"This is really starting to annoy the living hell out of me," 
Taiyokei grumbled, pacing around her room, Tai-ken's sheath hanging 
from a nail placed in the wall. "That arrogant, cold-hearted, 
seductive, and completely asinine bitch Ryoko is going to drive me 
into my grave! Oh, Kiresuyoi, wherever you are, help me..." Taiyokei 
shut her eyes and started crying--thinking of her mate, Kiresuyoi.
	"Taiyokei?" whispered a voice, low and quiet due to the time of 
day it was.
	"Yes, Ryoko?" was the reply, the lavender-haired beauty aware of 
who it was.
	"I'm bored..."
	"Oh, so you come to me for pleasure and a cure for boredom? What 
do you think I am, a two dollar toy?!"
	"Now wait just a minute, I--"
	"Don't speak to me, Ryoko! Get out! I will not tolerate your 
arrogant, seductive actions anymore! GET OUT!" Taiyokei snapped, 
completely red in the face with total anger.
	"Fine! See if I care! You're absolutely no good at kissing 
anyway!"
	"I resent that! You're not exactly Miss Perfect under that 
category! Besides, I am completely heterosexual!"
	"Not anymore..." Ryoko mumbled, teleporting away.
	"DAMN YOU RYOKO!" Taiyokei yelled at the top of her lungs, not 
caring if anyone heard. "Ooooh, that's it!! I'm outta here!" She 
yelled, and encapsulated her entire wardrobe again, tying Tai-ken's 
sheath to her belt, grabbing the wardrobe capsule, and storming 
downstairs.
	"Taiyokei, wait! What's wrong?!" Tenchi called, frightened at the 
noise Taiyokei made. Taiyokei purposely ignored Tenchi, and walked 
right out of the Masaki house.
	"Taiyokei, don't go!" Sasami cried out, eyes welling with tears, 
and Ryo-Ohki was in her arms, miyaing wildly.
	"What's going on?" yelled Ayeka, followed by Washu.
	"Taiyokei's leaving, neechan!" Sasami cried, burying her face in 
her hands and bursting into tears.
	"Taiyokei! If you leave, you can't come back!" Ayeka yelled.
	"Taiyokei, you can't come back! Please turn around!" Tenchi 
yelled.
	Taiyokei continued to ignore them, and soon their voices trailed 
off, and she found herself standing into front of her ship.
	"Transport 1!" Taiyokei yelled.
	"Yes, Mistress Kaikoken?" hummed the artificial voice of the 
computer.
	"Repair yourself! We are leaving!"
	"But that's not part of our mission--"
	"I don't care! Get me off of this wretched planet!"
	"Repairing...estimated time: 2 hours."
	Taiyokei sighed and sat down, trying to start a fire out of a 
pile of sticks nearby.
	"Taiyo-chan..." whispered a voice.
	"Go away, Ryoko. You started this, bitch."
	"Well, I wanted to say I was sorry..."
	"Sorry? For what you said to me? I don't fucking think so! I'm 
leaving and not you, or Ayeka, Tenchi, Washu, Kiyone, or Sa--" 
Taiyokei stopped and thought about Sasami. If it wasn't for Sasami, 
I'd be lost still. And, I wouldn't eat as well, that's for sure. I owe 
Sasami a lot, and all I've given her is complete Hell. But she must 
understand, I'm not human and I can't survive in this kind of 
environment, Taiyokei thought, ready to cry.
	"Come on, Taiyokei. We all love you, in our own different ways," 
Ryoko purred, stroking Taiyokei's hair.
	Taiyokei sighed. "Ryoko..."
	"Hmm?"
	"Transport 1..."
	"Yes, Mistress Kaikoken?"
	"Stop repairs. Go to TempOff."
	"Shutting down repairs, going to TempOff in 5...4...3...2..." And 
the computer shut off, the humming processor's hum getting less and 
less audible as it stopped running.
	"You're staying?!" Ryoko shouted, grinning.
	"Yes...for Sasami..."
	Ryoko's grin broke down into a frown, and she sighed. "Oh..."
	"And you...so you'll leave me alone."
	Ryoko smiled.

