Chapter Sixteen

"This place is like a rabbit warren." Ayeka complained, as she pushed her way through the underbelly of Karasu's storage chambers, pausing with a sigh to survey their surroundings. "Or maybe I mean a cabbit warren. Tenchi, do you think Washu gets a kick out of sending us to the most random point on the ship? What earthly use are we to be to Ryoko if we can't even find her?"

"I'm guessing Washu found the most remote point in Karasu's structure - the place where our arrival would be least detected." Tenchi replied. Then he shrugged. "Or she was being Washu, I guess. Either way, at least we're here. And we do have Ryo Ohki."

He reached a hand up to his shoulder, lifting the small creature down and meeting her gaze.

"You know where Ryoko is, don't you?" He asked her softly. "Do you think you can lead us there?"

Ryo Ohki scrambled out of Tenchi's hands, bounding away down a narrow corridor and Tenchi grabbed Ayeka by the hand, charging after her as she disappeared around this corner and that, scurrying through the network of tunnels as if she knew them intuitively. Well, he mused, maybe she did. After all, Ryoko had known Haki once.

As the hallway widened out, Tenchi became aware of a big steel door which Ryo Ohki had begun scratching at piteously, turning to Tenchi and letting out a mew. Tenchi nodded his head, glancing down at the sword in his hand, then gripping it more tightly.

"Come on, you stupid thing. We could use some help." He muttered.

At first the blade would not do more than flicker on and off, but, as a blood-curdling shriek came from the room within, the sword flared into life, strong and bright once more. Tenchi, recognising the cry as Ryoko's, slashed at the door, his blade cutting through it's thick darkness like a knife to butter. It swung aside, and Tenchi stepped forward into the drive room, aware of Ayeka at his heels. Startled by the disturbance, the pirate turned, and Ryo Ohki leapt into the room, positioning herself between Haki and Ryoko and letting out an ominous hiss.

"Tenchi!" Ryoko exclaimed, followed by, "No, you stupid idiot! Get out of here! Get back to Yagami! You don't know what you're..."

The rest of her speech was cut off in a cry of pain, as Haki leant back on the switch once more, eying his intruders with a mixture of surprise and derision.

"Well, I had a feeling you were more than Ryoko's apprentice." He said, taking in Tenchi's appearance. "And the Lady Ayeka, too...did you not already enjoy enough of my hospitality?"

"Let her go." As Ayeka bristled behind him, Tenchi spoke with far more conviction than he felt, shooting a sidelong glance to Ryoko's bound form as he did so. She had dropped her head, drawing ragged, pained breaths into her lungs as the electric charge faltered, and anger stabbed through him. "I said let her go!"

"No, I don't think so." Haki shook his head. "Ryoko and I cut a deal - you were there, I believe you heard it all. She agreed to help me find the Dark Heart...so step aside. Leave my ship, before you regret it. And take your rat with you."

He reached out a toe to kick Ryo Ohki, who growled, then launched herself at his knee. "I don't allow vermin on my ship."

"You're here, aren't you?" Ayeka demanded archly. "See, Tenchi? I told you coming here was no good."

"Listen...to...Ayeka." Ryoko managed. "Go...back to...Yagami."

"Not a chance." Tenchi shook his head. "We came to help, and we're not going anywhere, Ryoko."

He met Haki's gaze with an unpleasant one of his own.

"I already told you to let her go. Do I have to tell you again?"

"I don't take orders from anyone." Haki informed him pleasantly. "Ryoko and I have business, like I said. And you haven't even introduced yourself! So rude. Karasu, please show our guests how we treat unwelcome visitors!"

A bolt of flame shot out from the ceiling of the ship, missing Tenchi's foot by inches and despite himself he flinched, taking a step back. Haki laughed.

"That was a warning, boy." He said ominously. "If I was serious, well, I never miss. Do as Ryoko told you. Leave, and I'll let you live. For now. You can't help Ryoko now. Soon Karasu will have taken all of her energy for himself, and the gems will become a part of him too. Karasu and I are bonded ,what's his is mine. Between us we will find the Dark Heart, and then my power will be invinceable."

"What do you want with that dirty space pirate anyway?" Ayeka pushed past Tenchi into the drive room proper, approaching the imprisoned Ryoko and poking her gently, causing that girl to wince and send her foe a glower. "She's uncouth and she eats with her mouth open. What's so special about her?"

