(takes place in the ova) crossed destinies

Bad Feelings:

It was morning once again in the Masaki household, and as always sasami was the first to wake form her peaceful sleep to prepare breakfast for the family of eight. Soon the Masaki household began to rustle to life. All the girls and men came form different corners of the house to meet up at the dinning table. Nobody ever missed breakfast for sasami always had wonderful food prepared. An hour had pasted by and the food was ready, she had prepares rice, fried noodles, beef soufflé and egg rolls along with some hot green tea.

"Dig in everyone"

Everyone raised their chopsticks and dived right in.

"Wow Sasami this tastes great"

"I agree Sasami this is wonderful" said Ryoko giving two thumbs up.

"Thank you grandfather and thank you Ryoko"

"How did you sleep last night lord Tenchi?"

"Oh I slept like a rock. How did you sleep Ayeka?"

"Just lovely lord Tenchi"

Ryoko rolled her eyes and put her arms around Tenchi's neck.

"Where's my morning kiss Tenchi?"

"Oh stop that Ryoko and get off my neck I need to breath you know"

"Yes Ryoko stop bothering lord Tenchi. Tenchi is saving that good morning kiss for me."

"Oh yea right princess, Tenchi doesn't want to attract germs from someone like you."

"Is that so?......"

"Yeah!!"

Ryoko and Ayeka were both to their feet staring at each other growling intensely at each other.

"Come on ladies not so early in the morning. And not while we are eating"

"Shut up Yosho!"

"Yes brother this is none of your business"

Yosho was stunned at the both of them. Tenchi stood to his feet now tired of all the fighting."

"Can we have a peaceful breakfast for once?!....."

"Yes please stop you two before I put you both in stasis" said Washu with an irate look. Ayeka and Ryoko returned to their seats and remained quite for the rest of the meal.

When breakfast was over Ayeka helped Sasami wash the dished and tidy up the kitchen. Mihoshi lay on the coach asleep like always. Washu always wondered how it was physically possible to sleep as much as Mihoshi did. Tenchi had gathered his plow and shovel and was about to head off to do his daily chores. He plowed all the carrot fields, which were all carrot fields because of how many carrots Ryo-oki could consume at a time. Sweeping the stairs to his grandfather's shrine usually took two to three hours by itself.

"Bye girls see you tonight for dinner" called Tenchi waving at all the girls. He watched them return the wave.

"There goes my Tenchi, off to do all his chores"

"What do you mean 'your' Tenchi?' said Ayeka in her usual irritating tone. Tenchi is mine we both came from Jurai and he has pure Juraian blood in his veins. Tenchi belongs to me and that's final."

"No way Princess"

"Yes way demon"

Ryoko and Ayeka both stared pulling each other's faces and yelling at the top of their lungs. Tenchi didn't even bother to turn around, he just laughed nervously and headed towards the shrine.

"Those girls are going to be the death of me"

Tenchi stood on the stairs leading to his grandfather's shrine staring a t the vast forests in front of him. He had stopped sweeping the stairs to think. No longer then a couple of months ago he was a normal seventeen year old boy enjoying his youth and freedom, but now five girls shared his home in the mountains with his father and grandfather. He often wondered how all of them arrived at his little home in the mountains but it always stumped him. Ryoko lied dormant in the Masaki shrine until disobeying his grandfather's rules and releasing Ryoko. He wondered sometimes why he ever sdisobeyed his grandfather. When he had released her he had thought that she wanted to kill him but she protested that she was just playing with him. He wished shed play a little nicer because energy swords and fireballs weren't really his idea of fun. Ayeka had arrived because of his releasing of Ryoko and Sasami had followed since she was the sister of Ayeka. Mihoshi had tired to arrest Ryoko but she was way to powerful for any galaxy police officer to handle alone no matter how good they were. Washu did not arrive like the others, when he had went out into outer space to save Ryoko from Kagato he had meet her there and found out that she was the mother of Ryoko. Apparently Ryoko was born form the womb but instead of a male supply of life she used a life form called he mass which could explain the fact that Ryoko was so powerful not like Washu herself wasn't already powerful in nature and not to mention the gems that Ryoko possessed, well at least the ones that he had in his light hawk sword. Through all this he learned that his grandfather was Yosho and Ayeka's half brother. Also that he was and heir to the Jurai Royal family.

