Log recordLog Recorded on Cycle 05.12.79.43

Author: Lady Washu. Lady Tokimi. Lady Tsunami.

Heading: History. Unlocked on Cycle 54.68.12.45

When Sasami rose from bed that morning, she was surprised to see that her sister was already up and combing her hair. The last thing Sasami remembered before falling asleep was seeing Ryoko talking quietly with Aeka in the corner.

Sasami rubbed her eyes and yawned, "Good morning."

"Good morning, Sasami," Aeka sighed.

Sasami started searching for something to wear. "You're not too tired are you? How late did you stay up talking?"

Aeka was lost in her own thoughts, and she didn't respond right away. "Oh... not long after you went to sleep."

Sasami rolled up her floor futon, and saw that there were two others besides her own. "Did she sleep in here last night?"

Aeka nodded. "She said she didn't want to be alone, and she didn't feel like going to Washu. She didn't tell me why."

Sasami went to Aeka and knelt to hug her tightly. "I'm sorry, Aeka..."

Aeka hugged her back. "Sasami, you really don't have to carry Tsunami's burdens... I don't think she would want you too, anyway."

"It's not that. I'm just sorry... for you. You look so tired, are you sure you slept well?"

Aeka sighed again. "I'll be alright."

Sasami heard the fatigue in her sigh and said, "You don't sound alright to me. Why don't you get some extra sleep today? Don't worry about the chores; they're usually not a problem anyway."

The mere suggestion of going back to bed made Aeka too tired to protest. She gently nodded and said, "Well... okay... I suppose I could use some more rest."

Sasami hugged her tightly and helped tuck her into her futon. She then kissed her sister on the cheek and quietly left the room. Sasami went to the third floor and lightly tapped on Tenchi's door. When no response came, she slowly opened the door and peeked inside. When she saw enough of his room to conclude that he wasn't there, she said, "That's odd."

Downstairs she found Katsuhito sitting on the living room couch. "Oh! Brother Yosho. What are you doing up so early?"

He went to his feet. "There is some news... that is rather sudden. Is Aeka awake yet?"

"Actually, she went back to sleep because she was too tired."

"Hmm... Do you know if Tenchi is awake?"

Sasami shook her head. "I don't know where he is. He's not in his room."

He shook his head and said, "That isn't good."

"What's going on, brother?"

"Washu has made herself inaccessible in her lab, I haven't seen either Nobuyuki or Mihoshi since yesterday morning, and it seems Ryoko doesn't wish to be found right now."

"That's all strange... but it's happened before. Why are you so worried?"

Katsuhito walked to Sasami and knelt in front of her. "Sasami... Father is coming today, and he's going to take you and Aeka home. When he told me, it was clear that it was his final decision."

Sasami was quiet. After a long moment of staring at her brother's serious gaze, she turned around and slowly climbed the stairs.

"Sasami, will you be okay?"

"Yes... I'm just going to... go back to bed..."

Katsuhito watched her disappear into her room. He was the only person in their home who wasn't asleep or locked away. With the King of Jurai coming to take Aeka and Sasami away, he did not want the other family members to find out upon his arrival. He decided to begin his search for Ryoko anew, so that he at least felt like he was doing something.

Tenchi left his home in the middle of the night. He walked the streets of the nearby town aimlessly. He noted seeing the same street a hundred times, yet he didn't care if he was simply going in circles. He didn't want to stop walking, because if he stopped he would start thinking, and the reason he left his house in the first place was to escape his own thoughts. All he wanted to do right now was walk.

Several hours after the street lamps shut off, he found himself passing by the local hospital for the twentieth time, and he thought it might be a good idea to see Amagasaki.

At the front desk he received directions to Amagasaki's room. When Tenchi arrived at the door, he gave a long pause before entering. Inside he saw his friend's expression of shock.

Tenchi pulled up a nearby chair and sat next to his bed. "I'm so sorry I hurt you like that. I overreacted."

Amagasaki's voice sounded forced. "You're sorry? I'm the one that screwed up, and you're apologizing?"

Tenchi shrugged. "No matter what you did, I shouldn't have choked you like that. I almost killed you."

Amagasaki was silent again.

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry, and don't feel bad for what you did. You're a much better man than I am."

Amagasaki coughed and said, "What are you talking about? The things I said... about you... and those girls that live with you. I feel like the worse person alive."

Tenchi had a sad smile on his face. "No, Amagasaki. You're a good man. You can always take back words. As for the things you did... you can still fix them, right? You can call those girls up and tell them things wouldn't work out, can't you?"

He nodded. "The first thing I did when I could talk again was call all of the girls that I've been involved with." He then gestured to the phone next to his bed. "A lot of them seemed okay about it. They sort of knew it was all a game. There were a few who were really hurt. I guess they truly loved me. I'm such an asshole."

Tenchi shook his head. "No, you're not. They may have their feelings hurt today, but at least no harm came to them. You were able to stop it before things became damaging."

"I'm thankful for that. I can't believe what I was thinking. I was so sure that I was right about you. I'm such an idiot."

Tenchi again gave a sad smile. "You were right, in a way. I'm not the nice guy that I show to everyone. I don't know what I am, but I'm not as good of a man as you."

"Tenchi, you've got to be joking. You haven't done what I've done. You've never said such awful things about a woman like I have."

Tenchi dropped his head and stared at the floor. "Trust me, Amagasaki, I've done worse. The reason I overreacted so much to what you said, was not because I was angry with you, but because I was angry with myself. Sometimes I have thoughts similar to what you said two days ago. The women who live with me... they're such magnificent people, and sometimes I can't suppress the thoughts I have about them.

"All I can do to combat these thoughts is act like a gentlemen to everyone around me. I act shy, and appear to be clueless about everything, but that's a lie. I know damn well what's going on. I know how those girls feel about me, I'm not that stupid. I can never bring myself to approach one because of my thoughts. My thoughts disturb me. I imagine so many terrible things about them. The only way to keep those thoughts to myself is to not say anything at all, and hope they assume I'm a nice guy."

Amagasaki was quiet for a long time. He eventually said, "Did you... do something, Tenchi?"

"Yesterday..."

Amagasaki quietly asked, "What did you do?"

Tenchi lifted his head from the ground to look at his friend. There were tears in his eyes. Before Tenchi could say anything, there was a knocking sound that came from the open door. They both looked to see Tenchi's father, Nobuyuki standing in the frame with concern.

"Dad!"

"Mr. Masaki!"

Nobuyuki moved his focus to Amagasaki while his son worked to dry his eyes. "Are you feeling well, Amagasaki?"

"Yeah, I'll be okay now."

"That's good to hear." He stood next to Tenchi and placed a firm hand on his shoulder. "We should be heading home now, Tenchi. I'm sure Amagasaki needs his rest."

Tenchi nodded and stood. He waved and said, "Seeya later, Amagasaki."

"Later, Tenchi." As Tenchi walked from the room, Amagasaki was struck with a gut wrenching feeling that he was never going to see his friend again.

Tenchi exited the room first followed by Nobuyuki. To his surprise, Mihoshi was waiting in the hall. "Mihoshi? What are you doing here?"

Behind him he heard his father speak. "Last night while I was on my way home from work she stopped me and told me a few things. I didn't come home last night because I needed time to think about what she said. She also helped me find you here."

Mihoshi gave a slight wave. "Uh... Hi, Tenchi."

Tenchi nodded in response.

She said, "Well, I have some more stuff to do. You know... Police stuff. So I'll see you later, Tenchi."

"Bye, Mihoshi."

Nobuyuki waved as she left. He then turned to his son and said, "Tenchi, let's go home."

Silently he followed his father out of the hospital.

--------------------------------

Yosho was meditating in his office in the shrine. He was trying to detect Ryoko's presence by sensing her gems, but for some reason he could not locate the gems on this plane of existence. Knowing that searching for her in the traditional sense was futile, he had spent the last few hours trying many different psychic methods of searching that he knew of. However, he had no idea that Ryoko was so capable of masking her presence.

There was one last method he could try. A long time ago when he was still a student on Jurai, he learned an old lesson that was taught to everyone who attended a Juraian school. The lesson explains that Tsunami communicates her will to her people on a higher level of psychic thought. This way her thoughts can reach any individual at any time no matter where they are, or even which plane of existence they are currently present.

During an exercise Yosho attempted to communicate on this level, and was partially successful. It only lasted for a few seconds and all of his energy was spent during the process, but he knew he could do it.

