Legal Info- I do not own any of the characters represented in my story. They are the sole property of AIC/Pioneer. Note- This is an OAV based saga. One slight difference is that the girls are a little bit friendlier to each other than they are in the actual show. That was enough talk from me, so enjoy! The War of the Destined Chapter 1 It was the middle of the night and Ryoko couldn’t sleep. She had always been plagued by nightmares, which caused her insomnia. She woke up and walked into the bathroom. She looked up into the mirror and saw her reflection. She looked at her face and grimaced slightly at her blood shot eyes. ‘Damn, why can’t my good looks remain with me throughout the whole day?’ she growled, mentally. She looked at herself for a few more seconds and then she walked out of the bathroom and back into her own room. She sat down on the bed and stared at the wall in front of her. She, after a few minutes, lied back down on her bed and closed her eyes trying to go back to sleep. She then started to drift off as her dreams took control. After only five minutes of restful slumber, she started to twist and turn beneath her covers. The nightmare she was having was horrible, but it was more of a memory than a nightmare. Start Nightmare Sequence Blood. It was everywhere, but especially on her nude and beaten body. The slashes that Kagato had caused her were indeed very painful and would take a long time to heal. Ryoko looked at her master with fearful eyes, hoping that he was done. Kagato took one look at her and was disgusted. He walked up to her and whipped her one more time. "Ryoko, why must you time and time again disobey me?!" he hissed at her. Ryoko winced out of fear and pain and said, "Because they didn’t deserve to die." "Don’t you understand, Ryoko? I don’t care if they live or die. Human lives are insignificant. I have told you that many, many times!" he yelled. "But they’re still lives, Master. They deserve to be alive just as much as we do," she said. "Who ever said that you deserve to be alive, Ryoko? From now on, I will have to control you by force. I could care less if you like it or not. I need to gain Tsunami’s power in order to rule the Universe," he said to her. "I will cry for their death’s afterwards. On that, you cannot stop me," she said to him. "Cry all you want, as long as you get the job done," he said. "I do not want to kill, Kagato. I want to be free and when I say that I mean from you!" she shouted. "You would dare to defy me! You will now pay for that vicious tongue of yours!" he yelled. Ryoko closed her eyes and awaited him to whip her and without a doubt it came. Ryoko screamed loudly as she was hit. Kagato kept on hitting her until she was bleeding all over and she was unconscious. Kagato then walked up to her and spit on her face. "You little bitch. You will work for me, even if I have to turn you into a puppet!" he hissed into her ear. After that was done, Kagato walked out of the room, leaving a nude and bloody Ryoko all alone in a cold and dark room awakened and crying. End Nightmare Sequence At that very moment, Ryoko let out a horrid scream as if she were in utter pain. She jolted upwards and started panting heavily. She held her chest and she looked down at her sheets and they were full of her perspiration and tears. She then started to shiver and she wrapped her arms around herself. "Damn that Kagato!" she muttered under her breath, "He can never leave me alone!" She then heard footsteps coming towards her room. She threw herself back down onto the bed. She then closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep. From what Ryoko could see she saw two people open come into her room. She tried to make out who they were through her half-opened eyes, but she couldn’t. The two people then started talking and she recognized the first voice as Tenchi. "I hope that she’ll be okay," Tenchi said worriedly, "She’s been like this ever since we defeated Kagato." "I know, Lord Tenchi," said the other voice, "I’m going to stay with her tonight to make sure that she doesn’t have anymore nightmares." "Miss Ayeka, that’s ok. You really shouldn’t stay up. You need to rest as well," said Tenchi, "I do appreciate the offer, but I will take care of her. She’s a guest in my house and she’s my responsibility along with all of