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      Chap 5 - Downward Spiral
      ==========================================


Reality is wrong. Dreams are for real.
      - Tupac Shakur


      A boat.  How did she end up on a boat?  The water, smooth yet
swift, carried her in a small wooden canoe made of pale wood.  Looking
down into her hands, she found they held an oar that matched.

      Looking up, Ryoko could not see the sun or anything else in the
sky.  Low clouds snuggled the ground in front of her and along the
sides of her view.  The fog crept closer, moisturizing her skin.

      Looking over the side of the boat, was water blue-deep and
unreflecting, with no sign of white caps nor life.  It was strangely
silent as the swift currents went by, but dared not to try to leave the
safety of her boat for Ryoko knew she could not fly.

      Land crept into view on either side.  Brown land, without
possible shape nor form, but they did channel her boat quite narrowly.
Quietly, Ryoko snaked her new craft as hillside rose and fell to the
left and right.  Still, the lack of life and plants made the trip stark
of pleasant views.

      "Ryoko..." was a whisper behind her.  Recognizing the woman's
voice but unable to identify it, Ryoko greeted the mysterious stranger
with her usual charm.

      "What do you want!" she asked back, her voice echoing in the
narrow valley.  "Where am I?  Mind telling me who you are?"

      No answer.  How typical, thought Ryoko.  Now I'm in a strange
place and I've got ghosts speaking to me.

      "Your memories and mind do not betray you."  The voice seem to
come from behind her, but looking around her shoulder was no help.
There was no one in sight.

      "Yea, I would like to know how you know so much."  Ryoko shot
back, with a determined look of anger on her face.

      "We cannot share that with you."  said another distinctive voice,
beside herself, almost on top of her.

      "Embrace it.  It is within you." said the first voice.  "Look for
them between what you are now and where you once were..."

      Ryoko was steaming.  Riddles be damn, she would not be the fool
that followed the voices that she could not find.  Knowing she could
not fly, she started to climb out of the boat.

      For having great athletic skill, Ryoko had never balanced herself
on a watercraft before.  Usually, she used her levitation powers, it
had come naturally.  But now on her feet, she was distinctively off
balance in the skinny craft.  The boat took advantage of Ryoko's
plight, tipping her over like it was disposing a refuge.

      Ryoko, now in turbulent water, realized she had really never
learned to swim.  Sure, the doggy paddle was fine for a nice beach day,
but again her powers kept her afloat.  Unfortunately, the water was a
lot swifter than it looked, with deep undertow currents swirling
against the sides Ryoko was in serious trouble.  Deep water called as
Ryoko was pulled under the waterline with little resistance.

      So, this is how it ends.  Again.  At least her Tenchi was again
free, but she knew that without her help Kagato would at last track
them down.  Now under the water, she struggled to breathe even though
she had never needed oxygen before in her life.  How, thought Ryoko, do
I suffocate and bleed human blood.  Why am I so constantly mortal?

      She struggled mightily and drifts in the dark water finally
surrounded her.  The water seemed to flow faster and stronger around
her wrists and neck until her gems that had once glowed with power
finally faded.  Sucked dry, she no longer had the strength she once
had.

      The two others watch until the still body of Ryoko no longer
struggled underneath the water.  "Is there anything else we can do?"
asked the first voice, well after Ryoko had disappeared.

      "No.  You have done enough.  Let us hasten her plea and hope that
she survives...for all of us."



      "So, where is my daughter?" asked Washu, wiping the excess dust
off her white puffy sleeves.   "Is she coming to join us, hum?"  Washu
batted her eye lids Ayeka.  It was after introductions to Ayeka,
Mihoshi and Tenchi, that Washu could no longer sense her daughter's
presence, for Washu knew she would be here to rescue her.

      "Who's your daughter?" blinked in Mihoshi.

      "Ryoko." Washu stammered.  "Don't you see the resemblance?"
Washu was becoming a little huffed at Mihoshi's questions already.

