Tenchi Muyo Fan Fiction ❯ Advent of Washu: Cascade ❯ Welcoming the Deep ( Chapter 2 )

The Advent of Washu

-Cascade-

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Welcoming the Deep

. . . And Mikamo and Mikumo are for Seniwa . . .

"Why now?" Washu sighed, leaning back in her chair and staring at the ceiling. It all happened such a long time ago. Why return to me now?

One of Ryo-oh-ki's crystals drifted up to her and meowed. The scientist sighed. "Yes, I know they're out there." She bowed her head and rubbed her temple. The memories had been so vivid, so emotional.

"We'd better move soon, I suppose. How are you feeling?"

Ryo-oh-ki meowed half-heartedly.

"Yeah," Washu said, smiling softly at the crystal. "Me too."

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"So you don't know where they are?" Ryoko asked, looking up at Yukinojo's AI unit.

"I already told you. They went into the asteroids, and I lost contact with them."

"So how long 'till we get there?"

"At least forty-five minutes."

"You're too slow," she muttered, pushing her seat away from the control panel.

"And Yukinjo's main unit will not fit within the asteroid belt," the computer continued, slightly put-off from being called slow, "so we will have to deploy the shuttle. That will take another five minutes."

"Damnit, what'd she have to go into space for, anyway?" She kicked her feet up on one of the consoles and leaned back in the chair, folding her hands behind her head.

"By the way, Ryoko."

"Yes?"

"What are we going to do about that man you brought with you?"

"Oh, him?" She thought for a moment, and then shrugged. "Ignore him. I don't feel like dealing with him right now."

"Okay, but he's been shouting obscenities at me for the last half hour. I don't know how much more his voice can take."

"Don't worry about it. Can't you go any faster?"

"Not while we are still in the solar system."

Ryoko sighed and closed her eyes. "Fine. Just wake me up when we get there, alright?"

"Do you really think detective Mihoshi is in danger?"

"No. She can take care of herself. It's Washu I'm worried about."

Yukinojo cocked his dome. "Miss Washu? But she's . . ."

"She's not herself," Ryoko interrupted without opening her eyes. "Something's happening to her. To the both of us. And I'm not sure what it is, so just keep an eye out for Ryo-oh-ki, alright?"

"Yes, miss Ryoko."

> > >

Adrian gave the door his strongest kick yet, causing him to loose his balance and go stumbling back against the wall of the tiny holding cell.

"That bitch," he muttered, collapsing into the cot that was the sole furnishing of the cell. He sighed and draped his arms and legs over the sides of the cot, resigning himself to defeat. "Damn her, locking me up like this. When I get out of here . . ."

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"Wait," Shinjiro said, suddenly leaning forward in his chair and pointing at the view screen. "Back it up a little, will you, Amos?"

"Yes, sir," Amos said, halting the sensor sweep and reversing the image playback, "but I didn't . . ."

"I know, I know. I didn't get any readings, either, but I thought I saw something. Alright, hold it there, and bring the sensors back around again."

"Yes, sir. But I still don't see anything."

"Yeah," Shinjiro said, studying the view screen. What he saw wasn't that promising; just more of the same asteroids they'd been looking at for the last hour, and they were all just as brown and as dull as the next. "Yeah, me neither." He sat back in the chair, stroking his chin. "You know what? Zoom in by about twenty percent, and leave it here for a bit."

"Yes, sir."

"But keep looking around while we're at it, too. No need to get lazy."

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Tenchi sat down and shook his head in disbelief. "That's just crazy."

"I know," Ayeka said. "I didn't believe it, either.

"And she just took off afterwards?"

Ayeka nodded.

Tenchi shook his head again. "But that doesn't sound like Washu at all."

"No, it doesn't." They were sitting in Tenchi's bedchamber, just down the hall from where Sasami was still sleeping soundly. The sun had risen higher in the sky by now and was streaming through the branches of the palace, casting shadows on the walls that danced about as the morning breeze rustled the leaves. Tenchi sighed.

"Oh man, I don't need this right now."

Ayeka sat down beside Tenchi on the couch.

He leaned back and rubbed his eyes. "Do you think we should . . ?"

"Washu's perfectly capable of taking care of herself."

"Yeah," he said, running his hands through his hair before dropping them to his side. "I guess she is. So how's Sasami doing?"

"Oh." She glanced down at her lap. "She's much better now. She was awake for a little while last night."

Tenchi smiled. "Hey, that's great! And she's feeling alright?"

Ayeka nodded. "Yes. At least, I think so. She didn't say anything . . ." Her voice trailed off.

Tenchi stood and stretched. "Well. Come on then," he said, holding out his hand toward Ayeka.

The princess looked up at him, then at his outstretched hand. "What . . ?"

Tenchi laughed. "I want to see Sasami. Don't you want to come?"

"Oh." She took his hand, and he helped her to her feet. "But I don't think she's awake yet."

"Then we'll just look in on her. Come on."

> > >

"She looks so peaceful, doesn't she?" Tenchi said, gently closing Sasami's door and stepping back into the hall.

"Yes, she does," Ayeka said. "And I'm glad."

"She did have us pretty scared there for a while, didn't she?" Tenchi said, laughing and scratching the back of his head.

"I'm just glad it's over now, and she's resting peacefully," Ayeka said, walking a few steps down the hall and taking a seat on a bench facing one of the large windows that looked out on the Juraian countryside.

"Yeah," Tenchi said, leaning against the wall next to Ayeka's bench. "But when she started shaking like that . . ." he shook his head. "No wonder Ryoko was so rattled."

"Ryoko," Ayeka sniffed, "why she's just . . ," she paused, letting the insult hang. "No," she sighed, "it's not her fault."

"So Ryoko went after Washu, didn't she?"

"What are you thinking about her for now, anyway?" Ayeka scowled, looking up at Tenchi.

"Oh, um," he stammered, backing away from Ayeka. "I was just worried about them, that's all."

"They can take care of themselves."

"Yeah, but . . ."

"And besides," she said, turning from Tenchi to stare out the window again. "They're on the other side of the galaxy."

"Ayeka . . ."

"And with Sasami sick . . ."

Tenchi sighed and stepped forward, placing his hands on her shoulders. "We'll just do what we can, then, and wish them good luck. I'm sure it's nothing, anyway."

"Yes," Ayeka said, sniffing. She reached up and rested her hand on top of Tenchi's. "Yes, Washu will take care of it."

Tenchi patted her hand. "Let's get Sasami some breakfast, why don't we?"

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"Got you," Shinjiro whispered to himself, slowly leaning forward in his chair and grinning. "You see 'em too, right Amos?"

"Yes sir. And logic would stand to suggest that if we can see them, then they can see us, as well."

Shinjiro raised an eyebrow at Amos. "You nervous? I didn't know you were programmed for that."

