"Ryoko!"
 	Ryoko's head jerked up and she blinked fitfully. As she cleared 
her golden cat eyes she noticed Ayeka standing in front of her, arms 
folded across her chest.
	"Ryoko! Just how many times are you going to skip your daily 
chores, hmmm?
It's your turn to clean the toilet you know!" Ayeka retorted. 
	Ryoko merely smiled at the purple haired princess and floated 
back into the wall.
	"What's with her?" Ayeka asked Sasami, the little princess next 
to her. Sasami looked at her big sister and shrugged. No one knew why 
Ryoko was acting so strangely lately. Even Washu, the greatest 
scientific genius in the universe, didn't know the cause of her own 
daughters odd behaviour.
	Ryoko at crosslegged on the Masaki house, swishing her tail 
around and petting Ryo-Ohki. The cabbit miyaed softly and soon fell 
asleep. Tenchi walked across the yard, carrying a large basket of 
carrots for Ryo-Ohki. The cabbit woke with a start and leapt down from 
the roof onto Tenchi's shoulder. The teenage boy jumped, dropping all 
of the carrots, and looked up. 
	"Oh, hi, Ryoko!" He called up, waving.
	Ryoko mumbled something he couldn't understand in reply.
	"Tenchi!!!" Washu yelled with glee and ran towards Tenchi. "You 
said you'd be a guinea pig for my experiments remember?!!" 
	"Miss Washu!How dare you?!" Ayeka stormed out of the house 
"Anyway, Sasami is waiting for us, dinner is ready, come on Tenchi!"
	Tenchi groaned inwardly and looked back towards the roof once 
more. Ryoko had disappeared. He was dragged by the arm into the house. 
The house was more peaceful now with Ryoko so quiet. yet he couldn't 
help wondering what was the matter with her..
	Ryoko pressed her hand to the tree trunk and sighed. It had been 
three years since she, and everyone else, had met the Masakis.  Since 
then they had done a lot together, but even over the time, Tenchi had 
grown to almost hide himself from Ryoko, Washu, Ayeka, even Sasami. He 
put up emotional walls, no one was going anywhere fast. Now Ryoko was 
considering leaving. for good. If she made no progress with Tenchi on 
Earth, then what else was left for her to do? Ryo-Ohki had no 
intentions of leaving the family, and she was so attached to Sasami, 
it'd be painful to see her reaction if they left.
	Ryoko gazed at the falling cherry blossoms, and slowly turned her 
back towards the Masaki house.
	Ryo-Ohki she thought at her cabbit We are leaving now.
	Miyaaa? Ryo-Ohki thought back through their mental link. Miyaaa..
	Ryoko could feel the sadness in Ryo-Ohki's sad thoughts and sadly 
turned to see the once cute and cuddly cabbit transforming into a not 
to cute or cuddly spaceship. As the two former pirates flew away into 
space, Ryoko thought about Tenchi and Ayeka. She could have him now,  
Ryoko was gone. Ryo-Ohki was silently, obviously mixing around in her 
mind through the turmoil of emotions. Ryoko knew she hadn't wanted to 
leave Ryo-Ohki so she couldn't blame the poor creature for disapproving 
her master's actions.
	But as they flew through the stars and Ryoko watched Earth 
growing more and more distant by the minute, she wondered if her 
decision was correct.
	Ryoko.Ryoko snapped awake. Washu was calling to her from Earth, 
but they were to far away to converse clearly. Ryoko, you're leaving, 
and you. aren't coming back-are you? Washu's voice showed no signs of 
emotion.
	No, of course not, I don't need that scornful planet anymore.I 
never did Ryoko thought coldly.
	And what about Tenchi? You're going to miss him aren't you? 
You'll come back for him Washu exclaimed.
	That's why I left, dear mother, so there is no reason to return, 
for there is nothing to return to. With that, Ryoko powered Ryo-Ohki 
away and the mental connection snapped.
	Flying through the stars, this, Ryoko thought to herself, is 
where I belong..

