"You failed me before." Those few words caused a sense of fear unlike any other through the scientist's body, and he barely remained standing. The woman in front of him smiled slightly, as if she knew just what he was feeling and she enjoyed it. That smile chilled him all the more.

"Just give me one more chance, please!" he pleaded, inwardly almost disgusted. He'd never pleaded with anyone before. He caught himself before he mentally cursed her; perhaps she could read minds. Would she destroy him for such a thought?

"Tsk, tsk," she chuckled. "I can, but it wouldn't even be the worth of effort. And did you know that for me to wipe your existence out with be little more struggle for me than it would be for you to take a breath?"

"I-I'm sorry, m'lady!" he stammered, falling to his knees. Damn me, he thought.

"Keep your apologies; they are merely an insult to me. And you're already damned. Did you know that? I shall have… ahhh, but no mind to that." There was a pause, as if she was considering her next words. She never really considered what she said, though. At least, she wouldn't if she had something capable enough to understand them the first time around. Her patience with lesser creatures was limited, but she had to learn to cope with it. After all, she could have no direct impact on the world. "I will give you another chance, but not right now. Not with the same task, mind you. Don't get any more ideas in that fool head of yours."

"Yes, Lady," he replied reverently. Beads of sweat dribbled down his face.

"You are not to do anything without my explicit instruction," she said softly. "Do you understand?"

"I do, Highness." The answer came from his lips quickly, as though he was afraid any hesitation would cost him his life.

She smiled again, her eyes glowing malevolently. "Good. Don't fail me again. Otherwise, maybe I will try to breathe, Dr. Clay."

A long shadow cut out the light that Ryoko was using to write, and she looked up irritably. "Hiroshi, what do you want?"

"I'm beginning to regret that I got you that book," he complained, then his face turned mischievous. "I hungies, Ryoko!"

"Damn it, you know where the kitchen is!" she snapped, then scooted further over on her bed to get back into the light. "Fix something yourself."

He glared. "Every since I got you that thing you've been buried in it! It's been weeks! Weeks, I tell you!"

"Hmph, what did you expect? That a dirty old space pirate like me couldn't be creative?"

"Nooo, I expected you to pay attention to me!" he stomped his foot.

"Geez, Hiroshi, sometimes I swear you're about five years old," she muttered, then had to smile inwardly. Was this what it was like for Tenchi when she bothered him? Then again, Ryoko had to admit to herself that she really didn't mind it too much.

"Blah," he sighed, then sat down in a plush chair. "You never have time for me anymore."

"Oh, hush. It wasn't that long ago that you intruded upon my ship, you know."

"Pfft, it's been months."

"Hiroshi, I do have something that I want to discuss with you." She closed the red book reluctantly, then looked intensely at him.

"What?"

"According to my calculations and to Ryo-ohki's handy dandy map thing, we should be getting to the Ruki system tomorrow." She said this with as little emotion showing as possible, considering that it felt almost as though she was losing her best friend.

"Tomorrow?" he repeated hollowly, his face paling slightly. "That soon?"

"Soon? What are you talking about? You know that from the place we met it should've only taken weeks to get there! I admit, it's one of the further out places, and it's rather remote, but even after allowing for that…" she trailed off.

"Yes, but…" his eyes shifted to the floor and his fingers moved in an intricate pattern.

"Hey, listen, you'll be able to get a hold of whomever it is that you know there soon! And you won't have to see my ugly face anymore," she joked, trying to lighten the mood.

"I don't know anyone there," he replied slowly. "There are a lot of things that I've yet to tell you about me, Ryoko."

She blinked. This was an odd thing to say, and she didn't really know how to respond to it. So she said the first thing that came to mind. "Oh…"

"Well," he said, clearing his throat. "I suppose you have things that you want to do while you're here, don't you?"

"Yeah, things," Ryoko echoed absently, fingering the cover on her bed. Her heart ached, but she didn't say anything. It never worked to speak up, so why should it now?

"I'm going to go, uh, eat," Hiroshi stammered, then exited her room quickly.

"Geez, what's eating him?" Ryoko grumbled, trying to push away the feelings that stirred within her. It was probably just residual feelings left over from her experience with Tenchi. Fear of abandonment, something like that. He was the pain in the ass guy who never let her get a moment's peace. He had broken his way into her life, and now he was leaving and that was the way it was supposed to be. Right? Right.

Without quite realizing it, Ryoko started moving the silver gel pen across the page. The movements formed letters, and the letters formed words.

