Chapter Two: Where is Tenchi?

"Tenchi! Lord Tenchi!" Princess Ayeka called loudly. Her voice seemed to echo around the upstairs walls. "Lord Tenchi? Where are you, Lord Tenchi?"

She padded around the bare wooden floors in her socks, almost tripping on her long pink robes. Her lengthy purple hair trailed slightly on the floor, only lifting when she moved her head. She looked around.

Tenchi was no where to be seen. He had been missing for hours.

"Lord Tenchi!" Ayeka yelled impatiently. Where could he have gotten to? She had checked the vegetable garden, and the shrine. It was as if Tenchi Masaki had disappeared of the face of the Earth.

Unless he was kidnapped...

Kidnapped! Ayeka stormed downstairs. There was only one person she knew who would kidnap Tenchi.

"Where is she?" Ayeka screeched as she reached the foot of the stairs. "Where is she?"

"What are you talking about, Sister?" young Princess Sasami queried innocently, as she stroked Ryo-Ohki's soft brown fur.

"I am talking about that monster, Ryoko!" Ayeka shouted informatively. "She has kidnapped Lord Tenchi!"

"Really?" Sasami cried, "But why? I thought that Ryoko liked Tenchi? Why would she kidnap him?"

"Oh, I can think of one reason why that shameless creature would take him.." Ayeka snapped, growing angrier with the thought. "I just hope I can find them in time, before she.." The disgrace of the thought silenced Ayeka. "That woman will pay!!!" She yelled.

"Ayeka what are we going to do?" Sasami wondered as Ayeka tried to calm down.

"I'll tell you what we are going to do. We are going to track her down, and we are going to save Lord Tenchi from that evil, conniving demon Ryoko!"

"Save me?"

Ayeka turned around to see non-other than Tenchi in front of her.

"Tenchi!" The sisters cried in unison.

"Oh! Lord Tenchi! I was so worried about you!" Ayeka sobbed as she flung her arms around Tenchi's neck. He stood in almost shock as Ayeka began crying floods of tears.

"Worried? Why?" said Tenchi, "I'm fine, really."

Ayeka looked up at Tenchi, her beautiful reddish-brown eyes brimmed with crystal-tears.

"Were you not with Ryoko?" she queried, taking her arms from around his neck and wiping her eyes.

Tenchi was puzzled. He sighed.

"Of course not. I haven't seen Ryoko all day!"

"Then where were you, Tenchi?" Ayeka demanded furiously, snapping back to her original mood. "I was out looking for you virtually all day. I checked the fields, the vegetable garden, the shrine, upstairs..."

"Did you bother checking my lab?" A voice from the doorway called. A small reddish-pink haired woman leaning on the door frame walked casually over to Tenchi. "Thanks for helping me Tenchi. I couldn't get my work done without you."

"No problem, Washu." Tenchi replied.

"Miss. Washu?"

"What is it, Miss. Ayeka?" Washu grinned, looking up at the Princess' confused expression.

"Just what exactly was Lord Tenchi helping you with?" Ayeka was growing jealous, and suspicious.

"Why that's simple, Ayeka." Washu laughed, "I was examining Tenchi. He is key to discovering the Jurai power."

Ayeka sighed.

"Is that it? Well, thank God for that."

Tenchi sighed,

"You wouldn't be saying that if you were in my position..." he muttered, shuddering at the memory of the experiments.

"What was that Tenchi?" Washu asked, suspiciously.

"Nothing." Tenchi replied quickly.

Ayeka headed over towards Sasami. "All this searching has made me quite hungry. Sasami, what's for dinner?"

Sasami smiled and headed towards the kitchen.

"How about fried noodles?" She asked, tying her apron around her waist.

"Need some help, Sasami?" Tenchi called, following her to the kitchen.

"Call me back up when Sasami has finished fixing up dinner. I have some more data to examine." Washu informed as she opened the door leading to her inter-dimensional laboratory.

Ayeka flopped down onto the sofa. She mindlessly flicked the television on.

"Oh! It's time for my favourite soap, 'White Snowball'!" She lay down and relaxed. The eerie opening theme of the soap where all the characters have amnesia, floated from the television.

The smell of fried noodles wafted from the kitchen, the music filled her ears and she felt all warm inside.

"This is so peaceful. So tranquil. So relaxing. This place is so unlike Jurai. I wish never to leave Earth..."