Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this fic they

belong to either Pioneer & AIC or someone else, but I do own the

man, woman, and kids in Ryoko's dream.

Ryoko sat up quickly and found herself on the floor in the living

room. She rubbed the spot on her head that was now forming into a knot caused by

hitting it on the corner of the coffee table, and she grimaced from the pain

the slightest touch caused. "What kind of dream was that anyway?" she

mumbled trying to get her mind back in order. She shrugged it off and

decided to think about it in the morning. She floated up to the rafter she

used as a bed and laid down and fell asleep.

The next morning, Sasami was in the kitchen making breakfast, Ryo-oki was on

her usual spot on Sasami's head, Ayeka was cleaning up after her little

sister, Mihoshi was summoned by Galaxy Police Head Quarters, Nobuyuki left

for work early, Katsuhito, formally known as Yosho, was at the shrine, Washu

in her lab, and Tenchi was getting ready for school. Ryoko woke up from a

dreamless sleep, hell if you could call it sleep, and was sleepily trying

to get off her rafter and ended up falling off, again, but landed on her

butt. She groaned before heading to the kitchen, Sasami saw her and

cheerfully greeted her

"Good morning, Ryoko." Ryoko winced but smiled

"Not so loud, but good morning Sasami. Can you give me some ice please?" she

asked sweetly "Sure thing , Ryoko" Sasami said giving her ice wrapped

in a rag. Ayeka, who was running an errand for Sasami, came into the kitchen,

and saw her rival holding an ice pack to her head and remarked

"Had a little too much sake last night did we?" she torted.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Ryoko replied "But for your information, a

dream caused me to fall off the beam and I had hit my head on the coffee

table in the process."

Ayeka just grinned mischievously "A dream? And may I ask what kind of

dream, Miss Ryoko?" Ryoko shook her head and sipped some tea Sasami laid out

for her and simply stated

"Wouldn't we like to know."

Tenchi Masaki was getting his uniform on, and was ready for his last

day of school and the start of summer break Ha! Like I would ever get one

with grandpa and his training, Washu and her experiments, Ryoko and Ayeka

getting into constant conflict, people arriving, looking for trouble,

finding myself in space travel... he sighed. "Well, today might not be so

bad since I didn't find Ryoko in bed with me or hear explosions because of

her and Ayeka." If anyone was to stop by his house in the morning and saw

how a typical Masaki morning went, they would have probably been sent to an

institution, or had a heart attack, or one. He went downstairs to have

breakfast, and found a scowling Ayeka and a grimacing Ryoko, sitting at the

table holding an ice pack to her head while Ayeka was mumbling something

about Ryoko's smart mouth and Ryoko, who looked like she didn't care what

Ayeka said but winced and said

"Hey Princess, how many times do I have to tell you to keep the volume down.

How about you fall off a beam in the middle of the night because of some

dream, and hit your head on a damn coffee table." Sasami shook her head and

gave Tenchi his breakfast

"Good morning, Tenchi."

"Good morning Sasami."

Ayeka looked up and greeted him with a

"Good morning, Lord Tenchi." while an ill Ryoko, who was in too much pain to

greet him her regular way just smiled and a "Good morning, Tenchi."

"Good morning, Ayeka and Ryoko. I trust that you slept well."

That was answered by a "Yes, wonderfully" from Ayeka and a groan from Ryoko.

Tenchi was at school and the girls were doing their chores, well

except Ryoko who was pondering that dream she had last night.

***********************************************************************

* Ryoko's Dream *

Ryoko was walking down a corridor, wearing a lavender sun dress, made

of

some sort of flowing material, and the corridor was narrow. On both sides

of the corridor, there were doors going all the way down into the

emptiness. Curious, she opened the second door on her left and walked in and

she saw the Masaki family sitting around the table eating dinner as they

always did, except someone was missing but someone new sat in that person's

place. Ryoko so happened to be the missing person, but the new guest was a

woman with light brown hair and blue eyes, and she was sitting in Ryoko's

spot by Tenchi. Ryoko went to grab the woman, but her hand went through the

person and no one seemed to notice she was in the room, so she just floated

into a sitting position and listened to the conversation.

Ayeka: It has been awhile hasn't it, Lord Tenchi?"

