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Nightfall's Rain	By : Mike256bit Category: +S to Z > Tenchi Muyo Views: 15455 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Tenchi Muyo, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 5
- 6
All priva-previous notes apply.

Chapter Five

"A Mother's Touch"

�� Washu reviewed
the past and its most disturbing events.�
Hitler and the rise of Nazi power in Germany back in the 1930's (Earth
Calendar), Stalin's take over of Marxist Russia, MC Hammer's '2 Legit 2 Quit,'
and one of the worst ever: Vanilla and Lime
Coke.� Then, her mind reset its course to
focus on more home-hitting events. Namely, that she was the single cause of
Ryouko's demise.

�� Oh God,
what have I done?

�� How much more
could her mind tell her it wasn't her fault when, for all her worth, it was? At
least, that's what she'd believed for the last two thousand years.� Surely, she could not blame herself for
Kagato's insubordination and the audacity it took for him to take her little girl
away.� But she did.� It was a mother's job to take responsibility
for all things heinous, atrocious and evil done upon their babies.� Kagato wasn't her fault, but she took the
blame.

�� She was to
blame, however, for the creation of the other scourge of Ryouko's memories:
Sugisawa Mitsuko.� Oh, Washu, everyone
makes mistakes, don't they?

�� She crept
along and out towards the storage shed after checking the kitchen.� Kiyone stayed inside, the only one with the
will power to head down into the storage room. �Yeah, the basement.� Well, not so much the basement as it was
Nobuyuki's personal space.

�� Right!� His hentai library.

�� Looking out to
the darkened sky, she was chilled to see how the light had depleted so much in
so little as an hour.� It was barely
breeching a summer's dinner time and the saving grace of sunlight was gone
entirely.� The rain continued to batter
down, digging little foxholes into the softened ground.� After having checked the lab - it was hers so
you had better believe she knew how - she shut it down and disconnected it
entirely.� She didn't like the fact that
she had to take these measures - If she needed to get to her lab it would just
be that much more difficult.

�� I'm sorry. . .

�� Where are
you Ryouko? . . . answer your mother.�
Not surprisingly, she had no reply.�
I know you can hear me. . . Again, no one answered her call.� However, a spark hit the back of her mind as
she heard a thump emerge from the shed.�
"Ryo. . . " A brown blur exited with great haste and Washu
knelt down to scoop it up as it attempted to pass.� Washu smiled at her creation, lifting it
up.� "It was you, eh Ryou-ohki?� Haven't seen you since breakfast. Getting
carrots? . . ." Stopping mid-inquiry, she relaxed her arms to hold
Ryou-ohki closer.� "What this?"
Furrowing her brow, Washu ran a light finger across Ryou-ohki's squirming face,
her stomach turning as a slick trail followed it off.

�� Little one,
come back . . . I wasn't finished. . .

�� Washu's gaze
darted up as the thought penetrated her head.�
"Ryouko," She whispered lightly.

�� "Miya!"
Ryou-ohki replied over her little shoulder after hopping away and galloping
madly into the house. The wind roared by outside as the black clouds dropped a
harder sheen of ominous liquid. Washu crept to the shed's door and listened in,
searching for the link, but she found none.�
Preparing the Tranzine, she stepped in quietly, seeing the empty basket
of carrots on which Ryou-ohki had probably been in there feeding.� A few green stocks littered the floor where
Ryou-ohki was probably in a mad rush for more carrots.� Who needs the green part, eh?

�� She stepped in
further, eyes readjusting to the dim lights. Almost immediately she felt a
shroud of regret surround her and whipped around suddenly when a snap came
crisply from outside of the shed, the door slamming shut with a brisk clap of
thunder.

--

�� Inside the
grand Masaki home, Kiyone looked down the library steps with lead weights tied
to her legs.� Going down didn't seem so
appealing when she was at the crux of descent. "Hello?" She called
uneasily, expecting her target to answer back with a friendly invite to spray
her in the face after a spot of tea.�
Taking a step, she proceeded downward when much to her chagrin, all the lights in the house struck off.� The absence of brightness outside blackened
the house as Kiyone 'erk'ed, screeched and stumbled, falling down the stairs, losing
consciousness after a bang to the head at the end of the bumpy ride.

--

�� Tenchi looked
through his bedroom window as he stared outside at the swirling maelstrom.� "Man, that's dark. . ." The lights
cut off and Tenchi toppled fully over his bed.�
"Ow."

--

�� Sasami ducked
into a cabinet on the kitchen island, shivering as the lights disappeared.� "I'm not scared, I�m not scared,
I'm-" Thunder resonated outside and Sasami covered her head, shrieking.

