<"I'm sorry Tenchi...and...I love you..."> Ryoko took two steps and fell to the ground. She just couldn't ignore the truth. Tenchi meant more to her than anything in this entire universe. Nothing would ever change that, and she knew it. However, Tenchi didn't know the truth. He practically begged her not to leave him. Why? If she stayed here, then things would just get worse. A person could only mask their feelings for so long before they went mad. Every day on the Earth television there were stories of normal people just snapping and doing something irrational. Ryoko did not want to end up like that, but was it possible for her to ever leave Tenchi? He was what had kept her going for so long, but could she live with the pain that she was causing him every day that she remained here? She never wanted to hurt him. She was simply a lost soul that wanted to be loved. Was that too much to ask for? In today's world it obviously was. Many things were based on pride. If Tenchi were to marry Ryoko, then she'd be happy, but he'd have to live with the fact that Azusa would have gotten what he wanted. Nobody wanted him to win that particular battle. But was Ryoko strong enough to stand by and watch Tenchi happily live the rest of his life with Ayeka? No, she'd go mad in the first five minutes. It was incomprehensible to her that all of her efforts to make Tenchi understand her feelings were in vain. It was impossible. If she were to go away...then she'd never know if Tenchi fully fell in love with Ayeka. She would never have to know the extent of his happiness...never. Ignorance would be bliss to her then. She could just live a life in oblivion. No one would ever know how hard she struggled every day of her life to forget her past. Seven hundred years is a long time, but not long enough. The moment that she saw Soja in the sky, horrible memories filled her mind once again. In fact, that very night she'd had her first nightmare since leaving the cave. And it was about him. She'd dreamt about the time that he taught her a lesson about the difference between human emotions and impulses. Those memories would never leave her. Ryoko looked at the ground beneath her. It must have been raining for the rocks were wet. She lifted her face to the sky and felt water run down her cheeks, but it wasn't rain. The salty taste of her tears crossed over her lips. She feebly tried to stand up, but her weary body collapsed to the ground again. All that she could do was scrunch up into a ball and cry. Huge sobs rose from deep within her soul and Ryoko cursed Tenchi Misaki for making her fall in love with him. If only she'd never seen him that day outside of her cave. That cold darkness was better than this pain that she now felt in her heart. Years of ignorance were better than full knowledge...and love. She didn't want this anymore. If only it would end... Dirt rubbed into Ryoko's face and mixed with her tears. She didn't care. In fact, she tried to hide her face in the dirt and run away from everything. With one thought she could leave. That's all that it would to take for her to leave forever. "TENCHI!" Ryoko sat up and screamed out his name and listened to it float away in the wind...along with her heart. * "What...?" Tenchi stopped short as he walked into his room. This wasn't the first time that he'd felt this in his life. It sounded like someone was calling his name, but there was no one around. Something was pulling at his mind and his heart. There was a sense of despair surrounding him, choking him. It was practically tangible even now in his bedroom. And there was only one word that slipped into his mind: Ryoko. There was an enormous amount of sadness aroused in his heart as he thought of her. Not really his sadness, but hers. She really did love him, but he just couldn't return those feelings. Why? It wasn't right. Why? He had to consider the feelings of not just Ryoko, but all of the girls. Tenchi wasn't thinking of anyone but Ryoko when he felt her lips against his own. Peace had entered his heart at last in that moment yet he was content to push it away as he always did. There'd been something different about today though. Not just the fact that he'd finally kissed one of the girls, but there was something more there. All of his instincts had told him to push Ryoko away. But there was something more at work there. His heart had told him...deny no longer you feelings. He looked at his hand and remembered gently caressing her cheek. He would be content to do that every day of his life. No...Tenchi squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed his forehead. Somehow it didn't really seem to be his head that he wanted to rub. There was a growing lump in his throat that he wanted to suppress, but it only grew larger, and the feeling moved to his chest. Something was changing. He could feel it coming, but he would fight it off for as long as he could. He had to be strong. Hearts were at stake. Right now, he had to go and see Ryoko again. * Ayeka was still sitting out front of