Tenchi Muyo Never an Ending: Washu's Escape This is a continuation of "Tenchi Muyo Never an Ending." This takes near the end of "Ryoko Freaks Out." I do not own or hold the rights to any of the characters or activities that have gone on through any of the TM episodes as they are the Property of AIC and Pioneer. I want no money or fame out of this, nor do I want a lawsuit so please go easy on me. ***** Tenchi Muyo Never an Ending: Washu's Escape Washu watched from her lab as most everyone spent the next several hours after the small reunion cleaning the house. The reunion was completed when Katsuhito had returned to the house shortly after Sasami and Ayeka had. Mihoshi left the lab after he had as well. The drones that Washu had sent out had finished repairing the major damage, returned to her lab, and joined those already working there to repair the damage. Now the only thing left to do in the Masaki house was putting the smaller things back up where they belonged. To her is seemed strange to be watching this as Ryoko seamed to do the most today as she felt directly responsible for this mess. Her daughter had not done much cleaning in the past, but that did not keep her from trying. Even Ayeka had told her several times that it was not her fault but she still felt guilty about it. Washu knew it was her own fault that her daughter had attacked them, and it should be her feeling the guilt now, not Ryoko. Just a few hours away from dinner time Sasami went to the onsen to clean up and then to change clothes before she returned to start dinner. She had hoped that after a good dinner, everyone would feel better and maybe Nobuyuki would not be mad at the destruction of his house. After some time Sasami poked her head out of the kitchen, "Ok, dinner is about an hour away. So that gives all of you time to get cleanup up." Through her monitors, Washu watched as Ayeka and Mihoshi pulled Ryoko away from cleaning the room and took her to the onsen. Tenchi watched those two pull her away from this and he could not help but smile at how things have changed, hopefully for the better before he too left to get cleaned up. Sleeping out in the ground had left his clothes dirty and stained but to have Ryoko back made it worthwhile. She had put her monitors in every room and more in the bathing areas so she could keep a constant watch on the family. At least that is what she told herself, but she found it interesting at how may times Tenchi took a bath or shower thinking he was alone to express his thoughts, but she had heard every word. She had heard him fantasizing about Ryoko now and then and she was annoyed several times at how he never thought of her when he fantasized. "But then again you look like a twelve year old," her mind retorted. She just sighed and then laughed as she realized he didn't do that with any of the others either. Bypassing on watching Tenchi again, as it no longer served a purpose to her, she watched the three girls in the onsen. For a while she thought her microphones were broken as she could see Ayeka's mouth moving as if she were talking but there was no sounds. Turning the volume up to maximum, she nearly fell over when Ayeka finally spoke. "Um, Ryoko?" The princess' voice reverberated through the lab as Washu frantically turned the volume down. "Yes?" "Did Tenchi tell you?" With her mind still swirling with guilt, joy, and nervousness Ryoko tried to act nonchalant about it, but her nervousness gave her away, "Tell me what?" Washu tried not to laugh at her daughters' attempt. Ayeka gave her a sly smile, "That he loves you?" Her cool demeanor and the lack of eye contact made Ryoko shift about nervously. "I, well, he," she tried hard to think of something as she was completely caught off guard and she was not sure Tenchi wanted anyone to know about this yet. She scoffed inwardly at the idea, as she had been telling the princess for years that he loved her, but now that it was true, she wasn't going to say it. Thankfully for her, Mihoshi was the one to respond. "Is that why he threatened you with the sword?" Her bubble headed ways caused Ayeka to grit her teeth as she had been enjoying this. Ryoko instantly picked up on what the ditz had said; "He threatened you!" "Yea," Mihoshi giggled, "She called you a pirate and he held the sword up to her neck saying..." She paused for a moment as Ryoko leaned over towards her. "Um, I forgot what he said." Ryoko's eyes shot open and she lost her balance falling over into the water. When she came up out of the water both Ayeka and Mihoshi were laughing, Ayeka being the one to do it quietly. Between laughs, Mihoshi asked her, "Why are you trying to wash your hair that way?" Ayeka lost her ability to hold it back and began laughing at the ditz. The wet pirate did not like the thought of being laughed at so she shot the princess a evil glare causing Ayeka to recoil a moment. In an attempt to change the subject, the princess asked her question again, "Well did he tell you he loves you?" "Oh yes Ryoko! Did he tell you?" Mihoshi was leaning forward now with her hands clasped as if she were begging to know. Remembering her link with Tenchi, she called out to him "Tenchi?" Washu just watched with interest wondering why her daughter had gotten so quiet suddenly. She turned her attention away from the scene as her machines began recording something. She took a quick peek at it and discovered that Ryoko was having a telepathic conversation with someone. It did not even take the little genius a second to discover whom she was talking to. "Tenchi," she said with a wistful smile, as she remembered how her daughter used to talk to her mentally, before, before... She did not even want think of it or him at this time. "Huh, yes?" Tenchi responded to Ryoko almost like he was coming out of a dream. "Ayeka wants to know if you love me? Should I tell them?" She asked and her feelings of nervousness began to wash over him. "I know you've wanted to for so long and have even told her before, but please don't upset her, ok? I do love you." Along with his mental words, he tried to reassure her with his own feelings, but this link was new to him, so he hoped that she understood. Washu turned back to her monitor with tears brimming in her eyes, she missed her daughter, and the way she used to be. Ryoko's voice tore her away from her memories. "Yes, he did. He loves me!" She told her friend's happily. Mihoshi shouted, "Oh I am so happy!" The spiky haired scientist was treated to a rare surprise as Ayeka did something truly unusual she hugged Ryoko. "I'm happy for you," she told Ryoko. "You mean it?" To which Ayeka just nodded. Washu was near tears when she heard her machine beeping. It's monotone voice echoed, "Experiment Completed." Washu looked at the display and saw that it had finally finished compiling the data she collected from Ryoko last night. "Experiment," she said quietly, "It's all been an experiment." She read over the transcript and could see the experiments heart rate, brain waves and more were displayed. Anything that was spoken had been recorded as well with the experiments vital statistics next to it. Never before did she realize it was there, it was not until she saw the lines that read, "Experiment: Mommy? Mommy! Don't leave me alone!" with her daughters' heart rate and other information that it truly hit her. She vividly recalled how shortly after she called out to her, to her mom that she began to degrade into a false reality. "I, I tortured her. Just like he did." The papers fell from her hands as she looked around the room contemplating what she had done. A memory came back from the recesses of her mind. "Doctor Hakubi," Kagato had said, "Why are you doting over that like it's a child? You'll confuse the poor thing. Place the experiment on the table I have the next set of tests ready to run." She had been unable to explain her feelings and did as he asked. She watched as he cut her daughter with a scalpel, and then recorded the time that it took to heal. The entire time Ryoko was screaming in pain, but he paid it no mind. When she confronted him about it, he had said to her, "Doctor, it is just an experiment, and might I say well designed. Why are you getting so attached to it, it's no different than those small creatures you made us dissect in class." Washu fell to the floor as the memories washed over her and tears formed in her eyes. "He was wrong!" She screamed to no one. Tenchi's words came back to haunt her, "Washu? What have you done? Is this another of your experiments?" She tried to tell him no but she could not say a word as he continued, "you mean you, her mother, locked her up and tortured her!" To complete her own mental torture she looked back at the paper only to see the words "Damn you Washu." In that instant she lost her ability to reason, her entire being became engulfed in darkness. All around her, she could see experiments of different sorts that she was running and tests being done. "Experiments! You're all Experiments! Get out!" Screamed a frantic Washu as she proceeded to annihilate the remnants of her lab. Soon all that was left was just a cold empty room with her in the middle. The steel floor reminded her of her coldness to her favorite experiment that she had called a daughter. She could not stand the way she had acted in the past and even now. "She hates me." Was all she could say before disconnecting her lab from the Masaki house. Then falling to the floor, she closed off her link to her daughter so that she could no longer intrude on her experiment. Outside the lab, no one noticed her rampage or even her cutting off her lab from the house. But as Ryoko told the two girls in the bath with her about how Tenchi told her he loved her she suddenly felt something strange. There was a strength or a presence that suddenly left her that made her feel weak. The loss she could not place, as it had always been there. With this sudden loss and weakness developing it caused her to fall over. She did the only thing she could and called out to Tenchi for help. Even as Ryoko was falling over into the water Ayeka and Mihoshi caught her and tried to hold her up. She could not explain what happened, it was such an unusual feeling. Her two friends were holding her up as Tenchi burst in clad in a pair of shorts. Seeing Ryoko like that he went to her side and