Note:   I don't own any of these characters (If I did, do you think I'd 
spend my time writing fanfics?  Hell no.  I'd spend all my time spending the 
profits I make from Tenchi Muyo merchandise.)  Anyway, Pioneer owns this 
all, so please don't sue me (Not that you'd get any money, I'm broke.)

Note:  this takes place in a modified Tenchi OAV Universe. (Yes, they're 
"modifications", not inconsistencies or plot holes heh heh.)   Basically, 
everything that happened in the OAV happened here, but there are several 
differences, Kiyone being around one of the largest.

Jurai Blues
By James Kane (Or Confucioussays, if you prefer)

=====Mihoshi's Galaxy Police Vessel, near Mars=====

	"  And this is the engine room!"  Mihoshi said cheerfully.  Tenchi looked 
in looked at the cluttered room, filled with pipes, glowing rods, and 
assorted buttons.  It reminded Tenchi of Washu's lab, and he got a cold 
feeling of dread remembering what usually happened whenever Mihoshi went in 
there.  He silently prayed she wouldn't press any buttons.
	"  Let's see..."  She put her hand on her chin in an accidental 
impersonation of 'The Thinker'.  " This is the... molecular fusion 
inducer... no, it's the corbomite, no.... what is it? Errrr."   She lightly 
hit herself in the head, and started talking to herself.  " I had to 
memorize them all at the academy.  What was that rhyme?"  She stood in 
thought for a several seconds, then blurted out " Oh yeah.  Mom Said You 
Couldn't Have A Toad For The Equinox."   She smiled, pleased with herself, 
until her face darkened again.  "  But what did it mean?"  Then, she 
shrugged, and turned to Tenchi.  "  I can't remember.  Anyway, I'd show you 
around, but Yukinojo doesn't like me going in there for some reason."
	"  Looks very high-tech."  Tenchi said, as they moved on.  Tenchi was 
really impressed, though he had to admit to himself, he hadn't been on a lot 
of space ships to compare it too.  Just Ryo-oh-ki and Soja, and those were 
both the works of super-geniuses, so of course they would be more advanced.  
As it was, this tiny looking ship had a full galley, cargo bay, 2 jail 
cells, and a first aid room with some advanced looking robot arms.
	"  Oh it is.  In fact, it's a prawntype, er, prototype ship the Galaxy 
Police are testing."  They came to another door, which didn't open.  Mihoshi 
pulled her control cube out and started turning it.  Two minutes, a cup of 
hot tea, 3 scented candles, and a bowl of petunias later, the door swished 
open.  "  This is my room."  She said, while motioning grandly in.  For the 
most part, it was exactly as Tenchi expected.  Cluttered beyond belief, with 
barely a piece of floor showing.
	"  Oops." Mihoshi sweat dropped.  " I guess I should have cleaned up a bit 
first.  Sorry. This will only take a minute."  She hurried into the room, 
and began trying to sort the army of dirty dishes, boxes, books, and 
clothing until eventually giving up.  "  Sorry, I'll clean it up later," and 
she dumped an armload of clothes onto the bed.  She motioned to the door 
across the hallway.
	"  That room used to be Kiyone's, but I don't go in there anymore."  She 
seemed to darken a bit as she said this, her nearly eternal smile dampening 
slightly.  She didn't say anything more, just started walking towards a pair 
of double doors.
	"  Mihoshi, where have you been?"  Said a voice as the door slid open.  It 
looked at her, then seemed to blink, and looked at Tenchi.  "  And may I 
remind you that Section 8, article 16b of the galaxy Police code, civilians 
are not allowed on Galaxy police ships except during emergencies."
	"  I'm sorry Mihoshi, I'm sorry.  I didn't mean to cause you trouble."  
Tenchi said.
	"  Oh don't be silly Tenchi.  Yukinojo this is Tenchi, it's okay."  
Yukinojo sweat dropped.
	"  Oh, I'm sorry.  I didn't realize that you were Lord Tenchi, of the 
Jurain royal family."