      Mihoshi kneeled down a bit looked closely into Washu's fiery
eyes.  "Well, now that you say so, I kinda do see the same wrinkles,"
pointing to a spot on Washu's forehead.

      "Ewwweee!!"  Washu covered her face in disbelieve with her hands
while her head shook up and down.  She hadn't known any children with
winkles.  Until now.

      "Umm...come along Mihoshi..." nestled in Ayeka, as she literally
dragged Mihoshi away from the ancient yet brilliant scientist.

      "So, what's this normal Earth boy doing up here?" asked Washu,
leaning on him and measuring up Tenchi as if he needed a good suit.
"You don't seem to be special...but you are kinda cute though," as
Washu rested her head into Tenchi's chest.

      "Umm..." spit out Tenchi.  He could only blush with
embarrassment.

      "Lay off of him, Miss Washu.  He's mine." shot back Ayeka,
literally with steam coming out her ears.  "We wouldn't be up here if
it wasn't for him."  Ayeka was plenty mad that the newly freed
scientist was already making moves on her Tenchi.  She ran over to her
love, hugging him.  Tenchi didn't attempt to run away, but he kindly
accepted Ayeka's new form of affection.

      "Gee, I'm sorry..."  batted back Washu, who had already been
pushed away.

      Ayeka had already started to walk out of the cavernous room,
dragging Tenchi in his grasp.  Mihoshi and Washu followed them as they
exited and followed the path into Kagato's main chamber.

      They entered from a back exit near the columns.  Mihoshi quickly
sat down at organ and keyed a few cheerful notes as she sang a bit off
key.

      Ayeka and Washu were up behind her in a heartbeat.  Ayeka started
first, "Miss Mihoshi, what do you think you are doing!"

      Washu was next.  "Well, why don't we just raise a flag and say
'Look at us!  We're sneaking around Kagato's ship!  Come and get us!'"

      "What!" Mihoshi piped up.  "You guys don't want to hear 'Mary had
a little lamb...?'"

      The other girls didn't exactly answer the question, instead they
dragged poor Mihoshi out of the piano beach across to the front of the
room.  Tenchi could only follow silently, shaking his head.

      Washu now examined the broken viewscreen on the floor.  "Boy, I
betcha Kagato paid a pretty fortune for this baby."  Other viewscreens
showed images of space as one held the fascination of the group.

      "There's my ship!" pointed Mihoshi.

      "And Tsunami, the most powerful of Jurdain warships" mentioned
Ayeka.

      "So, Ayeka," asked Tenchi, not really interested in the views of
space.  "Where do you think Ryoko is?"  as he looked under the pile of
rubbish in the middle of the floor.

      "Over here." echoed the distasteful voice of Kagato.

      The group turned around to see Kagato, gleaming with pride,
rather unhurt from his latest ordeal.  In front of him was Ryoko, her
head and arms relaxed, floating in the air just a few feet off the
ground.  Huge burn marks covered her body, especially a large blocky
one on her left midriff.

      "Kagato!  What have you done to her!" steamed Washu, taking a
step forward.

      In reaction, Ryoko's head tuned upward.  Washu could see as well
as feel her daughter's presence in the grip of Kagato.  With her eyes
reddened and her mouth agape, Ryoko looked distastefully at the group
and snarled.  She was clearly a prisoner, under Kagato's control once
again.

      "I suggest that you all surrender." stamped Kagato, admiring the
scene.  "After all, without your poor Ryoko, you don't stand a chance."

      Kagato viewed this as a start to something grand.  Souja had just
now tapped into the power of Ryoko's gems.  He could feel through the
link the new energy as it flowed as it had belonged to him.  For Kagato
knew it was the start of their downward spiral.  The path that would
lead to their annihilation.

      Ayeka wasn't listening to Kagato's words and could only stare
back at her love, Tenchi.  I do this for him, thought Ayeka.  I just
hope I know what I'm doing.

      Ayeka started her movement to ram ahead and charge at Kagato, but
Washu grabbed her rather quickly and held her fast.

      "Don't try it.  It's not worth getting killed for."  pleaded
Washu as she pulled back on Ayeka's arms.