lifted her out of the water and took her to a bench beside the water. "Ryoko? What's wrong?" He cried frantically trying to get a response, but she gave none. Seeing that she was not going to respond right now, he asked over his shoulder at the other two, "What happened?" "Maybe she drank to much?" Mihoshi offered. "I doubt it," Ayeka piped in, "She didn't even have one drink." She placed a hand on his shoulder, "She was telling us how you saved her by telling us that you love her then she fell over. We were trying to hold her up when you came in." Tenchi mulled over what she said just briefly and he noticed that Ayeka was truly concerned, and more importantly, she did not doubt what Ryoko had told her. He was glad about that part but he only spared a few moments thoughts over that before trying to reach Ryoko through their link. "Ryoko? What happened?" "I... I don't know." It may not have been much but at least she was responding at last so he let out a slight sigh that it might be ok. Mihoshi was the one to come up with the best idea so far. "Maybe we should take her to Washu, she'll know what to do." Although Ayeka felt like slapping the ditz for suggesting that they take Ryoko back to the lab where this all started she had to admit it did seem like the best idea. "I agree, while that may not be the best place to take her, only Washu will know what to do." Tenchi nodded his head, scooped up Ryoko in his arms, took her to the living room, and placed her on the couch. Ayeka went to get her something to wear only to remember that Ryoko just phased into the clothes she wanted to wear. This meant she did not have any clothes anywhere to get. Groaning she threw her hands up into the air and went into her own room and brought down one of her own robes. She placed it around Ryoko and fastened the front as her friend huddled on the couch. Once she was done she stood up and looked at Tenchi and Mihoshi standing in front of the closet. "What's wrong? Aren't you going to get her?" He turned to her with a confused look on his face. It was not until Mihoshi moved that she saw the broom in the closet. Then it hit her why they had not gone in to get Washu. Mihoshi just looked confused and told her, "Washu's gone, she's not there?" "That's it!" Ryoko proclaimed to Tenchi through their link. "What's it?" He asked her aloud. "She's gone. I, I can't feel her anymore..." Her voice was a mix of emotions that made them all wonder. She seemed happy that Washu was gone, yet sad as well. Tenchi and Mihoshi stood by the closet while Ayeka sat beside her. "Are you sure she's gone?" Ryoko look at her friends and then nodded slowly, "She's always been there, I guess. I never knew who was with me, but she always was. Now, I, I can't fell her." She looked at them smiling nervously, not really sure if she liked this. After what Washu had put her through the other night, she was not sure if she wanted to see the little scientist again. "Ryoko, do you really miss her?" She heard him say to her mentally, and at first she wanted to say no, but despite how much she hated her at times, she did miss her. "Yes. I never believed her when she said she knew so much about me, but..." her inner-voice trembled as she tried to talk to him. "But, without her I feel so empty." "I know, I felt the same when I lost my mom, and grandma. But do you think anything happened to her?" He continued the conversation mentally as he thought that no one else needed to be involved yet. She suddenly turned to Tenchi with a worried look, "I don't know... I don't think anything could have happened this fast without her saying or doing something." They both began to think of possibilities while Ayeka tried to comfort the pirate turned friend. Even she had to admit that this was a switch from just over a day ago. Mihoshi went into the Kitchen to help Sasami and she told the little princess that Washu seemed to be gone. Immediately Sasami ran into the living room to see for herself. Tenchi tried his best to tell her what was going on and then she went outside. Mihoshi just sat at the table, as the past days events seemed to overcome her, she cold feel her mental state falling apart. She had spent such a long time trying to piece it back together and now it was falling apart again. Sasami was not sure where she was headed, but she felt her feet carrying her down to the lake. Ayeka watched her leave, then a moment later she followed her sister. Tenchi sat beside Ryoko as he snuggled against his side hungry for the feeling of being complete again. She did not want to have to have Washu back, but she missed her despite herself. Reaching the end of the dock the little girl looked at her reflection and sighed, it was her own reflection. "Tsunami," she called. The water rippled a moment and then Tsunami was there as Sasami's reflection, "Yes Sasami?" "What happened? Where's Washu?" Ayeka stood back and watched with interest. The air before her sister shimmered a moment then the visage of the goddess Tsunami appeared. "Washu lives, she is in her lab. But as to what happened it is best if she tell you instead of me." "But how? We can't get into her lab?" "One of you can if she