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**Standard Disclaimer **
I do not own Tenchi Muyo!, or any of its characters.  I also do not own two 
other anime series (their names will be disclosed later, and yes; this will be a 
crossover  ^.^), or the songs that will be used.  The titles of the songs will 
be included at the end of the chapters they appeared, what albums they can be 
found in, and the artists' names.  I am not going to get any money from writing 
this fic, so don't bother trying to sue :p. 
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Through the Lakes, Rivers, and Oceans In-between

Chapter 2: Conflicts, Confessions, Revelations, and Resolutions

	Ryoko suddenly found herself in the midst of an immense, darkened chamber 
located within a cavern, deep underground.  Its walls are shrouded in mist; the 
chamber itself seems to be in mourning, and the cold, dead air hangs ominously 
over head and covers all, like a blanket would envelop a corpse.  The atmosphere 
is dark and foreboding, one that would instantly drain all hopes of escape.  
Although its size was several times larger than the cave she had been imprisoned 
in, she could not help but to feel that the walls were closing in on her.  The 
air was thick with cries of anguish, despair, and sorrow.  To Ryoko's horror, as 
the cries slowly became more audible, figures could be seen approaching from the 
mist, like so many spirits from the netherworld.   Each one was cast in a 
ghostly light, illuminating their warped and twisted bodies, their conditions 
caused by none other than her.  Countless numbers of them, reaching to as far as 
her eyes could see encircled her, and slowly advanced forward. Even little 
children were present among them.  Ryoko was so terrified, that she couldn't 
move; in her petrified state, she could do nothing but take it all in.  
Soon, a few were close enough so that she could see every ghastly detail.  
Several had wounds crossing their bodies, killed by a single swipe.  Others had 
holes through their throats or chests, and many were missing their arms and legs 
from energy blasts, but worst of all were the ones that had their heads severed, 
they appeared doomed to carry their heads for all of eternity. 
	
Cries of "What have we done to deserve this?", "How could you have done such a 
thing?", and simply "Why?" echoed off the walls of the chamber; each cry, and 
each questioning, accusing stare cut at her soul like a knife.  There was a 
sudden surge, and several arms and hands reached out to pull her to the ground.  
All she could do was to respond with desperate screams of "I had no control!" "I 
had no choice!", "I didn't want to do it!", and "It's not my fault, I couldn't 
do anything to stop it!", were answered with "Do not try to deny doing it". 
Then, she had a terrifying realization, that sometimes she had no remorse for 
killing them.  Ryoko suddenly found herself having a sinking sensation, and upon 
looking down found herself ankle-deep in blood.  In vain, she tried to escape, 
but those who held her captive, the tormented spirits from her past; held her 
tight, and she was going to drown in the same pool of their misery.  

"NNOOOOO!!!" was her final cry before she was completely submerged.

Ryoko woke up with a start; she was drenched in a cold, damp sweat.  She looked 
around and found herself to be in Tenchi's home up on her favorite rafter.  The 
full moon shone down from the skylight to illuminate the room with a calm, 
soothing light.  Down below she could see her blanket and her pillow, probably 
kicked off during her dream.  Although the dream was already drifting into the 
further regions of her sub-consciousness, she could still recollect some of its 
details.  It appeared to her as the bearer of dark things soon to come, and she 
remained troubled and restless.  Ryo-Ohki, sensing it's master's distress, 
joined Ryoko up on the rafter.  It gave Ryoko a concerned look and gave a 
questioning "Miya?"

"Don't worry about me, it was just a bad dream," she assured the little 
creature, "just go back to sleep, I'll be fine."  With that, Ryo-Ohki scampered 
back to Sasami and Ayeka's room.  What she had told Ryo-Ohki was a lie; she 
couldn't sleep. Ryoko felt she had to be reassured as well, and told that 
everything would be all right.  She headed up to Tenchi's room and phased 
through his door.  The clock on the mantle read just after midnight; she stood 
right by the entrance.

He's sleeping so peacefully, she thought almost enviously.  A little bit 
disappointed that he wasn't awake, she concluded that being in his presence 
would be enough.  But soon she felt distant and alone; she longed to be by his 
side.  Quietly, she drifted over to his bedside, pulled up the covers, and tried 
to slide in without him noticing.      

  Almost instantly, sensing the sudden shift of the mattress, Tenchi sat up and 
harshly shoved Ryoko off of the bed.  She looked up at him with a pained 
expression.  His eyes were still somewhat closed, and she wasn't sure if he was 
fully awake.  He desperately wanted to go back to sleep, and started speaking 
without thinking.  His weariness had made him irrational, being evident in what 
he said.