you." "Alright, Lord Tenchi. I will see you and Ryoko in the morning," said Ayeka, quite uneasily. "Goodnight, Miss Ayeka," said Tenchi as he guided her out of Ryoko’s room. "Goodnight, Lord Tenchi," replied Ayeka as she walked back to her room. Tenchi looked down at Ryoko and he saw that her bed was completely drenched. He carefully picked her up and walked towards his room with her and placed her on his bed. Once he tucked Ryoko in his bed, he walked off to get a futon. Ryoko, once Tenchi was gone, lifted her head up and looked at the room’s surroundings. ‘What am I doing in Tenchi’s room?’ she wondered. She then heard Tenchi opening the door and she put her head back on the pillow. Tenchi placed the futon he found next to his bed. He lied down on it and he looked to the side of his bed where Ryoko was sleeping. He studied her facial features carefully and sighed. ‘She looks so angelic when she sleeps,’ thought Tenchi. Ryoko stirred a little bit, but then fell completely asleep. Tenchi smiled at the restful figure that was lying in his bed. He was thankful that Ayeka had consented to letting him watch over Ryoko for the night, or there would have been major problems. Tenchi watched Ryoko for an hour until sleep captured him as well. The next morning Tenchi woke up slowly to find that Ryoko was not in his room. He got out of bed and threw his field clothes on, so he could get to work quickly before he ate breakfast. He walked downstairs and he could already smell Sasami’s delicious home cooking. Sasami heard him coming down the stairs, so she went to greet him. "Good morning, Tenchi!" said Sasami with a big smile. "Good morning, Sasami," said Tenchi as he managed a weak smile. "You don’t look so good, Tenchi. Is something wrong?" Sasami asked worriedly. "I just didn’t get enough sleep last night, that’s all," he assured her. "In that case, would you like me to make you some strong tea?" she asked. "Yeah, Sasami, that would be greatly appreciated," he replied as he rubbed the temples on his forehead. "Well, in I’ll be in the kitchen doing that. Where are you going to be while I’m in there?" she asked. "I’ll probably be at the field," responded Tenchi. "Oh, ok. By the way, Ryoko’s out there already. Could you tell her that breakfast will be ready in an hour?" she asked. "Sure, Sasami," he answered. Sasami then made her way back into the kitchen as Tenchi made his way to the field. It was a beautiful morning and when Tenchi found Ryoko lying on the grass in the field, it made the morning even more perfect from his point of view. He walked up to her silently and put a hand on one of her shoulders. She was startled and as she looked up, she saw Tenchi’s face looking down at her and smiling. "What are you doing here, Tenchi?" she asked cautiously. "I need to work out here, remember?" he asked jokingly. "Well, I’ll come back when you’re done," she said as she lifted herself off of the ground. She had taken only two steps when Tenchi grabbed one of her arms out of the blue. She was again startled and this time she blushed lightly. "Ryoko, I didn’t find you in my room this morning," started Tenchi. "What was I doing there in the first place? You know that Ayeka would’ve been pissed if she saw that I was in there," she replied. "Ayeka knew about it, Ryoko. She said it was alright," he said. "Well, I’m definitely surprised at how she took the matter. I can guess that she was probably a little upset that I was gonna spend the night in your room. She probably thought that I was gonna seduce you or something," she said, chuckling. "Well, you usually do try and do that. I was amazed that you didn’t attempt to this morning," he replied with a slight laugh. Ryoko then got that look in her eyes and before Tenchi could react, she had tackled him to the ground. She grinned down at him as looked up nervously at her. "Uh…Ryoko? What are you doing?" he asked as he broke a sweat. "I’m showing you my appreciation for last night," she said, seductively as she started to caress his chest. "Ryoko, you really don’t have to thank me. It was nothing, really," he said, nervously. "Oh, but Tenchi, I want to thank you. You saved me from that horrible nightmare," she said, pouting. "What would Miss Ayeka think if she saw this scene, Ryoko?" he asked quite sternly. Ryoko thought about what Ayeka would do if