I've said it before and I'll say it again.
I don't own Tenchi Muyo.

For Reasons That Escape Me
By The Great El Dober (andrelaval@hotmail.com)
 ()  - Thoughts
(()) - Someone else's being recieved mentally
 []  - Writing
 **  - Title/Heading

This is a sequel to "A Second Chance" so you should read it before reading this or it won't make much sense to you. This storyis set a few weeks later after Ryoko has lost her memories of the future she has came from. She has managed to pull her plan off successfully but will it work out in the long run? After all she's not the only one who gets a second chance.



*Chapter One - The Problem*

(It all seems like a dream now. Just like waking up from a pleasant dream, 
I can still remember the fondness but the details are so blurred. Why did I 
act so strange?)

As Ryoko's mind yearned answers, the rest of the table was left 
wondering what was wrong with her. This was the third time in as many 
days that she had completely ignored Tenchi at the breakfast table. Had 
Washu's arrival really changed her that much?

(I had never seen her before, but when she claimed to be my mother, I 
somehow knew it was true. How? Was it an instinct, a bond or am I just 
fooling myself. What if I am and this is all just. . . .)

((Is something wrong my little Ryoko?))

Ryoko gasped in shock as Washu's message was passed across their link. 
She had heard it all, she knew what Ryoko had been thinking. What 
would she think? Reluctantly Ryoko shifted her gaze across the table to 
focus on her mother. She expected to be met with a look of hurt, offence 
and disappointment.

Instead Ryoko received a very different look. Washu expression was 
certainly more serious than usual, but it conveyed deep concern rather 
than hurt. She was far more worried than angered and something in her 
face seemed to promise support and patience with Ryoko's problems.

(No Mom, everything's fine) Ryoko 'replied' with a smile. Her mother 
smiled back and sealed off the link, leaving Ryoko alone with her 
thoughts once more.

(Still, it's nice to have someone who really cares about me. And I care 
about her too, I just don't know why.)

Ryoko prodded her food moodily. She wasn't getting anywhere with this 
herself. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to talk to someone. But who? Washu 
was out of the question. She was ruled out as she was the subject of 
Ryoko's problems in the first place.

Next on the list was Tenchi's grandfather. He was indeed a man of great 
wisdom, which was why he also had to be ruled out. Katsuhito's answers 
were always far too cryptic to be of any use to her. There was one person 
however who might just understand. . . .

"That was great Sasami," Tenchi complimented while finishing his food, 
"But I have to get to work. The fields really need. . . ."

"Wait, Tenchi!" Ryoko started grabbing his sleeve to stop him from 
going anywhere. "Can I come with you?" she asked in a calm sincere 
voice.

Even her apparent sincerity was not enough for Tenchi who had been 
traumatised enough by her in the past and was petrified that something 
was about to happen again. Seeing Tenchi's very nervous expression 
Ryoko quickly added, "I won't try anything. I just want to talk and stuff."

"Okay, I suppose," Tenchi replied warily. He wasn't sure about this. 
Ryoko had been acting weirder than usual recently and if there was no 
telling what she would have done before, the possibilities were now 
scarily endless. Still she was his friend, and as such he should have more 
trust and patience with things like this, so he didn't say another word 
about it as he made his way to the door with the space pirate by his side.

(Something's bothering her) Washu thought, (I could sense it but I couldn't 
see what it was. Should I tell her what I know? Would she believe me? I 
just wish I could do something to . . .)

"Miss Washu," Mihoshi whispered across the table, "Are you sure Ryoko 
hasn't gone mad?"

Washu just sighed impatiently. The first time it had been funny but after 
the third time it had lost it's novelty. Now it was just plain irritating.


*In The Fields*

"I hope you don't mind this," Ryoko said from her grassy position in the 
shade.

"No, not at all," Tenchi laughed, "I've not seen as much of you since 
Washu arrived."

"Aww, I knew you'd miss me!" Ryoko teased, trying to hide the real 
pride and joy swelling up inside of her.

(He said he missed me) Ryoko thought, (Maybe not in those words but 
that's what he meant. I knew it! He may be a little shy but deep down . . .)

"So what do you want to talk about Ryoko?" Tenchi asked, breaking the 
silence that had formed while Ryoko's thoughts had been wandering.

"Oh, yes," Ryoko began before pausing again, taking time to make 
absolutely certain the link was sealed off good and proper. She couldn't 
let Washu hear any of this so she set up a complete block. Now they 
could scream bloody murder and the other would be none the wiser.

"It's about Washu," Ryoko resumed, confident of her privacy, "I'm kinda 
having trouble, you see."

Upon hearing this Tenchi stopped his work and put down his tools. He 
never thought he would see the day that Ryoko would approach him for 
genuine help or just to talk about her problems. It made him feel less like 
her fanatical obsession and more like her trusted friend. He liked that. 

He carefully removed his work gloves and placed them down neatly next 
to his abandoned tools. He strode slowly out of the glare of the sun and 
into the shade where Ryoko sat, before sitting down right by her side 
much to her delighted surprise.

"Go on," Tenchi encouraged her, staring patiently into her eyes, offering 
the same support that Washu's face had seemed to promise earlier.

Ryoko was stunned. She had expected Tenchi to be reluctant to discuss 
such sensitive topics or at the very least for him to listen from a distance, 
but never this. Perhaps she didn't know Tenchi quite as well as she 
thought she did. He could be strong when he needed to be and he was 
there for her now so Ryoko decided to take advantage of him in a good 
way for once.

"I don't really have a problem with Washu herself," she began, "Having a 
mother is great, it's like a wonderful dream. That's the problem."

"I don't understand," Tenchi admitted. Perhaps he had been too eager to 
help. Was he even qualified to understand her problems never mind help 
with them?

Ryoko just sighed and looked to the sky for inspiration. There had to be a 
way to make him see.

"Have you ever had a dream Tenchi?" she began, "A dream so fantastic 
and full. Something you understood and enjoyed. Then you wake up and 
you still feel happy but the logic and reasons behind it have drifted away. 
That's how our reunion seems to me. I did so many things that I no longer 
understand."

She looked to him hopefully. That was as clear as she could make it. She 
found it hard enough to express normal feelings so explaining her 
confused feelings was a real challenge to her. Much to her relief, Tenchi 
nodded understandingly.

"I wouldn't be surprised," he started, "You were under a lot of stress and 
you over reacted. You thought I was dead, you were fighting your worst 
nightmare and your body had just been turned to stone. Most people 
would have lost it all together."

"No," Ryoko stated firmly. Tenchi had hoped his attempt at a light joke 
would help her loosen up but she seemed more up tight now than ever.

(No one understands) she thought in dismay, (Not even Tenchi. Mom might 
understand but it's too delicate a subject to bring up so soon. She is so 
happy to have me back, I can't spoil it now. I accepted her, I practically 
made a promise to love her. How can I go back on that? How can I let 
her down and say I don't remember anymore?)

"There was more than that Tenchi, you have to believe me," she pleaded, 
desperately seeking support from him, "There was something more. 
There was an understanding, I had reasons, I had answers . . . ." 

She lowered her head to face the ground regrettably before finishing half-
heartedly, ". . . but now I have nothing but questions."

For a moment Tenchi just sat there in silent amazement. If he had been 
surprised before, now he was shocked. He had seen her somewhat 
troubled in the past but he couldn't remember ever seeing her this 
vulnerable before. Even onboard Souja she had managed to put up a 
valiant fight but now she looked completely defeated, completely 
consumed by her troubles.

"I'm scared Tenchi," she admitted weakly, "I'm scared that I've said 
something wrong, that I've promised something that I can't give. How 
can I hold onto feelings that I can't understand? The real problem is I still 
care about her and I don't want to hurt her. That's why I thought you 
would understand."

It took Tenchi a while to understand what she meant by that. Tenchi had a 
similar problem with Ryoko herself. She wanted something that Tenchi 
wasn't prepared to give her yet but he never came out and blatantly 
admitted it for fear of hurting Ryoko's feelings. 

"You're right Ryoko," Tenchi began, "being in that position is very 
worrying, but you have to have a little faith. I'm not sure how I feel about 
you and have you left me?"

"No!" Ryoko almost shouted in reply, "I would never do that!"

"And neither would your mother," Tenchi continued, "She cares about 
you too much for that Ryoko, and from what you say I can know you feel 
the same way."

"Yes I do," Ryoko admitted with a faint smile, "I just wish I knew why."

Silence then fell over their shaded spot as they watched the sun beam 
down on surrounding fields. It was a calm tranquil scene that they quietly 
enjoyed together, letting their thoughts drift away with the cool breeze.

But in their moment of calm serenity they failed to notice a figure 
watching them from a hidden spot in the bushes. It observed them with 
emotionless indifference, just analysing the statistics, not caring about the 
consequences.

"I have located Ryoko," it reported, "but she is not alone. There is a boy 
in her company."

"In that case we have to amend our plans," came the reply, "Proceed 
directly to Washu and capture her instead."

"Yes doctor." The figure finished before heading of in the direction of the 
Masaki house, unnoticed by the Ryoko and Tenchi who still sat side by 
side lost in their thoughts.



*Chapter Two - The Offer*

"What was that?" cried a stunned Tenchi. 

He had just picked up his tools to resume his work when he had heard 
some kind of loud explosion. It sounded close by and worse still it came 
from the direction of his home. Of course, in his home an explosion could 
mean almost anything but with Ryoko sitting only feet away from him, 
the possibilities were considerably reduced.

Ryoko remained seated but poised her head in the direction of the house, 
putting her advanced senses and fighting experience to use. From the 
sound she could tell this was more than your average dispute. For them to 
hear the blast so clearly from the fields someone would have had to put 
real venom behind it.