had her full power back. And it is she that needs to go more than any other." Both Ayeka and Sasami thought about that for a moment and they knew the goddess referred to Ryoko, but with Washu missing then, she would not be at full power, would she? While Sasami sat there thinking about it Ayeka walked over to her, "Do you think she will go get her?" Sasami just shrugged her shoulders. The two princesses' stayed there on the dock thinking for a few minutes before returning to the house. While they were outside Mihoshi was busy setting the table and finishing what Sasami had been working on in the kitchen. She was doing it more of a way to cover up how she felt herself falling apart. Out on the couch Tenchi held Ryoko close to him trying to comfort her. "I don't want to miss her, I don't want to need her." She told him mentally, as she could not seem to say it out loud. "She's never been there when I needed her and she let him take me away! After what she did to me last night I don't ever want to see her again!" As she told him how much she did not want to miss her or even be near her again her body betrayed her thoughts as she cried and clung to him. The way she talked and the way she acted was complete opposites, but he could tell that she did miss Washu, even if she did not want to. However, after her last comment he began thinking of something as he heard Mihoshi setting the table. "Ryoko, didn't they say that she was imprisoned on the Soujya?" She could not look at him or even acknowledge it, as she knew it was true. That was the only thing that could turn her arguments to dust. Since she was locked up there, she would have been unable to save Ryoko, and would have been unable to prevent him from taking control of her. Instead, she just kept thinking to herself, "I don't want to miss her, I don't want to need her." Ryoko still could not forgive her mom for the way she has acted since her release. It was then that the two princesses' returned. Upon entering the room, they saw Tenchi sitting on the couch still only in a pair of shorts with Ryoko nearly sitting on him wearing Ayeka's robe still. The pirate had her head resting on his chest while he stroked the back of her head with one hand and was holding her close with the other. There was no doubt to either of them that those two were in love, but they both were hurting. Ryoko hurt from missing her mom, while Tenchi hurt seeing her like this. The elder princess whispered into her siblings' ear, "I will talk to them." To which she just nodded her head and went back to the kitchen. "Lord Tenchi, Miss Ryoko." She said authoritatively to get their attention. When both of them looked at her, she nearly cried herself at the pain and anguish in Ryoko's eyes. "Sasami and I have talked to Tsunami and she said that there is someone who can reach Washu, and that Washu is still alive." "Can she reach her?" Tenchi asked for Ryoko. Ayeka shook her head, "No, but Ryoko can. But she needs to be at her full power to do it." Tenchi and Ayeka looked at Ryoko who sat there silent for a few moments. Finally Ryoko spoke, her voice sounded weak and completely unlike her. "I can't do it. Not after what she did to me." Both her friends dropped their heads as they could not really blame her for that, but unless she went, their family would not be complete. Ayeka had a bit of inspiration and told her, "Miss Ryoko, do you think you're the only child to be tortured by their parents?" Ryoko looked at her strangely, as did Tenchi. "When I was young my mother dressed me up in the ugliest things," she told them as she approached and sat down beside Ryoko. "Then she would take me all over the palace talking about how cute I was while all of the other nobles tried not to laugh at me. I hated it, I hated every minute of this torture." Ryoko tried to speak but Ayeka would not allow it, "Do you remember when they came here? I felt humiliated to have to call her mommy like that in front of you." She let her head sag slightly then regained her composure to keep from crying as well. These were not her favorite memories she was sharing and a true princess was not supposed to let others know when she felt that humiliation. "Even Nobuyuki tortures Tenchi." She added causing him to shift uncomfortably. "She's right, he's always talking about me choosing one or all of you and he is just so, so..." He could not find a way to express how annoyed he was at his fathers antics at times. "Ryoko he even stood on a ladder to videotape us the night you first came to my room. I found the tape and could not believe it at first." Tenchi did find it hard to believe that his own father acted like this and even tried to get him to peep at the girls while at the Hot Springs. At least until Ryoko caught him in the act. "But she..." Ryoko tried to tell them about how many times her own mother had treated her so horribly, but she could not argue with them. Ayeka had shared a part of her she wanted to keep hidden and unknown and it must have been hard for her to say it. Tenchi as well had shared with her about his own torture, but that did not make her want to just up right away and go to her mom. But it did get her