"I told you to never come into my room when I'm asleep, because I thought that 
it would stop you from coming in; but now you have the nerve to wake me up in 
the middle of the night!"  Taken aback, Ryoko remained silent, and Tenchi 
continued.  "I thought that you had changed, that you would have known better, 
but now I see that it was all an act!"  Ryoko merely stared back in disbelief.  
"If you're not going to say anything, leave! I don't ever want to see you in 
here again!"  With that he quickly pulled the covers up around him and placed 
the pillow on his head.  His breathing indicated that he had instantly fallen 
back asleep. 

	Ryoko felt crestfallen, she was desperate for any source of comfort.  Her 
first and only choice had left her feeling worse, and not knowing what to do, 
she slowly made her way to the only place where she was sure it's occupant would 
be awake; Washu's lab.

	She reached the door and knocked on it, and immediately it opened. She 
knew that the door would instantly transport her to the part of the lab that 
Washu was in or closest to.  Not immediately finding her, she took in the room 
she was in.  It appeared to have no ceiling; its cold steel walls seemed to 
stretch up into space.  The tile floor reflected the green and yellow lights 
being produced by the machines that were spread out around the vast room.  Small 
lights flashed in rhythm with the beeping sounds that the machines produced; it 
was a virtual concerto of technology.  The room was illuminated in an eerie blue 
and green glow that appeared to come out of nowhere. 

She found Washu casually taking a break, sitting near a table that had a teapot, 
plate of crackers, and cups on it.

"Ah, I see that you're upholding your promise to talk to me!" she said happily.  
Ryoko was at first stunned by Washu's cheerfulness, then remembered that she had 
shut down the link from earlier.  Washu had not known what had happened and 
thought that Ryoko had only come down to see her.

"Not really," was Ryoko's dejected reply, and she sat down across from the 
scientist.  Ryoko was about to say more, but then was immediately interrupted.  

"Before we talk, there's something I need to do first."  With that, Washu 
snapped her fingers, and Ryoko found herself surrounded by two large orbs.  
Before she could react, four arms attached to cables shot out from each orb and 
grabbed her arms and legs. Suddenly she realized that she was suspended off the 
ground and that she had been stripped down to nothing but a crude, magenta tank 
top; a handkerchief gagged her mouth. A large ring was around her waist, and a 
device similar to the one she had seen placed on Ryo-Ohki's head was placed on 
hers.  It consisted of a headpiece with light bulbs that flashed in sequence.  
Ryoko knew that it was the device used to explore a person's mind. She found 
herself illuminated by a yellowish-green light, and tried to escape the 
machine's clutches.

"Don't be so feisty, relax.  The more you struggle, the longer this process will 
take."  Washu's tone was similar to a doctor trying to calm a small child.  "I 
haven't done a full examination before, and I have to see if your integration 
with Zero has had any harmful effects. I couldn't do it before because of the 
arrival of the royal family.  I need you to remain quiet and stationary.  I 
promise that I'll only examine Zero's memory, not yours."  Reluctantly, Ryoko 
complied.

With that, Washu turned to a computer terminal nearby, and began typing away.  
Ryoko couldn't see what was going on, but once in while could hear the words, 
"very interesting".  She stayed still for what seemed like hours.  Just as Washu 
was finishing up, Mihoshi entered the lab.  Having nothing better to do, Ryoko 
listened to the conversation. She was semi-interested in the trick Washu had 
played on Dr. Clay with a cheap fabrication of an antique vase, but ended up 
only feeling sorry for him.  She snorted at how easily Mihoshi had played into 
Washu's plans by predictably breaking it. 

Ryoko continued to listen to the conversation, it seemed to have dragged on for 
a long period of time.  She was beginning to feel worn out from hanging there 
the entire night. She stiffened a bit when Mihoshi had said that the Galaxy 
Police had wanted to question Zero about Tokimi, because of the peculiar nature 
of Dr. Clay's selective loss of memory, but was relieved when Washu said that 
she could not, because the same memories were also wiped from Zero's mind.  This 
made Ryoko curious.

What does she mean by 'protection device'? She questioned Zero.

I cannot access part of my memory; it seems to be closed off by some outside 
force... 

By what 'outside force'?

I don't know...  

With the conversation finally over, Ryoko expected to be released from her bonds 
as soon as Mihoshi left.  She met with no such luck, and was deeply surprised 
and almost hurt to see Washu leave her behind as well.  All she was left with 
was the silence and her thoughts.