He slowly began building up his energy. The amount of power required was immense, and if he acted to quickly he would lose control and have to start over again. It took close to a half hour to finally achieve the mental discipline to broadcast his thoughts on this higher level of psychic communication.

Carefully, he thought,

Yosho: Ryoko.

Ryoko: I don't want to talk to you.

Yosho was startled to hear her respond, and as quickly as she did.

Yosho: Ryoko, I must speak with you.

Ryoko: Go away.

Already his mental stamina was being pushed to its limits. He could only send one more thought before he would be forced to stop.

Yosho: Ryoko, Aeka and Sasami will be leaving Earth later today.

Ryoko: What!?

Yosho tried to respond, but he couldn't. His mind would not allow it. Strangely enough, he continued to hear Ryoko's thoughts in his mind.

Ryoko: What do you mean they'll be leaving Earth? Answer me!

Ryoko: Why won't you respond? If this is just a trick to get me to come out I'm going to kill you.

A moment later the sliding door to his office was thrown open and Ryoko marched in. "Explain yourself! Where are they going?"

Yosho had actually become winded from communicating with Ryoko on such a level. He couldn't respond right away. When Ryoko noticed his exhaustion she said with a softer tone, "Hey, are you okay?"

He breathed deeply and held up a hand. "I'll be fine. I had no idea you could communicate psychically like that with such ease. It was very difficult for me, and I did not respond to you simply because I couldn't."

Ryoko didn't know how to respond. She didn't think her mental abilities were any more than what any being could do, given the correct training. "It was hard for you?"

"Yes. Normally that sort of telepathy is reserved for the Goddesses."

Ryoko was silent for a moment, and then said, "... Just forget it. Why are Aeka and Sasami leaving? Where are they going?"

"Ryoko, please take a seat."

She sighed and did so.

"Yesterday I received a message from my father saying that he would come today and take Aeka and Sasami home. It was apparent that no amount of protest would budge his decision."

"Why?" Ryoko snapped.
"He did not say. He also said he expected that you might come as well. I'm not sure why he thought this, and I was hoping you would know something about it."

Ryoko looked confused. "Me? I have no idea why he thinks I would go."

Yosho thought for a moment and then said, "This is very strange. My father and I may have disagreed in the past, but it is unlike him to keep things from me." Yosho was going to say more, but he didn't bother. He could tell Ryoko was no longer listening to him. She appeared frustrated, and lost in thought.

Ryoko's normal defense mechanism would be to get angry and accusing. Instead she felt helpless and weak. She pulled her knees in and buried her eyes there. "God damnit! Why does this have to happen now?"

Yosho watched as Ryoko squeezed into a tight ball. She barely made a sound, and periodically she would shake. He knew she must be crying. "Ryoko?"

She didn't answer. Instead she brought up one hand and gave him the finger.

He couldn't help to be amused. He wanted to help her, but the only chance he had would be to approach her as the man she used to know. Transforming into his younger self, he moved to kneel next to Ryoko. With his youthful voice, he said, "Ryoko, please let me help."

She recognized the difference instantly. She sat up right and quickly tried to push him away, but she only ended up pushing herself backwards. "Damnit! I'm so pathetic..."

Yosho shook his head. "You're not pathetic, Ryoko. Please... tell me what's wrong. What happened to your strength?"

She sighed and wiped her tears away. "I don't have my gems, and I can't make replacements. Don't ask why, I don't feel like explaining it."

Yosho gave a slight nod. He then said, "Do you want to tell me what's bothering you?"

Ryoko sulked, "How can you even ask that? You bastard..."

Yosho slid closer to her and place a hand softly on her shoulder. She quickly snapped, "Don't touch me!"

"Ryoko, your mother told me what happened."

She gave a cynical laugh and said, "My mother. What a funny way to describe her."

His hand left her shoulder and he was silent again. She had her back to him and continued to silently weep. The part that confused Yosho the most was why she was still here. He expected her to leave at any moment, but instead she remained. Yosho thought, perhaps she does want to talk.

"Ryoko, I want to make you feel better, but you have to tell me what you're thinking. I don't want to start guessing."

Ryoko lifted her head and glanced behind her. When she saw him, she was taken back seven hundred years to the day they first met. She remembered sitting on the ground silently crying, then feeling a hand brush her shoulder. The image she saw then was not unlike the one she saw now.

Her eyes dodged him, and she tried to fix them on a neutral object. She became very quiet, and her expression was troubled, as if trying to decide on something. She gave one more glance to Yosho, and abruptly moved to hug him.

Yosho was too startled to react right away. Softly Ryoko said, "You owe me. Now hold me, damnit." Yosho smiled and slowly returned the hug. They shifted until Ryoko was sitting comfortably in front of him with her head rested on his chest.

"Yosho I have to tell you something. I'm only telling you because I'm too tired to keep it to myself. I just want to say it out loud, to hear it for myself, because I can scarcely believe it. Washu is a Goddess, like Tsunami. I'm supposed to become one too, eventually. I only found out four days ago, and I was really pissed when I did. I was angry because my mother knew everything. She knew that Kagato was going to kidnap us and use us. She knew it all. Eventually she convinced me that she couldn't help it, or some other bullshit like that. But what she did this time... this is too much.

"She designs fate. Whatever happens happens because of her or the other Goddesses. This whole thing with Tenchi was her scheme. It wasn't Tsunami's... oh no... She was trying to stop it. What Tenchi did to me was orchestrated by someone I trusted the most."

Yosho quietly absorbed the shock of this information.

"You know what the worse part is? Right after it happened she took me to the bath helped me wash. She held me, and cradled me, and dried my tears. When I couldn't cry any longer she started humming a song for me... and rubbed my back with warm water."

A sob escaped her and she clutched Yosho to stable herself. "Somehow she was able to put me at peace. Even after what happened I felt like everything was going to work out. How could this woman have such a pacifying effect on me? How could she make me feel so loved even after what happened? ... I was in awe. In that moment she truly was a Goddess. And at the same time... she was the one who caused me to be raped in the first place."

Yosho held her head as she wept. "Ryoko, I don't understand. If she truly loves you this much, how could she have planned something like that?"

"... I don't know.... I don't know! I know she loves me, but why did she do that? I want to be able to trust her! I want to be able to go to her about anything. I want my mom!"

Yosho saw movement in the corner of his vision. He turned to see Washu sitting on the floor several feet away. He was shaken by her presence, not simply because it was unexpected, but because it was an image of Washu's adult form. The first time he saw her was over ten thousand years ago, when he was no older than Ryoko. Seeing her again like this gave him deep sense of youth.

There was great hesitation in Washu's voice. She was still unsure of going to Ryoko so soon. Eventually she was able to cry, "R-Ryoko!"

Ryoko instantly jumped from Yosho's arms to Washu's. "Mom! Mom, why did you do it? Why?! I want to be able to trust you!"

Washu took a moment to hold her daughter. The night before when Ryoko did not come to sleep in her bed, she thought that she might have lost her daughter forever. The pause was too much for Ryoko, and she cried out, "Mom! Please say something! I love you! You love me, right?!"

Washu hushed her and kissed her gently. "I love you, Ryoko. I want to explain this to you, but I need you to calm down."

Ryoko nodded. She kissed her mother back and worked to try her eyes.

Yosho awkwardly cut in. "Would you like.. some privacy?"

Washu tried to smile. "Is it alright if you would?"

He gladly obliged and exited his own office. A few moments later Ryoko said, "Mom, you're still... big."

"I can't think of going back to my smaller body, not after what I saw. I've been taking care of you more than usual as of late. I don't want to be perceived as a child, because I don't feel like one. I was thinking of making the change, but didn't make up my mind yet. When I saw him hunched over you like that... my reaction was in no way childish. I know what 'little Washu' would have done in that situation, and it would not have justified my revulsion. I could not take the form of a child any longer."

Ryoko quietly asked, "What would the 'little' you have done?"

"Something similar to what I did when Clay took you. Show up late on purpose, crack a joke, and then pull Tenchi off of you."

"... So... are you going to stay big like this?"

Ryoko felt her nod, and she then kissed her.

"You know, right after you left the bath, I went to my room and cried. I felt entirely responsible for what happened... I was disgusted with myself. After I caused you so much pain, it was so difficult too look at the things from the correct perspective. I ended up having to talk to my mom about it."