thinking. "Ryoko," his soft voice cut the growing silence. It carried with it a note of sadness, "You still have your mom, I don't. When my mom was very sick I did not understand why she never wanted to play with me. I, I got tired once of her always being sick so I told her I hated her." At his words Ayeka's eyes shot open wide from shock as Ryoko too stunned to move just listened. "It was shortly after that that I lost her for good. I always blamed myself saying that I caused her death. Because of me, because of my actions she died. That is why I could not pick for so long, I knew that I would hurt someone and I could not hurt someone again." Tears began to fall from his eyes as his memories played out before them all, "It was several years later that Grandma died too, and I thought it was something I said or did." He did not try to wipe the tears away as his memories threatened to overtake him. "I know you still miss her, don't make my mistake. You still have a mother." Both of the girls, listening felt very sad for him and what he had to go through, and realization dawned on both of them as to why he did not want to choose one over the other. Shame was felt by both of them at how they forced him every day to relive his painful past when they would try and force him to choose. Ryoko was able to see that although Washu had seemingly tortured her on several occasions it was nothing compared to the torture that she and Ayeka forced on him every day. They both felt ashamed of their past actions and both were unsure how to respond to that. Sasami was the one that broke the unsettling silence. "Dinners ready," she told them trying to smile. Slowly the three of them got up and headed to the table, Ryoko who was still a little disoriented from her recent loss had to have help standing and moving toward the table. Dinner was very quiet, as the past two days had been very taking on them all, and even still now things were not back to normal. Tenchi did wonder about the normal way and he wondered if it could return to normal and he discovered that there would have to be a new norm as the old one could never return. Washu cried on the floor of her lab for an unknown amount of time. She did not really care to know how much time had passed, and in her lab there were no windows to the outside world so she could not even tell if the sun was up or down. Instead all she had was the memories of her life to keep her company. But it was not welcomed, as every bad memory screamed at her and accused her of failing at being a mother, at failing to be a wife and failing at being a scientist. Each time she thought the tears would stop a new memory would surface brining more tears with them. She did not know she was hungry, or even that it was near time to eat, there was nothing in her but loneliness and emptiness to keep her company. She did not think that closing off the link would have hurt so much but it has gone beyond anything she had ever done in the past. When her husband had left with her son she felt emptiness like this too, but no as strong. She could only guess that it was because of the several thousand years she had spent connected to her daughter. "Experiment! She's an experiment!" a voice inside her mind screamed. "Ryoko?" Tenchi asked her mentally to which she just responded with a yes before he continued. "Don't you think this has gone on long enough? I know you are missing her more than you let on. Don't you want her back?" Se sat in quiet thought for a moment, "As much as I hate to say it yes. I, I don't even know why." "She's your mom, and even though you can't stand her at times she is still that." Ryoko could not argue with it, she knew it to be true, even if she hated the little scientist. Ryoko's voice broke the silence that had descended on the dinner table; "Did Tsunami say how I can get to my full power?" Both Ayeka and Sasami shook their heads. Mihoshi though had not heard of much of the conversation decided to throw her thoughts in, "Wow Ryoko, if you're not at your full power then how much do you have?" Ryoko just shrugged her shoulders and thought for a moment. "Well Miss Ryoko once nearly destroyed Jurai, so she has a lot of power. Were you at your full power then?" Those at the table looked at Ayeka strangely, as she seemed to speak of her greatest adversary almost in awe of her strength. "Um," she began trying to think of how to talk about something else other than that time. "But Yosho still beat me." "Oh how'd he do that?" the blonde ditz added. Tenchi jumped into it there, "But Yosho took away her gems, as the legend says three gems for power." He then ran upstairs as the rest of the table stood up to watch him go only to return with the Tenchi-Ken. "Ryoko I trust you and I know you would never harm any of us." As he spoke he held out the sword and then closed his eyes. He remembered how she had told him to just pray for them to be returned and just like before the remaining gems glowed a moment then reappeared on her. Ryoko placed her fingers at the base of her neck where her third gem was in disbelief, then looking at the other two on her wrists. She had not asked for them back, and he