"I wouldn't call it nerves, sir, but I'm a survey ship. I'm no match for Ryo-oh-ki in battle."

Shinjiro chuckled. "Well no shit. Who said we were going to fight 'em, anyway?"

"Then how . . ."

"What do you think all those boxes down in your hold are? Ballast?"

Amos paused. "I don't follow, sir."

"I bought you a cloaking device, Amos. Happy birthday."

"A cloaking device? But I detect no such equipment on board."

"It's a passive cloak; you're not supposed to be able to detect it. It monitors the space in the immediate vicinity, and emulates the signals it receives, effectively turning us into a hole in space. Not much against visual detection, but it works in a jam."

"So you just want to follow them?"

"Until I can think of something better."

"Like what?"

He shrugged and folded his hands behind his head. "I'm not sure yet. But I've got a few surprises left in me still. I'll think of something."

> > >

". . . And that's what happened," Mihoshi said, finishing off the last of the sake` in her cup and reaching for a refill. Rodger shook his head.

"So why don't you just go and tell him all that. Straighten this mess right up."

"Do you think he'll believe me?" she asked.

Rodger took the sake` bottle from Mihoshi and refilled his own glass. "Hell, I don't even know if I believe you. Time travel, and all that."

"Oh," Mihoshi said, looking down at her lap.

"But hey, it's worth a shot." He tipped his glass back, downing the drink in one gulp. "Man, this stuff sucks," he grimaced, plopping the small glass down on the table. "And I traded some perfectly good tea for it, too."

"You're drinking it too fast," Mihoshi said, sipping at her drink. "Hey, why don't you tell him? He's your friend, and he doesn't like me very much at all."

Rodger stood and leaned against the bulkhead, folding his arms. "Yeah, well . . ." he laughed and shook his head. "I thought he was a friend. I'm not so sure now."

"Because he left your friend on Earth?"

"Among other things, yes."

"But I still don't know why he wants to arrest Washu."

Rodger shrugged. "I don't know that he really knows himself. He swears up and down that he saw her at G.P. headquarters right before it blew. But even if she was, that still doesn't prove anything."

"He's . . . uh . . . delusional, isn't he?"

Rodger chuckled. "Maybe he is. Or maybe he's right. I don't know."

Mihoshi refilled her glass. "So why are you helping him then?"

"Because he pays good."

Mihoshi gasped. "You didn't!"

Rodger took the sake` carafe from Mihoshi and emptied it into his own cup. It only filled his glass half way and he frowned at it before setting it back on the table. "Yeah, I sold out. Though at the time he was pretty convincing."

"But won't you lose your job now?"

"If home office finds out, probably."

Mihoshi shook her head. "This is all very confusing."

Rodger sipped at his sake` and nodded. "Isn't it, though? Nobody seems to really know why they're doing what they're doing."

"Well I have to do something. Washu would never do anything like that, and he doesn't have any right to say that she did."

"So what are you going to do?"

Mihoshi sighed and bowed her head. "I don't know."

Rodger laughed and lifted his sake` cup in a toast. "And so the story continues. Cheers." He tipped his glass back and downed the last of the wine. "It's still terrible."

Mihoshi smiled. "But I still like it," she said, drinking from her own cup.

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Sasami woke up feeling exhausted. The light streaming in through the window told her that it was morning. She groaned, rolling over and covering her head with a pillow. Morning meant that everyone would be getting up soon. And as soon as everyone was up, Sasami knew, they would want to come and see how she was feeling.

Too bad she didn't really know how she was feeling.

Well, she knew she was tired, at least. Sasami pulled the pillow tight over her head, but couldn't shut out the sunlight that was pouring into her room, so she gave up trying and tossed the pillow aside. She rolled over and stared at the ceiling, flinging her arms straight out to either side. They would also want to know what had happened to her.

She sighed. Too bad she didn't know that, either.

Her head felt groggy. She was exhausted, but it was morning and she had the feeling she wouldn't be able to get back to sleep anyway, even if everyone left her alone. Like that would happen.

It wasn't as though she didn't want to see them. She even felt kind of happy that so many people were concerned about her. But she really was quite tired, and didn't want to try answering a lot of questions that she didn't know the answers to.

She said it would be different, she thought, and closed her eyes. Tsunami said it would be different now. The sun was shining on her bed, and she was starting to get warm under the covers. She sighed again, pushing the bedding aside. Everything will be different, and things will start happening.

She really didn't like the sounds of that. She sat up and poured herself a glass of water from the pitcher on the nightstand. The water was pleasantly cool, and Sasami figured that one of the nurses must have refilled the pitcher since her conversation with Ayeka last night.

"Oh," she said suddenly, setting the glass down and looking around the room. Ayeka's blankets were folded neatly on the large chair next to the bed, and an unused futon was leaning against the far wall. "Where did she go?" she wondered.

Her stomach growled. "Yeah," she muttered, rubbing her belly, "that's probably where she is."

She paused and sighed again as she realized she had been talking to herself. She leaned back against the massive headboard and stared out the window. It didn't offer much of a view, at least not when compared with the view from her own bedroom. Of course, her room was with the rest of the royal suites on the uppermost levels of the palace while the infirmary was much closer to the ground. Her stomach growled again, and she wondered if she should go and get some breakfast.

"But I don't know where to go," she muttered, resting her head against the headboard as she realized she wasn't very familiar with this section of the palace. She still felt quite groggy.

Everything will be different . . .

But she'd also said she'd be there for her; that she would never leave her alone.

Then why did she feel so lonely?

"I want to go home," she said, pulling her knees to her chest and bowing her head.

. . . Be strong . . .

Sasami shook her head. Everything felt wrong. She didn't know why, but she felt empty inside, hollow. Nothing felt the same as it had before. Everything felt different.

And she was lonely. So very lonely.

Lonely and tired.

Her head still felt groggy, and she started to feel a little dizzy as well. She closed her eyes, trying to shut out the swimmy feeling that was starting to make her slightly sick. It didn't help.

Instead it started to get worse, and in the next instant it felt as though she had been pulled a million miles from her body and she was looking out on the universe and before her surprised eyes lay all the galaxies and stars and planets and continents and oceans and cities and towns and houses and people and hearts and souls.

And it was beautiful.

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Ryo-oh-ki drifted slowly and silently through the asteroids, and the Amos crept along behind her, sticking to the shadows and taking care to remain just outside of visual range. Shinjiro was leaning forward, his elbows resting on the control console and his gaze fixed on the screen.

Amos watched him silently.

Up ahead, a particularly large asteroid started to take shape, drifting out of the shadows. Shinjiro smiled.

"All right, Amos," he said, looking up at the 'bot. "Get ready."

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"Well, Ryo-oh-ki, isn't that cute?" Washu asked, smiling at the crystal. Ryo-oh-ki meowed her agreement. They watched as the Amos drifted along behind them, doing it's best to remain hidden and failing. "It really is a shame you can see right through that nice little cloaking device. I'm sure it wasn't cheap."