"You're mom?" asked Ryoko.

"Yes. I may be a Goddess, but I did not create this universe or the people who live here. It was my Mother who did that. To many people she seems like the master of all that is... but to me.. she's my mom. When I was talking to her yesterday, she helped me realize something I already knew. I did not do this to secretly conspire against you. The reason is actually much simpler than the mess itself. Please believe me when I say I felt just as much pain as you when it happened."

"Mom, if this hurt you just as much as it hurt me, then why did you do it? Why did you create this?"

Washu ran her fingers through her daughter's hair. "One of the most vivid memories of my childhood... my true childhood... was when I was only five years old. My mother hadn't yet created human life, and she and I were the only living beings... period. Our home was not elaborate, in fact it even exists on this physical plane to this day. It's a planet covered with water, except for a single island barely larger than a hundred square meters. At every point across the surface, the water was always four feet deep."

Ryoko asked skeptically, "Always four feet?"

"Always. Trust me, I checked."

"Why four feet?"

"She thought anything deeper would be dangerous for children to be around."

Ryoko couldn't help but to giggle a little. "Oh... that's kind of funny."

"She can be punctual like that. One day when I was playing outside, she called me in for lunch. I ran a little too fast, and I tripped and skinned my knees. It was the first time I ever felt pain. I was horrified. I asked her why she created pain, and she said it was so that we would be able to recognize when something bad is happening to us.

"Then I asked, 'Why can't you just tell me with words? Wouldn't that be easier?' She said it would actually be much harder, because pain communicates much faster and clearer than words. The same holds true for pleasure. She asked me, 'Which would you rather I do, tell you I love you, or hold you in my arms every night until you fall asleep?' Of course I said how I would rather she held me at night.

"However, I still felt betrayed by her. She never mentioned anything about pain before. I had no idea it existed until I was feeling it. I couldn't understand why she would create such an awful thing, especially if she knew that I was going to feel it. I thought she didn't love me. I thought all of her kindness and love towards me was a lie. I was upset... and said some pretty awful things to her.

"I ran to my room and hid there for a little while. From inside I could hear her crying downstairs. Now I was more confused than ever. If she could feel pain as well, then why did she create it? I went back downstairs and asked her this. She told me the same thing as before... that she made pain as a way to recognize when something bad happens. Again I asked, 'why can't you just be told that it's bad?' In response she said, 'I am being told that this is bad. I'm being told by a sensation I created. That sensation's function is to identify things that are detrimental to our lives. It shows us where we must become stronger, and what we must avoid altogether. The sensation is always there for us at every moment, even when no one else is. I gave that sensation a name.. I called it pain.'

"Even after this explanation I was still confused. I could not understand why she would create life that included pain. Why would she create knees that could be skinned? Why did she make the ground so rough? She shook her head and said, 'I created no such things. I did, however, create knees that could be tickled, and a ground strong enough to play on.'

"Ryoko, if yesterday did not happen the way it did, then your life would have been sad and short. If you acted towards him in a way that you used to, you would have remembered yesterday as the wonderful day you first made love to Tenchi, yet it would have occurred almost exactly the same. You still would have been crying, it still would have been something you didn't want, and you still would have thought yourself filthy and unworthy. The only difference would have been that Tenchi wasn't holding you down, I never came to your aid, and when Tenchi asked you if you were alright, you would have smiled and said 'Yeah, I'm fine.' It would have been the largest lie you have ever told. In reality you would have hated every moment of it, the same as how you hated what happened yesterday. You would have ignored your own pain, and buried it inside.... fitting snugly between Kagato and the cave.

"The same travesty would have occurred, only you wouldn't have realized it was a travesty. You're knees were already skinned, Ryoko, and I helped you look down to see it."

It was quiet for a long while, where the only sound heard was Ryoko's sniffing nose. After that while, Ryoko said, "You said my life would have been short. How would I have died?... And how long from now?"

Washu reaffirmed her arms around her daughter. "It would have been fifteen years from now. You would have finally discovered a way to kill yourself, and do so almost immediately. You would have left behind two sons, a daughter, and a loving husband. No one, not even myself, would have understood why you took your own life."

Ryoko lifted her head to look at her mother. "I don't understand... I mean... how can you be sure things would happen like that? For some reason... it just doesn't sound believable."

Washu paused for a moment to think of a way to explain this better. She then said, "Ryoko... do you remember those first few days after Kagato attacked? When I first starting living in the house with everyone."

"Sort of.. yeah.."

"That time was very difficult for me, just as much as it was for you. The reason being... I was always hearing what you were truly thinking. Sometimes I even had to excuse myself from the room because I would have cried if I stayed. I watched you smile and flirt, when at the same time you thought yourself... a slut. The more you were around Tenchi, the worse you thought of yourself. It would keep adding up until you literally wanted to die."

Ryoko sighed with more tears on the way. "Yeah... that's how it was like. I always figured that it was only because he wasn't returning my love. That it was just a side effect from being ignored. But yesterday.... yesterday when he finally did return my feelings... and the thoughts did not go away... I was horrified. In fact, they seemed stronger than ever. I kept thinking such terrible things about myself. I talked myself lower and lower... I couldn't stand it. I had to get out of there."

Washu nodded. "In your hypothetical future, you're thoughts would become even worse after you were married. After you're first child you would have started physically abusing yourself in secret. After your second child... you would..." Washu came to an abrupt halt, and Ryoko looked to see what was the matter. She had started crying. "... Oh Ryoko.. you would have been in so much pain. .. You would have... gone to town.. and people would pay to abuse you.... in every context of the word. You managed to keep it secret from everyone... even me.

"Yes, Ryoko... I adjusted fate so that Tenchi would force himself upon you. On the surface, what I've done was terrible... and I abhor myself to no end. But at the same time... I cannot even imagine watching you waste away to a shell of a person."

Washu's eyes had dried by now, and with a deep sigh she said, "Ryoko, right now you have the opportunity to do anything. You're future is your own. You can stay here and build a family with Tenchi, if you like. You can travel the galaxy and go where ever you want, whenever you want. You can meet new people, make new friends, start a career, and maybe even find new love."

Washu held her daughter out and grasped her shoulders firmly. "Ryoko... you can do anything.... anything! You have unlimited potential... That is my eternal gift to you as a Goddess, and as your mother. It was a gift I gave to you even before I gave you the gift of life. You will always have unlimited potential, no matter how great you become. As vast as the universe is, it still does not have as much potential as you. You're greatness will surpass even it. When that happens, you will become the Goddess of Fertility."

Ryoko paused for a short moment before returning to her mother's arms. She hugged her as tightly as she could, and said, "How do you do that?"

"How do I do what?"

"How do you make everything right?"

Washu smiled warmly. "I love you, that's how."

Ryoko quietly laughed. "I love you too."

Yosho had taken a long walk through the woods after leaving the shrine. It was something he always did on Jurai, whenever he was troubled. It was his hope that the Juraian trees could offer him insight that he could not gain on his own. This may have not been Jurai, but the therapeutic effect was still there. He was just now returning to the Shrine grounds when he heard in his mind,

Washu: Yosho, I need to speak with you.

Since he was unable to respond, he had little choice but to see what she needed. He returned to his office and sat on the floor in front of her. He noticed how still Ryoko was and asked, "Did she fall asleep?"

Washu nodded. "We finished talking only a little while after you left, a half hour after that she fell asleep."

He nodded. "I heard you speak in my mind just now. So it's true. You're a Goddess."

Washu tilted her head. "Yes, but I'm also a person. So don't get all weird on me, okay?"

He smiled. "Of course. What was it that you needed?"

She paused before saying, "Do you... love... Ryoko?"

He looked blankly into space. "I do. I used to think it was romantic love, but now I'm not sure anymore."

"She desperately needs a male figure in her life. The only men she has ever known are Kagato, Tenchi, the Juraians that abused her... and you."

"I don't think I follow you."

Washu thought about what she was trying to lead into, and it caused her to blush. She felt it and sighed. "I must look like an idiot. I... I want to be a better mother for her, and the only way I can do that is if she has some sort of father figure."

Yosho couldn't help but to be shocked. "Washu.. I.. uh.."

"... Well... I mean that... I think you would do a good job... well.. not just that.. but rather... uh... it's important that the person who helps me... is compatible with me.. and... I .. uh..."

