Hi!  Thanks for reading Chapter 1!  Umm ... you read it, right?  
Anyway, I'd just like to remind you to please send me your comments and 
criticism.  (To those who did last time: Thanks!  Keep 'em coming!)  
Also, if you want to post this story on your site, please ask me first.  

Legal disclaimer: Tenchi Muyo! and its characters are property of 
Pioneer and AIC.  However, this story is mine.  Please don't sue me, 
because I'm just writing this for fun.  Besides, I don't have any money, 
having spent it all on Tenchi merchandise (and that's a good thing, 
isn't it?).  

Special thanks go to my proofreader, AleeN.  His fan fic, "Tenchi Muyo!: 
in Return to Jurai" can also be found on GenSao's page.  

Last chapter: One year after the events of Manatsu no Eve, Tsunami set 
a mysterious plan in motion.  This involved prompting Tenchi to tell 
Ryoko how he felt about her.  What does this mean for Ayeka?  

Confess to You: Chapter Two - Most Noble Princess
By Literary Eagle (literaryeagle@hotmail.com)

	Princess Ayeka's tears painted a picture of a broken heart on her 
face.  She cried without making a sound.  She herself did not know why 
her despair was voiceless, and she wondered why her heart had not made 
a sound as it broke.  Perhaps it was so that she could hear the faint 
whisper in her soul which was saying "Courage, courage, courage...".  
Courage?  

	After much weeping, Ayeka had finally fallen asleep.  Sasami, 
though happy for Tenchi and Ryoko, had of course been extremely worried 
about her older sister.  It was because of this that Sasami had not 
been able to sleep until Ayeka had drifted off, sometime in the middle 
of the night.  It did not take long before Sasami's sleep became 
fitful...  

******************************************************************

	Sasami's nightmare was not a vision of the future, but a memory of 
something that had happened to her about a year ago.  A sixteen-year-old 
Mayuka held the young princess in her grasp.  Sasami struggled to break 
free.  Her eyes widened when she saw Yuzuha strike her older sister with 
a blast of energy.  "Ayeka!" Sasami cried.  Tenchi and Ryoko came 
running to Ayeka's side.  
	"Prince, I'm waiting for you." Yuzuha laughed at Tenchi, "To find 
me, ask the old man from the Jurai royal family!"
	"Hold it!" Ryoko shouted, baring her fangs.  
	"Tenchi, help me!" Sasami screamed, "Aaah!"
	Sasami cried out in terror as she and the brainwashed Mayuka were 
transported into the Dimension of Darkness.  What made things worse for 
Sasami was the realization that she was being used in a trap meant to 
destroy Tenchi.  She could hear Yuzuha's laugh as she dropped into a 
seemingly endless pit, falling deeper into the dark realm.  
	Still falling, Sasami suddenly heard a voice inside her mind.  
"Tsunami!  You have come for me!" the voice shouted.  The twin triangles 
on Sasami's forehead began to glow with a blinding silver light.  It 
felt like her forehead was on fire.  The princess screamed that she was 
not Tsunami, but heard no response.  Instead, a hundred images flashed 
through Sasami's mind, moving by too quickly for her to understand them 
all.  Something about a sun?  A tree branch?  A ship?  It was too much, 
it was too fast!  In the meantime, Yuzuha had not stopped laughing.  
	The pain on Sasami's forehead became unbearable.  She fainted, 
and later awoke to find herself lying on a floor, her head cradled in 
Ryoko's lap.  Had she come to rescue her?  Sasami looked up and saw a 
demon strangling Tenchi.  Something about the demon looked familiar...  
NO!  It wasn't a demon; it was Mayuka!  

******************************************************************

	Sasami moaned in her sleep.  A soft light filled the room as the 
goddess Tsunami materialized in front of Sasami's futon.  Tsunami waved 
her hand, and the two triangular marks on Sasami's forehead began to 
glow.  It was the same silver light that they had given off a year ago, 
but the goddess made sure that Sasami felt no pain.  Tsunami turned her 
head to look at the sleeping Ayeka.  The tiara that Ayeka always wore 
(the key to her ship, Ryu-Oh) began to cast a golden light, like it 
sometimes did when Ayeka summoned a large amount of Jurai power.  
	"Let it begin, Sasami," Tsunami whispered.  Sasami opened her 
eyes.  In a trance, the girl stood up and walked over to her sleeping 
sister's side.  Kneeling down, she brushed Ayeka's bangs aside with one 
hand, and waved her other hand over the glowing tiara on Ayeka's 
forehead.  The tiara's golden glow turned silver.  Meanwhile, the 
silvery glow of Sasami's triangles began to dim a little.  Sasami 
went back to her futon, lay down, and closed her eyes.  The silvery 
light shining from the two princesses' foreheads disappeared.  
	"Forgive me, Ayeka..." Tsunami said softly.  The goddess was 
saddened at having to toss such a delicate teardrop into a tidal wave.  
However, it was only a heart such as Ayeka's that could face the coming 
storms.  Everything was falling into place: Ayeka's strength, Ryoko's 
love, Tenchi's soul.  "Tokimi..." Tsunami whispered to herself, 
trembling.  The goddess dematerialized, leaving the room in darkness.  

	It was early sunrise when Ayeka opened her eyes.  She felt a 
strange tingling sensation on her forehead.  The princess attributed 
this to fatigue.  After all, she had cried until well into the middle 
of the night.  However, now that she remembered last night's events, 
Ayeka knew that she wouldn't be able to fall back asleep, no matter how 
tired she was.  Ayeka groaned and sat up.  She glanced at Sasami, still 
asleep, and at Ryo-Oh-Ki.  The little cabbit was sleeping curled up 
beside Sasami's futon.  
	Ayeka thought about how the room had looked one night about a year 
ago.  Mihoshi, Kiyone, and the sixteen-year-old Mayuka had slept in the 
room with them.  The summer slumber party had been Sasami's idea.  They 
had even set up extra bedding for Ryoko, in case she wanted to join in, 
but she hadn't.  Who could blame her?  That had been the horrible day 
when Tenchi had lost control and slapped her.  No wonder she had stayed 
out of sight.  
	But now, Tenchi had made clear which of the girls it was that he 
loved.  Ayeka sighed as tears threatened to stream out of her eyes 
again.  No, she definitely wasn't going to get any more sleep now.  
She decided that she might as well get up and soak in the bath for a 
while.  Perhaps that would help her to feel better.  She doubted it, 
though.  Being careful not to wake Sasami and Ryo-Oh-Ki, Ayeka silently 
dressed, grabbed some towels, and left the room.  
	As Ayeka walked down the hall towards the stairs, she again 
pictured the way Tenchi and Ryoko had come home last night: holding 
hands and looking so happy.  Ayeka slowly descended the staircase.  
Her beloved Lord Tenchi had chosen, and she had not been his choice.  
She told herself that she should have seen this coming.  The signs had 
probably been there.  She had most likely been blind to all the signals, 
naïvely thinking that it was her destiny to be Tenchi's bride.  Years 
ago, she had thought that her destiny was with Yosho, and things had 
certainly not turned out that way.  "I am such a fool," Ayeka whispered 
to herself sadly as she went outside.  She headed for the onsen.  
	As she walked, Ayeka suddenly remembered that Nobuyuki planned on 
sneaking off with Tenchi on a fishing trip sometime this week.  It was 
supposed to be a secret, but she had seen Nobuyuki preparing the fishing 
equipment for several days now.  Subtlety was not Nobuyuki's strong 
point.  "Oh, wonderful," Ayeka murmured to herself, "I have such a gift 
for noticing only the unimportant things."  She sighed.  At least it 
meant that she would not have to see Tenchi for a while.  It would give 
her time to think about what she should do now.  