      "Don't think you can stop me," exclaimed Ayeka as she slipped
rather easily away from Washu's bonds.  Running and then almost flying
quickly toward Kagato, she charged herself to impact him in seconds.

      But before she could, a lighting swift pounce from a silent Ryoko
blocked her path.  With her sword ignited, Ryoko struck Ayeka with a
slicing blow to the shoulder.  Ayeka's defensive shield absorbed most
of the blow, but it sent Ayeka scrambling forwards into an unconscious
freefall, only for her body to be caught by Kagato.

      "Does anyone else want to play hero?"  No one else dared to
answer.  "Very well, at least you know who is in control..."  Kagato
dropped Ayeka's body onto the floor without a care in the world.

      "Any ideas?" asked Tenchi, quietly to Washu.  She could only
shake her head slowly back and forth.

      Sliding over to the organ, Kagato seated himself down started to
play a masterful depressing song full of chords.

      "Don't you have something else to play?  I'm really sick of this
music..." trumped Washu, now standing behind her former pupil.  Tenchi
and Mihoshi were now kneeling next to a now awake Ayeka, trying to
comfort her as best as they could.

      "Why yes, I do."  Kagato stopped, looked up at the remaining
viewscreen and smiled.  "I believe it is time once again."

      Kagato danced his next song into even lower octaves.  Dark
piercing chords sung throughout the ship.  Hearing the music and Kagato
mental messages, the ship groaned as it reconfigured itself.

      Ryoko, once levitating and ready to pounce, fell to the ground in
a jumbled heap of a coma.  Energy sparked and ignited from her body as
her precious gem energy was drained away.  Levers and pulleys creaked.
Washu, knowing what was going on, looked up at the viewscreen.

      Normal space has no pulse, it is static and therefore cannot be
altered.  But the space outside Kagato's ship changed.  Washu could see
complex currents, angling eddies and swirls.  It was not longer
neutral, but now under the command of Kagato it looked darker, deeper
than before.  Space *crawled* to life, for the pulse it was of pure
evil.  Washu was disturbed to say at least.

      "How...could you..." spited Washu.

      "Why is was quite easy, in fact," answered Kagato, strongly into
the air.  "Now that I have all the gems!"

      Space, now intoxicated with wickedness, warped itself around
Tsunami, the flagship of Jurai.  Offering little resistance, the
circles of space enclosed the flagship in a dark cocoon.  Washu could
now barely make out Tsunami, the folding space made it harder and
harder to see her.  And the wrapped cocoon throbbed with life as it
captured her as it moved toward the now ready Souja.  With its 'arms'
extended and chamber open, Souja took in the trapped Tsunami; enclosing
on it.

      'Capture Complete' flashed the viewscreen, running a banner along
the bottom.  Another time countdown started ticking away from its start
of ten minutes.  It was labeled 'Assimilation.'

      "No...you can't..."  Tenchi and Mihoshi were now behind her,
supporting a woozy Ayeka no her feet.  All of them could not help but
to stare at the screen that flashed the decreasing countdown.

      "Let's go...NOW!"  Kagato led the group though a doorway, with
now moving but the still trapped Ryoko bringing up the rear.



      "Miya!"

      Waiting forever, Ryo-ohki had not seen a soul in quite a while.
Still strapped to her back was her mission as she waited for her master
to return.

      "mew."

      But as Ryoko's mind link faded from her, Ryo-ohki knew trouble
abounded.  Based on instinct alone, Ryo-ohki left her post to search
for her missing master.  She could have not waited any longer.



      "What is this place?" asked Mihoshi as they enter a huge domed
room that was the size of a small stadium.  The barren floor was hugely
tiled with black squares, the ceiling of the dome was also large in
proportion.  The ceiling was made of shapes that could open up like a
rose.  For they were already in the flower with petals that were
already closed.

      "Come, you shall see."  Kagato let the dejected bunch near the
center of the dome.  The center folded down to reveal a cylinder of
glass about 10 feet high by six feet high.  The walls were
distinctively cloudy but see-through.  The group could see the smoke
starting to dissipate in the glass cone top.