He had never seen all this coming in his future but he did not regret living or knowing none of the girls. Sasami kept him full with her wonderful cooking, Mihoshi was comedy relief, Washu helped with things around the house and seemed to keep his grandfather company for they spoke of events that happened long ago. Ryoko and Ayeka's constant fighting annoyed him but it was flattering that it was him that the majority of the fights were about. Tenchi felt the cool wind hit his face, which seemed to make him feel calm and serene. When he looked towards the blazing sun he could tell by its aliment that it was getting late and that he had been thinking for over an hour. He admitted to himself that whenever he thought about his situation with the girls it took him a long time to decipher his feelings. He continued to sweep the stairs to the shrine. He would be done his daily chores in about and hour or two, although and hour wasn't a long time he would be a little late because of his thinking sessions he now called it. He cleared his mind and began sweeping the stairs to the shrine so eventually he could get back to go eat dinner with all the girls.

"Ayeka" called Sasami who was in the kitchen cooking dinner.

"Yes Sasami?"

"Call everyone down, its time to eat and go make sure that Tenchi is on his way home."

"Ok Sasami" Ayeka walked into the living room and to the bottom of the stairs. "Ryoko.... Mihoshi.... Time to eat" yelled Ayeka.

A few seconds later Ryoko was walking down the stairs closely followed by Mihoshi who was yawing deeply as if she had just waken up, which knowing Mihoshi she did.

"Ryoko will you go get Washu out of her lab?"

"Yeah." Said Ryoko as she walked through the closet, which was the dimensional door that led to Washu's lab. Ryoko looked around a t all gadgets and machines that ticked and blinked around her. The light wasn't bright and she could not see that well with all the machines casting shadows on her.

"Washu........Washu...." called Ryoko into the vast laboratory.

"Ryoko I am over here" said a voice, which seemed to be coming form the northeast direction of where she stood. She walked towards the voice and soon saw Washu floating on her pillow typing on her holographic computer.

"Its time to eat Washu"

"Call me mom Ryoko" said Washu pushing away the computer and stepping off her floating computer.

"Anyway Washu time to eat lets go!"

Washu followed Ryoko towards the exit of her lab. Although she did not show it, it hurt her when Ryoko did not call her mother, it only seemed as thought Ryoko though of her as just another girl in the Masaki home. Just a friend. She loved Ryoko so much it hurt but she wasn't all that good in showing it. After losing her first baby to pride and high standards, then her second child Ryoko kidnapped by Kagato for many years thinking she would never get her back, she had put up barriers on her emotions to prevent her heart from being broken again. That being another reason she choose to stay in a child like form.

Soon they were at the dinning table with the other s all of them awaiting Tenchi's arrival for they would not start without him. About five minutes later Tenchi came walking in the door. He looked at the table at all the girls and took a deep breath as he went and joined them around the dinner table.

Dinner was over and Washu had grabbed Tenchi and dragged him into her laboratory.

"Come on Washu no experiments today, I'm tired and its late evening."

"Calm down Tenchi I am not going to do any analysis or experiments on you tonight."

"Then what did you bring me here for Washu?"

"If you would gibe me a minute I will show you!"

Washu began typing on her holographic computer and a big display screen appeared above Tenchi and Washu's heads. Upon the screen a planet appeared and it was Jupiter and the orbits of the planets moons.

"Tenchi earlier today I discovered a large mass of energy move pass Jupiter and the totally disappeared off my sensors. Do you think we should be worried about this?"

"Well Washu are you sure it wasn't just a meteor or comet that you saw?"

"See that's just it I am not sure what it was that moved across Jupiter's orbit."

"I wouldn't worry about it Washu."