Yosho swore that he had never seen Washu blush as much as she was now. He felt himself blush in return, and smiled affectionately. He closed the small distance between them and leaned over Ryoko to kiss Washu. It was a long time before the kiss parted, and when it did Washu said, "I want to fall in love with you."

Yosho nodded. "I think I could love you too."

They then shared another kiss.

--------------------------------

Several hours later when Ryoko woke up, she asked Washu if there was a way to contact Yuko. She supplied her daughter with a telephone number and allowed her to use the phone in her bedroom. Even though she was alone now, Ryoko felt the kind of anxiety that came when being watched. She carefully dialed the number, knowing that her every movement would be scrutinized by her imaginary audience.

The phone rang three times before Yuko's voice answered it. "Kobayashi Clinic, how may I help you?"

Ryoko stuttered, "Hi... Yuko? It's me... Ryoko..."

"It's so good to hear from you again, Ryoko. How are things?"

She knew if they consciously thought of her situation she would only break down into more tears, so she simply said, "Uh... they could be better."

"Is there something you'd like to speak with me about? Shall we schedule an appointment?"

"Well... I don't have much time. I kind of need to talk to you right now."

Yuko was hesitant. "I see. I would rather not discuss this over the phone, I don't think that would be considerate to our matters. If you can come in today I might be able to see you for a short while."

"I can't. I just... well.... Aeka is leaving today, and I don't want to be away from the house and risk missing her when she goes."

Yuko was silent while she thought of how to arrange this. She said, "Ryoko, I can help you right now, but I'll need to tell you something that might... upset you."

"Upset me? What do you mean?"

"Don't worry, it isn't anything bad. The problem is that this can be very overwhelming information, and I don't want to do that to you right now. You seem fairly overwhelmed as it is."

Ryoko's breath grew heavy as her mind warred on what to do. "... I... I just really need to talk to you right now. If it's not bad, then... then I guess it should be fine."

Yuko paused intentionally. She then said, "Ryoko, do you remember a few hours ago, when Washu told you how she spoke with her own mother about this whole ordeal?"

"... uh... Yeah... but how did you know?"

"I am her mother, and I know because... I just know."

Ryoko sat down on the nearby bed and tried her best to absorb this news. She was quiet for a long time, and Yuko thought for a moment that it might have been a mistake to tell her this. She was put at ease when Ryoko said, "I see..."

If you would like, I can meet you where you are right now. Is that all right with you?"

She paused and said, "I guess..."

"Alright. You can hang up the phone now. I'll be there in one second."

Ryoko did so, and just as expected, Yuko appeared in front of her. Her entrance was quite ordinary, and she made the same pop of the air that she and Washu make when they teleported. Before Yuko could say anything, Ryoko stuttered, "So... you're the Goddess? You're the one who made everything?"

Yuko plainly nodded and said, "That is true, but I didn't come here to talk about me." She sat down the bed next to Ryoko. "What was it that you needed to ask me about?"

Ryoko took a moment to remember why she wanted to see Yuko in the first place. She said, "So, if you're my mom's mom, then you know what happened, right?"

Yuko nodded. "I do."

Ryoko sighed in relief. "Thank god. I'm really don't feel like explaining it. Whenever I do I totally lose it."

She then said, "What I wanted to ask you has to do with what happened leading up to it. It has to do with what you talked to me about yesterday. You know, that little nasty voice in my mind that calls me horrible things."

Yuko nodded.

"The problem is... that voice didn't go away. When I was close to Tenchi, I was hearing the voice louder than ever. That's what scared me the most. I didn't realize it then, because how fast everything happened. Afterwards I gave it a lot of thought and I was able to see that hearing that voice was scaring me more than Tenchi. When I was with him, I felt more and more like I did before. I felt miserable, and I started to hate myself. Wasn't that already taken care of? What's going on with this?"

Yuko thought for a moment, and then said, "Ryoko, can you remember exactly what happened before you started having negative thoughts?"

Hesitantly, Ryoko said, "Well... I was asleep, and Tenchi was sort of... feeling me..." She quickly changed tones, "I mean, we had kissed earlier, and he told me he loved me. We were taking a nap together, so what he was doing wasn't that weird."

"I see. Then what happened?"

Ryoko looked to the floor. "My initial reaction was to push him away. It really confused him, since that's not something I usually do. I tried to explain to him how I've been going through some changes, but he was so worried that he had done something wrong that he kept insisting I told him exactly what was going on. I wasn't ready to tell him yet. I was able to convince him to not worry about it right now, because it really wasn't his fault. He apologized for overreacting, and we tried to get some more sleep. He was holding me in his arms, and I started thinking terrible things..."

Yuko nodded and said, "Ryoko, I don't believe this is the same as what we talked about yesterday. It may seem very similar, or even identical to your previous issue, but I think it is different."

Ryoko didn't appear satisfied with her answer. "I'm just supposed to believe its something else? There must be something else going on..."

Yuko paused for a moment to try and think of a clear way to explain her understanding of it. "You see... even though the mind is very complex, it actually behaves in a very simplified way when you break it down. No matter what tier of life you achieve, our minds will always operate on a survival bases. Immortal or not, invulnerable or not, every human has survival imbedded into their subconscious.

"The reason you judged yourself from the experience in the cave is because you feared for you life. It didn't matter that they could not kill you. Your subconscious doesn't know that you cannot die. It only knows that the pain you are feeling must stop immediately. That is your breaking point, and you would do anything to stop your pain."

Ryoko sighed and crossed her arms stiffly.

Yuko rested her hand on Ryoko's shoulder and said, "It's nothing to be ashamed of, Ryoko. Everyone has a point at which they break. I have one, your mother has one, and so do the other Goddesses. In your case, when you those men orally violated you, your mind associated survival with sexual promiscuity. In your subconscious it was written that being sexually open to others was necessary for your survival, even if it certainly is not true. The conflict arose when you consciously rejected the conclusion your subconscious had made."

Ryoko quietly said, "... I... I would find myself doing things that I couldn't explain. Like... when all of us visited the hot springs that Tenchi's Aunt owned, I was completely nude in front of Tenchi almost the entire time. I kept thinking to myself, 'what the hell am I doing?', but I never stopped to put something on. I didn't want him to see me naked... not like that at least... but I never did anything about it. I remember my thoughts keeping me up that night..."

Yuko nodded. "Yes, that's what it is like when you subconscious thinks one thing, and your consciousness thinks something else. You'll have unexplainable behavior that you never wanted. Yesterday we fixed that, I'm sure of it."

"Did we? I don't know... I remember hating myself so much when Tenchi held me..."

Yuko said, "This morning, when you picked out something to wear. Did you feel like the decision was not your own? Did you have negative thoughts about what you chose to wear, and force yourself to ignore them?"

"Well... no..."

"That is what we fixed. You no longer feel like you need to be promiscuous in order to be accepted. That connection in your subconscious has been erased."

Ryoko sighed again. "Well, what the hell is wrong? Why did my self esteem hit the floor when Tenchi was so close to me?"

Yuko plainly said, "Ryoko, I do not know. I am, however, willing to speak with you about it. Not all issues will be fixable as quickly as the one yesterday."

Ryoko stood and paced away from the bed. She was silent for a long moment, and Yuko said, "Does the thought of talking with me give you anxiety?"

"Sort of. Yesterday I was totally fine talking to you, because I didn't really think you would be able to pull out of me what you did. I'm afraid of what else you'll find. In a way... I don't want to know what's wrong with me. I want to just forget about it."

"Yes, that's a very normal attitude to have. With the way things stand now, I don't think you will encounter severe depression like you did before... even with this situation with Tenchi. The choice is entirely yours. If you wish to learn more about yourself, I can help you do that. If not, I will not interfere with your decision."

Ryoko's breath became audible. "But... I don't really have that much of a choice. What if I lose it again like that? I don't want to become a walking disaster..."

"Ryoko, you make it sound as if the incident yesterday was your fault."

"None of this would have happened if I didn't have a complete meltdown. Yesterday could have been so different..."

Yuko stood and placed a hand on Ryoko's shoulder. "Ryoko, you didn't cause this to happen. There's no reason to blame yourself."

She dodged away from Yuko and cried, "Look, I'm not blaming myself here... I just... I know things could have gone differently. If I would just do what I'm supposed to do then nothing bad would happen! I thought about this a whole lot this morning... and at first I thought my mom did this to accomplish some greater scheme. She explained it to me and told me things I sort of already knew. Everything that happens is because of one of the three Goddesses. All the good news and bad news somehow leads back to them, so it would be unfair for me to hate my mom every time I experience something painful."

