Author's Notes: I just had to write this! I hope you enjoy it. Send me you opinon ( Good or bad) on this story, and my other stories (In the Mind of a Pirate (regular section at the Tenchi Muyo Fanfic Archive) and Mirei Okaa-san (Misc section of the same place)) Enjoy! Disclaimer: I own NONE of these characters, so none sue me or anything, okay? The Truth That Lays Hidden Another Tenchi Dimension Chapter Nine: The Auction Tokimi knew of her sister's plans for the child Ryoko and, being around since the beginning of time, she was bored. So, decided to see of she could interfere with them, slightly. She phased out of her dimension and into the Soja, right in front of Kagato. "Who are you?" he asked. "Kagato, listen to me. Ryoko is playing you for a full. Once her three youngest children grow up, she'll turn on you. She and her children's power combined will be enough to drive you off the face of the Cosmos! You must split them up at all costs!" That said, Tokimi vanished with a smile. This would be interesting. Ryoko was sitting on Ryo-ohki's bridge, with her children all around her, when Ryo-ohki gave the warning. Ryoko turned to them. "We have trouble, Ryo-ohki's spotted the Soja. Everyone, get ready for Kagato's arrival." Everyone raced to get ready for what they feared most and in no time at all, they were on the bridge ready and waiting. However, instead of Kagato appearing as he usually did, he opened a com. line. "Ryoko! Bring all your children over to the Soja at once!" "H-Hai master." said Ryoko. In five minutes, Ryoko, Sasami, Minagi, Yugi, Misao, and Mayuka departed for the Soja. Ryoko, Mayuka, and Minagi each held one of the children. Ryoko had ordered Tenchi and Ayeka to remain on the Ryo-ohki. On the Soja, an android showed the girls to a room and gave them fancy dresses to wear. "What's going on?" wondered Ryoko. Then the girls were led to Soja's bridge and got the scare of their lives. Not only was Kagato there, but so were a crowd of people who stared at them as made their way to where Kagato stood, on a platform at the back of the room. Once Ryoko and her daughters were kneeling in front of him (Ryoko, Mayuka, and Minagi more difficultly since they had the babies), Kagato spoke. "Honored guests! Welcome to my auction!" "Auction?" Ryoko thought. Kagato roughly pulled Minagi to her feet and yanked Azagi from her arms, shoving the child into Misao's hands. "Minagi Hakubi! 500 years old and very agile. She is also an excellent swordswoman and trained by none other then the Space Pirate Ryoko!" Ryoko felt her world collapse as she realized what was happening. "700 jurai!" someone called. To the horror of Ryoko, the bidding kept getting higher and higher. "How could anyone be so cruel?" she thought. Suddenly, Minagi sent a wave of fear down their link. That was the last straw for Ryoko. She jumped up, placing Hiwa in Sasami's arms, and attacked Kagato. He back-handed her and sent her back to the ground. "And we have a winner! Congradulations Yakage!" Ryoko lay in despair as she watched all her children, save her three youngest, sold. Mayuka went to some woman named Yuzha. A woman named Rumia took her little Misao. A man named Serio won Sasami. Yugi was taken by a man named Hotsuma. The only time Ryoko felt any hope was when Hotsuma had offered to buy her as well, but that hope was crushed when Kagato turned him down. After what had been minutes, but seemed like hours to Ryoko, Kagato ordered her to return to Ryo-ohki with her three youngest to train them for their turn. Heartbroken, Ryoko obeyed with tears streaming down her face. When she arrived back on the Ryo-ohki, Ayeka and Tenchi looked up at her. Tenchi was the first one to notice that something was wrong if Ryoko. "Ryoko what happened?" asked Tenchi, "Where's Minagi and the girls?" Ryoko, exhausted from the day's events, fell to the floor in a faint. Ayeka and Tenchi rushed to grab the babies before they could fall as well. "How is she, Lord Tenchi?" asked Ayeka. "Okay, I guess. She seems to be having nightmares. She keeps yelling something about an auction and her children gone." Ayeka and Tenchi put two and two together. "Oh No!" said Ayeka, "I didn't know ANYONE could sink THAT low!" "What will we do?" "We have to get them back, of course." said Ayeka, "I'm afraid Ryoko will die without them, she's had them for so long." Ryoko opened her eyes and looked around. "What a terrible dream." she thought, "Good thing it wasn't real." Then, Ryoko noticed Tenchi and Ayeka asleep on chairs next to her, but her children couldn't be soon. "Oh No, what if it wasn't a dream!" thought Ryoko. Tenchi opened his eyes. "Oh good, Ryoko you're up I-" "Where are Minagi, Mayuka, Misao, Sasami, and Yugi?" "I- We were hoping you could tell us." said Tenchi. Ryoko burst into tears. "The monster! He sold them! He sold his own flesh and blood!" Tenchi and Ayeka had suspected it, but now that it was confirmed, it was even more horrific. Tenchi gently wrapped his arm around Ryoko and rocked her until her tears stopped and she was asleep once more.