This began to worry her. She had ignored them by closing down her link, 
she had ignored them and now something was wrong. It felt as if she had 
been given an important responsibility and failed. Quickly she flung the 
link to her mother back open, praying for good news.

(Mom, what happened?) She asked, (Is anyone hurt?)

No answer.

Ryoko began to panic. She could handle danger, even life or death 
situations, but her recent problems had left her emotionally weakened and 
this was a blow right to the core of her weakness.

"Quick, something's wrong!" she exclaimed while jumping to her feet. 
She grabbed Tenchi's wrist and teleported them to the source of the 
disturbance. Tenchi felt the surrounding scenery yanked away from him 
and quickly replaced by the sight of his home. It was worse than either of 
them had imagined.

The whole place was just one wrecked mess. Broken wood, shattered 
glass and various debris were strewn around the front of the house 
leaving holes and tears where they had originally come from. There had 
obviously been quite a struggle but between who?

With this question in mind the two of them sprinted into the house, 
fearing that they were already too late. At first it didn't seem so bad. 
Tenchi thought it would take a lot of work to fix the house but as he 
walked into the living room he felt assured that it wasn't half as bad as he 
first feared.

Then he saw Ayeka. She lay injured on the floor with Sasami crying over 
her unconscious body. A strange mix of terror and compassion coursed 
through him as he rushed past Ryoko and eased Ayeka into a sitting 
position, supporting her head and back with his hands. Normally Ryoko 
would have taken notice and became jealous but she had something else 
on her mind as she scanned the room.

Mihoshi lay trapped under an overturned table, frantically crying her eyes 
out and bawling for help. More surprisingly, Azaka actually seemed 
incapacitated, lying defeated on it's side as it's counterpart Kamidake 
stood a protective guard over the fallen princess, albeit a little late. 
Nobuyuki had already left for work and Katsuhito had left for the shrine, 
which meant everyone was accounted for except . . .

"Where's mom?" Ryoko asked in a barley-controlled voice. She was 
trying to stay calm but she couldn't completely hide the shades of fear 
and uncertainty that tinged her voice.

"It was terrible Tenchi," Sasami choked out between tears, "We tried to 
stop it but we couldn't."

"Where's mom?" Ryoko repeated in a louder tone as her impatience and 
anxiety grew. This time she made no attempt to hide her concern and 
apprehension. Her naked emotions now were exposed for all to see and 
her voice sounded unsettlingly desperate and riddled with panic.

Sasami's face had already been full of fear, shock and sadness, but as she 
heard Ryoko's question the sadness seemed to deepen until it was all that 
was left. It was a thick, profound sadness that threatened the promise of 
bad news to come.

"It took her," Sasami began, "I'm sorry Ryoko. We tried our best, we 
really did but that robot was too strong and it took her."

That was the moment that Ryoko felt overwhelmed. She had hope before, 
a precious notion that things may not be as bad as they looked. That had 
been her dam to repress the full extent of her fears but as she heard 
confirmation of the truth that dam burst, flooding her soul with 
overpowering volumes of fear. Now her mind knew nothing but panic.

(Mom?) Ryoko frantically called out through the link, (Mom! Mom! Where 
are you are? Please come back Mommy I need you!)

No answer.

Ryoko collapsed to her knees in a helpless sorrow. Her mother wouldn't 
respond. What did that mean? She didn't know. If she had been able to 
locate her mother she could do something but now she was completely 
helpless to do anything. She was useless. Despite being thousands of 
years old she knew nothing that could help her cope with this.

She couldn't cope with it.  

Her thoughts were racing. 
Her mind was whirling. 
She began to get dizzy.
The room was spinning.
She began to lose focus.
She was . . .

Tenchi and Sasami watched as Ryoko fainted and collapsed on the floor. 
>From her knelling position on the floor, she grasped her head in pain and 
fell clumsily onto the floor in front of her.

Innocent as it all was it seemed a bit too theatrical for Tenchi's liking.

"Get up Ryoko!" he shouted moodily, "This is no time to. . . ."

He stopped in mid-sentence, sensing that something might actually be 
wrong with his friend. 

"Ryoko?" he asked in a much quieter and concerned tone. Guilt began to 
wash away his anger as he realised that he had once again jumped to 
conclusions and accused one of his closest friends and to make matters 
worse she there might be something very wrong with her. He began to 
lower Ayeka down so he could follow Sasami who was already at 
Ryoko's side.

"She is alright Lord Tenchi," Kamidake assured, "She is unconscious but 
otherwise unharmed."

It was at that moment that Tenchi's grandfather, who had also heard the 
commotion, finally arrived from Masaki shrine. He observed the scene 
with a curious eye.

"Mind telling me what's going on Tenchi?" he finally asked.

"That depends," Tenchi replied, "Promise to stay conscious?"


*Elsewhere*

Ryoko opened her eyes and saw . . . . nothing.

There was nothing surrounding her. A great blank expanse for as far as 
her eyes could see. She faced with a completely alien and unfamiliar 
surrounding. She began to panic again.

(Mom? Where are you? Are you here? Please Mommy, you have to . . .)

"Calm down, Ryoko," a voice behind her soothed.

Ryoko whisked around to face the voice that had answered her. If the 
voice had startled her, then the sight shocked her to the base of her soul. 
There, standing in front of her was . . . . her.

"Washu isn't here," the apparition continued, "This place is in your mind, 
the forgotten recesses of your mind, repressed parts that are locked away 
forever."

Had circumstances been otherwise Ryoko would have found that 
statement hilarious. It was the most ridiculous, absurd claim she had ever 
heard, but she was in no mood to indulge in humour.

"Look whoever the hell you are," she began, "I don't have time for this. I 
have got people who need my help and . . ."

"That," the apparition interrupted, "is exactly why you are here."

Ryoko's expression changed. It went from somewhat irritated by this 
absurd waste of her important time to an interested look, allured by the 
prospect of a solution. "What do you mean?" she asked beginning to calm 
down.

"Washu needs your help," came the reply, "and you aren't capable to deal 
with it alone, so I am lending my services to assist you."

Ryoko's expression then changed again from interested to offended.

"What the hell are you saying?" she barked back, "Are you saying I can't 
cope on my own?"

The ghostly apparition let a small smile spread across its face. Not a 
sneering, cocky smile that claimed to know better. It wasn't a malicious 
smile either. It was a warm, knowing smile that was calm and friendly in 
a strange way but also showed that it was clearly not convinced.

"Don't lie to me," it warned gently, "I know that you couldn't cope with 
the pressure five minutes ago and you can't cope with it now. I know you 
Ryoko, I am a part of you after all."

"A part of me?" Ryoko asked, completely bewildered but trying to make 
her question seem sarcastic and unbelieving to cover her confusion.

"Yes," the apparition replied seriously, "We fused together on the 6th of 
June but I have since became forgotten and repressed in your mind."

"Oh really?" Ryoko asked, with genuine sarcasm this time, "If I had 
'fused' with you then I think I would remem. .  ."

It was at that point Ryoko stopped, realising something in the apparition's 
reply that was . . .well it was. . .

"That's impossible," Ryoko finally declared, "The 6th of June, that's 
tomorrow!"
 
"That's right," the apparition calmly confirmed, "I am from your future 
Ryoko. My name is Zero."

Ryoko just stared at the sight in front of her as a person would stare at a 
raving lunatic, which in Ryoko's mind was exactly what this 'Zero' thing 
was. She would have burst into hysterics if this didn't have such 
frightening implications on her.

(I must have lost it) she thought, (this can't be real. I'm hallucinating. I've 
gone mad!)

"So you think you've gone mad," the apparition spoke, reading Ryoko's 
thoughts again, "Is it mad to want to help your mother not to mention 
yourself?"

"What do you mean?" came the wary but intrigued reply.

"Like I said before, I am from your future," the Zero explained, "Look 
around you. This blank expanse is the forgotten future, a future that held 
all your answers. Who captured Washu and why. The reasons you acted 
so strange on the Souja. The reasons you love Washu. Your answers are 
all here Ryoko, and I can give them to you."

There was a silence as Ryoko considered this. She definitely stood to gain 
a lot more from this than she could possibly lose. If this wasn't true then 
she had already lost her sanity but if it was true then it could mean the 
end of her problems. All of them.

"You can really do all those things?" Ryoko asked, not in a sarcastic or 
doubting tone but in a hopeful tone, looking for confirmation.

"Yes," Zero replied, "If you accept my help, I can."

Ryoko paused to consider this. She hadn't been convinced, not at all. She 
still thought this was crazy and feared she had lost her grip on sanity but 
where she had not been convinced she had been enticed. With all her 
other hopes shattered she had found a new one to cling onto. The promise 
of her mother's safe return and the answers to the questions that plagued 
her. It was the lifeline she needed to deal with her situation.

Her feelings for Washu had been a huge emotional strain on her, a strain 
that was pushing her to the edge and now that something had happened 
she had buckled. She hadn't known what to do at all and from her point 
of view she had already lost. Lost her mother. All she could do was pray 
for fate to have mercy on her and it had. Crazy mercy, but mercy none the 
less and she wasn't going to pass up this chance to possibly set things 
right.

"Okay then," she finally replied, "Tell me what to do."



*Chapter Three - Awake and Away*

Sasami lay trembling in Tenchi's bed, still quaking in fear from the 
attack. It was so unexpected, it came out of no-where so she was afraid 
that it could just as easily happen again. This was the only room she felt 
safe in, partly because it was the only room that had escaped damage and 
didn't look ready to collapse at any moment.

However her main reason for feeling safe was the other presence in the 
bed, the unconscious form that her trembling body huddled next to. With 
the young girl's mind full of fear she clung to the sleeping Ryoko for 
comfort and assurance. She didn't want to be alone.