--

�� The professor
turned quickly and muttered to herself, swearing her name for stupidly entering
a dark and secluded place.� Somehow, at
times like this, her brain never seemed to register her being a goddess;
possibly, after having powers since the beginning of time, you begin to lose
track of them. That, and with the lab shut down, portal hopping was out of the
question.� She skidded back to the door
and tried opening it, which she did quite successfully.� "Oh. . . guess
it was the wind. . ." Another gust passed her, chilling her neck and
making her hair stand on end as she viewed the rolling horizon. She froze immediately
when the wind returned and rolled and over her shoulders, dragging her back in.
With the crack of timber, the door was pulled shut once again.

�� Washu tumbled
back, still gripping the Tranzine as her wild roll smashed a few of the wicker
vegetable baskets to straw bits. They littered the area for just a moment,
until Ryouko's arm swept the sharp pieces away.

�� The goddess
cried out when she was pressed upon, feeling Ryouko push down her arms, Washu
now unable to spray the pirate. She stilled for a moment, the sight of her
daughter holding her in an icy grip immobilizing her as the understanding of
what her own child had in store punctured clear through any defenses. Ryouko
chuckled as Washu resumed her idle struggling, reaching down to pluck the can
from her milling hands.� The shock
quelled Washu's ability to do anything that would, in hindsight, be considered
an easy escape as her gaze locked onto the amber one that returned. All that
swam through her was the persistent 'why' inquisition.

�� Goddamn that
stupid, stupid question.

�� "Ryouko,"
Washu said uneasily, "you don't know what you're doing. . ."

�� "Oh?� What am I doing then?"

�� "You�re
being highly rash, illogical, and impulsive.�
I didn't raise you to be like that."

�� "Kagato. . . Master,
raised me. . ."

�� "No, he
didn't!� This isn't right!"

�� "Well,
that doesn't stop it from being fun." Ryouko quickly sliced through
Washu's uniform, parting each severed layer with her thumbs.� Washu gasped at the transgression and tried
pulling her arms free as her predator�s bare shins locked down on her ankles,
knees vee'ed out to either side. Fear got the better of the guised youngster,
however, when she, unable to simply think straight, made no other attempt but
to fight in her weaker, kiddish form.�
Ryouko split the last layer, peeling it off and tossing it along with
the pile of ribbons that were the remains of Washu's Science Academy
uniform.� With a sly grin, she peered
down at her work, having left Washu-Chan in her under garments alone.

�� Ryouko pulled
Washu's wrists together above her head to hold them with one hand while she
sniffed at the can.� She wrinkled her
nose and whipped her head away, holding the can far from her nose.� "Pretty potent."

�� Almost
sneering as Washu succumbed only momentarily to her anger, she said, "I
made it just for you."

�� Washu suddenly
regretted that her creation was made to learn.

�� Ryouko
responded by spraying a light mist into the air above Washu and held the
professor still as she set the can aside, the tranquilizing air settling down
over Washu's face.� Washu held her breath
and tried to look away but could not in the strong grip of her captor.� Instantly, after a regretfully painful exhale
and deep inhale, the Tranzine began targeting her synapses, slowing down the
neuron transfers and ultimately any logical thought that might have served to
save her. She quickly lost all ability to think straight and, even if she
wanted to, could not switch to her adult form, let alone make use of her
goddess powers. For the fleeting moment she could process anything worth
discerning, all that got to her was the irony that stung Washu more than the
acid stung her eyes.� "I find that I
like them young," she heard Ryouko mutter, feeling her split the bra Washu
was so proud of, her chest released to the chilled air.

�� Ryouko peeled
back the bright yellow cups, though dull in the lacking light, and gave an
anticipatory smile at the sight of her soft nipples. Washu attempted to
struggle just once more, still with the understanding that it was for naught
and that it only earned her Ryouko's disciplining claws in her shoulder.� Washu cried out and looked groggily at what
was once her daughter, eyelids taking on the weight of half her laboratory.

�� "I, I
know it's not your fault . . ."

�� "What�s
the fault?" Ryouko whispered.

�� "That I let
you sink so low. . ."

�� "Oh?"
Bending down, Ryouko faintly licked at Washu's earlobe before continuing her
interrogation. "And who are you to me?"

�� "You�d
never understand if you don't remember."

�� "I
remember. I remember my master. That's all I need to remember." Washu
whimpered in a wave of mental anguish, wanting for only the opportunity to hug
her child close and keep her in an eternal embrace.

�� Moreover, she
never wanted more to apologize.

�� Washu sadly
desisted in struggling as Ryouko brought her lips down to meet her victim�s.
She squirmed at the attack of Ryouko's tongue in her mouth, running a wild path
over her teeth and under her own. Washu closed her eyes, making herself blind to what no one should see; the painful
watching was left to be done by the eyes in the touch of skin. She saw in her
mind the slide the pirate made down her chest and over her breasts.� Washu pulled her head back and barely let her
breath hitch, let alone any form of audible notions, as her brain was finally
sympathetic enough to give up and shut down for the most part. Still, she
wouldn't give Kagato that kind of satisfaction.