Ryo-oh-ki grinned.

Washu leaned back in the chair and started tapping her fingers on the armrest. "He's certainly a cocky one, though. I wonder what he's up to?" She looked at Ryo-oh-ki, who cocked her crystal to the side and meowed. "We're going to have to do something about him, you know. We can't go back to Earth, and we can't destroy them . . ." her voice trailed off in thought. Her fingers danced back and forth across the armrest, and Ryo-oh-ki watched her curiously.

Suddenly, Washu's eyes gleamed, and she grinned at Ryo-oh-ki. "Well, I guess I could capture him and alter his memory. What do you think?"

The crystal shook her head no. Washu laughed. "Yeah, that would take care of things nicely . . . Oh my."

She felt it before it hit this time, so that she was almost ready for it. It was as if a red-hot poker had been shoved through her skull and deep into her brain. She closed her eyes against the pain and clasped her hands to her head. The poker swirled about within her mind, reaching deeper and deeper into her subconscious, branching out and spreading, seeking . . . searching . . .

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The fire burned in her, white hot and out of control. They ran from her, of course. Most were screaming in terror, but there were a few who cursed her name, braving defiant glances in her direction as they herded their families to safety. She didn't care about them, one way or another. If they were in her way, than she removed them. If not, she ignored them. It was that simple.

Or was it?

She watched them run, a smile on her face, her eyes glowing red, reflecting the condition of her soul. She watched them run; her soul on fire, her heart weeping.

He laughed at her, mocking her weakness. Her smile grew larger, and she laughed the laugh of the tormented, returning to her search.

She didn't remember which planet it was, and it didn't really matter. It had always been the same.

And the gems were there.

> > >

"Miss Ryoko?"

She woke with a small gasp, the gem on her wrist burning.

"Damnit," she cursed, sitting up so quickly she almost fell forward out of her chair. She grabbed her wrist as Yukinojo slid around to look at her.

"What is it, miss Ryoko?"

The heat from the gem seared the palm of her hand, and she gritted her teeth, willing the gem to cool. After a moment, the heat started to subside.

"Ryoko?"

"Shit," she said, gingerly letting go of her wrist and looking at her hand. A small burn was neatly centered in her palm where she had covered the gem. She balled her hand into a fist and lowered her head.

"Are we there yet, Yukinojo?"

Yukinojo blinked a few times, gathering his thoughts. "Uh, yes we are. I was just about to separate the shuttle. Are you feeling . . ?"

"You can let him go now."

"Yes, ma'am."

Ryoko looked up at Yukinojo's view screen. A vast expanse of asteroids lay in front of them, stretching to eternity in either direction. Ryoko sighed and flexed her left hand, trying to work the last of the burn from her wrist. Washu was out there, somewhere in the asteroids. She was probably enjoying herself, too.

"And don't launch the shuttle until he's up here, either."

"Yes."

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Shinjiro watched as Ro-oh-ki passed within a couple hundred yards of the large asteroid, and then seemed to falter and pause. He grinned and grabbed hold of Amos's throttle lever, shoving it all the way forward. The engines roared to life and the ship launched forward, curving away from the asteroid it had been half-hiding behind.

"You ready for this, Amos?" Shinjiro laughed as the ship started to gather speed, breaking from the shadow of the asteroid and into the open space between them and Ryo-oh-ki.

"I hope this works, sir," Amos said, his gaze fixed on the view screen. The ship started to shake under the pressure of acceleration.

Shinjiro nodded. "Yeah. Me too." He looked up at the robot and smiled.

The Amos continued to pick up speed.

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It started with white. Or was it red? It was an intense light that surrounded her completely, enfolding her in a blanket of peace. The probing had ceased, retreating as rapidly as it had appeared and leaving her stunned at the suddenness of its departure. She dropped her hands from her temple and looked around. She could see nothing but white.

Now she was confused. One moment, she had been standing on the bridge of Ryo-oh-ki, laughing at the feeble attempts of Lieutenant Yakagamo to follow them un-noticed, and the next she had been incapacitated by the same searing, invasive pain that had knocked her unconscious earlier that evening. And now, here she was, standing in the middle of an endless field of pure light. She shook her head. This isn't right, she told herself, and reached her mind out, feeling for Ryo-oh-ki. Instead, she felt another presence. She smiled.

"What do you want?" she asked out loud, her voice falling flat in the vast expanse of white.

To make things better . . .

A low rumble started somewhere in the distance, and Washu nodded.

"Isn't that what we all want?" she asked, looking up as the rumble grew louder, emphasized by the silence of the light that surrounded her. The presence in her mind grew, spreading from her mind and expanding to fill the rest of her body. It was a wonderful feeling, so warm and inviting. So comforting.

Remember . . ?

The rumble grew louder, and the light began to dim. Washu laughed. What was this? It was like nothing she had ever experienced before. Her mind was completely open; nothing was closed to her. She could feel every nerve, every muscle of her body. Her senses extended well beyond their physical limitations and into the realm of the supernatural. It was amazing.

Now do you see . . ?

The rumble had grown to deafening levels, but she hardly noticed. "Yes," Washu said, allowing her senses to extend into the infinite. The universe lay before her, with all of its glory opened to her newly enlightened consciousness. She started laughing, quietly at first, but soon her joy overpowered her wonder, and her laughter grew to drown out the ever increasing din of the rumble.

Ryo-oh-ki cried out to Washu, and she gasped. The world of light had closed in on her, fading to dark grey. The powerful presence suddenly abandoned her, leaving her naked in the field of grey. An incredibly deep rumble penetrated every pore of her body, threatening to tear her apart.

"What is this?" she cried, shouting into the darkness that surrounded her, her voice echoing off the unseen walls of the prison. The rumble suddenly exploded, the grey expanding into a pure, intense white and then fading away to reveal Ryo-oh-ki's bridge. All of the control crystals cried out at once, and Washu winced, trying to shake off the effects of the vision. Ryo-oh-ki shouted at her again.

"What?" Washu said, looking up. On Ryo-oh-ki's view screen, she saw the Amos bearing down on them, his engines going full bore.

"Oh," Washu said, her eyes going wide as a puff of smoke erupted from the Amos's bow and a missile shot toward them, closing the distance between the two ships far more quickly then she would have liked.

"Damnit, Ryo-oh-ki!" Washu shouted, lunging for the ships controls. "Move it!" Washu grabbed hold of the two balls that served as Ryo-oh-ki's control mechanisms and shoved them forward. The ship sprang to life, arching away from the missile.

But too late, and her world was once again filled with noise and light.

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Ayeka rapped softly on Sasami's door. "Sasami," she said, cracking the door open, "we've brought you some breakfast."

