No Need for an Ominous Presence
Chapter 3: No Need For Disreputability.
By Misanthrope

All characters are property of AIC/Pioneer

It was near dusk in Okayama, Japan and the golden leaves
littered upon the ground outside the Masaki household seemed
to radiate against the dimness.  A few stars had already emerged in
the darkening, yet still blue sky, and twinkled radiantly as their
essence from light years away shown through the kitchen
window.  Princess Ayeka of Jurai stared wistfully out the kitchen
window as she absently listened to the sound of boiling water.
Sasami, the younger princess of Jurai diligently attended to the
duties of cooking that night's dinner while tending to Ayeka's
tea at the same time.  Ayeka smiled thoughtfully as she considered
her good fortune of finally having a chance to spend a little time
alone with Tenchi.  Ayeka was very relieved that Ryoko had not
yet returned from her little trip to buy sake.  "Ryoko."  Ayeka
thought to herself as her thoughtful smile twisted into a scowl.
Ayeka thought about how much more pleasant her life would be
if it weren't for the impetuous pirate always going out of her way
to come in between her and her one true love.  Ayeka knew that
Tenchi would have warmed up to her long ago if it had not been
for Ryoko always throwing herself on him like a shameless
harlot every time Ayeka even came close to him.  "Jealousy!"
Ayeka thought to herself, her scowl deepening.  "That hussy knows
full well that Tenchi would never choose a degraded creature such
as herself over a proper lady!" Ayeka decided that Ryoko spent so much of 
her
time pawing Tenchi simply to irritate the princess and to delay the
inevitable, that which Ayeka assumed they both knew:  that she,
and she alone, was suitable for Tenchi, a member of the Jurai royal
family.  "That Ryoko knows full well that Tenchi has far to much
dignity to allow himself to succumb to her meretricious solicitation,
so she continues to throw herself at him to keep him from having
a chance to express his feelings for me. . .THE NERVE OF HER!"
Ayeka thought to herself in rage as her body tensed and her fists
balled up at her sides.  Ayeka stood quivering with rage as she
stared out the window, when a voice distracted her from her
thoughts.  "Ummmmm. . . Ayeka. . .the tea is ready for you and
Tenchi."  Sasami said in a concerned voice.  Ayeka blinked
several times as she shook herself free of her enraged trance and
turned to regard the concerned younger princess of Jurai.  "Oh,
thank you Sasami."  Ayeka said, trying to sound pleasant as she
reached for the tray with the teapot and cups.  "Is there something
bothering you Ayeka?  You look upset." Sasami asked as she
regarded her older sister curiously.  Ayeka managed a reassuring
smile to put her sister at ease, "I'm fine Sasami, I just have a lot on
my mind these days, you won't be much different when you're
older and start taking on more of your own responsibilities as a princess."
Sasami shook her head skeptically and frowned, "I hope not."
"I'm sorry Sasami, I shouldn't have troubled your mind with such
matters, you're much to young to be concerning yourself with such
things."  Ayeka said shaking her head.  Sasami continued to cast a
troubled look up at her sister.  "Don't worry about me Sasami, I'm
fine, I'm sure this tea will improve my mood greatly." Ayeka said
smiling.  "Alright, just don't bring that tea to Tenchi wearing that
same look you had on a bit ago, or you'll put him in a bad mood too"
Sasami scolded.  "Yes, you're right, of course Sasami."  Ayeka said as
she gave her sister one last smile and carried the tray out toward the
dining table.