"If you don't know that, Princess, it's not up to me to enlighten you." Haki looked amused. "Take a trip to Jurai and talk to that legendary tree of yours. Or doesn't she have all the answers any more? I'm surprised. I thought Tsunami knew the answer to everything."

"She does!"

A fresh voice joined the conversation and Ayeka let out a squeal of dismay as she registered her younger sister's presence on Karasu's bridge.

"Sasami!" She exclaimed. "What are you doing here? Go back to Yagami at once! This isn't safe!"

"I'm helping Ryoko and I'm helping you too, Ayeka." Sasami stood her ground. "Washu sent me here and she's right. I should be here. So don't tell me I'm too young and that this isn't my fight! It is my fight too you know!"

"Well, I'm opening a kindergarten now." Haki folded his arms, a mocking look in his ice blue eyes. "What do you want to play, little girl? Hide and seek? Or how about life and death? Does that sound good to you?"

A bolt of flame flew out from the roof of the ship, heading straight for Sasami, and Tenchi let out a yell, but Sasami stood her ground, raising one hand to the fire. It sizzled and died, dropping ash to the floor before even reaching her, and she lowered her fingers, meeting Haki's astonished gaze with a calm one of her own.

"Tsunami protects the Princes and Princesses of Jurai." She said softly. "All of them. Even those who think she's forsaken them."

"Sasami?" The disbelief in Ayeka's voice was echoed in Tenchi's own mind as he raised his sword, preparing for more fiery blasts. "But how..."

"Not now, Ayeka." Sasami's tone was firm, and she tossed her head, reaching her other hand from where it had been clasped and concealed behind her back and tossing something up into the air. "There's something else Washu sent me here to do...and I'm going to do it."

Haki's eyes became huge as he registered the small, glittering object that flew through the air, glistening and shimmering as it registered the presence of it's sisters. It glowed a dull red, and Haki muttered a curse.

"The Dark Heart of Jurai." He whispered. "After all these years, it's finally mine!"

"Sasami, what have you done?" Tenchi hurried to the young princess's side, but Sasami shook her head.

"What needed to be done." She said simply. "The Dark Heart isn't an evil gem, Tenchi. Jurai magic isn't evil. It's just been twisted, that's all...into something it's not meant to be."

The gem clattered onto the deck, and Haki reached for it greedily, but it sent up a violent pulse of energy, repelling him across the length of the drive room. He pulled himself to his feet, glaring at Sasami as he did so.

"How can one so young as you touch it without harm?" He growled. "It's not possible. Nobody on Jurai has the power to control the Dark Heart!"

"I don't control it. I'm only the messenger." Sasami said with a shrug, as the gem sent up another vivid pulse of energy. Then it hovered for a moment in midair, glowing a vivid scarlet. There was a massive blast of red light, so bright that Tenchi was forced to shield his eyes. And then, in an instant, the room was once more dark.

For a moment, Tenchi thought the gem had been destroyed. Then, in the blackness, a tiny dot of red light shimmered and drifted above Ryoko's battered form. As the gems on her wrists glowed and hummed, the final jewel descended to join them, sending a gentle scarlet pulse around the girl's body as it came to rest on her brow. Ryoko let out a heart-rending cry, as the light engulfed her, and Tenchi took a step forward, but Sasami grabbed him by the hand, pulling him back. He glanced down at her, and solemnly she shook her head, a strange, unfamiliar expression in her eyes. At that moment, however, there was another burst of red light and Ryoko let out another cry as the shackles fell from her hands and her feet, clattering to the ground. Ryoko's body followed, falling to the deck with an earsplitting thud. The dizzy, dancing red lights still continued to flit around her still form, however, and with a final burst, the gem sent out one more pulse into the drive room of the Karasu.

There was a moment as the light twinkled and faded, and then all was still.

"Ryoko!" Tenchi hurried to the girl's side. "Ryoko, wake up! Wake up!"

-----

The house was dark now, and silent.

The little girl huddled up against the wall, still afraid to emerge from her hiding place.

There had been screams, she remembered. Loud and terrifying screams, like the monsters that haunted her dreams sometimes. Mother had been the one screaming, she had been sure, but then it had become quiet again.