She waited for a moment, and when no answer came from inside, she looked at Tenchi, who nodded. She opened the door all the way, and they went inside.

Sasami was sitting up in bed, hugging her knees and crying softly. She sniffed and looked up as she heard Tenchi and Ayeka enter the room.

"Oh, Sasami," Ayeka gasped, crossing the room quickly. Sasami smiled weakly and wiped her eyes.

"Good morning, Ayeka," she said, trying to sound cheerful. Ayeka sat next to Sasami and wiped the little girls eyes dry.

"What is it, Sasami?" she asked. "Is something wrong?"

Tenchi set the breakfast tray on the end table and sat down next to Ayeka.

Sasami sniffed and looked down. "No, I'm just tired," she said.

Tenchi smiled at her. "Well, we brought you some breakfast."

"Thank you, Tenchi," Sasami said, looking over at the breakfast tray. She stared at the food for several seconds, and then looked back up at Tenchi and Ayeka.

"Miss Washu's in trouble, isn't she?" Sasami asked.

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"The Ryo-oh-ki still hasn't moved," Amos said as the gap between the two ships rapidly decreased.

"I can see that, Amos," Shinjiro said, shouting to be heard over the roar of the engines and the creaking of the overstressed hull. The bridge doors slid open and he turned to see Rodger stumbling through the doorway, grabbing hold of the bulkhead to keep from losing his balance.

"What the hell are you doing to my ship?" Rodger shouted, stepping onto the bridge and looking around at the various gauges and readouts, which were all reading near critical. Mihoshi came stumbling up the passageway behind him.

Shinjiro waved him off and turned back to the view screen. "Don't worry, Rodge. Amos said he could handle it."

"Amos doesn't have to pay for the repairs."

"What's our range, Amos?"

"Twelve thousand yards and closing at a rate of four hundred yards a second."

Shinjiro did some quick math in his head. "Thirty seconds. Missile range is six thousand, at fifteen seconds. Damn, what I wouldn't give for a fire control computer right about now."

"He wasn't built for this, you know," Rodger said, pulling up the right-hand seat.

"You knew it might come to this. What's the count, Amos?"

"Time on target is eighteen seconds, three seconds until mark . . . two . . . one. Shall I launch?"

Shinjiro shook his head. "Wait five more seconds, fire, and then break off and kick it into high gear, and don't slow down until we're behind that asteroid." He looked over at Rodger. "We don't want to be around if this doesn't work."

Rodger nodded. "Yeah." The bridge doors slid shut. He looked over his shoulder and saw Mihoshi standing flat against the aft bulkhead, trying to keep her feet on the roughly shaking deck. "You might want to grab a seat, Detective. I've a feeling this is going to get ugly."

"You're not fighting Washu, are you?" Mihoshi asked, taking a few tentative steps toward the chart table.

"Missile launch successful, sir," Amos said, swiveling around to look at Shinjiro.

"Break off," he shouted, leaning forward and punching a button located high up on the console. A loud explosion sounded from somewhere aft, and the ship gave a sudden lurch forward. Mihoshi cried out as she was knocked off her feet and fell to the deck, skidding back against the rear bulkhead.

"Damnit, Shinjiro!" Rodger shouted, twisting back to glare at the lieutenant.

"Ha ha! There she goes!" he cried, pointing at the view screen. A trail of white smoke marked the missiles path, heading straight for Ryo-oh-ki. The Amos started banking to the left, and the cameras panned with the curve, keeping the missile on screen.

"Why doesn't she move?" Rodger muttered as the missile bore down on the other ship, and then all was lost to view as they passed behind the asteroid. A moment later, a bright yellow flash broke the horizon. Rodger sighed and bowed his head.

"Oh no! Washu!" Mihoshi cried, nursing a sprained wrist.

Shinjiro leaned back in his chair. "All right, Amos. You can slow down now. We'll know if it worked soon enough."

"How do you figure?" Rodger muttered.

"Well, if it didn't, she'll be after us in a moment, and shortly thereafter we'll be dead."

"And that's it?" Rodger said, looking up.

Shinjiro nodded. "Pretty much."

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The missile exploded directly in front of them, less than twenty yards out. Washu watched in surprise as a massive net unfolded before them, seeming to expand in slow motion from the cloud of smoke and shrapnel that was all that remained of the missile. The entire surface of the net immediately lit up as enormous amounts of energy started charging through the spider web of cables.

"Damnit!" Washu shouted, trying to steer Ryo-oh-ki away from the net.

The next instant, the entire ship lurched as the net crashed down around them, wrapping itself about the multiple spikes and angles of the ship. Ryo-oh-ki cried out in pain as the energy from the net coursed into her, wreaking havoc with her control functions.

Rockets attached to the outer edges of the net fired, pulling it tight and dragging Ryo-oh-ki toward the asteroid. Washu was knocked off her feet as the ship tilted sideways. Ryo-oh-ki continued to cry out in confusion, and alarms started flashing as dozens of status screens popped up around Washu, all trying to tell her that everything was going wrong. She cursed and tried to stand up, but was promptly knocked down again as the ship shook violently and a grating, screeching sound drowned out the howl of the alarms. The screeching grew louder, and the ship gave one last great shake before all went quiet.

Washu slowly got to her feet and waved for the alarms to shut off. Ryo-oh-ki stopped crying and looked at Washu worriedly. She walked over to the command chair and shut off the status readouts so all that remained was the main view screen. Washu frowned and looked around. The net had them completely ensnared, quite effectively pinning them to the side the asteroid. She shook her head and looked at Ryo-oh-ki.

"Well, this sucks."

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The docking clamps released with a hiss and the shuttle engines ignited, blasting the smaller craft away from Yukinojo's main unit.

"You do realize, of course," Yukinojo said, steering the shuttle toward the asteroids, "that we have absolutely no idea where to start looking for them."

Ryoko nodded. "Yeah, I know. Just leave it to me."

"I'd rather not," Adrian said, shifting about uncomfortably as he leaned against the rear bulkhead of the cabin. He grunted in disgust as he tried to find a suitable position in which to rest his massive frame. "Damnit, you could at least take the handcuffs off."

"I could," Ryoko said, closing her eyes. "Now keep it down, alright?"

"Like hell," he growled, giving up on getting comfortable and pushing away from the bulkhead. "First you throw me in the lake, and then you lock me in that cell, and now this . . ." he nodded at his bound wrists. "And you expect me to shut up? You're something else, you know."

"I'm trying to contact Ryo-oh-ki," Ryoko growled.

"You're what?"

"Never mind, just shut up already."

Adrian scowled and fell back against the bulkhead. "Yeah, well I still say you could take the cuffs off."

Ryoko clenched her eyes tighter, searching for her starship's presence. Come on, she thought, calling for Ryo-oh-ki. I know you're around here somewhere.