Out at the dining table, Tenchi sat with an irritated look upon his
face as he thought back to Ryoko's lascivious behavior from
that afternoon.  Lost in thought, he didn't notice Ayeka as she
padded into the room, silently carrying the tray of tea.  Ayeka
came up behind Tenchi and set the tray down next to him.  "Oh,
Ayeka, you surprised me!"  Tenchi said as he began to stand as a
polite gesture.  "Tenchi please, you needn't stand. . ." Ayeka
began modestly.  "No really. . ." Tenchi cut in, ". . . it would be
impolite."  Around a corner, unbeknownst to Ayeka and Tenchi,
a tenebrous Ryoko regarded their pleasant exchange with each
other.  Ryoko gave a resigned sigh as Tenchi sat down along
with a blushing Ayeka.  "Tenchi never behaves that way for me."
Ryoko thought to herself as she watched Ayeka pour tea for
Tenchi.  "What's so special about her anyway that he feels the
need to be so polite, so she's royalty, so what?" Ryoko pouted
to herself.  Ryoko's eyes widened in shock, and her jaw clenched
in frustration as she witnessed a tense exchange between Tenchi
and Ayeka.  Tenchi and Ayeka's hands met as Tenchi accepted
the cup of tea Ayeka had poured for him and both their heads
jerked up as their eyes met.  Ayeka and Tenchi both stared at each
other, momentarily dumbfounded as they grasped the tea cup in
unison.  Coming to her senses, Ayeka jerked her hands away from
the cup as if it were on fire and cast her gaze down at the table in
an attempt to hide her fiercely blushing face.  Not knowing how
to react, Tenchi quickly turned his attention to his tea and promptly
burnt his tongue.  In the shadows, Ryoko's head drooped toward
the floor as she faded into nothingness.

A few moments later, Ayeka sat with her eyes closed and a serene
smile upon her face as she savored the flavor of Sasami's tea.
A slight red tint still colored Ayeka's face and a tingle continued to
reverberate up and down her spine as the hairs on the back of
her neck stood on end.  Ayeka continued to reflect warmly on
the feeling of Tenchi's hands pressed up against hers as they
sat staring into each other's eyes.  Ayeka pressed the palm of
her hand, still warm from being wrapped around the hot tea
cup, into her flushed cheek and let out a dreamy sigh.  Tenchi
made a furtive glance at Ayeka out of the corner of his eye and
shifted uneasily in response to the look on her face.  Tenchi
took a sip of tea and screwed up his courage to
speak.  Ayeka took the initiative before Tenchi could even
open his mouth.  "Tenchi."  Ayeka began, her eyes closed
and her palm still pushed up against her flushed face.  Tenchi
gulped audibly and turned to regard Ayeka, "Uhhh. . .yes?"
"Tenchi, why haven't we shared more moments like these, I've
been your guest for quite some time, but it seems as though we
seldom ever get a chance to enjoy each other's company in
privacy." Ayeka said longingly as she withdrew her hand from
it's spot on her cheek and turned to look Tenchi in the eye.  Tenchi
opened his mouth in an attempt to speak, but found himself
hypnotized by Ayeka's sparkling red eyes, her face seemed to
glow as she smiled at him warmly.  "Uhhhhhhh. . .Ayeka. . ." Tenchi
stammered nervously as he grasped desperately for the words to respond
to Ayeka's question.  As Tenchi continued to lose himself in Ayeka's
seductive eyes, one name kept reverberating through his mind in
response to Ayeka's question: Ryoko.  "Tenchi?"  Ayeka asked
warmly in an attempt to prompt Tenchi to speak.  As if in response
to Ayeka's question, an explosion erupted from upstairs along with
a throaty scream of pain.  Ayeka and Tenchi both shook off their
simultaneous looks of shock and jumped to their feet.  Tenchi
darted for the stairs with Ayeka close behind and ascended them
two at a time until he reached the top.  Tenchi looked around wildly
and noticed smoke streaming out of his room.  Tenchi slowly
made his way toward the door to his room with Ayeka in tow and
what he found there made his jaw drop in shock.  A smoking form
lay convolute on the floor in a heap, and the Tenchi-ken lay
only a few feet away, the gems in its hilt sparkling in the moonlight.
Tenchi squinted in the darkness, and it became
readily apparent who he was staring at as he saw the silhouette of
spikey hair in the moonlight streaming through his window.
Tenchi's initial reaction of fear for Ryoko's
safety was quickly replaced with anger when he realized what it
was that Ryoko must have been trying to do.  Tenchi knelt down
next to Ryoko and grabbed her by the shoulders, lifting her up to
face him.  To his relief, Ryoko was conscious, but she looked
terrible.  Her eyes were squinting from the obvious pain she was in
and she had her left hand wrapped firmly around her right
hand, which was obviously badly burned.  Tenchi scrutinized
Ryoko with an acrimonious glare and asked an unspoken question
with his eyes.  Ayeka stood behind Tenchi, staring down at Ryoko
with malice.  After Ryoko's stunt from earlier that morning, this
audacity of her behavior was simply far to much to take.  "I saw
this coming a long time ago Tenchi," Ayeka began in an officious
tone, "I knew that it would only be a matter of time before Ryoko
succumbed to her avarice and tried to steal those gems back!"
Tenchi continued to stare down at Ryoko, pleading with his eyes
and looking for some sign of emotion in Ryoko's inscrutable face.
Ryoko continued to stare up at him, but it seemed to Tenchi as
though she was staring right through him.  "You simply cannot
allow her to carry on this way any longer Tenchi!" Ayeka
continued in her officious tone.  "I knew that this witch's
recidivism would make itself apparent one day, but even I
am shocked at such a blatant gesture of disrespect!"  Ryoko
continued to stare up at Tenchi with the same insensate look upon
her face, without any apparent regard for Ayeka's invective.  "Have
you nothing at all to say for yourself you shameless witch!?"
Ayeka snapped with asperity.  Tenchi briefly considered asking
Ayeka to cease her scolding of Ryoko, but disregarded the idea
when he conceded that there really wasn't another way to respond
to a matter as serious as this one.