the house when Tenchi emerged. Something seemed different about him. There was a look of determination on his face like he'd just come to some sort of decision. "Tenchi, what is it?" He turned to face him as though he'd just remembered that she was there. That look in his eyes startled her, and she took a cautious step back. A sense of urgency arose in her heart, and she feared what was to come. But why was she afraid? Perhaps she was just letting her mind run off again. She was always a little paranoid whenever it came to Tenchi. There was always a fear in the back of her head that she might lose him some day. She sincerely hoped that day would never come. "I have to go and discuss something with Ryoko." Ayeka started at those words and her eyes asked Tenchi to continue. "I've done something wrong and now I must set it right." That did not ease her fear any more, and Tenchi knew it. That was all he could say though. Truth be told, he didn't even know what was going to happen when he went to talk to Ryoko. Anything could happen, but there was one thing he knew for sure: something was going to change. Ayeka watched as Tenchi began to walk back towards the forest. Every fiber of her being told her to stop him, but she couldn't think of any reason for him to come back. She didn't even know what he was going to discuss with her. For all she knew, Ryoko may have punched another hole in the wall and Tenchi was angry with her. However, she knew full well that wasn't it. Something was wrong here. The whole situation just didn't' seem right. What could she do to make Tenchi come back before something happened? Luckily she didn't have to come up with a brilliant plan, because someone else did it for her: The most brilliant scientific mind in the galaxy! "Tenchi!" Tenchi and Ayeka both almost had heart attacks as Washu's face appeared in front of them enlarged to at least a hundred times its normal size. "I was wondering if you could come to my lab and help me with something." For a moment Tenchi looked back in the direction that he knew Ryoko was and once again felt the lump in his throat rise. He didn't want to delay this for it had to be done now before anyone else got hurt. He knew that he still had a lot to learn in his life. The knowledge of the universe may be far beyond his reach, but at least he could try to make some sense of his own life. That was what was important to him now. A year of wandering had to be put to a stop now. But he sighed and looked up into Washu's eyes that were as big as he was. "Alright. Just please don't let it take too long. I have something that I have to take care of." Washu's head disappeared as Tenchi walked through it and back into the house. Ayeka sighed and felt a wave of relief. Many times she did not really know what to think of Washu, but now she was eternally grateful to her. But what could she do now? Ryoko...she had to get to Ryoko before Tenchi did. What would she say though? It didn't matter. The words would come to her she just had to get there...now. * Washu shut off the screen with the picture of Tenchi and Ryoko together in the woods. She then entered her observations into her database. It wasn't quite time yet for Tenchi to go to Ryoko. There was still a lot of data to be collected about her present state of mind. It was very intriguing to study human emotions. They were one of the most puzzling subjects in the universe. Ryoko was in a perfect state right now to be studied. She was at the height of sorrow and despair. Another screen popped up in front of her. It was a digitized recording of what Ryoko was dreaming right now. After crying for so long, she'd exhausted herself and fell into a restless sleep. The dream wasn't too pleasant to watch. Right now, Washu wanted to study Tenchi's reaction to learning part of the truth about Ryoko's past. He'd be here any minute. She heard him open the door, but she didn't say anything. All she did was allow the video to play and let her sensors record all levels of Tenchi's emotions. At first he didn't notice the video, because he was still lost in his thought about Ryoko. He was partially afraid of what was going to happen when he saw her. What if he said the wrong things, or what if she shut herself in behind her wall of indifference again? "Stop it! Please!" Tenchi's head jerked up as he finally saw and heard the video. All of the color left his face and he stood there in complete shock. There was a man in the corner of the room on the screen. He'd been impaled by one of Ryoko's energy swords, but he was still alive. His eyes darted frantically around the room as he beheld the bloody scene. A gruesome and agonized scream echoed through the room and Ryoko hurled the mutilated body of the man's wife against the wall. Her blood splattered on his face, and tears raced down his cheeks as he pleaded with the demon. "Please...whatever it is that you want, you can have it. Just please don't hurt my child. Let her go free." Blood trickled out of the corner of his mouth, and it was apparent