When I first saw you

I hated what you were

You represented everything

That I had lost before

Because you looked at me

With no fear in your eyes

I soon became curious

Then we became allies

Floating together

Throughout space

We formed a bond

And hate was displaced

Every journey comes

To an end

But I wonder if

I will ever see you again

She stared at it, a strange look coming over her face. Did she really mean the words that were staring back at her? She was strong, independent Ryoko! Those were the words she had told herself not so long ago. Or was it? It had seemed like an eternity sometimes since she wandered through the forests of Earth.

Rubbing her arms, Ryoko felt disgusting. "Ryo-ohk," she said softly. A small crystal popped up near her with the little furry face looking out. "I feel dirty."

"Miya!" the ship replied, then increased her speed and changed course slightly.

"Ryoko! What's going on?" Hiroshi bellowed from the kitchen area.

"Nothing that you need to worry your pretty head about," she replied, a trace of a smile on her lips. "You'll find out soon enough anyway." Her acute ears picked up his snort, and she giggled softly.

"Ahh, this is the life," Ryoko exclaimed. Ryo-ohki miyaed agreement beside her. The demon summoner and her cabbit were currently lounging in a large pool of hot water. Ryo-ohki had responded to her mistress' unspoken request and found a nearby hot spring. It was secluded, seemed safe, and there was more than one so Ryoko could get very clean while Hiroshi was off doing male things.

"Well, little one? Don't you want to relax in a more fitting form?" Ryoko asked, patting Ryo-ohki on the head.

The little cabbit nodded and scrambled behind a rock. Ryoko smiled; Ryo-ohki still was shy about her transformation. A minute later a humanoid figure tumbled into the pool. The space pirate reached over and grabbed the small girl. "I need practice," Ryo-ohki mumbled, her face radiating heat.

"Aww. I'm sorry. I haven't let you get a moment's rest much lately, have I?"

"It's okay. That's what I was made for," Ryo-ohki replied, making herself comfortable in the hot liquid.

"Ryo-ohki!" Ryoko said sharply. "What have I told you about saying that? You sound as bad as Washu!"

"Miya," Ryo-ohki retorted, falling back into her old habits.

Ryoko's ears turned red. "I'll let that one slip, little friend!" Her pale hands traced patterns in the water.

"Ryoko?" Ryo-ohki's voice, even more childlike and fainter than normal, caused Ryoko to look closely at her partner. "Is Hiroshi really leaving?" she asked.

"Uhh." Ryoko paused, trying to gather her thoughts. Damn! She thought she was away from this particular conversation for a while. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, he's a nice person. He doesn't really know me as being a cabbit or a person, but he never punched my walls."

Ryoko winced, reminded of how many times she had slammed her fist against the hard walls in anger.

"And he said that I'm a nice ship, too," Ryo-ohki continued, oblivious to Ryoko's discomfort.

"Well, of course he did! You're the best star cruiser in the universe!" Ryoko replied proudly. "I wouldn't have anything less."

"You're avoiding the question, sister!" Ryo-ohki reproved, calling Ryoko the name that they had inwardly agreed on so many years ago. After all, they had the same "father."

Ryoko sighed, her golden eyes dimming slightly. "Yes, it's true."

"But why? Doesn't he like us?"

"Because we're getting to our destination, Ryo-ohki. Hey! We could always get some more spiked carrot juice!" Ryoko said, jabbing her fist into the air. "Oh, yeah!" Even though Ryo-ohki's humanoid form was that of a child, she was technically an adult. And, for some odd reason, the vodka proved to be great fuel for her when she turned back into a ship.

"I don't want a drink. I'm tired of leaving people behind," Ryo-ohki said plainly.

"Look, I don't want to talk about it anymore!" Ryoko snapped, and got out of the water. She walked without any real sense of where she was going; she just knew that she wanted to get away from the questions. "Damn stupid Hiroshi! I hate him! I hate hate hate him," she spat out, kicking a rock and watching it soar through the clear sky. "Why did he have to do this to me?"

It really wasn't fair. She first had to lose Tenchi and now she was losing Hiroshi. How beautifully ironic it was. The pain that she was running away from was now back tenfold. Maybe she wasn't meant to have friends. Maybe, just maybe Washu hadn't designed her that way. DESIGNED. She mentally shouted that word, coloring it with anger. Created, designed, damn it all to hell!

"Uhh, Ryoko, what are you doing?" a hesitant voice reached her sensitive ears.

"Go away, Hiroshi," Ryoko said flatly, not even looking towards him.

"No, tell me what's wrong!"