After a moment, Ryoko had successfully shaken off the gag.  She immediately 
began to curse and shout, demanding to be let out.  As the time progressed, her 
cries grew more desperate.  She began begging, crying, and desperately calling 
out to Washu as "mommy", but still she was met with no answer.  She was starting 
to notice the cold and the darkness; the machines in the lab seemed unfriendly 
and menacing.  Dawn was approaching, and she could hear the birds calling.  
Soon, Tenchi would be up, and she hung her head in sorrow.  She began to feel 
dismissed, like she was some unimportant, worthless thing.  

But then something caught her attention.  She heard a short ping that signaled 
the turning off of an appliance.  She immediately knew that it was a video 
camera. 

All her anxieties, fears, emotions and experiences of the night flooded back and 
drowned her in despair.  It was too much for her to handle.  She was being 
pushed to her breaking point and felt as if she were going over the edge.  An 
aura of energy was starting to slowly build around her as the mental onslaught 
continued. Finally, when she thought she couldn't take it any longer, she balled 
her hands into fists and raised her head to let out a scream that embodied 
everything she was feeling.  She felt like her soul was escaping.  Her aura 
violently billowed around her and reached toward the sky.  It tore apart the 
machine completely, sending its parts in all directions.  Then as immediately as 
it started, it stopped.  Ryoko fell to the floor feeling broken, beaten, and 
exhausted.  She looked right at Washu with hatred, and neither said a thing.   

Tenchi had finally awakened.  He sat up, stretched, and looked at the clock; it 
was six in the morning.  I wonder why I dreamt about yelling at Ryoko... he 
thought as he was yawning.  Her pained expression came back to haunt him.  It 
seemed so real...  Then finally, something occurred to him.  Oh my God! What if 
it wasn't a dream?  He ran out of his room in desperation, straight to the 
rafter nearest the stairs.  When he didn't see her on it, he knew that something 
was wrong.  She never wakes up this early in the morning... So it wasn't a 
dream... How could I have been such an idiot!  I only hope that she can forgive 
me...  If there's one person who would know where she is, it's Washu.

He knocked on the door and ran in as soon as it was opened.  What he saw made 
his heart leap into his throat.  There, in the middle of the room, was Ryoko 
lying on the floor among the ruins of Washu's machine.  He stood open-mouthed in 
sheer disbelief.  She stared at him with the same pained expression from last 
night.

Why is he just standing there, like a spectator to my misery? She felt shamed, 
violated and ashamed in every single sense of these words.

As Ryoko laid there looking at him, one of her memories drifted up from the not 
too distant past. She recalled how she had felt when she found out that Tenchi 
was alive, after she was certain she had witnessed his demise. "I thought I saw 
a man brought to life," then she thought of how she used to feel about him; "he 
was warm; he came around like he was dignified."   She remembered the tears that 
threatened to stream down her face as she tried in vain to comfort him when his 
grandmother had died, and when she had cried in the reaches of space when she 
found his bloody bandana.  "He showed me what it was to cry..." The image was 
replaced by the memory of how he had treated her last night. "Well you couldn't 
be that man I adored..." She thought of his indecisiveness. "You don't seem to 
know, or seem to care, what your heart is for..."

Each line sent shivers down Tenchi's spine.  He instantly knew that she was 
referring to him. 

She now saw him as a complete stranger.  "I don't know him anymore."  She 
searched for why she had ever liked him.  At the moment, she couldn't think of 
anything, nor understand what she used to see in him.  "There's nothing where he 
used to lie"; She couldn't think of much more to say, "my conversation has run 
dry; that's what's goin' on..."

Then Ryoko decided to tell him exactly how she felt. She lowered her head and 
the tears began running down her face. "Nothing's fine, I'm torn, I'm all out of 
faith... this is how I feel..." She motioned her hands to indicate her 
surroundings and condition, it was evident that she was disgraced and 
embarrassed. "I'm cold and I am shamed, lying naked on the floor." She felt 
disenchanted, as if a blindfold had been removed from her eyes. Her dream world 
had been destroyed and replaced with the cold, hard, truths of reality.  
"Illusion never changed...  into something real, I'm wide-awake and I can see 
the perfect sky is torn;" She thought that if he had arrived earlier, he could 
have saved her from her misery; but now it was too late.  "You're a little late, 
I'm already torn..."

Her nightmare had been an omen for things to come, and she paid no heed to it.  
Now she regretted it. "So I guess the fortuneteller's right," Her glorified 
image of Tenchi faded into her perception of him now. "I should have seen just 
what was there and not some Holy light..." Ryoko found out that she could not 
force herself to hate him.  Things just never went her way; she didn't care 
anymore, and let it slide.  "But you crawled beneath my veins, and now I don't 
care, I have no luck; I don't miss it all that much." She felt like a ghost; 
disconnected from the world, and all that she could do was nothing but watch as 
things happened. "There's just so many things... that I can't touch."

