Exausted and humiliated, Ryoko dug her soar hands into
the dirt pulling up the weeds from the garden.  She had
started work before dawn that morning and had not even
stopped for a bite to eat nor a sip of sake.  Ryoko did
not look up as Kagato’s shadow hovered over her blocking
the sun like a dark storm cloud.
        “Young men are so fickle aren’t they,” he
taunted, “one moment they are professing their devotion
and the next you are back to playing in the dirt.”
        Ryoko stood up and wiped the sweat from her
face, “let me pass,” she said blankly as she tried to
walk around Kagato.  He just laughed at her.
        “You know Ryoko, the Prince was planning on
announcing his engagement to Ayeka before your charming
little debut in court, then again your timing was never
perfect.”
        “Look! You’ve won!  Tenchi never wants to see me
again, go live in the palace, take over, just don’t harm
him!”
        “Does that boy really mean that much to you?”
Kagato asked with interest.
        Ryoko shook her head in utter disgust, “I loved
him! But I guess you wouldn’t understand such feelings.
Let me pass.”
        “You know in this vast universe human emotions
are merely nothing more than dust,” Kagato laughed, “I’m
sure you know by now, the only thing I really wanted was
the power of those gems your mother left you.  I simply
kept you around because it was convienient, but now you
have become nothing but a pebble in my shoe. It’s no
matter, you are not my problem anymore.”
        “What’s that supposed to mean,” Ryoko raised a
brow as Kagato laughed heartily and stepped aside
letting her on her way.  As she approached the barn she
saw the silohette of a short fat man.  As she neared him
he turned revealing Dr. Clay octopus beard and all.
        “Ah, Miss Ryoko, how good to see you,” he
grinned.
        Kiyone scurried out of the mansion followed by
Sasami and Mihoshi. “Get off of our property Clay or I
will throw you off myself,” she threatened.
        “Not this time my dear girl,” the Dr. purred
stroking one of the curls on his beard, “ I am here on
business.”
        Kagato seemed to glide over to Dr. Clay.  The
Dr. handed him a bag and shook his hand.  Ryoko felt a
weight close around her feet she looked down to see them
covered in a thick green slime.  She tried to run but
she just fell over.
        “Do whatever you wish with her just get her out
of my sight,” Kagato said coldly.
        “What is this!” Ryoko gasped as the slime
crawled up her body holding her still.
        “Your Master Kagato has sold you to me for five
gold pieces,” Clay declaired proudly.
        “Yet I do think I am getting the better deal,”
Kagato smiled, “we can’t have you around distracting the
prince when he comes to marry Ayeka.”  The slime crawled
up Ryoko’s body as she panicked,  she could not breath,
and struggled to free herself.  She looked around to see
Kiyone, Mihoshi and Sasami looking on in horror. In the
door way Ayeka stood, her eyes wide
        “No!,” Ryoko cried as the slime covered her
completely.  She felt herself melting into the ground as
she was to be taken to Dr. Clay’s lab.
        Tenchi stood at the altar where he was to be
married.  He looked to either side of him to see the
Royal house of Uranus on one side and the Juraian court
on the other. Suddenly the organist began to play.
Princess Sakuya walked down the isle with a vacant smile
plastered across her face.  In her arms she clutched a
doll of the prince and for some reason the letters “KM”
where embroidered into her wedding gown.
        The Juraian court shuttered, “ I cant believe
the prince is going to marry her!” one woman said.
        “What are those things hanging from the side of
her head!  Are they peas or does she just have a bad
hair dresser?” A young boy asked pointing to the tendril
that hung unevenly from either side of Sakuya’s head.
Tenchi began to sweat and shake.  Sakuya approached the
altar hugging the Tenchi doll tightly between her
breasts.  She looked at her groom to be and giggled.
        “Tee Hee!” she began, “ Hi! My name is Sakuya!
We’re going to be good friends, you’re kind of cute!”
        Tenchi’s sweat drops began to grow.  He looked
at Yosho who stool by the Preist “Grandpa!” he whispered
his teeth clenched, “ she’s so weird!”
        Yosho looked at Tenchi’s expression then at his
bride to be.  He nodded to Sakuya.
        “Hi! My name is Sakuya! Tee hee!” She stated
again.
        “Jeez Dad, Tenchi’s right she is a freak even I
wouldn’t touch her!”  Nobouyuki whispered.
        Yosho looked at his grandson and sighed, “ go
Tenchi, go and find your servant girl.”
        Tenchi smiled and ran from the altar.  Sakuya
scampered after him, “ Oh Tenchi! Where are you going!
Tee Hee!  We have to get married Tenchi!”
        As Tenchi ran for his life from his odd bride
down the steps of the palace a foot intercepted Sakuya
tripping her.  Ayeka emerged from the shadows in pursuit
of the Prince as he fled the castle walls.
        “Lord Tenchi,” she called.  He stopped in his
tracks one foot in the air and turned around.
        “Oh, hi Miss Ayeka-” he began awkwardly.  He put
his hands behind his head and scraped his foot along the
dirt anxiously, suddenly he sighed looking at Ayeka with
a sense of urgency, “ where is she?”
        “’She’, lord Tenchi?”  Ayeka asked as her heart
fell.
        “Ha-where is Ryoko,” he corrected himself.
        Ayeka’s crimson eyes seemed to water up.  She
looked at Tenchi’s expression, “ you really do love her
don’t you?”  She sighed.
        Tenchi nodded, “ Im…sorry Miss Ayeka.”