Two men had come to the house earlier that morning. She had not known their purpose, but from her mother's reaction, she suspected they were bad people. Maybe they were thieves and bandits, she had reasoned. She had often seen them stoned in the town square as she and Mother had hurried from shadowy street to shadowy street, always in a hurry home. Mother always said it was because she didn't like to be outside when it was dark, and the child had not questioned it. In the darkness, strange noises were often heard, and when they were, Mother would come to her and hold her tightly, as if fearful for the both of them. It was those nights that she often had bad dreams.

It was not night time now, though the house was dim and black, the curtains pulled across the windows as if to hide the sun from view. And it was still silent. There were no more noises. Perhaps now it was safe to find Mother and ask her who the men had been.

She wriggled cautiously out of her hiding place, scrambling down to ground level and padding across the living room floor, reaching up on her tiptoes to pull back the cloaking curtain. Sun streamed into the room and despite herself, she felt better for it. Now the darkness was gone, the bad thoughts would go too, she decided. It would all be all right, and the rogue visitors had probably already gone to the square to be stoned by now. It was what thieves did, after all.

She pushed open the living room door, crawling carefully up the curl of wooden steps to the uppermost floor, where she knew Mother's chamber was situated. Mother didn't like her climbing the stairs on her own yet, but the smooth wooden slabs that spiralled upwards held a fascination for her young mind even now. She liked to be up high, she knew that. Someday, Mother had told her, she would be able to fly and then it wouldn't matter if she climbed. But for now, she was supposed to stay where she was told. She frowned. She hoped Mother would not be angry at her this time.

The door of the chamber was ajar, and she made her way slowly into the bedroom, stopping dead as she registered the scene before her. Baby confusion flooded her young face as she registered the slashed curtains, and the pile of papers and other paraphernalia littering the floor. Many of the papers were decorated with a reddish liquid, and she wondered if Mother had been painting. Her frown deepened. But Mother did not allow paints in her chamber. And where was Mother, anyway? Mother, who hated mess and chaos of any sort?

A low groan from the far side of the bed alerted the infant to the fact the room was not empty, and she hurried towards the source, dropping to her knees and crawling over the mound of papers. Mother lay on the other side, covered in more of the odd red liquid and her eyes were closed. The child reached out to grab her by the hand. If she was having a bad dream, it was time to wake her up.
The woman's eyes fluttered open at the infant's touch, blinking a couple of times before focusing on the amber gaze before her. She seemed upset, and the child remembered her forbidden ascent up the wooden stairs. She bit her lip.

"I'm sorry, Mother. I came up the stairs." She said contritely. The woman squeezed her hand tightly.

"It doesn't matter, Ryoko." She whispered, her voice quiet and faint like when they played hide and seek around the living room furniture downstairs. "It's not important now."

"Who were those men?"

"It's not important who they were." Mother was struggling to sit up now, but for some reason she was finding it difficult to do. Ryoko reached out a tiny fist to help her, but Mother was heavy, and her effort seemed to do nothing except exacerbate the problem of the spilt red paint. She bit her lip.

"Can we play now?" She asked. Mother's eyes closed briefly, and tears glistened on her cheek. Ryoko's brows drew together in confusion.

"Have I been naughty?"

"No, Ryoko-chan. No, you haven't." The woman shook her head, opening her eyes again. "Listen to me, my child. Listen very carefully. At the end of my bed, do you see a wooden box? It's my jewel box. The one with the dancing fairy that you like so much."

"I see it." Ryoko nodded her head. "Do you want it?"

"Please." Mother nodded, and Ryoko shuffled backwards, obediently scooping up the wooden casket. She held it out, and Mother took it gingerly in her hands. As she did so, the lid fell back open, and Mother let out a sigh which could have been either a sob or a cry of anger, Ryoko wasn't sure. The casket fell once more to the floor, and Ryoko hurried to pick it up again. Mother did not seem to want it back, however, and she let it drop back among the debris.

"They're gone." Mother's voice was getting fainter.

"Who's gone?" Ryoko was confused. "Is this a game, Mother?"

"No…no, it isn't a game." Mother shook her head. "Ryoko, you must…you must…"

The woman's eyes flickered shut, and she did not finish her sentence. Ryoko looked bewildered for a moment, patting Mother's shoulder.