Inside Ryoko's head, a battle was being waged that she knew
she couldn't win.  Ryoko found that the only hope or strength
afforded her at that moment was Tenchi's eyes.  Ryoko tried to
tune out the grating laughter reverberating in between her temples
and the image of Ayeka's contemptuous gaze.  Ryoko tried to find
some shred of compassion in Tenchi's eyes, but found only an
unflinching glare of accusation.  As Ryoko continued to stare
hopelessly into Tenchi's eyes, the grating laughter droned on in
between her temples.  "Stop disappointing me Ryoko, you're just
going to make this harder on yourself.  I'll wait all eternity if
necessary for you to accept that your fate is inexorably tied to my
own, and that your destiny is to obey.  And you know full well that
I can do just that if necessary." Kagato said menacingly.  Ryoko
knew that Kagato was not bluffing, and it terrified her.  Were it
not for his power to threaten Tenchi through the gems, Ryoko
would have already given up, but she knew she couldn't rest as
long as Tenchi was in danger.  Kagato had nearly taken Tenchi
from her once, and her soul would be damned to hell before she
allowed him to hurt Tenchi again.  Ryoko had once believed
there could be no more horrifying trial in life than being the
slave of Kagato,  the memory of her years under his power were far more
than she was able to bear.  Ryoko now knew that she could not
afford herself even one shred of self pity, for the only thing
Ryoko could imagine that was more horrifying than being
enslaved by Kagato once more, was Tenchi being manipulated
by the twisted megalomaniac.  "Did you really believe you
could sever my control over the boy that easily?"  Kagato
asked sneeringly.  "I know what you're thinking Ryoko,
I know you're afraid of what it is that I'm capable of doing
to that boy.  You're aware of the power I have over him,
and you know the ways in which I'm willing to use it,
you know first hand, don't you Ryoko?"  Kagato asked
mockingly.  Ryoko's eyes widened in horror at what it
was Kagato was insinuating.  Tenchi shook Ryoko
slightly and spoke her name in response to the first
shred of emotion he had seen in her eyes since he had found
her upon the floor.  Ryoko continued to lay limp in his arms
with her eyes wide in terror as she continued to stare into
his eyes.  A chill ran up Tenchi's spine as he regarded the way
Ryoko seemed to stare right through him, as if she were hardly
even aware that he was directly in front of her.  By the look on
her face, it seemed to Tenchi as though she was suffering a
nightmare right in front of him.  Tenchi shook Ryoko a few more
times in an attempt to get Ryoko's attention "Come on Ryoko,
snap out of it!"  Tenchi pleaded with a mixture of concern and
irritation.  "Can't you see she's trying to make a fool of us both!"
Ayeka admonished in a voice quaking with unmitigated frustration.  "She
needs to be taught  a lesson!  And after her inexcusable actions
she simply can't be trusted!"  Ayeka snapped contemptuously.
"Azaka!  Kamidake!"  Ayeka yelled with authority.  Only a few
moments later, Azaka and Kamidake filed into the room with
urgency.  "What is your bidding Princess Ayeka?"  The guardians
queried in unison.  "Detain her immediately!" Ayeka ordered as
she pointed down at Ryoko's limp form.  "Lord Tenchi, we must
ask you to release Ryoko and step back."  Azaka rumbled.
"Detaining Ryoko won't be necessary." Tenchi said flatly.  Azaka
and Kamidake immediately backed away.  "You would disobey