she saw the two of them in this situation. Ryoko sighed and then got off of Tenchi. As Tenchi got up, he noticed the sad look in Ryoko’s eyes. Ryoko was kneeling on the ground with her hands in her lap with her eyes looking directly at him. Tenchi loved her eyes; he would always feel so peaceful whenever he looked into them. He started to think about the choice that he was going to have to make sooner than later between Ayeka and Ryoko. He cared deeply about both girls, but he needed to find out which one was the keeper of his inner most feelings. Ryoko lost the sad look in her eyes as that of curiosity replaced it. ‘What could he thinking about?’ she thought to herself. When Tenchi noticed that Ryoko wasn’t sad anymore, but was looking into his eyes with deep intensity. He also noticed that he was looking back into her eyes with the same amount of intensity. Everything was very calm and still at that moment, that is until Tenchi saw Ayeka’s face flashing before him with a disapproving look. Tenchi broke the silence at that very moment. "I’d better start working," he said quickly. Ryoko who was naturally disappointed, nodded as they went their separate ways. Tenchi shook his head and thought about what a close call he just had. Half of him wanted her to stay, while the rational half told him that it was for the best. ‘Who’s best?’ he wondered. ‘My best or their best?’ The emotions for each separate girl grew more each day, but he still didn’t know where his true feelings laid. He knew that he needed advice, but who was going to be straightforward with him? He thought about only one person that could be so incredibly blunt and that was Washu. After he worked on the fields for about two hours, he made his way back home for lunch. Sasami greeted him and told him that lunch would take a while, so he went to look for Washu in the meantime. He walked towards her lab hesitantly, praying that she wouldn’t ask for a sperm sample from him. He walked inside and noticed Washu typing furiously on her holographic computer. He walked towards her and spoke. "Little Washu?" he said. "Tenchi? Is that you?" she asked. "Uh, yeah. Little Washu, I need your advice on something," he said. "What is it, Tenchi?" she asked, her eyes never leaving her computer. "Well, it’s about Ayeka and Ryoko," he started. Washu then turned around and looked at him with a seemingly annoyed look on her face. "What? Did they break something again?" He raised up his hands and waved them as he shook his head. "No, nothing like that. It’s more about a matter of decision." Washu grasped his meaning and looked him in the eyes. "Have you decided between the girls?" "That’s the problem. I can’t decide which one is the right one for me," he said. "I think I may have a way for you to solve your problem," she said. "Really?! I’m so relieved, but I hope that this won’t involve me taking my clothes off," he said, worriedly. Washu laughed, "No silly! I’m just going to sit you down and I want you to tell me all of the positive points for each girl and while you’re doing that, I want you to speak directly into this microphone. This machine will tally up the positive points for each girl and this means that you’ll know who you like the best." "Sounds simple enough," he said as he sat down in front of the machine. "First, let’s start with Ayeka," she said. "Ok, that’s easy enough. I like many things about her. She’s very sweet and gentile for one. She seems fragile, but she has an inner strength that she shows when in combat. She’s good with Sasami and very neat. She’s a hard worker and she always helps out even when she knows she can’t do much. She cares about everyone in this family greatly and she’s also very pretty," he concluded. The machine tallied up Ayeka’s score. It blinked and the number nine appeared on the screen. "Hmm…a very decent score in my opinion," commented Washu. "Now we go to Ryoko, huh?" he asked. "We might as well leave now, Tenchi. We both know that Ryoko’s score won’t come anywhere near Ayeka’s," said Washu. "We don’t know that for sure, Little Washu," he replied. "Oh, fine," grumbled Washu as she sat back down. "What I like about Ryoko. Hmm...well, she’s very beautiful, probably even more so than Ayeka. She’s also very sweet and she behaves in a tender way when she thinks that no one is looking. She’s