"You didn't finish." She said. "Mother, what must I do? I can't hear you."

Mother did not respond, and lay still, the pool of red paint growing ever wider as she did so. Mother's face was pale, Ryoko realised, almost as pale as the dancing doll inside the music box and she frowned.

"Mother?" She whispered.

There was no reply. Whatever game Mother was playing, Ryoko didn't like it and she didn't like it at all. Shuffling back from the bed, she closed her eyes, tears welling in her baby gold eyes.

"Mother, stop it!" She whimpered. "I don't like this game! I don't like it!"

She drummed her hands on the floor, rocking slowly backwards and forwards as her tears overwhelmed her. The world ducked and swayed in her head, teasing and confusing her and at length she opened her eyes, blinking in bewilderment at her surroundings.

She was no longer in Mother's chamber, but outside in the street, and people were milling all around her. Her fingers and dress were coloured with Mother's red paint and she knew that she would get into trouble for travelling so far from the house on her own - especially when she was in such a mess. But Mother had been playing a funny game, and Ryoko hadn't liked it.

"Hello there, little one."

The man's gruff voice made her turn, and she stared up at him uncomprehendingly, her tears momentarily stopped by the kind smile in his dark eyes. He bent to her level, taking her hands in his and exclaiming as he registered the redness that tipped her fingers. Ryoko drew her hand away, dropping her eyes in shame.

"I'm sorry." She mumbled. "I didn't mean to be dirty."

"Where are you from, child? What happened to you?" The man seemed alarmed and he scooped her up in his arms, holding her tightly and securely the way Mother often did when she was upset. "Can you tell me? Where is your Mother or your Father?"

"Mother is at home." Ryoko pointed. "Father is gone a long way away."

The man called to his friend, who took one look at the child's attire, then hurried towards the house, pounding on the door and then forcing it open when his attempts to elicit a response were unrewarded. Ryoko watched with wide, frightened eyes.

"Mother doesn't like it when the door isn't locked." She said anxiously.

"Shh. We want to help your Mother." The man who held her spoke to her gently. "And you too, if you'll let us. Can you tell me your name, little one?"

"Ryoko." Ryoko said importantly. "Mother calls me Ryoko-chan. And Mother's name is Kichi-san, but if I call her that I get into trouble. So I call her Mother."

"Well, Ryoko-chan, let's see if we can't sort out what's happening here." The man said reassuringly. At that moment his friend re-emerged onto the main street and after glancing at his expression, Ryoko's new friend held her more tightly in his arms. They exchanged some words in a language Ryoko did not understand, and the second man shook his head, holding up his hands. His fingers were also red with blood, and the first man frowned.

"I see." He said gently, then, "Ryoko, your mother wants you to come with us. Will you do as she wishes?"

Ryoko looked confused.

"She was playing a game. I didn't like it." She said softly. "Is this part of her game?"

"Yes. Yes it is." The man nodded his head, and Ryoko tilted her head on one side, considering. At length she nodded.

"All right then." She agreed. "I'll come with you."

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

"Ryoko!"

Ryoko opened her eyes, blinking as the pictures flew away and she brought Tenchi's face into fuzzy focus before her. She groaned, struggling to sit upright and reaching a hand to her head as she fought to bring everything into perspective. Memories flooded her heart and her mind, confusing her and distracting her from the situation at hand, but something in Tenchi's desperate tone drew her back into the present, and she remembered that she was aboard Karasu.

Yes, Karasu, where she had been a prisoner, but something had happened...

"Enough of this!"

Haki's voice broke through her tangled thoughts, sending a jarring pain through her head as it did so. "I've done with all these theatrics. The Dark Heart is mine to possess and mine to control. All you've done is bring it to me, little girl. Ryoko is mine - she's always been mine. She can touch the jewels, but her bastard Jurai magic is stunted and unable to control their power. You foolish people...did you think you'd defeat me by driving a space pirate mad with the memories I so carefully removed from her mind, all those years ago?"

As she struggled to her feet, Tenchi's hands guiding her upright, his words sunk in fully and she wheeled on him, glaring at him darkly.

"You bastard." She spat out. "I always knew you'd done something to me...but shut out my past? My life? What else have you hidden from me? What else do you know that you haven't told me!"