Tenchi continued to stand there, tears threatening to well up in his eyes.  
Ryoko went on regardless and repeated what she had said over again. "I'm torn, 
I'm all out of faith...this is how I feel...I'm cold and I am shamed lying naked 
on the floor.   Illusion never changed...into something real, I'm wide-awake and 
I can see the perfect sky is torn; you're a little late, I'm already torn..."

He was her very reason for existing, her motivation for living her life.  She 
didn't know if she could go on.  "There's nothing where he used to lie; my 
inspiration has run dry, that's what's goin' on..."

He looked at her with pity, the last thing that she had wanted to see right now.  
"Nothing's fine, I'm torn, I'm all out of faith... this is how I feel... I'm 
cold and I am shamed, lying naked on the floor. Illusion never changed...  into 
something real, I'm wide-awake and I can see the perfect sky is torn; you're a 
little late, I'm already torn..." She wanted to leave, to escape.  Her feelings 
hovered over her like a dark cloud.  I'm all out of faith...this is how I 
feel..." His slow approach stunned her, she wanted him to keep his distance.  
She felt that everything was ending, and that there was no hope for her at all.  
"I'm cold and I'm ashamed, bound and broken on the floor..." She stood up and 
motioned for him to stay away. "You're a little late I'm already torn..." She 
looked at him with a look of sadness, he didn't know what to make of it. 
"Torn..."2. With that, she teleported to the door, walked out, and vanished, 
just as he had reached her.  He fell on his knees and started sobbing 
uncontrollably.  Washu stood behind him and stroked his back.  Tenchi looked up 
to see that she was trying to hold back tears. 

"Don't cry Tenchi, she'll be back, I promise.  Everything will work out, you'll 
see..." Even though the words were reassuring, there was a small twinge of doubt 
in her voice. 

"How can you be sure?" 

"I'll have a talk with her as soon as she gets back.  Right now, you have to get 
ready to go to school.  You can't miss class for something like this."  Tenchi 
stood up and slowly walked out of the room.  As the door closed behind him, her 
tears began to fall.

Please... come back...

Ryoko was wandering aimlessly through the forest; she felt too drained to fly.  
She was wearing her light-blue gown with its pink cover.  The sky was darkened 
by thunderclouds, and their shadows blanketed the land.   A summer storm was on 
its way.  The bright, cheery atmosphere of yesterday had completely disappeared.  
She felt that fate was playing tricks on her, the events of the day before 
seemed like nothing more than a dream or a memory of a past life.

How could I ever have thought that I would fit in...? That I could ever be a 
part of a... of a family?

A lightening bolt flashed across the sky, and the thunder could be heard rolling 
from the distance.  It began to rain.  She found herself at the edge of a cliff 
and looked down, she felt completely cut of from everything, and everyone.  It 
was as if she were encased in a glass box, and although she could see everything 
in the world around her; she couldn't touch it.  Although she was very much 
alive, she felt dead.  "What's it like there outside? With the living, with the 
living?" Ryoko sat down near the edge of the cliff; she was too ashamed to face 
anyone.  Here I've found a place I can hide...from the living, from the 
living..." She thought of how harshly they had treated her, and didn't want to 
have anything to do with them.  "Because I don't care to stay with the 
living..."

She pulled out her sake bottle and took a drink, then looked at it.  "Oh, the 
bottle has been to me; my closest friend, my worst enemy..." She cursed her 
dependency on liquor and alcohol whenever she felt depressed. "For a flavor I 
walked a fine line," Angrily, she threw it against the wall.  It shattered into 
hundreds of sparkling pieces; "squandered it all and wasted my time..." This was 
one of the reasons she felt she didn't belong. "And I don't stand a chance among 
the living..."

She had placed everything on stake... her life, happiness, and soul... just to 
get Tenchi.  Now it seemed like the biggest mistake of her life.  "For the 
lovers I've gambled and lost," all her past misfortunes came back to haunt her, 
"count my mistakes whatever the cost..."

She felt that by staying, she would only interfere.  "I'll go off, I'll make 
myself scarce..." She wanted to vanish, to disappear from the face of the earth. 
"Oh, come tomorrow, you won't find me here...Because I don't care to stay with 
the living..." The edge of the cliff beckoned, and she walked toward it.  "I 
don't think I'll remain with the living..." She stood on the edge and looked 
straight down at the rocks.  "And I don't care to stay with the living..." Ryoko 
knew that in her current condition, she would not survive the fall.  She closed 
her eyes, and the faces of the people whose lives she had destroyed flashed 
through her mind, along with the faces of those she had lived with.  She felt a 
deep sense of regret.  "No; I don't care to stay."3.