	Meanwhile, Ryoko was happily humming in the kitchen.  She'd just 
had the most wonderful night of her life.  Her Tenchi had said that he 
loved her!  She stopped humming and sighed happily when she remembered 
the feeling of his warm lips against hers ... However, Ryoko was not the 
type to use that silly "I'll never wash these lips again" cliché.  After 
all, she told herself, she could look forward to kissing him again and 
again!  
	Ryoko had not planned on getting up so early, but Mayuka was 
hungry.  "With that kind of an appetite, you just might grow up to be as 
strong as me," said Ryoko, watching the baby suck on her bottle.  
	Just then, Tenchi came into the kitchen.  "I thought I heard some 
noise down here," he said with a smile, "Oh, I see that you finally 
learned how to make the baby formula properly!"  
	"And last night I saw that you could actually be decisive for 
once," Ryoko said with a grin.  She teleported to Tenchi's side.  She 
held Mayuka and the bottle with one arm, and wrapped her other arm 
around Tenchi.  "I'm so happy!" she said, squeezing Tenchi 
enthusiastically.  He didn't try to pull away.  
	Still squeezing Tenchi, she moved her face in closer to his and 
kissed him.  They stood there like that for several moments, until 
Tenchi finally broke away, whispering, "Can we start every morning like 
that?"
	She released Tenchi and pretended to consider what he had just 
said.  "Well," she replied, "I think I can arrange that, if you 
change Mayuka's diaper more often."  She smirked and went back to 
feeding the baby.  
	"What?" said Tenchi, pretending to be shocked, "Mayuka's 'tough 
as hell' personal trainer doesn't like to touch dirty diapers?"  
	Ryoko shrugged in mock embarrassment, and Tenchi laughed.  
	"Listen," he said as a thought suddenly occurred to him, "I 
promised Dad that I would sneak off with him on a fishing trip later 
this week.  I'm sorry, I'll be gone for several days, and ... Oh, what 
am I saying?  No, no, I'll just tell Dad that I'll have to go some 
other - mmf!"  The "mmf" was because Ryoko had just placed a finger on 
Tenchi's lips.  
	"It's okay, Tenchi," Ryoko said as she set the now empty bottle 
on the counter, "On some planets, when two people declare their love 
for each other, they separate for a few days.  They do this so they can 
think and make sure that what they feel is true love.  You know ... so 
they don't rush into something that they'll regret later."
	Tenchi blinked.  Ryoko was using an almost scholarly tone that 
made her sound like her mother.  Had Ryoko been doing RESEARCH?  
	Ryoko was still speaking: "During the time that the lovers are 
separated, each bonds with a parent of the same gender, who will answer 
any questions she or he may have concerning ... relationships.  So you 
just go whenever you want to, and have a good time with your father.  
While you're gone, I can spend some time with Mom.  I have a feeling 
that she has some interesting ... TECHNIQUES that she could teach me."
	Tenchi thought of Washu's "Angel of Mercy" routine, and a large 
sweatdrop formed over his head.  
	"So don't worry," Ryoko added in her most alluring voice, "we'll 
have plenty of time to spend together later."  She moved in to kiss him 
again ... and Mayuka spat up onto Ryoko's dress.  "Whoops," Ryoko 
giggled, "I guess I fed her a little too much."  
	Tenchi took Mayuka out of Ryoko's arms.  "At least a baby girl 
can't pee in your face like Taro did," he laughed, "You go change your 
clothes and take a bath.  I'll take care of our little barfing 
machine."  Ryoko thanked him and teleported out of the room.  Tenchi 
grabbed some tissues and began to wipe Mayuka's face.  He wished that 
he wasn't so busy with the carrot fields and his shrine duties, so that 
he could spend more time with his daughter.  Tenchi pictured himself and 
Ryoko raising Mayuka together.  Ryoko had changed so much.  He knew that 
she'd make a wonderful mother for Mayuka.  "You'd like that, wouldn't 
you, Noodles?" he said, calling Mayuka by her nickname.  
	"Da!" she exclaimed.  Her little hand reached out and grasped one 
of her daddy's fingers.  Tenchi grinned.  His daughter was going to be 
a strong kid.    
	Just then, Nobuyuki came into the kitchen.  Tenchi began to wonder 
if everyone was going to get up early today.  "Hurry up, son!" said 
Nobuyuki, "This is the perfect time to sneak out of here!"  
	"Huh?" said Tenchi, "You mean we're leaving today?"
	"This is the day we agreed on," his father replied, "Don't you 
remember?"
	"Oh, man, I forgot!" said Tenchi, "Umm ... look, Dad, I was kinda 
hoping that I could spend the day with Ryoko..."
	Nobuyuki grinned.  "Now, son," he said, "Don't think that I've 
forgotten about what happened last night.  It's another reason why this 
fishing trip is necessary.  The thing is, you need to spend time alone 
with your old man, learning about what kind of things to do with a 
girl!"  
	"Dad..." Tenchi groaned, turning red.  Good grief, had his father 
overheard what Ryoko said?  
	"Besides," Nobuyuki continued, "last night made me realize just 
how much my son is growing up!  I just want to spend some time with 
you.  I'm so proud!"
	"Well," said Tenchi, "couldn't we just fish from the lake 
outside?"
	"Of course not," his father replied, "we have to make sure that 
it'll be just us guys for a few days!"
	"Urp!"  Mayuka spat up onto Tenchi's shirt.  
	"Geez," said Tenchi, "exactly how much did Ryoko feed you, 
anyway?"
	"Never mind that," said Nobuyuki, "just take that shirt off and 
get into the van.  Everything's packed already, so you can get a fresh 
shirt there.  I'll take care of everything here."
	"Okay," said Tenchi, deciding that there was no point in trying 
to argue.  Besides, he didn't like to break his promises, and Ryoko had 
said that it was all right with her.  He handed Mayuka over to his 
father, then removed his shirt and placed it on the counter.  He turned 
to leave, then suddenly thought of what his father had said about it 
being "just us guys".  Tenchi swallowed.  "Uh, Dad?" he asked, "Do you 
promise that you're just taking me fishing?"
	"Of course!" said Nobuyuki, looking a bit insulted.  
Tenchi sighed and left the kitchen.  Nobuyuki reached into his pocket 
and pulled out the note he had written for the rest of the household.  
It explained that he and Tenchi would be on a fishing trip for a few 
days, but did not give the location of the place they were going to.  
After all, he had to make sure that it would be just the guys, right?  
He placed the note on the kitchen counter.  Now all he had to do was 
put Mayuka back in her crib, and put Tenchi's shirt into the clothes 
hamper.  
	Washu stepped into the kitchen just then.  "Hey, why is everyone 
getting up so early today?" she asked, rubbing her eyes, "I don't wanna 
miss anything!"
	"Uhh ... just read the note!" said Nobuyuki.  He dashed out of 
the kitchen, stopping only to hand Mayuka over to Washu.  
	Washu just stood there until she heard the sound of the family 
van pulling away.  "What now?" she murmured, walking towards the 
kitchen counter.  She read the note.  "Oh, I see.  Really, that Nobuyuki 
is such a bad influence on your daddy, isn't he, Noodles?" she said to 
Mayuka, "I mean, making Tenchi leave without saying goodbye to my little 
Ryoko!  Not to mention getting him to leave his dirty laundry lying 
around."  She eyed the shirt and wrinkled her nose.  
	Washu put Mayuka in her highchair and took a closer look at 
Tenchi's shirt.  "Yecch," she said, "How much did they feed you?"  
The laundry had already been done yesterday, but that was no problem.  
Rather than wait for the next laundry day, Washu decided that this was 
the perfect opportunity to try out her new portable washing machine.  
Okay, so it was not one of her more spectacular inventions, but Washu 
had decided that it would be a good thing to have, with a baby in the 
house.  Washu chuckled to herself.  She had been right, as usual.  
	Summoning her portable computer out of thin air, Washu pressed 
something on the transparent black keyboard.  A small, transparent 
black box with an image of a crab on it appeared on the counter.  
Washu opened the lid of the box and placed Tenchi's shirt inside.  
She closed the lid and pressed the crab icon.  Water and detergent 
suddenly materialized in the box, and the shirt swirled around as 
the box made a WHUM-WHUM-WHUM sound.  Washu smiled with satisfaction.  
	Washu's smile turned to a slight frown when the box began to 
shake violently.  All of a sudden, the box began to bounce end-over-end 
along the kitchen counter.  It leapt over to the kitchen window and 
phased through it, still happily WHUM-WHUM-WHUM-ing away.  The sound 
grew fainter as the box bounced off into the distance.  "Oh, no you 
don't!" Washu said.  She pressed a button on her computer to call it 
back, but the box did not return.  "Something tells me that Mihoshi 
has been playing with my equipment again" Washu muttered.  

	At the onsen, Ryoko hummed a cheery tune as she removed her 
barf-splattered dress and prepared it for the clothes hamper.  It was 
her blue and yellow dress with the tail.  Ryoko smiled as she thought 
again of the words Tenchi had said to her while she had been wearing 
the dress the night before.  Now she would forever think of it as the 
dress she had worn when her greatest wish had come true.  That was why 
she had been wearing the dress this morning, even though it promised to 
be one of those hot summer days when lighter clothes are more 
appropriate.  
	"Oh well, guess I don't have much choice now, huh?" Ryoko 
murmured.  She had brought her red tank top and denim shorts to put on 
after she took her bath.  "See you later," Ryoko said to her dress as 
she put it into the hamper.  She wiggled the tail with her hand to make 
it look as if the dress were waving goodbye to her.  She smiled to 
herself.  Maybe she ought to convince Tenchi to join her sometime for 
a nice bath and some sake...

	It was beginning to look like a beautiful day.  The tall 
sunflowers seemed eager to great the sun as it rose into the sky.  
The birds were chirping as Ayeka walked towards the onsen.  They just 
sounded so cheerful and happy and ... "Will you birds shut up!" Ayeka 
snapped, feeling irritable from lack of sleep.  Her outburst startled 
the birds and they scattered, squawking with fright.  They made so much 
racket that Ayeka realized that she would have been better off if she 
had just let them keep chirping.  She sighed.  She slid open the door 
to the onsen and stepped inside.  Ayeka was just about to put down her 
towels and disrobe when she suddenly realized that Ryoko was sitting in 
the water.  
	"Uhh ... hi, Ayeka," said Ryoko.  
	Ayeka simply stared at her former rival.  Rival?  Oh no, there 
was more to it than that.  How could she ignore all the small hints of 
that "more"?  What about when they had stormed the Soja together?  Or 
when Ryoko had saved her from falling debris during the fight with 
Kagato?  The list went on and on, really.   Sharing a good drink.  
Talking to each other when the sixteen-year-old Mayuka had arrived and 
turned their lives upside down.  Holding each other when Yuzuha was 
destroyed.  Oh, damnation, and it would have been so much easier if 
she could just be angry with Ryoko!  However, if Tenchi had to choose 
someone else, then the princess was ... well, maybe not HAPPY that it 
was Ryoko, but ... oh, damnation, what in the name of the First Tree 
was someone supposed to say in this kind of situation?  
	An eternity seemed to pass before Ayeka began to speak, using 
all the royal training and poise she could muster.  "Miss Ryoko, 
I ... I am sorry for not realizing sooner that Lord Tenchi's heart 
belonged to you.  I must apologize for being in the way for so long.  
What I want most is for Lord Tenchi to be happy, and so I wish for you 
to be happy as well.  I am sorry.  I have been insensitive and selfish, 
and ... and ... Lord Tenchi deserves better than that!"  She suddenly 
dropped the towels she had been carrying and ran outside, crying.  
	So much for poise.  

	Sasami was awakened by something making a WHUM-WHUM-WHUM sound 
outside, which eventually faded.  Her forehead felt a bit tingly, like 
it sometimes did after she had a scary dream, but she couldn't even 
remember having any dreams.  Sitting up, Sasami noticed that her sister 
was gone.  Glancing at the side of her futon, Sasami realized that 
Ryo-Oh-Ki was gone, too.  It was only sunrise.  Why had they gotten up 
so early?  Sasami became so worried about Ayeka that she didn't feel 
sleepy anymore.  She dressed and went downstairs.  
	Sasami saw that Mihoshi and Kiyone were asleep on the living room 
couch.  They had fallen asleep with the TV on.  As Sasami shut off the 
TV, Washu came out of the kitchen carrying Mayuka.  
	"Look at those two," Washu said, eyeing the pair on the couch, 
"They must have been up all night, watching that soap opera marathon."
	"Washu, have you seen Ayeka?" asked Sasami.  
	"Ayeka?" said Washu, "No, I haven't."
	Mihoshi suddenly opened her eyes and sat up, startling Sasami 
and Washu.  "Good morning," Mihoshi said, yawning.  
	"Well, I'm surprised," Washu said to Mihoshi, "Aren't you usually 
a very sound sleeper?"
	"Oh, yes," said Mihoshi, "but I guess I must be really hungry."
	Washu turned to Sasami.  "I have an idea," she said, "Why don't 
you make a nice breakfast to help Ayeka feel better?"  Seeing the 
worried expression on Sasami's face, Washu added, "I can help you, if 
you like."
	"Oh, can I help, too?" asked Mihoshi, "Let's wake up Kiyone, I'm 
sure she'd also like to help!"
	"Okay," said Sasami, a small smile forming on her face.  She 
certainly was grateful to have such a wonderful "family".  From Washu's 
arms, Mayuka made a cooing sound, as if she was thinking the same 
thing.  
	"Oh, alright," said Washu.  She made a face and held up the note 
that Nobuyuki had written.  "We don't need to make any breakfast for 
Tenchi or his father, though."