�� As a final
farewell, the child felt the sharp touch of nails along her torso; she
painfully detected the dance of Ryouko's hands creeping down to her more
private lower-wares; and she sensed desperately the tug and break of the
elastic, knowing well enough of the pinkish patch Ryouko exposed.� Washu sighed bitterly but held her tongue, trying
her best to be brave as the chaos swept her into depression; as Ryouko plunged
in, entering her.

�� Washu awoke to
blackness.� Then, she opened her
eyes.� She felt the cold sweat quickly
drying off her skin as the slick runs of gooey fluids and spit congregated
around her legs.� She looked to the side
and saw a thin line gleaming on the can of Tranzine in the meek light, the
light itself a betrayal of the heavy din outside.� Pain struck the veiled one's head as she
slowly sat up, still sore in the chest and legs. Her nipples burned as she
gradually got to her feet, almost slipping on the small pool of liquid � mostly
Ryouko's doing - below her.� She
skittered to the door and slammed into it after her losing balance in the hazy
daze.� Quietly she followed it down to
the floor, lying like a broken puppet with the desire to join creatures lucky
enough to be able to escape humanoid emotions and feelings. Simply put, Washu
was cold, tired and felt like shit.

�� "Ryouko.
. ."

�� What have I
done?

--

�� Kiyone's eyes
popped open to the sight of intense fucking.

�� Slowly, she
reached up and plucked the hentai manga from her face, flinging it somewhere
across the stacks.� She lay sprawled
between two towering columns, a brief rectangle of light flashing with a cut of
lighting at the top of the stairs. She briefly wondered why she didn�t just
make Nobuyuki take this place, but remembered that Washu had put him out like a
light, knowing he�d probably look for Ryouko with something else in mind. She
groaned at the thought, looking around at the surroundings of a litter of books
and comics, a candle flickering off in a corner somewhere.

�� Wait a minute,
that candle wasn't there the last time. . .

�� She hobbled to
her feet, the rattle of a few pages turning in the brief fluttering through the
air.� She made way for the candle,
despite its odd placement, in search for a small glow of safety.� Stepping over pile after pile of books, she
lazily made way for the wax shaft.� It
flickered once or twice as the breeze swirled around the room.

�� "That�s
right, Kiyone.� Be adventurous.� Take the darkest, scariest place there is,
surrounded by mounds of sexual
influence." She bonked her forehead and closed her eyes, grabbing for the
candle. "You're so stupid." Her eyes reopened as her fingers closed
around nothing, the sputtering light of the candle gone.� She stepped back, whipping her head to look
down one of the aisles upon hearing the hiss of the candle being snuffed.� Barely making a sound, she shot back down to
the stairs in a mad dash to get up and into the house.

�� For some
reason, she desperately wanted be with her annoying, blonde and incredibly
comforting partner.� She slipped on her
arrival at the base of the stairs, partially by way of the hentai mag she
stepped on and partially at the sight of Ryouko's wiry form at the top of the
steps.� Gaping, she crawled back as the
pirate�s silhouette slipped from sight. She was almost at her feet when a pair
of bare legs and a vibration in the air stopped her cold.

�� "Oh God.
. ."

��

--

�� Sasami covered
her head as thunder and the screams of another person mercilessly taken down
entered her ears.� The shrieking had gone
on for quite some time, and there was little doubt in her head that it was
Kiyone's voice that was finally giving out. She peeked out from under the
kitchen's center table, speckles of vegetables dotting its top from the
previous meal, wishing she had a tablecloth to pull down while she curled her
knees to her chin, crying gently.� She
felt so brave in the safety of the bath, and proving to Washu that she could
handle the job somehow overrode her previous encounter with the target.� The screams soon died down and a thump came
from somewhere in the house.� Sasami
whimpered and shuddered, mindlessly clutching her can of Tranzine 023.

�� Closing her
wet eyes for a moment, she took a deep breath in the attempt to calm herself.
The sound of sticky skin off the linoleum resonating through the kitchen,
however, ruined the idea as the breath caught in her throat.� Sasami paled to solid white, peering daringly
out from under the table as though to maybe reveal that is was the result of a
horribly over-active imagination. She saw the distorted shimmers of light from
rain-shielded smatterings of lightning bouncing off the floor as the ripping,
velcro-ish sounds approached.� The child
held her breath, sweat pouring from her, trying desperately not to cry as her hope
that it 'just wasn�t there' was shattered.�
Her heart skipped a beat when the can she clutched so tightly began to
slip from her increasingly slippery fingers.�
Her white-knuckled grasp pushed it out a little further before she could
readjust her grip and the can spun into a paralyzing free fall. It fell for
ages, spiraling noiselessly, its silent whistle ending with a sound like a bomb
upon striking the floor.� Sasami covered
it with her hands, silencing it after it skittered a bit over the tiles.