Tenchi: Yeah it has been a year at least, since you moved back to Jurai. So

how's your family?"

Ayeka: They are fine. I hear that Ryoko has disappeared without a trace. Is

that true?"

Tenchi: I'm afraid so. She took my engagement to Ani really hard, and since

then Washu seemed to be withdrawn from everyone. She hasn't ever came out of

her lab unless she needed something to eat and that's rare.

Ani: She hasn't even performed any experiments on him since Ryoko

disappeared.

Katsuhito: I'm sure they are fine where ever they are, so let's get on

another subject, gloomy ones just make things worse.

Ryoko was shocked My Tenchi, engaged?She ran out of the room and

opened

another door and saw a run down room with old furniture and the paint

peeling off the walls. She floated to a broken window and looked outside and

saw the slummiest allies she would ever see and she turned and saw a man

with black hair, obsidian eyes and a beer belly sitting down in an old

chair, holding a bottle of beer in his left hand and remote control in the

other. He drunk the last of the beer and then yelled

good for naught man: RYOKO!

Who is this asshole?

Dream Ryoko: (Walks in with a slightly swollen stomach, and holding a baby

girl in her arms) rather lamelyYou bellowed dear?

Asshole in chair: Give me another beer!

Dream Ryoko: That was your last one, mockinglydear.

Asshole in chair: (Throws beer bottle at Ryoko, who despite having NO gems,

acted pretty fast and dodged the bottle) Don't you ever mock me again, GOT

IT!

Dream Ryoko: (Stands up straight putting baby, who's now crying, into

crib, and glares at her husband) Yes sir. *Asshole*she thought

I don't understand. Why don't I stop him?

Ryoko closes her eyes and finds herself in the same room but different

time. She sees her dream self kneeling beside the crib looking upon the

cyan haired baby and rubs her swollen stomach

Dream Ryoko: I'm sorry my babies but someday, mommy will go back to Okayama

to get her Ryo-oki, and her gems back, so we can go fly away into the stars,

where daddy could never hurt me or you ever again.

Tears appear into Ryoko's eyes as she watches her dream self get up and sit

in the chair her husband sat in.

Dream Ryoko: Okayama sad chuckle sounds nice. When I get my courage to

leave asshole, I will earn enough money to leave Tokyo, and go back to

Okayama. sigh Tenchi... Why, why did you choose someone else over me? I was

prepared if it was Ayeka or the other girls but some one from school? Washu.

I would have rather admit that you could have been the best as you can be at

being my mother, in which I'm admitting it now. Mom, I love you.

Ryoko lowered her head it was true, Washu may not seem like she was a very

good mother but she was a lot more to Ryoko than she would realize.

Ryoko went out to the corridor and opened another door, and again,

she was

in the Masaki house, but in the lab. She saw the red haired scientist at

work on her holo-top computer, typing away, her eyes never lifting from the

screen. Ryoko sat down in an empty chair and watched her mother work. When

Washu did take a break, her eyes started to water, not from the long hours

on the computer, but of pent up feelings from over the years.

Washu: Why do I have to have a terrible life?

Ryoko got up and stood beside her mother

Washu: My sisters, Tokimi, and Tsunami. We have broken apart, I had lost my

memory and regained it thanks to Tsunami, who is assimilated with Sasami,

and closer to me than what we were

Ryoko lowered her head.

Washu: (tears welled up and rushed down her face) Then later on when life

get's enjoyable; I fall in love, got married, had a son, and thought I

would live happily ever after, BUT...

Ryoko winced knowing what she going to say.

Washu: because of his damn social status and mine, he was taken away with

my baby and I never saw them again. And years later, I go on with my life

but I felt empty so with the help of my apprentice, Kagato she spat outI

create Ryoko.

Ryoko knows this tale, for she had lived trough it, and had no wish to do

so again.

Washu: But Kagato kidnapped me and Ryoko, locking me up in a stasis field in

another dimension, he put my Little Ryoko under mind control, and made her

kill people and destroy planets, and did God knows what to her.

Ryoko knew all too well and still had nightmares

Washu: And Prince Yosho of Jurai chased her down to Earth, fought her,

defeated her, and locked her up in a cave. And now she has that fear of dark

and cold places.

