Hi, everyone! Wow, the response to my fics so far has been overwhelming! What a pleasant surprise! Thank you so much! But ... I can't do it without you, so please keep the comments and criticism coming! [AleeN: Hey, Lita, will you shut up and get to the fic, already!] Er ... sorry about that. Anyway, moving right along... By the way, if you want to post this story on your site, please ask me first. Legal disclaimer: Tenchi Muyo! and its characters are the property of Pioneer and AIC. This story, however, is mine. Please don't sue me, because I'm just writing this for fun. Besides, I don't have any money! Oh, I suppose I could go and look for a decent job, but then I'd have less time to watch anime, and I don't want that! Special thanks go to my prereaders: AleeN, author of "Tenchi Muyo!: in Return to Jurai", and the writing duo of Max Gilliland and Rhys Doyle, authors of "Best Friends". Also, say hello to my newest prereader: Lost Magi, man of original ideas! ^_- Last chapter: One year after the events of Manatsu no Eve, Tsunami sent Ayeka on a mysterious quest. Meanwhile, Ryoko was given her own trial to deal with. What is Tsunami preparing for? Confess to You: Chapter Three - Butterfly By Literary Eagle (literaryeagle@hotmail.com) <"Princess Ayeka, you are like the caterpillar that approaches a time of transformation, a time that is both wonderful and frightening."> The memory of these words, Tsunami's words, echoed in Ayeka's mind as she stood facing D3. "I am ready," Ayeka said. D3's blue eyes began to glow. Sapphire light reflected off the nearby statues. <"You have been given a power that can be your chrysalis."> Ayeka felt her new power building, its silvery aura swelling around her. The hall and its statues became white with the princess' gentle radiance. D3's blue glow dimmed at Ayeka's challenge. <"If you emerge victorious at the end of the coming trials, you will be more than what you are now, like a new butterfly, free to find your full potential."> Indeed, Ayeka almost felt as if wings were forming behind her. "Courage, courage, courage," her soul sang, and Ayeka nodded serenely. She began to rise into the air, her hands stretching out towards the large gem centered in D3's forehead. "Your branch from the Tree of Darkness..." she whispered. "Not like this..." D3 replied softly. Blood red fire sprang from the gem, enveloping the princess in a painful and terrifying embrace. Ayeka opened her mouth to scream, and the fire danced down her throat. Her voice was taken away, but someone else cried out. D3? Ayeka fell into darkness, her power crushed like an insect submitting itself to an uncaring world. "Where am I?" Ryoko asked herself, looking at her strange surroundings. Wait a minute ... LOOKING? "I'm not blind!" Ryoko exclaimed, her hands flying up to her eyes. Ryoko then remembered that she was supposed to be taking a nap on the roof of the Masaki home. "I'm dreaming," she murmured, disappointed. As soon as Mihoshi woke her up, she would be in darkness again. Ryoko decided that she had better enjoy the sights before the dream was over. She seemed to be indoors. Marble columns that appeared to be glowing supplied the illumination in Ryoko's surroundings. A tall water fountain in the center of the area looked like a series of gigantic clamshells, with highly detailed statues of winged crabs spewing water from their mouths. These elegant features contrasted with simple wooden furniture (mostly bookcases and desks) and large gray machinery. Potted plants were everywhere: on the furniture, on the floor, and hanging from the ceiling. As for the ceiling ... as for the ceiling! A large and magnificent skylight showing a view of the stars took up most of this ceiling. Ryoko had seen plenty of stars in her lifetime, but this view was exceptionally dazzling. She almost felt like singing her song about stars and happy dreams, except that she hated singing when there was competing music present ... for there was soft music playing in the room. After a few moments of staring at the stars, Ryoko realized that they were twinkling in perfect time to the music. After a few more moments of staring, the view of the stars melted away, replaced by a view of fish and other aquatic creatures swimming in blue water. Sure enough, the creatures were swimming in perfect time to the music. Ryoko watched for several minutes, to see if anything else would happen. The view eventually changed again, this time to a blue sky, where birds flew in and out of white clouds, always in time to the music. Ryoko frowned in thought. Although she was fairly certain that she had never visited a place like this in the real world, it somehow seemed familiar. Spotting some papers on a nearby desk, she decided to take a closer look. One of them appeared to be a clipping from a newspaper of some sort. At the top of this clipping was a picture of a laughing, curly-haired baby. Ryoko began to read the words below the picture: "Washu Hakubi and Nobuo Mizutani are proud to announce the birth of their first child..." A familiar voice interrupted Ryoko's reading. "Well now, this is interesting," the voice said. Ryoko whirled around to see Washu standing near some bookcases. "What's interesting?" Ryoko asked the dream Washu. "We seem to be sharing the same dream," Washu replied. "You mean, I'm not just dreaming about you?" Ryoko asked, "It's really you?" Washu nodded. "That's right, I fell asleep too. You're not the only one who's exhausted. Kiyone and I were up all night, running tests on Ryo-Oh-Ki." "Mom," Ryoko said, "do you know what this place is?" A sad sort of smile formed on Washu's face. "Don't you remember?" she said softly, "This is the place where you were born." Ryoko's mouth dropped open. "I was born here?" "Yup. Right over there," Washu replied, pointing at one of the large machines, "For some reason, we seem to be sharing my memory of this place through our mental link." Washu walked over to the machine and sat down on a flat part of it. She then motioned to Ryoko to sit with her. Ryoko teleported to her mother's side and sat down. After a moment's hesitation, Ryoko rested her hand over one of Washu's. She gave her mother's hand a gentle squeeze. "Mom?" said Ryoko, "Does this place still exist?" Washu shook her head. "No," she replied, staring at the floor, "Kagato took this place apart to find any secrets I might have hidden here." "I'm sorry," Ryoko whispered. Washu looked up at her and smiled. "It's okay," said Washu, "I still have my memory of this place. And now, you do too." The little redhead slowly slid her hand out from under Ryoko's, and pointed at the skylight, which still had the view of birds flying. "Watch," said Washu, a mysterious smile forming on her face. She appeared to concentrate for a moment, and then gave a small, satisfied laugh. Ryoko glanced at the skylight, and saw that the birds were now flying backwards, still in time to the music. Ryoko smiled. "This sure is a nicer place to remember than that damn cave," Ryoko said seriously, "That's the worst part about being blind, Mom. It makes me feel like I'm in the cave again." Washu looked directly into Ryoko's eyes. "Ryoko?" she asked gently, "When Tenchi said that he loved you, where were you?" A bit baffled, Ryoko responded: "Outside." "And what time was it?" Washu asked. "Sometime at night. Why?" Washu gave a small smile. "Ryoko ... when you wake up, and all you can see is darkness, I don't want you to think about the cave. Think about the night when Tenchi said that he loved you." "Mom?" "You're not in the cave anymore, Ryoko," Washu whispered, "You have Tenchi, and me, and everyone else." Ryoko nodded in understanding. "I guess I have been putting myself back in the cave, haven't I? Isolating myself on the roof like that..." "Ryoko," said Washu, "I'm sorry for letting you do that to yourself." Ryoko put her hand on Washu's shoulder. "It's okay, Mom," she said softly, "You're still learning to leave your 'cave', aren't