mayuka to make her stop calling Tenchi that name. Even now, just the thought of hearing someone say "Daddy" sent shivers through her. She had thanked the gods that Sasami had called Azusa "Father", because she honestly didn't know what she would have done otherwise.
Shaking her head to clear such morose thoughts, Ryoko thought about the happiness she felt taking care of May. Here was someone who could accept the love she had to give, some one she didn't have to act like she was invulnerable around. As she had focused all of her attention onto Mayuka, her relationship with Tenchi had improved to point that he had actually taken her out on several dates!! She had puzzled about this for weeks, and then it dawned on her that she was the reason Tenchi had always avoided her. Her throwing herself at him and offering such unconditional love had scared him, and he had pushed her away so he could have breathing space. A baby needed such love however, so Mayuka had in effect become a buffer for the intensity of Ryoko's love.
Originally, everyone was supposed to take turns with Mayuka's care, but it quickly became apparent that a fixed schedule would never work. Mihoshi and Kiyone were always on call, and had to be ready to leave at a moments notice. Sasami was still too young to be getting up in the middle of the night to feed or change a baby. While Washu knew how to care for a baby, she had told them flatly that she couldn't make that kind of full time commitment that would be needed. That had left Tenchi, Ayeka and Ryoko to decide. They had tried alternating days, but after several times in which Tenchi and Ayeka had slept through Mayuka's crying, Ryoko had put her foot down. She told them that she would take the night shift, mostly because she slept very little during the night, and everyone else could help during the day. That had been the start of her caring full time for Mayuka. While she had to give credit to Ayeka for trying, it was clear that caring for a newborn was more than Ayeka or Tenchi bargained for.
The arrangement worked better than anyone expected, and life quickly settled into a routine. During the morning, Ryoko would bathe Mayuka and change her if necessary. They would then go to breakfast where everyone had fun feeding the baby. When May was still strictly being bottle fed, Ryoko had fed her almost exclusively at first and only a direct order from Tenchi had gotten her to share the baby feeding. After breakfast, Ryoko would hand May to the rest of the family and grab a nap until time for the soaps. During the early months when Mayuka spent the majority of the time sleeping, Ryoko had either brought her cradle next to the couch or had simply stretched out on the couch with May laying on top, cradled protectively in her arms. Nobuyuki had snapped a picture during one of the latter times and told everyone that Achika had done the same thing with Tenchi. He had then embarassed Tenchi big time by showing his baby pictures to everyone at which all of the girls had great fun saying how cute Tenchi was. After lunch was play time outside if the weather was nice or in the special playroom in Washu's lab during bad weather. Ryoko always kept a bottle on hand and plenty of clean diapers within easy reach during these moments just in case. Ayeka, Mihoshi and Kiyone would help her by watching Mayuka while Ryoko did the laundry or had another nap until supper.
Dinnertime was when Tenchi would get to play with his daughter. He was in college now, studying both drafting and art. While he knew that someday he would have take up the duties of the Crown Prince of Jurai, he had convinced Misaki and Funaho to at least let him finish his education on Earth and get used to being a father. When he wasn't at classes, Yosho, Nobuyuki, and Ryoko had made it quite clear he was expected to care for Mayuka and be her father. Yosho still made Tenchi train, but he did make one small concession. If Mayuka cried out her needs, Yosho would wait and not whack Tenchi on the head while he was distracted, for which Tenchi was eternally grateful.
When they had found out about Mayuka and her heritage, the Royal Council had gone into shock. Several of the more bigoted members wanted to immediately kill the "abomination" when Azusa had suddenly stood up and faced the entire Council. "When Space Pirate Ryoko killed women and children, she did so against her will and still paid a horrible price for her crimes. Now she must live with what she has done for the rest of her days. What you are proposing is even more monstrous and I will NOT stand for it. ANYONE attempting to harm that child will be stripped of all titles and rank and turned over to the Galaxy Police for his or her crimes. And be assured that the trial will be in full view of the public so all will know what kind of person would do such a thing." Azusa had thundered and thus settled that issue. While he was protective of his daughters like any father and therefore looked upon Tenchi as someone who had to prove himself worthy of his Ayeka, the thought of harming an innocent baby was abhorrent to him. Shortly afterward, he and his wives had gone get their first look at Mayuka. They had walked in while Ryoko and Mayuka were having a nap together, and Azusa had almost woken them when Misaki and Funaho had glared at him together. Without saying a word, all three had left and waited for the two to wake up.
When Ryoko had gotten up, she was treated to a sight like she'd never seen. Misaki's reaction to May was totally predictable, and Ryoko wondered who was the bigger baby. The fact that Ryoko acted the same way around May while no one was watching was something she conveniently chose to forget. Funaho had sang quietly to her great-great-granddaughter in a voice very much like Achika's . It was Azusa who surprised everyone. He had played with May and acted like a great big goofball around her. Upon seeing everyone's faces, he had said with great dignity that grandparents had the right to spoil their grandchildren, and he had never been able to play with his granddaughter or great-grandson when they were children so he had a lot of lost time to make up. Mayuka had soiled her diapers right then, and Azusa had calmly changed her diapers without even breaking a sweat. When Ryoko complimented him on it, he replied " Do you really think that my wives would let me get out of doing the dirty work or that they would trust the servants to take of our children? Many's the time I had to get up when my children needed feeding or changing in the night." At this, Ryoko had looked right at Ayeka and Tenchi and they had the grace to look away embarassed.