Ryoko then shook her head to keep from losing track of her point. "What I mean is, if the Goddesses can't answer for all the strings they're pulling, then it's on us. I can't control Tenchi, so worrying about what he'll do is a waste of energy. However, I can control myself, and I know that if I had just done what I was supposed to do then yesterday would have been a lot different."

"Ryoko... it's not your fault."

She threw up her arms. "I know it's not my fault! Haven't you been listening to me?"

Yuko nodded. "I have been listening very carefully. You say that things could have been different if you had done what you were supposed to do. What would have that been?"

Ryoko sighed and said, "I don't know, exactly. I probably would have just figured out what Tenchi wanted and then gave it to him."

"What he wanted? What about what you wanted?"

Ryoko folded her arms. "What I wanted wasn't going to happen either way, so that doesn't matter."

"That doesn't mean you must make such allowances..."

She then spoke soft and cold, "Trust me I know what I'm talking about. I don't really give a shit if you're the great creator, you don't know anything about this. There's always going to be someone with a bigger stick. When you meet that person you have to avoid them all together, or figure out how to please them. Over the last four years I've slowly started to think that maybe I was wrong about this, but yesterday reminded me of the reality of the situation."

A silence expectedly came right after. Yuko knew Ryoko was waiting for her to respond, and she intentionally drew out the moment to try and show that she fully understand what Ryoko was trying to say. Yuko spoke clearly, "I do not question your knowledge about this. I am aware of you experiences. I... I would like to talk with you about them, if that is at all possible."

Ryoko turned her back to Yuko. "No. I don't feel like talking to you anymore. Thanks for showing me that what we talked about two days ago wasn't a huge waste of time."

"Ryoko..."

Her shoulder's stiffened as she yelled, "You said you wouldn't interfere if I said no! I don't want you're help, okay? I'm going now. I don't have to show you the way out, do I...?"

For the first time Yuko was at a loss for words. "... Uh... No... not at all..."

"Good bye."

"... Good day... Ryoko...."

A moment later there was snap in the air pressure as she teleported away. Ryoko exhaled the breath she had been secretly holding the entire time. She stood facing the door and blankly stared at the knob. Instead of walking through it, she turned around and headed for the bed, where she slumped down onto the covers and cried.

--------------------------------

Aeka woke up before Sasami did, and when she saw her sister sleeping she quietly exited their room. In the living room she sat down and tried to decipher what she heard her sister say when she came in their room to sleep in late. Aeka was only half awake, but she still found it strange that her sister would want to go back to bed during the day. Sasami mumbled something she couldn't understand, and was too tired to ask her to repeat herself.

While in thought, she heard a nearby door open and close. She saw Ryoko standing in front of the lab door. There was an awkward moment of silence that occurred when they saw each other's exhausted expression. Ryoko eventually said, "Hey..."

"Hello, Ryoko."

Ryoko made her way to the couch and sat down. "I was hoping I could see you one more time."

Aeka thought she worded that strangely and said, "See me... 'one more time'?"

Her initial reaction made her say, "Well yeah... I mean... because you're leaving and everything..."

"I'm leaving? Where am I going?"

Ryoko's eyes went wide as she realized that Aeka didn't even know about what was happening to her. She said, "Uh... You're not going anywhere. Forget it, it was a bad joke..."

"A joke? I don't understand it."

Ryoko forced a laugh. "I know. That's why it was a bad one. C'mon, lets go take a bath."

"Uh... okay..." said Aeka while being pulled to her feet by Ryoko.

Standing around the far corner of the house, Tenchi watched Ryoko and Aeka head for the bath. He had been wondering outside for hours since his father brought him home from the hospital, and it was just as Aeka and Ryoko were meeting in the living room did he need to go inside. When they passed without noticing him, he went indoors to see if Mihoshi there.

He quickly gathered that she was still off planet somewhere, wrapping up the police business she mentioned at the hospital. He needed to know how she was going to handle this. He thought he would have been arrested at the hospital, but when he wasn't he became worried that maybe Mihoshi was trying to cover it up for him.

He couldn't simply wait for her to come back to the house; it might already be too late by them. He had to contact her as soon as he could. There was an obvious solution to his problem, but it would require him going into Washu's lab and asking her for help. It wasn't like he feared his own death, but rather he feared an encounter with Washu in general.

Even with all of the dread he felt, his quick resolve pushed him through the lab door. He didn't care what happened to him, but he couldn't allow Mihoshi to do him any favors. Not when his guilt was already as much as it was. On the other side was Washu's palm tree lab, and he spotted her instantly sitting on her floating cushion. When the crab ornament above the door sounded off, she turned to see whom it was.

She stood and faced him directly, to show him that she was still in her adult form. She quietly said, "What?"

Tenchi forget himself for a moment, and he remained silent until Washu shot, "Don't waste my time. What do you want?"

"I-I need to speak with Mihoshi, but she's not on... this planet."

Washu crossed her arms. "Why?"

It was a response Tenchi didn't entirely expect, but he had no reason to keep it from her. "... When we last spoke, I thought she was going to... arrest me. She didn't, and I have a feeling that she might be doing me too many favors."

Washu didn't say a word as she turned to her holographic laptop. A moment later she was walking away from the computer while pointing a finger towards it. Mihoshi's voice jolted the awkward atmosphere of the room. "Hi! Hello!? This is Mihoshi!"

Tenchi could tell that Washu didn't want to be anywhere near him. She was making things move as quickly as possible. Tenchi stuttered, "H-hi, Mihoshi. It's me, Tenchi."

"Tenchi? How can you call me? I'm in my ship and only special transmissions are accepted..."

"... Washu... helped...."

"Oh I see. So... um... what do you want?"

He couldn't help but smile. At last he was beginning to encounter the consequences of his actions. Both Washu and Mihoshi greeted him with 'what do you want'? It was no longer casual, and he had a feeling it never will be again.

"I just was wondering... why nothing has happened to me. I broke the law. I don't want any special favors. I want to take responsibility for my own actions."

Mihoshi's tone became quirky. "Well... I can't do anything about that, Tenchi. You know how this sort of thing is. If the other party is consenting, then it wasn't against the law. If they weren't consenting... then they have to tell me. They've got this funny term for it that doesn't make any sense to me. That term is 'press charges'. Miss Ryoko and Miss Washu haven't 'pressed' any charges yet, so I can't do anything."

Tenchi looked over to Washu, who had been watching out of the corner of her eyes with her back turned. The silence was long enough to confuse Mihoshi. "Tenchi? Are you still there?"

"Yes, I'm here. I guess that's all I needed to know... Thanks..."

"Okay, Tenchi. Um... bye...."

An emotion he didn't expect shifted through him. Harshly he said, "Why haven't you pressed charges?"

Washu quietly responded. "I don't want to talk about it."

"I want to talk about it! Am I the only person who thinks what I've done was terrible? You wanted to kill me less than twenty-four hours ago, now you don't even want to talk about it. This is just like my father. In the car ride home he kept telling me I'd somehow get through this, and it'll work out in the end. He didn't lecture me, or yell, or even get mad. What the hell is wrong with everyone? The only other person I who is enraged at me is Aeka, and she's mostly upset because I ignored her for the last four years."

Tenchi started walking towards her when she gave no response. He shouted, "I can't live with myself! I can't stand that I'm still a free man! I should be imprisoned! I should be executed!" He grabbed her shoulders and was nearly screaming in her face, "I want to die for what I've done! I've hurt Ryoko so much! I've hurt you, and Aeka, and my father, and Mihoshi! My mind refuses to let me rest. My thoughts are so wretched that I literally am in physical pain. I haven't slept since it happened! I haven't eaten a single thing since then! I can't eat! Eating is such a disgusting luxury for someone like me. I raped your daughter, Washu! Why can't anyone have a normal reaction to that?!"

With a cold glare she said, "Get out of my lab, right now."

"I'm not going anywhere-"

Washu snapped her fingers and he dragged to the door by an invisible force. Just as he was thrown through the doorway, he shouted, "Damnit, Washu!!"

She shook her head and held her elbows. She thought out loud, "I can't hate you the way you want me to, Tenchi..."