As Ryoko prepared to jump, she was immediately seized by a voice that came to 
her in the wind.  It was one she could not quite place, yet it seemed hauntingly 
familiar.  "I wish you would step back from that ledge, my friend..." Surprised 
at the word 'friend'; she turned around to see where the voice was coming from. 
"You could cut ties with all the lies that you've been living in..." Her mouth 
hung open.  There, coming toward her from the mist, was an image from the past.  
It was Yosho, but he did not look much different from the time he had sealed her 
in the cave.  

He noted her surprised look. "And if you do not want to see me again, I would 
understand...I would understand..."

He gave her a knowing look, then continued.  "The angry boy, a bit too insane, 
icing over a secret pain..." Immediately she knew that she was the "boy" he was 
referring to.  She always kept her deepest emotions hidden from everyone else.  
She wondered how Yosho knew all this.  "You know you don't belong," She was 
stunned, he had said exactly what she felt.  "You're the first to fight, you're 
way too loud, you're the flash of light on a burial shroud."

So, this is what he and everyone else thinks of me... Ryoko thought bitterly.  
But then she realized that it was the truth, and listened silently, as if she 
were entranced by his words.

"I know something's wrong, well, everyone I know has got a reason... to say put 
the past away..." Ryoko struggled to find the meaning of his words.  She saw 
that she was still standing dangerously close to the edge.  "I wish you would 
step back from that ledge, my friend..." Yosho had a look of utmost sincerity on 
his face.  "You could cut ties with all the lies that you've been living in..." 

How can I cut them if I don't know what they are?  Ryoko looked at him as if she 
wanted the answer from him.

"And if you do not want to see me again, I would understand...I would 
understand..."

 	He cast a slight glance in her direction.  "Well, he's on the table, and 
he's gone to code," then he turned his head as if he were looking directly at 
the rest of the world; "and I do not think anyone knows; what they are doing 
here...." Before, she had felt that she was the only one who had felt the way he 
had described.  The way he looked into her eyes shocked her; his dark, crimson 
pupils seemed to be searching deep into her soul.  She could see her reflection 
in them.  "And your friends have left, you've been dismissed," He glanced at her 
position at the edge of the cliff.  "I never thought it would come to this..."

He looked like he was about to tell her something vitally important.  "And I...I 
want you to know, everyone's got to face down the demons..."

What kind of demons are he talking about?

"Maybe today, we can put the past away..." Instantly, she knew that they were 
the demons of her past.  Everything was becoming clearer.

"I wish you would step back from that ledge, my friend..." Ryoko looked down the 
edge of the cliff again and couldn't believe what she had almost done.  You 
could cut ties with all the lies that you've been living in..." She realized 
that by not sharing her innermost thoughts and feelings; and keeping them 
hidden, she was living a lie.  She thought of the ways she could change this.    

"And if you do not want to see me again, I would understand...I would 
understand... I would understand..."

"Can you put the past away?"
 
 	I... I don't know if I can... she thought in response to his question.

"I wish you would step back from that ledge, my friend..." Slowly, she moved 
away from the edge and tried to walk over to him.  Right before she collapsed 
from exhaustion, she heard his final words: "I would understand..."4.

	Ryoko woke up to see that she was inside a brightly-lit building.  From 
its small appearance, she realized that she was in the shrine office.  She had 
recalled coming there to make a prank call to Mihoshi so that she and Ayeka 
could have Tenchi to themselves.  On a table in front of her was a steaming cup 
of green tea.  Yosho sat on the other side of the table.  He placed the cup of 
tea he was drinking on a coaster.  Ryoko just stared at him.

	"I believe you are wondering about my appearance..." Ryoko nodded her 
head.  "Sometimes on rainy days like these, I sit beneath Funaho, and recollect 
all that has happened to me on this planet." 

	"Why have you kept the way you look a secret? Especially from Ayeka?"

	"I was afraid that if I had revealed myself to her, she would have wanted 
to marry me.  If I agreed to her proposal, I knew that I would have been the 
next in line to receive the throne.  After you were kidnapped by Kagato, I told 
her that I refused the throne because if I, a person of mixed blood, accepted 
the throne, the people of Jurai would have gone into revolt.  I took your attack 
on my planet as a mixed blessing.  Although I hated you for doing it, it had 
provided me with a reason to leave.  It is true that I never came back because I 
could not accept their tendencies to be prejudice, but there are many 
sentimental reasons as well."

	"Reasons good enough to leave her, to make her believe that you were 
almost as good as dead?  She spent seven hundred years looking for you!"