	Ryoko was still sitting in the waters of the onsen, wondering 
what to do.  After all, Washu had said last night that Ayeka should be 
left alone for awhile.  "Ah, the heck with what Mom said!" Ryoko told 
herself, "It's not like she's right all of the time!"  Getting dressed, 
Ryoko went outside and prepared to look for Ayeka.  
	Ryoko didn't get very far before she was nearly run over by the 
Masaki family van, which was filled to near bursting point with luggage 
and fishing supplies.  She saw Nobuyuki at the wheel, with Tenchi 
sitting beside him.  Flying beside the van, she caught Tenchi's 
attention and grinned.  Tenchi looked absolutely mortified.  She blew 
him a kiss and waved goodbye.  Tenchi relaxed visibly and mouthed the 
words "I love you".  Ryoko mouthed the words "Oh, is that why you're 
fleeing?".  She laughed and winked at him.  
	"How come boys have so much luggage?" Ryoko said to herself, 
watching the van speed away.  The guys were leaving, which meant that 
Nobuyuki had left several cases of sake in his room for Ryoko.  Hey, 
she wasn't going to recite all that stuff about why lovers should 
temporarily separate, unless it was worth her while!  Well, at least 
Nobuyuki was finally showing some real interest in spending quality 
time with his son.  Normally, nothing could part the man from his 
secret supply of sake.  In truth, she didn't really care all that much 
about the bribe, but she had decided that letting Nobuyuki get what he 
wanted was a way to have a good relationship with her future father-in-
law (she had already begun to think of him as that).  Besides, since 
Tenchi didn't know all this, when he returned she could insist on 
getting some SPECIAL attention to make up for his absence.  She 
chuckled, then remembered that she was supposed to be looking for Ayeka.  
Turning serious, she continued her search.  
	Where could that princess have gone to so quickly?  Ryoko thought 
about what she should say to Ayeka once she found her.  Ryoko 
remembered the night that Tenchi had slapped her, and she had gone to 
hide at the tree Funaho.  Ayeka had found her and talked to her.  They 
had shared their feelings, which they didn't do all that often (except 
maybe when they drank too much).  
	Ryoko knew that she should assure Ayeka that she had not been 
insensitive all this time.  "I mean, even I wasn't sure how Tenchi felt 
about me until last night," Ryoko thought aloud, "How could any of us 
have known?"  Ryoko decided that, after talking with Ayeka, she would 
share some of her newly acquired sake with the princess.  After all, 
despite the way things sometimes seemed, Ayeka was her friend.  Heck, 
once Ryoko married Tenchi, Ayeka would be FAMILY!  A whisper in the 
back of Ryoko's mind told her that Ayeka already was family, and had 
been for a long time.  "Ah, shut up, Zero!" Ryoko replied, laughing 
good-naturedly.  

	Ayeka, meanwhile, had run deep into the woods.  She stood there, 
crying silently.  She thought again of Tenchi, and of Yosho.  "What 
made me think that things would be any different from the last time?" 
she asked herself sadly.  What was wrong with her?  Why was she 
so ... unloved?  Yosho had left Jurai to hunt for Ryoko, with the 
intention of never returning.  Now, Tenchi had chosen Ryoko over her.  
Although it would be easy to blame Ryoko for all her troubles, Ayeka 
knew that the former space pirate was not the source of the problem.  
	She remembered all the times her father, Azusa, had told her that 
she had to learn how to behave like a princess: always acting stiff, 
formal, and well mannered.  What for?  It only seemed to scare away the 
men she loved.  The only ones who seemed determined for her hand were 
insincere creeps like Seiryo, who only wanted to marry her for power.  
Not only that, but Ayeka realized that her father's wives, Misaki and 
Funaho, did not usually act like conventional Juraian royalty.  So why 
did she have to?  
	Ayeka remembered the time when her father had insulted Tenchi, 
but then said that his Earthling wife Funaho was "different".  So was 
she considered different from Misaki and Funaho?  Why?  Come to think 
of it, Prince Yosho had also been allowed to act unlike the other 
Juraian royals.  Why not her?  
	Although Ayeka used to tell herself that she would probably go 
back to Jurai if Tenchi fell in love with someone else, she knew that 
she did not want to.  Jurai was a beautiful world that she loved dearly, 
but she only wanted to go back if Tenchi agreed to marry her and become 
emperor.  Tenchi had welcomed her into his home, and she had wanted so 
much for him to accompany her to Jurai's royal palace, so she could 
share someplace wonderful with him.  Tenchi was a good and honest 
person, and she knew that he could be trusted to rule Jurai fairly.  
(It also did not hurt that, in addition to a heart of gold, he had the 
body of an Adonis!)  While it was true that Tenchi had not been raised 
for the royal life, that did not matter to Ayeka.  He had true 
compassion and understanding, and that was all that Ayeka needed.  
	Also, Yosho and Tenchi were the only men of Juraian royal blood 
who would respect her and allow her to truly have a say in the rule of 
the empire.  To go home without Tenchi would mean dooming herself to a 
restricted life, as well as a loveless marriage to some snob.  Why did 
her father think that it was so important for her to marry one of those 
imbeciles, anyway?  They were more concerned with power than with the 
welfare of the Juraian people.  Ayeka simply couldn't marry someone who 
saw her as a tool for obtaining power, instead of seeing a real person.  
	But what else was there to do now?  She could not turn her back 
on the people of Jurai.  However, she couldn't possibly help her people 
if she married someone who expected her to be a "good little wife" and 
back any decision he made, no matter how stupid it was.  If she ended 
up doing that to her beloved planet, then it would probably be better 
if she didn't go back at all.  Did things have to be this way?  
	"What a load of crap," Ayeka growled.  "Yes, you heard me!" she 
shouted at no one in particular, "I said 'what a load of CRAP'!"
Summoning her Jurai power, Ayeka fired an energy blast at a nearby 
boulder.  Bits of stone broke off and flew through the air.  "Why, 
Father?  It's not fair!" she shouted.  Fresh tears came to her eyes, 
but she ignored them.  Ayeka made her miniature logs appear in the air.  
Tentacles shot out of them and wrapped around the boulder, beginning to 
crush it to pieces.  Although Ayeka normally did not vent her 
frustration in this way (except when she used to fight with Ryoko), the 
princess admitted to herself that it felt rather good.  
	As Ayeka watched the stone crumble, her forehead began to feel 
tingly, like it had when she woke up.  She felt the power within her 
build to unusual levels.  What was this?  Frightened, she quickly 
willed her logs to disappear.  The logs vanished, but the tingling 
sensation, and the power buildup, did not.  Her tiara began to give 
off a strange silvery light.  _What is happening to me?_ Ayeka asked 
herself.  The silver light was growing brighter.  Her eyes widened in 
terror when she realized that she was about to lose control of her 
power.  

	Ryo-Oh-Ki hopped through the tall grass, enjoying the lovely 
summer morning.  She loved the coolness of the morning dew on her paws, 
and the tickle of the grass brushing against her face.  She had 
awakened early because she had been able to sense, through her mental 
link, that Ryoko was awake.  Deciding to join her friend/half-sister 
for a bath, she had left Sasami in the bedroom and headed for the onsen.  
	However, the cabbit had soon forgotten all about Ryoko when she 
had encountered a fascinating little curiosity: a strange box making a 
WHUM-WHUM-WHUM noise.  Something made of green fabric had been swirling 
around inside it.  The box had been bouncing along the ground, and 
Ryo-Oh-Ki had decided that it would be great fun to chase it, so that 
was what she had been doing.  However, it seemed that the box had 
gotten tired of the game, because it teleported away.  
	Ryo-Oh-Ki decided to forget about the box when she saw Ryoko 
approaching.  "Miya!" she greeted her, "M'ya miya!"
	"Good morning to you, too," Ryoko replied, smiling warmly, "Say, 
have you seen Ayeka around here?"
	"Mi-ya-a?  Miya, mi myiaa."
	"Oh, so you haven't, huh?" Ryoko said, "Well, would you help me 
look for her?"
	"Mii, ya!"
	"Great!  Let's go!" Ryoko began to walk towards the woods.  
Ryo-Oh-Ki hopped along by her side.  The little cabbit realized why 
Ryoko was looking for Ayeka.  The princess was undoubtedly upset about 
what had happened the night before.  Ryo-Oh-Ki thought back to the day 
of her hatching, when she and Tenchi had comforted Ayeka.  Back then, 
Ayeka had been feeling lost and alone on planet Earth, and had been 
missing Yosho terribly.  
	Through the mental link, the cabbit learned from Ryoko that 
Tenchi would be gone for a few days.  Ryo-Oh-Ki told herself that she 
wouldn't let that stop her from doing her best to help Ayeka again.  
Besides, she had Ryoko with her.  The cabbit believed that the two of 
them together could accomplish anything, whether it was storming the 
Soja, or helping a friend.  

	Meanwhile, the priest of the Masaki shrine, Katsuhito Masaki 
(formerly Prince Yosho of Jurai) was standing outside on the shrine 
steps, watching the sunrise.  He thought about his late visit to 
Washu's lab the night before.  He had brought Washu a snack, since she 
often worked so hard that she didn't always remember to eat properly.  
As it turned out, she actually had eaten dinner this time.  Still, his 
trip had not been wasted, because Washu had told him the news about his 
grandson.  Tenchi had declared his love for her daughter Ryoko.  
	Katsuhito had been pleased to hear the happy news, but he was 
also concerned for Ayeka.  He imagined that she had not taken this very 
well.  Still, he also knew that, despite her gentleness, she was a very 
strong woman.  He wondered how she was dealing with this.  Even though 
he had not wanted to marry Ayeka, he did love her like the younger 
sister that she was.  
	Just then, the birds stopped singing, as if something had 
frightened them into silence.  This was how they often behaved right 
before an earthquake began.  The hairs on the back of Katsuhito's neck 
suddenly stood on end.  There was a strange feeling in the air.  What 
was happening?  The priest's instincts told him to go into the woods.  
He ran off in that direction to investigate.  

	Ryoko could see a silver light shining between the trees ahead of 
her.  She and Ryo-Oh-Ki approached the area cautiously, and saw Ayeka 
standing near a pile of broken stones.  It was the princess' tiara that 
was giving off the silver light.  Ryoko noticed the panic-stricken look 
on Ayeka's face.  "Hey ... what's wrong?" she asked, worried.  
	Ayeka, her voice tense, managed to say "Ryoko ... watch ... 
out..." before the silvery light spread from her tiara to cover her 
entire body.  The light became intensely bright, and then was suddenly 
released from her body in the form of a dozen energy blasts.  
	Ryoko tried to throw herself onto Ryo-Oh-Ki to protect her, but 
she wasn't fast enough.  She heard Ryo-Oh-Ki cry out in pain, just 
before she herself was struck in the face by searing silver fire.  

	Katsuhito was running through the woods when the energy blasts 
came flying through the air.  Birds screeched and scattered as several 
trees were felled.  Katsuhito dropped to the ground and covered his 
head with his arms.  Shards of wood and flying bits of stone fell onto 
him.  He stayed where he was until all was silent.  Raising his head 
and looking around, Katsuhito was relieved to see that there were no 
flames, although there was a burnt smell all around.  Quickly getting 
up, he ran to the source of the energy blasts.  He saw Ayeka standing 
there, looking horrified.  Lying on the ground in front of her, 
unmoving, were Ryoko and Ryo-Oh-Ki.  
	Katsuhito's heart nearly stopped at the sight of smoke rising 
from Ryoko's eye sockets.  

	Inside the Masaki home, Kiyone was setting the table for 
breakfast.  Sasami was stirring something in a pot, while Mihoshi 
handed her some ingredients.  Washu was busy chopping still more 
ingredients.  Smiling while she worked, Washu thought that maybe she 
should help in the kitchen more often.  She hadn't done any cooking for 
the household since Taro's first visit, and that was several years ago.  
	_I wonder where Ryoko is right now?_ Washu thought.  Although she 
had a mental link with her daughter, Washu no longer invaded Ryoko's 
thoughts like she used to.  She knew that it would ruin the relationship 
they were finally trying to build.  They now only used the link to talk 
to each other, like making a phone call without a phone.  
	Washu dropped her kitchen knife when she suddenly felt a sharp 
pain in her skull.  _What's wrong?_ she asked Ryoko through the link.  
Washu received no answer.  Alarmed, she reached out to her daughter's 
mind again, but it was completely unresponsive.  Washu screamed.  
	"Washu!" said Mihoshi, her voice full of concern, "Washu, are 
you okay?"
	"Ryoko!" Washu cried, "No!  Ryoko!"