She didn't want to be downstairs either. Her injured sister was there and 
Sasami could no longer bear to be around her, it was too traumatizing for 
her. She knew they had moved Ayeka onto the couch, they didn't want to 
move her too far and that in itself began to panic Sasami. Since Ryoko 
had seemed in a less serious condition she had been moved to Tenchi's 
bed, as the floor seemed an inappropriate place to leave her.

So that was where Sasami had gone when she couldn't take it any more, 
next to Ryoko. She cowered as close to her friend as she could. She was 
more scared now than she had ever been before and Ryoko seemed to 
offer her comfort. She had completely forgotten about Ryoko's earlier 
show of weakness and now thought of her as a sleeping warrior, waiting 
to spring into action. Yes, Ryoko was strong, Ryoko was brave, Ryoko 
would keep her safe.

But Ryoko was unconscious.

With that thought the young girl's fears started to resurface with as much 
force as ever. She clung tighter to Ryoko for support and to her surprise, 
the pirate started to stir.

Ryoko's eyes gradually opened to be met with a sight that was very 
familiar to them, Tenchi's bedroom. As her mind slowly ground back into 
gear she realised that she was in his bed . . . . and someone was hugging 
her.

With this realisation Ryoko spun around in expectation, desperately 
hoping, wishing that it would be Tenchi lying beside her. Instead she was 
met with the sight of a shaking Sasami and from the look of her eyes she 
had been crying. Ryoko's anticipation and fantasies were put on hold as 
she was filled with concern and anger that someone would apparently 
hurt Sasami.

She was about to ask what was wrong when her mind finally awakened 
and her memory brought her up to speed on what had happened and more 
importantly, what still had to be done.


*Downstairs*

Tenchi sat by the couch keeping a silent vigil over the fallen princess. His 
grandfather had told him it was only a concussion and not to worry, but 
how could he not worry? Washu was gone, Ayeka was hurt and Ryoko 
was . . . well he didn't quite know what was wrong with Ryoko but he 
didn't like it. He just sat there thinking about the three of them, so 
absorbed in his thoughts that he failed to notice the activity around him.

Mihoshi sat on a small table, as there were no surviving chairs left other 
than the one Tenchi sat on. After calming down she had actually been 
very professional, or at least as professional as Mihoshi could be. She was 
fidgeting with her cube, babbling on about standard procedures and 
kidnapping being against the law.

Ryo-Ohki sat on Mihoshi's lap and listened to the detective's words. She 
wasn't at all interested but she didn't want to be alone. She didn't want to 
go upstairs either as seeing Sasami like that broke her heart, and Ryo-
Ohki had enough emotional stress already. Washu was her mother too 
and Ryo-Ohki was every bit as concerned as Ryoko was. 

Of course Washu being her mother made Ryoko her sister. Perhaps it 
wasn't how Ryoko saw things but after going through so much together 
under Kagato's control, mistress didn't seem an appropriate way to regard 
Ryoko. It wasn't affectionate enough, so Ryo-Ohki had come to think of 
Ryoko as a big sister long before Washu came along and confirmed it. 
And now her sister was out cold, the only person who could understand 
her was unapproachable. With her 'family' not available Ryo-Ohki felt 
lost, so the blabbering Mihoshi was comforting company. 

Katsuhito had the most productive response of them all. After Ayeka had 
been taken care of he had turned his attention to the fallen Azaka and 
under the careful guidance of Kamidake he had almost fully restored the 
guardian. Quite impressive, but he was the prince of Jurai after all.

And in the midst of all of this Tenchi just sat there, letting his thoughts 
lead him through a not-so-merry dance of concern and despair, but his 
silent reflection was about to be broken by a disturbance from upstairs.

"No Ryoko, you can't."

Before anyone had a chance to respond to Sasami's words Ryoko 
rematerialised right in the middle of the living room, quickly followed by 
the young princess bounding down the stairs and grabbing Ryoko around 
the waist to stop her from going anywhere else.

"You can't go," the young girl began, "You have to rest."

"I'm fine!" the pirate insisted as she made an attempt for the door. 
Normally she would have lots of time for the younger princess but she 
was too anxious to see past her mission, it was a gnawing feeling that 
something had to be done quickly and it wouldn't leave Ryoko's mind 
alone long enough for it to give proper consideration to Sasami.

"But I'm scared," came the small-sounding plea from the small girl, as 
she buried her face in Ryoko's waist. Those words brought back 
memories of Ryoko's previous conversation with Tenchi and melted her 
resolute determination long enough for her to have compassion for the 
trembling child.

(I can't just leave her here like this) Ryoko thought, (Maybe I could . . .)

((No!)) came a sharp response in her thoughts.

(Mom?) Ryoko thought hopefully.

((No, this is Zero)) came the reply, ((and you can't take Sasami along 
with us, it's far too dangerous.))

With this in mind Ryoko decided that if she couldn't let Sasami join her 
then the least she could do was try to calm the young girl down before she 
left.

"It's okay Sasami," Ryoko reassured while gently stroking her long hair, 
"Nothing bad is going to happen."

"You promise?" came the muffled question from Ryoko's middle.

"Yes, I promise," assured Ryoko, "but just now I need to go help Mom or 
else . . ."

"No!" came a further objection from across the room.

It was from Tenchi, who now stood with a concerned gaze locked on 
Ryoko. He didn't want to lose another friend.

"It will be safer if you stay here," he continued.

"Not for Mom it won't," Ryoko countered as Sasami released her grip on 
the space pirate.

"But you might get hurt and . . . ."

"Let her go Tenchi!" came a stern command that cut straight through 
Tenchi's concerned objections. It had been an old voice, boasting wisdom 
and commanding respect. It had been the voice of Katsuhito. Tenchi just 
stared at his grandfather. Why would he approve this crazy idea? Did he 
know something Tenchi didn't?

Ryoko just nodded as if that had been official authorisation to proceed, 
which in a way it was. No one was likely to challenge Katsuhito's 
wisdom and with that in mind she strode purposefully towards the door.

"Wait!" Tenchi cried while grabbing her arm, "I'll come with . . ."

"No!" Ryoko fiercely objected. She could never let Tenchi put himself in 
danger. She couldn't tell him it was dangerous either, then he would 
never let her go.

"You have to stay here and help take care of Ayeka," Ryoko finally said, 
trying to sound as if the thought of it didn't upset her. She didn't want her 
Tenchi looking after Ayeka as in the back of Ryoko's mind she feared it 
might lead to things, but if that was what it would take to keep her Tenchi 
safe then so be it.

"In that case," Tenchi began, still desperately fighting to keep Ryoko 
safe, trying to find the words to make her stay but in the end coming up 
empty. "In that case, just promise me you'll be careful."

"I promise," Ryoko pledged softly before Tenchi finally relented and 
released his grip on her. That gnawing feeling returned and despite the 
closeness with Tenchi only moments before, Ryoko soon found herself 
running boldly towards the door.

"Come Ryo-Ohki!" she called on her way out, "We don't have much 
time."

The considerably confused cabbit miawwed questionably but still 
followed Ryoko out of the door. It wasn't a matter of pure obedience but 
Ryo-Ohki was getting quite concerned about Ryoko. They had been 
together for as long as either could remember, and even longer than that 
according to Washu. Ryoko had been through hell and more but always 
seemed to remain stable and controlled in her own strange way. Now that 
seemed to be slipping away. Someone had to make sure she didn't do 
anything crazy.

So seconds later they were off, cruising through Earth's atmosphere to an 
unknown place in an unknown direction. Behind them they left a house 
full of concerned and confused friends.

"Tenchi," Mihoshi whispered quietly, "I'm sure of it now. Ryoko's gone 
mad."


*Aboard Ryo-Ohki*

All the way through the journey to god-knows-where, Ryo-Ohki kept a 
concerned eye on her sister. Ryoko was looking out of a window panel, 
just like she had often done in the past. She used to love the way her 
reflection looked, seeing her face surrounded by so many pretty stars. If 
she tilted her head just right, it even looked like she was wearing one of 
those pretty diamond necklaces that she was always made to steal but was 
never allowed to keep. 

Seeing herself with a 'diamond necklace' and a dreamy smile, it was the 
only time that Ryoko could forget she was a murderous tool of evil and 
imagine that she was a pretty lady with a nice house and garden and 
everything else that she saw other people have. She would dream she was 
just like those people that she was forced to hurt. In a world of death and 
pain it was that dream alone that kept Ryoko's spirits alive. And it only 
ever happened by that window, so seeing Ryoko standing there always 
made Ryo-Ohki happy.

But not today. Instead of staring with a dreamy, far off look on her face, 
Ryoko was talking to herself. Not just muttering the odd word but having 
a full-blown conversation with herself. Ryo-Ohki was now extremely 
concerned about Ryoko and was considering if she should turn back at try 
to preserve what was left of her crumbling family.

This was not how it seemed to Ryoko however. Instead of her reflection 
she saw the apparition that she had come to know as Zero. Well, sure it 
looked like her, but it didn't act at all like a mirror image. Instead it 
would listen and reply, giving some of the answers that Ryoko so 
desperately sought.

". . . so let me get this straight," Ryoko said, after having the whole thing 
explained to her, "In the future I travel back in time."

"Sort of," came Zero's obscure reply. It wasn't completely true but it 
would do for now.

"And everyone else got their memories wiped," Ryoko continued, "But 
since I used the machine I kept mine."

"For one day," Zero corrected, "after that . . ."

"I know, then my memories get repressed along with the other changes I 
went through, which included you."

"Correct," Zero confirmed.

"So why didn't you say something before?" asked a confused Ryoko. She 
had been locked up in a prison her self, and she would have done 
anything to escape. Why would anyone stay willingly?