      "This is the core contents of Tsunami.  We shall see the truth
now..."  The clouds slowly circled up and away to reveal the physical
body forms of Tsunami and Sasami.  They stood back-to-back in royal
Jurdain robes, unconscious yet unrestrained.  With their eyes closed
and hands in praying positions, they exhibited poses of hope and loss
as they slowly turned in their glass prison jar.

      "Sasami!  Tsunami!" banged Ayeka onto the glass.  "Wake up!"
Tears streamed down her face in total emotional pain as she almost
broke down to her knees. Tenchi could only hold Ayeka, to keep her from
tumbling onto the floor.

      "It's too late.  They're already close to their pure form of
energy," explained Washu, as she pulled at Ayeka.  "There's nothing we
can do."

      "No..." whimpered Mihoshi, crying as she leaned on the glass.
"She was such a good cook, and a friend."

      Ayeka turned to Kagato, still flagged by the enchanted form of
Ryoko.  "Why did you have to capture Sasami as well!  She has nothing
to do with Tsunami!"

      "Why princess Ayeka, you didn't know, did you." Kagato answered
distastefully.  He enjoyed breaking the heartrending news to her.
"They are joined by life, therefore they were 'polars' on the ship of
Tsunami.  Once they were to merge later in life.  But I don't have to
explain anymore because in few seconds they will only longer exist.
They will truly be together in death."

      "Sasami!!" Ayeka got out of Tenchi's grip once again and banged
on the glass in a useless fashion.  Ayeka turned around, still crying
while leaning onto the glass.  "You are a monster beyond anything I
know..."

      Kagato could only smile to Ayeka comments.

      "You can't be that evil to take out a little girl."  pointed
Tenchi, powerless to stop any of the madness before him.

      "When she holds the power I seek, therefore I shall..." replied
Kagato, stroking his ego in eminence.

      The two physical forms of Tsunami and Sasami continued to fade.
The group could now clearly see thought their physical forms.  And as
more seconds passed, they finally disappeared from sight without a
sound.

      "NOOOOOO!!" screamed Ayeka as she jumped with pure anger onto the
surprised Kagato.  Not expecting a blow, Kagato fell flat the ground,
still with Ayeka's hands wrapped tightly around his throat.  His
spectacles, never loose off his face, fell off his face, harmlessly
onto the ground.

      "Ryoko..." squealed Kagato, desperate for his life.  Ayeka
continued to pound away at Kagato's face and body with her bare hands,
with little result.

      Ryoko, still under Kagato's spell, charged Ayeka but was suddenly
pulled down by Tenchi and Washu.

      "Where do you think you're going Ryoko." answered Washu.  "It's
time to be punished by your mother."  Ryoko, now pinned by the two of
them, glowed with anger and bellowed in fury.

      "Snap out of it!" yelled Tenchi as Ryoko gashed a sizable chunk a
flesh out of his arm.  Bleeding heavily, Tenchi continued to keep the
space pirate pinned down.

      "Enough of this!!"  Kagato managed to get himself loose for a
second, swiping Ayeka off of him rather easily.  She flew untouched,
backwards into the air, smacking into the far dome wall and collapsing
onto herself.

      Souja deck lurched for a second as a small viewscreen near the
center controls flashed an ominous sign, 'Assimilation Complete.'  The
tube in the center now hissed as it descended back into Souja's floor.

      "Uh no..." were only words Washu could get out before tumbling to
the deck.

      Kagato managed to get himself standing up, at the same time he
made a grab for his spectacles.  He dotted his eyes with a handkerchief
as his face was cut in at least a half a dozen places, green ooze
leaked from his forehead and mouth.  With his hair ruffled, Kagato spit
green blood in disgust.

      "Now...!" announced Kagato, as if the end of the world was
coming.  Souja heard his plea in Kagato mind and obeyed.