After everyone went to bed, Ryoko would first set a bottle to warm up for any late night feedings. Next she lay Mayuka's clothes out for the next day and setup the changing table. After making sure that May was asleep, Ryoko would then head to her own bed. In her room, she first made sure that her nightlight was on before laying down. 700 years in that cave had left her forever afraid of being alone in the dark. After she had taken up permanent residence in the Masaki home, Ryoko had tried to sleep at night like everyone else. Though her body didn't need sleep, her mind did in order to be able dream. She had lasted two hours before her fear had sent her fleeing into Tenchi's room where she had crawled into bed with him, shivering and sobbing. He had almost scolded her but saw that she wasn't acting. After calming her, he had tried to find out what was wrong but she had fled to the roof. She had been ashamed and couldn't bear the thought of telling him that she was afraid of the dark like some child. She had spent the rest of that night on the roof, out where she could see the world.
The next morning she went to see Katsuhito, figuring he would be someone she could trust with her problem. She didn't recognize him as Yosho, mostly because he kept his power very low along with Tsunami's illusion. She told him that she had been awake the entire time in the cave, not asleep like the legend said and now a dark room was too much like the cave to her. He had listened gravely to her story, and then gotten up and rummaged around in of the chests. He had handed a small object to her and told her that it was Tenchi's nightlight when he was young. The nightlight had helped until Ryo-ohki was reborn at which point she no longer felt so alone at night. She still needed the light to help hold her fear at bay, and avoided sleep during the night as much as possible. The only time that sleep came easily was she was drinking or when she was in the sun. Ayeka thought these habits were proof of Ryoko's worthlessness, but Ryoko thought differently. Out in the sun was where she felt safe alone and alcohol dulled the fear and pain enough to where she could bear it. When May entered her life, she had lost almost all desire to drink because now she had happiness to counteract the pain. She still needed a nightlight, but at least she woke up without feeling all 5000+ years in the morning.
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The next morning dawned bright and clear, with the promise of being a beautiful spring day. It was a Saturday, so Tenchi would be home and Ryoko had already decided that everyone would have a picnic out in the fields. Mayuka was full of energy and playing with everyone outside would hopefully wear her out enough so that she would sleep during the afternoon. Ryoko wanted to be able to sleep on the roof out in the warm sun but knew that it wasn't safe for May. She always put May's needs above her own wants, but still managed to work in a little time off for herself. After breakfast, Ryoko told Sasami to make a picnic lunch, and Sasami gladly agreed. Sasami was turning into a beautiful teenager, and Ryoko knew that soon she would have more competition for Tenchi's heart. Caring for Mayuka had given her the maturity to be able accept this, but Ryoko still hoped that Tenchi would marry her.
After giving May to Ayeka, Ryoko teleported to the roof for a snooze. She loved the warm sunlight upon her, as it reminded her once again that she was truly free of both Kagato and the cave. Meanwhile, Ayeka was playing with Mayuka and laughing at her antics. The years away from court and having someone unafraid to speak her mind had done Ayeka a world of good. She no longer acted like the spoiled, snobbish princess that she had been when she first came to Earth. She had never been able to trust anyone except for Sasami and Yosho, but neither of them was her age, and therefore could understand her problems. When she had met Ryoko, she already had a grudging respect for her candid words and lack of fear of her position. As time went by, Ayeka grew to trust Ryoko, when they weren't fighting over Tenchi. Here was someone who she could trust to give an honest opinion, with no hidden agendas or false words of praise. Ryoko despised the hypocracy of the nobility, having seen what Kagato was like and when Ayeka tried to act like she above everyone or had higher morals, she didn't hesitate to expose Ayeka's attitude for the lie that it was.
Now that Ryoko was acting as Mayuka's primary caregiver, she and Ayeka had grown very close. Tenchi had also taken Ayeka out several times and Ryoko had helped pick out a nice outfit for her each time. Ayeka had returned the favor when Ryoko went out, and afterward they had both shared what happened on the dates, giggling like schoolgirls. Like Ryoko, Ayeka had matured to the point where she could accept Tenchi picking someone else, but she still hoped to win Tenchi's hand in marriage. She was amazed at how responsible Ryoko had become and had admitted to herself that Ryoko was a much better mother to May than she was.
Just before lunch, Ryoko woke up and headed out to carrot fields to get Tenchi. He only worked the fields occasionally due the increased demands on him and Washu had created a few robots to take care of Ryo-ohki's precious carrots. Tenchi agreed to the picnic and headed home to clean up. She then invited Yosho and afterward headed to the lab to get Washu. Her relationship with Washu had improved to the point where she could call her "Mom" like Washu wanted, but a large gulf still remained between them, due to the emotional scars that Ryoko still bore. Washu wisely did not push Ryoko, but bided her time. She knew that someday her daughter would open up to her and Ryoko's tortured soul could finally begin healing.