that he was close to death. His body had been pinned to the wall at least three feet off of the ground, and his own blood was dripping off of his feet into a puddle on the wood floor. All energy was leaving his body, and yet he still did not know why this woman was doing this to him and his family. Ryoko turned to face him, and her eyes were a pale emotionless green. There was no expression on her face, and she calmly walked over to a screaming child in the corner. The blood of her victims covered her body and it had soaked her hair. For a moment she stood over the girl and just looked at her. A voice floated out of nowhere and echoed in her ears. "Look into her eyes. You now control her with fear. Kill her." Ryoko reached out with one hand and lifted the child by her head. This girl was no more than three years old, and all that she could do was scream. Her beautiful blond curls fell over Ryoko's bloodied fingers, and she tried to pull the iron clamp off of her skull. Suddenly Ryoko's eyes squeezed shut and a tear rolled down her cheek. The child was dropped to the floor and it quickly scrambled to her father's side. Ryoko fell to her knees and shook her head. "Not like this...I can't kill this child. I just can't do it." She opened her eyes and they'd returned to their normal color. They were also filled with tears as she looked at the girl and her father. "Please don't make me kill them Kagato." She'd barely spoken her last words as the searing pain filled her brain once again. He was regaining control...and he would make her kill these innocent people. She had to resist him. However, she soon stopped shaking and now her eyes were a fiery red. She looked at the man again and he screamed as she released a blast of energy at his head. Blood splattered on her and the screaming child who now clutched at her father's decapitated body. Ryoko calmly walked over to the child and hurled a punch at her tiny head, smashing her skull. She stared blankly as blood began to trickle out of her ears and nose. They were all dead... The cyan haired demon stood silently amidst the carnage. Tenchi turned away and vomited into a trashcan that suddenly appeared behind him. Washu had anticipated this, but it wasn't over yet. It was far from over. Another scream filled Tenchi's ears, but this time he recognized it. He looked up at the screen again and saw Ryoko being hurled into one of the pools of water on either side of the main room on Soja. The blood that still covered her body clouded the pure water, and she began to shake with fear and exhaustion. Her arms tried to push her body up, but a foot was suddenly slammed into her back, and her face was shoved back into the water. "Fear is power, Ryoko. Ignore all emotions and control all others with their own fear. The girl was nothing. Killing her was nothing!" Kagato kicked Ryoko in the side and she rolled over onto her back. There was no energy left in her. She could no longer fight him...at least not now. He lifted her by the neck and hurled her against a wall like she was a rag doll. There wasn't even enough strength left in her to soften her fall, and she coughed up blood as she lay on the floor. No time was allowed for her to rest though. Kagato picked her up once again and dumped her back into the water. It was like ice against her skin and she shivered even more. Then she heard him laugh. Kagato looked down at her shaking form in the water. Her battle suit was torn and her wild hair was now matted to her face. Without another thought, he knelt over her and slapped her across the face. "It's time for another lesson, Ryoko." He whispered into her ear as he grabbed both of her arms. "There is a difference between human emotions and human impulses. They can both be ignored, but sometimes, we must give way to impulses." Ryoko shook her head and screamed out protests. She begged him to stop just as that man had begged her, and she now saw that she was no different from Kagato. She would never be any different. All that she was made to be was a killing machine. And that was exactly what she'd become. Tenchi turned away from the screen. He couldn't watch any more, and Washu realized it. She very calmly switched off the screen and turned to face him. Almost every emotion possible was etched into his face. "Why did you show me that Washu?" Tenchi knew the answer to that, but he didn't want to believe any of it. That couldn't be true! But what if it was... Washu shrugged her shoulders and looked at Tenchi. "You said that you wanted to know about Ryoko's past, and you knew that she would never tell you. This is only the tip of the iceberg if you want to know more." Tenchi shook his head in disbelief and stumbled out of Washu's lab. She silently watched him go and then turned back around to enter her observations into her database. * Ayeka ran through the woods until she found Ryoko. When she did, she stopped short and stared in shock. She'd never seen her rival like this before. Ryoko was lying in the dirt shivering, and she was apparently