very honest and expressive. She’s an excellent fighter and she loves everyone in this house dearly, even though she won’t admit it at times. She has a beautiful singing voice and she dances like an angel, she also looks like one when she’s asleep. My favorite one favorite thing about her appearance is the color of her eyes because I tend to lose myself every time I look into them. Her hair is very soft despite its appearance, it feels like silk in my opinion. I love her melodic laugh and her beautiful smile. I love the way she’s outgoing and carefree. I even enjoy her mischievous attitude at times. I guess that about sums up Ryoko," he said. Washu looked at Ryoko’s sum and whistled. "Damn, would you look at this!" "What is it, Little Washu?" asked a curious Tenchi. "Either you like Ryoko a lot or you’re just madly in love with her because this score outdid Ayeka’s completely," she replied. "What was the score, Little Washu?" he asked, anxiously. "The score was seventeen, Tenchi," she answered. "Wow," he said with a stunned look on his face. "I guess I deeply underestimated your feelings for Ryoko," she smirked. "Well, I still don’t know whom I actually love. I know it seems like Ryoko has a better chance over Ayeka because of this machine, but I would like to know them better than I do before I come to a sound decision," he said. "I see. Well then, good luck, Tenchi," said Washu. "Thanks, Little Washu. I’m really going to need it," he said. Tenchi left Washu’s lab and bumped into Ayeka. She looked at him wondering why he would even go into that lab out of his free will. He looked at her wondering what he would do with his choice between the two girls. "Lord Tenchi? Are you feeling alright?" asked Ayeka. Tenchi awoke from his daze and straight into Ayeka’s crimson eyes. She had a worried look on her face and he suddenly realized that she had asked him a question. "Sorry, Miss Ayeka. Could you repeat what you just said?" asked Tenchi, sheepishly. "I was asking if you were feeling alright," she said, now even more concerned than before. "Oh I’m fine, Miss Ayeka. I was just preoccupied with my thoughts," he said quickly. "Very well, Lord Tenchi," said Ayeka as she was about ready to walk off. At that very moment Tenchi had an idea. He would date each girl for two weeks and at the end of the two weeks he would ask her a series of questions that would help him determine which one was his true love. "Hey, Miss Ayeka, wait a minute," said Tenchi. "Yes, Lord Tenchi, what is it?" she asked curiously. "Go and find Ryoko. Once you have I want the both of you to meet me in here. Can you do this for me Miss Ayeka?" he asked. "Yes, Lord Tenchi," replied Ayeka as she made her way to go and find Ryoko. Ten minutes later, Ayeka and Ryoko entered the family room. Ryoko was wearing her usual yellow and blue dress with the tail. Ayeka was wearing a white and pink kimono. Tenchi acknowledged them and asked them to sit down. They did so and they were both looking at him very curiously. "I bet you two are both very interested in knowing why I asked to see the both of you," said Tenchi. Both girls nodded in unison. Tenchi smiled at them and proceeded to tell them his plan that would solve the love triangle’s problem once and for all. "So you’re telling us that you’re gonna date each of us for two weeks…" started Ryoko. "And whoever answers your questions in the manner you prefer will come out the victor of this whole ordeal," finished Ayeka. "That’s right, girls. Now we need someone to start off with," said Tenchi. Both girls shot icy glares at each other. Tenchi noticed this and decided to settle it. "I have an idea. Let’s flip a coin. Ryoko, what do you choose?" asked Tenchi. "Tails," she answered. "Ok, I guess that leaves heads for Miss Ayeka," said Tenchi. He flipped the coin in the air and once it came back down to his palm he looked at it and closed his palm shut. "Are you ready for this girls?" asked Tenchi. The girls were nodding their heads quickly with anxious looks on their faces. Tenchi sighed as he opened up his palm and said, "Alright. And the winner is…Miss Ayeka!" Ayeka was just sat there with a stunned look on her face as Ryoko had already phased out, very upset. "Well, then Miss Ayeka, you will choose the places for the all the dates now, that way we won’t have to