She raised her hands as if ready to fight, but Ayeka's hand on her wrist made her pause.

"He's done enough to all of us." The Princess said quietly. "Take five, Ryoko. Tenchi and I will see to Haki...you'll just get yourself killed if you fight him now."

Ryoko stared, but the heavy feeling in her head prevented her from arguing and as Haki let out a yell of annoyance, raising his hand and firing bolts of white flame at his opponants, she watched almost blindly as Ayeka and Tenchi fell into perfect battle harmony. Despite how dead she felt, their intuitive understanding jarred within her and she sighed, sinking back against the ship's wall. It figured. Even now Tenchi was with Ayeka.

"Ryoko, you can't let them fight him alone!" That was Sasami, and as Ryoko turned, she realised the younger princess had shuffled down beside her. Ryoko stared, and Sasami slipped a hand in hers, squeezing it reassuringly.

"It's a lot to handle." She said quietly. "Washu told me to bring it to you. She said you were the best chance...if your magic was strong enough to control the gems, you were the one who could beat Haki. He can't be killed, Ryoko. His ship prevents that from happening. Washu says you need to imprison him somehow. She's ready to do the rest, but you have to act before anyone else gets hurt. I know you're tired and I know the gems have had an effect on you - Washu said that they would. But Tsunami wouldn't have told us where to find the Dark Heart if it wasn't right for us to bring it here. It's her magic too, Ryoko. She wants to help you too."

"I think I understood about one word in seven of that, Sasami." Ryoko held her head in her hands. "I think I need a drink, and...hey!" As her fingers ran over the smooth surface of the third gem, embedded deep into her brow. "Oh, great. Another one stuck to me like a limpet. I don't want them, Sasami! I don't want their devil magic running through me, making me remember things I was better off forgetting!"

Sasami was silent for a moment. Then she shook her head.

"Ayeka and Tenchi can't beat Haki." She said sadly. "Not without your help. Are you going to help them, Ryoko? Because I don't want them hurt, do you?"

"I don't know how to control these things, Sasami!" Ryoko protested. "I'm not a Princess of Jurai. What do I know about the Jurai Power?"

"Tsunami knows who you are, and follows your life as much as she follows mine." Sasami whispered, and Ryoko saw a strange shadow flit across the other girl's eyes. "Ryoko, there's not much more I - or she - can tell you. Just trust me that it's inside of you. And that you can do this. Washu believes you can and you know how she never bets against a scientific certainty. And I believe you can do it too, Ryoko-san. You just have to concentrate."

Ryoko was silent for a moment, then,

"The pictures it showed me...hurt me." She said haltingly. "The gem hurts inside of me...it burns, Sasami. It all burns. What if it's true and it does drive me mad? What if I hurt someone...hurt Tenchi? I couldn't live with myself if I did that!"

"You won't." Sasami squeezed her grip even tighter. "Trust me, Ryoko. Tsunami never lies."

"Tsunami, huh?" Ryoko frowned. "You sure do talk a lot to that spaceship of yours, kid...but all right. If you say so, I guess I'll give it a shot."

Tenchi drew a shaky breath of air into his lungs, ducking and diving the barrage of fire from Haki as he did his best to hold his own. He hadn't been kidding when he'd said he was out of practice, he mused, casting a sidelong glance at the Princess as he did so. Ayeka was clearly tiring too, but the determination on her face told him that she would keep fighting, as if fighting for the honour of her family. Perhaps, he realised, that was exactly what she was doing. Haki had invaded her ship and had taken her prisoner. It was hardly surprising that she was looking for revenge.

A glancing blow from one of Haki's blasts ricocheted off the hull of the craft, making the whole structure sway and shudder beneath the force of the impact. Tenchi struggled to keep his feet as Ayeka lost hers completely, reaching out in vain for something to steady her fall. Tenchi grabbed for her and missed, watching helplessly as the princess was flung across the ship, her head meeting the steel panelling of Karasu's walls with a sharp, sickening crack. She slumped, unconscious, and Haki let out a peal of cold laughter.

"Well, looks like you're on your own now, apprentice boy." He said mockingly. "I'll finish your pretty princess later...do you really think you can take me on on your own? You, who can't even keep that sword's power flowing for more than a few minutes at a time? What are you, anyway? Another of Jurai's delightful string of royal bastards? Or something else? Some experiment, perhaps - a scientific guinea pig?"