you?" Washu smiled. "I suppose I do spend too much time in my lab, don't I?" "Well, you're better than you used to be," Ryoko replied, "You do come out to help me with Mayuka." Washu nodded. "We owe that kid a lot, don't we?" "Yeah," said Ryoko, "The most powerful space pirate and the greatest scientific genius in the universe, and we needed a little baby to bring us together!" Both laughed. "You really love Mayuka, don't you?" Washu asked. "We all do," Ryoko responded, shrugging. Ryoko could feel Washu's eyes on her, and knew that her mother was expecting her to say more. Ryoko sighed. She was learning how to open up to Washu, and to others, but it still wasn't the easiest thing for her to do. "At first," Ryoko finally said, "the reason why I wanted to take care of Mayuka was because it let me pretend that I was Tenchi's wife. That, and I also felt kinda bad about the way I treated her when she first came to our house." Ryoko stared up at the "skylight" and sighed. "But then, I started to think about how much Mayuka was like me," Ryoko continued, "I mean, she had been under Yuzuha's control, and I was Kagato's slave for thousands of years. And I thought of how Mayuka might grow up without a mother, and I..." Ryoko stopped abruptly and looked at Washu. "Sorry," she said weakly. Washu shook her head. "No, you're right," she said, "Ryoko, I know that with you taking care of Mayuka, she'll be able to have the happy childhood that you never did." Ryoko smiled. "With you and Tenchi helping me, I think she will." Washu tried to put her small arms around Ryoko. Frowning slightly, she changed into her adult form and embraced her daughter. "I'll help you in any way that I can," she whispered, "Maybe Kiyone and I can design a device to keep you from bumping into things, or..." "I know that I'll manage somehow. I'm a resourceful gal." Ryoko said, grinning, "After all, I am my mother's daughter." Washu laughed. "Your mother's daughter, all right!" The view in the "skylight" was of the starry sky again. Washu pointed at it and narrowed her eyes, until aurora borealis filled the view, the colors slowly weaving and undulating in time to the music. "Hey, why isn't your current lab this cool?" asked Ryoko. Washu raised an eyebrow. "Why? Are you gonna help me to redecorate?" she asked. "Can't help you there," Ryoko said, smiling and pointing at her eyes, "After all, I don't have these in the real world anymore, remember?" "Ha!" said Washu, "You kids and your excuses: 'My cabbit ate my homework', 'My Mommy can't make me a decent pair of eyes'!" Ryoko stared at her mother with a what-the-hell-did-you-just-say look, and then suddenly both of them cracked up, laughing until tears finally came out of their eyes. "Oh, I forgot to tell you," said Washu, once she had recovered from laughing so hard, "I noticed before falling asleep that Ryo-Oh-Ki's condition had finally stopped declining. There's even some indication that her life signs will start improving soon." Ryoko sighed with relief. "Mom?" she said, "When Mihoshi wakes me up from my nap, can you help me to send a message to Tenchi?" "Of course I will," said Washu, smiling. Suddenly, Mihoshi's voice, as if from far away, could be heard saying "Ryoko? Ryoko?" Ryoko only had time to exclaim "Already?" before vanishing, leaving Washu alone. Rather than just sitting around waiting for Ryoko to wake her up, Washu stood and began to walk around her old lab. Suddenly reverting back to her child form, she shouted "YES!" and began to do cartwheels. She stopped and triumphantly raised her right arm, middle finger extended. "Whaddaya think of this, Kagato? Ha!" Ryoko could feel someone gently shaking her. It was dark. Ryoko sleepily tried to rub her eyes, but stopped when her fingers ran across a bandage instead of eyelids. How had she forgotten already? "Ryoko? Ryoko?" That was Mihoshi's voice. "Geez," said Ryoko, "Has it been an hour already?" "Yup," Mihoshi's cheerful voice replied, "It's bath time!" "Okay," said Ryoko, yawning, "but can we go to the lab first?" "Visit Ryo-Oh-Ki? Sure!" said Mihoshi. Ryoko teleported the both of them off the roof. Washu was still in her dream about her old lab. She wandered over to a desk and saw the newspaper clipping announcing the birth of her son. The picture of the baby was in black-and-white. Washu mentally filled in the colors: creamy complexion, blond curls, and bright green eyes. Saddened, Washu thought about her husband and son, and wondered what had happened to them. They were her family 20,000 years ago. They were long gone by now. But she didn't have to hide from the pain in her "cave" anymore, did she? She had a daughter and friends now, a new family. Washu began to chuckle. "Maybe I should tell Tenchi that I'm looking forward to having a lot of grandchildren," she murmured, smiling. The soft music playing in the lab suddenly fell silent. "What the..." Washu said to herself. A breeze blew through the lab, scattering papers. Washu's eyes widened when she saw the breeze snatch away her son's birth announcement. The newspaper clipping flew directly into the flame of a Bunsen burner on another table. Fire surrounded the clipping, making the paper glow for a brief moment, before it was turned to ashes. The breeze began to whisper something in Washu's ear. "Sister..." it said. "Who the hell is doing this?" Washu demanded. The breeze's whisper suddenly turned to a roar. "SISTER!" The skylight shattered. Washu let out a startled cry, ducking under a table to avoid the falling shards of glass. Without warning, the table suddenly vanished. Fortunately for Washu, the shards of glass had vanished as well. In fact, the entire lab had vanished. Washu was standing in complete darkness. The breeze returned, carrying the sound of someone crying. Washu strained her ears, wondering why the voice sounded so familiar. It sounded very much like ... "Ayeka?" Washu called into the darkness. "Ayeka, is that you?" A soft light appeared, slowly revealing that Washu was standing on a path lined by tall statues. At the end of this path, Washu could see three large, dark silhouettes. More statues? As the light spread, one of the statues was revealed to be Tsunami, the second was Washu herself, and the third one was ...? Washu could not identify the third woman, but she did look familiar. The Ayeka-like voice suddenly screamed, and the face on the third statue crumbled off... "Washu?" Washu awoke to find Mihoshi shaking her floating chair. Ryoko was standing behind the detective. A short distance away, Kiyone was sleeping in a floating chair much like Washu's. "Good morning, Washu!" said Mihoshi, smiling brightly, "Ryoko said that she wanted to do something with you ... what's wrong? You're shaking. Did I scare you? Oh no, I didn't mean to scare you. Oh, I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have startled you like that! Waah! I'm so sorry!" "I'm okay!" said Washu, a bit too loudly, "I just had a strange dream, that's all." "Strange dream?" said Ryoko, frowning, "You mean the..." "It's not important," Washu said quickly, "Anyway, I have just the thing you need, Ryoko." The little scientist hopped off her floating chair, and walked towards a table. On the table was something about the size of a television set, covered with a cloth. Washu removed the cloth, revealing to Mihoshi that it in fact WAS a television ... or something like it. Ryoko of course could not see anything, but she had heard the sound of a cloth flapping in the air. "What is it? What did you uncover?" she asked. Mihoshi, full of her usual eagerness to help, began to describe the device to Ryoko. "It looks like a TV, Ryoko! But it has a propeller thing on the top, and a video camera thing on the side! Oh, and there's this cute little picture of a crab on it!" "Thanks Mihoshi," said Washu, nodding at the detective, "We can use this device to record a message. I can then program it to fly off and find Tenchi, using my special 'DNA Sniffer'. Once it