waste any time. Is that ok with you?" asked Tenchi. "Yes, that is fine with me, Lord Tenchi," said Ayeka, trying hard to hide her giddiness. Tenchi then noticed that Ryoko had left the room. Tenchi decided to go and look for her, but he knew where she would always hide when she was upset about something…the roof. As he thought, he found Ryoko on the roof crying lightly. He cringed at the sight. He hated to see her cry because it hurt him so much. He sat down on the roof next to her, though she still had not noticed his arrival. He put a hand on her shoulder and she jumped. She turned her head and she saw Tenchi there with his hand on her shoulder. "What’s wrong Ryoko?" he asked concerned. "You’re gonna choose her. I just know it. I’ll never even get a chance to tell you how I feel about you," said Ryoko in between sobs. Tenchi was at a loss of what to do, so he tried his best to comfort her. He sat down next to her and put an arm around her shoulder. She turned her head in his direction and looked deeply into his eyes. Tenchi couldn’t help but look back into her own eyes. Ryoko’s beauty was quite profound and before he knew what he was doing, he put a hand on one of her cheeks and started caressing it. Ryoko was surprised, but she didn’t move. It was like they were both frozen there. Tenchi moved his head closer to hers and she closed her eyes. ‘Wow! What’s happening? Is he gonna kiss me or what?’ wondered Ryoko. ‘What am I doing?’ thought Tenchi. ‘I shouldn’t be doing this, but yet it feels so right.’ Tenchi’s face was just centimeters away from Ryoko’s and before he could react, Ryoko acted out of her own instinct and kissed him passionately. Tenchi couldn’t do anything but sit there stunned. Ryoko moved her tongue into his mouth and before he knew what was going on, he was kissing back as well. Ryoko was happy with this outcome, so she wrapped her arms around his neck and kept on kissing him. Tenchi just acted out on his own instinct and wrapped his arms around her waist. They kissed for a good five minutes until they broke apart from each other. Tenchi was quite out of breath and Ryoko just let out a happy sigh. She continued holding Tenchi and he didn’t even seem to care. Ryoko put her head on one of his shoulders and smiled contentedly. Finally Tenchi broke the silence. "Ryoko, what just happened?" he asked. "We kissed, Tenchi. It was wonderful," sighed Ryoko. "As wonderful as it was, you know that it was a mistake," replied Tenchi. Ryoko just blinked at him, very confused and then sighed. ‘I guess I should just tell him how I feel and then maybe he’ll tell me his own feelings.’ "Tenchi, there’s something I need to tell you," Ryoko said hesitantly. "What is it Ryoko?" he asked. "Tenchi…I…I…" she stuttered. "Yes?" he asked, curiously. "I love you," she said, finally. Tenchi just sat there stunned. He had never ever heard Ryoko utter those words to him and now that she did, he just didn’t know how to respond. Ryoko looked at him pleadingly, wishing him to answer her, but to no avail, he just continued sitting there with wide eyes. "Tenchi, please say something," said Ryoko with desperation in her voice. "Ryoko…I just don’t know what to say," said Tenchi. "Tell me the truth. Tell me how you feel about me," she cried. "If I tell you anything, I’ll just be hurting Miss Ayeka, and you know that," he replied. "You like her better than me then?" she asked quietly. "I don’t know, Ryoko," he said through clenched teeth. "I can’t say just yet." It looked like Ryoko was going to cry again. Tenchi couldn’t bear keeping his feelings trapped anymore; he had to tell her. "Ryoko, look at me," he said. Ryoko looked up at Tenchi, but her vision was slightly blurry, so she couldn’t see his eyes as well as she would have liked. "Yes Tenchi? What is it?" she asked, her voice shaky. "These dates that I promised you guys aren’t going to work," he started. "What do you mean Tenchi?" she asked, now confused. "I think I’ve known all along whom my heart has belonged to. I just couldn’t admit it until now," he said smiling at her. "Tenchi…" she started. "Ryoko, I love you," he said. Ryoko’s eyes were on the verge of tears. She held onto Tenchi tightly as he held her as well. "Tenchi, thank you for finally being honest with me," she said happily. Tenchi caressed her hair and laid a kiss