"How dare you speak to Tenchi that way!"

Ryoko's voice broke into the conversation before Tenchi could answer and he shot the pirate an anxious look, taking in her pallor and the strange look in her amber eyes. "Leave him alone, you monster! Do you hear me? Leave him be!"

"Ryoko, no!" Tenchi exclaimed. "You're hurt, he'll kill you! No!"

"Then let him." Defiance blazed in Ryoko's eyes, and she neatly put herself between Haki and Tenchi. From the sidelines, Ryo Ohki leapt into Sasami's waiting grasp, her own eyes big with the same odd emotions flickering through her mistress's. Haki laughed, shaking his head.

"Do you think you can really control those gems, Ryoko? When you're such a failure in every other way?" He demanded cruelly. "Do you really want to know what I took from your mind, all those years ago? Who you are? Where you came from? Why you came to be?"

"Do I look like I care about more of your lies?" Ryoko countered. "You're a Space Pirate. I don't trust a word you say. You're trying to distract me and it isn't going to work, you understand? I don't care if these rocks kill me, or drive me insane in the process. Let them. What else do I have to lose? A prison cell at the Galaxy Police? An eternity alone in Deep Space, always on the run? You're not going to talk me down - I know what I have to do and I won't let you hurt Tenchi!"

"This is so touching." Haki looked amused. "I knew you had a soft heart, Ryoko. I just didn't know how soft until now."

He raised his hand, sending out a bolt of white light that knocked Tenchi off his feet, winding him and sending him crashing to the ground.

"Tenchi!" Ryoko exclaimed, then, "You bastard, Haki! I told you already - leave him alone!"

"I'm all right. I'm all right, Ryoko." Tenchi managed to gasp out, even though he almost felt like he would explode from the energy of the blast. "Really. Don't worry about me. I'm fine."

"Well, I'm not." A look of determination crossed Ryoko's features, and her body was enveloped in a soft reddish glow. She raised her hand, as a flicker of orange light flared into her familiar sword, crackles of red light glimmering around the edges of the blade. "Come and get me, Haki, if you really think you can. I'm waiting for you. I'm ready."

"You're such a fool." Haki said darkly. "On my ship, everything works in my favour. Everything, even you, Ryoko."

He raised his hand, and the black tentacles shot out once more, gripping Ryoko tightly around her ankles and wrists. Her blade flickered out for a second as she let out a cry of surprise, struggling against their grip.

"Ryoko!" Tenchi struggled to get up, but Sasami reached out, grabbing his hand and pulling him back.

"Ryoko, you have to use your magic!" She exclaimed. "The gems only increase what you already have inside! You can do this - you just have to find it for yourself!"

Ryoko shot Sasami a bewildered look, then, slowly, a look of understanding flashed into her amber eyes and she nodded her head determinedly. With a yell which bordered on a true tribal battle cry, she thrust her hands above her head, closing her eyes as a flare of reddish light enveloped her. As the light grew stronger, she forced her fists together, the shackles melting and dripping from her wrists as she drew on more and more of her native magic, focusing as much of it as she could through her mind's eye and back into her control. Her sabre flared once more, buzzing with blood red energy as she hovered down opposite Haki, opening her eyes and meeting his gaze face to face. Her eyes were strange, Tenchi thought, glinting and sparkling in a way they never had before, and he began to wonder about the true influence of the gems. Were they really addictive? Could they really drive someone mad?

"So this is it, then?" Haki raised an eyebrow, bringing his own hands together as a burst of white light enveloped him. "You and I. Do you think you can kill me, Ryoko? I already told you, Karasu sustains me. There is no way to defeat me...you would do better to give up now, while you still have your sanity."

"Too late." Ryoko said grimly, reaching up a hand and pulling Haki's kerchief away from his face, tossing it across the floor. Tenchi let out an exclamation, taking in the scarred, disfigured features of the Space Pirate for the first time, and Haki let out a howl of rage, lunging for his young companion as he did so. Ryoko flickered and blurred out of view, reappearing several feet up and sending a barrage of her own energy out to combat his. From the look on her face, Tenchi knew that every effort was a struggle, and he moved to help her, but Sasami held him firmly.