me?"  Ayeka asked threateningly.  "Lord Tenchi is the grandson of
Yosho and the heir to the thrown of Jurai, we are sworn to obey"
Kamidake chimed apologetically.  Ayeka gave a sigh of resignation
and turned to regard Tenchi who was still staring down at Ryoko
with a look of concern in his eyes.  "Lord Tenchi, I understand
your concern for Ryoko considering her erratic behavior, but we
cannot allow ourselves to be too sympathetic, she has brought this
upon herself by giving in to her own greed."  Tenchi winced in
frustration and gingerly laid Ryoko back down on the floor.
"Yes, Ayeka, you're right, perhaps I'm looking too hard for a
justifiable reason for this to explain it all away." Tenchi said with
a sigh.  "It's probably exactly what it seems." Tenchi said with
frustration as a surge of anger rose up in him as he briefly
considered her impetuous behavior from earlier that day.  "Azaka,
Kamidake."  Tenchi said as he rose to his feet and pointed at
Ryoko.  "Yes Lord Tenchi!" Azaka and Kamidake stated in unison
as Tenchi stepped back from Ryoko's limp form.  Azaka and
Kamidake took a spot on either side of Ryoko and generated
a force field to detain her.  Tenchi turned to regard Ayeka who
was smiling at him in satisfaction.  "You've done the right thing
Tenchi.  I know it's hard, but it's for her own good, and in our
best interests."  Ayeka said reassuringly.  "Yes, you're right, I
shouldn't have attempted to find an excuse to defend her behavior."
Tenchi said in shame.  "You mustn't blame yourself Tenchi, I
realize that she is your guest, and that you feel somewhat
responsible for her, but you can't hold yourself accountable or feel
guilty for the consequences she reaps for her own ignominious
actions!"  Ayeka said sternly.  "Yes, you're right." Tenchi said
flatly as he took a spot next to Ayeka and regarded Ryoko who
lay limp in her prison.  Tenchi gave a sigh of defeat as he thought
back to the look on Ryoko's face just before he had left her side,
she had looked terrified.  It seemed to Tenchi as though Ryoko
was only barely coherent, as if her mind were somewhere else
entirely.  Ayeka turned to see the conflicted look on Tenchi's face
and took his hand to reassure him.  Tenchi turned and smiled at
Ayeka in response to her warm display of support.  Ayeka gave
a contented sigh, feeling satisfied that she was finally able to
exhibit some affection for Tenchi without any tension between
them.  As Ayeka and Tenchi continued to regard the incapacitated
Ryoko, she continued to fight her silent battle.  "If I can't get you
To perform the duties expected of you, perhaps I will simply use
the boy instead." Kagato mused.  Ryoko tensed
in horror at Kagato's words.  "I imagine that boy, with his
tremendous control over Jurai's power, would be quite a useful
tool for slaughter." Kagato said slyly.  Ryoko winced at the poignant
image of Tenchi being used as an implement of mass destruction
like she herself had so long ago; she could still hear the screams.
Tenchi regarded Ryoko with a curious look as he saw her face
display emotion for the second time since they had found her.
Ryoko's eyes winced and she cringed as though in pain.  "That
shock must have really hit her hard, she's really out of it." Tenchi
noted sympathetically.  "You must not allow yourself to pity her
Tenchi, this is a punishment she has brought on herself." Ayeka
stated resolutely.  Ryoko continued to cringe on the floor as her
personal battle raged on.