"Because Ryoko, you never needed me before," came the sincere reply, 
"This is your life, not mine."

"So why did I use that machine in the first place?" Ryoko finally asked. It 
was an inevitable question really. Zero had been expecting it for some 
time and already knew what had to be said in response.

"I can't tell you that," she sadly answered, "It would defeat the purpose of 
making you forget in the first place." 

"I still don't believe you, you know." Ryoko said with a hint of distrust 
still in her voice. This was still far too crazy for her to fully place her 
belief in it.

"I know, but it won't matter if I can save your mother will it?" Zero 
reminded.

"No, I suppose not but it's still. . . . ." Ryoko admitted before picking up 
on something Zero had said, "Hey, wait a minute, what do you mean if?"

"I can't guarantee anything Ryoko," Zero said in a voice that showed true 
regret, "Although I've seen these events before, my time was slightly 
different from this one. For a start you were captured instead of Washu. I 
don't know everything but I should know enough."

"But you can still tell me about my feelings for Mom, right?" Ryoko 
asked hopefully.

"I can't just tell you just now," Zero replied, "It's love, it's an emotion, 
it's not something I can just tell you. I will have to show you and we 
don't really have enough free time for that just now, but I will, I 
promise."

"I see," said a disappointed Ryoko before asking, "Can you leave me 
alone for a while, I need to think some things over."

With a nod Zero disappeared and Ryoko was left alone with only her 
reflection. She needed some time to think about her very unusual 
situation, which coincidently was exactly what one Tenchi Maskai was 
doing back on earth. 


*Masaki home*

"Grandfather?"

"Yes, Tenchi," came the composed response, calmly spoken despite the 
troubling events of the day.

"I was wondering, why did you let Ryoko leave?" Tenchi asked. It had 
been puzzling him for some time now. What were the reasons behind his 
grandfather's decision? Was there something Tenchi didn't know?

"It is appropriate that she is looking for a genius," the old man began, 
"For there is a thin line between genius and insanity, measured only by 
success."

Tenchi was shocked as he saw through his grandfather's pun to the real 
meaning of his words.

(He doesn't have a clue!) Tenchi thought in disbelief, (I thought there was 
some mystic reason behind it. I thought he was hiding something from us, 
some kind of warrior's wisdom, but there isn't. This is just one big 
gamble, just because he can't think of anything better to do.)

Katsuhito observed his grandson's reaction. Typical Tenchi, he was 
caring and considerate to the point that it became a fault. His strong 
emotions always overcame his sense of honour and compromise.

"If you could have saved your mother from leaving you, do you think I 
could have talked you out of it?" Katsuhito asked, silencing Tenchi's 
protests before they even started. "I didn't let her go Tenchi, I just 
stopped you from wasting your time."

Tenchi lowered his head in defeat. Once again his grandfather had been 
right. There had been a wisdom behind it, just not like Tenchi had 
expected. Katsuhito understood Ryoko's thoughts and her concerns 
instead of just considering his own, like Tenchi had done.

"I know you don't like your friends being in danger," the lecture 
continued, "but you can't always protect someone like Ryoko and there is 
a chance that she can protect her mother."

"And you think it's a chance worth taking?" Tenchi asked, not in a 
sarcastic or criticizing way but in honest pursuit of an answer.

"Yes, Tenchi," came the reply, "Yes, I do."


*Aboard Ryo-Ohki*

(Strange as it sounds a lot of it actually makes sense) Ryoko thought to 
herself, (It fits what happened on the Souja perfectly, me recognizing 
Washu, feeling such strong emotions for a stranger and then completely 
forgetting the reasons, it caters for all of that. Maybe it is true. Now if 
only I could convince Zero to tell me what to expect. She only told me it's 
some kind of robot but I already knew that.)

Ryoko frowned. It wasn't like Zero to be economical with information. 
She normally explained everything in great detail. Perhaps there was . . . 
no, there was no time for mistrust now.

(It will be okay) Ryoko assured herself, (I have to do this, I have far too 
much to lose if I can't. I just wish that Zero would . . . .)

((Ryoko!)) Zero's 'voice' called in her thoughts, ((Get ready we should be 
approaching it soon.))

Hearing that, Ryoko focused her thoughts back to the real world and to 
the task in hand. She was going to save her Mom, she was going to get 
her answers. 

All of Ryoko's doubts had now vanished, not solved but forgotten about. 
She was on a quest now, a crusade to save her mother. Only one thing 
stood in her way, some kind of evil robot that Zero wouldn't tell her 
much about. A nameless, unknown kidnapper.

A kidnapper that would prove to be far more familiar than she could 
possibly know.



*Chapter Four - Absoulte Zero*

A galaxy is a very big thing.

Hundreds of planets. 
Thousands of races.
Countless religions.
Innumerable customs.
Endless resources.
Unrivalled power.

Yes, a galaxy was indeed a very big thing. It was a portion of the 
universe, an expanse so great that borders almost lost their meaning, it 
was horzionless, it was a slice of eternity and soon it would be nothing 
more than his private playground.

Of course his employer didn't see it that way. To her a galaxy was just a 
drop in the eternal sea of the universe, and she only gave it to him in one 
dimension of the endless stream that existed, and besides for the capture 
of an eternal goddess a galaxy seemed a paltry payment anyway.

But to him it was everything his limited understanding could ever 
imagine and it would be his all in exchange for one feeble, worthless life. 
They say you can't put a price on a human life but whatever it was he was 
sure it was less than the price of a galaxy. He was completely unaware 
that his captive had once owned far more than a single galaxy and in a 
time long forgotten, had once commanded more power and might than 
any galaxy could ever muster.

Had he known that then he might have been more hospitable.

"You know Washu," he began, "it's funny that despite being 20,000 years 
old you still look fit for KIDnapping," and then in the time honoured 
tradition of villains he laughed at his own joke, ignoring the fact that it 
had been pathetically feeble.

His captive just glared at him from inside the glass, water-filled prison 
that surrounded her. Had events played out differently it would have been 
Ryoko in there, after all it was the most secure confines that Dr.Clay had 
and despites her best efforts not even Washu could escape. 

And had events played out differently then Washu would be very secure 
in her superiority. Clay was an idiot and had she been anywhere on the 
ship except that glass capsule she would let him know all about it, making 
fun of him, mocking him, not taking any of it seriously like he was no 
threat to her at all.

But events hadn't played out like that and now he was a very big threat 
indeed.

The old man sat back, savouring the victory. His plan had gone off 
without a hitch. Soon all of his dreams would come true. He would be a 
king, a ruler, an emperor, no, he would be a god. And there was nothing 
or no one that could possibly stop him now.

*Explosion!*

Dr.Clay turned around to see smouldering shards of a bust fall to the 
ground. Not just any bust, the one that contained the ship separation 
console.

*Explosion!*

He turned his head again to see an ornament destroyed. It was the brown 
and green fountain like ornament that disguised his self-destruct control.

*Explosion!*

The statuette that was a dummy console.

Knowing the only other place that contained hidden components he 
quickly jumped out of his chair just before it was incinerated by a fourth 
blast. So much for his concealed weapons. Only one other person in the 
universe had such intimate knowledge of his bridge.

"Zero!" he screamed in rage while turning to be faced by a most 
unexpected sight. It was Washu's daughter. How had she gotten here? No 
matter. He had summoned Zero and she would be here in seconds to 
defend him. Ryoko's thoughts however were consumed by something 
different.

(Zero? He said your name. How does he know of you?)

No answer.

(Zero you better answer me! I want to know how he knows you and I want 
to know right now!) Ryoko thought at Zero angrily. It was hard to threaten 
a voice in your head and Ryoko was doing her best but it obviously 
wasn't good enough as Zero remained silent.

(I want an answer right now or else . . . .)

((My little Ryoko! How did you find me?))

(What!? What the hell is that . . .) Ryoko thought before realising it had not 
been Zero who had transmitted those last thoughts. She turned to face the 
containment unit that held her mother. She was staring back at Ryoko 
with a puzzled and concerned look on her face. 

(It's okay Mom) Ryoko thought to her, trying her best to smile and ease 
her mother's fears, (I'll get us out of this.)

With that Ryoko sealed the link to her mother once more. Ryoko needed 
her mind clear and focused. She would have time to explain later but only 
if she earned that time, only if she succeeded just now. But the question 
was, could she succeed?


*Earth*

"I honestly don't know if Ryoko can manage it," Ayeka declared. She 
had regained consciousness some time ago much to the relief of the 
whole house. After the others explained what had happened while she had 
been out cold, she had to confess she wasn't as confident in the space 
pirate's chances. She feared Ryoko's situation was far more grim and 
serious than the others thought.

"How can you say that?" asked Tenchi in disbelief. He had seen Ryoko 
fight, he had even fought her once himself and although it hadn't been 
serious he had seen her power and had been completely overcome by it. 
How could a robot possibly defeat her?

"You don't understand," Ayeka explained, "That thing completely 
overwhelmed a member of royalty and both of her guardians."

Tenchi's gentle, caring expression changed with those words and more 
importantly what he sensed in those words. Detecting his disgust at her 
words, the princess lowered her head and lowered her voice to a quiet, 
wounded whisper.

"I know I am a proud person," she conceded, "but I am not being 
arrogant. I am well aware that Ryoko is far superior in strength, I have 
fought with her many times but I have also fought this robot and I fear 
that it may be even stronger than Ryoko."

Tenchi's expression changed again as he once again sensed something in 
Ayeka's words, but this time it was a very different change.

"You're concerned," he exclaimed in a voice that didn't quite believe 
what it was saying, but that was how it seemed. Ayeka was concerned, 
Ayeka cared about Ryoko.