      The deck tiles shook as Kagato was suddenly blazed in dark light.
His face and hair quickly healed.  On his forehead, multiple black
lines glowed then etched into the shape of a fan.  His body glowed and
changed, it became covered in stark black with layers of black and
white edged cloaks above it.  In front of him, ten black hawk wings,
outlined in fine white now glowed over his changed body cast.  Kagato
made a grab for one of the wings in front of him, it morphed into all-
black sword tipped in streaks of white.

      Kagato laughed and just watched the rest of them recover, daring
them to come closer.  Once his mind had be evil and desiring.  But now
the ultimate power soaked his veins, he realized he never knew what he
was missing.  And choked and insane with power, Kagato knew there would
be no way to stop him now.



      Imprisoned as a mind in a body that she no longer controlled,
Ryoko fought Kagato as much as her strength could give.  Pain and
anguish still rescinded in her mind, at first losing so easily to
Kagato, then of hurting Ayeka, and finally of watching Tsunami and
Sasami fade away and perish.

      But the control that Kagato had over Ryoko was as strong as
anything ever imaginable.  She watched in horror as the events
continued to play themselves out.  Once again, she was a prisoner
without a body to force her action.

      When she had to strike at her love Tenchi, it almost cracked her
heart beyond repair.  Instead, it enticed her to renew the fight over
control of her body.  Looking up at Tenchi while still pinned only gave
for more fuel.

      Kagato, now assuming the energy drained form of Tsunami, could no
longer concentrate his control over the gems.  He quickly discarded his
old powers and assumed the mantle of his new ones.  For each 'energy'
ran on a different wavelength, it was impossible for them to mix and be
combined.

      Ryoko, noticing the boundary of Kagato control over her gems fell
far aside.  It was now low enough for her to assume command of her body
once again.

      With her eyes clearing, Ryoko found her body pinned down by
Tenchi's hands and knees.  The intense pain on her left side dulled as
the gems glowed once again, healing her broken body instead of
siphoning off the power into Souja for Kagato.

      "Tenchi..." she whispered dryly while looking up at Washu.

      "Sorry there, you just missed him." spelled out her mother.  She
held her daughter rather tightly as she regained consciousness.
Realizing the spell had finally been broken, Tenchi had already run off
to help Ayeka.

      "Would you mind getting off me, Mom?"  asked Ryoko.  Washu, too
stunned by her daughter's first comment, turned to the rest of the
group.

      "OK!  Who told her!" stammered Washu as she dragged Ryoko onto
her feet.  She did have the chance to ask any more questions because of
Kagato's unfortunate interruption.



      "Silence!"

      Kagato looked down on the rest of them with pure disgust, at the
feeble ones that had once been his enemy.  Now that he had finally
captured the Jurdain power that had eluded him for so many thousands of
years, he wanted to try it out; to give it a bit of a test run.  It
would be delightful fun.

      Reaching up at his face once more, Kagato noticed his
transforming power had healed his face to completeness.  Admiring the
tailor work and stroking his own self-image, he moved onward with his
business.

      "I see you're all finally together.  Well now, what do you
think."

      "I think it's awful!  How could you wear those ugly black
clothes!" commented Mihoshi, looking upset at Kagato.

      "Mihoshi!" queued in everyone else.  It was definitely not time
for fashion tips.

      "Actually," entered in Ryoko, now standing in her mother and
Tenchi, "This tirade of yours ends now."  Ryoko looked at her enemy
again and again.  This time, she swore on her death that she would not
be a prisoner in her own body again.  "At any price, I will destroy
you, Kagato.  You can count on that."

      Washu attempted to pull away her daughter from the madness she
was about to commit.  Holding onto her seemed like her only course of
action.  "Umm, Ryoko, that may not be such a good idea.  I think Kagato
is a bit more powerful than you are."

      "I don't care.  Just take care of Tenchi and the rest of them.
Ryo-ohki should be around the ship."  Ryoko paused to get a reading.
"She'll be here soon.  Now let me go!"  Washu had no choice as she
complied with her daughter's wishes.