finds him, it'll play back the message." Ryoko moved in the direction of Washu's voice and was able to give her mother a hug. "You're a genius, Mom!" she said. "I know," Washu chuckled, "I always knew that there was a good reason for me to get DNA samples from Tenchi!" "Don't push your luck, Mom." Sasami opened her eyes and noticed that she wasn't lying on her futon. She was, in fact, sitting up. Looking around and seeing that she was in the lab, she remembered that she had been praying at Ryo-Oh-Ki's bedside. Tears threatened to fill the young princess' eyes when the events of the past day came back to her. Glancing at a nearby clock, Sasami saw that she must have been asleep for a bit more than an hour. She squeezed her eyes shut and forced herself to take a deep breath, trying to calm herself, trying to be strong. "Da?" said Mayuka. The baby, who had been on Sasami's lap before she had fallen asleep, was now in Katsuhito's arms. Tenchi's grandfather looked at Sasami with some concern. "I didn't sleep well last night," Sasami explained. Katsuhito nodded in sympathy. A sound made both of them turn around. They saw Kiyone walking towards them, carrying something that resembled a television set with a propeller on top. Washu was following her, and bringing up the rear was Mihoshi, who was guiding Ryoko by the hand. Ryoko floated a bit above the floor, so as not to trip over any wires. "Ryoko!" Sasami called to her, "Ryoko, how are you ... um, how are you feeling?" "I'm okay, Sasami," said Ryoko, smiling reassuringly. Washu took a look at the devices monitoring Ryo-Oh-Ki's condition. She smiled, which Sasami took as a good sign. Kiyone looked at the readouts over Washu's shoulder, and let out a sigh of relief. "Her condition is improving," Kiyone said. Ryoko smiled and patted her cabbit on the head. "It looks like you were right," Washu told Kiyone. Sasami was about to ask Washu what she was talking about, but her stomach suddenly let out a loud growl. Washu laughed softly. Taking Mayuka out of Katsuhito's arms, she said, "I think I'll feed Mayuka and whip up a little breakfast for everyone. Sasami, would you like to stay here with Ryo-Oh-Ki?" Sasami nodded gratefully. "Well, I'm going to launch this thing," said Kiyone, referring to the TV thing that she was carrying. "Ryoko and I are on our way out, too!" said Mihoshi, "We're going to take a bath before breakfast. Ryoko, are you sure that you don't just want to teleport to the onsen?" Earlier, Ryoko would have been surprised that Mihoshi had thought of that, but she had recently learned not to underestimate the blonde detective. "I have to get used to moving around like this," said Ryoko, "I shouldn't just teleport everywhere." "And what about you, Lord Katsuhito?" asked Washu. "I have something to do at the shrine," he replied. "Okay, we'll all meet in a short while for breakfast, then!" Washu said cheerfully. "I hope Ayeka's okay," Sasami murmured. Katsuhito gave Washu a knowing look, before suddenly leaving the lab. Washu frowned slightly. "Umm ... I'm sure she'll come back soon," said Washu, in an effort to reassure Sasami, "Don't worry, she can take care of herself. She's probably a lot safer than that crazy runaway portable washing machine of mine." A large sweatdrop appeared on Sasami's head. "Did ... did you just say 'runaway portable washing machine'?" Once outside, Kiyone set Washu's invention down on the ground. After pressing several buttons, the propeller began to spin, and the device flew off into the sky. "Wow, there it goes!" Mihoshi told Ryoko, "It's so fast! I'm sure it'll find Tenchi in no time!" Kiyone smiled with relief. A message was finally being sent out to Tenchi and Nobuyuki, and it was mostly because of Mihoshi! As Kiyone went back into the house to help Washu make breakfast, Mihoshi began to lead Ryoko towards the onsen. "Mihoshi?" said Ryoko. "Hmm?" "Mihoshi, I ... I never thanked you for freeing Mom from Kagato." "Oh, that's okay, Ryoko," Mihoshi replied. "No, it's not 'okay'," Ryoko insisted, "You freed Mom, and then you told me that she wasn't the one I should point my sword at. And now, you helped me to realize that I don't have to let this blindness thing beat me. I've been misjudging you for years, and I'm sorry." Mihoshi squeezed Ryoko's hand, and Ryoko smiled. Mihoshi remembered that she had considered it her calling to help people ever since she was ten years old. Before then, she had been a bumbling but optimistic child, always happy but without any real direction. The event that had changed that had happened on her tenth birthday, of all days. That was when a Galaxy Police officer had stopped an attempted robbery at her mother's antique shop. That was when Mihoshi knew that what she wanted to do most was help people, just like that heroic policewoman, Detective "something" Mizutani. Mihoshi hadn't caught the officer's full name, but she never forgot the young woman's curly blond hair, so much like her own, and her piercing green eyes. Once she had found a purpose, Mihoshi became an outstanding student. Later on, she became one of the top students at the Galaxy Police Academy, much to the delight of her grandfather, the grand marshal. Upon graduation, her grandfather gave her a wonderful surprise: she was to have Detective Mizutani for a partner! It turned out that, although Mizutani was one of the best GP officers, she had turned down promotion after promotion, because she was happy to help people directly, rather than work behind a desk as some sort of director or supervisor. To say that Mihoshi had been thrilled at having Detective Mizutani for a partner would have been a gross understatement. As a child, Mihoshi had often repeated the name "Mizutani" to herself, as if her heroine's name was some kind of magic word. Even when Mihoshi learned that her partner's given name was Yuri, she continued to call her Mizutani out of habit. Mihoshi and Mizutani had been two of the best GP detectives, but Mihoshi, like Mizutani, turned down all promotions. For one thing, Mihoshi had not wanted to leave Mizutani, and secondly, she had also wanted to help people directly, not sit behind a desk all day. Mihoshi and Mizutani had been more than excellent partners, they had become best friends. It had therefore come as no surprise when Mizutani had suggested that they spend their vacation time together on her home planet, Amano, where Mizutani had a lovely little summer home. They had traveled to the Amano system in their ship, MihoMizu, and had eagerly been discussing which karaoke CD they would play once they had landed and unpacked... Mihoshi had awakened in the GP hospital the next day. Her mother, by her bedside, had gently answered Mihoshi's questions. Amano's sun, D3, had somehow exploded, destroying the planet and also the MihoMizu. The GP had found Mihoshi unconscious in MihoMizu's escape pod. Mizutani was missing, presumed dead. Mihoshi was never the same after that. She never did remember entering that escape pod. In fact, she had difficulty remembering a lot of things after that incident, although there were times when her memory worked just fine. It was very strange. She began to have difficulty staying focused on things. Even during occasions when her thinking was clearer, she was unable to express those thoughts very well, childish prattle often escaping her lips instead. It was as if she was back to being the bumbling child she once was, waiting for Mizutani to come into her life and give her a purpose. She became the subject of much derision at the GP. People began to spread rumors that she was only able to keep her job because of her grandfather's influence. The truth was that Mihoshi was still solving many difficult cases, although this was now because of luck more often than skill. For instance, there was the time when she had gotten lost from reading a map upside down, and had accidentally stumbled onto a notorious criminal's hideout. Mihoshi secretly believed that the cause