"I'll do anything you ask of me," Ryoko pleaded desperately
"just leave Tenchi alone!"  "Very well Ryoko, I'm pleased
that your futile intransigence has come to an end.  But you're
no good to me locked up in this ridiculous bubble, something
must be done about this."  Kagato said in a sinister tone.  Ryoko
tried to speak up in protest, anticipating Kagato's intentions, but
found that she couldn't even so much as open her mouth.  By the
time she was aware of her inability to speak, it was already to late,
and she knew that her body was no longer her own.

Tenchi and Ayeka continued to stand holding hands while
scrutinizing Ryoko in an attempt to make some sense of her
motives.  Tenchi and Ayeka both tensed as Ryoko suddenly
jumped from the floor and onto her feet as though she had been
feigning her weakness all along.  Tenchi tried to speak up, but
couldn't get the words passed the lump in his throat as he
gawked at the look on Ryoko's face.  The formerly terrified
and vulnerable expression that Ryoko had worn on her face,
was now replaced with an expression that Tenchi could only
perceive as mocking.  Ryoko's lips were curled into a sneering
smile and her eyebrows arched high, furrowing her brow as she
stared wickedly at Tenchi and Ayeka.  Ryoko extended her hand
out toward the two of them, who stood in shock at the sudden
change in Ryoko's condition and demeanor.  Ryoko began to
laugh wickedly as the Tenchi-ken began to creep across the floor
slowly.  "Wha-!  Ryoko!  What do you think you're doing!"
Tenchi cried, aghast at the scene unfolding before him.
Overcoming his initial shock, Tenchi attempted to dive to the floor
and intercept the Tenchi-ken before it slid through the force field.
Tenchi's efforts were pitifully late and he yelled in pain as his
hand bounced off Azaka and Kamidaki's forcefield just a mere
few inches from the Tenchi-ken that had slid through easily.
Tenchi shuffled his legs wildly to push himself away from the
force field and then collapsed in pain as he held his smoking hand.
"We're terribly sorry Lord Tenchi!"  Azaka and Kamidaki pleaded
apologetically.  Ayeka dove to Tenchi's side and propped his head
on her lap.  "Azaka, Kamidaki!  Incapacitate that witch!"  Ayeka
cried urgently.  "Yes Princess Aye-!"  Azaka and Kamidaki began
before being cut off as a tremendous surge of energy erupted from
within the forcefield.  Ryoko had reached down and grabbed the
Tenchi-ken with both hands before Azaka and Kamidaki had a
chance to obey the Princess's command.  Ryoko wailed in agony
as energy from the Tenchi-ken surged through her as a result of
its rejection.  Ayeka stood staring in disbelief and horror
as Ryoko screamed in pain but continued to grasp the hilt of the
Tenchi-ken firmly.

Inside Ryoko's head, the course laughter grated on as indescribable
pain coursed throughout her body.  "You never cease to impress me
Ryoko!  Any lesser being would have succumbed by now."  Ryoko
wanted to curse Kagato's very existence and beg for mercy all at
the same time, but all she could do was scream in agony as searing
energy continued to course through her body.  "Don't you dare
give up on me yet Ryoko, I have big plans for you, and this is only
the beginning. . .I expect so much more of you. . .and that boy."
Kagato snickered mockingly.  "NOOOOOOOOOO!!!" Ryoko
screamed in anguish at the mention of Tenchi's name.  Ryoko
tried desperately to relinquish her grip on the hilt of the sword
that continued to send waves of agony coursing through her body,
but still her body refused to obey her commands.  Ayeka's eyes
were wide in horror as she continued to stand witness to Ryoko's
apparent self inflicted suffering.  Ayeka shook her head in disbelief
as Ryoko's body continued to convulse in response to the energy
coursing through her body from the Tenchi-ken.  Ayeka wanted
desperately to end Ryoko's horrible suffering, regardless of
whether or not she brought it on herself.  Ayeka spread her arms
wide as an array of small wooden cylinders materialized in the air
around her and Tenchi.  "Azaka, Kamidake!  Brace yourselves!"
Ayeka ordered.  "Yes Princess!"  The guardians replied in unison.
"Now, release her!"  Ayeka screamed, as her force field materialized
around herself and the wounded Tenchi.  The two guardians
released Ryoko from their force field and the tremendous amount
of energy that had been bottled up from the abuse Ryoko had been
sustaining from the Tenchi-ken was released all at once.  An explosion
of energy radiated from where Ryoko was standing and the
guardians were hurtled in either direction from the tremendous
force.  The last thing Ayeka heard before the deafening sound of
the walls of Tenchi's room being blown out filled the air, was
Azaka's rumbling voice.  "Oh dear." Azaka said passively as his
cylindrical form punched through the wall and into the night.