	"  It's okay.  And just call me Tenchi."
	"  Good.  We're all getting along now."  She walked forward and plopped 
down in one of the two chairs.  Tenchi looked around a bit.  It looked kind 
of like an airplanes cockpit, only not as cramped.  There were two chairs, 
both facing toward a large window and a control panel with a large number of 
switches and buttons.
After a moment, Mihoshi noticed Tenchi standing around and motioned him 
towards the other seat.  Tenchi sat down and looked out the window.  He had 
never seen so many stars.  The light of so many never got through the 
atmosphere.  It was so beautiful, so... romantic.  He shook the thought a 
way.  There was no way Mihoshi was thinking that.  He turned to see if she 
was looking at him, but she had apparently become engrossed in her mail, and 
was scrolling down on a screen, paying no attention to him at all.
	It was at that moment that his eyes fell on a red marble, floating outside 
the window.  Mars.  He'd never seen it like this before.  It had always been 
through poor resolution photos from probes Earth had sent out.  Its beauty 
was immeasurable.
	"  How pretty."  Mihoshi cooed.  Tenchi looked over his shoulder to see 
Mihoshi staring up at the planet.  Tenchi couldn't help but notice there was 
something in her eye, some emotion he couldn't determine.  Could it be love? 
  But then again, it could just be Mihoshi being as unreadable as ever.  "I 
never noticed that one before."
	"  It's Mars.  It's actually named after an ancient war god."
	"  Well that's weird."  She said.  She looked at him and a smile crossed 
her face.  "  I got an idea Tenchi."
	"  Erm...What is it Mihoshi?"  Mihoshi's smile had put him slightly off.
	"  I think we should do something together."
	"  What exactly do you want to do?"  He sweat dropped.  Was she really 
talking about having sex?  Tenchi's mind blanked.  'She must be.  Being all 
helpful, then taking him for a romantic ride.'  He thought.  '  I'm going to 
tell her to take me home.'
	"  Something Kiyone and I used to do all the time."
	'What!?" Tenchi thought.  His mind went into overdrive as he thought over 
this new revelation.  Mihoshi had never Seemed bisexual, but if he was 
right...  Unfortunately while his mind was offline, his mouth continued to 
work
	"  Sure."  He heard himself say.  'How could I just say that?'  He thought. 
  'Now I'm really in trouble.'
	"  Okay then, I'll go get the game board."  She said, and she hopped up and 
rushed out the door, not noticing Tenchi's face fault.
	' Game?' He thought.  'Geez, I'm getting so paranoid.' And he picked 
himself up
	Mihoshi returned a few moments later, carrying what looked like a 
futuristic version of shoots and ladders.  Mihoshi set it on the divider 
between the chairs, and set it up.  It looked simple enough.  Spin a wheel 
to determine how far to move, and either do nothing, go on a slide, or pick 
up a card.
It wasn't a great game, but Tenchi had a good time.  Mihoshi even convinced 
Yukinojo to join the game.  They played for about an hour, and then took a 
short break to throw things from the galley into Jupiter's Great Red spot.  
Afterwards they went to the galley, where Mihoshi put together a meal from 
some things from the fridge.
	Still, though, Tenchi was still bothered by a nagging feeling the back of 
his mind that there was more to this then there seemed.  Mihoshi HAD after 
all, was acting strangely.  She'd never offered to help him in the fields 
before.  Finally, he gathered the courage to ask her.  He took a sip of some 
alien coffee blend, and then gently placed it on the table.
	"  Mihoshi, was there a reason you've been so close to me today?"  Mihoshi 
stopped in the middle of a long story she had been telling, and blushed 
slightly.
	"  Well, sort of Tenchi.  It just that, well,"  She dropped eye contact, 
and started arching her fingers nervously.  "  Oh, this is so embarrassing." 
  Tenchi frowned inwardly.  He hadn't wanted to believe that Mihoshi could 
have been so crass as to try and seduce him right after he'd had his heart 
broken.