�� The raging
winds outside poured in through an open kitchen window, flowing into the
cabinet. Sasami shivered furiously, covering her ears as the footsteps slowed,
yet persisted.� She looked back up,
terrified, as suddenly, the footfalls were gone.

�� "Uh?"
she let slip from her throat as she peered out a little further, seeing nothing
but the wet, vaporizing footprints left on the floor.� She sat back, then flinched, then screamed as
the table top above her cracked and split down the middle. The marble counter
broke like peanut brittle and the wood turned to sawdust.� Sasami began scooting back and out from the
cabinet, spraying wildly into the air.�
She shut her eyes tight as Ryouko whipped the table halves to either
side of the kitchen, reaching forward to clutch the can from Sasami's trembling
hand as twin crashes sounded in the room. The refrigerator dented, the door
knocked off its hinges by one half, the other block cracking the sink basin.
Water shot up in a perpendicular fountain, remaining enclosed in the broken fixture.� Sasami backed into a cupboard panel with a
thump and looked up, seeing Ryouko's grinning face emerge from the mist.

�� The mini-princess
flinched again at the clatter of the can smashing into the floor when Ryouko
tossed it behind her with a casual throw.�
"You guys fight so hard. . ." Ryouko said, laughed with
sinister apathy, slowly moving in on her prey.�
Believe me; Ryouko could make sinister apathy work.

�� "Please
don�t. . ." Sasami sniffed, trying to back further into or possibly
through the cupboard. Her slippered feet slid easily over the linoleum as she
flailed her legs, her hands skidding slowly on the surface.

�� "But you,
little one, are the best of all. . . You're pure and innocent.� I wish to blemish you the most." Ryouko
phased out, her neko-eyes seemingly hanging in the air a moment longer like the
optic grin of the Cheshire Cat.� Sasami
gasped upon feeling something in her throat tighten as a weight seemed to press
down and spread over her.� Ryouko
reappeared with a white flash that illuminated the room for scant moment, her
damp hand tightening the grip on Sasami's neck.�
Ryouko traced her other hand up her own leg, cupping herself for only a
moment before pushing a finger inward.�
She sighed briefly and leaned forward a bit as the dull shock ran
through her, bringing a sleek digit back up to her face a few moments
later.� She grinned again and turned
them, resting their tips on Sasami's quivering lips.� "Have a taste. . ."

�� "N-no!"
Sasami tried to pull down to possibly jet through the vee Ryouko made with her
legs but Ryouko held fast by keeping grip on her neck.� Ryouko smirked slightly, a small glittering
in her eyes as she pushed her finger into Sasami's mouth, resting them on her
retreating tongue.� Sasami gagged
slightly as Ryouko's longer fingertip reached to tickle the back of her throat.

�� "Don't I
taste good?� Don't you want more?�

�� Tears gleamed,
their twin trails sliding on the gentle curves of Sasami's cheeks as she shook
her head loosely.� The droplets swiveled
a bit, creating arcs and loops in their paths. Trying to ignore the tart taste
of the digit circulating her mouth, the child struggled further as Ryouko
pulled her fingers past her lips as Sasami let out a small whimper.� "Don't do this. . . "

�� Ignoring her
plea, the pirate bent down, letting her hot breath roll over the princess�s
face.� "I want to know what you
taste like, too. . ." Ryouko bent over Sasami's face, gratuitously licking
the flat of her forehead, picking up a few salty droplets of sweat.� It lightened, running down the side of her
face where perspiration began mingling with tears.� Finally, her tongue arrived upon the
princess�s mouth.� Not allowing her any
more time to protest, Ryouko pushed her tongue down, connecting with Sasami's
wet lips.� Ryouko's captive screamed a
muffled objection, trying desperately to push away.� A small laugh stirred in her sultry-toned
throat as she relaxed her grip on Sasami's neck, slipping her tongue into the
child's forced-open mouth.� The little girl
cried futilely, pulling her own muscle back and away from the vigorous search.
She shuddered upon hearing Ryouko groan delightedly, feeling her run her tongue
over her teeth, lips and mouth's interior.

�� The pirate
pulled away, Sasami feeling a hot flush come over her face.� "More?" Ryouko mused just above a
whisper, letting the hand that lay upon her neck slide down over Sasami's
chest, squeezing lightly.

�� "No. .
."

�� "Why not?"

�� "Please,
duh-don't. . ."

�� "Doesn�t
it feel good?"

�� "N-no!� It feels fuh-funny. . ."

�� "You'll
like it. . ."

�� "Why are
you doing this to me," the girl sobbed quietly, each word broken, as
Ryouko moved back in, kissing her neck.