"Yes Lord Tenchi, I am concerned for her," Ayeka admitted, "We have 
already lost one friend today and I fear that we may lose another . . . ."

She paused to look skywards through a hole in the roof, gazing up into 
the darkening dusk sky. Her eyes caught sight of a bird in flight, graceful 
and elegant in some respects but primal and basic in others. Her 
captivated gaze followed it fondly as it soared stylishly and watched it 
regretfully as it slowly faded beyond the horizon and out of sight. It was 
only then that she finished.

". . . I fear we may lose Ryoko."


*Space*

"Ah Zero, you are here," Dr.Clay greeted as the mechanical kidnapper 
finally appeared on the bridge. Ryoko finally got to see her adversary for 
the first time but more importantly she got the answer to one of her 
questions. She now knew how that man was familiar with Zero.

(Zero? Is that thing you?) She asked mentally, although she all but knew 
the answer already. There was no way it could be a coincidence, they 
couldn't both be called Zero by chance.

((Yes it is)) Zero admitted, ((but listen to me . . . .))

(Why the hell should I?) Ryoko interrupted furiously, (You lied! I should 
have seen it coming, this is all one big set up isn't it. You planted 
something in my head when I was asleep or something like that, all so 
you could lead me here. It was all a trap!)

((No it isn't)) Zero tried to convince Ryoko, ((That's not really me that 
you're seeing. I've changed, just like you have, but that Zero hasn't.))

(What the hell do you mean by that?)

((I became like you Ryoko, I gained emotions and a conscience)) Zero 
explained, ((that Zero has none of those. It is devoid of compassion, it is 
purified of emotions. It is Absolute Zero, it has no heart, where as I do.))

(Maybe it is worse than you) Ryoko admitted, (but that doesn't change 
anything. I still can't trust you anymore, you misled me.)

((You have to trust me Ryoko)) Zero pleaded, ((I never claimed to be 
anything other than a part of you, I never lied to you. I'm just trying to 
help you. ))

Ryoko considered this. It was true, Zero hadn't actually steered her wrong 
so far and there was no way Ryoko would have accepted help from 
someone she knew to be her mother's kidnapper so it seemed reasonable 
to hide it from her. (Okay) she thought, (What do you think I should do?)

((Kill it!)) Came the immediate reply from Zero.

(What?) Asked a shocked Ryoko.

((Kill it)) repeated Zero, ((If I could subdue you in my time then I could do it 
in this time too and I don't want your blood on my hands.))

(But it's you) Ryoko protested, she knew that Zero was trying to sacrifice 
herself instead of Ryoko, she wanted Ryoko to kill for her own good but 
there was still one fact about it all that troubled Ryoko, (If you can change 
so can it.)

((We're not the same)) Zero insisted, exasperated that Ryoko didn't 
understand. Surely she must understand, Ryoko looked back at her days 
under Kagato with disgust, the same disgust that Zero held for her former 
self. Ryoko's life had been empty until she had been freed and given a 
new lease of life, just like Zero's life had been meaningless until she met 
Ryoko and was given a whole new dimension to her being. With all that 
Ryoko must surely understand how Zero felt. 

For Ryoko was to Zero what Tenchi was to Ryoko. Ryoko had set Zero 
free, taken her in and given her a second chance when it seemed she 
would be imprisoned and forced to destroy for all eternity. Just like 
Ryoko would die to save Tenchi and never have a single regret except for 
not being with him anymore, Zero would do similar for Ryoko. Zero 
didn't care for Ryoko quite the same as Ryoko cared for Tenchi, but she 
still cared. She felt torn between being a robot creation and a girl named 
Ryoko Hakubi, and in a way she left responsible for both of them but she 
only cared for one. Why couldn't Ryoko see that?

When Kagato had forced Ryoko to attack Tenchi on earth she had hoped 
and prayed that someone would kill her. She begged whatever gods 
existed that they would let her die before they let her hurt him. With all of 
Ryoko's emotions weaved into her being that was exactly how Zero felt 
right now.

((You must kill it before it's too late)) Zero begged, ((that's just an empty 
husk, a tool, it has no soul.))

That comment was meant to convince Ryoko, it was meant to show her 
that it was okay to attack, that she didn't have to worry because that thing 
didn't matter. Instead it had a very different effect, instead it brought back 
painful memories of Kagato and the things he had said to Ryoko while 
she was still under his control.


*Thousands of years ago*

On a distant planet a young Ryoko sobs on her hands and knees. Around 
her a ravaged town lies in ruins. The buildings are ablaze and burn with 
such bitterness that the blood quickly dries on her hands, leaving a stained 
red on her small delicate fingers. The air was also stained, it was tainted 
by the stench of death, the horrific smell of charred flesh.

The young demon lifts her face and through her tear soaked eyes she sees 
some figures running off into the distance, running for their lives. At least 
they were safe.

But he would be angry now.

As if on cue a tall imposing figure materialises by Ryoko's side. He 
observes the crying child through his tiny glasses and uncaring eyes.

"What happened Ryoko?" Kagato asked in an emotionless voice, "Why 
didn't you kill those people?"

"I killed their mother, they shouted at me," a trembling Ryoko choked out 
between sobs. She continued in a shaken voice, lowering her face back 
down to face the ground as she cowered in fear, "They called me things, 
they said I was wrong to kill her. They said she was a good lady and that 
she would go to heaven now."

"Good for her," Kagato responded with cold sarcasm, "But why did you 
not kill the rest?"

 "I . . I want to be a good lady too . . ." she explained in a quiet, small 
voice that sounded ashamed and afraid, "I want to go to heaven as well."

"I see," Kagato said, "You want to go to heaven do you? You're worried 
about your soul?"

The small girl nodded, still facing the ground, not bearing to look at her 
enraged master. If she had she might have been able to dodge his hand as 
it came swooping down and clamped around her neck.

Kagato sneered at the pitiful child as he lifted her by the neck to meet his 
gaze, all the time squeezing the trembling life out of her. She thrashed 
about desperately trying to free herself from his crushing hands, the 
piercing pain driving her to desperation but deep down she knew there 
would be no escape from him.

"Listen to me for I will only tell you once," Kagato scorned as he pulled 
her ear to his mouth making sure that she would hear every word he said. 
He spoke in a fierce whisper that had more malice and venom than any 
shout could ever have.

"Don't worry about your soul," he told her, "Your soul isn't yours to 
worry about, it belongs to me. You have no soul."

"Help me," Ryoko cried out with her last gasps of air, the strained words 
coming out as an almost silent wheeze.

"No one is going to help you Ryoko," Kagato laughed at her, "No one 
would want to save you even if they could."

He probably said more than that but Ryoko didn't hear it. The pain and 
suffocation became too much for her and she lost consciousness.

Or at least she thought she did.

"Kill them," Kagato ordered pointing in the direction that the people had 
fled. Ryoko nodded and went to hunt them down, searching for her 
victims through misty green eyes.


*Present Day*

That was just one occasion, there had been many more and Zero's words 
brought all those memories back.

'You are nothing Ryoko'
'You are just my tool, you don't have a say'
'You have no soul, you have no right to freedom'
'Why do you keep hope Ryoko? No-one cares about you'
'You are nothing! No-one would want to save you even if they could!'
'No-one would want to save you even if they could!'

(No!) Ryoko thought defiantly, (Maybe that thing is not like you Zero, but 
it's like me and I refuse to kill it.)

"Kill her!"

Dr.Clay's outstretched arm pointed to Ryoko as he ordered Zero to attack, 
but for a moment, in place of his red tunic Ryoko saw the flowing pale 
green cloak and gloved hand that stretched out in front of tiny glasses. 
Instead of the water chamber that enclosed her mother she saw the crystal 
prison on the Souja. She recognised Dr.Clay as being like Kagato, 
controlling a slave, taking her mother away, hurting people to get what he 
wanted. It was all his fault, in her eyes the robot was innocent and despite 
all that Zero had told her she refused to destroy it.

A very brave stance to take. Especially since the robot was now charging 
at Ryoko with a featureless, threatening face that gave off the same 
vacant impression that a pair of misty green eyes had thousands of years 
before.



*Chapter Five - Backstabbed*

Washu watched on in fretful terror as she watched Ryoko battling with 
the robot. She had held back on the Souja to protect Ayeka, but this was 
truly ridiculous.

(I know that thing is strong) Washu thought, (It managed to defeat Azaka, 
Kamidake, Ayeka and myself with the element of surprise, but it has no 
such advantage now. What are you doing my little Ryoko?)

What Ryoko was doing was lowering herself to a harmless level. No 
offence at all, just defence, however if things went to plan the end would 
justify the seemingly absurd means.

It was this thought that drove her on as she dodged and phased about the 
bridge, desperately avoiding the robot's deadly assaults without harming 
it, but also coming closer to executing her plan. Every step she took was 
expertly planned to lead her foe into her trap without arousing suspicion. 
After all, if there was one talent that Kagato had left Ryoko with it was 
fighting.

The machine threw another mighty blow in Ryoko's direction and the 
space pirate responded with a graceful, evasive somersault backwards. 
Graceful that is, all except for the landing.

She fell backwards into a large statue, making a sickening sound as her 
head cracked off the ungiving stone. She then fell clumsily to the floor 
like a bird shot out of the sky.

Sensing a real chance for victory the robot Zero sped across to it's fallen 
prey, closing in for the kill. Ryoko's eyes snapped open just in time to see 
the oncoming assault. 

A satisfied grin spread across her lips. 

Her plan had worked.

Ryoko phased away just before the robot's thundering fist came crushing 
down, but instead of sealing victory it only caused a large dent in the 
floor. Ryoko was gone but not all that far away.