	"  It's just that you've been so unhappy lately, and you haven't been 
talking to anyone at all.  And I thought to myself, 'What makes me happy 
when I'm sad.' And I thought what always makes me feel better is when I get 
together with my friends and do fun things.  So I thought if I came and 
helped you..."
Tenchi paused.  She hadn't been trying to seduce him.  She'd just been 
trying to make him feel better.  Thinking back, he had been acting a bit 
anti-social.  He couldn't have said more than twenty words since Ayeka left, 
and he'd lost his temper several times as well.  He'd been wrong, and he 
knew it.  He decided he would apologize to Mihoshi.  Unless... The thought 
occurred to him, ' She could still be lying to me.  Telling me she wanted to 
make me feel better to make me feel more at ease so that...'  He mentally 
slammed the brakes.  Mihoshi wasn't trying to seduce him.  He had to stop 
the paranoia someplace, and this seemed to be as good as any.  He couldn't 
keep suspecting everyone.  I should be more trusting.
'Does that mean Ryoko too?' He thought.  He couldn't decide on an answer.  
Anyway, Mihoshi was talking to him, he realized.
	"  Um, Tenchi?  Tenchi?"  She said, staring at him.  "  Hello?"
	"  What is it Mihoshi?"
	"  Yukinojo wants us on the bridge.  He says he's detected a ship coming 
our way." She said.
	"  Oh, Sorry."  They left for the bridge, and Tenchi took Kiyone's old 
seat, while Mihoshi took hers.
	"  All right, Yukinojo, what is it?"  She said.  The robot head appeared to 
think for a moment.
	"  Analyzing.  Analyzing.  Sensors indicate that it is the space pirate 
Ryo-oh-ki."
	"  What?"  Mihoshi blanched.  "  A space pirate?  Here?  Yukinojo, arm 
weapons systems right now."
	"  But Mihoshi,"  Yukinojo said, " According to your report, Ryo-oh-ki."
	"  No time for talk Yukinojo.  Let's prepare to engage the enemy."
	"  Mihoshi, Ryo-oh-ki is the cabbit.  She's our friend, remember?"  Tenchi 
said.
	"  Yukinojo.  Open a channel."
	"  Channel open."  The ship replied.
	"  Space Pirate, you are in violation of Jurain space and you will have 
stop and be arrested."  Mihoshi said.  A moment later, a hologram of Ryoko 
appeared in the middle of the room, and Tenchi's heart clenched.
	"  Mihoshi, what are you doing?"  She said.
	"  Ryoko, what are you doing over there?  Have you been kidnapped by the 
space pirate?"
	"  Er, no.  It's complicated.  Listen, Mihoshi, I'm going to be gone for a 
while.  Could you give Tenchi a message?"
	"  Oh, Wait a moment."  Mihoshi said, and she looked at Tenchi.  Tenchi 
wildly made motions indicating that he was not there, but Mihoshi continued. 
  "  Tenchi's right here."  The hologram shifted to Tenchi, who just looked 
at Ryoko.
	"  Tenchi?"  Ryoko said.  Her eyes drifted towards the side of the screen, 
as she tried to see Mihoshi, and trying to figure out what exactly he was 
doing with her.
	"  Hi Ryoko."  He said uncomfortably.
	"  Hi."  She said.  It was awkward and they both knew it.  Neither said 
anything for a moment.
	"  So you're going?"  Tenchi said.
	"  Yep.  Off to look for Ayeka."  She said.  "  I'll be back as soon as I 
find her."
	"  Oh, well, good luck then."  He said, and Ryoko smiled.  It wasn't quite 
a compliment, but it was good enough.
	"  Thanks.  You too."  She said, and the hologram flickered off.


That night was a long a sleepless one for Tenchi.  He lay in bed, curled up 
under his blanket.  His mind kept floating back in forth between Ayeka and 
Ryoko.  He was angry with Ryoko for what she had done, but what if it had 
been just a simple mistake?  Certainly it was a large mistake, but it seemed 
like Ryoko was sorry about what she'd done, and not just because it had made 
Tenchi mad at her.  Ayeka, on the other hand... It hurt Tenchi to think how 
easily she could think he had betrayed her.  But, the thought occurred to 
him, had he really made her any promises that she might think he'd broke?  