						*********************

	"Sasami, come quick!" Ayeka shouted, smiling brightly. "Taiyo-
chan's back! She didn't leave!"
	"She didn't?" Sasami whined.
	"No, come quick!"
	Sasami raced downstairs and peeked her head out the door, and saw 
Ryoko and Taiyokei walking up the path leading to her spaceship.
	"Taiyo-chan!" Sasami yelled, as loud as she possibly could, and 
ran towards Taiyokei, arms stretched out.
	"Sasami-chan!" Taiyokei replied, picking up Sasami under the 
arms, swirling her around, and bringing her to her chest, hugging the 
kawaii chibi girl.
	"I knew you wouldn't leave!" Sasami whined, still partially 
crying.
	"Awwww, of course not," Taiyokei grinned, and hugged Sasami--
Ryoko smirking at her from behind Sasami.
						*********************
	"Now, Taiyokei. Think straight. Ryoko--bad, seductive woman. You-
-proud, fighting woman. No compatibility...but...NO DAMNIT!" Taiyokei 
screamed, frustrated. "Now, think some more," she whispered, assuming 
a meditative position, and closed her eyes. "Ryoko--bad. You--good. No 
compatibility."
	"Hi Taiyokei!" yelled Ryoko, smirking.
	"Ryoko!!! I swear," she mumbled, losing her concentration.
	Ryoko smirked again. "Glad you decided to stay, Taiyo-chan. Say, 
you busy?"
	"Ryoko, get this straight. I--" Taiyokei started, but was stopped 
by two lips over hers, and found herself kissed by Ryoko.
	"You were saying?"
	"Absolutely not, Ryoko. You love Tenchi, I know it, or else you 
and Ayeka wouldn't fight over him constantly. We are through, and you 
will go back to your old ways."
	"Understood."
	"Oooh, Ryoko, I--what?"
	"I said, 'Understood.'"
	Taiyokei blinked. Ryoko agrees with me...this could be a blessing 
in disguise.
	"All right, Ryoko."
	
						*********************

	Later that evening, after Sasami finished making dinner, everyone 
sat down to eat. The food looked delicious, better than Taiyokei had 
ever seen Sasami cook before. She was proud to see such a response for 
just staying longer at the Masaki house, and that she made some 
difference to some peoples' lives. Taiyokei ate mostly okonomiyaki, 
and some ramen, but barely touched anything else.
	"Taiyokei, don't you like the other things I made?"
	"It's not that I hate them, they just don't catch my eye. I'm not 
a big sushi fan..."
	"Well, you should try it sometime," Sasami smiled.
	"Yeah," nodded Tenchi in agreement.
	"Hey, whatever Tenchi likes, I like, because we're so deeply in 
love with each other!" Ryoko shouted, throwing her arms around Tenchi 
and holding him close to her. Tenchi sweatdropped, and Ayeka's face 
went blood red.
	"Ryoko, how dare you! Let go of Tenchi right this minute, you 
monster!" she snapped, growling and snarling.
	Ryoko kept her hold on Tenchi and growled right back at Ayeka, 
and the two started arguing.
	"Urrgg...all right! That's enough!" Tenchi yelled, breaking the 
two up.
	"Now, now, Tenchi," scolded Nobuyuki, swallowing the mouthful of 
rice he had stuffed into his mouth.
	"But Dad," whined Tenchi, being pulled between Ryoko and Ayeka.
	Taiyokei looked on, completely in thought, and stopped eating. 
Her thoughts raced around her mind, and she had visible trouble 
finding one. Memories flashed into her vision, memories of her 
childhood, and of her military work. Her most valuable memory was of 
her mate, Kiresuyoi, and the times they spent together. Next came the 
memories of her times here on Earth, with Tenchi and his family, from 
the first to the most recent.
	"Taiyokei?" Sasami asked again, frowning at not getting a 
response.
	Taiyokei lost her train of thought and focused on reality. "Yes, 
Sasami?"
	"What're you thinking of?" she asked. Everyone suddenly focused 
their attention to her, and waited for a response.
	"All my different memories, that's all."
	"Memories? Like when you were a baby?"
	"Sort of, hai."
	"Are you going to eat anymore?"
	"Iie," she replied, and set her plate down, standing up soon 
after. She headed directly upstairs for her room, not even bothering 
to ask to be excused. Once she was upstairs, she entered her room and 
shut the door behind her, the worst feeling on her mind.
	"Andromeda V wants to destroy Earth," she mumbled, ready to burst 
into tears, "and it's all my fault. Because of me coming here and 
sending off the data to my home planet, I've put this planet in great 
danger. It will not be long before they learn of Miss Ayeka and Miss 
Sasami's presence here, and the Jurain force in this house and the 
surrounding area, and they will send their greatest battledrones to 
completely decimate this house."	
	
						****************

	Taiyokei curled up into a ball on her bed and cried, still 
thinking of the destruction Andromeda V will soon cause. "Everyone 
that's helped me here, my friends, all going to be destroyed," she 
whined, crying more. Her crying was interrupted, however, by a knock 
at the door.
	"Taiyokei?" asked a voice, whom she recognized as Tenchi. "Are 
you all right?"
	"Yes, Tenchi, I'm fine." No, Tenchi, your planet is soon to be 
conquered or destroyed by a wave of extremely strong fighters. 
	"All right, I was just checking. Y'know, if you need anything, 
just ask. You're our guest and a friend, and you always will be."
	Oh really? Even after I tell you the story I have? Taiyokei 
thought, and sighed. She heard Tenchi walking away, heading 
downstairs, and she could also hear Ryoko and Ayeka following him, 
arguing about something useless again. She took her mind off that and 
began to think of ways to distract or even destroy the incoming fleet. 
It's been 30 days already, the probe should've reached home by now, 
she thought, I give it another month or so before they arrive. Plenty 
of time to work up a strategy, hai. Oh, Kiresuyoi-kun, please forgive 
me.

						****************