	"I know you must think that I am being selfish, but I will assure you, 
that my reasons are justifiable."  Ryoko remained silent and waited for him to 
continue.  "When I was young, I had made my life on the battlefield.  We fought 
for Tsunami, and what was at first a just cause, the glorification of the Jurai 
Empire.  I lived by the code of the warrior, and fought with honor.  But as time 
progressed, I realized that many had joined the army with the sole purpose of 
glorifying themselves, and they killed the members of the opposing armies 
mercilessly.  Battles grew into instances of bloody conquest; they even began 
ransacking the homes of the innocent.  All I could do was stand by and watch.  
In this way, my planet had crushed all opposition and acquired new territories 
to add to its Empire.  All people were expected to abide by our rules and to 
only recognize the Emperor as ruler.  I was ashamed that Jurai had benefited on 
the misfortune of others; I could not bear to live there any longer.  I am sure, 
that to this day, even under the just rule of my father and mothers; that this 
is how the extension of the Jurai Empire continues."

	"Isn't that the basis on how all empires are founded?  That may explain 
why you left, but it does not explain the reason you stayed."

	"By some strange twist of fate, I realized that I had crashed on my 
mother's home planet, and instantly I fell in love with it.  I chose this 
particular area for its remoteness and beauty.  Here, I could live my life the 
way I pleased, with no one influencing my decisions.   I had never before felt 
such happiness.  It is also true that Tsunami had appointed me as your guardian, 
and I felt that it was my duty to watch over you for as long as it takes. I had 
spent the first six hundred years alone, without any human contact.  My days 
were divided between staying with Funaho and guarding the cave.  It was a simple 
life, and for awhile, I enjoyed it.  But soon I grew lonely, desired to make 
contact with the people of this planet.  Tsunami granted me with a disguise to 
make it appear that I was aging.  A shrine had been established, and I 
volunteered in its construction.  This is how I met my wife.  She was the shrine 
master's daughter, and by marrying into the family, I adopted the name Masaki 
Katsuhito, and inherited the shrine. I felt like I had been offered a second 
chance at life, and I made the most of it.  I have no regrets."

	"So from then, your daughter married Nobuyuki, and then, they had 
Tenchi..." finished Ryoko.

	"Yes..."

	"Why did you let him release me?"

"As I had been granted a second chance at living, I concluded that you were to 
be a chance to live on your own terms.  At first I was surprised that ever since 
he was little, he had been drawn to that spot like the moon draws the water in 
the ocean.  Knowing that my warnings would only strengthen his desires to go 
there, I waited until the day he would set you free."

	"I still do not think that I deserve it.  The cries of those that I killed 
still haunt me to this day.  You told me that I had to put the past away, but 
how could I, if it is stained with the blood of millions?"

	"I cannot tell you what to do, rather, I can give you some advice.  No 
matter what, you cannot alter or run away from the past, it will stay with you 
for the life, for what is done cannot be undone.  It may help to share your 
troubles with another, for it will make them less heavy."

	"There are still so many things that I need to have answered, I don't even 
know why I had been created, or what my place is.  All I know of are the lives 
of the people I have killed, and all the while I had never thought to ask myself 
why."

	"Those are questions that you have to find the answer to yourself.  I 
suggest that you go talk to Washu."  The mention of the name had left her with a 
sense of bitterness.  

	"I will..." With that, she left.

	Life went on in normally in the Masaki home, for it was not unusual for 
Ryoko to go off by herself for several hours, or for Washu to remain in her lab.  
No one else had known of the proceedings of the previous night.  Ryoko went into 
the lab unnoticed.  Each gave the other a sullen look. 

	"Why?  Why did you choose to exploit me in my moment of weakness?  For a 
while I almost believed that we could finally work things out, but after what 
you've done to me last night, I can't be sure.  You took away every piece of the 
little pride I had left in a single moment.  I felt like dying.  The only reason 
I'm not some stain on the rocks is because of Katsuhito.  He cared for me more 
than anyone I had ever known.  How can you dare say that you're my mother?  I 
wish that you would have never created me in the first place; the universe would 
have been better off without me!"  Instantly she found a light sword pointed 
directly in her face.  Behind it, Washu had shed her child form and was now in 
the form of an adult.  On her face was an expression of pain and sorrow.

	"Don't you ever say that again!"  Ryoko just stared at her with a look of 
bewilderment.  "You don't know how much you really mean to me..." With that she 
began to sing, and to Ryoko's surprise, images began pouring into her head.  In 
amazement, she realized that they were all Washu's memories, dreams, and 
feelings being sent directly through the mental link.   