As the smoke and particulate debris from the tumultuous outburst
of energy began to clear, Ayeka opened her eyes that had
snapped shut as a result of the bright flash.  Ayeka didn't bother
to check on Tenchi, she knew her force field had held, and she
could feel Tenchi stirring in her arms as he emitted a slight grown.
Instead, Ayeka scrutinized the condition of the room from one end to
the other, staring in shock at where a wall that separated Tenchi's room
from the elements had once been.  The floor, with the exception of
the spot inside her force field was burnt black.  There was no sign of
either of the two guardians and there was a hole in the floor where
Ryoko had been standing.  "Azaka, Kamidaki!"  Ayeka called with
urgency.  "Coming Princess Ayeka!"  the two guardians called out in
unison from down below.  A moment later, Azaka floated up and
through where the wall had been.  Ayeka shook her head in disbelief
as she regarded the state her loyal guardian was in.  Azaka was burnt
black in several places and was covered with dirt and leaves.  A
moment later, Kamidaki joined him, looking scarcely better.  Ayeka
shook off her shock and looked down to check Tenchi's condition.
"Tenchi, can you stand?"  Ayeka asked with concern.  Tenchi groaned
loudly as he clenched the wrist that was attached to his badly burnt
hand.  "Yes, I'll be fine, we have to find Ryoko!"  Tenchi said in
obvious agony.  "Let me help you Tenchi." Ayeka said as she helped
Tenchi off the floor and onto his feet.  Ayeka lead Tenchi to his bed,
that now looked more like a cinder than a place to sleep, and instructed
him to lay down.  "No, we have to find Ryoko, there's something
wrong."  Tenchi said as sweat started to bead on his forehead as he
continued to wince from the pain.  "Tenchi, you're injured, I can't
let you confront Ryoko in the state that you're in, not now, not when
she's behaving like this."  "But she needs help."  Tenchi said urgently
as he started for the door to his room that now had a noticeably wider
opening and nothing but several cracks and loose pieces for a door
jam.  Ayeka grabbed his shoulder and turned him around to face her.
"What that obstreperous woman needs now, more than anything else,
is to be protected from herself Tenchi, surely you can see this."  Ayeka
said with severity.  "Yes, and that's why we have to find her before
she gets herself killed" Tenchi snapped restively.  "Yes, of course,
you're right Tenchi, which is why I'm going down to Washu's lab
immediately to request her assistance, no one is better suited to handle
this situation, and you and I both know this."  Ayeka said emphatically.
"Yes, you're right Ayeka, I should have thought of that."
Tenchi responded, feeling slightly guilty for his carelessness.  "Doing what
she did could have killed us both Tenchi, Ryoko cannot be trusted,
and I won't allow you to be hurt a second time because of her." Ayeka
said resolutely while leveling a steely glare at Tenchi.  "Now, I want
you to lay down on. . . what's left of you're bed. . .and Azaka and
Kamidaki will watch over you." Ayeka said gently.  "But I can't just
lay here while Ryoko is out there in that state!"  Tenchi cried
incredulously.  Ayeka shook her head and pushed the obviously
weakened Tenchi back onto his bed.  "I'm sorry Tenchi, but you would
be no use to us in the state you are in, you would be more of a liability
than anything else, you must rest and get your strength back, we need
you healthy."  Ayeka said with as much sensitivity as she could muster.
Tenchi's head drooped and he nodded with resignation, "go." he said
flatly.  "You're making the right decision Lord Tenchi, I realize this is
hard for you."  Ayeka said tersely, and turned to leave the room.
"Azaka, Kamidaki!"  Ayeka yelled as she left the room.  "Yes
Princess!" The two guardians responded reverently as they generated
a shield a around Tenchi's bed.  Tenchi sat with his head hung low.