�� "Because I
can." She moved back up, pushing her tongue through Sasami's lips,
grinning victoriously when she found Sasami's own.� She pulled at it, faintly tasting herself in
the little one's mouth. A louder, deeper moan erupted from Ryouko as the
chilled air from outside ran over her hot form, her skin steaming in the cool
room.� Sasami's tears splashed down and touched
Ryouko's hand as it slid its path away from her chest and downward.� Sasami sobbed out, trying vainly to dig grips
into the floor with her scrambling fingers as Ryouko leaned in, grinning as the
hand below beginning to press.

�� The room
become ablaze in white light as bolts outside neared their tirade.� Another came in quick succession,
illuminating the room for far longer than it should have, pouring a shadow over
Ryouko's features as she suddenly pulled back with a scream.� Deep within, the old Ryouko also burst,
suppressed fears racing out in this new, deadly and amorphous form.� Sasami dropped back, limp, the forever-drawn
lightning keeping Ryouko as a tall silhouette as she stood unsteadily,
clutching her head in a whipping torrent. Sasami saw the flash of her teeth as
she screamed again, falling back into the stove, denting the paneling as she
crumpled into a heap.

�� Crack!
Lightning.

�� Sasami sighed
painfully, sliding down the cupboard door to lie flatly on the floor, slowly
bringing her hand up to her sore chest.�
She lifted her head, seeing Ryouko flinch slightly.� Sasami groaned,
setting her head back down as it was assaulting with hammering pain.� As the mark on her forehead finally stopped
glowing, her blurred vision registered another chord of lightning. When she
looked up again, Ryouko was just a ghost lingering in her memory.

--

�� Washu drearily
opened her eyes again as the split of lightning resounded outside, a miserable
harbinger of things unspeakable.� That,
and energy, too.� She got to her feet,
grimacing as her bones cracked and cricked momentarily. She reached around for
her sliced clothing and dressed the best she could in silence, dealing quietly with
the split in her front.� Pulling it
closed she sighed raggedly, a small wind creeping in to send shivers up her
arms and down her back.� She leaned back
against the door, thinking furiously with eyes shut tight.

�� Opening her
eyes against the muggy swell of the room, she could make out the faint shapes
in the small shed.� Seeing the Tranzine,
she picked it up and lazily rolled it over in her hand.� The sleepy crab symbol on the front began to
stand out, a beacon of irony. "My own product used on me," she
thought aloud grimly.� Narrowing her eyes,
she turned on a foot, kicking the door open with the heel of her Academy shoe,
nary moved an inch by the back-surge of powerful winds as she stood in its path
with her leg settling back in place. The door cracked against its own side as
the hinges squeaked and whined, the winds teetering the door. Washu's eyes
remained in slits as she stepped out, racing around the house against the
batter of the winds.

--

�� Tenchi blinked.� While dim, he could see that the floor seemed
awfully far away. If this were his room, he certainly didn't recall that light fixture.
Looking up, he wondered why the ceiling was so well boarded and smooth.� Bringing a hand up to his forehead he closed
his eyes, feeling very, very confused.�
He reopened them to look back down, seeing his feet hobbled over the
edge of his bed where half of his comforter had slid, the rest of it pooled on
the floor next to him. He sighed, glad that physics remained sane in the Masaki
household.

�� "Ow,"
the boy muttered.� "Oh man, my head.
. . Pain, pain, pain. . ." Tenchi slothfully got to his feet as the
darkness began to set in.� Forms in the
room began to take familiar shape as he half-assedly checked himself over for
injury.� Looking to where he was once
sprawled, he saw his Tranzine waiting patiently where he had been, probably
having been lodged in his back, and bent down to scoop it up, slowly making way
to the dark doorframe upon righting his self.�
Tenchi froze upon hearing a thump, reeling around viciously fast after a
crash sounded near the corner by his bed and shelves.� Not waiting for further confirmation, he slid
his hand up the wall as he readied his can.�
His fingers ran over the light switch, bringing blinding light to the
room.

�� Crack!� The lightning died down as the room light
took over, a scream swirling jagged circles around the room.

�� "Waugh!"
Tenchi cried as Mihoshi's shrill shriek pounded his eardrums.� Short bursts of screaming came until he made
his way over, covering her mouth with a hand.�
"Shh!" he whispered harshly, bringing her over to sit on the
uncovered edge of his bed. She looked up to him, breathing heavily as he slowly
removed his hand.

�� "Tenchi!"
she exclaimed when she finally registered him.�
She grasped him tightly, making him gag slightly.

�� "Relax,
Mihoshi!" he croaked, the threat of passing out in his waning voice.

�� "Oh!� Sorry. . ."� She let go, her hands slipping back down to
her sides before clasping each other on her lap.� He nodded, stepping back slightly, where he
painfully heard and moreover felt a sharp crack under his feet. He looked down,
wincing.

�� "Ow!"
he hopped, scrambling over to sit on the bed and tend to his foot.� "What's this?" he mumbled, bending
down to pick up a piece of the burst lamp Mihoshi had knocked over in nervous
anxiety.

�� "Sorry
Tenchi.� I was just really scared. . ."