He'd always tried to keep them both at arms length.  So, why would she have 
any reason to believe he'd ever loved her?
At about 5 in the morning, Tenchi decided no answers would come and went out 
onto the balcony.  The night air was cold, and crisp.  Tasted a bit like 
citrus, for some reason.  He could see a light up towards Yosho's shrine.  
Perhaps he could answer some questions, seeing as he was both very wise and 
he had known Ayeka longer than Tenchi had.  He stood out there for a long 
while, and watched the sun come up.
At about this time Tenchi started getting a nagging feeling in the back of 
his mind, like he had forgotten something.  He scratched the back of his 
head trying to figure out, but the answer stayed dark.  Was he supposed to 
have done something today, maybe with Ayeka? Or maybe Sasami?  Or Ryoko 
even?  But no, nothing made it clearer.  Shrugging it off, he threw on some 
random clothes and went downstairs.  He noticed Mihoshi was spread out on 
the couch, apparently asleep, with a cup of sake nearby.  After they had 
gotten back, it had already been dark, but Mihoshi had insisted that she 
needed to fill out a report, said it was standard procedure.  Tenchi had 
wished her good night, then went off to his sleepless night.  Apparently, 
Mihoshi had lost interest, as the report lay half finished on the table.
As he reached the bottom step his attention was grabbed by a smell coming 
from the kitchen.  Some one was cooking breakfast.  His mind wondered 
briefly if Sasami might have come home, but he dismissed it as unlikely.  He 
hurried into the kitchen to solve this little mystery.
"  Good morning, Lord Tenchi."  Said a young happy voice.  Washu stood over 
the counter, wearing an apron saying, " Be the cooks guinea pig".
"  Oh, little Washu.  I didn't realize you were a chef too."  He said, 
walking up behind her.  "  It smells great."
"  Thank you Lord Tenchi."  Washu giggled a bit. "  Actually it's a lot like 
chemistry.  Liquid A with solid B and heat for X amount of time.  Pretty 
simple."  She stirred it a bit, then took out the spoon and pointed at 
Tenchi.  "  Just don't expect me to do this everyday."  They both chuckled a 
bit.
"  I'm sure we'll be able to do something.  Maybe I'll go out and buy some 
instant stuff today."  He said.  He noticed that Washu seemed to be looking 
over him from head to toe.
"  Is something wrong, Little Washu?"  Tenchi asked.
" Oh it's not really any of my business, Tenchi."
"  What isn't, Washu?"
"  Well, I knew Earth schools were generally more casual, but I thought they 
required more of a uniform that that."
	"School!"  Tenchi paled.  That's what had been forgetting.  Summer break 
was over, school started again today.  "  Damn it, I'm going to be late."  
Tenchi rushed back upstairs and dug through his drawers for about ten 
minutes before he found where he'd put his uniform away last year.  It fit a 
bit snugger than it had the year previous.
	He hurried back downstairs to grab his books, and saw Washu, arms crossed, 
staring at him.
	"  Aren't you at least going to try what I made?"  She said.  " Good for 
nothing." She muttered under her breath.
	"  Sure it's great, Little Washu but I really have to hurry.  I'm going to 
be late as it is!"  He said, grabbing his book bag.
	"  Oh, don't worry about time Lord Tenchi."  Washu said, reaching into her 
pocket and removed a small, non-descript looking white plastic case with a 
single red button on it.  She gently pressed the button, and the world grew 
quiet.  Very quiet.  At first Tenchi thought it was just his imagination, 
but quickly realized that even the standard nature noises he had grown 
accustomed to had stopped.  He looked out the window to see everything 
frozen.  The waves on the lake stopped at the height of their motion, the 
trees stuck leaning right on a breeze.  Clouds unmoving.