	_Does Dad have to take the scenic route?_ Tenchi asked himself.  
Nobuyuki had been driving for several hours now, and there was still no 
indication that they were anywhere near their destination.  Nobuyuki 
had been talkative during the beginning of the drive, making jokes and 
eagerly going on and on about how many fish they would catch, but now 
he was mostly silent and only made some small talk now and then.  
Although Tenchi sometimes wished that he and his father talked more 
often, right now he was glad for the silence, since it allowed him to 
just sit quietly and think.  
	Most of Tenchi's thoughts were about Ryoko.  At the moment, as 
strange as it might sound, all Tenchi could think about were her hands.  
They certainly were very strong hands.  Hands that had clenched into 
powerful fists many times.  Hands could bend metal with ease, or wield 
a deadly energy sword.  They were also the hands that gently held 
Mayuka before she went to sleep every night.  They were the hands that 
had so tenderly and lovingly brushed away his tears the night before.  
Such beautiful hands.  
	_Aw, geez,_ Tenchi thought, _I'm starting to think like a shojo 
manga character._  But he didn't really mind.  
	Tenchi then glanced down at his own hands.  They had calluses 
from working in the carrot fields, as well as a few scrapes from his 
martial arts training.  _Thanks a lot, Grandpa._  They were the hands 
that had held Yosho's sword, Tenchiken, in countless battles.  They 
were the hands that had wiped the barf from Mayuka's face this morning.  
Tenchi's eyes focused on his right hand.  That was the hand that had 
slapped Ryoko last year.  
	Tenchi felt the extreme guilt that he always did whenever he 
remembered that incident.  He had apologized to Ryoko, but it didn't 
make him feel any less ashamed of himself.  He silently vowed that he 
would do everything he could for Ryoko, to make it up to her.  
	The feelings of guilt caused Tenchi's thoughts to wander to Ayeka.  
_Aw, man!_  Tenchi almost banged his head on the dashboard in 
frustration with himself.  How could he have forgotten about Ayeka?  
How could he just leave the house when she was undoubtedly upset?  
	_Why did I leave on this stupid trip?_ Tenchi thought.  His eyes 
came to rest on his father.  Tenchi felt a fresh wave of guilt wash 
over him.  _You jerk,_ he scolded himself, _Just yesterday you were 
wishing that you could have had more time with Mom before she died, and 
now you don't want to spend any time with Dad?_  Tenchi lowered his 
eyes and stared at his hands again.  _Hypocrite!_ he said to himself.  

	It was night by the time they arrived at the cabin where they 
would be staying.  It was a place that belonged to a friend and 
co-worker of Nobuyuki's.  For the next few days, it was going to be just 
Nobuyuki and Tenchi.  Just the guys.  "Here we are, Tenchi!" Nobuyuki 
said to his son.  Stepping out of the van, Nobuyuki glanced at the lake 
where they would be fishing, just a short walk away from the cabin.  
The light of a full moon shone down on the water.  Turning his head, he 
saw that Tenchi was still sitting in the van, staring at his hands.  
Nobuyuki frowned.  His son had been doing that a lot during the last 
part of their trip.  Nobuyuki wondered if it had been a mistake to make 
Tenchi come all the way out here at this time.  Perhaps he should have 
let Tenchi have more time with Ryoko first.  It was just that Nobuyuki 
had never spent much quality time with Tenchi before, and now that his 
son seemed to be growing up so fast, he had been eager to go on this 
trip.  
	_What are you doing?_ Nobuyuki asked himself, _First you could 
never be bothered to spend time with your son, and now you drag him 
away from the woman he loves?  Can't you even remember how much you 
loved being with your wife?  What kind of father are you?_  
	Nobuyuki stared at the ground and nearly wished that it would 
just open up and swallow him.  His wife had always been the more 
considerate one.  She had always known the right thing to say to him or 
to Tenchi.  As much as Nobuyuki loved his son, he just couldn't seem to 
express that properly without his wife's guidance, and she had been 
gone for over a decade now.  Nobuyuki had coped with the death of his 
wife by hiding the pain behind the personality of a hentai.  Tenchi, on 
the other hand, showed an exceptional amount of compassion and 
sensitivity towards others.  He was so like his mother.   
	"Dad?"
	Nobuyuki turned his head and was surprised to see that Tenchi was 
standing beside him.  "Yes?" he said.  
	"Dad ... let's unpack, okay?"
	"Are you sure?" Nobuyuki asked.  
	Tenchi nodded.  

	A while later, Nobuyuki and Tenchi sat on the grass outside the 
cabin, facing the lake.  Neither of them spoke; they were both lost in 
their own thoughts.   Nobuyuki saw that his son was staring up at the 
sky.  Raising his own head, Nobuyuki looked at the view of the stars.  
Didn't Ryoko always sing a song to Mayuka about stars and happy dreams?  
	"Tenchi?" said Nobuyuki.  
	"Hmm?"
	"Are you thinking about Ryoko?"
	"Yes."
	Nobuyuki saw that his attempt at starting a conversation was not 
getting very far.  He tried his best to sound cheerful as he said: 
"Say, I was wondering, what made you tell Ryoko how you felt about 
her?  Was it something your old man taught you?"  Nobuyuki had decided 
that even to get Tenchi to groan and shout "Dad!" would be better than 
sitting in silence.  
	He heard Tenchi take a deep breath, then let it out in a long 
sigh.  "Dad?  Do you remember the last time we took Mom to visit 
Grandpa?"
	Nobuyuki nodded.  
	"You weren't in the room when it happened," said Tenchi, his 
voice almost a whisper.  
	"When what happened, Tenchi?"
	"I was bored.  I was trying to get Mom to play with me, but she 
was too tired.  I didn't want to think that anything was wrong with 
her.  It was so much easier to believe that she was just sleeping all 
the time to be mean.  S-so I got mad and told her that I hated her..."
	Nobuyuki was shocked by this revelation, but remained silent.  
	"I felt bad about it," Tenchi continued, "Later that day, I 
brought her some tea and said that I was sorry, but I didn't think to 
tell her that I loved her.  It was one of the stupidest mistakes I ever 
made.  Dad ... that was on the day she went into a coma!  And three 
days after that sh-she ... she... That was when..." he choked and could 
not continue.  
	"She slipped away," Nobuyuki finished for him, his voice shaking.  
The tears that he held back far too often came to his eyes.  This time 
he simply let them run down his face.  
	Tenchi nodded and choked back a sob.  "I ... I don't want to 
make the same mistake with Ryoko," Tenchi managed to say, "I want her 
to always know that I love her, because we never ... we never know what 
could..."
	Nobuyuki suddenly leaned forward and threw his arms around his 
son.  "Tenchi, your mother always knew that you loved her!  She always 
knew!" he said.  
	Nobuyuki could feel his son trembling, and tried to find 
something else to say.  Nothing came to mind.  
	It was almost as frustrating and heartbreaking as the day that 
his wife had died.  He hadn't been able to say anything to his son, so 
the boy had run off to that cave.  Nobuyuki had been left alone, 
staring at the falling snow and thinking that he could never be whole 
again, not without his wife's light.  Not without her love, her songs, 
her wisdom.  Not without her waltzing with him outside in the 
moonlight, when Tenchi was asleep.  Having a son to raise had given 
Nobuyuki a reason to carry on, but a part of him had been lost, never 
to return.  
	_Live forever, Ryoko,_ Nobuyuki thought, _Please don't let this 
happen to Tenchi_.  Nobuyuki looked up at the stars.  Stars and happy 
dreams.  Ryoko being who she was, and Tenchi being who he was, it 
actually was possible for them to share the stars and their happy 
dreams forever, wasn't it?  Nobuyuki's silent plea was behind every 
tear that slid down his face.  He imagined the tears evaporating, 
rising up to the stars that would hopefully grant that wish.  They had 
to, they just HAD to.  
	"I love you, Dad," Tenchi suddenly whispered.  
	Nobuyuki wanted to say "I love you too" but it just felt so 
meaningless in comparison to anything Tenchi expressed.  
	_Thank God you're not like me,_ Nobuyuki thought as he silently 
held his son, _Don't ever be like me._

	At the same time, in the Masaki home, Sasami sat on the living 
room couch.  She was feeding Mayuka.  No one else was really hungry.  
Sasami had prepared some food, but most of them had just eaten a few 
bites.  Sitting next to Sasami was Kiyone, who was continuously 
glancing at the clock.  Mihoshi paced restlessly back and forth behind 
the couch.  Katsuhito sat in a corner of the room, an unreadable 
expression on his face.  Ayeka knelt by one of the windows.  She had 
been praying for hours, letting out a small sob every once in a while.  
She had refused to eat anything.  
	When Katsuhito had rushed into the house that morning, carrying 
Ryoko and Ryo-Oh-Ki in his arms, he had almost run over a frantic Washu, 
who had been on her way out to find Ryoko.  She had immediately changed 
direction and made a dash for her lab, instructing Katsuhito to bring 
Ryoko and Ryo-Oh-Ki inside.  Fifteen minutes later, she had sent him 
out of the lab with the message that no one was to disturb her until 
she came out.  Even Kiyone, her lab assistant, wasn't allowed to go in.  
Everyone had been waiting outside the door to Washu's lab ever since.  
They still hadn't heard anything from the scientist.  
	Sasami looked worriedly at her older sister.  She knew that Ayeka 
hadn't hurt Ryoko on purpose, but Ayeka still blamed herself.  The older 
princess had refused to let anyone comfort her.  She just kept praying, 
and turned away whenever anyone tried to talk to her.  