      Ryoko, now ready and free, volleyed a couple of explosive shots
that harmlessly bounced off of Kagato's dark hawk wings.  In disgust,
she charged Kagato with her sword unsheathed.  It harmlessly clanged
and dissipated against Kagato's dark shields.

      They continued their swordplay, Kagato having the advantage most
of the time but Ryoko was holding up her end of the bargain.

      How can she battle with him, Washu thought.  He has one of the
most powerful of all energies at his disposal, and Ryoko seems to dodge
every danger he throws at her.  Washu looked closely at Ryoko, her mind
was determined to protect them more than ever.

      "Miya!!"

      "Oh there you are, Ryo-ohki.  Oh, I haven't seen you in quite a
while.  Good girl."  Ryo-ohki smiled as Washu picked her off the
ground.  Tied onto the cabbit's back was a set of remote controls.

      "What is this, Ayeka.  It looks like manual navigation controls,"
questioned Washu.

      Ayeka was now finally able to stand on her own two feet.  "Yes,
Miss Washu.  It's the control deck for Mihoshi's ship, of you
know...the other ship in front of Souja?"

      Washu just smiled as she glanced back at her daughter.  She
definitely knew what her next move would be.  Hopefully, it would be
needed for them to escape, not necessary to save their own lives.



      "I tire of this, Ryoko.  This constant fighting,"  Kagato pounced
his mind while he searched for a way out.  He was having trouble
getting a upper hand on his latest opponent.

      "I will not let you hurt them!"  Ryoko stood silently, ready to
dish out some more of her anger.

      "I guess I have no need for you...any of you."  Kagato yawned and
continued his statement.  "How far are you willing to go?  Are you
*all* prepared to die?"

      Kagato, now entrenched in pure hatred, might had once fired onto
Ryoko, to destroy her.  But his mind was now warped with intense power.
He wanted a bigger kill, more burned flesh, less resistance.  So he
aimed not at Ryoko, but at the rest of the girls.  And he fired.

      "NOOOOOO!!!" yelled Ryoko, looking back behind her.  Tenchi.
Washu.  Mihoshi.  Ayeka.  She was too far away!  The battle with Kagato
had forced her away from the ones she had just swore to protect.  Once
again, she had followed her heart instead of her mind.

      There wasn't enough time.  To stop it.  To deflect it.  Ryoko
flew like she had never done before.  And her inner soul could only
scream, she knew she would be too late.

      "Tenchi!!"  Ryoko had already unconsciously made her choice.  She
didn't have time to grab onto him but only to push him down with her
flying body.  In the process, she managed to clip her mother, hit a
piece of Mihoshi's arm and Ayeka's legs as well.  Ryo-ohki managed to
scurry away as well.  But it was not enough.

      The explosion rang as it hit the ground in front of the group,
blinding them all.  And above the sounds and smell of death in the air,
Ryoko could hear the voice crackle of Kagato's satisfaction.

      Ryoko looked down to find Tenchi mostly unhurt except for second
degree burns that covered his back.  However, the locket he wore around
his neck that hung low had clipped the energy wave that Kagato had
thrown, causing one side to scorch.  She looked down at her mother.
Washu was also very fortunate, some of her hair was gone and her
shoulder was blackened and in tatters.  Ryo-ohki for the most part came
out untouched.

      However, the other two girls were not as lucky.  Mihoshi had been
clipped in the side, her suit had protected most of her body, but Ryoko
could see her blackened and unprotected waist and arms oozed with blood
as she gurgled on her stomach in pain.  But Ayeka was even in worse
shape.  She had caught most the blast on her neck and face, most of her
beautiful soft skin had been totally burned away leaving blackened
flesh smeared in blood.  Ayeka was no longer moving nor conscience.
Stunned, Ryoko wasn't even sure if she was alive.

      "You bastard!!!"  In bearable pain, Washu was most alert after
the shock of seeing most of her right shoulder gone.  With her left
hand, she reached across the tile and hit Mihoshi's portable control
panel with her palm.