A slight twinge played at the back of her mind, and she smiled. Gotcha', she thought and opened her eyes. The sensation had been fleeting, nothing more than a whisper, but it had been enough. Ryoko keyed in a set of coordinates.

Yukinojo chewed on the numbers for second and then looked at Ryoko disapprovingly. "This location is deep within the asteroid field, Miss Ryoko. You can't actually mean for us to go in there? There are too many asteroids, and their courses are indiscriminate."

"Don't look at me like that. You knew they went in there."

"I was secretly hoping that I was wrong."

"You're bound and determined to kill me, aren't you?" Adrian said, doing his best to fold his arms despite the handcuffs.

"You started it, remember? And I thought you miners loved asteroids."

"When you're in the right sort of ship with the right sort of pilot. You're neither."

"Let's get to it, Yukinojo."

"Yes Ma'am," the computer said, guiding the ship into the field.

Adrian sighed and watched on the view screen as the shuttle passed into the asteroid belt. Rocks of all sizes quickly surrounded them. Beautiful rocks that were undoubtedly laden with ore.

"Figures," he mumbled.

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

Ayeka blinked. "What . . . what was that?"

Sasami sighed and bowed her head. "Oh. Nothing."

Ayeka shook her head. "But, how can you know about it? I only found out myself a little while ago."

Sasami looked up at her sister with a face full of concern. "Ayeka, we have to help her."

Ayeka was still shaking her head. "But. . ." She brought a hand to her mouth and looked away.

Sasami looked over at Tenchi.

"How do you know about that, Sasami?" he asked. "Ayeka only just told me."

Sasami shook her head. "I don't know," she said, wringing her hands. "But it's true, isn't it?"

Tenchi nodded. "Yes, it's true."

Sasami leaned forward, getting up close to Tenchi. "Then we have to go! Washu needs me!"

"Sasami . . ." he began, putting a hand on her shoulder. His eyes passed over her forehead, and he paused.

"I'm sorry, Sasami, but we can't," Ayeka said, turning back to face the two. "You're still sick."

"But Ayeka . . ."

"And they're all the way across the galaxy."

"Ayeka," Sasami pleaded, almost in tears again.

Ayeka sighed and wrapped an arm around Sasami's shoulders. "I'm sorry Sasami. But there really is nothing we can do from here. Besides, Miss Washu is perfectly capable of taking care of herself. And brother Yosho is there, too."

"But Washu's not well."

"I want to help them too," Tenchi said. "But we're going to have to trust that our friends can take care of themselves this time."

Sasami's lip started to quiver. "You . . . you guys are mean."

"Try and get some more rest," Ayeka said, rising from the bed and kissing Sasami on the forehead. "And you should eat some breakfast, too. Before it gets cold."

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

Shinjiro looked from Rodger to Mihoshi . . . from Mihoshi to Amos . . . and from Amos back to Rodger. They'd been sitting behind the asteroid for almost five minutes now. Rodger sighed.

"I think you got her, man."

Shinjiro nodded. "Yeah, you're probably right." He sat back and folded his hands behind his head. "Though I've got to admit, I wasn't entirely certain that net would be able to hold Ryo-oh-ki."

"Yeah, I'd kinda' figured," Rodger muttered, sliding his seat away from the console. "So what now?"

"There's nowhere left for her to run," he said, punching some commands into Amos's computer and standing. "So now we do what we came here for." The ship started moving.

"What you came here for, you mean," Rodger said.

"Sure." He turned for the doors. Mihoshi stepped in front of him, blocking his path.

"No," she said, holding her arms out to her side.

"No?" Shinjiro repeated.

She shook her head. "I can't let you do this."

Shinjiro sighed and looked over his shoulder at Rodger. The miner shook his head. "You dragged her into this, man. She's your problem."

Shinjiro looked back at Mihoshi. "You know that I've got to do this, right?"

"But why?"

"I'm not going to explain it again."

Mihoshi shook her head furiously. "But she's my friend . . ."

"Who killed all of mine."

Mihoshi dropped one of her arms and started searching around her belt line. "You don't know Washu," she said, feeling for her control cube. "I can't let you go any further, and if you do . . ." She paused and looked down at her belt. "Oh no. Where is it?"

Shinjiro smiled. "No control cube?"

"I think . . . maybe . . ." She reached into the large bundle of hair that was tied up to the back of her head. She felt around for a moment, then frowned.

Shinjiro sidestepped Mihoshi and patted her on the shoulder as he walked by. "Don't worry. I'll try and take it easy on your friend."

"I appreciate that," Washu said from her perch on the chart table. "I bruise easily, you know."

Shinjiro whirled around so fast he almost tripped. "What the . . ! How did you get here?"

"Washu!" Mihoshi cried, clasping her hands in front of her. "You're alright!"

"That was a cute trick you pulled back there," Washu said, hopping down from the table. "What with the electric net and all. I'm quite impressed, really."

"I'm glad you approve," Shinjiro scowled. "Now how did you get over here?"

"Don't worry about it."

"So what's it going to be, then?" he asked, fingering his holstered pistol.

"Well, I had been planning on capturing you and altering your memory. But I'm not going to now."

"Thank you."

"But I'm still curious as to what you want. And I'm not talking about Kain, either."

"What else is there?"

"Why don't you tell me?"

"I just did. As far as I'm concerned, there is nothing else."

Washu shook her head. "You're amazing, Lieutenant. Even after all this, you still have no idea what it is you're really doing."

Shinjiro pulled his blaster and pointed it at Washu. Mihoshi gasped and took a step back, bumping into Rodger. "No," Shinjiro said, staring hard at Washu. "I'm pretty sure I know exactly what it is I'm doing."

There was a brilliant flash of light, and Shinjiro's weapon went skidding across the deck. Washu stepped forward and lowered her outstretched hand. He took a step back, rubbing his wrist.

"I like you, Lieutenant," Washu said.

"You've got a funny way of showing it," he grumbled, trying to shake some life back into his numbed hand.

"Not many people are capable of giving me such a hard time."

"But you're only toying with me, aren't you?"

"I don't know why you're here, really, but it's not because of Kain. Of that I'm certain. Let's just say you've piqued my curiosity."

Shinjiro glared at her. "You have no idea what it was like, being there and watching everything around you getting destroyed."

"I'm sure it was terrible."

Shinjiro laughed, his voice dripping with disdain. "Don't you patronize me, Hakubi. Don't you even dare."

"I truly am sorry about what happened, but I had nothing to do with any of it."

"Damnit, Hakubi! I saw you! Plain as day, right there in front of me."

Washu shook her head. "You couldn't have . . ."

"Save it!" he shouted. In one swift movement he dropped his hands behind his back and emerged with a pistol in each fist. The weapons were pointed at Washu's head in an instant. Washu smiled as she held her sword to Shinjiro's neck, the gentle red glow illuminating his chin and throat.