Ayeka stormed through the hall towards the stairs in a huff.  Ayeka
felt very guilty having been so hard on Tenchi.  She regretted having
to tell him that he would be a liability, which she didn't believe to be
true, but she couldn't bear the thought of Tenchi getting seriously hurt
due to another outburst from the unpredictable space pirate.  She
realized that her ordering him around as if he were a child had hurt
his dignity, but she had to believe that what she had done was the
right thing.  And knowing that Azaka and Kamidaki were keeping
watch on him would give her enough reassurance to devote her
sole attention to finding Ryoko and preventing her from hurting
anyone else.

Meanwhile, Ryoko groaned in pain and opened her eyes weakly.
Ryoko's eyes snapped open wide when she realized that she could
not see anything but black before her eyes.  In the absence of light
and on her back with something pinning her down, any possibility of
mustering the strength to respond to her surroundings in any rational
manner was gone.  All Ryoko knew at that moment as she thrashed in
terror was that she was alone, trapped, and in the dark, just like she
had been for 700 years before Tenchi had freed her from her living
nightmare.  Ryoko screamed in terror and flailed wildly as energy
began to build deep within her involuntarily in response to her
unbridled fear.  The energy and tension built up within her became
too much as she became increasingly terrified.  On her back, Ryoko
released a surge of energy along with a scream of terror.  The next
scream that tore itself from Ryoko's throat was one of pain as a
huge explosion ignited only a foot above her and resulted in what felt
like millions of fragments of. . .something. . .shooting into her vulnerable
and terrified form.  The horrible fear of being locked away in the dark
once more, along with the horrible pain of the explosion was more
than Ryoko's already severely taxed body could take, and she feinted from
the exhaustion.

A fraction of a second earlier, Ayeka was just descending the stairs
when she heard a violent explosion and an ear splitting scream of
pain.  "Ryoko!"  Ayeka yelled with a mixture of fear and disdain.
Ayeka descended the remaining steps and stalked toward the derivation
of the sound with caution.  Ayeka found herself standing over a
hole in the middle of the living room that lead straight down into the
basement.  Ayeka looked up above her to the hole in Tenchi's room and
saw Tenchi above her, staring down with a look of absolute terror on
his face.  Ayeka looked down into the hole with trepidation and
gasped in terror at the horrifying image below her: Ryoko lay on
her back, face up, with the remnants of a shattered shelf that looked
like it had been detonated with a stick of dynamite scattered about the
floor around her still form.  Most disturbing of all was Ryoko's face
and body, her clothes had been shredded like a rag caught in a lawn
mower and her entire body was covered with a myriad of tiny bleeding
cuts from what obviously had been the shrapnel from the destroyed shelf.
By the time Ayeka had collected herself and managed to pry her eyes away
from the disturbing scene below her, Tenchi had already rushed to Ryoko's
side by way of the entrance to the basement.  Tenchi lifted Ryoko's head 
with
his good hand and set it in his lap.  "Ayeka, get Washu."  Tenchi said
from beneath a tenuous veneer of self control.  "Yes, of course Lord 
Tenchi!"
Ayeka said as she spun around on her heel.  Tenchi hung his head as a storm
of emotions bombarded him:  anger for Ryoko's irrational outburst,
disappointment for her violation of his trust in her, fear for her
uncharacteristic behavior, and shame for his inability to prevent or
for see any of it.

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