Disclaimer: I don't own Tenchi or any other characters residing at the Misaki house. They all belong to Pioneer/AIC. I am not making any money off of this story so please don't sue me.

Ayeka knocked on the closet door that led to Washu's lab, but no one answered. She decided to run the risk of being zapped by one of her security systems and enter without permission. She walked into the huge place and headed to the giant computer/workstation where Washu did most of her work. She found the red headed scientist staring off into space with a blank expression on her face. Ayeka could tell she had been crying because of the tear stains on her clothes. This was all of the confirmation she needed. She knew Ryoko was gone, and she wasn't planning on coming back. The thought of her rival leaving, elated her, but only for a moment. Sadness soon replaced her happiness. Her friend was gone, and she may not ever see her again. "Washu, is there any way we can contact her?" The scientist didn't reply. "Washu! Answer me! Is there any way we can contact her?"
After a few moments she finally replied, "No Ayeka, she has completely cut off our mental link, and she won't accept any transmissions. In just a few minutes, she will be out of my scanners' range. After that, I will have no idea where she is. She could go to the other side of the universe for all I know." They both fell silent. Ayeka wondered what could have caused this to happen. She decided to wait no longer. She had to talk to Tenchi now.
Tenchi sat on the edge of the bed. A steady stream of tears poured down his face, but he made absolutely no sound. He didn't think she would ever leave him. How could she do this? It was all his fault. If he had told her how he really felt right then, none of this would have happened. He would have hurt the other girls, especially Ayeka, if he had confessed though, but this no longer mattered. Why couldn't he just be more honest and less considerate? "I swear if I ever see you again, Ryoko, I will tell you how I feel about you." After a few minutes had passed, he heard a knock on his door. "I don't want to be disturbed right now. Please come back later." The door opened up anyway, and Ayeka was standing in the doorway.
"Lord Tenchi, I need to speak with you now. This simply cannot wait any longer."
"What is it Miss Ayeka?"
"What would have caused Ryoko to leave? Did you hurt her somehow?"
"I really don't want to talk about it."
"Lord Tenchi, you may not believe this, but Ryoko really is my friend. We may fight and insult each other most of the time, but this is just our way of expressing our friendship. Please tell me what happened? Did you fall in love with one of us?" She asked this last question with much anticipation in her voice. Could he have possibly fallen in love with her? Did he tell Ryoko that he didn't love her because he loves her?
"A couple of weeks ago, I told her I hated her, and that I never wanted to see her again in my sleep. She has been acting strangely ever since then. I just found out why today, but it was too late. She just left me here all alone. I already miss her, and I wish I could have just one more chance to tell her how I feel." She watched as more tears made their way down his face, and she shed a few of her own.
"I'm sorry Lord Tenchi. I will leave you alone now, goodnight."
"Goodnight Ayeka." She closed his door on the way out and immediately headed to her room. When she got there, she closed her door and sat down on the bed. Although he didn't come right out and say it, she now knew that he loved the space pirate after all. Tears flowed freely from her eyes, and she began sobbing quite loudly. Why didn't he love her? Why did he love that damn space pirate? Why is it that everyone she falls in love with can never return her love? She began hugging her pillow very tightly, and she eventually cried herself to sleep.
Ryoko sat in her chair on the deck of Ryo-ohki. She already missed Tenchi very much. She knew what he really wanted, and she knew that this would make him happy. She would die many times over just to see him happy and safe. Now that she was gone, he could be both. Leaving him and Mayuka was much worse than death, but she was willing to give up her happiness for them. Besides, he would never love her anyway. He and Ayeka are probably confessing their love for each other right now. Ayeka would become Mayuka's mother, and they would be happy as long as they lived. Now that Tenchi and Mayuka were out of her life, what else did she have to live for? An idea suddenly came to her. She has killed so many people, and now it would be her turn. She would allow the many people whose loved ones she killed to have their vengeance. "Ryo-ohki, set a course for Jurai."
"Miya Miya Miya Miya. Miya, Miya Miya?"
"Yes Ryo-ohki, I am absolutely sure."
(Sadly) "Miya Miya."
Washu sat on her floating futon thinking about where Ryoko would go. She knew how she felt about Tenchi, and she knew what possibility this might lead to. She decided to determine where Ryoko might be headed by studying her path up until she disappeared off of her scanners. After a few minutes of rapid typing on her holotop, she saw that Ryoko had made a sharp turn. An expression of pure dread came over her face. "Oh no. Ryoko, my daughter, please don't do this." Washu tried desperately to contact her through their link, but to no avail. Her daughter was going to die, and there wasn't a damn thing she could do about it. Just then, a buzzer went off and an image popped up on her screen. Her experiment was about to be completed, but she no longer cared. She phased her holotop out, and began to cry again.