Washu wasn't looking for a response, but she received one just the same. Tokimi's transparent figure appeared before her. She tried to express an image of understanding, but like always her face scarcely changed. "No one would blame you, if you behaved normally about this."

Washu sighed. "I know, but I feel like such a hypocrite if I were to press charges. I think Ryoko feels the same way about it."

Tokimi gave a slight smile. "I wonder if I appear this foolish about my own ventures as you do for yours. You and Ryoko both know that Tenchi is responsible for his own actions. The influence you had over that moment was so miniscule, that there's a good chance it would have happened anyway without any effort from your part. You know how insignificant our will is on a moment-to-moment basis. It would be like walking up to a stone wall and kindly asking it to fall over."

"I know that... I don't know why I'm acting like this. It isn't good example for Ryoko..."

Tokimi folded her arms. "If she misunderstand what it is like to be a guiding leader, then she'll blame herself every time something terrible happens. You know what that can lead to..."

Washu was quiet.

"I think you should speak with her about this as soon as possible. She'll be able to put Tenchi's heart at rest by holding him accountable for what he's done."

Washu nodded and walked up to Tokimi. She rested a hand on her shoulder and said, "I need to think about this. Thank you... for reminding me... of what I already knew."

Tokimi nodded. "Of course."

-----------------------------------

Ryoko let out a refreshing sigh as she slipped into the water. "This never gets old..."

Aeka nodded with a smile.

Ryoko abruptly started speaking. It sounded rushed and gave Aeka the idea she was thinking something else when she said it. "So Aeka, what's Jurai like, anyway?"

"I'm not entirely sure, since I haven't been there in seven hundred years. But that might not mean anything. My mother always told me how the cities around the palace are somehow locked in time. They never changed during her lifetime there, and she heard from her mother that they were the same even for her. On the other hand, I know that there are portions of Jurai that change drastically from generation to generation, much like how I've noticed Earth change."

Ryoko had an expression that told Aeka's answer was taking too long. "Yeah, I might have guessed that. What I mean is... how are they're ideas and stuff? Does that change a lot?"

Aeka shrugged. "I don't know. It all depends really. Some of our ideals stay locked in forever. Some can change."

Ryoko mumbled, "That doesn't really help me much..."

"... It doesn't... help you? What are you talking about?"

She shrugged and said, "I don't really know. I feel like I have some soul searching to do... like I need to get away from here for a little while..."

"And you were thinking of going to Jurai?"

Ryoko shrugged. "Seemed like a convenient location. For a number of reasons..."

Aeka was about to ask what she meant, but Ryoko quickly changed the subject. "You looked like you were about to break down in the living room there."

She nodded. "I've been thinking about everything you said last night. It's a lot to take in. Especially how you said your mother caused all of this. I can't think of her the same way anymore..."

Ryoko shook her head. "Don't sweat it. I was really confused and hurt when I came to you. I made it sound as if she intentionally wanted me to suffer. That isn't true. I'm sorry I made you worry."

Aeka sighed, "But I don't understand. That's so different compared to what you said before."

"I know. All I can say is that I promise to explain it to you later on. I sort of feel too tired to explain it... if you can understand."

Aeka nodded, but she couldn't help but to feel frustrated at the same time. Four days ago she thought she understood Ryoko's personality. Her past may have been a mystery to her, but she was confident that she knew the sort of person she was like. However, the more she was around Ryoko, the more she realized that her personality also wasn't as it seemed.

This thought plagued her so vividly that she accidentally spoke it aloud. "Ryoko, what are you like?"

"What am I like? Uh... I'm not sure how to answer that one, Princess."

Aeka tried to re-word the question to something more reasonable. "I mean... what do you like to do? I don't even know what your interests are."

Aeka saw a reaction she didn't expect. She blushes and dodged her eyes away from Aeka. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No! ...Er, no.... It's just that it's sort of embarrassing."

Aeka raised an eyebrow. "Embarrassing? It's alright if you don't want to say."

"It's okay. I think I should tell you anyways. It's only that... it's sort of.... dumb."

Aeka forced a nervous smile. "Dumb?"

Ryoko took in a deep breath to signal the start of her explanation. "Well what I like to do... is pretty simple. You know when I sleep during the day? Most of the time I'm not really asleep. I like to just lay there..."

Aeka said, "Lay there.... and?"

"... And listen."

"Listen to what...?"

"Silence."

Appropriately, a moment of that silence passed before Aeka said, "You listen to silence?"

Ryoko picked up the small hint of skeptical tone in her voice. Sounding defensive she said, "Do you realize how loud combat is for me? I don't duel with individuals. I fight against armies. It gets really loud really fast."

"I thought you said you were never conscious when Kagato made you fight."

Ryoko shook her head. "He only does that whenever I openly oppose him, or there's too much risk of me escaping. Controlling me took quite a toll of energy on his part, I think. I guess if he had the option, he rather let me fight on my own. To be specific, he really only let me fight alone when I was helping defend the Souja. Coordinated attacks against the Souja were constantly happening. Sometimes they can only be described as all out war. I've been in single battles that have lasted decades. I literally mean non-stop combat for thirty or forty years. It's always easier to fight on a planet, because the terrain can work to your advantage. If I were in space, silence would be a wonderful gift, however becoming surrounded would be impossible to avoid."

Aeka seemed surprised. "They would have been trouble, even for you? I thought..."

"Aeka, I'm talking about fleets of second generation Juraian battle ships, just like your own Ryo-Oh. You're ship could compete with weakened Ryo-Ohki. Even at full strength, fighting more than twenty of them at once is ridiculous. Using a planet as an obstacle was extremely helpful, and the atmosphere made things extremely noisy. A memory that stands out the most for me is when I was in a battle that lasted half a century. I forgot what silence sounded like, it was that bad. When the battle was finally over, my ears began bleeding from the lack of sound."

Aeka didn't have words to comment with.

"Ever since then I've always been a 'fan' of silence. I have having such high tolerances for everything. It makes me feel so used up. Sometimes it's nice to pretend that my life wasn't thrown away like a piece of trash. That's what I'm doing on that beam most of the day... Pretending to be a lazy freeloader whose life has been nothing but self-satisfaction and excitement."

After a brief pause, Aeka said, "I think I can understand that. It's so strange though..."

"What is?"

"My conception of you... It was exactly what you wanted it to be."

Ryoko shrugged. "Don't worry about it."

Aeka accidentally thought out loud. "I want to know more about you..." In her mind it sounded ordinary, but when spoken it caused an awkward moment.

"Eh... don't say stupid things."

Aeka shook her head. "I only meant..."

Ryoko said, "I know, I'm teasing you," but her tone was hoping for a subject change. An idea occurred to her and she said, "What about you, Aeka? You never talk about yourself."

"Well... I..."

Before even given a chance to sound reluctant, Aeka was interrupted by an obvious shadow being cast over the entire Onsen. "What is this now?" She looked up to see a Juraian ship descending to the surface of the planet. It was unmistakably the first ship of the Jurai King. Aeka sighed in annoyance, "Of all the times to visit. I hope they don't plan to stay long."

Ryoko slowly went to her feet. "I think... I think we should go greet them."

Aeka sighed. "I suppose..."

They dressed themselves and went to the front deck where two Juraian guards were already standing. Washu and Yosho were there, standing side by side. Aeka immediately noticed that Yosho's age was drastically younger, and that Washu's age was drastically older. She cried out, "What's the meaning of this!? Brother, you appearance... How can this be?"

Yosho spoke softly, "I'm sorry for keeping this from you, but I had my reasons..."

She turned to Washu. "Why are you still in your adult form? And why are you being so familiar with my brother!!"

With a grin, Washu stuck out her tongue. "I have my reasons as well."

"But... but... this is all so sudden!"

Ryoko slunk in behind Aeka and holstered an arm around her neck. "Don't sweat it, Princess. Let the old farts be old together."

Washu's grin faded. "Oh my foolish daughter. You know... by technicality your age is irrelevant, and therefore equivalent to mine."

"Whatever..."

Yosho said, "Right now there isn't any time to worry about my appearance. Please trust in me that I did not do this to intentionally deceive you."

Aeka didn't appear to be satisfied by his explanation, but Yosho was correct that it wasn't the time. One of the guards standing at the edge of the deck stepped forward and declared, "His Majesty has arrived!"