	" Er, Washu, what did you just do?"
	"  It's my latest invention.  It slows down time in a twenty-meter radius.  
Although time seems to pass normally in here, in reality you could stay here 
a month and only seconds would have really gone by."
	"  Wow, that's really something, Little Washu.  I guess I can stay for 
breakfast then."  Washu latched onto his arm and dragged him into the 
kitchen.
	"  Of course you can, Lord Tenchi."



	Zero point zero one seven seconds later Tenchi Masaki arrives at his school 
via a hyperspace tunnel, courtesy of Washu, not to mention quite full, also 
courtesy of Washu.  Wandering through the crowded hallways he eventually 
made his way to his first class, English Language 2.  Tenchi had gotten high 
marks in English 1, and was well on his way to being fluent.  Of course, a 
translations device, yet another thing courtesy of Washu, hadn't hurt him a 
bit, and Tenchi was already thinking about taking several more foreign 
languages.
	Tenchi arrived several moments before the bell, and took a seat near the 
back window.  Normally he was an attentive student, but the last few days' 
events had made his mind prone to wandering.  He didn't even notice when a 
coin was tossed towards his head.
	"  What?  Hey."  He said, rubbing his forehead.
	"  Hey Tenchi, looks like we've got first period together."  Hiroshi said, 
walking up and sitting down next to Tenchi.
	"  Pretty cool, huh?  Frankly I'm surprised I passed English last year, 
damn adjectives." Daisuke shrugged.  "  Well the hell do they get mice from. 
  It should be mouses."

**Authors note:  No, I have not decided to make this a Ranma X-over.  I just 
suck at making original characters, and somehow I don't think Amagasaki 
would still be friends with Tenchi when Tenchi punched him across the room 
into a wall (see OAV episode 1).  So to clear up any questions, no, Tenchi 
does not go to Furinkan high school.

	Daisuke picked a seat behind Hiroshi.
	"  What'cha doing sitting so far back here?"  Hiroshi asked.
	"  I just have something to think about."  Tenchi motioned with his hand, 
as if brushing the question away.  "  So how was your summer?"
	"  Heyyy, don't change the subject.  What happened?"  Daisuke said.  Tenchi 
tried to brush the question away, but they were insistent.
	"  Someone I liked left, and I don't know when she's coming back."  He 
said.  The duo nodded with faces solemn.
	"  Broke up with one of your girlfriends.  Which one was it?  Hope it 
wasn't the blonde one.  She was cute."  Hiroshi said.
	"  Naw it wasn't Mihoshi, I..." Tenchi blinked.  " How did you know about 
Mihoshi?  I don't think I ever mentioned her to you."  Hiroshi smirked.
	"  We saw you at the mall a couple of weeks ago.  We were going to say hi, 
but then we noticed you were, ah, busy."
	"  Three girls Tenchi?  Leave some for us please."  Daisuke joked.
	"  Well, they're not really all my girlfriends.  It's just..."
	"  But what's with those two little kids?  I mean, older women are all 
right, I guess, but moms?"
	"  It's not like that, really!"  Tenchi said, sweat dropping.
	" Ahem."  Came a voice from the front of the class.  "  Do you three mind 
if I teach now.  Some students here wish to learn."  All three sweat 
dropped.
	"  I'm sorry, Miss Tadaka."  Daisuke apologized.  He looked at Tenchi and 
whispered 'lunch'.  Tenchi nodded and settled in for class.  Tenchi was 
normally attentive, but today his eyes just stared out the window.  He even 
missed it when the teacher called on him to answer a question.  'Teachers 
Pet' Hiroshi had jokingly mouthed when the teacher had exclaimed that Tenchi 
was her worst student ever.  Tenchi had several classes after English, but 
none with Hiroshi or Daisuke.  Tenchi met up with Hiroshi and Daisuke and 
they headed off campus to a local restaurant for lunch, one of the perks of 
being in a higher grade.
	"  So which of those girls broke up with you, player-boy?"  Daisuke said.
