Okay... enjoy this chapter and please review... I really need to know what you think so far... well, I don't need to but it would be appreciated very much. ^.^ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The dark streets and faces stood still, no sign of life at all. Then a dark hole appeared in the middle of the streets right before the fortress filled with despair. Two figures stepped out and faced the dark fortress in disgust. How could this happen... A cold wind swept by them chilling their hearts. A step forward and a chain of events started, though the end of the chain looked dark and rusty. The fortress came closer with every step and it was too late to turn back.

Washu stared determinly at the path in front of her, the dark path leading to her future,"Mihoshi. You know you can leave if you want to... you don't have to... to..."

Mihoshi sadly looked ahead, her eyes full of fire, "What are friends for?" Mihoshi gave Washu a weak smile. "Besides, this is what I was born to do... to help my friends."

The winds picked up and circled the fortress quickly. The horriblest sounds your could imagine filled the air and ripped threw Washu and Mihoshi's minds. Washu and Mihoshi sunk down to their knees holding their heads.

Mihoshi screamed out loud,"Washu!!! What... is... this... in our heads..."

The pain suddenly stopped and the wind died down very suddenly.

Mihoshi stood up puzzled,"Washu, what just happened."

Washu stood up too beside Mihoshi,"I'm... I'm not quite sure..."

The doors to the fortress swung open and a blast of energy came out and hit them directly sending them blocks away, landing on the ground unconscious.

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Lady Ritune's eyes narrowed maliciously as she watched. The tables now full behind her; she turned and headed to them.

"And now, the end is here." Lady Ritune laughed coldly and raised her arms, sending the seven tables to float upright in a circle around her. "Now lets see... Sasami... Yosho... Ryoko... Ayeka... the baby... the cabbit... and my dear little Tenchi... now the ritual can take place and in only a few moments the power of Jurai will be all mine. Now, for the last part of the preparation..."

Lady Ritune took out a dagger and examined the razor sharp point. She then crossed over to Ayeka with it.

Ritune smiled malevolently, "I'm going to enjoy this..."

Lady Ritune took the dagger and cut Ayeka's right hand with it and then did the same with all the others. She then walked back to the center of the circle and wiped the blood on her face in two straight lines on each cheek.

"And now it begins..."

Lady Ritune started chanting words very quickly and the room started to spin as dark light streamed threw all of their bodies. All of them on the stone tables glowed different colors and the colors were sucked into the darkness around Ritune. The process was now under way and no one can stop it.

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Footsteps echoed and the tears of a young girl echoed.

"Ayeka... Tenchi... were is everyone?" Sasami called.

The bodies of the other six that had been on the table showed up near her.

"What is going on?! Where is everyone else?" Sasami cried into Tenchi's arms.

"We are trapped Sasami. By Ritune that is." Ayeka replied blandly while carrying her baby.

"Who's is that?" Ryoko pointed the baby out nonchalantly.

"It's... hard to explain... but... she is my child..." Ayeka replied tentatively.

"And she is also my child." Tenchi answered softly after.

"What?! What do you mean?!!!" Ryoko's face drained its color.

"We didn't know... well... I had lost my memories and Tenchi was put under a spell and I think Ritune sort of created an illusion and I had a husband named Suna and... well... It is a long and complicated story and right now we haven't got any time for it. And we don't need to start a fight right now... we will have to discuss it another time. Well, if we make it threw this that is. We have to some how stop Ritune from killing all of us and gaining all the powers of Jurai." Ayeka looked surprised at her boldness for a second and then regained her determined expression.

"Miy-ya! Miya!" Ryo-oki leapt from the ground and onto Ayeka's shoulder to see the baby.

Ryoko had a blank expression on her face and she turned her head to stare at Tenchi's child, not her child… but Tenchi and Ayeka's. Ryoko hid her face by staring down at the ground, her hands clenched at her sides. Yosho walked over and held his great-granddaughter and half-niece. Sasami gave Tenchi a big hug out of excitement and rushed over to see her little niece. Tenchi gave a slight smile but then decided that they had more important things to do at the moment.

"Hey, everyone! We have very important things to do now…!!! We have to make sure Ritune doesn't kill us all!" Tenchi half yelled over the talking.

At Tenchi's call, they turned and looked at him. The joy that had just shown on their faces gone, now facing a very hard task indeed.

"Tenchi's right, we can't have all of this stupid baby stuff right now! We have to figure a way out of here! I don't know about you all but I don't want a mad evil witch or whatever the hell she is, to take over everything or whatever she is after!" Ryoko's cheeks were bright red from anger and she was obviously not happy with the Ayeka and Tenchi pairing going on.

Sasami took a slight step toward Tenchi and said, "Well, what are we going to do Tenchi?"

Tenchi looked despairingly into Sasami's sad face, "I don't know yet Sasami."