"No, Tenchi." She said quietly. "You mustn't. You mustn't."

"I could tell you a lot of truths about yourself, Ryoko-san." Haki said darkly, his ice blue eyes glinting with malice as he eyed his opponant darkly. "Would you like to know what I really know about you? Why it was that, out of all of the waifs and strays I could have taken, it was you I chose?"

"I don't care whether you picked me out of a high street sale." Ryoko said flatly. "Right now, all I care about is making sure you don't bother anyone for a very long time."

"Did your mother ever tell you about your father, Ryoko?" Haki's features twisted into an unpleasant grimace. "Did she ever reveal to you that side of your lineage?"

A flicker of pain crossed Ryoko's features, but it was gone in an instant and Tenchi almost wondered if he had imagined it ever being there.

"Stop it." She commanded, sending out another barrage of red energy which was countered by Haki's white bursts of flame. "You can't distract me, I told you. I work alone now. I don't care about my family or my past. It isn't important now."

"Not even if I told you that you were Kagato's daughter?" Haki asked softly. "The secret spawn of the bastard Prince of Jurai?"

Despite herself, Ryoko faltered at this, staring at him in wide-eyed horror. As she did so, Haki took advantage, sending a volley of energy bursts that hit her side on, causing her to drop to the ground with a cry of pain.

"Ryoko!" Tenchi was on his feet, but Haki merely laughed.

"I told you you were a fool." He said quietly. "That I would always beat you, Ryoko."

"Then you really don't know me very well." Ryoko struggled to her feet, an angry glare in her eyes like Tenchi had never seen before. "A lucky shot, that's all, and it's the last lucky shot you're going to take in a long time!"

She drew her hands together, and a pulse of red energy burst forth from her body, enveloping almost the whole ship in it's ray as it engulfed Haki in it's blast. "I told you I was going to deal with you and I meant it. Even if it kills me, Haki, I won't let you hurt anyone else."

A second pulse of energy shot out from Ryoko's body, but Tenchi could see it was not quite as strong as the last, and as he took in the look in her eyes he knew that she had meant every word. Trapped in the glare, Haki let up a bloodcurdling yell, struggling to reassert his own power into the conflict, but Ryoko sent out a third flare of red energy, breathing hard as she focused all her power on confining the criminal where he stood.

"It's not enough." Sasami's eyes became wide. "Washu was right...maybe she did fail!"

"Sasami?" Tenchi stared at the young girl, who shook her head.

"Ryoko can't hold him alone." She said softly. "Tenchi, she needs help. Your help. She can't confine him...it's too much for her. Her magic isn't strong enough...she hasn't had enough time to learn to use it."

"You don't have to tell me twice." Tenchi was on his feet. "Ryoko, hang in there! I'm coming to help!"

He raised his sword, as it flickered and shone brighter than it had since the beginning of their conflict. A flare of light burst from the end, mingling with Ryoko's red beams and Haki screamed again, his own body flickering with power as he fought off the strength of the attack. And then, just as Tenchi began to think they would not manage to hold him, a third burst of energy came from the furthest corner of the ship, engulfing the pirate in a flood of magic. Tenchi glanced to one side, seeing Ayeka standing there, her brow bruised and her face screwed up in concentration.

"Someone do something!" She exclaimed. "We can't hold him there forever!"

Ryoko's determination seemed to double at Ayeka's words and she clenched her fists, letting out a screech of her own as she focused all of her remaining energy on the task at hand. Haki echoed her cry with a yell of his own, but this time the combined magic was too much for him and slowly a greyish hue began to touch the edges of his skin, slowly creeping over the whole of his body until he dropped to the floor, confined in solid black crystal and unable to move. His eyes glinted angrily from inside his prison, but he was trapped and slowly Tenchi lowered his sword as Ayeka fell back against the wall of the ship, letting out a sigh.

"Such bad manners." She murmured, sinking down onto the floor. "How rude."

The flare of red light that had engulfed Ryoko's body flickered and died at this, and with a whimper she dropped heavily to the ground, slumping unconscious on the floor of Karasu's drive room. With a clatter, the three gems detached themselves from her skin, rolling onto the hard surface as their light flickered out.