	"  Well, none of them.  It's complicated."  Tenchi sighed.  "  One girl 
made another one think I hate her, then she left and I haven't seen her 
since."
	"  Sorry. Did you like this girl?"  Daisuke said.
	"  I don't know.  The more I think about it, the more confused I get.  I 
wish I could just talk to her again."  Tenchi stared into his drink for a 
moment, and then seemed to brighten.  "  But that's not important right now. 
  What did you two do this summer?"




	Tenchi arrived back home at the shrine about an hour after school let out.  
He had decided to take a walk to try and sort out his feelings.  As he 
approached home, he half-heartedly looked for Ayeka and Sasami, but again 
seeing no one.  Tenchi just went upstairs and started on his homework.  The 
next couple of days passed the same way, after school Tenchi would come 
home, and go straight to his room to do his homework, only coming down to 
eat.  Washu even broke her word and kept cooking for the next few days.
	Until Thursday.
	Washu was sitting quietly watching a school of Hyper-nematodes flock by in 
the aquarium as she took a break from work.  As they performed a barrel 
roll, she heard the familiar clanking, as the metal crabs she used as a door 
alarm were disturbed.  Slightly annoyed, she turned to ask the intruder to 
come back later.
	"  Lord Tenchi?"  Washu said with surprise.  Tenchi closed the door gently 
behind him.  He hadn't bothered to change out of his school uniform, and it 
was pretty poorly wrinkled (Washu can't do laundry too, can she?).
	"  Hello, Little Washu."  He said somberly.  "  I was wondering if you had 
some sort of interstellar telephone or something?"
	"  What do you need to do?"  Washu asked.
	"  Well, I was just thinking, you know, since Lady Ayeka hasn't contacted 
us, maybe we could contact her.  But I don't know how to call Planet Jurai, 
let alone get in touch with the Royal family, so I was wondering if maybe 
you could help me."
	"  Of course I have an transmitter.  Contacting the Jurain royal family may 
be a little problematic, but it's nothing I can't handle."  Washu said, as 
she hopped up from her chair.  She motioned for Tenchi to follow her deeper 
into the lab.   Tenchi gave a longing look back to the safety of his home, 
and then followed Washu.  She led him to a large chamber, containing a 
screen comparable to that of a drive-in movie screen.  Washu was sitting in 
a chair near the base.
	"  So we can contact Jurai on this thing?"  Tenchi said, staring up into 
the monstrosity, which was now displaying a screen saver of text saying "#1 
Genius Scientist" bouncing randomly across it.
	"  Contacting Jurai is no big problem, anyone with a transmitter could do 
it.  Mihoshi could probably do it too.  If you really felt like it, you 
could hijack the SETI program and fire off a radio signal to Jurai, though 
it wouldn't get there for a couple hundred years."  Washu said, as the 
started working.  " No, the real problem will be getting in touch with the 
Royal family is going to be the difficult part."
	"  Why would that be?"
	"  Tenchi, do you think you could just call up the Emperor of Japan or the 
queen of England and say hi?"
	"  I see your point."  Tenchi said.
	"  The Jurain royal family is very busy, and has people to screen out 
unimportant calls.  If someone calls up claiming to be a long-lost member of 
the Jurain royal family, they probably will not get through."  Washu sat and 
pondered a bit.  "  Before I could have used my power as the head of the 
science academy to get us through, but I've yet to re-establish myself since 
being freed from Kagato.  And we also face the problem of who to talk too 
once we get through."  Tenchi puzzled about this last comment.
	"  Why wouldn't we just talk to Ayeka?"  He asked.
	"  We could try that, but seeing as she hasn't contacted us in this last 
week, I think it's a safe bet that she doesn't want to talk to you right 
now."  She said sympathetically.  "  We should probably try and get to 
someone else to set up a conversation.  It's no real secret that King Azusa 
doesn't like you too much, Tenchi, so we really shouldn't bother him.  Queen 
Misaki isn't my first choice either, so that only leaves Lady Funaho."