Everything appeared to be shadowed in gray, the images were distorted, people's 
faces were blank and expressionless, and nothing seemed right, there was no 
happiness to be found anywhere. " Everything's so blurry, and everyone's so 
fake, and everybody's empty, and everything is so messed up..."

Washu seemed to be engrossed in doing her work, but the only reason seemed to be 
that she had nothing else to do.  "Preoccupied without you, I cannot live at 
all..." Images of her hope to spend all of her time with her daughter flashed 
by. "My whole world surrounds you," Gradually, the images just faded into 
darkness.  "I stumble then I crawl..."

Ryoko looked up at her in surprise, and Washu pointed her arms forward with her 
palms facing up to indicate her.  "You could be my someone, you could be my 
sea," She placed one hand on her chest," you know that I'll protect you;" and 
motioned to their surroundings, "from all of the obscene..." Ryoko suddenly felt 
a feeling of uncertainty and worry creep into her mind.  "I wonder what you're 
doing, imagine where you are;" She was shown a mind numbingly large expanse of 
water; "there are oceans in between us..." It appeared to be traversed in a 
short amount of time. "But that's not very far..."

To Ryoko's horror, she saw herself being taken away by Kagato, in the image, she 
was unconscious.  "Can you take it all away? Can you take it all away?"

She felt Washu's despair from when she became encased in a large crystal. "Well 
ya shoved it in my face, this pain you gave to me..."

The image flashed to her being put under Kagato's control. "Can you take it all 
away? Can you take it all away?"

She felt an overbearing sense of sadness when Washu had thought she had lost her 
forever.  "Well ya shoved it in my face, this pain you gave to me..."

Ryoko had remembered those moments well, she had no idea that Washu had known 
about them, and gave her a concerned look. "Everyone is changing, there's no one 
left that's real, so make up your own ending, and let me know just how you 
feel."

For five thousand years, Washu had lived in a world of emptiness, she could only 
watch in horror as her own daughter carried out Kagato's horrendous deeds.  She 
would have done everything in her power to stop it.  "'Cause I am lost without 
you, I cannot live at all, my whole world surrounds you, I stumble then I 
crawl..."

Washu took another step closer to Ryoko.  "You could be my someone; you could be 
my sea, you know that I will save you; from all of the unclean."

She experienced what Washu had felt whenever she closed down the link between 
them.  "I wonder what you're doing, I wonder where you are; there are oceans in 
between us... But that's not very far..."

The images turned to those of the present.  In this one, Washu, Mihoshi, and 
Ryoko were standing in the reverse world aboard the Soja.  She felt Washu's 
happiness as she saw her for the first time in 5,000 years. "Can you take it all 
away? Can you take it all away?"

Her happiness turned into anguish when she realized that Ryoko didn't know who 
she was.  "Well ya shoved it in my face, this pain you gave to me."

Ryoko saw herself pointing her sword at Washu's face.  "Can you take it all 
away? Can you take it all away?"

She felt what Washu was feeling after she had refused her request to call her 
'mom', and saw herself storm off to face Kagato. "Well ya shoved it in my face, 
this pain you gave to me."

Washu didn't know how to act towards Ryoko's rejections of her, "Oh, Nobody told 
me what you thought, nobody told me what to say," it seemed everything she tried 
to do only pushed her further away; "everyone showed you where to turn, told you 
where to run away..."

Washu knew that Ryoko was uncertain of how to face her problems.  "Nobody told 
you where to hide, nobody told you what to say", She knew that Ryoko would try 
to escape all pressures by phasing to the roof, "everyone showed you where to 
turn, showed you where to run away..."

Now came the images from the night before, Ryoko felt Washu's shock as she broke 
out of the machine and fell to the floor. "Can you take it all away? Can you 
take it all away?"

She felt the twinge of guilt and sorrow Washu had felt when she had given her a 
hateful look. "Well ya shoved it in my face, this pain you gave to me."

Ryoko felt Washu's sadness as she left the lab when Tenchi tried to reach her. 
"Can you take it all away? Can you take it all away?"

She was completely drowned in Washu's complete and utter devastation when she 
had found out that she wanted to end her life.  "Well ya shoved it in my face, 
this pain you gave to me... This pain you gave to me?"

Next came the relief Washu felt when Ryoko returned to the lab. "You take it 
all; you take it all away... This pain you gave to me, you take it all away,"

Washu's memories and feelings had stopped coming from the connection; Ryoko 
looked up at her mother with tears in her eyes.  "This pain you gave to me..."

Washu stood with her arms open. "Take it all away, this pain..."5.  Ryoko did 
just that, by hugging her in a tight embrace.  Now she fully understood what she 
had meant to her, everything.