said he trusted her with them, that alone touched her more than anything else could have. She stepped towards him and wrapped her arms around him in a hug, but she did not fell the need to squeeze very hard. He responded by hugging her back, then saying to her mentally, "I love you Ryoko." When they parted Ryoko had a smile on her face and seemed to be able to stand on her own again. He thought it was either from her getting used to things again or from the added strength of the gems. Stretching her arms out she announced to everyone, "Damn this feels good." The other three females just snickered a moment before she placed a hand under his chin. "Thank you," she said to him before leaning in to give him a quick kiss, and as she kissed him, she told him mentally that she loved him too. No other words were needed and so as the kiss ended she began concentration on her gems and faded from sight. Excusing himself from dinner he went to the living room, sat on the floor beside the couch, and began to run through some of his realization techniques, as he knew he would need them soon. He was not sure what Ryoko would face once she got to Washu but he purposed in himself to be ready in case she needed to talk to him. Ayeka, Sasami & Mihoshi finished their dinner and then began cleaning up afterwards. All three of them were uncertain about the future and but the one thing they did hope was that they would all be a family again. Upon arriving in the empty dark room, Ryoko thought at first that she was in the wrong place. "Oh great," she muttered mentally before starting to look around. This was supposed to be Washu's lab, but there were no machines, no tanks, no nothing around. All that there was in this huge space was a floor and herself. A sound assaulted her ears and she approached the sound. What she saw was beyond anything she could have expected. What she saw was Washu lying on the floor crying as her body trembled. The sight was tearing at own heart, she approached her mother, and kneeling behind her, she placed a hand on her mothers' shoulder. Washu rolled back towards the hand on her shoulder and looked up through burning eyes to see of all people, Ryoko. Instantly her mind was trying to find out the truth and she asked herself many questions, "How did she get here? Why is she here? What does she want?" But the answers were not there. Ryoko kneeled beside the crying Washu with her on her mothers' shoulder. Why her mom was like this, she did not know. But something was obviously troubling her deeply, so Ryoko decided to do what she could. After what had happened the previous night, Washu was not her favorite person right now, but Tenchi had said that he did not want her to make his mistake. And so for him she was going to try and get along with her mom. It took some time before either could speak, but finally Washu's voice broke the silence, but not with it's normal sound. Instead it was soft and weak, very much the opposite of every memory Ryoko had of her. She spoke a single word, "Why?" The anguish that Ryoko could visible tell Washu was in was supported by the voice, and although she hated to say it, she felt sad and concerned for her. She had prepared many things to say to Washu as she expected the find the little scientist typing away merrily at her keyboard or running an experiment. However, that was not what she found and even now she did not know what to say. Ryoko did the one thing that she had hated to admit, she told the crying Washu, "I was worried about you." Ryoko helped Washu into a sitting position as her mom looked at her carefully, then threw her arms around her daughter crying. The ex- pirate was not used to this, and for a moment was unable to move, but finally after thinking of Tenchi and what he would do it became easier to do the next thing. Ryoko wrapped her arms around Washu and held her mother as she cried. There was nothing else that she could think to do, nothing else felt right, and strangely enough Ryoko found that tears were falling from her own eyes as well. As the time passed Ryoko could feel Washu calming down a little, but she was still unsure what to say, so she did the best thing she could think of. In her mind she reached out and found that he was waiting for her. "Tenchi?" "Yes?" He responded, but she could fell that he was nervous and worried as well. "Washu is crying, what do I do?" "She's crying? Last time she cried was about my nephew..." "She cried then?" To him she sounded surprised. "Yes, but I think... I think it was because she lost them. You don't think she's still sad about that do you?" Ryoko just mentally shrugged at him. He began to think of other possibilities, and he remembered how Washu had cried the night before. "I think I know..." he said softly to her, "but I'm not sure how to..." His mental voice dropped off as he tried to get his thoughts in order. Finally with his thoughts in order he concentrated on Ryoko and allowed her to see what he saw the other night. She gasped in surprise as he began to show her what happened the other night, but this time from his eyes. She had been surprised to find out her mom had cried several times and each time