Reappearing on the other side of the statue, Ryoko formed an energy 
sword for the first time in the fight and swiped at the base of the statue. 
The heavy decoration came tumbling down on the unsuspecting robot that 
was still trying to locate it's vanished opponent. It never had time to 
respond. 

The towering stone sculpture covered the robot and pressed it into the 
ground. The mighty machine was now trapped under a giant pile of 
rubble, as the statue cracked and crumbled from the force of the fall, 
sending a veil of dust into the air.

The smoke finally cleared to reveal three very different impressions. 
Ryoko stood next to the trapped robot, her face raging with a savage 
hatred as her feral eyes locked onto the old man across the room. All of 
her hate, all of her pain, all of the feelings that Kagato had left in her soul, 
all of them were now directed at him. He had tried to take her mother 
away from her, and now he would pay.

Washu wore a far more surprised expression but she was also very 
relived. Ryoko had triumphed, it had been very risky but she had 
triumphed and in more ways than one. Through her ingenuity her 
daughter had managed to break away from her bloody past and solve her 
problems without bloodshed. This left her very proud glow on Washu's 
face, proud and delighted at the personal progress that Ryoko was 
beginning to make.

Dr.Clay's expression was completely different from the first two. In one 
word he was mortified. If that girl could put Zero out of commission what 
could she do to him?

He had been scared before but that was a small glowing of fear fuelled 
only by his anxious doubt over the fight. Now it was fuelled by far more 
serious matters and his fears rose in the pit of his stomach just like a 
raging fire. The flames of fear consumed his soul as he stared fearfully 
into the golden eyes that burned with the hate of a demon.

"Let her go!" Ryoko commanded in a stern voice, her features now fixed 
in a threatening glare.

"Wh. . .What do you mean?" stammered the very intimidated doctor, 
fearing for his life.

"Let Mom go!" Ryoko demanded again, aiming the palm of her hand in 
his direction to emphasize her point. Had he not known better Dr.Clay 
may have found Ryoko's gesture amusing, but he did know better. That 
hand could rip his body apart with one small blast. One wrong move and 
this could be the end.

Fearful footsteps made their way across the room under the vigilant 
supervision of the outstretched hand that followed their every movement, 
a constant reminder of what would happen if he dared to disobey. A 
trembling, reluctant hand accessed a panel on the wall and went to work, 
entering the required commands.

(I've done it!) Ryoko thought triumphantly, (It's all over now, I can get my 
answers. Things are finally going to be the way they should be.)

It was amazing how much one piece of information could change so 
much, but to Ryoko it was far more than a piece of information, it was a 
piece of her soul. She had a feeling this connection, this love for Washu 
had always been with her. It would unlock secrets behind her beginning, 
help her deal with her past and help her look to the future. 

With a mother she felt normal, she felt equal. To think that she once had 
someone who took care of her when she was sick, instead of beating her 
for being inoperational, someone who soothed her fears instead of locking 
her in a dark corner because she was insufferable, someone who taught 
her and nurtured her instead of punishing her for not knowing, to think 
that was to give her hope of a real future, an equal future.

But she had to understand to be sure and now, finally she would.

The liquid was drained from the containment chamber before the glass 
wall slipped away all together. Washu cautiously made her way out of her 
prison, careful not to slip in her current soaken state.

It was at that point that Ryoko's excitement and anticipation overcame 
her and sent her mind into a giddy dance of relief and joy. Her thoughts 
were completely overrun by her happiness, they were floating like the 
clouds, so light and beautiful but also out of reach. She didn't quite have 
a grip on herself.

All of the control she had clamped down on herself during the fight, all of 
the suppression and holding back was now torn away. Her once focused 
and precise thoughts were now a light-headed waltz, prancing through her 
mind with no purpose but to indulge in the moment.

She completely forgot about the defeated doctor, turned and bounded 
towards her rescued mother like a small child full of innocence and 
naivety. Her eyes locked onto her mother as her mind was spewing out 
feelings of joy and relief through the link, the same overriding emotions 
that loosened her control and bound her caution. She approached with 
careless, blind steps led by a mind blunted by the wondrous feelings that 
engulfed it. It was little wonder then that she didn't hear the sounds from 
the other side of the room.

The sound of rubble being cleared.

Washu just stood there, too wet to risk running, with her arms wide open 
eagerly awaiting her daughter. 

It filled her heart with delight and elation to see Ryoko run towards her, 
wanting to be with her. She could feel it as well, the emotions and love 
that flowed across the link. She stood in a subdued silence, relishing the 
moment, savouring the feelings and the faded memories that they 
restored. The Ryoko she saw now reminded her of her lost daughter, the 
grateful Ryoko that she took care of, the admiring Ryoko that she taught, 
the caring Ryoko that she raised and most of all the loving Ryoko that she 
loved more than anything else. 

Her hungry soul eagerly awaited Ryoko's arrival as if Ryoko was the 
missing part, the vital core of her whole life. The moment she had been 
waiting so patiently for had finally come. After countless years of torture, 
only to be reunited as a confused and dazed shadow of her former self, 
Ryoko had finally shown that she cared, shown that she had truly 
forgiven, shown that she still loved her mother. This moment ended the 
uncertainty and fear in Washu's mind. Everything would be okay now.

With her mind so preoccupied, Washu also failed to notice the sounds 
from across the room.

They continued, oblivious to the activities only feet away from them. At 
that moment, with their sights and minds locked on each other there was 
nothing else in their universe, it would only have been a disturbance. 
Ryoko was only steps away from her loving mother, only moments away 
from a warm embrace when a raging shriek echoed throughout the bridge.

"DIE!" the shrill metallic voice screamed as the robot Zero finally freed 
its arm and fired a ferocious shot at Ryoko. The blast cut through the air 
with such power and velocity that Ryoko didn't have time to 
acknowledge it never mind evade it.

All Ryoko could do after hearing the robot's words was to feel the 
burning pain in her back. She felt the force of the impact carry her 
forward. She closed her eyes, bracing herself for a collision but it never 
came, she lost consciousness long before that.

Her body fell limp like a rag doll into Washu's open arms, smoke still 
smouldering from her wounded back. Instead of an emotional embrace 
Washu found herself propping up a body that hung heavily like a corpse.

Her beautiful daughter.
Motionless.
Lifeless.

Just like a corpse.

No! It couldn't be true, she couldn't die. Washu held her daughter close, 
holding Ryoko's body with all of her strength as if someone was trying to 
pry Ryoko's body away from her. She gripped on with all of her strength, 
so that no one would take her away.

But someone already had. As she tightened her grip on her daughter, 
Washu could feel a warmness tickling at her arm. Instinctively she placed 
a hand at the source, directly on her daughter's back, feeling the same 
warmness creep and ooze through her fingers. She pulled her hand away 
to observe the cause.

Blood.
Ryoko's blood.
Her daughter's blood.

On her hands.

Washu fell to her knees bringing her daughter crashing down with her. It 
was all her fault, she should have noticed, she should have been more 
careful. Now her daughter had been hurt by her foolish incompetence and 
her reckless negligence. The deep red smear that dripped from her 
fingertips was proof, a testament to her failure, her failure as a mother. 
Ryoko's blood was on her hands. She was the one who was responsible.

As she cried over Ryoko's body her trembling lips mouthed frenzied 
apologies and desperate prayers but she couldn't summon the strength to 
put a voice behind them. She just held her daughter tight, trying to will 
things to somehow be better, as the mechanical beast tore away the rubble 
and menacingly approached the vulnerable couple. She didn't notice 
though, the joy and elation that clouded her mind was now replaced with 
guilt and remorse.

It was over.



*Chapter Six - Unconditional Love*

Ryoko had shut her eyes bracing for the excepted impact of landing but 
several seconds had passed now and no impact had come. Tentatively she 
opened her eyes to investigate.

Nothing. 

Her eyes were staring into the endless white expanse where she had 'first' 
encountered Zero. Why was she back here? What was going on? It felt so 
isolated, it was cold and quiet. There was a haunting silence hanging in 
the air that made for a very barren, vacant atmosphere but this was soon 
broken by a mournful voice emanating from behind Ryoko.

"Please forgive me."

Startled by this sudden disturbance of the empty silence, Ryoko spun 
around to confront the voice, although she already had her suspicions of 
who it was. As excepted she was greeted by the familiar sight of Zero, 
however that was were the familiarity ended. The Zero she saw now was 
far different from the Zero she had originally met. She lay on the ground, 
hands folded behind her head, staring skywards into the empty space as 
glistening tears trickled down her face.

"Forgive you for what?" asked a confused Ryoko, "What's happened?"

"I hurt you," Zero replied sadly, her gaze not moving from the empty 
'above', "this is all my fault."

A bit surprised at this Ryoko sat down right next to where Zero lay. It 
was a gesture, a sign that Ryoko wasn't against her. "It's not your fault, if 
anything it's my fault," Ryoko confessed gently.

Zero just smiled a small but warm smile as a response. It was nice to hear 
Ryoko say that but she didn't really understand. Ryoko didn't 
comprehend the consequences of what had happened, she couldn't have 
meant what she said.

"How could this happen?" Zero asked, her question directed more to the 
blank sky than to Ryoko.

(How could I become this?) She thought, (A few weeks ago I was part of a 
young girl, part of a future. Now I'm a ruthless killer once more.)

More tears began to stream down her face as she was forced to face the 
distressing truth. She couldn't accept it, her soul wrestled with what she 
had witnessed, but it was a battle she was losing. Ryoko's blood was now 
on her hands and despite her feminine appearance her hands now felt like 
metal blocks dripping with blood. She couldn't get the images out of her 
head and they disgusted her.