on the top of her head. "You know, I’ve got to tell Miss Ayeka about this. She won’t be very happy when she finds out though," he said. "Well, if it were me, I would just get it over with," said Ryoko. "You’re probably right. Wait for me in my room, ok?" he asked. "No problem, my Tenchi," she grinned and then she teleported to his room. Tenchi made his way back into the house and ran into Sasami. "Hey Sasami, have you seen your sister?" "I think she went to her room Tenchi," she replied. "Thanks, Sasami," he said. Tenchi made his way upstairs and stopped in front of Ayeka’s door. He hesitated for a moment and then knocked. "Who is it?" asked Ayeka’s voice. "It’s me, Tenchi. May I come in to speak with you?" he asked. Ayeka’s heart fluttered as her face started to glow with happiness. ‘He wants to speak with me! He might call off this whole thing and choose me right on the spot. Him declaring his love for me…what a perfect way to end the day.’ "Miss Ayeka? Are you ok?" he asked worriedly. "Yes, Lord Tenchi, I’m fine. Please, do come in," she said trying to hide her giddiness. Tenchi entered Ayeka’s room and sat down next to her. She did a good job at keeping a straight face while he was in there. "Miss Ayeka, I have a good reason for disturbing you this late at night," he started. "It’s no problem, Lord Tenchi. Your presence is always welcome here at any hour," she said. Tenchi blushed slightly at this. "Miss Ayeka, you see…I’ve come to tell you something that might change all of our lives," he said. "What is that, Lord Tenchi?" she asked with hope in her eyes. "You remember those dates I promised you and Ryoko?" he asked. "How could I forget, I won," she said. "Well, I can’t go on them anymore," he said. "What do you mean, Lord Tenchi?" asked Ayeka, curiously. "Well, tonight I made my choice on who I love," he said, bracing himself for the worst. "Well, who is it?" she asked, hopefully and almost sure of herself. "You see…I love…I love…" started Tenchi. "Yes, Lord Tenchi, go on," she said encouraging him. "I love Ryoko," he said finally. "What?! How can you love that demon over me?!" she asked as she felt the anger rising out of her. "Miss Ayeka, Ryoko’s not a demon. She’s just as sweet and fragile as any other girl," he said. "I see. Well, it looks like Ryoko and I won’t be fighting anymore. I will speak to her in the morning, but right now I need to be alone to figure things out," she said as she felt the tears brewing in her eyes. "I understand. Well, goodnight, Miss Ayeka," he said. "Goodnight, Lord Tenchi," she said sadly. The moment Tenchi got up to leave her room, he heard a horrifying scream in a nearby room. Tenchi then recognized the scream as Ryoko’s voice and he ran towards his room, but he was too late. She had been kidnapped. Tenchi balled his hands into fists and slammed them down on his bed’s mattress. Ayeka ran into his room to find Tenchi crying over the loss of Ryoko. ‘There is no time for your pitiful grudge against Ryoko,’ she thought. ‘She is a friend of yours and she is also the one that Lord Tenchi loves.’ "Lord Tenchi," she started, "There might be a way for us to find out who Ryoko’s captors are." "Yeah, and I know what you’re thinking. We should go and see Washu. Am I right?" he asked. "Yes, Lord Tenchi. Miss Washu might have a solution to our problem," she said. "You’re probably right. I just hate going to her lab," he said, unaware that Ayeka hadn’t the slightest clue of what he was talking about. "What are you talking about, Lord Tenchi?" she asked. "Oh, uh…it’s nothing you should be concerned about," he said quickly. "Well, shall we visit Miss Washu now?" she asked. "Yeah, let’s," he said. The minute they were out of Tenchi’s room, they heard footsteps. They turned around to find no one other than Sasami there. She looked as though she had been crying. Ayeka walked over to her sister to comfort her. "Ayeka, I had a scary dream," said Sasami, starting to cry again. Ayeka knew very well what Sasami’s nightmares meant and they were usually depictions of the future. "Well, dear, why don’t you tell Lord Tenchi and myself about the dream?" asked Ayeka softly. "Well," she said as she was rubbing her eyes, "I don’t remember much, but of what I do remember it was pretty scary." "What happened?" asked Tenchi. "Well, there was this man dressed