Aeka turned to face the two guards. In the microscopic moment, she saw Ryoko take a step forward so that she partly stood in front of her. The movement was familiar to her. She had seen the Royal Guard stand in front of her like that countless times. Aeka thought, 'what is your meaning, Ryoko? Do you know something I don't?'

Aeka realized she was staring when Ryoko glanced back and gave a friendly smile. She shyly averted her eyes back to the two guards and saw as her father teleported between them. She waited for her mother and aunt to follow how they normally did, but the wait was long enough to tell that they weren't coming this time.

Aeka whispered curiously, "Father...?"

Azusa studied the small audience before him. He noticed Washu as an adult, and his son in his true form. He gave a thin smile and said, "So you've told them, Yosho?"

"I've told those who needed to know."

"I see."

Aeka spoke up. "Wait... told us what? What's going on here?"
Ryoko spoke with a dark tone. She never lifted her gaze from Azusa. "Don't think about it, Aeka. There's nothing to know, because nothing is going to happen."

"Nothing is going to happen? What WAS going to happen?"

Azusa raised his voice. "I'm not going to play any games this time. Aeka, find Sasami so we can leave immediately. This place is no longer suitable for you."

Aeka almost spoke out in protest but Ryoko cut in. "No one is going anywhere!"

For the first time since he arrived, Azusa's gaze met Ryoko's eyes. With a sneer he said, "Ah, Lady Ryoko. This is not of your concern. If you don't stand down, I'll have no choice but to assume your presence here is a hostile one."

Ryoko clenched her fists tighter. Aeka grasped Ryoko's shoulder to try and settle her down. "Ryoko, we can do this without fighting, can't we?"

Ryoko took a step forward to widen her stance, but her mother wasn't going to let her go any further. "Ryoko... dearest... I have to talk to you for a second."

"Mom! I'm kind of in the middle of something here..."

Washu grinned. "That's why I need to talk to you."

Ryoko glanced at her mother who was waving innocently. Yosho had an uninvolved look about him, but at the same time he was moderately amused by what was going on. With everyone being relaxed except her, she was forced to realize that she wasn't helping the situation the least bit.

For the first time she noticed Aeka's subtle tugging on her sleeve. She spoke in nearly a whisper. "Ryoko... go speak with your mother. I'll speak with my fa-"

"But!"

Aeka held up a finger. "Shhh! Don't worry, I wont go anywhere without you being fully aware of it. Please... it's our best chance if I speak with him personally."

Ryoko sighed in defeat. She painfully stepped away from Aeka and carried herself to Washu, all the while keeping a close eye on Aeka as she walked to her father.

Washu turned to Yosho and said, "How about you go visit with your father?"

Yosho nodded with an awkward smile. "Alright..."

When he was out of earshot Ryoko whined, "Mom, what do you want?"

"I only wanted to tell you that I think you're forgetting about something pretty big here."

"Like what?"

Washu rolled her eyes. "Like Tenchi. The longer you wait to talk to him, the harder it will get. Why haven't you talked to him yet?"

Ryoko scratched beside her ear. "I don't know... I guess I keep forgetting..."

"Forgetting? I don't think it's that simple. I know that talking to him has to be pretty frightening idea right now... and it will feel like you've just forgotten to do it. It's clear that you want to talk about it, but you keep going to the wrong person. You used my phone to call Yuko this morning, and you were talking to Yosho before her. Just now you were with Aeka in the Onsen."

"But... that was just..."

"It may have seemed logical to you, because you don't want to talk to Tenchi. You know... Tenchi was doing the same thing, too."

"... He... he did?"

Washu nodded. "Yes. He came into my lab today because he wanted to call Mihoshi. After he talked to her... he had a short chat with me. I also heard from Mihoshi that he went to the hospital to visit his friend. No doubt that he probably tried to get some things off his mind in that conversation, too. He's just as afraid to talk to you, as you are of him."

Ryoko sighed. "That doesn't make it any easier, though..."

"Yes I know... but you're running out of time. You can't handle this situation in your current state. Talk to Tenchi so that you can clear you head. Don't worry, I'll help make sure Aeka and Sasami doesn't go anywhere."

After some more whining and a little pushing, Ryoko finally relinquished her stubbornness and headed indoors. The best place to look for him was his room, and with this in mind she purposely checked every other section of the house first. When she could no longer dodge the inevitable, she found herself knocking lightly on Tenchi's door.

She heard some shuffling and then a few tired footsteps. The door slid open fast, as if it annoyed him. This was the part that Ryoko really wanted to avoid. The soul crushing silence that would make confident people want to second-guess themselves.

Ryoko wanted to at least look him in the face, but the most she could afford was the very bottom of his chin. A burst of courage let her glance up for a second, and she saw that he was also looking away for the most part.

"Do you..." Tenchi's voice startled her, and when he saw her reaction he hesitated. "Do you... want to sit over there and talk?" He gestured to the oversized carrot pillows not far from Tenchi's door.

She nodded, and they found a place within the pillows. The silence between them lasted for nearly twenty minutes. The tension between them was so thick that Ryoko thought, 'I don't know if we can recover from this... Maybe its better if we didn't...'

On that note she concluded that if there was to be separation, it should be as painless as possible. 'If I tell him about myself, he wont be as disappointed.'

"Tenchi, I want to tell you something."

He turned his head to see her.

"I wanted to at least tell you why my personality has been... hard to measure. When I was still in the cave, some men came in and did some nasty things to me. Without my gems and being as weakened as I was, I was actually frightened for my life. I ... serviced them... so they would stop beating me."

Tenchi went pale.

"I made some conclusions about myself that I was bad person like that. That idea became locked away in my mind. Four days ago I wouldn't be able to tell you why I acted the way I used to, because I would have to dig to painful memories in order to remember. So I just went along with my impulses, deciding that there was no way to go back."

Ryoko blushed. "That's why I used to be so forward with you. Why I did all those embarrassing things and made it seem it was no big deal. I won't lie... it did cause me a lot of pain. Whenever I was alone I'd feel so embarrassed I would cry. I felt used, even though I was the one doing it to myself.

"Two days ago I talked to someone about it. They really had the right idea about me, and I folded instantly. I kind of feel stupid for having such a weak defense, but its really better that I did. She helped me figure what was really going on inside my head. When I was finally able to see my problem from the outside, dealing with it was infinitely simpler.

"So... that's why I acted so differently. I'm sure you were probably wondering..."

After another long pause she added, "I'll understand if you want to just... call it quits on this."

His response was immediate. "There's no way I could ever do that. It's completely impossible for me to not love you."

He stood and paced a few feet away. "But... what you've said... God I feel even more stupid than before..."

Ryoko stood as well. "Wait... that doesn't bother you at all? I mean... what happened to me... and how I've been acting..."

"I'm sorry about what happened to you. If I knew what to do to help you with that, I would have done it. But that's not reason for me to like you any less." He shook his head and said, "I'm sorry I'm not saying this right. I mean... I want to know more about you. Including all the bad stuff. I know this is probably all too late... after what I did..."

From behind she rested her head against his back. "I know you wont think this, Tenchi, but you're being really sweet about this."

He stepped away from her and turned around. "Why? Why can't you get angry at me?"

She shook her head and shrugged. "I don't know, Tenchi. I just... feel so sad about all of this. It's hard to get angry when it's like that."

After a pause she asked, "Why did it happen, Tenchi? Maybe if you tell me I can get angry, like you want."

He shook his head. "It's too soon. I don't even know what happened myself. To tell you the truth, when I saw you at my door just now, I almost asked to talk about it later. I need more time to think about it. And I don't mean a few extra days, I mean I think I need a lot of time..."

Ryoko gently nodded. "I feel the same, I think."

After a brief silence, Tenchi said, "We can't be together, can we?"

She shrugged. "That's another reason why I can't get angry at you. I can't be with you anymore, and it would be pointless to get mad at you."

Tenchi nodded. "So, are you going to leave then?"

Ryoko was reminded of what she said the day before, about needed time to discover her self. That sentiment was still true, and its meaning now was as strong as ever. Even now, Aeka was on the verge of leaving for Jurai, a location so significant to Ryoko's past that's incomprehensible. Aeka herself was a friend whose relationship unexpectedly deepened over that past few days, and Ryoko's attendance on the journey would seem more than natural.

Tokimi's words from the night four days ago echoed in her head, and she gave an amusing smile.

Tenchi said, "Are you glad to be able to get away?"