"No, don't!" Mihoshi shouted, stepping forward. Rodger grabbed her by the shoulder and shook his head.

"You will be coming with me." Shinjiro said.

Washu's eyes gleamed. "Now this should be interesting."

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

The sun was now shining fully through the windows of the palace's hallways. Tenchi sighed and rubbed his eyes as he walked with Ayeka down the long corridor.

"So what now?" he asked.

Ayeka shook her head. "I don't know."

Their footsteps echoed off the walls, following them as they walked down the hall. The only other people they'd seen so far had been a couple of nurses and a few orderlies. As far as royalty was concerned, it was still early.

"Did you notice her forehead?" Tenchi asked.

Ayeka nodded. "Yes. Last night, when she first woke up."

"What does it mean?"

"I don't know."

Tenchi paused for a moment to think. His footsteps caught up with him. "Does she know about it?"

Ayeka kept walking. "I don't think so. No."

Tenchi shook his head and hurried to catch up with Ayeka again. "Well, don't you think we should tell her?"

Ayeka sighed and looked over at Tenchi. "I don't know what we should do. It's all so very confusing."

Tenchi laughed and scratched his head. "Yeah, you could say that again."

"I wish Miss Washu was here. She'd know what to do."

"But what about your parents? I'm sure they've got an idea what it all means."

Ayeka shook her head. "Maybe. But I've never heard of anything like this happening in all of Jurai's history. I don't think anyone has."

"You mean Sasami's marks, right?"

"I mean all of it. Her fainting, her panic attacks. You heard the doctor, Tenchi. She didn't have any idea what was happening."

"Yeah. I guess you're right."

Ayeka stopped walking and turned to look out one of the windows. All of Jurai lay before them, stretching for miles in every direction with its rolling hills and oceans of trees. The mid-morning sun shone over it all, basking the land with a gentle glow. Tenchi walked over and stood beside her. She sighed. "I hate to leave her here alone, though."

Tenchi nodded. "So you want to go, then?"

"Washu is the only one who can help her."

Tenchi smiled. "Don't worry, she'll understand. Besides, your parents are here."

Ayeka folded her arms and watched some birds landing on the lower branches of the palace. "Yes, my parents." She laughed to herself and rolled her eyes. "Oh my, how am I going to tell them?"

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

He stared at her, and she stared back, smiling.

. . . Wisps of smoke drifted slowly between them . . .

"Washu, don't . . ." Mihoshi pleaded again.

"I've had it with your games, Hakubi," Shinjiro said, glaring at Washu.

"This is staring to get old, isn't it?"

Shinjiro lowered his eyes to where Washu's sword was held to his neck. His gaze traveled the length of the blade, up her arm and past the sights on his pistols back to her face. Back to her eyes.

Washu.

A small pain shot though his skull, and he winced. Washu raised an eyebrow.

"What is it, Lieutenant? Getting tired?"

Shinjiro shook his head and blinked, then looked Washu in the eyes again. He smiled. "You going to lower your sword, Hakubi? Or are we going to have to do this the hard way?"

"I do believe it was you who drew on me first."

"So that's a 'no', then?"

"It's simply an observation on dueling etiquette," she said, the sword vanishing from her hand. Shinjiro raised an eyebrow questioningly as she stepped back and opened her empty hands for him to see.

"Giving up, then?"

She smiled. "Only if you're willing to speak with me in a civilized manner."

"You want me to lower my guns."

Washu pulled up a chair. "It would make things easier."

Shinjiro watched her sit down, and he slowly lowered his pistols. "But you already know what I have to say."

"And Mihoshi's already told you our version of what happened, I'd imagine."

"Yeah," Rodger said, folding his arms and leaning against the control console. "And it was just as crazy as his story." He nodded toward Shinjiro.

"I haven't heard it yet," Shinjiro said, looking back at Washu.

"Suffice it to say that none of us was anywhere near G.P. headquarters at that time. Kain headed straight for Earth after he got out, and then tried to kill Tenchi's mother in the past."

"That Earth boy you're living with? Why the hell would he want to do that?"

"You did read Mihoshi's report, didn't you?" Washu asked.

"Of course."

Washu sighed and rubbed her temple. "They must have edited it then," she muttered. She looked back up at Shinjiro. "Tenchi is Yosho's grandson."

Shinjiro snorted, not sure whether to be shocked or disgusted.

Rodger looked from Shinjiro to Washu. "Who's Yosho?"

"He was the First Prince of Jurai," Shinjiro said, still looking at Washu. "But he's been missing for seven hundred years now, ever since he took off to do battle with the space pirate Ryoko after she sacked the royal palace. No one's seen him since."

"You met him this evening, you know," Washu said.

Shinjiro shook his head. "That old man at the house? No way."

Washu grinned. "Yep. He's been living on Earth ever since he defeated Ryoko. So you see, Kain wanted revenge on the Juraian royalty for locking him up in subspace. He went back in time to Earth in an attempt to destroy all Juraian blood on that planet. Exactly why he chose that time and place I still don't know. But that's what happened, and we all followed him back in time to stop him. So you see, I couldn't have let him out of his lock-up."

"I told you it was crazy," Rodger said.

Shinjiro shook his head. "Juraian nobility and time travel. An Earth boy who's the grandson of a long-lost prince and a revenge-obsessed super villain with a sense of the dramatic. You should write fiction, Hakubi. You'd make a fortune."

"I showed you mine, now show me yours."

"I've told you all you need to know."

"Or you've told me all you know?"

Shinjiro scowled. "No more games, Hakubi. Speak plainly."

"What do you remember about the destruction of headquarters?"

"I remember you."

"Now who's playing games?"

"Fire. Smoke. My friends dying all around me. And you climbing into an escape pod on deck thirty-three, one deck below the controls for Kain's subspace lock-up. Visitors aren't allowed on those decks. Hell, half of the personnel in the G.P. aren't even allowed down there. So why would someone from the Science Academy be on those decks at that time? You're smart, Hakubi. You do the math."

Washu shook her head. "If I'm so smart, why would I be wearing my uniform after setting him loose?"

Shinjiro's scowl turned to a frown.

"And you might want to grab on to something," Washu added.

He blinked. "What?"

Amos's alarms suddenly screamed to life and the entire ship heaved violently to the side as a massive explosion rocked the ship. Shinjiro was knocked to the deck, and Mihoshi and Rodger were thrown back against Amos's control console.

"What the hell was that!" Rodger shouted, shouldering past Mihoshi so that he could reach Amos's controls.

"I am sorry sir, but they caught me by complete surprise."

"Damnit, Amos! Who?" Shinjiro asked, getting to his feet. "And shut off those stupid alarms."

Washu stood and smiled, the deck still trembling under her feet. Mihoshi looked up at the main view screen. "Oh look!" she cried, her eyes going wide. "It's Yukinojo!"