of her crazy luck was that Mizutani had become her guardian angel and was helping her. However, her grandfather still fretted about her safety, and decided to partner her with another of the GP's best detectives: Kiyone Makibi. Kiyone was like Mizutani in many ways, although her career aspirations were different. And so, Mihoshi led her new partner through many crazy ups and downs, and somehow always managed to get their man(woman/creature/robot/whatever). Although Kiyone sometimes grumbled about being given a babysitting job instead of a promotion, she and Mihoshi were undeniably a good team. They were good friends, as well. Kiyone even shared Mihoshi's love for karaoke! But it seemed that Mihoshi's newest friendship was not meant to be, either. Kiyone had to sacrifice herself to save the day during the case of the ultra-energy matter robbery. Mihoshi refused to have another partner after that, feeling that she had already failed to protect two of them. As it was, she never could rid herself of the guilt from being the only survivor of the planet Amano's destruction. Mihoshi still had her childlike optimism, though. It allowed her to carry on with her life mission of helping people. Yes, there were plenty of times when she was genuinely happy ... but there were also times when her smile would falter just a little, or her hand might shake as she turned the pages of her favorite shojo manga. Still, Mihoshi was now among friends at her new home on Earth, and now that Kiyone had returned and joined the household, she knew that she was right in her belief that things turned out okay more often than not. She just knew that she could help Ryoko! She had to try, anyway. For what purpose had she survived the destruction of Amano, if not to help people? _I won't fail you, Mizutani. That's a promise!_ "Uh, Mihoshi, did you hear what I said?" "Huh?" said Mihoshi, startled, "Oh! Sorry, Ryoko, but could you repeat it?" "I asked if you would help me to train after breakfast," Ryoko explained patiently. "Train?" said Mihoshi, blinking, "For what?" "I have to learn how to do things without sight," Ryoko replied, "I want to learn as much as possible before Tenchi gets back, so he won't be too worried about me." "Oh, well of course I'll help you!" "Mihoshi ... are you okay? I can feel your hand trembling." Mihoshi fought the sudden urge to tell Ryoko all about Mizutani, and simply said "I'm fine, Ryoko. But thanks for asking. Now, how about that bath?" She led Ryoko through the entrance to the onsen. _Ryoko needs you right now,_ Mihoshi thought to herself, _Don't burden her with your problems. Just be cheerful. Be cheerful, and everything will be okay._ Mihoshi squeezed back tears and forced herself to smile, even though Ryoko could not see it. It was noon. The Masaki family van made its way down a winding road, heading home. "Are you sure about this, Dad?" Tenchi asked for the twelfth time, "I mean, we were away for only a day. Are you sure that you don't mind going back home already?" Nobuyuki nodded for the twelfth time. "It's okay, Tenchi," he said, smiling, "I shouldn't have insisted on taking you away from Ryoko so soon. By taking you home, I'm performing a ... fatherly duty." "But we didn't even do any fishing," Tenchi insisted. He was anxious to go back to Ryoko and apologize to Ayeka, but he also knew how much his father had been looking forward to their fishing trip. "Maybe not, but we still spent some time together," Nobuyuki replied, "and that's all I really wanted. Now, I want you to remember those waltzing lessons I gave you, and sweep Ryoko off her feet!" "With Ryoko's powers, it's more likely that she'll sweep me off my feet!" Tenchi laughed. "Well, I expect to see the two of you waltzing away by late afternoon," Nobuyuki said with a grin, "I'm taking the shortcut, so we'll be home in a few hours." Tenchi was about to make a joke about past "shortcuts" that his father had made, when a sudden whirring noise caught his attention. "What's that sound?" he asked. Tenchi's question was answered when a flying box with a propeller dropped out of the sky and began to hover in the middle of the road. Nobuyuki stopped the van and stared in confusion. Noticing a picture of a crab on the contraption, Tenchi exclaimed, "That must be one of Washu's inventions!" "Let's go take a look," Nobuyuki replied, turning off the ignition and stepping out of the van. Tenchi followed him. Once father and son were standing in front of the box, the propeller stopped spinning. At the same time, some sort of metal stand unfolded itself from underneath, so that the box did not fall onto the ground. An image of Washu appeared on the box's screen. From the background, Tenchi could tell that she was in her lab. He could also see Kiyone sleeping in a floating chair in the background. Below the image of Washu were the words "Playing back message". "Tenchi," the image of Washu said, "I want you to brace yourself ... there's been an accident." "Let me talk to him, Mom," said Ryoko's voice. Washu held her arm out and led Ryoko into view. Tenchi and Nobuyuki both gasped when they saw that Ryoko's eyes were bandaged. For the next few minutes, Ryoko and Washu took turns explaining what had happened. Despite the noon sun, Tenchi felt very cold. He couldn't believe what he was hearing! Ryoko was blinded, Ryo-Oh-Ki was in a coma, and Ayeka had run away. A lump began to form in his throat. "I don't want you to worry about me, Tenchi," the image of Ryoko said, "Mihoshi is helping me to adjust, so I'll be fine." A sudden explosion could be heard. In the background, Kiyone fell out of her chair. "What did you do?" Kiyone yelled to someone off-screen. "Waah! I'm so sorry!" Mihoshi's voice wailed. Large sweatdrops formed over Washu and Ryoko's heads. "Uh ... anyway," Ryoko continued, "Just come home whenever you're ready, Tenchi. I love you." "I love you too," Tenchi whispered, not knowing what else to do. The screen darkened, and Washu's device suddenly folded itself into a small suitcase. Tenchi, still in shock, simply stared at it. Nobuyuki grabbed the "suitcase" with one arm, and used his other arm to begin hustling Tenchi towards the van. "Come on! Let's get back home!" Nobuyuki exclaimed. Finally pulling himself together, Tenchi broke into a run and scrambled into his seat. As the van began to move again, a dead butterfly dropped out of the sky and hit the windshield. Tenchi gazed at the insect. It's wings were lavender, like his mother's favorite kimono. Fluid trickled from the dead creature's eyes. Ayeka was standing in complete darkness, unable to move. She had lost track of time. In fact, she had lost track of nearly everything. Any thought that came into her mind was drowned out by the roar of an invisible tidal wave. Her thoughts were drowning. She was drowning. A cold feeling made its way through her mind, as if a snake were slipping into her brain. A voice in the back of Ayeka's mind screamed "No!" and the princess suddenly found her mental defenses again. "STAY OUT OF MY MIND!" Ayeka shouted. Although she was still paralyzed from the neck down, Ayeka was able to summon enough power to create a mental armor of sorts. "No matter," a cold, genderless voice said, "I already know everything that I need to. Poor, pitiful little princess ... your dear Lord Tenchi does not love you!" Hearing someone speak brought back the memories of the past two days. They filled Ayeka's mind in a rush: Tenchi. Tenchi declaring his love for Ryoko. Ryoko. Ryoko blinded, and Ryo-Oh-Ki seriously injured. Tsunami. Tsunami saying that she, Ayeka, was the one who had the power to help Ryoko. To help everyone. She had to reach Tokimi. Tokimi... "Lord Tenchi does not love you," the voice said. "I know," Ayeka replied as calmly as she could. "What did you see in that boy, anyway?" the voice asked, "Tsunami's children certainly have strange taste. Lord Tenchi, in love with a space pirate! Princess Ayeka, in love with someone foolish enough