        Ayeka bit her lip and lowered her head. “My
uncle sold her to the scientist Dr. Clay.”  She
explained.
        “Sold her?”  Tenchi repeated as is he did not
understand.
Sasami who followed her sister stepped up to the Prince
with tears in her eyes, “it was awful, he just took her
away.”  She explained.
        Tenchi looked at the two sisters and then
motioned for his guards, “Miss Ayeka, Sasami, I will
need your help.  We have a lot to do.”
        Dr. Clay sat at a long table looking at various
magazines he kept in brown paper bags.  He heard a knock
at his door.  “Come in my dear,” he smiled.
        “Why Dr. Clay!  I didn’t know you cared,” an
unexpected voice exclaimed.
        “Washu!”  Clay gasped leaping from his chair.
        Washu looked around the laboratory room and
smirked.  She saw a staue of a naked woman and shook her
head, “ such poor taste,” she sighed.
        “What is it you want Washu.” Clay growled, “ you
know I have made it quite clear I didn’t want to see you
since you pulled back at the Science Academy.”
        “Oh you know you wanted to see me again,” Washu
snickered, “I know you wanna take me to a club and do
all sorts of awful things to my young body! Little girls
turn you on!”  She squealed clutching her hands to her
face.
“Hey! I don’t like anything where I cant tell their back
from their front!”  He protested.
        “Then I suppose your intentions with my daughter
are less than admirable.”  She said crossing her arms,
she flung a little ragdoll that looked much like herself
into his arms, “ I think this little dolly is more your
speed than Ryoko.”
        “Daughter?” He asked holding the doll a moment
and then flinging it into the air, “ hmmm so Ryoko is
your daughter?  Well I do see similarities in your
stubbornness.  But she is mine now, and so are you.” He
laughed.  It was then Washu looked down to see she was
covered with the same green slime that had trapped
Ryoko.  She couldn’t move.  Clay laughed.  Suddenly he
felt a sharp object poking him in the back.  He sprung
around to find Ryoko holding a sword to his bloated gut.
        “Don’t move,” she warned, “I have a natural
talent for sword play and I won’t hesitate to kill
you.”  She pointed to a key ring fastened to his belt
and then indicated the chains he bound her with, “let me
go!” she commanded.  Clay slowly unfastened the keys
from his belt and unlocked her shackles.
        “Your freedom My Lady,” he snarled sweating with
fear.
        Ryoko still held the sword to his throat.  She
gestured to Washu, “Let her go too,” she commanded.  The
slime retreated from Washu letting her free.
        The mother and daughter took their first breaths
of freedom together. At first they said nothing to one
another.  Ryoko gazed up at the sky as the sun set over
the Juraian landscape.
        “Oh Ryoko,” Washu asked,” ready to call me mom?”
        Ryoko looked down at Washu  and growled again.
        “Oh come on little Ryoko,” she joked, “ I am
your mommy, just once call me mom.  I did clean up after
you when you wet your bed, and when you spit up all your
milk.  Come on Little Ryoko…just once, call me mommy.”
        “Don’t call me Little Ryoko!” she yelled.
        Ryoko turned her head back to the road and
stopped short.  There, before her stood Tenchi
accompanied by the royal guard.  The colors of the
sunset wrapped around his body like a mystical cloak.
For a moment she stood frozen, just staring into his
brown eyes, then she remembered how they looked as he
rejected her in front of the entire court.
        “What are you doing here,” she asked coldly.
        “I’ve…um..come to rescue you,” he stammered
scratching his head.
        Ryoko let out a laugh and continued on her
way, “rescue ME?  Thank you your majesty but I can take
care of myself.”
        “Please madam,” he began again, he pulled the
glass slipper from his cloak and held it up, “ do you
know the girl who wore this slipper?”
        “That shoe was worn by a commoner your majesty,”
Ryoko sneered and began to walk away again.  Washu
followed.
        “No!” Tenchi called back, “ there is nothing
common about her.”
        Ryoko stopped dead in her tracks her eyes where
still narrowed, “ your majesty, you said yourself…”
        “Didn’t I tell you to call me Tenchi,” he
smiled, then he continued, “ Please Ryoko, I’m sorry.”
        Ryoko’s face softened, “say that again,” she
sighed.
        “I’m sorry…” Tenchi began again.
        “No,” she whispered , “the part where you said
my name.”
        Tenchi smiled and walked towards her.  Gently he
took her hand and guided her to a large boulder in the
road and sat her down.  He knelt before her and removed
her tattered right boot.  He slipped the glass shoe onto
her slender foot and looked into her eyes, “ the girl
who wore this shoe,” he began, “ is brave, beautiful,
smart and fun,” Ryoko felt a tear of joy run down her
face as he spoke, Tenchi raised his hand to gently wipe
it from her cheek, “Ryoko Hakubi, I love you, and I
would be the luckiest man in the universe if you would
be my wife.”
        Ryoko leapt into his arms knocking him over onto
the ground.  At first Tenchi was overwhelmed and
hollered as they fell over.  He looked into her smiling
golden eyes and sighed.  He rose from the ground and
picked her up in his arms gracefully.
        “I’ll take that as a yes,” he smiled.  She
nodded and laughed.  Tenchi moved his arm up to cradle
her head tilting it upward.  He slowly moved his head
down to where their lips met and kissed her tenderly.
She wrapped her arms around his neck accepting.  Washu’s
face lit up as she watched the two kiss while the sun
slipped into the horizon.