	Tenchi sat down next to Washu.  He didn't offer any suggestions because it 
was obvious to him he didn't know enough to be of any use.
	"  We need a way to contact Lady Funaho directly, and quickly."  Washu 
thought out loud.  Her eyes unfocused as she turned all her attention to 
solving this latest puzzle.  Suddenly she leapt up and pressed a few keys on 
her computer.  "  Of course, it's so simple.  Two birds with one stone."  
The air nearby shimmered then parted as a hyperspacial doorway appeared.  
Washu ran through and Tenchi followed.  He found himself in a large open 
space.  It was brightly lit, and the floor was made of wood.  He recognized 
it immediately, as he had spent a night in here once.  It was the place 
where Ayeka had been growing the seed of Ryu-oh, her spaceship tree.
	"  Ayeka left Ryu-oh here when she left.  We can use it to contact Karin, 
Lady Funaho's tree."  Washu said.  Tenchi approached the tree, by now fairly 
large, about the size of a small oak.  "  We can use the master key, 
Tenchi-ken.  Would you go get it, Tenchi?"  Washu said.  Then she noticed 
the look across Tenchi's face.
	" There may be a small problem.  I guess I misplaced it, because I can't 
find it."  Tenchi admitted sheepishly.  He rubbed the back of his head in 
the way he did when he was nervous.  Washu just sighed.
	"  Well, if we can't use Tenchi-ken, I suppose there may be another way.  
But it will require more drastic measures."  She turned to face Ryu-oh, and 
clasped her hands as if in prayer.
	"  Ryu-oh," Washu said in a very child-like, pleading voice. "  Would you 
pretty please contact Karin, Lady Funaho's tree, and tell her we need to 
speak to her.  We really need your help."  She looked at Tenchi.  " Drastic 
in that it makes me feel like an idiot."  As if in response, a few thin rays 
of light went from the tree to the water, and then suddenly exploded 
upwards.  " I think he agreed to do it."  She turned to Ryo-oh again.  " 
Thank you very much."  She said, and bowed gently.  The tree replied with a 
few more rays of light.  Washu turned and left the room, grabbing Tenchi and 
dragging him with her on the way out.  "  Now we wait."  She said, as they 
exited the hyperspacil portal back into the room into the screen.
	"  How long do you think it will take?"  Tenchi asked.
	"  It depends."  Washu shrugged.  "  If she's not doing anything, maybe an 
hour or two.  So, until she calls..." Washu pressed up against Tenchi.  "  
Do you want to cuddle?"  She said, looking up at him with doe eyes.
	"  No thanks, little Washu."  Tenchi said, blushing a bit.  "  But thanks 
for trying to cheer me up."
	"  Anytime, Lord Tenchi."  She said with a smile.  "  Now run along, I'll 
call you when Lady Funaho responds."
	"  Sure thing, Little Washu."  Tenchi smiled back at headed back out of 
Washu's lab.  As he opened the lab door, he found his Grandfather waiting 
for him.
	"  Tenchi, you haven't been coming to practice lately.  Are you ill?"  He 
asked sternly.
	"  Sorry, Grandpa, but I've been really worried about Ayeka and I couldn't 
really concentrate on practicing."  Tenchi answered sheepishly.
	"  That is no excuse, Tenchi.  You must learn to accept what can not be 
changed, and worry about it in due time."  Yosho said, as the floor suddenly 
rose up and engulfed them both.
	"  Sorry about that, Tenchi."  Washu said.  "  We got an answer sooner than 
I expected.  Lord Yosho."  Washu acknowledged.  Yosho examined his new 
surroundings.
	"  What is going on here, Tenchi?"  He asked.
	"  So?  Have we finally decided to call home, Yosho?"  Boomed a loud voice. 
  Yosho froze, then turned to stare at the gigantic image of Lady Funaho on 
the giant screen.
	"  Hel... Hello Mother."  Yosho stammered.
	"  Actually, we called, Lady Funaho."  Washu said.  Yosho nodded in thanks.