"What are you looking at anyway?" Ryoko asked in an attempt to break 
the eerie silence that had formed between them. It was bewildering that 
Zero seemed so keenly focused on the 'sky' when there was nothing but 
oblivion above them.

"I'm looking to the future," Zero replied calmly.

"But there's nothing there," Ryoko said, even more confused.

"Exactly," replied Zero.

"Wh . .What do you mean?" Ryoko stammered. She might not be as 
smart as Zero but she had understood enough. The situation was much 
more serious than she had first thought. Several possibilities ran through 
her head, each one putting a strangling fear in her. The fear of death.

"This is the end," Zero said sedately while turning to face Ryoko. Her 
tearful eyes shimmered like crystals and locked onto Ryoko with an 
emotional, longing depth that Ryoko had never before seen in her 
countless years of bloody sorrow.

 "Ryoko, we don't have much time left together," Zero continued, "I'll 
understand if you don't forgive me but I just want you to know that I'm 
sorry."

The fear that had been tugging at her mind began to rip away at it leaving 
her only with the primal fear of death. She was dying, no, she was already 
dead. No, it couldn't be, it just couldn't . . . .

"No!" Ryoko screamed as she grabbed Zero by the shoulders, mimicking 
the fear that had grabbed her mind. "This can't be it. Do something! You 
have to do something!"

"I'm sorry," came the placid reply from Zero. It wasn't emotionless, just 
far too depressed to sound properly animated, instead sounding very 
sombre and plain, "There is nothing I can do now except to give you your 
answers like I promised."

"I don't care about that anymore!" Ryoko screamed, "I want to live, I 
want to see my mommy! Why can't . . ."

"Please!" Zero interrupted forcefully, raising her voice above its trance-
like tones for the first time in the conversation.

"Please Ryoko there isn't much time left," she continued in a quieter 
voice, "Your answers are all that I can give you, please take it as a parting 
gift. I don't want us both to regret this moment forever."

When someone makes a plea with such desperation and weakness in their 
voice it is almost impossible to deny them. Hearing Zero's last request 
brought some stability back to Ryoko's mind as she felt she ought to do 
something, as if she had an unspoken obligation to comply. This new 
focus renewed her self-control. Her breathing became more composed 
and her thoughts became more lucid as she nodded slowly as a gesture 
that she would accept the answers from Zero.

"Thank you," Zero responded softly while taking Ryoko's hand in her 
own. This meant a lot to Zero, to finally be able to give Ryoko what she 
deserved. These buried memories and reasons had helped Zero bring out 
the far more compassionate side of Ryoko and now Ryoko would have 
them for herself. Ryoko would finally become the person she had been 
denied the chance of becoming and it felt fitting that Zero, the one that 
Ryoko freed, would be the one to free Ryoko.

"I'll miss you," Zero finished as the white expanse around them cracked 
and shattered. The seals that had censored Ryoko to her memories had 
been broken, plunging the surrounding area into to complete darkness that 
was impossible to see through, even for Ryoko's advanced eyes. As 
Zero's last words echoed through the darkened space Ryoko could feel 
something, a strange, embracing warmth approaching her.

Her journey of re-discovery was about to begin.


*Washu's Lab - Several Hundred Years Ago*

A small little girl happily sits in the middle of an imposing mechanical 
lair piled full of equipment and technology. She doesn't seem affected by 
this however as her pyjama-covered legs rest cosily on a soft floating 
cushion and her sleepy attention is focused on the task at hand, writing 
the day's diary entry before bed. With one hand forming the words and 
the other stroking her pet, she pours out her heart and soul onto the pages 
in front of her.

[. . . . and told me I hadn't won. I thought mom would be real mad. She 
always wins everything at the academy and I can't even win a stupid 
science fair competition. I was afraid she would be embarrassed and 
upset but all she did was pull me to the side and ask me if I tried my best. 
When I told her I had she smiled and said she was proud of me . . . .]

The small girl looks up from her diary to look across the room at the 
subject in question. Washu sits on her own floating cushion working 
away as always. Ryoko continues to stare for a while through loving eyes 
directed at her mother as her mind reflects on the day's activates and what 
they had meant to her. Sensing strong feelings through their link, Washu 
turns her attention from her work to her young daughter who she finds 
staring attentively back at her from across the room. Noticed, the little 
girl just flashes a bright smile before quickly returning to her diary.

[. . . I'm proud of her too. It doesn't matter how well I do, Mom loves me 
anyway.]

And with those last words the girl puts down her diary and happily skips 
off to bed, with a pleased smile and a contented mind.


*Masaki Home - Three weeks time*

Ryoko sat up in her private rafter wearing her blue and yellow dress and a 
very troubled, desperate expression. She tried her best to hold back the 
tears as she persisted with her task. In front of her were crumpled, torn 
sheets of paper ripped out of random places, all pressed and squashed into 
a rough book format. This was now her so-called diary. It had been 
crudely taped together as she didn't know how to work a stapler and was 
far too embarrassed to ask anyone.

The pages were a complete mess with her scrawled writing smudged and 
scored out. It was pathetic and she knew it, her work looked like 
something a three year old would do, not a young woman, but she 
persevered anyway. This was something that meant a lot to her.

[. . . . how can Washu do this to me? She tries to help me. She cares about 
me, I know it, I've sensed it across our link. Why? Why can't she leave me 
to be the failure we all know I've become? Why can't she be as disgusted 
with me as I am? I'm a rude, thick, drunk murderer. Why does she still 
want me?]

Ryoko tries to control her trembling hand as tears fall from her face 
smudging her messy writing even more, to the point it became an 
unreadable smear.

[. . . Why does she still love me?]


*Space Academy Labs - Several Hundred Years Ago*

(Where is she? I can't open the link, then she'll know. It won't be any 
good if she knows.)

A small girl wanders aimlessly through her mother's lab at the Space 
Academy. Her vibrant red dress loses is vitality in the eerie darkness and 
her large golden eyes sparkle with the flashing display lights. In her small 
hands she carefully cradles a small clay model, a delicate red crab she had 
handcrafted and painted all by herself. It had taken her all day and a lot of 
effort to make one just perfect, but if it made her Mum proud then it 
would be all worth it. The only thing was, it had to be a surprise . . . .

"Mommy," she calls out in the darkness, "Mommy where are you?"

What was that? She had heard a clatter, a smash, the sound of something 
being broken. Someone was breaking stuff in the lab!

(Mommy must have gotten angry again) she thought while giggling to 
herself. Washu did have a habit of venting her frustration on her 
experiments. 

(I'll go give this to Mommy to cheer her up!) She decided as she skipped 
off in the direction of the disturbance, carefully guarding her gift all the 
way. Being young and unnaturally fit she was soon approaching the 
source, in fact her sensitive hearing told her it was only around the corner.

"Mommy!" she chirped happily as she skipped around the corner, 
presenting herself with a mischievous smile and hands hidden behind her 
back.

Only her mother wasn't there.
There was a man.
A cloaked man.
Breaking her mother's things.

Upon hearing a voice he quickly whisked around in a startled shock. As 
soon as he caught sight of the young child his startled expression changed 
to one of sheer disgust.

"YOU!" he bellowed furiously at her, "It's you I came for you 
blasphemous abomination!"

Ryoko just froze, her body paralysed with trembling fear, especially her 
lip which felt so shakingly numb that she couldn't speak properly. That 
was of little consequence though as she didn't have the courage to say 
anything anyway. 

"I'll send you back to the hell you spawned from you sacrilegious 
perversion!" he screamed as he held his sledgehammer high above his 
head and charged towards the defenceless child.

Her small body was so gripped with fear that all Ryoko could do was re-
open the link. She desperately cried out to her mother for salvation.

(Mommy! Mommy please save me) she pleaded, (He's going to hurt me, 
please don't leave me here Mommy! I can't . . . .)

"DIE!" he screamed, bringing his hammer down for a deathblow, but it 
never came. All Ryoko saw was a brilliant arch of orange radiance come 
sweeping across and slice the hammer away from her. That was all she 
saw, as the hammer fell roughly into a nearby machine, knocking it over.

The machine fell clumsily onto the petrified girl with such force that she 
immediately lost consciousness. She slept peacefully underneath the mass 
of metal as two figures battled on around her, engaging in a deadly dance 
that would ultimately decide her fate.


*Hospital bed - Hours later*

"There you are my little Ryoko," Washu's gentle smile greeted as 
Ryoko's eyes fluttered open. She found herself in a hospital bed, her arm 
bandaged and sore. She then noticed the state her mother was in.

"Mommy, you're hurt!" Ryoko exclaimed in terror.

"Don't worry about this," Washu assured pointing to her bandaged hand. 
She also had a small cut tracing a thin red line just above her eyebrow, 
but it was nothing serious. "How are you Ryoko?" Washu asked 
concerned, "It must have been terrible for you. Is there anything you want 
to talk about?"

Ryoko nodded half-heartedly as Washu positioned herself in a sitting 
position on the edge of the bed right beside her young daughter.

"I love you Mommy," Ryoko began in a quiet, sorrowful voice, "But . . . ."

"But what?" asked a confused and nervous Washu. Was something wrong 
between them? Had she said something to hurt her? She could sense an 
upsetting, depressing thought in Ryoko's mind, laced with fear and 
sorrow and she feared that it was something to do with her.

"I love you Mommy," Ryoko repeated weakly, "But I think, I think . . . ."

Ryoko took a deep breath and finally mustered the courage to finish.

"I think you should turn me off now." 

Washu was shocked, not only by Ryoko's words but also by the feelings 
coming across the link. She could sense it, despite her wild fear of death 
Ryoko had been completely serious, she had meant every word she had 
said.