After inviting Washu, Ryoko went to the living room and picked up Mayuka. She took her flying while the others brought lunch. Mayuka loved flying and would laugh happily with her, enjoying the sensations. Washu said that May had the potential to also fly on her own, and Ryoko was looking forward to the day she could teach her. For now she just held Mayuka close, happy to be able to give her love to this wonderful child. They landed in the field where Sasami had already setup lunch, and settled down to eat. After lunch, Mihoshi and Kiyone, who had come back that morning, had watched May while everyone else enjoyed a nice peaceful afternoon. The two GP's had just arrested a particulary nasty child molester and needed to take their minds off having to deal with such a monster.
Late in the afternoon, everyone reluctantly agreed it was time head back. Sasami had to start dinner and Mayuka getting tired. After helping pack up, Ryoko picked up May and flew back to the house. She put May in her cradle and gently sang her to sleep. After telling Ryo-ohki to keep an eye on her, Ryoko started to clean the house. By the time everyone else arrived, she had finished cleaning and had turned on the TV to catch the Galactic News. While she rarely left the Earth due to her reputation, Ryoko had recently begun to take interest what was going on in the universe, mostly because she had spent her life in isolation. After her release, she had paid little attention to what was going beyond the Masaki household because she needed to learn simply what it meant to be free. Later, as she healed to the point where her natural curiosity began to assert itself, she became painfully aware of how little she knew. While she knew science and math, and had picked up a basic knowledge of government and law, her awareness of arts, culture and music were almost nil. Kagato destroyed those things and had ruthlessly prevented her experiencing the emotions that would have allowed her to understand them.
Caring for May had made her realize that she needed to know what going on in the universe. She had started to watch the news and began to watch the different educational programs. Washu had let her peruse through her immense library of music and art, and Tenchi and Ayeka helped her learn about the culture of Earth and Jurai. She vowed to herself that Mayuka would not grow up with no knowledge of the universe around her, so she spent much of her free time learning what she had always wanted to know but had been prevented from actually finding out.
Around dinnertime, Mayuka woke up from her nap and immediately let everyone know she was hungry. Taking her from the cradle, Ryoko brought her to dining room and began feeding her supper. After supper, everyone went into the living room and sat down for some quality family time. They were all enjoying a movie, when Mayuka suddenly spoke her first word. She had attempted more than once to speak, but this time she managed to speak clearly to be understood. The word "Mama" came out and everyone just looked at her, hardly believing it. She said "Mama" again and looked directly at Ryoko. Ryoko just sat there in shock, her mind in turmoil. Mayuka had always directed her love at Tenchi when she first appeared, and Ryoko assumed that her first word would be "Papa". Instead, she was calling Ryoko her mother, and it rocked Ryoko to her very core. Tears flowed from her eyes as she remembered all times she had called out for her mother, and never received an answer. Desperately, she tried to control herself and bury those memories, but it was too late.
Like a dam that had been breached, Ryoko's wall that she had erected around her memories had been broken and her emotions would no longer be denied. More and more memories came to the surface, and Ryoko's whole body was racked with convulsions as she cried. She suddenly cried out "Mommy!!" as she had so many centuries ago, and this time Washu was there to hold her. She had come running out from the lab in her adult form, having felt her daughter's distress through her pyschic link. Scooping up her daughter in her arms, she held Ryoko against her shoulder. Ryoko at this point was completely unaware of her surroundings, and was reliving all the horrors that she had experienced but had never been able express. She was screaming in a voice that held all the pain and terror of her youth, and crying tears for all those she had hurt and killed but never allowed to grieve.
Hour after hour it went on, Ryoko crying her very soul out and Washu gently rocking her and speaking soothingly to her. Ryoko's eyes had already dried up and her voice become hoarse, but she sobbed anyway, unable to stop. Finally, around 1:00 A.M., Ryoko slowly gained control of herself. She became aware of her eyes being cleaned of the salt that encrusted them and a glass of juice being held to her lips. A voice told her to drink slowly, and her parched throat gratefully accepted the cool liquid. Her vision cleared for a minute and she saw Washu's face and felt her arms around her. Ryoko looked at her and managed to say "Momma?" before falling unconscious in her mother's arms.
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Afterword:
This is the first chapter of a multi-part saga. If you think that everyone is acting OOC, go back and watch the OVA's and MnE. Every thing is based on how the characters all acted throughout. I've given Azusa more credit for his actions than most people, because do you really think that Misaki or Funaho would actually care about him if he was the overbearing jerk or evil person that I've seen him portrayed in a lot of fanfics? The lullaby is "The Lonely Moon" which was sung Ai Orikasa, Ryoko's Japanese voice over artist, and therefore belong's to Pioneer/AIC. Please send questions, C&C to me at billdrown@lamere.net as I'm interested your thoughts.