all in black, even his lips were black. He had a black sword in his hand and then he charged at Ryoko. Ryoko couldn’t use any of her powers and she was killed and then I woke up screaming," she said. "It might be the same man who kidnapped Ryoko," Ayeka said, thoughtfully. "Ryoko was kidnapped?" Sasami asked in shock. Both Tenchi and Ayeka nodded in unison. "Have you seen Miss Washu yet?" asked Sasami. "No, but we were on our way to see her," said Tenchi. "Well, then let’s get going. We haven’t got a minute to lose," said Sasami as she ran down the stairs as fast as she could. Tenchi and Ayeka followed her to Washu’s lab. ‘I can tell that Sasami’s dream was an omen. I just hope that Ryoko’s all right because if she isn’t, her captor will pay dearly,’ Tenchi thought angrily. All three of them went into Washu’s lab. "Little Washu," called Tenchi. There was no answer. He tried again and he failed once more. "She might be asleep," said Ayeka. "I don’t think so, Miss Ayeka. I can hear typing somewhere. All we have to do is split up and look. Sasami, you go with your sister," said Tenchi. "Ok," Sasami said reluctantly. They parted and went to look for Washu. Tenchi could hear the typing and it was closer now. Tenchi then found Washu in the biggest part of her lab, obviously working on some experiment. "Little Washu?" he asked as he put a hand on her shoulder. Washu jumped and then she looked over her shoulder to find Tenchi looking at her. "Tenchi! You scared the living crap out of me!" "Sorry about that. I just need your help," he said. "At this hour?! Look Tenchi, I wouldn’t mind helping you in the daytime, but I was getting ready to go to sleep," she said irritably. "But it’s important, Little Washu! Ryoko’s been kidnapped!" he exclaimed. This instantaneously got Washu’s attention. She looked at Tenchi grimly. "Did you see who took her?" "No, she was just snatched out of my room," said Tenchi before he noticed the grave error of what he just said. "In your room, huh?" asked Washu, now grinning. Tenchi looked at her nervously and explained everything that happened. She looked at him, understanding what he meant. "Hmm…whoever took Ryoko works fast, really fast," she commented. "Do you think we can trace her?" he asked. "I can’t contact her through our link because she keeps a damn barrier up on her side," she said. "But, I think we can locate her through my Direction Coordinator." "Huh? What can that do?" he asked confused. "It can basically locate anything throughout this entire galaxy," she said letting out a cackle. "What if Ryoko’s not in this galaxy?" he asked. "Then we pinpoint the closest part of where Ryoko might be in this galaxy and from there we can use Ryo-Ohki’s link with Ryoko to try and find out where she might be," she said. "But what if Ryoko is unreachable through the link?" he asked, now worrying even more. "Then that’s when our troubles begin," she said seriously. "Just let the machine run a scan on the galaxy. I’ll let you know if anything turns up." "Thanks, Little Washu," he said as he made his way to the lab door. When he got there, Sasami and Ayeka greeted him. He smiled at them weakly, but they could easily sense his sadness. "Lord Tenchi, were you able to find Miss Washu?" asked Ayeka. "Yeah, she has a device that can scan this galaxy. She’s trying to pinpoint the exact location or the nearest location of where Ryoko could be," he said. "You had better rest, Lord Tenchi. I will see you in the morning and inform Sasami and myself about any new developments on the search for Ryoko," said Ayeka. "Of course, Miss Ayeka," he said. "I will see you two in the morning." Tenchi then made his way back to his room. He lied down on his bed and all he could see in his mind’s eye was Ryoko’s face. He was scared to think what could have happened to her. He loved her so much and to lose her just after he confessed was the worst thing that could have happened to him right then. He then was on the brink of sleep, but one thought escaped his mind before he did. ‘I swear to you Ryoko, when I find that damn bastard who did this to us I will make him pay. I will not lose you for a second time, I promise you this, my love.’ He finally fell asleep with a taste for vengeance in his blood. Soon enough the morning would come and awaken him with news of his beloved Ryoko.