				*	*	*	*

	"Ryoko! Ryoko where are you?" Sasami called to her sister's 
rival. "Breakfast is ready!"
	Sasami was worried, not about Ryoko (It wasn't unusual for her to 
be missing) but Ryo-Ohki was usually sleeping on her bed when Sasami 
woke up to fix breakfast, but she was missing this time. Where could 
she be?
	Ayeka was worried also, about Ryoko, where was she? Was she would 
Tenchi? Ooo, Ayeka couldn't stand Ryoko! And the thought of that 
demoness with Tenchi!? Oh, no, that just wasn't right. Ayeka called for 
Ryoko furiously. If that monster woman got anywhere near her Tenchi 
she'd make her pay.
	Washu was in her lab, thinking as usual, about Ryoko. she 
wondered how Tenchi would react when he realized Ryoko had left-and she 
had no intention of coming back. He had caused and he didn't know it, 
he hadn't even done it purposely. He'd be upset.
	Tenchi swung open the door and walked in slowly, awaiting the 
usual stampede of women. Surprisingly, Ryoko didn't appear and only 
Ayeka stood in front of him, fuming.
	"Where is Ryoko!?" She fumed.
	Tenchi shrugged "I dunno"
	Sasami dragged them all to breakfast, she worked so hard on it 
and now they all chit chat!? She couldn't let that happen could she. 
Ryo-Ohki was still missing, and she was upset, she couldn't find her 
after calling and calling.
	Tenchi sat down for breakfast. He noticed Ryoko was missing this 
morning which was, actually, unusual because she almost never missed 
mealtimes.
	"Where's Ryoko?" He asked Washu, who could tell if Ryoko was 
close by, which she wasn't.
	Washu, the usually unflinchable scientist, shrugged. "The 
connection with her was cut off, she can do that if she puts her mind 
to it."
	Tenchi frowned "Where's Ryo-Ohki too?"
	"Probably with Ryoko." Washu said, looking at Sasami and noticed 
her nod, obviously hoping that they were returning soon. Washu sighed a 
little too heavily and Tenchi looked at her suspiciously. Ryoko rarely 
missed meals! Where was she!?
	Tenchi got up and walked out side, following the path Ryoko 
usually wondered around when she was bored or upset. The cherry 
blossoms blew around his face and the trees swayed in the wind. He knew 
cherry blossoms were Ryoko's favourite, even if she wasn't too fond of 
the colour pink. He walked down the trail, thinking about where Ryoko 
could be. He looked, he called, and, suddenly, it all came to him. Ryo-
Ohki was Ryoko's spaceship and was obedient to her mastre. A spaceship 
and a spacepirate. Could it be that being grounded on Earth had finally 
gotten to Ryoko's head? Yes, that must be it. He knew she loved him 
(She seduced him in every way possible) but he never even looked her 
way. He realized she had run away and there probably was no chance of 
her returning to Earth. Tenchi sighed as he realized what Ryoko had 
done. 
	All the girls looked up as Tenchi stormed up the stairs and into 
his room.
	"Do you think he found her?" Sasami asked hopefully "And Ryo-Ohki 
too?"
	Ayeka and Washu shook their heads in unison. Washu knew where 
Ryoko was, but although Tenchi couldn't of found her, he was smart 
enough to piece together what Ryoko had done. Ayeka, on the other hand, 
was just too stubborn to admit that Ryoko was coming back from wherever 
she had gone, she wanted Tenchi all to herself.
	Meanwhile, Ryo-Ohki was slowly descending upon a distant planet. 
Ryoko slipped on her power level visor and slipped into the bank of 
Jurai. The poor cabbit-ship slowly moved away to wait for her mastre's 
return. The two former pirates were back and better than ever. WANTED 
signs were stuck to every vacant spot, and the Stature of Limitations 
had refiled a claim on Ryoko's destruction and robberies. Juraian and 
Galaxy Police troops tailed her wherever they could follow her. Washu's 
mental link, long since snapped, was now slowly functioning as the pair 
moved towards Pluto.
	Ryoko Washu called Planning on coming home soon?
	Ryoko's eyes narrowed Home? My home is here-in space, not on that 
dreadful planet.
	What about Ryo-Ohki? How does she feel? How about Tenchi?
	With a cold snap, the connection was cut off. Ryoko steered her 
ship towards Earth. She didn't need Tenchi! She didn't need anybody. It 
was just Ryo-Ohki and Ryoko deep in space.
					*	*	*	*

	Sasami sat down to a cold dinner all alone. Ayeka was staring at 
her plate. Ever since Ryoko left, Ayeka wanted Tenchi to pay attention 
to her, and only her, but he was too upset. He didn't pay attention to 
anyone anymore. He had asked Sasami to bring him his meals in his room. 
He moped around and the Tenchi-Ken was kept in his sock drawer as 
always, its one remaining gem glowing brightly as Ryoko approached 
Earth.
	He slipped down the stairs and sat in front of the television and 
flipped it on. To his dismay, he saw Ryoko's face glaring at him from 
the screen. The screen switched to a recent wanted poster and her 
criminal file. Her gold eyes were as gold and feline as ever, but there 
was a hard, brittle look to them that Tenchi couldn't remember. He 
pulled a binder out from the shelf next to him and flipped through the 
pictures to the most recent ones. He compared the pictures then to the 
ones on the television. He couldn't find that cold hard look. Slowly he 
got up, then stormed up to his room. 
	Washu entered the room and slowly looked at the pictures.  She 
sighed and walked back to her lab. She felt guilty about not telling 
Tenchi sooner, and that he had to find out for himself. The red haired 
genius sank into her chair and gazed back at the onsan . She half 
expected the glass to shatter and Ryoko to appear around Tenchi neck 
like she used to. Washu knew it would never happen. Ryoko was nevre 
coming back. 
	Ryoko slowly turned to stand in front of the onsan, energy ball 
in hand, she aimed it at the onsan and threw it as fast as she could. 
The glass shattered, the red headed genius jumped and Ryoko smiled for 
once. 
	"Ryoko!" Time froze. Ryoko knew that voice. Tenchi.
	She turned her head to look at him. He held out his hand once and 
called her name softly. She narrowed her eyes and cursed inwardly. 
Slowly, her hand met his and they walked down the path, cherry blossoms 
swirling in front of their faces. Ryo-Ohki sat on Sasami's head as they 
peered out of the bushes behind the couple. Ayeka looked over her head, 
steaming mad. Washu.grinned. 
	"Its gonna be alright now, Ryo-Ohki" Sasami said cheerfully 
"We're all together again!"
	And she was right, they were together, now all they had to worry 
about was, who got Tenchi?