	Inside her lab, Washu grabbed a small tool from a tray that was 
floating beside her.  "Hold still, Ryoko," she told her daughter, "I'm 
going to start adjusting the eyes now."  She began to gently poke at 
the artificial eye that she had implanted in Ryoko's right eye socket.  
The pupil of the eye dilated and contracted in response to Washu's 
probes.  Washu frowned for the hundredth time that day.  She just 
couldn't understand why Ryoko's original eyes had not regenerated like 
they should have.  Washu had run numerous tests, and had finally 
decided that the only thing she could do was give Ryoko mechanical 
replacements for her ruined eyes.  
	While he had been in the lab, Katsuhito had told Washu what he 
knew of the energy blasts that had caused the damage, and the redheaded 
scientist was completely baffled.  If those blasts had been able to 
topple trees, why hadn't Ryoko's head been blown off?  Instead, it had 
destroyed only her eyes, but without even burning her eyelashes.  
	"How's Ryo-Oh-Ki?" asked Ryoko.  
	"She's still comatose," Washu replied.  She began to make 
modifications to Ryoko's left eye.  The pupil was not the same size as 
that of the other eye.  Washu poked at the eye, and the pupil shrank.  
Washu frowned to herself again.  What the blasts had done to Ryo-Oh-Ki 
was another puzzle.  The cabbit had no external signs of injury 
whatsoever, but was unconscious and had to be kept on life support.  
None of Washu's tests had been able to determine what was wrong.  
	"Mom?"
	"What is it, Ryoko?" asked Washu.  
	"Mom ... please don't be mad at Ayeka," said Ryoko, her voice 
trembling, "She'd never do something like this on purpose."
	"I'm not mad," said Washu.  
	"Are you sure?"
	"I'm not mad," Washu repeated.  Actually, she HAD been angry, but 
deep down she knew that it was not Ayeka's fault.  Those blasts had not 
been a manifestation of Ayeka's usual Jurai powers.  Something strange 
was definitely going on.  
	"Ryoko, don't cry," said Washu, "I'm not done with the 
calibration adjustments yet."
	"Sorry," Ryoko murmured, sounding slightly embarrassed.  
	After a few minutes, Washu said, "Okay!  Your new eyes are almost 
ready, and they look just like your old ones."
	"Thanks, Mom"
	"Just a bit more ... there, I'm done," said Washu.  She placed 
her tool back on its tray.  
	Upon hearing her mother's words, Ryoko blinked a few times.  
Slowly, the room around her came into focus.  She looked at Washu and 
gave a small smile.  "Thanks, Mom," Ryoko said again.  
	Just then, an alarm went off.  Washu ran to the little floating 
bed where Ryo-Oh-Ki lay, and read the information on several nearby 
monitors that were hooked up to the cabbit.  "Oh no," said Washu, 
"Ryo-Oh-Ki's condition is getting worse."
	"Can ... can she reproduce herself?" Ryoko asked.  
	"No," Washu replied sadly, "Whatever it is about those blasts 
that affected your self-healing ability has also affected her power 
to replicate."
	Saddened, Ryoko got up from the chair on which she had been 
sitting.  She was about to walk over to Ryo-Oh-Ki's bedside when her 
vision began to blur.  "Oh..." she grunted, "Mom, something's wrong, 
I..."  
	A sudden stabbing pain in Ryoko's head caused her to scream and 
drop to her knees.  
	Washu saw this and began to run to her daughter's side.  "Ryoko!" 
she exclaimed, "What is it?"  
	Ryoko covered her eyes with her hands and kept screaming.  Washu 
grabbed Ryoko's hands and pulled them away from her face.  She saw 
blood beginning to pour out of Ryoko's eyes like tears.  "Oh God, no!" 
Washu shouted.  With surprising strength for her small size, Washu 
quickly scooped Ryoko up in her arms and dashed for her operating table.  

	Several hours later, everyone in the living room was startled 
when the door to the lab suddenly opened and Washu stepped out.  They 
all crowded around her except for Ayeka, who remained in a kneeling 
position on the floor with her head bowed.  
	"Can we see them?" Mihoshi asked anxiously.  
	Washu shook her head.  "Ryoko wants to be left alone with 
Ryo-Oh-Ki right now."
	"How are they?" Kiyone asked.  
	"Ryoko's body has rejected the prosthetic eyes," said Washu, her 
voice barely audible, "I don't know what else to do for her..."
	"She's ... blind?" said Mihoshi, her lower lip beginning to 
tremble.  
	"What about Ryo-Oh-Ki?" Sasami asked in a small voice.  
	"She's dying," Washu said, staring at the floor.  
	Sasami began to cry.  Mayuka seemed to pick up on Sasami's 
distress and began to cry also.  Mihoshi and Kiyone immediately tried 
to comfort them, while Katsuhito spoke softly to Washu.  Ayeka took the 
opportunity to slip outside.  When the princess was sure that she was 
out of earshot, she let out a wail and then ran away from the house, 
crying and stumbling in the night.  

	_What have I done?_ Ayeka's mind screamed as she ran.  In the 
darkness, she crashed through several bushes, the branches catching her 
skirt.  She tried to kick them away, but stumbled and fell.  When she 
tried to free herself, a branch tore her sleeve open.  Ayeka finally 
broke away from the bushes and continued running.  _What have I done?_ 
her mind screamed again.  
	"Oh, I know exactly what I have done!" she said to herself out 
loud, "I foolishly unleashed my powers when I knew that I was too upset 
to control them properly!"
	She had done something unforgivable to Ryo-Oh-Ki, and to Lord 
Tenchi's beloved, Ryoko.  She had wronged Tenchi, that was what she had 
done.  She had wronged the one who had given her and Sasami a place to 
stay when they had become stranded on Earth.  She had wronged the one 
who treated her with honest respect and kindness, unlike the insincere 
Juraian nobles who only sought her family's favor.  She had wronged the 
one who liked her the way that she was, and who let her be herself.  
	_And who am I?_ her thoughts suddenly asked, _I tell myself that 
I hate the way Father made me adhere to strict Juraian royal traditions, 
and yet I have not changed the way I dress or speak during all the years 
I've been on planet Earth.  I say that I want to serve the Juraian 
people, and yet I haven't been home for more than 700 years._
	"And," Ayeka added out loud, "I say that I care about Lord 
Tenchi, and now I have hurt the one he loves most..."
	Ayeka stopped running.  She was in the clearing where Yuzuha had 
kidnapped Sasami the year before.  Ayeka stood there and tried to catch 
her breath.  Oh yes, she knew exactly what she had done.  She had hurt 
Ryoko and Ryo-Oh-Ki, whom Tenchi cared for very much, and who were also 
Ayeka's friends.  Although Ayeka had argued with Ryoko quite often in 
the past, she knew that they had also helped each other many times.  
She had been thinking about that very thing just this morning, for 
crying out loud!  
	The truth was that Ryoko actually was one of the few true friends 
that Ayeka had.  After all, she didn't know many people on Earth 
outside of the house.  As for the people she had known back on planet 
Jurai, most of them had been either servants who would only say what 
they thought she wanted to hear, or those annoying nobles who did even 
more bootlicking.  Ryoko was nothing like them.  She was someone who 
always spoke her mind.  Although that had irritated Ayeka many times, 
the princess had to admit that it had been a refreshing change from all 
that sucking up she had endured on Jurai.  Besides, Ayeka had been able 
to sense the grudging respect hidden behind many of the things that 
Ryoko said.  
	"I must make this right somehow!" Ayeka said to herself.  She 
began to run again, this time to the holy tree of the Masaki shrine.  
Ayeka made it to Funaho in record time, panting and gasping.  She had 
taken even less time to arrive at her brother's space tree than she had 
last year, when she had asked for help to vanquish Yuzuha.  
	"Funaho," Ayeka said, once she had caught her breath, "I have 
done something terrible to one that Lord Tenchi loves ... someone I 
care about also.  Please, I need your help."
	Ayeka stood silently before the tree, until she realized that 
nothing was happening.  
	"Please, Funaho," said Ayeka, "I know that I have no right to ask 
for your help yet again, especially considering the fact that this is 
all my fault, but I implore you to do something for Miss Ryoko.  Do not 
let her and Lord Tenchi suffer because of me."
	Nothing happened.  
	Ayeka tried another tactic.  "Tsunami!" she called out, shouting 
the name of the spirit who had created the Juraian royal family, 
"Tsunami!  Please help me.  Please, I beg you."
	Again nothing happened.  Ayeka dropped to her knees and prayed in 
front of Funaho.  Nothing was happening.  Ayeka became increasingly 
desperate.  
	"Please, Tsunami!" Ayeka cried, fresh tears coming out of her 
eyes, "Please, Tsunami!  I will do anything!"
	She brought her forehead down to the ground and stretched her 
arms out in front of her, palms upward.  It was the Juraian sign of 
submission.  Ayeka could not stop herself from shaking.  Her breath 
came out in short gasps as she tried to stop crying.  "Anything..." she 
sobbed.  
	Suddenly, a pair of ghostly arms lifted her in a strong yet gentle 
grip, and embraced her.  Ayeka gazed at the face of the kneeling white 
figure who was holding her, and realized that it was Tsunami.  
	"Calm yourself, Ayeka," Tsunami whispered into her ear, "for you 
have passed but the first of many difficult tests to come."
	"It's all my fault," Ayeka whimpered, not really listening to what 
Tsunami had just said.  
	"It is not your fault," Tsunami whispered, "It's mine."
	Ayeka's mind whirled with confusion.  Tsunami gently stroked the 
princess' face with a glowing white hand.  Ayeka leaned her head onto 
Tsunami's shoulder, and the spirit began to run a hand through her 
hair.  Tears were still coming down Ayeka's face, but she did feel much 
calmer.  Ayeka thought about the fact that Tsunami was assimilating 
with Sasami, and realized just how much Tsunami seemed like a sister 
right now.  
	"Ayeka," said Tsunami, "I need you to do something for me..."
	Raising her head, Ayeka opened her mouth to say that she would do 
anything, if it meant helping Ryoko.  Instead, she blurted out, 
"Tsunami, who am I?" and then blinked in surprise at what she had just 
said.  
	Tsunami smiled, as if she had been hoping that Ayeka would ask 
that.  "Princess Ayeka, you are like the caterpillar that approaches a 
time of transformation, a time that is both wonderful and frightening," 
she said, "You have been given a power that can be your chrysalis.  If 
you emerge victorious at the end of the coming trials, you will be more 
than what you are now, like a new butterfly, free to find your full 
potential."
	"What do you want me to do?" Ayeka whispered, feeling somewhat 
overwhelmed.  "This power ... where did it come from?" she added.  
	"I will explain what I can," Tsunami said.  
	The two circular markings on Tsunami's forehead began to give off 
a golden light.  In response, Ayeka's tiara began to give off a silver 
glow.  Ayeka was frightened for a moment, but something in the back of 
her mind told her to relax and trust Tsunami.  The spirit placed her 
hands on Ayeka's shoulders, then touched her forehead to the glowing 
tiara.  
	Understanding began to flow into Ayeka's mind, as if she had been 
in complete darkness and then the sun slowly rose and revealed the 
landscape to her.  
	Ayeka suddenly jerked her head away from Tsunami's, breaking the 
contact.  "You wanted this to happen!" she shouted, "You did this to me, 
and intended for Miss Ryoko and Ryo-Oh-Ki to be hurt like that!"
	"Please..." said Tsunami, "Please let me continue."  Sparkling 
tears formed in Tsunami's eyes, surprising Ayeka.  
	The princess reluctantly touched her forehead to Tsunami's again.  
As more information entered Ayeka's mind, she began to tremble.  
"But ... why?" she sobbed, "I can almost understand about me, but why 
do this to Miss Ryoko?"
	"As you need to be tested, so does she," Tsunami whispered, "I 
know that it is not easy, but it is necessary.  I am sorry."
	"And ... Lord Tenchi?" asked Ayeka, afraid to know the answer, 
and yet feeling the need to hear it.  
	"His time will come." Tsunami replied.  
	"But you will help them, will you not?" asked Ayeka, "Just as you 
are helping me now?"
	"Princess Ayeka, I will not be able to help them as much as you 
can," was the reply.  
	"Tell me, what must I do now?" Ayeka asked softly.  The response 
came to Ayeka, not in words, but through the mental contact Tsunami had 
established.  "I see ..." Ayeka whispered.  A strange, sad smile 
appeared on her face.  "So the butterfly must fly away?" she said.  
	Tsunami moved her forehead away from Ayeka's.  The princess 
looked into Tsunami's eyes and saw that tears were forming there again.  
"I am most sorry, Ayeka," said Tsunami, "Please understand that I would 
not ask this of you if there were some other way.  But also know that 
the final decision must be yours.  I will not force you to do this."
	Ayeka nodded slowly.  "I said that I would do anything, and I 
intend to keep my word," she responded, "I will gladly do this for 
Miss Ryoko and Lord Tenchi ... for everyone."
	Tsunami pulled Ayeka closer to her in a tight hug.  "Thank you, 
Ayeka.  Always remember that I believe in you.  I would not have done 
this if I did not think that you were capable of the task."
	Ayeka rested her head on Tsunami's shoulder again.  "Tell me more 
about Lady Tokimi," she whispered.  
	"I am sorry, but I cannot," said Tsunami, "there are some things 
that you must discover yourself."
	Ayeka nodded as she pulled away from Tsunami's embrace.  She 
knelt in the water right in front of Funaho.  Ayeka was no longer 
crying.  Peace filled her mind.  "Courage, courage, courage..." her 
soul whispered, and the princess finally understood what it meant.  She 
presented her hands to Funaho, palms upward, almost like the Juraian 
sign of submission.  
	"I am ready now," Ayeka said quietly.  
	Two of Funaho's roots pulled themselves out of the ground and 
raised their ends to just above Ayeka's hands.  Water dripped into 
Ayeka's palms.  It reminded her of when Misaki used to kiss her palms 
and say "Now you're holding some of Mommy's love, so you don't have to 
be scared of anything."
	"I'm not scared, Mother," Ayeka whispered.  
	She did not scream as Funaho's roots plunged into her wrists.  