�� "What�re
you even doing up here?� I thought you
were helping Kiyone. . ."

�� Mihoshi's
unhindered whimpering slowed him as she absently reached around for his hand.
"Yuh-yeah, we kinda got separated. . . I ran in here to hide when. . . I
heard her screaming. . ."

�� He gasped,
grabbing her hands to pull her up.�
"She's in trouble?"

�� She shook her
head.� "That was at least an hour
ago. . . I've been too petrified to move. . ." Tenchi's ears perked at the
sound of a door sliding open.� He pulled
her along towards the steps, reaching back into the room to shut off his light
and get his Tranzine.

�� "Let�s go."

--

�� Washu tore the
house's door open, reeling back at the heavy, intense blast of pheromones and
the scent of sex lingering in the air.� On
the second floor she heard the rush and shuffle of feet as they made way for
the stairs. She lifted her can, preparing to phase into a half-mode until the two
sets of feet made their appearance. When their faces came into view they both
yelped, falling back against the stairs and consequently tumbling down into the
hallway.

�� "Ow. .
."

�� "Ouchie.
. ."

�� "Hi guys!"
Washu said, soaked and smiling as she stepped up from the house�s front
entrance.� She stepped back for a moment
and slipped off her shoes, a bit of relief coming over her as the squishy,
soggy feeling left her cold feet.

�� "Wuh-Washu.
. . now's not the time. . ." Tenchi sputtered.

�� Her almost
cheerful grin quickly left her as the hand clutching her wear-halves together
relaxed a bit.� "I. . . I know. .
."

�� "It was
the hair," Mihoshi finally confirmed, nodding. "Scary." She
glanced down, seeing the heavy split and got to her feet. Motioning to her own
chest, she spoke. "What happened here?"

�� "I fell,"
Washu replied in a taciturn voice.

�� "Washu,"
Tenchi said quietly, glancing back to Mihoshi, "Kiyone's. . . she's been.
. ."

�� The scientist
sighed, nodding. "She isn't the only one." Looking back up, she saw the
questioning stares of the two housemates. "I mean Ayeka, too, of
course.� Let's go." Glancing back
down she shifted past, making way for the stairs again. Mihoshi stopped them.

�� "Wait.�
She merely pointed to the kitchen, where the sound of the faucet filled their
ears. How long had that been on? Washu nodded and walked first.� Tenchi gave a worried glance to Mihoshi who
went ahead of him.� She shrugged in
response as she turned back to follow Washu, where instead she toppled over
her.

�� "Waugh!"
Washu cried as she fell to the slick linoleum.�
She looked up wearily, seeing rain pour in from an open window, puddles
growing on the floor. She winced, feeling the weight of both Tenchi and Mihoshi
on her back.� "Get off!" she
bellowed irritably.

�� Tenchi
recovered, almost embarrassed as he pulled himself up and off Mihoshi's
backside.� Blushing, he got to his feet,
grabbing his head to stop it from spinning while the defiant room kept up its
twirl.� Looking about as it slowed,
Tenchi paled as his gaze connected with a flat body lying on the floor.� He muttered something indiscreet, stumbling
back into the hallway where he fell against the stairs near Washu's door.� He grasped his stomach, gripping where the
ledge of the stair above stuck out over his head.� "Oh, my God. . ."

�� Mihoshi and
Washu got to their feet, Washu pushing the blonde's frozen stance towards
Tenchi as she slowly walked up to the still form.� Kneeling down, she picked Sasami up, cradling
her weak and limp body at the shoulders and knees. The water gurgled in the
sink noisily, curiously. "We've got to end this. . ." She turned to
the two who had re-entered unsteadily and disbelievingly.� "I'll take care of Sasami.� Tenchi: it's up to you to stop Ryouko."

�� "What
about me?" Mihoshi asked.

�� "Tenchi,
like I said. . ." A door to the onsen appeared, willed there by the spark
of a goddess. "Go before more are hurt, Tenchi.� At this rate, there won�t be many left."

�� "But what
about Kiyone?!" Mihoshi cried out, stepping a bit closer.

�� "I�ll be
back for her."

�� Mihoshi
sniffled and allowed her tears to spill as Washu vanished from sight.�� "Kiyone. . ."

�� "Mihoshi,
we can't do this now, we've gotta hurry. There isn't much time left before she
finds one of us.

�� "But
Tenchi, you don't understand!" she cried, looking to him with shimmering
eyes.� "Kiyone's my best friend!� I love her; she's always been there for
me!"

�� Tenchi sighed
furtively and held his arms out to embrace her tightly.� "She and we all love you, too.� We'll at least go get her, don�t worry.� We won't leave her behind." He stepped
back, holding her by the shoulders at arms length.� "C'mon." They stepped warily back
through the kitchen and into the living room where rain skittled against the
pains of glass at an aggressive, intrusive angle.� From somewhere, a draft swept through,
chilling them both as thunder rolled in the background. "Do you know where
you two got split up?"