An awkward silence then fell and then Ayeka spoke up, "Well, the first thing I think we need to do is to realize that this is not reality. Our bodies are asleep and being used to give power to an evil madwoman. Second, we need to somehow break her sleeping spell and wake up. After that, all we need to do is stop her from gaining all the power she wants."

"And how the hell do you expect us to do that! Huh, princess. Like we have any power of what goes on when we are asleep!" Ryoko burst out frustrated.

"Well, if our powers are being used to control all the power of Jurai, I think we can manage something, don't you Ryoko." Ayeka pounced back.

"We could always try combining our powers, I mean… it couldn't hurt could it?" Tenchi interjected trying to keep Ayeka and Ryoko from waging an all out war with one another.

"That may work, but it would take a lot out of all of us and we would need a way to channel that power. And whatever does channel the energy for us will be sent into our word immediately so it would not be good if we dreamed up something." Yosho commented while holding a sleeping baby.

Ayeka's face grew cold and expressionless, "I can do it. I can channel energy, I'll do it."

Tenchi's face grew shocked and angry at the suggestion. "Ayeka, you know that you can't do that, it is dangerous. You would be killed if you tried!"

Ayeka's eyes grew fiery, "Tenchi, if there is even a chance that everyone can survive then we should take it! Besides, I'll be all right; my headpiece will help me control the energy. It is the only way. I'm the only one who can besides Sasami and she is to young."

"Wrong princess, I can do it. I can channel energy." Ryoko stated blandly.

"That may be so but you are not completely Jurain. You only have powers of Jurai because of your gems. You know very well that you could not do that and hope to make it out alive." Ayeka told Ryoko sternly.

"Ayeka, stop acting so high and mighty! I can at least try to save us; so what if I die, can't you leave me to do what I want, why the hell do you care anyways! So let me or else!" Ryoko's eyes were angry and sad at the same time.

Ayeka went to talk back but Yosho stopped her before she could go on. Yosho then stepped slightly forward with a calm look upon his face.

"Let Ryoko do it if she wants to. Then she will be awakened in the real world and she can set us free from the spell. It would be easier too because Ryoko can fly. If Ryoko is willing to take a risk like this then let her." Yosho said in a calm voice that masked the sadness he felt inside.

"So, now that it is settled, lets get started. So what do we do first?" Ryoko's voice rang out into the nothingness around them.

Yosho's voice grew emotionless at the following words he spoke, "First we should sit in a circle and concentrate on our goal and find the power within each of us. Of course it is impossible for the baby to do so but it won't matter much as long as we do that. Then once the energy in our bodies comes together in the middle of the circle, Ryoko will step into the middle and channel the energy and then the spell around her should break. We have to be careful and get this right the first time because I think once it was done, it wont be able to be stopped. We cannot afford to do this more then once or else we will be too weak to do anything. Now, lets get to it."

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The light was now swirling around Ritune and her body was now seemingly made up of dark energy. The bodies of all the people and the cabbit on the stone tables still lay motionless on them with energy seeming to be wrenched out of their bodies.

Ritune's thoughts echoed loudly threw the room, "And now I have won, I have almost all the power of Jurai at my fingertips and only a little while longer until I have it all and the pawns for my plan are conveniently disposed of. Without the heirs to the throne on Jurai, I will have no trouble killing the king and queens so I can take Jurai over and rule the whole universe!"

The energy from them all was now gathered in the center of the circle with even more being pulled from them. Ryoko now got up and turned to Tenchi, "Before I go, I just want you to know that… that I have always loved you."

The shock on Tenchi's face grew to horror as he watched Ryoko head for the energy and her possible demise. How could he let her do this, she was his friend… and she loves me? What did she mean? Ryoko now was standing just before the energy ready to leave, a tear running down her face. Then out of nowhere a blast of energy went hurtling at her, making her fall back towards the circle. It was Ayeka who blasted at her. She then headed to the energy very quickly.

"What are you doing Ayeka!" Ryoko called out to her.

"I'm saving you! You can't go in there or you will be killed! I won't let my best friend die!" Ayeka ran right into the center of the energy causing an explosion of light.

The others stood back stunned, unable to move at all due to the shock. There in the center of the circle was Ayeka who was glowing white with a complete Jurian outfit on that was blue and white. Her headpiece seemed to be the source of the explosion. The energy seemed to be absorbed into her.

"Good bye Tenchi, I wont let you all down!" Ayeka yelled.

A look of pain came across Ayeka's face and she screamed. The energy around her was almost completely absorbed. Ayeka regained her composure and in an instant all the energy around her was completely absorbed and she disappeared.

Author's Note: Hehehe… another cliffhanger… well, hope you enjoyed and I should have the next chapter up very soon. In the mean time please read and review! I will be so distraught if you don't review! L so please please please review! Thanks…