"I said go away, asshole! I don't need you!" she shouted, then pulverized a rock with her hand. "You damn males and your stupid stupid selves can't just leave me the hell alone, can you?"

"What are you talking about?" he asked, bewildered.

"Fucking asshole," she muttered underneath her breath.

His eyes darkened. "Now, listen here, space pirate! I have done nothing wrong! I just wanted to know what was wrong with you because you are clearly upset and you pull this shit on me! A guy can't even be a friend without having to deal with this kind of crap, huh? Well, to hell with it!" he shouted, then stomped away.

"Yeah? Well, stay the hell away!" she screeched after him, her voice echoing harshly around her. "I don't need you!"

"GOOD!" He disappeared behind an outcropping of rocks.

Ryoko sighed, then started after him. "Who does he think he is, anyway?" she muttered angrily. "Come out, come out, wherever you are!" she bellowed.

"Fuck off, Ryoko," came his voice. She oriented on it, then floated over.

"Now, is that any way to talk to your best friend?"

He glared up at her, his eyes shining almost a silvery color. In that moment she was struck by how incredibly, for lack of better word, hot he was. Unlike some people who turned bright red when they were angry; he instead paled and looked much like a beautiful statue. His hair gleamed, even though it was wet from whatever source of water he had found, and he was bare from the waist up.

She shook her head, wondering where those thoughts had come from. "I was just… making sure you were okay," she said lamely.

"Ooh. Yeah, I'm fine. I don't really care, Ryoko," he replied evenly.

"Now, now, Hiroshi," she said, her voice lifting slightly, "don't be like that!"

"I'm not being like anything, Ryoko," he sneered.

Ryoko felt unsure of herself for once. Maybe she was wrong in following him. Maybe he didn't really care about her, just like everyone else. Well, fine! Like she said, she didn't need him anyway!

A strange look came over Hiroshi's handsome face, and he smiled suddenly. "I have an idea! Let's continue traveling together! It'll be fun! We could explore the universe!"

"What? You… you want to keep traveling?" she echoed, taken by surprise.

"Well, yes. Don't you, Ryoko? And be honest!" he said, wrinkling his nose.

"Hmph," she snorted.

"Please? Tell me," he said, his beautiful eyes softening slightly. "I won't press the issue if you don't want to, but it would be nice to know. After all, it would be such a blow to my ego if I found that you didn't want to see my ugly face anymore!"

"Oh, come off it," she said, turning away from him. Her soul was fighting within itself, and she didn't know what to say. She had never had anyone wish for her to stay around. It usually was people asking her to leave, or in some cases, shouting at her in an unbearably prissy voice telling her to get out of here. Now someone not only wanted her to stay, but wanted to go with her also. She stared at the ground, as if its grassy surface knew something that she didn't.

"Are you okay, Ryoko?" Hiroshi asked gently, his hand touching her shoulder.

She jumped, then stared at him with wide eyes. "Why?"

"Huh?"

"Why do you want to come with me? I ignore you, I belittle you and, most of all, I don't cook for you. So why?" she asked simply.

"Because, Ryoko, despite all the grave faults that you listed… or perhaps because of them… I like our time together." He shrugged. "Is that so hard to believe?"

The way he said it was so casual, so unapologetic. It brought a smile to Ryoko's face. "Yes."

"Well, I mean it!" he exclaimed defensively.

She giggled. "No, I mean yes, let's travel together!"

"You mean it?" This time he was the disbelieving one.

"Nope. I just wanted to get your hopes up and then dash them to the ground. Mwahaha!" she replied evilly, her eyes glinting in merriment. "Of course I want to!"

"Oh, Ryoko, you demoness tease," Hiroshi said, grinning.

"Tease? Me? Never!" she replied, sticking out her tongue.

"Really? Then perhaps you'd like to see about getting some clothes on," he suggested, managing to keep a straight face.

"What?" Ryoko asked, then glanced down at herself. She must've forgotten that her clothes in her anger! "Shit!" she swore, then popped back over to the pool where Ryo-ohki was still sprawled. "Damn that Hiroshi!"

~*~*~*~*~

Well, guys, here's the next chapter and it's only been a few days since the last one! I have spring break all this week and since I just lost my best friend, I should have plenty of fuel for writing! Lucky Ryoko, getting to keep her friend despite her, uh… tumultuous temperament. I wanted to thank the people who took the time out to review… I'm writing this story for myself, but I'm also writing it for you guys, and this helps me to know what works and what doesn't. Thanks for being such kind readers!