"Who?" Shinjiro demanded, working his way to Amos's controls. Suddenly the entire view screen was filled with the gleaming white hull of Yukinojo as the shuttle blasted past, mere feet from Amos's bow.

"WHOA!" Shinjiro cried, instinctively stepping back from screen. The Amos shook again as Yukinojo passed by, bombarding the mining ship with its jet blast.

"That would be Ryoko," Washu said.

"They have completely destroyed my port engine," Amos said as Shinjiro slid into the left-hand seat. "But fortunately the damage was limited to the engine compartment."

Rodger looked back at Washu. "The space pirate Ryoko?" he asked. She nodded. Rodger turned back to his controls and shook his head. "Ah, crap. So where the hell are they?" he asked, flipping through Amos's various tactical displays.

"Get the 'bots started in on the repairs," Shinjiro ordered.

"Not that it'll do you any good," Ryoko said from the back of the bridge.

"Shit!" Shinjiro growled, spinning his chair around and pointing his pistols toward Ryoko. She was standing in front of the bridge doors, wearing a black and red jumpsuit and holding a light sword. Adrian was standing next to her, his wrists bound with handcuffs.

"I believe this is yours," she said, grabbing Adrian by the back of his jacket and shoving him into the room.

"Hey, take it easy!" Adrian shouted, stumbling across the bridge. Washu folded her hands behind her head and stuck her foot out as Adrianstumbled by, tripping him up and sending him falling toward Shinjiro.

Ryoko launched herself forward, flying across the bridge and grabbing Washu by the arm. Adrian crashed into Shinjiro before he'd had the chance to avoid the collision, and the two of them fell to the deck as the chair slipped out from under Shinjiro.

". . . And these are mine," Ryoko laughed, grabbing hold of Mihoshi.

"Damnit!" Shinjiro shouted, prying himself out from under Adrianand jumping to his feet.

"See ya," Ryoko said as the three women vanished from the bridge, the pirate's laughter still ringing in Shinjiro's ears.

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

Sasami sat in her bed, staring at the door. It was a fairly ordinary door, she decided after a while. Tenchi and Ayeka had walked out of it only a few minutes ago, and it had closed behind them just like it was supposed to. It did its job well, isolating her from the rest of the palace and ensuring her privacy: It kept the rest of the world out so that she could be alone. She looked down at the foot of her bed. The sheets were there, bunched up from when she had shoved them off earlier. She didn't know why that seemed important, so she figured that it probably wasn't.

Washu was in trouble, and here she was worrying about doors and sheets.

She frowned as she heard Tenchi asking her again: "How do you know . . ?"

"How do you know?" she asked herself, leaning back against the headrest. The answer was fairly simple.

You just do.

She sighed and closed her eyes. A strange sort of answer, that was. It didn't really answer the question, but it summed everything up quite nicely, neatly explaining all that had been going on since she had first collapsed on Earth.

How do you know? 'You just do.'

Why is this happening to me? 'It just is.'

Pure. Simple. Accurate.

Insufficient.

She opened her eyes and poured herself a glass of juice from the pitcher on the breakfast tray. Her parents should be coming by any minute now, she knew. She was actually somewhat surprised that they hadn't stopped by yet. Of course, it was still early, barely breakfast time. Maybe they didn't even know she was awake yet.

Washu was in trouble. How . . . You just do.

A small pain shot through her head, and she winced, almost spilling her juice. She rubbed her temple as she set the glass back on the nightstand.

You have to do something, she told herself, because Ayeka and Tenchi aren't going to. Another pain shot through her head, and she started to feel slightly dizzy. She closed her eyes.

And then she vanished, disappearing in a cloud of blue light that settled gently onto the soft bed before fading away.

> > >

In the center of the great palace of the Jurai royal family there was a large room that extended for several levels through the very heart of the great tree upon which the palace was built. The climate of this room was carefully controlled, and the only access was through a set of large double doors to which there was no key. It was in this room that the royal trees, the offspring of the primogenitor tree Tsunami, were grown and kept until their day of bonding, and only they could unlock the doors.

On the lowest level of the room there stood a solitary tree, surrounded on all sides by water. It was a small tree, and there was nothing spectacular about it to distinguish it from the others that were grown here.

A gentle breeze arose, and the water lapped softly at the tree's trunk. Its leaves rustled, and a single beam of light rose from the tree, shooting skyward.

Every tree in the great nursery felt this. In an instant, the entire room was filled with multicolored streams of light as they replied, agreeing to the wishes of their mother.

Tsunami had spoken.

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

"All right, Ryo-oh-ki, let's go!" Ryoko cried the moment she materialized on the bridge. Mihoshi and Washu appeared next to her. One of Ryo-oh-ki's crystals popped up next to Ryoko and meowed.

Ryoko took hold of Ryo-oh-ki's controls. "Okay, let 'er rip!"

Ryo-oh-ki's crystal smiled wide and meowed her agreement. The next instant the entire view screen lit up red as her lasers ignited and shot forward, slicing into the net that still had them pinned to the asteroid.

> > >

"Watch it!" Rodger shouted, instinctively pulling Amos's throttle into full reverse as Ryo-oh-ki's laser beam shot past. The starboard engine wound up, whining in protest as the ship backed away from the asteroid in a lopsided arc.

"Damnit! That bitch is firing at us now!" Adrian growled as he pulled himself to his feet. Shinjiro grabbed the chair and pulled it back to the console.

"If she was really shooting at us, we'd already be dead," he said, sitting down and taking the controls from Rodger.

"Then what the hell do you call that?" Adrian asked, gesturing at the view screen.

"They're cutting themselves free," Rodger said. As he spoke, the laser started to arc across the surface of the net.

Shinjiro smirked. "Good luck," he said, folding his hands behind his head. Rodger looked over at him.

"They can't do that, can they?"

"For what I paid for that damned thing they'd better not be able to."

> > >

"It's no good," Washu said, stepping up next to Ryoko. "That net is designed specifically to repel laser attacks."

"Ryo-oh-ki and I have gotten out of tougher spots than this before."

Washu shook her head and sighed. "How does your gem feel?"

Ryoko looked down at Washu. "What?"

"In case you haven't noticed, you're not as strong as usual. Neither is Ryo-oh-ki. We can't get out this way."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"You're pointing it the wrong way," Washu said, elbowing Ryoko out of the way. She took hold of the controls, and the laser swept downward, pointing itself at the asteroid. The beam cut though the surface, burning the rock out from under the anchors that held the net in place. Ryoko watched Washu guiding the laser for a moment, then turned aside and looked down at her wrist. The gem that was imbedded there gleamed back at her, looking much the same as it always had, the bright red surface standing in sharp contrast to the black of her jumpsuit. She flexed her wrist and sighed. Ryo-oh-ki's laser continued to cut through the asteroid.

"Ryoko?"