Ryoko shuddered from the memory of those long 700 years.

Washu: Well, the last few years that she was in there weren't that bad after

she saw Tenchi, and she went and fell in love. After he released her, she

ended up ' playing with him ' as she put it, and scared him while destroying

his school in the process, (She chuckled sadly) No matter how much she

denies it, she does take after me in some ways. (She smiles sadly)

Ryoko smiled and despite the fact that Washu wouldn't be able to hear her,

she says

"Yeah, I suppose do take after you." She remembers that same look he gets

on his face if Washu or herself gave Tenchi "The Grin" and how he'll try to

find an excuse to get the hell out of there, before Washu wanted a ' sample

`or Ryoko would want something that would include a lot of privacy.

Washu: Then he proposed to Ani, and her world came down. Ayeka left for Jurai

with a broken heart while you stayed here, moping around, and not

eating. Then after the wedding, she disappeared, leaving everyone to wonder

if she grieved to nothingness or if she just ran away.

Ryoko saw tears rush down her mother's eyes, and felt powerless. Washu

looked up into the nothingness.

Washu: WHY RYOKO?! Why did you leave me like this? You could have came to me

and I would welcome you with open arms and give you my shoulder to cry on.

Sure I was never there for you in the past, but that was Kagato's fault and

if I can turn the clock around and prevented any of this from happening, I

would, but that would mean that I will decide not to create you, and even if

we were never close; you were the best thing that came into my life. Dammit

Ryoko, if I haven't created you I would never be pulling my hair out right

now by relating how much of a terrible mother I make, and how much I would

improve in the future. Sometimes I even wonder if I should have created you

in the first place.

Ryoko was shocked at what Washu said. "Why should you feel that way? Sure

I'm not a great daughter, but the way you treat me, I would have to see you

improve being a REAL mother to me instead of acting like some sort of

deranged person, performing experiments on me. Then maybe I'll be a better

daughter. "

Washu got up

Washu: Well I better go and get something to eat; It has been 3 weeks since

I ate.

Washu leaves and Ryoko finds herself in a black void. She looks around into

the darkness and finds nothing, but when she turns around, she is looking at

herself, who was grinning evilly.

Ryoko: Who are you?

Pseudo Ryoko: You of course, but only the exterior. Your interior is locked

up, and you won't free her because you are scared.

Ryoko: My interior...What do you mean?

Pseudo Ryoko: The real you, babe. Your true feelings, your true being.

Ryoko: And what do you mean ' locked up'?

Pseudo Ryoko: You won't show your true feelings, when you come close, you

manage to quickly cover up with that damned mask you wear, but hopefully you

will remove it permanently after this dream.

Ryoko: What does this dream have to do with my interior self?

Pseudo Ryoko: It reflects your feelings towards Tenchi, Washu, and yourself.

This dream also includes how you will feel about the other members of the

Masaki house hold.

Ryoko: I don't get the part about that beer guzzling asshole. What does that

reflect?

Pseudo Ryoko: Your dreams. The drunk is representing your entire negative

feelings, along with every thing else. In your point of view, a world

without Tenchi, isn't a world at all. The dinner scene is when he chose

another woman, which you would never be prepared to accept because you were

worried about Ayeka or the other women, but that shows you not to count the

chickens before they hatch.

Ryoko: So you're saying that this is mostly based on how I feel about Tenchi,

and how it affects the world around me?

Pseudo Ryoko: Wow! Give this girl a prize she actually hit the right button!

Yes, that is exactly what I am saying. But you still have some thinking to

do, I'll let you wake up, but I have some advice.

Ryoko: And?

Pseudo Ryoko: When you set your interior free, please think about a

constructive future instead of a future with Tenchi, because you will never

know his choice. And if he does choose and you can't handle it, you will

have something to take up your time and will stay too busy for depression,

and you won't have to put up with a beer guzzling asshole.

Ryoko: smiling I will remember that. Ok "Beam me up Scottie! No more

intelligent life forms here!" (Star Trek)

***********************************************************************

* Reality *

Ryoko woke up and found herself by her favorite spot, underneath a

cherry blossom.