Mihoshi woke up on a beach. The cool sea breeze refreshed and energized her. It also had a purifying effect on her. She was alone on this beautiful, warm day. The water was perfectly clear, and the waves gently breaking on shore sung a sweet melodious song. The sand was pearly white, and it sparkled like diamonds in the bright sunlight. She began to reflect upon her life with Kyonei, and her thoughts came to her as clear as the water. She loved her partner, not as a friend or sister, but as Ryoko and Ayeka did Tenchi. When she had first met Tenchi, she had a crush on him because he saved her life. She even thought she loved him, but she found out how wrong she was when her partner came back into her life. At first, Kyonei hated her and actually wanted to kill her because it was her fault that she became stranded out in space for three months. Mihoshi had also ruined Kyonei's chances of getting a promotion on numerous occasions and had basically ruined her career. After Kyonei lived with her and the rest of her family for about a week though, she had mellowed out and became her old self again. Her rage and hate were replaced with kindness and understanding. Kyonei often yelled at her though, and she still does now. It always hurts her feelings, but she has always been cheerful and quick to recover from any emotional distress. Kyonei is actually very sweet to her most of the time, and she usually gives into her whims. She couldn't imagine her life without her beloved partner, and she decided that she was going to tell her how she felt the next time she saw her.
Kyonei also woke up on a beautiful beach. The cool breeze and relaxing atmosphere cleared her head and allowed pure, unclouded thoughts to make their way to the surface. She began thinking about Mihoshi. Why did she have to be such a ditz? Why does she always screw everything up? She wished she had never met her. Wait a minute. If she hadn't met her, she would be dead right now. Mihoshi has saved her life on quite a few occasions. She didn't know if it was pure luck or if she has moments of clear focus, but somehow she always seems to get through the most difficult situations. They have also had many good times together. They sang and drank the night away at karaoke bars and danced from dusk until dawn at many nice dance clubs. She would be bored out of her mind sitting behind a desk now if it weren't for her. Promotions used to mean everything to her, but Mihoshi changed all that. She could now understand why Mihoshi didn't want promotions. If she was promoted to a desk job, she wouldn't be able to help people like she always wanted to do. Mihoshi cared very much for all people, and that's what makes her special.
Kyonei joined the galaxy police to run away from home and to get out into the universe. She also had a desire to help people, but that was soon dwarfed by her career ambitions. Finally, thanks to Mihoshi, she could see what she truly wanted out of life. She also realized something else. She never wanted to be separated from her partner for any reason. She loved her, and she has for a long time, but why couldn't she admit it to herself earlier. Was it because they were both females? She decided to talk to her and tell her how she felt the next time she saw her.
Tenchi couldn't stand it anymore. He had to find Ryoko, and tell her how he felt. The major problem he faced was that he needed a spaceship. Washu might have a solution to that problem though, and he decided to ask her for help. As he made his way down to the lab, he thought about the consequences of talking to her at this time of night. She might drag him into her lab and strap him up before he could even utter a protest. He arrived at her lab door, and proceeded to knock. It worried him when he didn't get an answer. Despite what his head was telling him, he decided to enter and face whatever Washu was going to do to him. As he made his way down the corridor that had the large aquariums, he was startled by a hideous looking fish that was as long as a bus which flew past him as he passed the aquarium it was in. He regained his composure and continued walking down the corridor. He found her where she usually conducted her experiments, but he didn't expect to find her crying. He realized that she knew Ryoko left which would make it easier to ask for her help. "Little Washu, could I speak with you a moment?"
"What do you want, Tenchi?" She said between sobs.
"I need your help. I need to borrow a spaceship so I can go after Ryoko. I assume you are crying because she left, and I also assume you have a spaceship around here somewhere or you know where to get one."
"I don't have any ships around Tenchi. It would take me hours to repair Mihoshi's ship after her last crash in the lake, and it would be too late by then. There is nothing we can do. Damn it, I hate being helpless."
"What do you mean it would be too late? Where is she going?"
"As far as I could tell, she was headed for Jurai. If she is, then that can only mean one thing. She is going there to die."
"What!?!? Oh no, this is all my fault. Washu, I have to stop her. I can't let her die because of me. You are supposed to be the greatest genius in the universe. Why don't you prove it?" His words brought her back from her depression, and she began thinking about where to get a ship fast enough to catch Ryo-ohki. It didn't take her long to come up with a solution. She slapped herself on the forehead for not thinking about it earlier.
"Tenchi, you can use one of the crystals in the lake. Grab your Tench-ken and run to the dock. Use it to summon one of the crystals and order it to transform into a spaceship. Once you have done that, use the Tenchi-ken to command the ship to beam you up onto the deck."