�� "It was
around upstairs, actually.� I think-"

�� Bang!

�� "What was
that?!" Mihoshi cried, hopping slightly before pressing into Tenchi's ill-prepared
stance.� He swallowed a bit, turning to
look up the stairs.

�� "The
library door. . ."

--

�� The black
portal shredded its way into the serenity of the onsen for the most ephemeral
of moments, allowing Washu's deeply thoughtful entrance.� She carried Sasami over to where Ayeka
continued to heal, bathed in a quiet, quickly flowing waterfall.� Gently, she set Sasami down on the slightly
damn wooden floor and disrobed her, setting her nearby to Ayeka to clean her
off with the onsen's refreshing waters.

�� "Damnit,"
she muttered, lighting running her worn but delicate fingers � (from years of
playing it) like a mother's touch - along Sasami's thin arm.� Washu lifted her hand up to rub at her eye
for a second or two as she wagered on whether to just stay hidden in the onsen
or not.

�� Too bad for
her more cowardly side that she had too strong a will.

�� She draped a
towel around Sasami, pressing her hand lightly to her little friend�s forehead.� From her kneel Washu stood, backing away as a
portal ripped open behind her.� She took
a final look at the sisters before disappearing into the ethereal beyond and
back on the tangible plane.

--

�� Mihoshi and
Tenchi stared down into the darkness of the forbidding and now desolate library,
fearing immensely what they might find.�
Aside from any fetish comics Tenchi's mind recalled, that is. Mihoshi
took a tentative step down, but quickly hopped back like a child retreating
from cold water, whimpering as she hid behind Tenchi.� He sighed and descended, grabbing her shaking
hand.� "Fine, I'll go first. .
."

�� "Have you
ever seen that movie Scream?"

�� ".. .
Mihoshi, now's not the time."

�� "I don�t
wanna die, Tenchi!"

�� "Look, it
was an American movie.� They exaggerate
everything.� Just stop thinking about it,
okay?"

�� "Oh. . . okay."
There was a pause as he pulled Mihoshi along, feeling his hand quake with her
quivering.� "Did you ever see-"

�� "No.� I didn't.�
You're starting to make me shake, Mihoshi.� Cut it out, would you?"

�� "Sorry,
Tuh-Tenchi. . ."

�� "Man,
it's dark," he muttered, groping above on the shelf for a spare flashlight.� His fingertips slipped past it as his hand
came in contact with a tin of matches, precariously balanced on the ledge.� The fairly large container, as though shoved
rudely off its balance, tipped and before he could ready himself, Tenchi felt
the tin drop stealthily through the air.�
He and Mihoshi cried out as the can banged loudly off the steps,
resonating throughout the entire book room in a deep and vibrating echo.� They both hopped at the magnified sounds as
Tenchi clutched the ledge above him to keep from an unbalanced fall, the
flashlight in his grasp.

�� Silently, he grimaced
in horror while Mihoshi stood still next to him, trying to get her wits back
about her as the flashlight rolled under his grip and caused his hand to slip
off the shelf.� With a sharp cry, he fell
back off the last few steps, clutching the flashlight and the hem of Mihoshi's
shirt. Totally unprepared, Mihoshi too toppled forward, tumbling a short
distance to land hard on top of a pile of comics in the guise of Tenchi, who
groaned with a throbbing headache; his back sore from the flat landing.� He turned his head to his right, where the
flashlight that was in his hand rolled free and moved across the floor, celestially
powered.� It bathed boxes, shelves and
crates in light, subliming slight and vague memories.� However, the undiluted memory of the current
and lurking danger presented itself as the light continued to roll, seeming to
slow like time when it washed over Kiyone's bound body sitting alone at the end
of the aisle.� There was a clink as the
flashlight's body hit a small pebble in the room, stopping it, leaving the
spotlight to sit on the girl in a sickening display. She was propped against
the wall, her bathing used to bind her hands behind her back. Her knees were
knocked, her feet spread apart. A candle sat nearby.

�� "Oh, fuck,"
Tenchi whispered.

�� Mihoshi quickly
sobered out of her daze as she turned to look, shrieking when her eyes fell
upon her victimized partner. "Kiyone!!" she gasped harshly,
covering her hands with her mouth.

The lack of support from her arms focused more weight on
Mihoshi torso, which in turn rested atop Tenchi's abdomen.� He grimaced, rolling her over to his left
side, preparing to console her as she began shaking.

�� "Tenchi.
. ." she muttered weakly.

�� ". . . I
know, Mihoshi. . ."

�� She shook her
head meekly, pointing upwards as though she'd so quickly forgotten her search
and what it surfaced, her pupils minimizing despite the lack of light.� "Tuh-Tenchi. . ." He turned to
look, feeling his stomach flip again when his eyes fell upon the dark, almost
hidden figure at the top of the stairs.�
Flashes of lightning outlined spiked hair and gave hints to a devilish
grin.