	"  Well, mother, it has been great to see you again, and I would very much 
like to stay and speak to you, but shrine matters call.  Perhaps I will 
speak to you again."
	"  Shrine matters.  Of course."  Funaho answered unbelievingly.  "  Later 
then."  Yosho bowed, and hurried out.  Funaho briefly let her annoyance 
show, then turned her attention to Tenchi with a smile.  "  So then, Lord 
Tenchi, to what do I owe this call?"
	"  Well, Lady Funaho, I was wondering if you help me with Ayeka."  Tenchi 
said.  Funaho gave Tenchi a perplexed look.
	"  Certainly, Tenchi.  What can I do?"  She said.
	"  We need you to talk to Ayeka.  You see, what she saw wasn't real, it was 
just an illusion created by one of Washu's gadgets by Ryoko."  Funaho was 
silent for a bit.
	"  I'll do what I can Tenchi, but why can't you do it?"
	"  What?"  Tenchi exclaimed.  "  You mean Ayeka isn't on Planet Jurai?"
	"  No.  Should she be?"  Tenchi's skin suddenly went cold.  Ayeka hadn't 
gone back to Jurai, so where was she?  Why hadn't she even called to let her 
parents know what had happened.  Tenchi quickly explained what happened to 
lady Funaho.  Funaho looked on impassively as Tenchi explained.   After 
Tenchi finished, she finally spoke.
	"  I see.  And Ryoko has left Earth?"  She said.  Tenchi nodded.  "  I'll 
inform Azusa immediately.  Don't worry lord Tenchi, I'm sure we will find 
her."




===== Jurain Battle Cruiser Eternity =====


	"  Ayeka, Ayeka, are you here Ayeka?"  Sasami called out as she entered the 
room.  Until very recently, this room had belonged to captain Sakuma, but as 
Jurain battle cruisers had little extra space, he had gladly offered his 
quarters to Ayeka and Sasami.  It wasn't a huge room, but at least two times 
the size of the room they had at Tenchi's, and it had an attached living 
room and office.  It even had a window that looked out into space.
	"  In here Sasami."  Ayeka said from the office.  She looked up from the 
computer screen and waved as Sasami.  Sasami padded into the office and 
bounced into a chair in front of the desk.  The office was nicely furnished, 
with a beautifully carved desk made of plastic, though it looked and felt 
like wood.  The chairs were large and comfortable, with intricate designs on 
the fabric.  "  How did you like this ship?"
	"  It's really big.  I never knew that Jurain ships were this huge."  
Sasami said.  Ayeka smiled gently at her little sister. " Did you know that 
there are these tunnels that go everywhere on the ship?"
	"  Yes Sasami.  They're so that people can repair the ship."  Ayeka said.
	"  Captain Sakuma asked me a couple of times if I knew why you wanted us 
not to send any messages.  He seems very uncomfortable with everything."  
Sasami said.
	"  Of course he is.  It's his ship.  He wouldn't be a worthy captain of a 
Jurain vessel if he didn't worry about his ship."  Ayeka said casually.  She 
looked back to the computer and typed a few more words. " That's a good 
one."  She muttered.
	"  Maybe if you would just explain to him why you want to do it, then he 
wouldn't be so uncomfortable."  Sasami said.   Ayeka looked back at her 
sister.
	"  Sasami," Ayeka said lovingly " I'm not yet ready to talk about what I'm 
planning."
	"  Well then, could you explain it to me?"  Sasami said.  She sounded 
normal, but Ayeka could hear the note of pleading in her voice.  Ayeka 
smiled comfortingly, stood up, and sat next to Sasami.  She gently cupped 
Sasami's hand in her own.
	"  Sasami, someday you will have to learn that being a princess of Jurai 
means more than just ordering people around and being privileged.  You'll 
understand that being a princess of Jurai means you have a responsibility 
towards the people of the Jurain Empire, and sometimes you have to work for 
them.  Do you understand now, Sasami?"
	"  I guess so."