to declare his love for a space pirate!" "Do not speak ill of Lord Tenchi!" Ayeka snapped, "He welcomed me into his life! He was kind to me, he was honest with me, he completed me!" The voice laughed. "He was honest? Like when he hid his feelings for that devil-girl for so long?" Ayeka bit her lip and said nothing. "Oh, and Lord Tenchi completed you, did he?" the voice continued, "Tell me, little princess, why were you incomplete before you met him?" Ayeka remained silent. "Why, what's the matter?" the voice said mockingly, "Cabbit got your tongue? Or perhaps you simply need someone to refresh your memory? Well, let me help you, little princess. You spent your life in a bubble, always being told how to act. The royal life didn't let you have any real friends, did it? You even had your future husband chosen for you: your own brother! And when he disappeared, your father was pressured to marry you to one of the many power-hungry noblemen who sought the throne." "What is your point?" Ayeka snarled. "My point, dear princess, is quite simple. Lord Tenchi never tried to control your life, and he liked you because he saw you as a true friend, not because of your title. Lord Tenchi treated you like a real person, and he also showed you the joys of simple life outside palace walls. Now tell me, dear sweet princess Ayeka: why did you want him to marry you and live on Jurai? WHY DID YOU WANT TO CONDEMN HIM TO THE VERY WAY OF LIFE THAT HE FREED YOU FROM?" "No..." said Ayeka, her voice a hoarse whisper, "No. You have it all wrong." "Do I?" the voice asked, "Do I really?" "I-I don't know!" Ayeka sobbed, "I was lonely ... so lonely..." "Do you understand now?" The voice that asked this question was not the same voice as before. It was not so cold, and it was definitely a female's. Ayeka blinked. The voice sounded like her own. Ayeka began to calm down. She remained silent for several moments. Thoughts that had been on her mind for the past year presented themselves to her once again. Although she had frequently attempted to push those thoughts out of her mind before, telling herself that things were not as bad as those thoughts said, this time she confronted them. Ayeka's current situation didn't seem to offer much choice ... and yet, she somehow felt that she could simply choose to walk away at any time. But that didn't make any sense. After all, was she not frozen in place? "I understand why Yosho left Jurai," Ayeka finally said, "In fact, I have understood for quite some time now. I know that I do not want to return to that life either, and I realize that I was wrong to try and force Lord Tenchi into it. I was afraid. I was afraid to leave Jurai forever. Although I did not want to return to Jurai's royal life, I still loved the planet. I thought that it would be better if I could return with Lord Tenchi, someone I loved. That was why I never renounced the royal life, until now. There, I have said it. I want to return to Jurai someday, but not as First Princess. Not as a tool for the Juraian nobles." Ayeka began to feel lighter. Why was that? Her mind felt clearer, that was it. A large burden had been removed, a wall had been torn down, fears that she had run from had been confronted ... and now her simple confession had eliminated the paralyzing force that had held her in place. A paralyzing force, Ayeka realized, that she had been creating for herself. "You wish to be free," the Ayeka-like voice gently said to her. "I wish to be me," Ayeka stated. "Whoever that is," the voice murmured thoughtfully. "Whoever that is," Ayeka laughed in agreement. "But tell me," the voice asked, "What about your desire to help the Juraian people? By refusing the throne, do you not turn your back on them?" "There are other ways to serve the Juraian Empire," said Ayeka. "You are referring to what Tsunami has asked of you?" said the voice. "Yes," said Ayeka, "though I am not doing it only for the Empire." "For Lord Tenchi as well, then? Even though he does not love you?" "He loves me as a friend," Ayeka said, wiping her eyes, "that is enough. He is family, and I am not referring to bloodlines. Miss Ryoko and everyone else are also family. I do this for all of them. And in helping my family, I also help Tsunami's, don't I?" "Go, then," said the voice, "Go, now." Suddenly, Ayeka found herself floating in front of the gem in D3's forehead once more. Ayeka's right hand, glowing with silver light, slowly reached out and touched the gem. The gem shattered, revealing a gray tree branch. The branch was slightly longer and thicker than a flashlight, with several twigs on one end, but no leaves. "Because the power that took something away from Miss Ryoko can also give it back, and much more," Ayeka murmured, grasping the branch in her hand. "Because you have cleansed it. Because you have passed this test," said D3, his voice sounding quite weak. "Because it will set you free," Ayeka whispered. D3 exploded in a blast of light. Ayeka opened her eyes to find herself once more kneeling in the water by the tree Funaho. She saw that it was now daytime. Judging from the sun's position, it was afternoon. The branch from the Tree of Darkness that Ayeka had obtained was clutched in her right hand. Her combat outfit had been replaced by her regular clothing, but the ends of two of Funaho's roots were still embedded in her wrists. Tsunami was nowhere in sight, which was a bad sign. It meant that things were much worse than they had anticipated. Remembering Tsunami's instructions, Ayeka summoned her miniature logs. Two of the logs floated just above her hands. Concentrating until her tiara glowed silver, Ayeka grabbed these two logs, changing their wood from brown to silvery gray. The other logs vanished. Thin lasers sprang out of the silver logs, cutting the tree roots several centimeters from her wrists. Freed from the tree, Ayeka stood and walked onto dry land. She glanced at the wood left jutting out of her wrists, but did not attempt to remove it. Lying down on the ground, still holding onto the precious tree branch, Ayeka waited. The warm summer sun was already drying her clothes, but she still felt cold. It was just as Tsunami told her to expect: first the drop in body temperature, then difficulty moving, then the drowsiness, and then... But Ayeka was not afraid. She only hoped that all this was not draining Tsunami's power too much, because the goddess had to be able to instruct the others on how to use the tree branch, as soon as possible. Where WAS Tsunami? Ayeka had hoped that Tsunami would have been able to arrive before anyone else did. The princess closed her eyes and prayed that, if someone found her before Tsunami, that it would not be Sasami. Ryo-Oh-Ki had been floating in the bright white place for a long time. It was not an unpleasant place, but the little cabbit was a bit baffled. Where was Ryoko? Where was Sasami? Where were the carrots? The cabbit had been trying to contact Ryoko through their mental link, but had been receiving no response. This had Ryo-Oh-Ki somewhat worried. She hoped that Ryoko was okay. The cabbit still had nightmares where Kagato came back and hurt Ryoko again. Having the memories of the previous Ryo-Oh-Ki, she knew what horrible things Kagato used to do to Ryoko, like using mind control when she refused to obey him, and beating her whenever she failed a mission. Whenever Ryoko had tried to fight back or run away, Kagato had used the Soja to neutralize her powers and then beat her some more. Ryo-Oh-Ki bristled as she thought of the time when Kagato threw Ryoko through a glass table and had left her bleeding so badly... He had even left a camera in the room, murmuring something about studying how her self-healing ability would handle this. Ryo-Oh-Ki remembered how Ryoko had actually tried to stop her body from healing, she had wanted so much to die and escape Kagato forever. The cuts had healed anyway, and that was when Kagato came in and told Ryoko to attack Jurai... Kagato was