Ryoko shook her head. "No it's not that. A little while ago I talked to someone and they told me my future. I didn't believe them, but here it is exactly how they said it would be."

He appeared confused. "Someone predicted this? Who?"

She shrugged. "Lady Tokimi. When she first told me it made me think about what it must be like to be a Goddess like that and know the future. I imagined it would take all the fun out of life. I realize now that even if I know what's going to happen, living it is completely different. I became so absorbed in what was happening that I completely forgot about her prediction until just now. Now that I've lived it, what she told me no longer sounds like a prophecy, but just good advice."

He was afraid to ask, but he did so anyway. "What was that good advice?"

Ryoko turned her back to him. "... You know... to get out in the world. Discover my self. Discover... other people."

With tears coming from his eyes, Tenchi laughed and shook his head. "That does sound like good advice." He slumped back down into the pillows on the floor, and the pain in his chest made him say, "You know..." but he ended himself there.

"What is it?"

He shook his head. "No. I shouldn't say."

"You might as well, now."

".... What I did was terrible... but was it really this bad? I mean ... this is really happening... we're never going to see each other the same away again."

Ryoko nodded with her own tears coming. "Yeah... this is why I could never get angry at you. In fact, at the start of this I was hoping I could find a way for you to hate me, so this wouldn't be so painful."

The expression of pain on his face was more than she could bear, and with a quiet, "I have to go now..." she drifted down the stairs to the first floor living room.

Ryoko took a seat in the soft grass next to Aeka. Despite the impressive landscape that surrounded them, they were nowhere near a terrestrial surface. With a sigh Aeka said, "You really confuse me, Ryoko. The moment before you were ready to fight my father to keep me on earth. When you came back you were practically pushing me onto my father's ship. You haven't explained yourself yet."

Ryoko laughed. "Yeah I will. But first I have to say that these Juraian ships really mess with your head. I feel like I'm outside, but we're in deep space."

The portion of the craft they were sitting was an area outside of Aeka's room. Ryoko said, "You're room almost looks like a house from here! Really it's almost over kill, don't you think?"

Aeka never gave it much thought before. "... Well... it is a bit much compared to what we've been used to on Earth, but I honestly cannot help it. I don't think I could refuse these accommodations even if I wished to."

Ryoko shrugged and leaned onto her back with her hands behind her head. There was dim artificial light that had no apparent source. It was a yellowish glow that appeared everywhere. At the same time the dome above them was transparent, and the stars were visible as they traversed through the cosmos.

"To tell you the truth, Aeka, I was thinking about getting away from that house ever since yesterday. It was when I was with Tenchi, before things went really bad, that the idea for occurred to me. The reason I didn't want to leave at first was because I didn't want to leave without telling Tenchi what I was thinking. There were also some things I wanted to find out from him, but he wasn't ready to talk about it yet."

Aeka nodded. "So that's why..."

"Even though so much has happened between us, Tenchi and I hardly interacted... anything more than flirting anyway I can only remember handful of times that he and I had honest conversations about nothing in particular."

With a skeptical tone Aeka said, "A conversation about nothing in particular?"

"Oh sure. Like how we have when we're drunk off our asses in the Onsen."

Aeka tried her best to sound repelled, just like a proper girl should, but it ended up as a cheerful laugh. "Oh I certainly will miss those days."

Ryoko propped herself up on her elbows. "Miss what? Why are those days going to stop? Isn't that why I'm tagging along?"

"Well... it usually isn't customary to bath with company..."

Ryoko cut her off with a laugh. "Guess that just means I'll be reforming you traditions when I get there."

Aeka didn't even bother to oppose her here. It would be pointless.

Ryoko's tone became serious again. "Getting back to what I wanted to say before. I've been having this feeling that what Tenchi and I lacked was solid communication of our feelings. I think it was easier to fall in love with him so quickly when I didn't completely know who he was. The more I think about how our situation was, the more unrealistic our relation seemed. It really was like a fairy tale. That's part of the reason why it seemed so appealing at the time. I wanted something to work out for the first time in my life."

Aeka was silent at first. After a pause she said, "Ryoko... I... I'm curious..."

"Yeah?"

"Do you hate Tenchi now? You're making it sound as if you almost regret meeting him."

Ryoko sat upright and gave Aeka a shrug. "I don't hate him. I think if anything I would be able to love him with feelings more true than before. Of course there's a part of me that wished he had made sweet romantic promises and swept me off my feet, but of course that could never happen. I'm just sounding cold because of the separation. And to think my mom just warned me about that, too..."

"Washu warned you?"

Ryoko nodded. "Yeah, she said I was probably going to feel the effects of 'decathexis'. She always uses big words like that. She said it was something that people did to make emotional separation less painful. Where it seems like they suddenly don't care anymore. The truth is... I still do care about Tenchi a whole lot, I just don't want to think about him right now."

Aeka said, "I didn't notice before, but that's just like how I felt that night you told me that Tenchi didn't love me. I had some pretty awful thoughts about him right after that. I was probably doing the same thing you are now."

After a long silence, Ryoko quietly said. "Let's talk about something else."

Aeka gave a quiet response. "What about?"
Ryoko leaned onto her back again and smiled. "Nothing in particular, if you don't mind."

Aeka looked up as well. "Alright then. Do you like the stars? I see you looking at them a lot."

"I love the stars. They make me feel so free."

"That must be nice. The stars don't have the same effect on me, sadly..."

"Oh, no?"

"I can feel overwhelmed if I look at them too long. Considering my position, I can't help but to feel like I have to be responsible for each one."

Ryoko nodded. "No wonder you would feel overwhelmed. There billions of stars out there."

"I like you're thinking better. Why do you feel so free looking at them?"

"I just like the idea that if I started flying out there right now, in a hundred million years I still wouldn't have scratched the surface of the universe."

Aeka smiled. "Yeah, that does sound nice." She paused before asking, "Ryoko, is it okay if I ask you a question about something?"

"Sure, give it a shot."

"Are you scared about going back to Jurai?"

There was a long silence.

"Yeah, I am."

Aeka smiled at her and said, "I think you'll be well received. My father seemed fairly optimistic for some reason."

"Yeah, I wanted to ask you about him. Does he always shift moods like that so quickly? He and I almost started fighting, but the moment I said I wanted to come with you he was more that accommodating."

Aeka sighed. "He gets like that when he has information he doesn't feel like explaining to anyone else. It's probably something simple. Just the same I think we should take it as a good sign."

Ryoko smiled and nodded. She then thought, 'Yeah, but I'm still scared out of my mind.'

Aeka yawned and leaned onto her back next to Ryoko. As if reading her mind she said, "I know that probably doesn't help you much. It'll be okay, though. If anyone is going to act shamefully towards you, they'll have to go through me first."

For some reason that Ryoko couldn't explain, that was the most comforting thing she had ever heard. "Thanks, Aeka. That means so much."

A cool breeze crossed them and they both yawned at the same time. Ryoko said, "It's really nice in here... er... out here-in here-... er... whatever."

Aeka giggled. "Yes, I enjoy the environment in our ships a lot. Whenever I travel I take naps in the shade."

"That sounds like a good idea." Ryoko yawned again, making it her longest yet. "Hey Aeka..."

"Yeah?"

"Can you wake me up before we get there?"

She nodded. "Of course."

A moment later she felt Ryoko's fingers just barely wrap around her arm. She heard her say, "Thanks... for so much..."

Aeka smiled. "Don't think of it. I'm just glad I could be your friend."

"Same to you, Princess."

Log recorded on Cycle 98.92.50.29

Author: Lady Ryoko

Heading: Comment

I wanted to add a comment to everyone who read this small segment of my history. First of all, let me apologize for the sake of my mom and aunts for over dramatizing these four days of my life. When I first read what they had come up with I couldn't help but to laugh until I cried. It was like reading a soppy drama! The experience was quite different, even though they claim that this is supposed to be an "accurate" depiction of what happened.

I also want to say that I'm really surprised by the fact that this is the most requested Archive Block in the entire Archive Hall. I wonder why my history is so much more fascinating than my aunts' or mom's. At any rate, I think you should check out their stories too.

Anyway, I think I should say that I'm grateful to everyone that has accepted me as a full-fledged Goddess. I've only been here for a few thousand cycles now, but I already feel like I've been around for millions.

Again, please excuse this soppy mess of drama you just read. It really wasn't anything like that. Honest :)