That dream again she thought well at least I have some answers She

started to think, despite that damn ache in her head, she is getting

somewhere. She thought about her feelings towards Katsuhito/Yosho and

Nobuyuki, and despite her animosity against Yosho, she has to thank him,

even if he put her in that damn cave, but if he didn't, she would never have

met Tenchi. Nobuyuki, she would always think of him as a father figure, even

though if he is perverted, but if you catch him in the right moment, he

seems just like a respectable person. Mihoshi, can't help but like the

blonde, even if she is clueless and a ditz, her, always, cheerful attitude

can make someone's day even if she has it to ruin 5 minutes later. Ayeka and

Sasami, she liked the young princess Sasami from the start, with her smile

chasing away all the gloom anyone is feeling, but Ayeka is a blank. Ayeka

can be a snobby, stuck-up, and benedictive bitch at times, but somewhere

underneath the snootiness is a kind person. Ayeka and herself may have

fought over the tiniest things, but whenever Ryoko was kidnapped, TWICE!

Ayeka came to help rescue her, even if the bitch didn't like her, she cared

enough to pull through, and help a demoness like herself. So, ok, she liked

Ayeka. Washu and Tenchi, Washu, in Ryoko's dream she heard all of Washu's

pleas and and cries, of her admitting being a terrible mother. Ryoko

realized that Washu did care, in her strange, but special way. Tenchi... Her

heart's desire and first love. What is there to not like about him? He was

kind hearted, and hated to hate anyone, and depending on who a person was,

he's trusting. Sure maybe he's shy, and blushes when he gets near a female,

and gets a nosebleed whenever she shows some of her attributes to him, but

he looks soooo cute. She thought about how she shows her affection and

decides to just ask for a friendly hug, or for a walk, instead of harassing

him, like always.

She thought about her goal, which was to get Tenchi, but she knew

that won't get her anywhere except disappointment if she doesn't get him, or a drunk

asshole if she ever gets depressed and turns the wrong way. She walked to

the spot where she always met Tenchi when he came home from school, and

spotted him getting off the bus and walking up the path. She teleported 1

foot from him, startling him into losing his balance but he caught himself

before landing on the ground

"Uhh, it's only you...uh...Ryoko" he said nervously

"Sorry for scaring you Tenchi, but I thought I could walk home with you like

always."

This caused Tenchi to turn red when he heard that 'like always'.

"I just wanted to talk to you if you don't mind, and don't worry, I promise

I won't do anything you don't want me to do."

Tenchi thought for a moment, and he knew he could trust her if she promised

so he agreed.

"Ok since you just want to talk."

So they walked and Ryoko had an idea for her new goal

"Tenchi, what does it take to go to school?"

Tenchi shocked by the question answered while she was trying to get the info in that aching head of hers. Tenchi was through answering

"...and that about wraps it up. Why do you ask, anyway?" she shrugged

"Oh, nothing really. I just wanted to enroll into high school and set goals

for myself like ordinary girls here." he thought for a moment "Hmm, good

decision, Ryoko. I'll be glad to help you out."

Her face lit up "Oh, really Tenchi? Thankyou!" she tried not to glomp onto

him. He was prepared for the unwanted glomp, but shocked that he didn't feel

the possessive arms wrap around him. She just stood there beaming ear to ear.

"Hey, what gave you the idea for setting goals?" he asked. She smiled "I

guess from deep within my heart." and nothing more was said.

They were walking to the house and Ryoko spotted Washu working on

something outside and Ryoko thought about her dream "Hello, Mom." she said

walking into the house leaving a puzzled Tenchi and Washu.

***********************************************************************

*Epilogue*

Ryoko finally entered high school, and made top student in her grade.

She made really good grades, and was advanced up two grades making her closer

to graduating. She graduated along with Tenchi, and entered the best college

she could find, then 2 years later she enters medical school to become a

pediatrician. Ryoko and Washu are closer together than before and Washu

gives her daughter 'advice' in the medical field. Ayeka and Ryoko are the

best of friends and get into 'small' disagreements from time to time, but

pull trough for each other anyway. Tenchi has proposed to Ryoko and they

married. 1 year later, they have a baby girl named Achika, and with Ryoko

working as a pediatrician, and Tenchi carrying on with his father's career

as an architect, they get by pretty well. Everyone in this story ended up

living happy and healthy there fore making them live, well, "Happily ever

after"

*The End*