"Thank you, Little Washu." He quickly ran out of the lab and up to his room to grab the sword. Then he ran out onto the dock, and held up the sword. "I summon a crystal to rise from the water." All, of the crystals in the lake, suddenly flew up out of the water, and Tenchi sweat- dropped. After some quick thought however, he pointed the sword at one of the crystals. "I command you to stay, and I command the rest of you to return to the bottom of the lake." Everything went smoothly that time, and he was glad it actually worked. Still pointing the Tenchi-ken at the crystal he commanded, "Transform into a spaceship now."
"Miiiyyyaaaa!" The crystal transformed itself into a ship that looked just like Ryo-ohki.
"I now order you to beam me up onto your deck." The crystal did as it was told and in a flash, Tenchi was standing on the deck. "Damn, I should have asked Washu how to pilot this thing," he muttered. Then he realized that so far the crystal had been following his orders. He smiled to himself.
"I command you to fly to Jurai as fast as you can."
"Miya!" The ship flew out of the atmosphere. Once it was in outer space, it began accelerating at a rapid rate. Tenchi, who wasn't prepared for such a sharp increase in speed was thrown to the back of the ship. He cursed himself for being such an idiot, and made his way back to the chair that was in the middle of the ship and sat down.
"How long will it take to get there?" The ship responded by displaying 18.5 hours on the display. He sighed and decided to get some sleep.
Kyonei awoke to find that her partner was gone from the bunk below her. She thought that was a tad unusual because Mihoshi always slept later than she did. She looked at the clock and saw that it was only 8:20 a.m. She decided that she might as well get up and around for breakfast. When she arrived at the dinning room, she found everyone there except for Tenchi and Ryoko. She also thought that this was quite odd, and decided to question it.
"Good morning everyone."
"Good morning Kyonei," Sasami said. She wasn't as cheerful as she normally is, Kyonei noticed.
"Where are Ryoko and Tenchi?"
Washu was the first to speak up, "Ryoko has runaway, and Tenchi has gone after her."
"Why would she run away?"
"I'm not too sure, but Tenchi said it was his fault. As far as I could tell, she was headed for Jurai."
"Why Jurai?"
She noticed a tear run down the scientist's cheek. "If she is headed there, then she is going there to die."
Everyone at the table gasped with the exception of Yosho. They were upset that Ryoko and Tenchi were gone, but they hadn't known how serious the situation really was. The rest of the meal was eaten in an eerie silence.. Everyone was concerned for Ryoko, and they hoped Tenchi could catch her before she arrived on Jurai. After the meal, everyone carried on with their daily chores.
Kyonei and Mihoshi were sweeping the shrine steps. Kyonei thought this would be the perfect opportunity to talk to her partner. Mihoshi was also thinking the same thing. Kyonei was at the top of the shrine steps, and Mihoshi was at the bottom. They both began walking towards each other at exactly the same time. When they met half way though, neither of them said a word. It wasn't necessary because their eyes and expressions said more than words ever could. They embraced each other and kissed passionately. They pulled away from each other with the biggest smiles they had ever worn on their faces. "I love you, Kyonei."
"I love you too, Mihoshi, and I always will." They kissed once more before they went back to sweeping.
Ryoko sat in her chair and thought about Tenchi. She thought about the games they used to play when he was a child and was able to see her astral body that she projected from the cave. One game in particular they used to play was pirates and treasure. She would generate images of pirates who wore black battle suits and had patches over their eyes. He would fight these men, even though he couldn't actually touch them, and he would always win. Then he would make his way to the cave opening to find the treasure which would be a 3D image of his mother that Ryoko would generate. In order to get her to generate the image though, he would have to pretend to kiss her. Although she couldn't feel it, it still meant very much to her. Tenchi, who was like most other little boys at that age, didn't like that part. It always drained her energy down to very low levels to generate these images though, and she would tell him she had to go, and that they could play again later. He always seemed saddened that their game was over, but she told him that there was always tomorrow, and that would make him smile again. Now, that same Tenchi hated her. She always dreamt of the day that he would free her, and they could play together forever, but she screwed that up when she attacked him at his school. She was angry at him for hurting her when she had tried to kiss him. All she really wanted to do was scare him, but it got out of hand. From then on, he had been afraid of her. He could tell what kind of monster she was, and he wanted nothing to do with her. She always shrugged of his rejections though, and had foolishly told herself that it was destiny that they would be together. She played the part of the tough space pirate and ignored the pain she felt each time he turned away from her. Then one day, he told her he hated her because she had ripped his mother's kimono. Ryo-ohki had thought that he was talking to her and ran off. Tenchi ran off after the cabbit, paying no regard to just how much those words had hurt her. She had tried desperately to sew the kimono back together, but she failed miserably. Tenchi had told her that he wasn't mad at her anymore, and things went back to normal. She thought back to when Mayuka showed up. She could sense evil in her, but Tenchi wouldn't listen to her. Mayuka had attacked her after she left her in that tree. When she was going to retaliate and get rid of her because she was a danger to him, he had slapped her. She found out later on that Mayuka was possessed deep within by Yuzuha. Now Mayuka was the only other person in the universe whom she loved. Mayuka would have eventually seen the evil in her, and turned away from her like Tenchi had. That would be too much to bear, but it wouldn't happen. Her death was going to bring peace to many Juraians and insure Tenchi and Mayuka's safety. "Ryo-ohki, how long will it be before we arrive at Jurai?"