�� The shadow did
not flinch.

�� Mihoshi fell
into a faint, her convulsions ended.

�� "Washu?"
Tenchi asked weakly.� Even he knew of
Ryouko's immense dislike of lightning and somewhere inside, he figured that
maybe the fates allowed that the shadow wouldn't be the manifestation of terror
that swarmed over the Masaki household. Of course, he was still logical, and
figured that whatever idiosyncrasies came with the old Ryouko who groped him
morning, noon and night, the one who bickered to no end with her friend Ayeka,
the one whom Washu called a disgrace and a beautiful child all in one and the
one whom Sasami called a role model; that all that had been erased with the
coming of a Ryouko so far displaced it was safe to say that it was not, in
fact, her.

�� The shadow
laughed as another flash lit up her tightly clothed form.� Her golden eyes shimmered with mayhem as her
grim smile revealed her sickening fangs.�
Agreeably so, it was also not Washu.�
Tenchi began to sweat, grasping around for what he knew was inevitably a
futile gesture, not needing the light of the sun or the glow of a match to know
who it was.

�� Ryouko's grin
broadened.� "My master is coming."

--

�� Washu tore
reality a new one for only a moment when she ripped a portal open in the damp
and oddly humid kitchen. Stepping out, she grunted and dropped to her knees as
the doorway behind snapped shut with a brief shimmer in the space/time
plane.� She felt crushed.� One hand came up, rubbing her aching head.

�� "The hell.
. . ?" she mumbled weakly.

�� The weighty
atmosphere tried to battle her to the ground but Washu slipped to her knees and
into a kneeling position before she stood firm and got back to her feet.� Racing at her with the glide of permanent
memories was the realization that it was coming.�

�� It. . .

�� In a flash of
white light she knew - knew it wasn't a simple maelstrom, knew it hid the spite
of ages, knew it was the mark of her daughter's bane - and reached back to
grasp the edge of the stove.

�� In the name of
her forsaken, Washu wasted not a tear and with the advent of powers she
recalled with fervor, vanished from the plane.

--

�� Katsuhito
opened his eyes, made a prayer, and left into the rain.

--

�� Ayeka stirred,
feeling a pounding tempest swirl around in her throbbing head.� It was so loud and so focused for such a
large torrent.� It came from everywhere,
but it came mostly from above.� Oh what a
terrible sound it was. . . it echoed throughout the entire onsen and reverberated
back through her shaken form.

�� Ow. . .

�� She sat up
quickly, looking around.� Of course she
remembered what had happened. She lurched forward, shuddering as she hugged her
knees tightly to her; as though trying to press them to her to warm her crystal-coated
frigid insides.� "Ryouko. . ."
she whispered.

�� What horrified
her more was the idea her sister was still in danger.� Of course, not to mention Tenchi, the blonde
and the others.� Jumping to her feet,
scowling with indignation to pain that stabbed her sides and legs, she moved
forward to the pile of clothing she saw set out.� Not bothering to dry off, she pulled on only
her inner kimono, shifting uncomfortably as the inner layer adhered to her wet,
shapely form.

�� Things went
out of focus for a moment as she suddenly felt weak in the knees; probably from
just having hopped up. Sitting down on a rock near to her clothing, she began
panting, still neither used to being able to move nor to the sudden shift to
the tropics of the onsen.� Oddly enough,
she shivered again, remembering flashes of green brought on by drooping,
swaying flora.

�� She remembered
seeing Ryouko go after poor little Sasami and the blinding, even deafening,
crash that followed; then nothing.� Ayeka
pulled the short edge of sleeves back, expecting to see a multitude of
scratches and cuts riding up and over her shoulder but only saw mere traces of
blood and abrasions. She could only assume, and rightly so, that Washu had
something to do with it.� Looking back to
the waters in the idea that perhaps she should further wash away her slightly
oozing bruises, she cried out, hopping back to her feet.� Pain shot up her spine but she took no notice
as she rushed over to where Sasami lie, water soaking halfway up the lower part
of her wares.� She trembled, kneeling
down, feeling the water take place high on her thigh as she gently cradled
Sasami's head in her lap. "Oh God. . . Sasami. . ."
Ayeka laid her hand across Sasami's cheek, tears forming and blurring her
vision.� She whispered softly to the gods
above as she looked down, rage stratified throughout her voice.

�� Her pained
body and personal inflictions be damned. To hurt another so young, so innocent
and so very undeserving would not go without consequence. On this Ayeka swore,
her fist tightening to a white-fleshed grip. Hands trembling, she pulled Sasami
close as she continued her promise, softly chanting in the name of the fallen,
dark eyes cast to the darker skies.

�� "I will
murder that demon. . ."

�� The heavens
heard her so.
- 5
- 6
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Nightfall's Rain