asleep. Ayeka wasn't really sure if she'd ever seen Ryoko sleeping. At least not like this, she was even crying in her sleep. What kind of nightmare could affect her in such a way? "Please...stop..." Ryoko's voice was partially choked with tears as she shook even more. "Tenchi please help me...Kagato..." Ayeka took a step back in surprise. She hadn't heard that name in a long time, but as soon as she did it aroused fears inside of her. There were occasions when Ayeka envied Ryoko for her strength of emotions. It was rare though that she considered how she became so strong. It was evident that Kagato had control over Ryoko's mind, but to what extent? Deep inside of her heart, Ayeka wanted to believe that Ryoko really was a monster. And yet, she now knew full well that Ryoko had been forced to do so many horrible things in her life. Perhaps the attack on her home planet had even been forced on her. She slowly walked over to Ryoko and knelt next to her. Ayeka admitted that she didn't like Ryoko too much, but she always respected her. Perhaps she even considered Ryoko to be her friend. They'd been through a lot together, and now Ayeka couldn't imagine a day without their quarreling. It just wouldn't be the same without a good fight to start off the day. Yes, Ryoko was her friend. "Ryoko, wake up." Ayeka gently shook Ryoko's shoulder, but that only caused her to fight more in her sleep. Her head jerked back and forth a few times, and Ayeka called out her name a few more times. It was useless. Ryoko was breathing heavily, and tears were flowing out of the corners of her eyes. Whimpers and random words escaped her lips as her nightmare intensified. "Tenchi...no...don't leave me." Ayeka now held onto Ryoko's shoulders to try and hold her still. Now she wondered if this was the way that she always slept. Was every night filled with nightmares of her past? Ayeka shuddered at the thought of endless nights of horror. But to Ryoko, they weren't just nightmares. They were true memories of horror. Every dream was just another flashback to her past. That had been a nightmare that she knew she'd never awaken from. Now she suffered from insomnia. Every night she avoided sleep, and she tried everything to take her mind off of Kagato. Most of the time that meant watching over Tenchi. Night after precious night she watched him sleep ever so peacefully, and she wished for that. She wanted peace. "RYOKO!" Ayeka jolted as she heard Tenchi's voice. He was coming this way. She didn't know whether to stay or go, but she didn't have very long to think about it, because he quickly came bounding through the trees into the clearing. "Lord Tenchi!" He stopped for a brief moment and looked at Ayeka. What was she doing here? Then he saw that she was kneeling next to Ryoko's shivering form in the dirt. He quickly knelt on her other side and took her hand. But Ryoko protested in her sleep as Tenchi touched her. "Kagato...stop... please..." He suddenly realized that she thought that it was Kagato that was touching her. For a moment he thought about the images on the screen of Kagato...and Ryoko. She was his fallen angel. Tenchi slipped his hand behind Ryoko's head and pulled her into his arms. Now he understood her a bit more. Perhaps she thought that her past and the things that she'd done to other people would disgust him. He wished that she had told him everything sooner. It may be too late to save her heart. For so long she'd been hiding the truth. What damage had she done to her sanity by doing so? "Ryoko, it's me, Tenchi, please wake up...Kagato is gone..." Tenchi gently stroked her hair and held her as tightly to him as possible. She was still struggling, but it only made Tenchi want to comfort her more. She'd been forced to do so much, and now he was afraid to know everything. That one event was too much for him to handle. As he'd rushed out of Washu's lab he could only think of getting to Ryoko. Ayeka felt a sort of sadness as she watched Tenchi cradling Ryoko against his shoulder, but she was afraid for Ryoko. She also felt that her being here wouldn't be helpful when Ryoko finally awakened. She slowly stood up and put her hand on Tenchi's shoulder as she walked past him. To her surprise, he grabbed hold of it and kissed it gently. Ayeka stood and looked into his beautiful eyes. "Thank you for staying with her Ayeka. I am only now beginning to understand what she's been through." He kissed her hand again and then went back to trying to wake up Ryoko. Ayeka was stunned. She'd never seen Tenchi acting like this, and she wondered just what it was that Washu wanted to see him about. She slowly turned around and walked off leaving Ryoko to be comforted by Tenchi. ** Well there ya go! another chapter hatched from the insanity that is my brain hope ya liked it! *submilinal message* e-mail me! horse_w_no_name@cheerful.com or visit my page http://www.fortunecity.com/rivendell/elfin/311/ thanks for reading my story!!! and thanks to magus the dark for reading my junk before i sent it off! horse_w_no_name