the one thing in the universe that Ryo-Oh-Ki felt nothing but pure hatred for. When he arrived on Earth to steal Tenchiken, she had bit his hand as hard as she could, but he had flung her aside. That was when he took Ryoko away again. "Ryo-Oh-Ki?" said a familiar voice, interrupting the cabbit's thoughts. The cabbit suddenly saw Ayeka floating in front of her. "Put your mind and heart at peace, Ryo-Oh-Ki," said Ayeka, "Go home. Miss Ryoko has passed her first trial, and is ready for you now. Everyone is waiting for you." A portal opened nearby. Looking through it, the cabbit was astonished to see that she was looking down at her own body, with Sasami sleeping at her bedside. Ayeka patted Ryo-Oh-Ki on the head. "Go to her, Ryo-Oh-Ki," she said, "Look after Sasami. Be ... be a good sister for her." The cabbit prepared to leap through the portal, then turned around and noticed that Ayeka was moving in the opposite direction, towards this strange golden light. "Mi-ya-a? Miya yaa mia?" (Ayeka? Aren't you coming?) Ayeka glanced back at her, and smiled. "Just go," she said softly, "Go home." Ryo-Oh-Ki let out a baffled "Miya?" before turning and leaping through the portal. She felt herself floating down towards her body... In Sasami's dream, it was dark. There was nothing to see, except for two women. They were Tsunami and Washu. Tsunami somehow seemed a bit younger. Washu was in her adult form, and wearing a dress that Sasami had never seen her wear before. Tsunami was crying, "Why? Why must you leave, sister?" "You know why," Washu said, "Our sister has been corrupted! This realm has been corrupted! I suggest that you leave as well, while you still can." "But ... my tree!" Tsunami sobbed. "It is not your tree anymore," Washu said softly, placing a hand on Tsunami's shoulder, "Leave while you still can, little sister. Start anew. Find another tree. You have lost this one." Washu began to walk away. "Sister! Do not leave me!" Tsunami fell to her knees, crying even harder than before. "I am sorry," Washu said softly, before she disappeared. Sasami woke up with a start. "Did I fall asleep again?" she mumbled, rubbing her eyes. She glanced at Ryo-Oh-Ki's bed, and suddenly realized that the cabbit was no longer there. The young princess nearly jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning around, she saw Ryo-Oh-Ki standing there in her humanoid form. "Ryo-Oh-Ki!" she exclaimed, "You're okay!" The two friends embraced, and Sasami laughed with relief and joy. Ryoko and Mihoshi had been spending the entire afternoon outside, training. Ryoko wanted to learn how to fight without seeing, so she had devised a game where she and Mihoshi each wore a scarf around the waist. The first to remove her opponent's scarf was the winner. So far, she and Mihoshi were tied 2-2. Ryoko had lost the first two games, but had won the next two once she had become more accustomed to relying on her other senses to catch Mihoshi. Now was their fifth match, and of course Ryoko was determined to win and break the tie. Ryoko smiled to herself. She was pleased at her progress so far. Her senses of smell and hearing had always been sharp, but once she had lost her sight, they had become even stronger. Her body even seemed to be developing new abilities. Some kind of new sense seemed to able to warn her if she was about to fly into something. Ryoko's smile widened. She was becoming increasingly confident that she was still able to protect Tenchi, and if any enemies decided that she wasn't a threat because she was blind ... well, they were in for a BIG surprise. The only thing that bothered Ryoko was that Ayeka was nowhere to be found. She had hoped that either Mihoshi or herself would run into the princess, but that had not happened yet. Ryoko floated above the grass, listening carefully for any sound. Where was Mihoshi hiding this time? Ryoko could hear insects scurrying along the ground, leaves rustling in the breeze, and birds chirping in the distance. There was a hollow thump as a squirrel moved around inside a tree. Just then, Ryoko heard it: the slight scrape of a shoe against tree bark, right above her. Ryoko moved aside just in time, and heard Mihoshi leap from the branches of the tree and pounce at the spot where she had been just a moment before. "You missed me!" Ryoko crowed, reaching out in Mihoshi's general direction. There was the rustle of grass and the sound of feet pounding on the ground, as Mihoshi made a run for it. The detective was fast; the sound quickly grew faint as she got farther and farther away. Ryoko began to give chase before she lost the sound entirely. _One advantage of being able to fly,_ Ryoko thought to herself, _is that my own feet aren't hitting the ground and drowning out the sound of Mihoshi's running._ WHUM-WHUM-WHUM... What the heck was that noise? After a moment of confusion, Ryoko realized that it was must be Washu's portable washing machine. Washu had described the runaway invention during breakfast, saying that it made a WHUM-WHUM-WHUM-ing sort of sound. Ryoko grimaced. She couldn't hear anything over all the noise that stupid contraption was making! _I guess I'll have to catch that thing and shut it off first._ Ryoko thought. In the meantime, Mihoshi had ducked behind some bushes, hoping that the strong scent of the plants would hide her own scent. Upon hearing something go "WHUM-WHUM-WHUM", she peeked out and saw a box bouncing along the ground. On one side of the box was a picture of a crab. "That's Washu's machine!" Mihoshi whispered to herself. Reaching into her hair, she pulled out her pink cube key. "Maybe I can materialize a net to catch it for Washu." Seeing the pink cube in Mihoshi's hand, the bouncing box paused for a moment. The crab icon on it suddenly turned into a red heart, and the box made a leap for the cube key. "Waah!" Mihoshi exclaimed, swatting the box away, "What are you doing? Stay away from my control cube!" She held her cube key tightly in both hands and began to run. The washing machine bounced after her, WHUM-WHUM-WHUM-ing excitedly. It leapt into the air and used its lid to clamp onto one end of the scarf around Mihoshi's waist. The scarf came undone and the box hit the ground. Just then, Ryoko came flying through the air. "Gotcha!" she exclaimed, grabbing onto the noisy box. Ryoko felt along the box until she hit a switch. The WHUM-WHUM-WHUM-ing began to die down. Mihoshi saw the picture on the box turn into a broken heart, and then the noise stopped completely. "Wow!" she giggled, "Ryoko, you won!" "Huh?" "You got my scarf," Mihoshi explained, "You won the match!" Ryoko suddenly realized that the washing machine was holding the scarf. "All right!" she shouted triumphantly. "Too bad about Tenchi's shirt though," said Mihoshi, "It looks like it's been washed to death." "Mom's inventions tend to be a bit too enthusiastic," Ryoko agreed, laughing, "Anyway, why don't we bring this thing to Mom's lab?" Mihoshi was about to say something when a sudden loud "Miya!" cut her off, and a certain cabbit leapt onto Ryoko's head. "Ryo-Oh-Ki!" Ryoko exclaimed, "It's you!" "Hooray!" Mihoshi shouted, "She's okay!" "Miya!" Dropping the washing machine, Ryoko took the cabbit off her head and gave her a tight hug. "I'm so glad you're alright," she said softly, stroking her fur. Turning to Mihoshi, she added thoughtfully: "You know, because of our mental link, Ryo-Oh-Ki can be a great 'seeing-eye cabbit'." "Wow!" said Mihoshi, "I'm so happy for you! This is great!" "Well, I still want to be independent, just in case," said Ryoko, "So, thanks for all your help, Mihoshi." "No problem," Mihoshi said, picking up the washing machine, "Now, why don't I bring this thing to Washu and let you two have some time alone?" The detective hummed a cheery tune as she left the reunited friends and headed home. Mihoshi stepped out of a clump of trees and saw Funaho a little distance away from her. "Whoops," she said to herself, "I guess I took a wrong turn." Mihoshi