she had not noticed. But what really stuck out in her mind was how genuinely Washu seemed as she told them about what she did to Ryoko. At first she wanted to strangle the pipsqueak as she was watching the whole thing, but then she heard him talking to Washu she felt sorry for her mom. His voice rang out; "You mean you, her mother, locked her up and tortured her!" He then went on to tell them all after he calmed down, "Washu, I do not know if she can forgive you for what you did. But I do know that we all have done things that we wish we could change or forget." He looked at everyone one at a time. "Despite the evil that can lurk in each of our hearts I can still forgive, but things cannot go on forever like this. Washu, can you forgive yourself and change? Ayeka can you forgive and change?" Ryoko too started crying at hearing his words, as he was right. They had all done things that they were not proud of, and he was asking them if they could change. Ryoko looked back at her mother who was still crying, not as hard as earlier, but still crying. She understood it now, and she was not happy to understand. Ryoko wanted to remain upset at her, to hate her and to never talk to her again, but Tenchi asked Washu to forgive herself and change. That was what it was, she was certain of it, and had it not been for the new emotions from Zero then she might never had understood. Washu couldn't forgive herself. She felt ashamed of her own words now, at how she had said, "damn you," on so many different occasions. "This has to stop," she told herself. Tenchi had asked them all to change and she was going to include herself although he did not say it specifically to her. Summoning up all of her courage she opened her mouth to speak, then closed it quickly as she thought, "What do I say?" She could hear in the back of her mind almost like a whisper from long ago, "tell her you forgive her." The voice had not been Tenchi's and she would have sworn it to be Zero's but the memory sounded more like herself than anything else. Finally, she opened her mouth and spoke, "It's ok mom, I forgive you." Her own eyes went wide as she heard the word 'mom' come out of her mouth, but she had to admit it did feel good to finally call her that. Washu's eyes also went huge then closed them due to the pain she was feeling in them. She pulled away from her daughter to look at her and the look of contempt was gone, instead her daughter was kneeling there smiling at her. "Maybe I was wrong," thought Washu as she looked at her daughter. She began crying again and holding onto Ryoko, but this time, she had the beginnings of a smile. Her smile broadened as her daughter returned the embrace. After several more minutes, she reconnected herself to her daughter mentally again. This time she felt Ryoko actually opening herself up allowing her into her life. Not in many years had Ryoko done that, and even after the two of them were reunited on the Soujya did she do that. Washu had always had to pry into her daughters' life and find the information out, but now she was willingly allowing it. So Washu too opened herself up to her daughter and they began to communicate mentally like mother and daughter. Outside the lab, Tenchi smiled at what he was feeling from Ryoko. Dinner had passed some time ago but he found upon opening his eyes that Ayeka and Sasami waited eagerly for word. Looking down at Ryo-Ohki who was sitting before him, she smiled at him and he knew that she was listening to them as well. He then told the others that they were both fine and that when they come out Washu may be hungry. The princesses smiled at him and Ayeka asked him to tell them goodnight for her then proceeded to go to her room. Sasami; however, rushed to the kitchen to make sure she had something ready for them. Tenchi helped to get something ready for them then he sent Sasami off to bed while he and Ryo-Ohki waited for Ryoko and Washu to emerge from the lab. "It was a good thing Sasami did not make something that had to be warm," thought Tenchi when the two finally emerged form the lab two hours later. When Ryoko saw him she immediately went to him and hugged him to which he not only accepted but also returned. Washu watched them with a sly smile and told them, "Ya know Tenchi, I had thought at one time I would not mind starting over as long as you're the father." Ryoko glared at her mother and smiled, "Sorry mom, but you're gonna have to settle for being a grandma." She then smiled at him wickedly causing him to gulp nervously at what she was implying. Not the thought of being with her was bad; just he did not want kids right now. "Oh don't worry My Tenchi I've waited for you to love me for this long, I guess I can wait on that for a little longer." He sighed with relief until she added, "I can wait at least a month." Tenchi just sighed and hugged her again as mother and daughter both laughed. He did not know what the future held but he knew it would be interesting with her and her mom around, as he did not see either of them ever leaving. And if they did, he knew that he would have to go with them because just like Ryoko was connected to her mom he was connected to Ryoko.