      The selected target of Souja was already chosen and commanded.
It did not take long for the GP ship to accelerate toward its final
destination.  Souja's automatic defenses reacted to the GP Ship's
sudden charge.

      Kagato, still linked to Souja for its power, became very animated
as he barked out commands.  If the GP ship cracked a breech in Souja's
warp core, it would certainly end his own life as the captured energy
of Tsunami would be freed from his grasp.

      "Fire all batteries and weapons," announced Kagato.  The strain
in his voice was very discernable.  "Stop that ship!"  All of Souja's
capabilities blazed into space, but it was already too close.  Like a
dying star, the tiny vessel impacted directly into the upper decks of
Souja, barely missing the warp core.

      Never less, Souja was now ablaze in fire.  Multiple alarms rang
in the air.  Compound explosions continued to rock the ship which
forced the discontinuation of several critical systems.  With its
engine and navigation out, the Souja had no choice but to fall into
Earth's gravity well and plunge towards landfall.

      Kagato turned back Washu and the rest of the group.  "You did
this..."  He lost himself as his cloaks fluttered and vanished.  The
mark on his forehead, his sword, and dark hawk wings faded out and
disappeared.  Now almost powerless with his stolen Tsunami power, the
weakened Kagato dropped to his knees.

      "I will find you, Washu..." rang Kagato, his look haggard but his
eyes quite thirsty for revenge.  "You had better run far, far, away"
said the pirate as he faded through the floor.

      Mihoshi had already turned herself over, she was straying an
instant foam on her midsection and on Washu's burns.  They seemed to
have made it through ok.

      "Help me!"  Tenchi was holding onto Ayeka's hand as he looked
over her upright fallen body.  Her face had already started to crack
with splinters of blood.  Barely alive, Ayeka coughed to Tenchi's words
as she slowly opened her blackened eyes.  All of them were now kneeling
over Ayeka as Washu had taken charge and examined her.

      Mihoshi tried to comfort Ayeka as much as possible by placing her
GP jacket behind her head.  Holding her other hand, she looked solemnly
down at the princess.  For Ryoko swore she heard soft whimpering over
the ship alarms and bells.

      Washu looked up after a few minutes into examining Ayeka.
Catching Tenchi's eyes, she looked across without the sight of a single
expression.  When Tenchi noticed, he signaled Washu with a slight pull
of the chin.  Washu could only close her eyes as she slowly shook her
head back and forth in utter sadness.

      "Leave us alone for a second...please." pleaded Tenchi, not
moving a single muscle as he looked down at Ayeka.  The rest of them
obeyed, scattering to the far side of the room.

      "Tenchi...We don't have much time." cited Ryoko as they walked
away.  In response, Washu pulled her daughter away from Ayeka by her
arm.  The couple quietly continued to look into each other's eyes.

      "Tenchi..." calmly spoke Ayeka as she broke the silence between
them.  The lack of words Tenchi spoke of finally impacted onto Ayeka
mind.  She realized that this time she would not survive.

      Tenchi was visibility tearing his eyes in front of her.  He had
never realized on what she had truly meant to him until now.
Friendship.  Companionship.  Sharing.  And finally love.  Only the
force of Ayeka leaving him could reflect the true feelings from his
heart.

      "Ayeka..." as Tenchi gripped her hand with both of his.  "I love
you...Ayeka.  Forever."  And he brought her hand up to his lips as she
finally closed her eyes for the last time.

      A rather large sudden explosion rocked the domed room, knocking
Washu and Ryoko off their feet.  "Ummm...I think we've got to get out
of here." stamped Mihoshi as the small viewscreen showed the picture of
Earth getting bigger and bigger.

      "Miya!!"

      "Come on Tenchi!  We need to leave *now*!" exclaimed Ryoko.
Leaving Ayeka, the group scattered out of the room, down the way until
they reached the tattered and broken room where Ryo-ohki had put them
down before.

      "Ok, Ryo-ohki.  Let's do it!"  The cabbit leaped up into the air,
quickly forming her crystal ship form.  A minute later, they cracked
out of Souja like a newborn chicklet escaping from its egg.