was about to walk back the way she came, when she suddenly noticed a purple-haired figure lying near Funaho. "Ayeka!" she called out, "I found you!" She began to run towards the princess, "You have to come home! Everyone's been worried about you!" Why didn't Ayeka move? The detective knelt by the woman and noticed with a twinge of fear that she seemed unusually pale. Letting go of the washing machine, Mihoshi placed a trembling finger on Ayeka's throat. It was cold. Mihoshi felt around the princess' neck for a pulse, and found none. She screamed. Ryo-Oh-Ki explained to Ryoko that she was sent by Sasami to tell her that it was almost time for tea. "So, Washu gave you a clean bill of health an hour ago?" Ryoko asked. The cabbit nodded. "Mii, y'a myiaa Mi-ya-a." she added. "What?" Ryoko exclaimed, "Ayeka talked to you? Where?" Ryo-Oh-Ki said something about a bright white place, much to Ryoko's puzzlement. She was about to ask the cabbit to elaborate, but she forgot about it when she heard a loud scream. "That's Mihoshi!" Ryoko shouted. Holding onto Ryo-Oh-Ki, she flew off in the direction of the scream. Ryoko arrived at the site of the holy tree. Through Ryo-Oh-Ki's eyes, she saw Mihoshi kneeling near Funaho, performing CPR on an unusually pale Ayeka. Not knowing what was wrong, Ryoko quickly decided against moving the princess. "I'll get help!" she shouted to Mihoshi before teleporting away. Sasami stepped into Washu's lab, carrying Mayuka in her arms. Now that Ryo-Oh-Ki was better, Washu and Kiyone were busy with a new project, designing devices to help Ryoko. After all, Ryo-Oh-Ki might not be able to stay with Ryoko all of the time. Although Sasami did not want to interrupt the scientist and her assistant, she knew that they needed a break, so she had come to inform them that it was time for tea. Spotting Washu and Kiyone standing among some machinery in the distance, Sasami was about to call out to them, when Ryoko suddenly materialized, with Ryo-Oh-Ki on her shoulder. "Mom!" Ryoko shouted, "Ayeka's by Funaho! She's not breathing!" Sasami froze. "Take us there!" Washu exclaimed. Ryoko held onto Washu and Kiyone, and they all teleported out of the lab. "Wait!" Sasami shouted, too late. Turning, the young princess ran out of the lab, and kept running until she reached the front gate outside the house. "Watch Mayuka for me!" she told Azaka and Kamidake, putting the baby down between them. "Yes, princess!" the guardians replied, but Sasami was already running again. Ryoko, Ryo-Oh-Ki, Washu, and Kiyone materialized in front of Funaho. Mihoshi was still trying CPR on Ayeka, and didn't look up. Washu quickly made her transparent computer appear, while Kiyone took something out of her pocket: a small rod with a wire wrapped around it. Kiyone quickly unwound the wire and plugged the end of it into Washu's computer. Kiyone held the rod over Ayeka. A bright blue light, which Mihoshi ignored, scanned Ayeka's head. Readings began to appear on Washu's computer screen. "No..." Washu whispered, staring at the information. Abruptly, she made her computer vanish. Kiyone dropped the rod in shock. "We're too late," Washu murmured, bowing her head. Ryoko buried her face in her hands as Ryo-Oh-Ki let out a confused whimper. Kiyone suddenly realized that Mihoshi had not stopped trying to revive the princess. She knelt behind Mihoshi and gently pulled her away. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I ... promised..." Mihoshi whimpered, before letting out a loud wail and burying her face in Kiyone's shoulder. Hugging Mihoshi tightly, Kiyone could feel her shoulder becoming wet. At the same time, tears began to run down her own face. Mihoshi began to whisper something over and over again. Kiyone had to strain to make out what she was saying: "Mizutani ... Mizutani..." Kiyone recognized the name of Mihoshi's former partner, who was killed during the destruction of an entire planet. _It isn't fair,_ Kiyone thought, hugging her friend even more tightly than before. Mihoshi's foot bumped against a gray tree branch in Ayeka's hand, and Kiyone's attention was drawn to a wooden stake that was jutting out of her wrist. Although there was no blood, Kiyone felt slightly sick. She noticed that there was a wooden stake in Ayeka's other wrist, as well. It looked like Juraian wood. A sudden, horrifying suspicion formed in Kiyone's mind. The detective looked at the tree Funaho. Sure enough, two of the roots were raised, and their ends appeared to have been chopped off. "Oh, God," she whispered, "What happened here?" The Masaki family van was nearly home. Nobuyuki's eyes left the road for a moment, to look at Tenchi. His son was staring out the window while fidgeting with the roadmap. Tenchi was nervously beginning to tear it into pieces. Nobuyuki frowned with concern. He had thought that Tenchi had outgrown that nervous habit at age twelve. _This is all my fault_, Nobuyuki thought, _I shouldn't have made Tenchi leave the house._ "Dad!" Tenchi suddenly shouted, "Watch the road!" Nobuyuki yelped and quickly swerved to avoid hitting a tree. "Sorry about that," said Nobuyuki, "I was..." There was the sudden slam of a door as Tenchi left the van and began to run home. "Wait for me!" Nobuyuki scrambled out of the van and ran after him. Unable to put up with staying seated any longer, Tenchi had decided to run to the house. _I'm coming, Ryoko!_ he thought. _Oh God, why did I leave the house so soon?_ How could he have been so foolish? Why had he taken off without talking to Ayeka first? Now she had run away. Now Ryoko was blind. He knew that with Ryoko's mental link to Ryo-Oh-Ki, at least it could be possible for her to see through her cabbit's eyes. But if Ryo-Oh-Ki didn't come out of that coma... Tenchi could see the front gate of the house. He could also see that something strange was going on. Azaka and Kamidake were at their usual posts. There was a clothesline strung between the guardians, heavy with Mayuka's diapers. That wasn't an unusual sight to him. What was unusual was that Mayuka was also between the guardians, floating in a protective force field that they had created. "What's going on?" Tenchi called out to the guardians. "Welcome home, Lord Tenchi!" said Azaka. "Princess Sasami told us to watch Mayuka," Kamidake explained, "She seemed upset about something. She ran off in Funaho's direction." "Thanks!" said Tenchi, turning and running off towards the holy tree's place. _What's happening now? Ryoko, please be all right!_ Nobuyuki struggled to keep up. Sasami was running as fast as she could. Her breath was ragged from running so hard. She was reminded of something that had happened over 700 years ago... ****************************************************************** Ayeka was walking through one of the Juraian palace's many gardens. Even though Ayeka was only walking, young Sasami had to run to try and keep up, and she was still getting farther and farther behind. Despite Sasami's cries of "Ayeka! Wait for me!" the older princess kept walking. Sasami struggled to run faster, as her elder sister kept moving farther ahead. _Sister! Don't leave me!_ the little girl thought frantically, _Please don't leave me!_ "Ayeka!" Sasami cried desperately, before stumbling and falling onto the ground. "Ow!" she shouted. Suddenly Ayeka was right there, saying "Sasami! Are you okay?" Sasami tried to voice her fears of abandonment, tried to describe her nightmares of Ayeka leaving one day and never coming back. Instead, she began to cry. "It's all right, Sasami," Ayeka said softly, putting her arms around the small girl. _Please don't leave me,_ Sasami thought. ****************************************************************** _Don't die, Ayeka,_ Sasami thought as she ran closer to Funaho's place, _Please don't leave us!