	It was around this time that Katsuhito emerged from the Masaki 
home.  After spending some time trying to comfort Washu, he had decided 
that he should look for Ayeka.  Although his face showed no expression, 
his heart ached at the thought that Ayeka blamed herself for all this 
tragedy.  Although the strange energy blasts had come from his sister, 
Katsuhito could sense that there was more to the day's events than the 
way things seemed on the surface.  His instincts told him that he 
should try looking for her at Funaho.  Walking up to the gateway 
guarded by Azaka and Kamidake, he was actually not all that surprised 
to see the glowing white figure of Tsunami appear between the guardians.  
	"Lord Yosho," said Tsunami, bowing her head.  
	"Tsunami," said Katsuhito, "what is happening to Ayeka?"
	The spirit of the Tree of Light was silent for a few moments.  
"Lord Yosho, please do not go looking for Ayeka," she finally said.  
	Katsuhito frowned slightly.  He was about to ask why when Tsunami 
suddenly spoke.  
	"You will understand when the time is right," she said.  
	Katsuhito nodded, his expression becoming unreadable again.  
	Tsunami looked at the two guardians.  "Tell no one about what you 
have just seen," she said.  
	"Yes, ma'am!" the two giant logs replied.  
	Tsunami shimmered, then vanished.  Sighing, Katsuhito began to 
walk to the shrine.  

	Darkness.  
	A bandage was wrapped around Ryoko's head to cover her eyes ... or 
rather, where she used to have eyes.  
	Even if it hadn't been night, there would still be nothing but 
darkness.  
	Ryoko was lying on the roof, alone.  Her stomach growled, but she 
ignored it.  She had not eaten all day.  She had told Washu to make sure 
that NO ONE was able to disturb her.  She had also instructed her mother 
to not make any attempt to locate Tenchi and Nobuyuki.  
	Darkness.  
	Ryoko absolutely hated the darkness, since it reminded her of the 
700 years she had spent imprisoned in that damn cave.  The first century 
had been the worst.  Alone in the darkness and the cold, stripped of her 
power gems, Ryoko had spent countless hours feeling along the same walls 
over and over again, desperate to find any means of escape.  She had 
screamed and cried and begged Yosho to let her out.  It hadn't been her 
idea to attack Jurai!  She had been under Kagato's control!  She had 
been a slave, nothing more!  She wanted to be let out, she HAD to be 
let out!  But no one ever heard her cries.  She was left alone for 
centuries.  
	As the years passed, Ryoko learned how to store up enough power 
to project a weak astral body outside the cave, so that she could see 
and hear whatever was outside.  She could not feel the warm sunlight or 
smell the wildflowers, but at least she could finally see them, she 
could hear the birds that greeted the rising sun, and the bees that 
visited the flowers.  It was a welcome relief from all those centuries 
of darkness.  
	Then, one day, Ryoko saw the greatest miracle of all.  The 
gray-haired woman, the woman who, judging from her aura, was a 
descendent of Yosho, had come by again.  A little baby had been 
strapped to her back.  The baby had turned his head and looked directly 
at Ryoko, his brown eyes sparkling with interest.  
	"Yes.  What's the matter, Tenchi?" the gray-haired woman had said 
to her child, "Do you see a monster?"
	Ryoko's heart had jumped.  The baby had seen her!  Better still, 
he certainly hadn't LOOKED like he had seen a monster.  His eyes had 
held none of the fear that countless other pairs of eyes had shown 
before, eyes that had seen her during her days as the most wanted space 
pirate in the universe.  
	As more years went by, the boy Tenchi had continued to come by 
the cave, sometimes with that woman - his mother - and sometimes on his 
own.  By that time, he seemed to have "outgrown" the ability to see or 
hear Ryoko, but she had cherished his visits to the cave nonetheless.  
	It had been because of Tenchi that Ryoko's loneliness had 
lessened.  It was through watching him that she had experienced a real, 
normal childhood for the first time, and had seen what it was like to 
have a mother.  
	Those days and years were ones that Ryoko would never forget, 
especially the snowy day when Tenchi's mother had died.   In all the 
centuries that Ryoko had been so desperate to be able to leave her 
prison, she had not felt the need to escape as intensely as that day, 
when she had seen Tenchi crying for his mother.  Ryoko had tried to 
place her hand on him, had tried to wipe away his tears, had wanted so 
much to do something to comfort him, but could not.  Ryoko had been 
devastated.  To be unable to help the one who had made her so happy ... 
never before had she felt so useless, so unworthy to have known someone!  
	It was on that day that Ryoko vowed to do whatever it took to get 
out of that God-forsaken cave and protect Tenchi, so that nothing would 
ever hurt him again.  She had focused much of her energy on creating a 
gem that would allow her to break free, even as she continued to watch 
over Tenchi.  She had laughed when she saw the call of nature overwhelm 
the boy, so that he had to urinate right in front of the cave.  She had 
laughed even harder when, the next day, he cooked a potato ... and 
dropped it right onto the spot where he had urinated the day before!  
	As Tenchi grew, Ryoko watched him become more handsome by the day.  
Being a space pirate (Kagato's tool, really), Ryoko had traveled all 
over the universe and observed many people.  She had never seen such 
sincere eyes, such a warm smile.  His lean, muscular body wasn't bad 
either... 
	When Tenchi broke into the cave one day, it should have been the 
greatest moment of Ryoko's life.  It hadn't turned out quite so well.  
Having devoted most of her energy to creating a power gem to escape, 
her body had deteriorated, making her not much more than a mummy.  
Thinking she was a monster, Tenchi had run away, and Ryoko had been 
devastated once more.  
	By the time she had managed to restore her power (and her beauty), 
Tenchi's summer vacation had ended, and he was back at school.  She had 
decided to fly over there and give him a good scare, just to tease him 
a bit.  She had planned on giving him a little excitement, showing him 
how powerful she was, and then backing him into a corner.  He would 
look fearfully at the "demon" who claimed to want revenge, and then she 
would suddenly smile and embrace him.  Then Tenchi would get the joke, 
and be so happy that he had met such a powerful woman who loved him and 
wanted to protect him ... unfortunately, that plan hadn't turned out so 
well.  
	Still, at least she had been able to live with Tenchi ... along 
with all the other alien women who showed up.  She had flirted with 
Tenchi and thrown her arms around him whenever she could.  Ryoko had 
been able to tell that it made him uncomfortable, but she hadn't been 
able to resist the urge to tease him.  That, and she simply liked to 
put her hands on him because she finally COULD.  Damn that cave.  
	Then, several months later, all her worst nightmares came back to 
haunt her.  Her master had come to claim her.  Kagato was back.  He had 
called Ryoko defective, and said that she was "waste product".  But his 
worst deed was yet to come.  Even though he had used that damn mind 
control on her, even though he had forced her to attack countless 
people, and called her useless and defective, he had not committed his 
worst crime yet.  His most unforgivable act was when Tenchi had come to 
rescue her from the Soja, and Kagato had killed him.  Killed him, and 
laughed.  He had destroyed the only person she had ever loved, and then 
laughed at her pain, LAUGHED at the idea that anyone would die for her.  
	Worse, Ryoko had failed to keep her vow to protect Tenchi.  
	She had done her best to try to kill Kagato, to take revenge for 
what he had done to her ... and more importantly, for what he had done 
to Tenchi, but she had failed in that, too.  It was Tenchi, 
miraculously resurrected by the spirit Tsunami, who had killed Kagato.  
	After that, Ryoko had redoubled her efforts to protect Tenchi.  
She even used to watch over him while he slept.  She could not, WOULD 
NOT allow anyone to harm him.  He had died trying to save her.  Her!  
She who had been called "waste product" all her life, had finally found 
someone who considered her worth something, actually worth facing 
death.  Perhaps ... perhaps even worthy to be loved?  
	Yes.  
	Last night.  He had said so last night: "Ryoko ... I love you."
	But now, what could she do for him?  Nothing.  Nothing at all.  
She was in darkness again.  She was helpless, unable to protect Tenchi.  
Again!  
	All the words that Kagato had said to her came back into her mind.  
Defective.  Useless.  Waste product.  They were the words that he had 
used whenever he beat her, which was every time she failed a mission, 
or tried to disobey him.  The physical damage never lasted, though.  
She was too well designed for that.  Her body would always heal, so 
that he could beat her senseless again and again.  Sometimes the 
beatings were for no reason at all, except to test how her self-healing 
ability would hold up.  Oh, so amputations healed rather nicely.  What 
would burns do?  How about stab wounds?  How about...
	Where was her self-healing ability now?  Why didn't her eyes 
regenerate?  The blast that had destroyed them left a tingling 
sensation in her eye sockets.  The unpleasant sensation reached through 
her skull, deep into her mind, and pulled her thoughts further down 
into sorrow.  Every thought was dragged into the darkness, drowned in 
it.  
	Ryoko tried to cry, but she seemed unable to produce tears 
anymore.  She whimpered and curled into a ball.  Of course she had told 
everyone to leave her alone.  How could she let them see her like this?  
How could she let Tenchi see her like this?  She was weak.  She was no 
longer able to protect Tenchi.  She couldn't even protect herself.  
	Defective.  
	Useless.  
	Waste product.  