"Well Tenchi if you say so" she paused for a minute and thought about the next question she was about to ask.

"Tenchi?"

"Yes Washu?"

"I know what I am about to say is way off task but................. do you think I am a bad person Tenchi?"

Tenchi gave Washu an awkward look.

"Of course not Washu, I think you are a wonderful person.....what ever gave you the idea that you were a bad person?"

"I don't know Tenchi, I was just wondering."

Tenchi wondered what was the matter with Washu. She never seemed self-conscious before and normally she was always proud of herself but today she seemed off. Maybe it was just the lack of rest.

"Well Washu I am going to head back to the house, I will see you tomorrow."

"Goodnight Tenchi"

"Good night Washu" he hoped that she would feel better in the morning when she woke up.......

It was midnight and Washu couldn't sleep. She has made her was to the kitchen for a glass of water and a cookie. She had thought she was the only one awake until she saw Ayeka coming down the stairs and a few minutes later followed by Ryoko.

"What are you girls doing up so late at night for" said Washu with a curious look.

"Miss Washu I had a premonition that something bad was going to happen to lord Tenchi."

"Well Ayeka I have that feeling except I wouldn't call it a premonition but more of a gut feeling then anything."

"I spoke with Tenchi earlier today and talked to him about a massive wave of energy coming form Jupiter's orbit and how it disappeared as soon as it arrived. That has to be a sign."

"Well what do you think we should do about it miss Washu?"

"I don't know Ayeka, maybe we are just being paranoid about this."

"With my gut feeling Ayeka's premonition and your scans there has to be something going down."

"Well there's nothing we can do about it tonight girls, but we will talk it over with Tenchi in the morning. You girls go back to bed and rest, I am turning in myself so I will see you girls in the morning."

"Goodnight Washu" said the girls both at the same time walking back up the stairs into their rooms.

Washu headed back to her lab to her lab where she slept. She did not reveal that Ryoko was another reason for her sleeplessness. 'Goodnight Washu' stuck out in her mind. She lay on her pillow eyes wide open. A single tear ran down her check to the floor below.

"Call me mom," she said in a voice barely above a whisper.

Ayeka lay in her bed with one hand gently rubbing the wooden crest on her forehead. The dream that she has was so strong and it could not be disregarded. In this dream she saw Tenchi doing his regular day chores and all of a sudden a black mist had appeared around him and totally swallowed him in its embrace. She remembered how she jumped up from her sleep and how her forehead was covered with perspiration. She closed her eyes anyway and slowly went back to sleep.

Ryoko lay in her bed staring out her window at the star studded sky above her. It had almost been an hour since she had spoke with Washu and Ayeka about Tenchi. She knew something was up, her gut never lied. She couldn't lie like this for the rest of the night; she had to talk to Tenchi about the way she felt. She slowly opened the door and stepped inside closing the door ever so quietly behind her, She walked to his bedside and kneeled on the floor. She placed her hands on his shoulders and gently tapped him.

"Tenchi it's me Ryoko wake up." He began to stir from his sleep. She watched his gorgeous brown eyes open as he woke.

"Ryoko what are you doing up?"

"Tenchi I have a really bad feeling that something bad is going to happen to you. I don't know what it is or who it is but I know something is going to happen to you and I'm scared for you!"

"Oh Ryoko I will be fine, stop being paranoid I can take care of myself no worries."

"I know but its something worse then we have ever faced before." She laid her head upon the mattress where he slept and sighed deeply.

She felt a hand upon her head. She felt relieved as he stroked her hair in comfort.

"I will be fine Ryoko no need to worry."

"Well will you promise me that you will be careful?"

"Yes I promise to be careful"

Ryoko sighed and gave him a tired smile.

"Now you go back to sleep Ryoko you need you rest."

She nodded her head and rose to her feet. She walked towards the door and gently turned the handle.

"Goodnight Tenchi"

"Goodnight Ryoko and sweet dreams." With this she returned to her room.

"That Ryoko....so unpredictable." He lay back in his bed and feel fast asleep.

To be continued......