"Miya Miya Miya."
"So I have another 9 hours to live, eh?" She might as well get something to eat. "Stop at the nearest planet with a descent restaurant."
"Miya."
Tenchi awoke because of his need to use the restroom. "Are there any restrooms on this ship?"
The ship put a map on the display that showed him where to go. "Thank you."
"Miya!" After Tenchi did his thing, he went back and sat in the chair.
"How long will it be before we arrive at our destination?" The ship displayed 10.5 hours on the display. He realized he should have brought some provisions on the trip. He wondered if they had time to stop and get something to eat, but then he scolded himself. How could he think of food when the woman he loved was in danger? His stomach growled very loudly, and he sighed. He would have to ignore it until he caught up with Ryoko.
A very flustered Washu sat on her floating futon in her lab. She hated being left in the dark in such a terrible situation. She just had to find out something. She decided to send a transmission to Tenchi to see if he had succeeded in stopping her.
Tenchi was thinking about all of the good times he had with Ryoko, when a loud beep startled him, and caused him to fall out of his chair. He rubbed the back of his head which had smacked the floor pretty hard, and asked the ship what it wanted. On the display it said he had a message. Praying it was Ryoko, he ordered the ship to let him see it. He was disappointed it was Washu, but then cheered up because he could at least find out how things were back home. "Hello Tenchi."
"Hello, Little Washu. How is everyone doing?"
"Everyone is doing well, except for Ayeka who seems deeply disturbed by something."
"Will she be okay?"
"I hope so. Is there anything I should know about?"
"Well...er...um...you see...I"
"Spit it out!"
"After Ryoko left, Ayeka came in to talk to me about her. She was actually concerned about her, but I kinda gave her the impression that I loved Ryoko. It was going to happen sooner or later anyway."
"Do you really love Ryoko, Tenchi?"
"More than anything. She left because I told her I hated her in my sleep a few weeks ago. That was the second time I have told her that. I am so stupid. Why does she have to love me? She deserves so much more." He held his head down and a tear fell from his eye.
"Tenchi, Ryoko has known you much longer than you have her. She has loved you since before you could even speak. Let me show you something." She put on a weird metal helmet covered in flashing lights. "I watched these events occur through our mental link." Tenchi was rendered speechless when he saw the images she transmitted through the helmet. They were images of him playing with Ryoko when he was a young child. This opened up a whole new avenue of memories in his head that had been long forgotten. Tears freely flowed down his face now. When he finally regained enough composure to speak, all he could choke out was, "That was her." He stood there motionless for several minutes, thinking about those days of his youth. He finally understood. He understood why Ryoko attacked him at the school, and why she always wanted to be close to him. If only he had known this earlier, this whole messed up situation could have been avoided.
"Tenchi, I will leave you alone now. Please bring my daughter back in one piece."
"I swear by Tsunami's name that no harm will ever come upon her again." The screen flickered and went black. Tenchi just stood there staring at it.
Ryoko had just finished her meal and fifth round of sake. She was already starting to feel the effects of it, and she decided it was about time to leave.
"Bartender, get me another bottle of sake."
"Comin' right up." The cheerful green skinned man behind the counter proceeded to get her another bottle of sake. She thanked him, grabbed the bottle, and phased out of the bar. He cursed and scratched his head. "That's something you don't see everyday," he said to no one in particular.
Ryoko phased in on the deck of Ryo-ohki. She took a big swig of sake before speaking. "Ryo-ohki, continue on the current course to Jurai."
"Miya." The ship did as it was told and soon they were traveling in open space anew.

Author's notes: Well, I hope I have succeeded in building up enough suspense in this chapter. I don't know how this is going to end yet. There are so many ideas swirling in my head about this story right now. I know Washu's experiment ended up being weak, but oh well. I've always liked the idea of the Kyonei + Mihoshi = Love equation, and I decided to incorporate it into this fic. Although I really don't think there is enough material in the Tenchi Universe to back it up, it always seemed right. I'm sure you are sick of my ranting by now, so I will torture you no longer.