	It was the middle of the night, but Kiyone wasn't asleep yet.  
Brushing some of her dark green hair out of her eyes, the Galaxy Police 
detective took another look at the data she had been studying for the 
past while.  She was sitting on a floating cushion in Washu's lab, 
reading various computer reports on the changes in Ryo-Oh-Ki's vital 
signs.  Stifling a yawn, Kiyone took a sip of Washu's special "tea for 
hard-working geniuses", which helped to keep drowsiness away.  She 
still had a lot of important work to do.  
	Kiyone had begun working as Washu's lab assistant shortly after 
she had become a member of the Masaki household.  After all, the 
detective liked to keep her mind sharp, and helping Washu was always 
an interesting challenge.  As an added bonus, she had learned enough 
about computer programming from Washu to get a job developing software, 
allowing her to become a second source of income for the ever-expanding 
Masaki "family".  
	The detective checked over her findings for the third time.  She 
glanced up and saw Washu standing near the floating bed on which the 
comatose Ryo-Oh-Ki lay.  Washu was preparing to use a razor to shave 
off a bit of the cabbit's fur, in order to take a blood sample.  
	"Professor Washu, I think I found a connection," said Kiyone, 
"I've been comparing the readings on Ryo-Oh-Ki's life signs with the 
lab's security tapes.  It seems that the first time her condition 
worsened was shortly after you had to ask Ryoko to stop crying.
	"The second time," Kiyone continued, "was when Ryoko's body 
rejected the replacement eyes.  I also realized that the third time was 
when Ryoko isolated herself on the roof.  Since then, Ryo-Oh-Ki's vital 
signs have grown steadily weaker."
	Washu said nothing in reply to this.  
	Kiyone sighed.  She was about to make a point that she had been 
arguing with Washu for most of the night.  "I think," said Kiyone, 
"that Ryoko's negative emotions may be speeding up the decline in 
Ryo-Oh-Ki's health.  Ryo-Oh-Ki can't possibly take much more of this!  
Please, Professor Washu, we have to find Tenchi now.  Ryoko needs him, 
we can't just..."
	Kiyone stopped speaking when she noticed that Washu was ignoring 
her, pretending to be busy sharpening the razor.  
	"Professor ... LITTLE Washu!" said Kiyone, raising her voice, 
"Are you even listening to me?"
	Washu glanced up at Kiyone.  Anger and frustration clearly showed 
on the little scientist's features.  "How many times do you have to 
bring that up?" Washu demanded, "I keep telling you, I am not going to 
try to find Tenchi and Nobuyuki!  Now, either be a good assistant and 
do something to assist me, or leave me alone!"
	Sighing, Kiyone brought one hand to her forehead, feeling the 
headband she always wore there.  Why was Washu being so difficult?  
She could understand that the woman was upset, and rightfully so, but 
stubbornly adhering to Ryoko's unreasonable requests wasn't helping 
anything at all!  Ryo-Oh-Ki didn't have much time left.  They needed 
to find Tenchi.  If he could comfort Ryoko, then Ryo-Oh-Ki might have 
a better chance of survival.  Heck, if anyone was allowed to comfort 
Ryoko, then that might improve the situation.  However, Washu had even 
gone so far as to set up an energy barrier around the rooftop, just to 
be certain that no one disturbed her daughter.  
	It was ridiculous, plain and simple.  Ryoko was too depressed to 
make rational decisions right now.  Surely someone as logical as Washu 
should be able to see that.  Besides, Tenchi and Nobuyuki had a right 
to know what was going on in their own house, for crying out loud!  
What would Tenchi say if he came home too late, and found that 
Ryo-Oh-Ki was dead, Ryoko emotionally dead, and Ayeka missing?  
	He had a right to know!  Kiyone felt at her headband again.  
_Father..._  Shaking her head, Kiyone pushed the old memories away.  
She was supposed to be doing something about the present situation.  
"Professor Washu..." Kiyone began.  
	"I said, NO!" Washu shouted.  Distracted, Washu let her hand slip, 
accidentally cutting a finger with the razor.  
	"Professor!" exclaimed Kiyone.  The detective slid off her 
floating cushion and ran to Washu's side.  The little scientist pushed 
her away.  
	Washu sucked absently at her injured finger for a moment before 
she spoke: "Kiyone, you don't understand.  You just don't understand."
	Kiyone was exasperated.  "What?  What don't I understand?"
	"When I was rescued from Kagato," Washu said quietly, "I was 
finally reunited with my daughter.  At first, I was happy about it, 
but ... she rejected me.  She thought that I had abandoned her for 
those thousands of years.  As far as she was concerned, I was not her 
mother."
	Kiyone remained silent and waited for Washu to go on.  
	"I didn't understand it," said Washu, "I just didn't understand 
it.  I tried to pretend it didn't hurt me.  I teased her all the time.  
I kept using our mental link to read her thoughts.  It ... it was wrong, 
but I kept doing it anyway.  That link had been my only way of seeing 
the outside world when I was Kagato's prisoner, and I didn't see any 
reason to stop using it if she wouldn't talk to me."
	Washu stared at the floor for several moments, then glanced back 
up at Kiyone.  "I began to experiment with her," Washu continued, her 
gaze returning to the floor, "I teased her in every way possible, just 
to see how she would react.  I pretended to be in love with Tenchi, 
because I thought that it was funny to make her jealous.  One time, I 
even strapped her into some machinery and left her hanging there in the 
dark all night, even though I knew that she hated the dark."
	Washu looked up and stared directly into Kiyone's eyes.  "I was 
starting to become the person that I hated most," said Washu, her voice 
breaking, "I ... I was becoming as bad as Kagato."
	Washu wrung her hands.  "You weren't there, Kiyone!  You don't 
know what things that monster did to my little girl!  I was his 
prisoner.  I saw what he did to her, and I couldn't do a damn thing 
about it!  And after that ... what did I do after that?  I went and 
started doing the exact same things!"  
	Tears slowly made their way down Washu's face.  She looked like a 
lost child, but Kiyone knew better than to think of her as one.  Washu 
wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.  Her injured finger left a 
bloody streak across her face, but she didn't seem to notice.  
	"Ever since little Mayuka joined the family, Ryoko and I have 
been trying to understand one another," Washu said, her body shaking as 
she held back sobs, "After all this time, we've finally made some 
progress.  I don't want to lose that, Kiyone!  I love my daughter, 
and I don't ever want to hurt her again!  I will search for Tenchi if 
she asks me to, but not a moment sooner.  Do you understand?  I will 
NOT go against my daughter's wishes!"
	Kiyone was extremely upset at seeing the normally confident woman 
looking so distraught.  She gently led Washu to a table covered with 
first-aid supplies, and began to clean the cut on her finger.  
	"I will not go against my daughter's wishes," Washu said again, 
her voice a shaky whisper this time, "Do you understand?  Nothing is 
more important to me."
	"You are nothing like Kagato," Kiyone said softly, "You never 
were."  Kiyone thought of all the Galaxy Police officers, as well as 
countless other people, whom Kagato had tormented and killed, without 
the faintest bit of remorse.  She gazed at the crying woman before her, 
someone who had so desperately longed for something that events had 
denied her for countless years: a family.  No, Washu wasn't anything 
like Kagato.  She was, however, human.  

	It may have been the middle of the night (actually, it was 
already almost time for sunrise to begin), but Sasami still had not 
fallen asleep.  Even though she was tired from not getting enough sleep 
the night before, the young princess was too worried about Ryoko, 
Ryo-Oh-Ki, and Ayeka.  Sasami was not even in her own room.  She was 
lying on the futon Ryoko kept near Mayuka's crib.  Since Ryoko had 
isolated herself on the roof, Sasami had decided to stay in Mayuka's 
room, in case the baby required anything.  
	Where had Ayeka gone?  Tenchi's grandfather had gone looking for 
her many hours ago.  If anyone could find her, it would be him.  Sasami 
sat up.  Perhaps Ayeka had come back, and she just hadn't heard her 
return.  Ayeka could be in their room right now.  Sasami decided to go 
and check.  Being careful not to wake Mayuka, she quietly got up and 
left.  Sasami tiptoed down the dark hall towards the room she shared 
with her sister.  Maybe she would open the door and find that Ayeka was 
back, and was saying a prayer, or sleeping, or doing some needlepoint.  
Sasami ruled out the last possibility when she saw that no light was 
shining around the cracks in the door.  Saying a silent prayer of her 
own, Sasami slid the door aside and turned on the light.  She stared at 
the unoccupied futon that belonged to Ayeka.  "Oh, Ayeka..." Sasami 
whispered, trying to fight back tears, "Ayeka, I need you."

	Ayeka opened her eyes to find that she was standing in a vast, 
somewhat dark expanse that had no apparent floor or ceiling.  However, 
it didn't much matter to Ayeka that there was no visible floor, so long 
as she didn't start falling.  She realized that she was dressed in her 
combat outfit, and that bandages made from some kind of glowing tree 
bark were wrapped around her wrists.  "Thank you, Funaho," said Ayeka.  
	A sudden shimmering in the air brought about the appearance of 
two rows of tall black statues, one row on either side of her.  This 
at least gave the illusion that Ayeka was standing on a path of some 
sort.  At the far end of this path loomed three very large statues 
shrouded in shadow.  Remembering the instructions that Tsunami had 
given her, Ayeka concentrated until her tiara glowed with silvery 
light.  The tall statues lining the path reacted by giving off a 
silvery light of their own.  With the path lighted, the large statues 
at the end of the path became fully visible.  It was just as Tsunami 
had told her to expect.  The first statue was of Tsunami, the second 
was Washu, and the third statue's face had crumbled off.  Ayeka began 
to walk down the path, heading for the statues.  "Lord Tenchi, Miss 
Ryoko..." she whispered, "I will not fail you."

	Even though she was usually not an early riser, Mihoshi sat on 
the porch to watch the sunrise.  She wasn't really enjoying herself, 
though.  People as sweet natured as Mihoshi did not hate many things, 
but one thing that she did hate was to see her friends so unhappy.  
Everyone else was also up early, but the blonde detective had a feeling 
that this was because most of them had never even gone to sleep.  She 
knew for sure that Kiyone and Washu hadn't.  Mihoshi hadn't meant to 
overhear the late-night conversation between the two, it had just ... 
sort of happened.  She had been tossing and turning on her futon, and 
suddenly found herself on a hard floor.  More specifically, it had been 
the floor behind some machinery in Washu's lab.  Mihoshi didn't know 
why, but she often found herself suddenly appearing in Washu's lab at 
the strangest times.  
	At any rate, she had overheard Kiyone and Washu talking, and had 
been devastated to learn that Ryo-Oh-Ki was getting worse, and that 
Ryoko refused to come down from the roof.  Mihoshi had managed to 
quietly sneak out of the lab (Quite a feat for someone like Mihoshi!), 
and had decided to check on Sasami.  She had found the young princess 
sitting in the hallway, crying for her missing sister.  After Mihoshi 
had comforted Sasami for a while, she had gone to sit on the porch, 
while Sasami went to feed Mayuka.  
	The detective decided that she had to try to make things better.  
After all, it was her duty to help people in need.  Job description 
aside, Mihoshi would do anything she could to aid her friends.  But 
what to do?  She didn't know very much about doctor stuff, so she 
probably couldn't do anything for Ryo-Oh-Ki.  That left either going to 
search for Ayeka, or trying to cheer up Ryoko.  
	"Let me see..." Mihoshi thought aloud, "even if Ayeka ran away, 
she has to come back home, because she forgot her toothbrush.  When she 
comes back, I can try to convince her to stay.  Until then, I'd better 
work on helping Ryoko cope with this blindness thing."
	Mihoshi frowned with concentration.  "But what can I do?" she 
asked herself, "I'm not smart, like Washu or Kiyone.  Still, there's 
gotta be some way that I can help her."
	Mihoshi decided that she would think as hard as she could for as 
long as she could, in the hopes that she would get some kind of an 
idea.  She screwed her eyes shut and sat very still.  
	_Think, think, think!_ her inner voice said, _Think.  Think.  
Think.  Oh, wait a minute, if all I'm thinking is the word "think", 
then I'm not thinking of a way to help Ryoko, huh?  Hmm.  Think, think, 
think ... oh no, I'm doing it again!_
	A sudden loud WHUM-WHUM-WHUM sound startled Mihoshi.  "Waaah!" 
she screamed, falling off the porch.  Getting up, Mihoshi saw that the 
source of the sound was some kind of box bouncing around in the 
distance.  Wait a minute ... a box?  "That's it!" said Mihoshi, an idea 
forming in her head, "I think we still have it in the kitchen..."