Once again, they were sitting down at the same table they had been just a night 
ago, but this time, there were no tense feelings between them.

"Do you still want to know why you were created, and how Kagato ended up with 
you in his possession?"

"Yes..."

"It all started around six thousand years ago.  I was finishing up my courses to 
gain a professorship at the Royal Intergalactic Space Academy on planet Todain, 
when Kagato had attacked it and kidnapped me. He had admired my breakthroughs in 
methods of space travel, and found out about my theory of merging mass with 
organic materials.  Having no other choice, I agreed to take him in as my 
student.  Although I was his captive, he proved to be an excellent student, as 
well as an indispensable lab partner.  His demonstrations were always excellent.  
Some of the parts of the Soja were constructed according to his designs.  It was 
then that we had wanted to put my theory to the test.  After successfully 
merging the mass with a mineral life form, Ryo-Ohki was created.  Kagato wanted 
to take it one step further, and I agreed on the basis that my own ovum was to 
be used.  You see, after living alone for more than twenty thousand years, I 
longed for someone to take care of, to come home to, and most of all, to love.  
For me it was the only solution, so we went on with the experiment.  Several 
times, it seemed as if we were going to lose you, I didn't know what was going 
wrong.  It was then I decided to put the gems that I had in my possession to 
use.  I had had them for as long as I could remember, and all I knew of them was 
that they possessed large amounts of energy.  At first, I wasn't sure if it 
would work, but I tried it anyway.  It did.  Just as I was about to awaken you, 
Kagato attacked me, and imprisoned me in the reverse world on the Soja.  That 
was the last I ever saw of you."

Ryoko's hatred of him grew even more.  "Did you ever find out why he took me?"

"No, I don't, but I knew that it had something to do with ruins."

"He used me as some sort of a machine, and subjugated me in all ways possible.  
All the while, I never knew why.  I have to find out, now more then ever."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, otherwise all those people I have slain have died in vain.  I need to find 
a reason why, and I don't care how long it takes."

 	"You may be gone for months, years even..."

"I don't care..."

"What about Tenchi, Ayeka, Sasami, Mihoshi, Nobuyuki, Katsuhito or me?"

Ryoko struggled to continue.  "I have spent nearly five thousand years under 
that madman's control, and now all I want now is to find out why.  Surely you 
must hate him nearly as much as I do."  Washu was shocked at Ryoko's conviction.

	"Fine, that at least let me do something to help."

	"Why do you want to help me?"

	"Because the quicker you find out, the quicker you can come back..." Ryoko 
couldn't find anything wrong with this.

	"What do you have in mind?"

	"When I was searching through Zero's memory, I found out that she had a 
direct link to the Databank."

	"What's the Databank?"  Washu put on her best Dr. Clay impression.

	"Well, according to old Octopus Head, 'the absolutely complete ring of 
theoretical system is established here', and that in it, everything is known.  
You should be able to communicate with Zero to gain access to it."

	"Did you say everything?"

	"Don't try anything funny..." A computer appeared from subspace.  "This 
can interface directly with that part of Zero's mind, so if you'd like, you can 
access the Databank manually."

	"Thank you... Before I leave, there's something I'd like to do with one of 
your devices, the one you used to show us Ryo-Ohki's memories with, during the 
incident with the escaped mass."

	"Why do you need it?"

	"Yosho had told me, that if you share your troubles, they become half as 
heavy.  I want to record an account of my life, and I want you to share it with 
them as soon as Tenchi gets home from school today."  Washu helped her do just 
that.  It finally came time for her to leave.  "Thanks... mom... for doing 
everything for me.  I'll... miss you." With that she left.  A small tear 
trickled down Washu's face.

	She called me 'mom', and meant it...  I can't believe you're leaving me 
again after I finally get you back, but this time, you won't be out of reach.  
Someday, you'll come back, and I'll wait until you do... my daughter...

	Tenchi came home running.  He raced toward the kitchen.  

	"Hey Sasami, have you seen Ryoko?"

	"No, I haven't seen her all day... Why, is something wrong?"  Tenchi 
didn't answer, instead he ran into Washu's lab.  She was back in her child form.

	"Where's Ryoko?"

	"She's gone..."

	"What do you mean by 'gone', where'd she go?"

	"I can't tell you that right now, just gather everyone up and come into my 
lab, there's something that she wanted me to show you..."

Song List:
2. Natalie Imbruglia, Torn; Album: Left of the Middle
3.Natalie Merchant, The Living; Album: N/A
4.Third Eye Blind, Jumper; Album: 3B
5. Puddle of Mud, Blurry; Album: Come Clean