"What is it, Mihoshi?"

"Where's Yukinojo?"

Ryoko flexed her wrist again and looked back up at Ryo-oh-ki's view screen. "He's on his way out by now, I would think."

"Oh."

"That's it!" Washu shouted. "We're free." The laser shut off and Washu shoved Ryo-oh-ki's controls forward. The ship responded immediately, launching itself away from the asteroid. The net grew taught for a second, then ripped itself loose from the rock with a resounding crack that echoed through Ryo-oh-ki's halls.

> > >

"Clever girl," Shinjiro muttered as he watched Ryo-oh-ki's laser digging into the asteroid.

"That could work, couldn't it?" Rodger asked.

Shinjiro nodded.

"Then shouldn't we do something about it?"

"Like what?" he asked, pulling back on Amos's throttle again. The undamaged engine started up, backing the ship farther from the asteroid.

"I don't know. Anything. They're likely to be pretty pissed off when they get out of that thing, and I don't want them venting that anger on me, thank you very much."

Shinjiro sighed and sat back in his seat. "Don't worry, Rodge. They're not going to kill us. If they had wanted to do that, you'd know it by now. 'Aint that right, Adrian?"

"Screw you," Adrian said, dropping himself into one of the chairs at the chart table.

They looked up at the view screen as the Ryo-oh-ki pulled itself free, the net springing forward and drifting off into space, large chunks of rock still attached to its numerous anchors. The ship rocketed forward, shooting past the Amos and rapidly fading from view, recklessly and skillfully darting in and out of the asteroids. Shinjiro sighed again and gave a half-hearted salute to the screen.

"Well done, Hakubi. Well done."

> > >

Washu sat back in the command chair and grinned. "So, Ryoko, what do you think?"

"What do I think about what?"

"What do you think about our new friend, the Lieutenant?"

"He's a total nutcase. Now what was that you were saying about the gems?"

"Simply put, I think they're losing their power."

Ryoko turned and stared at her. "That's not funny, Washu."

"No, it's not. Can't you feel it, though? I know you can, even if you don't know what it means."

Ryoko turned away from Washu, taking hold of Ryo-oh-ki's controls. Washu stood and walked to the edge of the bridge, looking out on the asteroids as they flew past.

Ryoko shook her head. "It feels like it did when we were fighting with Kagato, when he was draining my power. Only it's not as strong."

Washu nodded. "Yes. As if we're trapped."

"So what does it mean?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. But Lieutenant Yakagamo's involved, even if he's not aware of it. And so is Sasami."

"What are you talking about, Washu?" Mihoshi asked, stepping forward.

Washu turned to look at the detective. Sunlight broke from behind an asteroid, silhouetting Mihoshi against a backdrop of stars and infusing her curly blonde hair with streaks of fire. Washu caught herself staring. "You're in this too, Mihoshi Kuramitsu," Washu said, turning back to look out on space. "This is something that involves us all, and it's just beginning."

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

"You called for me, Father?" Ayeka asked, stepping into the throne room and delivering a short bow. The guards pulled the doors closed behind her.

King Azusa was alone in the room, seated in his overly large throne and apparently lost in thought. He looked up as his daughter spoke, and just sat there for a moment, staring at her.

"It is good that you are home again, Ayeka."

Ayeka smiled and approached the throne. "Yes, it is good to be back."

"Come," Azusa said, gesturing to the smaller chair to his left. "Have a seat. I would like to talk with you."

"I have a better idea," Ayeka said. "Come with me to see Sasami. She's awake now, you know."

Azusa sighed and closed his eyes, turning away from his daughter.

Ayeka's smile fell. "What is it, Father?"

The King tapped his fingers on the armrest nervously. He looked up at her with hollow eyes. "I would like that very much."

Ayeka shook her head. "Then why . . ?"

"I'm afraid she has disappeared."

Ayeka blinked. "disappeared?" She slowly sat down. "How is that . . ? You mean she's missing?"

Azusa nodded. "Only a little while ago."

Ayeka stuttered. "But . . . but Tenchi and I were just . . ."

The king continued. "She is not in the palace, and her ship Tsunami was spotted briefly in orbit. Also, the trees reacted strangely not too long ago, so it is my belief, and your mothers as well, that for whatever reason Sasami has gone into space by herself."

"But why would she . . ? You have ships out looking for her?"

"Of course. But if she is in Tsunami they will not find her until she is ready."

Ayeka sighed and bowed her head. "What is going on here, father?"

"I don't know."

They sat in silence for bit.

"So you have no idea what is happening to my sister?"

"No. I've never heard of anything like it before."

Ayeka stood. "Then I'm going to go and find her, and take her back to Washu."

Azusa looked up. "To Washu! What is this?"

"Miss Washu is the only one who can help her."

"No. You are going to stay here, with your family. I have my most trusted councilors looking for her as we speak. I've already lost one daughter today, I will not lose another."

"You said it yourself, father. They won't find her unless she wants them to."

"Ayeka," Azusa said, rising and taking her hands in his. "I know this is difficult, but if our enemies find out what has been going on, Sasami will be in great danger. We must maintain our composure, and no one must know of this. If you leave, people will take notice."

"I must do something," she said, pulling her hands free and turning away from the King.

"Ayeka."

"I'm sorry father, but I'm going." She started for the doors.

Azusa shook his head. "No, I forbid it."

Ayeka gasped as a force field materialized around her. She whirled around and glared at Azusa. "Father, what are you doing?"

"I'm sorry, Ayeka, but you've defied me twice before. First when you went after Yosho, and then when you remained on Earth with that boy. I cannot allow you to go. It is too dangerous for the both of you."

Ayeka balled up her fists. "I am not a child anymore, father, but Sasami is." Several small logs appeared around her and pressed outward against the shield.

"Ayeka, you misunderstand . . ."

Ayeka's headband glowed bright blue, and Azusa's shield crackled under the pressure of the logs. She closed her eyes and tensed, and the shield shattered, the logs exploding out into the room as the shield gave way. She looked up at her father.

"I'm going now." She turned and walked from the throne room, the doors opening of their own accord. Azusa watched her go, and collapsed back into his throne.

"That was sweet of you, Azusa-chan," Seto Kamiki said, stepping out from behind the massive chair. "But you need to be stricter with your children, or you risk spoiling them. It was kind of you to let her go, though."

Azusa sighed. "I suppose it was, dear grimalkin, but I truly do not want her to go. I see nothing to be gained by it."

"So you did not allow her to leave?"

"No, I did not."

Seto nodded. "She reminds me of you, when you were young. And that boy, Tenchi, he's certainly sweet."

Azusa snorted. "He's too much like his grandfather."

Seto smiled. "Then I feel bad for their enemies. They don't stand a chance."

Azusa nodded. "I hope you're right, Seto-domo." He sighed and shook his head. "Why must my children always leave like this?"