_ Sasami let out a startled shriek as she tripped over a tree root and fell to the ground. She began to cry. For a brief moment, Sasami hoped that Ayeka would appear and comfort her, just like she had during that incident 700 years ago, but she did not. There was a sudden breeze, and Tsunami was standing before her. "Tsunami!" Sasami cried, "Y-you have to go to Funaho, Ayeka's hurt!" Sasami suddenly noticed that the white figure of Tsunami was even more transparent than usual. She also seemed to be fading in and out of existence. "Forgive me, Sasami," said Tsunami, her voice sounding weak, "I was unable to arrive sooner..." Tsunami touched Sasami's shoulders with her pale hands, and both she and Sasami disappeared. Moments later, Tenchi came running up the path, with Nobuyuki running after him. Upon arriving at Funaho's clearing, Tenchi saw Washu first. The redheaded scientist avoided his gaze. Tenchi was about ask her what was happening, when he suddenly noticed Ryoko walking towards him. To his surprise, a crying Ryo-Oh-Ki was perched on her head. Ryoko held her arms out shakily in front of her. Tenchi ran into her arms, and she hugged him so tightly that the breath was nearly squeezed out of him. Ryoko's breathing was uneven, and Tenchi was overcome with a feeling of dread. "Ayeka's dead, Tenchi," said Ryoko, her voice breaking, "W-we don't know what happened..." Ryoko tried to continue speaking, but she choked and fell silent. Tenchi could feel Ryoko's embrace become even tighter, as if she sensed the horrible feeling of coldness that was beginning to swallow him. Tenchi wanted to say something, but his voice was gone. Ryoko suddenly began to shake him, and he became dimly aware of someone saying his name. He finally realized that it was Mihoshi. "I couldn't save her, Tenchi!" Mihoshi was saying between sobs, "I couldn't save her!" Kiyone placed her hand on Mihoshi's shoulder and began to speak softly to her. Tenchi began to walk unsteadily towards the body. Ryoko clung to him tightly as she walked beside him. Tenchi couldn't believe that this was happening. Except for being somewhat pale, Ayeka simply appeared to be sleeping, like a princess in a fairytale. She couldn't be dead! Everything that he had not yet expressed to her whirled through his mind. Apologies, for hiding what he felt about Ryoko. Gratitude, for her friendship. Love, for her being a part of his family. Two nights ago, he had thought to leave her alone for a while, to let her have some privacy and solitude first. Now, completely alone, she had departed. Kneeling, Tenchi placed a trembling hand on Ayeka's forearm. He tried to find his voice again, as if to somehow call her back, but no sound came from his throat. However, he could clearly hear his heart thudding in his ears, and he knew what his inner voice was saying: _I will never forgive myself. I will never forgive myself._ Katsuhito ran towards Funaho's clearing. He had a feeling that something had happened to his tree. Racing out of the woods, he came to a halt when he saw Washu standing before him. Her eyes were red, and there were dried tears on her face. "Your sister..." she began, but Katsuhito had already seen the body, and began to walk towards it. "Did you know that this would happen, Lord Katsuhito?" she asked softly. Katsuhito kept walking. He noticed that his son-in-law was there. He had removed his glasses and was wiping at his eyes. Tenchi was there as well, crying into Ryoko's shoulder. Ryoko was trying to comfort him, but she could not stop trembling. Katsuhito finally reached Kiyone's side. Her eyes were as red-rimmed as Washu's. She was staring down at Ayeka's body. Upon noticing him, Kiyone wordlessly gestured at the wooden stakes in his sister's wrists, then pointed at Funaho's roots. The only thing that went through Katsuhito's mind was a memory of the night before, when Tsunami had told him not to search for Ayeka. "Why?" he said in a shaky whisper, "Why, Tsunami?" Tenchi raised his head at Katsuhito's voice. "Grandpa, w-where's Sasami?" he asked, his voice barely audible. His question was answered when the young princess suddenly emerged from the woods, walking towards them. Washu tried to block her path. "Don't look, Sasami..." Washu began, but Sasami pushed past her and kept walking. The princess stopped in front of Ayeka's body. She gazed at it for several minutes without blinking. "Forgive me for taking so long to arrive," she said softly, her voice sounding strange, "I did not mean for any of you to have to experience such grief." "Tsunami?" Katsuhito asked, staring at Sasami. Sasami/Tsunami nodded. "I am sorry," she said, "I cannot stay long..." She suddenly blinked and said, "Ow, my head..." in her regular Sasami voice, before stiffening and speaking as Tsunami again. "Keep this branch with you," Sasami/Tsunami said, indicating the gray tree branch in Ayeka's hand, "Do not worry about Ayeka. Forgive me, my powers are being spent elsewhere..." Sasami began to glow, and then the transparent figure of Tsunami suddenly rose out of the princess and vanished. Sasami shook her head and blinked several times. She gasped when she saw that Ayeka's body was beginning to shimmer. Moments later, it disappeared, leaving the tree branch behind. "Tsunami said not to worry about Ayeka," said Sasami, "So everything's okay, right?" Before Tenchi could react, Mihoshi dashed to Sasami's side and held her close, whispering, "No, Sasami. Don't hold it back. It's okay to be scared." Sasami began to cry, throwing her arms around Mihoshi's neck. "I know," Mihoshi said, beginning to cry again, "I know..." A butterfly emerged from somewhere within Funaho's leaves, and perched on the tree branch Ayeka had left behind. Tenchi stared at the butterfly, until tears blurred his vision so that he could no longer see it. When he blinked, the butterfly was gone. Sasami sniffled and wiped her eyes. She turned and looked directly at Tenchi. To his astonishment, she began to smile. "I'm scared," Sasami said quietly, "but I'm so proud, too. Ayeka's going to help save our family." Sasami rested her head against Mihoshi and fell asleep. TO BE CONTINUED Next chapter: How do you say goodbye to someone you care deeply about? Someone you knew very well, and yet didn't get to know as well as you wanted to? Don't miss Chapter 4 of Confess to You: "Remembering and Learning". Author's notes: The name of Mihoshi's old partner, Yuri Mizutani, is a combination of "Yuri Amano" and "Yuko Mizutani", the voice actors for Kiyone and Mihoshi, respectively. So, what caused the sun of Detective Mizutani's home planet to explode? That will come up in a later chapter. Please be patient with me. Sasami's "Ayeka! Wait for me!" flashback is from OAV episode 9. The next chapter, as you might have guessed, is a tribute to Ayeka, but it is also for those of you who have asked me when Sasami would do anything interesting in this series. (This is why I need you to E-mail me! How else can I know what you want to see?) For those of you wondering when I'm going to get back to the Ryoko + Tenchi stuff, there'll be some of that next chapter, and a lot more of it in Chapter 5. Don't miss it! Let's see ... is there anything else? Oh yeah, please send C&C, suggestions, or questions concerning the story to me at literaryeagle@hotmail.com I would also appreciate feedback on my other fics: "With my love always", "Where the Sky Meets the Sea", and "Kiyone's Birthday" (shameless plugs). Thanks for reading, and (hopefully) I'll see you next chapter! Thought of the day: Tenchi has got to be the soundest sleeper in the universe. I mean, in OAV episode 7, he slept through the entire night, without even once waking up and seeing Ryoko watching him. Then in OAV 11-12, Zero plunges an energy dagger into his pillow and SCREAMS, and he doesn't wake up! (Let's face it, in Manatsu no Eve, I don't think Yuzuha needed to put him into a trance for Mayuka to get away with all that yucky stuff she did.) What I want to know is, WHAT DOES TENCHI TAKE BEFORE HE GOES TO BED, AND WHERE CAN I GET SOME? Text copyright 1999, Literary Eagle (But most of the characters belong to Pioneer and AIC)