	In the lab, Kiyone held her head and sighed.  She and Washu had 
been up all night, and still weren't any closer to figuring out what to 
do for Ryo-Oh-Ki.  After Washu had broken down and cried, the detective 
didn't dare bring up the suggestion of locating Tenchi again.  Glancing 
over at Washu, she saw that the little redhead was staring intently at 
a monitor.  
	"What is she doing there?" Washu murmured.  
	Moving to stand beside Washu, Kiyone looked at the monitor to see 
what the scientist was talking about.  She saw the ladder outside the 
house that led up to the roof.  Walking towards the ladder, with some 
kind of box tucked under one arm, was Mihoshi.  
	As Mihoshi began to climb the ladder, the view on the monitor 
followed her.  Washu must have set up a surveillance camera, so that 
she would know if anyone tried to approach Ryoko.  That camera was now 
following Mihoshi.  When the blonde made it onto the roof, Kiyone 
finally saw Ryoko.  She was sitting at the edge of the roof, with her 
back to the camera (and therefore, with her back to Mihoshi as well).  
As Kiyone had expected, she saw the energy barrier that Washu had 
created, standing between Mihoshi and the place where Ryoko sat.  
	"The barrier will stop her," Washu murmured.  
	Kiyone barely noticed what Washu had said.  She was busy 
squinting at the monitor, trying to figure out what the box was that 
Mihoshi was carrying.  She finally realized that it was a box of 
crackers.  
	As Mihoshi drew closer to the energy barrier, it began to 
flicker.  Just at the moment when Mihoshi would have bumped into it, 
the barrier disappeared entirely.  Once Mihoshi had taken a few steps 
forward, the barrier reappeared behind her.  
	"Argh!" exclaimed Washu, "How the heck does she do that?"
	It took all of Kiyone's willpower to keep from smiling.  

	Ryoko had not slept all night.  The unpleasant tingling in her 
eye sockets, as well as her dark thoughts, had been with her for many 
hours now.  Suddenly, without turning around, she growled "Go away, 
Mihoshi."
	"But Ryoko," Mihoshi's annoyingly cheerful voice sounded through 
Ryoko's darkness, "you haven't eaten in over 24 hours!  I brought you a 
snack!"
	"I don't want any!" Ryoko snapped, the tingling sensation really 
bothering her now, "Go away!"
	"Oh, but I know that these are your favorite crackers!" Mihoshi's 
cheery voice insisted, "And this is a brand new, unopened box, so 
they're sure to be fresh!"
	Ryoko groaned when she realized that Mihoshi wasn't going to 
take "no" for an answer.  The groan made the dark voices in her head 
intensify.  _Defective.  Useless.  Waste product._  She shook her head, 
trying to make them stop.  Ryoko was dimly aware of the sound of 
Mihoshi's fingernails scraping against cardboard, and the sound of 
crackers rattling inside the box.  After the sounds continued for about 
a minute, she deduced that the ditz couldn't get the box open.  
	There was a sudden thump as the box landed near Ryoko, and she 
heard Mihoshi's voice shout "Whoops!"
	Ryoko's hand instinctively shot out and grabbed at the spot where 
she had heard the box land, seizing the box before it slid off the roof.  
"Oh for crying out loud," Ryoko grumbled, "let me open it!"
	She felt along the box top until she felt a crack.  Ryoko stuck 
her thumbnail into it and pried upward, pulling the box flap open.  
Reaching into the box, she took out the bag and grasped it with both 
hands.  Pulling the bag open, Ryoko's mouth watered when the smell of 
the crackers reached her nostrils.  Somehow, the distraction made the 
tingling in her eye sockets become more bearable...  
	Mihoshi's voice sounded again: "Wow, thanks Ryoko!  You helped me, 
just like Kiyone!"
	...and then the tingling completely vanished.  Granted, it didn't 
take much to open a silly box of crackers, but the fact that Ryoko had 
done it without really thinking about her blindness had somehow made 
the tingling and the dark voices go away.  It was ridiculous, but it 
had worked!  Something about Mihoshi made a lot of things in life like 
that.  
	"Now," Mihoshi's voice said, "let's eat!"
	Ryoko reached into the bag and took out some crackers.  She held 
them out in Mihoshi's general direction.  She felt the detective's 
fingers take the crackers from her.  Ryoko then grabbed some more 
crackers and stuffed them into her own mouth.  Geez, she hadn't 
realized just how hungry she was!  Before Ryoko knew it, the bag was 
empty.  
	"By the way," Mihoshi's innocent voice said, "how did you know 
that it was me on the roof?"
	Ryoko had to think back for a moment.  "I recognized your scent," 
she replied, "and the sound of your footsteps."
	"Wow," said Mihoshi's voice, "it's a good thing that you have 
such sharp senses, huh?"  There was the sound of retreating footsteps 
as Mihoshi began to leave.  "I gotta go now," she said, "Bye!"
	"Mihoshi?"
	"Yes?"
	"Thanks."
	"Oh, no problem, Ryoko.  I'm glad you enjoyed the crackers!"
	Ryoko smiled slightly.  "I wasn't talking about the crackers."
	"Hmm?" came Mihoshi's innocent-sounding voice.  
	Ryoko heard the sound of Washu's energy barrier flickering off, 
then coming on again, doubtlessly just as the universe's luckiest 
detective was stepping through it.  There was the thump of shoes on 
wood as Mihoshi began to descend the ladder.  
	"Mihoshi!" Ryoko called out.  
	"Yes?"
	"I'm going to take a nap now.  Could you come back in an hour and 
help me to the onsen?"
	"Oh sure, no problem!" came the cheerful reply.  
	_I won't let this thing beat me,_ Ryoko thought, running a hand 
along her bandages, _I can overcome this._  Ryoko curled up on the roof 
and prepared to fall asleep.  _I'll protect you, Tenchi.  No matter 
what happens, my love, I'll keep you safe._

	Having seen the entire exchange, Washu and Kiyone stared at the 
monitor, completely dumbfounded.  The security camera followed Mihoshi 
back down to the foot of the ladder.  From the monitor's speaker, they 
heard her whispering to herself, "It worked!"
	Washu shook her head in disbelief.  "God bless that ditz," she 
murmured.  
	Kiyone grinned.  "Well done, Mihoshi," she said.  

	Meanwhile, Ayeka had finally reached the three large statues at 
the end of the path.  Floating before the statues was a large red gem.  
At Ayeka's approach, the gigantic, spectral head of an old man appeared, 
with the red gem centered in his forehead.  His piercing blue eyes 
gazed at Ayeka without blinking.  
	"So, my lady," his voice echoed (although his mouth did not seem 
to move), "you have come."
	"Yes," Ayeka replied calmly, "I seek your branch from the Tree of 
Darkness."
	The being's eyes narrowed.  "Are you prepared for this?" his 
voice rumbled ominously.  
	Ayeka's surroundings suddenly felt very cold.  She closed her 
eyes for a moment and concentrated. She thought of Tsunami's words to 
her: "If you emerge victorious at the end of the coming trials, you 
will be more than what you are now, like a new butterfly, free to find 
your full potential."
	Warm silver light enveloped her body.  She opened her eyes and 
smiled for a brief second, before a look of grim determination replaced 
it.  "I am ready, D3." she said softly.  

	In Washu's lab, an exhausted scientist and her assistant slept in 
floating chairs.  Sasami glanced at the pair, then turned back to look 
at Ryo-Oh-Ki on the little floating bed.  She had been sitting with 
Tenchi's grandfather at Ryo-Oh-Ki's bedside for the past few minutes, 
praying silently.  If only Ryo-Oh-Ki would wake up!  Sasami longed to 
hear her say "Miya, miya, miya" again.  (At least, that was what Sasami 
would hear.   She knew that Ryoko would probably hear something more 
like "M'ya miiyan myiaa".)
	"Da?" said Mayuka.  The baby was resting on Sasami's lap.  "Da?" 
she said again.  
	"I know, Noodles," Sasami whispered, "I miss your daddy, too."
	Sasami tried her best to be brave, so as not to upset Mayuka.  
The young princess really felt like curling up into a ball and crying.  
Everything was awful.  She didn't know where Tenchi was.  She didn't 
know where Tenchi's father was.  She didn't know where Ayeka was.  
Ryoko was hurt.  Ryo-Oh-Ki was hurt even more seriously than Ryoko.  
It was too much for Sasami to bear.  _Ayeka, where are you?_ she asked 
silently.  _Please come home.  Come back._
	Looking at Ryo-Oh-Ki, Sasami let out a small gasp when she saw a 
tear form at the corner of the cabbit's right eye.  "Ryo-Oh-Ki?" she 
whispered.  But the cabbit did not stir.  Sasami stared at the teardrop 
and wondered at the meaning of it.  The little princess sighed and 
hugged Mayuka closer to her.  If everyone wasn't together and safe, 
Sasami thought to herself, life had no meaning.  

TO BE CONTINUED

Next chapter: Some sacrifices go unnoticed.  Other sacrifices can 
change lives forever.  Don't miss the third chapter of Confess to You, 
"Butterfly"!  

Authors notes: Please remember that I'm using the OAV reality.  This 
means that the wonderful movie Tenchi Muyo! in Love never took place, 
so Tenchi never got a last chance to see his mother.  This is 
unfortunate, but I didn't want to give up the mother-daughter 
relationship between Washu and Ryoko.  

I have to apologize to the Mihoshi fans.  She didn't do as much as I 
had originally planned, because this chapter ended up being way longer 
than I expected.  But don't despair: she has more scenes next chapter!  

So why is Mayuka's nickname "Noodles"?  In Manatsu no Eve, the 
sixteen-year-old Mayuka asks, "Which do you like better, noodles or 
me?", so everyone calls her "Noodles" as a joke.   

I really regret putting off the writing of this series for so long, 
because now there must be a million fics that discuss Ryoko's experience 
in the cave.  Sorry, I hope I didn't bore you to death with that part.  

Whew!  Writing this series is a lot harder than I thought it would be.  
How is it so far?  What am I doing wrong?  What am I doing right?  
Please help me out by sending C&C, suggestions, or questions concerning 
the story to me at literaryeagle@hotmail.com  I'd also like more 
feedback on my other fic, "With my love always" (shameless plug).  
Thanks for reading, and hopefully I'll see you next chapter!  

Thought of the day: In OAV episode #4, Tenchi is wearing jeans when 
he falls into the water with Mihoshi.  In the next scene, the 
unconscious Tenchi is wearing only a towel!  Well, I'm sure that Ryoko 
was just giving him a thorough check-up to make sure he was okay.  Heh.  

Text copyright 1998, Literary Eagle
(But the characters belong to Pioneer and AIC)