For a moment, noone spoke. Then Ryo Ohki dropped down onto the floor beside the still pirate, resting her head on her paws as she let out a mournful yowl.

"Ryoko!" Tenchi hurried down by the girl's side, but the pirate made no response. Desperately he tried to find any sign that she was alive - a heartbeat, anything...but he had never seen her look so pale, and terror grabbed at his heart.

"Ryoko." He whispered. "What have you done?"

"Tenchi?" Sasami's voice behind him made him turn, and he glanced up at the young girl, fighting his emotion as he met her gaze. Understanding crossed Sasami's face and, without a word, she carefully collected the three gemstones up, slipping them carefully into a slim plastic capsule. Then she crouched at Ryoko's side, placing a hand on her arm.

"Ryoko?" She whispered. "Don't give up yet, Ryoko. It's not time for you to die."

"I can't find a pulse." Tenchi forced his voice to stay level. "I can't hear her heart, Sasami. She really meant it, didn't she? When she said she'd do this - even if it killed her?"

"Ryoko?" Ayeka joined them at that moment, and Tenchi noticed a look of genuine concern on the Princess's face. "Oh, what have you done now, you silly girl! Nobody told you to go kill yourself! Now what are we meant to do!"

Tenchi swallowed hard, unable to answer. He turned his gaze back to the still form in something of a daze, knowing what he was seeing but yet somehow unable to believe it was really true. Not Ryoko. Not now. Not after everything they had been through together.

And then Sasami was between them, taking Ryoko's other hand in hers and closing her eyes.

"Tsunami, Ryoko needs you." She whispered. "Please, help her. If you can hear me, Tsunami, you know what I'm asking of you. You're sworn to protect all the daughters and sons of Jurai...please help Ryoko to find her way back."

"Sasami?" Ayeka's eyes were big with wonder, but the young girl took no notice, a look of fierce concentration crossing her brow. For a moment, nothing happened, and then a flicker of colour began to return to the still pirate's ashen cheeks. Tenchi reached for a pulse frantically, almost dizzy with relief when he felt the soft, gentle beat of his friend's heart, pulsing and alive once more. He glanced at Sasami, shaking his head slowly.

"I don't know how you did that." He said softly. "But your magic is truly amazing, Sasami."

"It's not my magic." Sasami opened her eyes, shaking her head. "It's Tsunami's magic. The Juraian Tree of Life. She protects all of the Royal Family of Jurai, Tenchi. Even those branches which are distant and hard to reach."

"Does that mean...?" Tenchi glanced back at Ryoko, watching the steady rise and fall of her chest as she drew breath into battered lungs. "Was Haki telling the truth? Is Ryoko really Kagato's daughter?"

"Kagato's...?" Ayeka reacted with alarm, but Sasami nodded her head.

"Tsunami knows Ryoko through her Juraian blood." She agreed solemnly, somehow seeming much older than her young years. "That's why she was able to help her."

She got to her feet, swaying slightly as the impact of her effort began to take effect and Ayeka took her gently by the arm, supporting her young sister.

"Obviously there is a lot you have to tell me, Sasami." She said gravely. "But right now, we have to deal with the matter at hand. If Ryoko lives, she still needs help. And Haki might be trapped, but he's not confined yet. We need to work out some way of dealing with him - of imprisoning him somewhere he can never get out."

"Washu says she has an idea on how to do that." Sasami remembered. "She's going to trap him in a subspace dimension...somewhere that it's practically impossible to escape from. She was working on the final details when I left...it's why she didn't come here with me."

"Will the ship attack us, if we try to leave?" Tenchi wondered. Sasami shook her head.

"Washu told me that Karasu's energy was bound to Haki's and vice versa." She said tiredly. "Haki is trapped so so is Karasu. The ship is frozen too, Tenchi. We're safe enough. But Ayeka is right. We need to get back to Yagami and," She yawned. "I need to take a nap. I'm exhausted by all this excitement."

"Then it's time we went back." Tenchi gently scooped up Ryoko's unconscious form in his arms, holding her tightly as Ryo Ohki scampered up onto his shoulder, her eyes fixed on her mistress's body. "Ayeka, do you have Washu's device?"

"Yes, I have it." Ayeka nodded, pulling the small flat disk from her pocket. "All right, everyone. Let's go back."