This was reinforced by the expression on the young girl's face. It was 
grave and scared but also very solemn and sincere. Washu just smiled 
warmly in return, a smile glowing with a mother's pride at her daughter's 
selflessness and innocence.

"I've told you before my little Ryoko," Washu began in a emotional 
voice, "You are not a machine. I can't just 'turn you off', and besides you 
don't have to worry about danger any more."

Washu could see the confusion on her daughter's face and could sense 
her hopeful curiosity creeping across the link.

"I'm moving my lab to subspace," she explained with a welcoming smile, 
"It will be far safer and besides it will give me room to expand. We can 
even build a house in there."

"For both of us?" Ryoko asked in a timid tone.

"Yes, of course for both of us," Washu laughed, "but you can't stay there 
all the time. No, that still won't do."

"Oh," was all a dejected Ryoko could say in a dispirited, defeated tone.

She lowered her head and let her feelings of despair and misery 
overpower her, shattering her young innocent spirits. She was so 
consumed by her misery that she didn't sense her mother walk across the 
room to retrieve something.

"These are for you," Washu told her, presenting an open hand for Ryoko 
to see. She gasped as she immediately recognised the objects.

"Mom I can't have those!" she exclaimed, "Those are your special stones. 
You said you need them to . . ."

"Don't worry about me," Washu assured her while placing the three red 
gems gently into her daughters hands. 

"These belong to you now my little Ryoko," Washu told her, still holding 
Ryoko's hand in her own. "Do you know how many people wanted them? 
Museums, scientists, warriors, royalty, anyone who's anyone has tried to 
get these gems from me. However I never gave them to any of those 
people, I didn't consider them worthy, but I'm giving them to you my 
little one."

"Why?" asked the small girl in genuine confusion, fuelled by her low 
self-esteem.

"Because you're my daughter," Washu stated proudly while pulling her 
daughter into a hug, "you're not a machine or a creation. You're my 
daughter and you mean more to me than anyone else. In my eyes, you are 
the only one who is worthy."

Ryoko's eyes just filled up as she collapsed into tears on her mother's 
shoulder. She had been expecting death, the end of her short life, a 
sacrifice to protect all that she loved, and with that massive burden on her 
young soul only seconds ago she was now having trouble with the new 
torrents of emotions that coursed through her.

Never before had she felt so accepted. She had been given her mother's 
most valuable possession. Why? Because she wasn't a possession, she 
was a person and a person of far more value than the priceless gems. She 
had been told this over and over again but this was the first time she had 
truly believed it. She had gone from expecting the biggest loss of her life 
to receiving the biggest gain she could imagine and it had proved too 
much for her as she sobbed away on her mother's shoulder.

A tear fell from Washu's face too and became lost in her daughter's 
unruly cyan mane. For Washu this was a dream come true, comforting a 
child, her child. It was something she had thought she had lost forever. 

That was the true beauty of the moment. Washu could feel like a mother 
once more and Ryoko finally felt like someone's child instead of being a 
science project. In fact she was more than that, she wasn't just someone's 
child, she was a loved child, a treasured child.

The image then faded and she was shrouded by shadows once more.

She lay alone, swimming in the cold darkness as her mind slowly 
drowned in a deep pool of regret and sorrow. She felt like a barren core, 
her pleasing fruits stripped away from her never to be returned. She was 
nothing now but despite facing such great personal loss, her painful 
thoughts lingered on someone else.

"I'm sorry Mommy," she whispered softly, "I love you."

After speaking those last mournful words she relaxed her body into a 
defeat slump. It was truly over. She gazed down at her trembling hands 
and . . . .

Wait! She could see her hands! That was impossible, there was no light, 
she shouldn't be able to see anything. Unless . . . .

In a frantic rush of hope and confusion her head shot up to look skywards 
just like Zero's had earlier. She could see a soft, warm light radiating it's 
tender glow on her.

(I'm looking to the future) she remembered Zero saying. What did this 
mean? Did she still have a future? The darkness began to soften as the 
traces of light began to spread. They became more emphatic and vigorous 
until her sight was filled with one vibrant blur. Then the light began to 
break of into shades and tones, finally starting to assert itself into forms 
and objects. Seconds later Ryoko's sight returned to normal. She was 
awake! She was alive!

"Welcome back my little Ryoko," Washu's gentle features greeted, 
"You're finally awake. You had us all very. . . ."

Washu never got to finish that sentence as her daughter jumped off the 
bed she had been resting on and into Washu's arms. Washu was surprised 
by this but still returned Ryoko's fierce hug with all her heart. Just as 
well, for Ryoko was quickly surprised by her weak body's lack of 
strength and collapsed once again into her mother's arms.

Once again Washu was left to hold up Ryoko's frame but this time there 
wasn't a single trace of grief in her mind. Joy and delight flowed through 
her soul and across the link to her daughter.

"I know now Mommy," Ryoko explained softly, "I know why I love you, 
because no matter what happens you will always love me. You don't care 
how clever I am, or what I've done or what I am. That dosen't matter, 
you care about me."

"That's right my Little Ryoko," Washu's emotional voice replied as tears 
threatened to choke her voice away from her.

(She said she loved me) Washu thought, (I've waited thousands of years to 
hear her say that. I can sense it too, she's so excited and happy. She's 
glad to be with me! This has made everything worth it, but . . . .)

"Tell me Ryoko," Washu began in a tense voice, "What is the first thing 
you remember before that?" 

Ryoko paused to think for a minute before her face shot up from Washu's 
shoulder showing a panic stricken expression of alarm.

"Oh my God! You were kidnapped!" Ryoko began frantically, "What 
happened? Who saved you?"

(Just as I suspected) Washu thought sadly, (She doesn't remember 
anything. Poor thing, that's three times her memory has been scrubbed. I 
guess I'll never know how she found me now.)

"I'll tell you later my little one," Washu assured with loving fingers 
brushing the Ryoko's cheek, "But just rest for now. We're back home 
now. Everything's going to be alright, I promise."


*Masaki Shrine*

Katsuhito stared off into the horizon, deep in thought. He had heard the 
story from Washu but it was obvious she wasn't telling the whole truth. 
As an experienced fighter who had fought Ryoko in the past, he knew she 
couldn't sustain an injury like that and still go on to win the battle like 
Washu had claimed she had. That left him with a very perplexing 
question. Just how was the fight won then?

The old man frowned. There was more to this Washu than she was letting 
on.


*Ryoko's bedside*

The rest of the family had gathered in Washu's infirmary unit. They had 
all assembled to comfort Ryoko who was to the best of their knowledge a 
returning hero, and she was, just not the way they all thought.

A pair of unseen eyes watched the scene with a joyful delight and an 
element of pride as Ryoko basked in the attention and love from her 
family. Zero watched on in a yearning silence as she felt the warm, loving 
support of the family echoing through the forgotten recesses of Ryoko's 
mind. Zero had been right in a way. It had been goodbye, it had been the 
end, but not for Ryoko.

Like she had said before this was not Zero's life and she had no real right 
to be there. She couldn't live her life as a parasite, forever hidden in 
someone else's shadow. Taking one last look at the happy Ryoko she 
could savour the joy Ryoko now felt. At least she had contributed 
something to the life she had so desperately wanted to lead, and with that 
last proud thought Zero began to tear herself away from Ryoko's mind. 
She would leave Ryoko forever and return to the forgotten nothingness 
she belonged to, lost somewhere between forgotten memories and a lost 
eternity. She left nothing of herself except for a soft whisper in Ryoko's 
thoughts.

(I'll miss you.)

It was the end of a tragic life.

Royko shed a warm tear at that moment. She didn't know why but she 
left a sense of fleeting loss. Soon that feeling became lost amongst the 
comfort of her loved ones and thanks to Zero's sacrifice, it would be the 
last tear she would shed in a long time.


*Later that night*

"Mom?" came a voice, cutting through the eerie droning of machinery 
that surrounded it.

"Yes my little Ryoko," Washu replied softly.

"What really happened on the ship?" Ryoko asked, her voice sounding as 
preoccupied as her mind was.

"I've told you already. I was in a . . ." Washu began but Ryoko would 
have none of it.

"You can't lie to me Mom," she gently warned, while tapping the side of 
her head to remind her mother why. The link was a two-way thing, if 
Washu could use it as a lie detector then so could Ryoko.

Washu let out a defeated sigh. She had been hoping her deception would 
work on Ryoko but it had proved to be unsuccessful. 

"I can't tell you what happened," Washu replied frankly, while 
manoeuvring onto the edge of the bed like she had so many years ago.

"But I should know!" Ryoko protested, her pleading eyes appealing to 
her mother's heart, "You saved my life and I don't even know how."

"Don't worry my little one," Washu eased while bending down to gently 
kiss her daughter on her forehead, "I don't know either."

This surprised and confused Ryoko but she knew it to be true. Through 
the link she could sense that her mother held scattered memories of what 
had happened but they were all hollow, the logic was missing. Instead she 
could sense a suspicion centred on some sort of machine in the lab and a 
feeling of nostalgia that stretched back more than twenty thousand years.

Washu's thoughts on the matter were indecisively torn between these two 
entwining yet contradicting notions. She was sure that something very 
clear and distinct had happened but she found herself unable to define it.

Ryoko relaxed her mind and decided that in the end it wasn't important. 
They were together again, that's all that really mattered. The odds had 
been stacked against them, they had almost no hope but they had 
survived. Yes, unbelievable as it seemed they had actually made it for 
some strange reason.

A reason that escaped them.


End of Story


There is a sequel to this story called 'The Prodigal Son' which shows Ryoko's progress and introduces a new obstacle to her relationship with her mother but this time it is very different, Washu might not want to get rid of this obstacle.

Anyway if you have any questions or comments then please send them to andrelaval@hotmail.com.

Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it.