Here's the usual disclaimer: I don't own Tenchi, it's characters, or anything else about it. This story comes out of respect for the creator's and distributors of this impressive anime show. If anyone involved in Tenchi sees this, I only hope you enjoy reading it so much that you don't wanna sue me!

As always, comments and reviews are welcome. You can post them up over at Fanfiction.net or through mccpcorn@hotmail.com =)

A QUICK RECAP:

Washu's latest scheme to extract a 'sample' from Tenchi has gone haywire thanks to a last minute intervention by Ryoko. The result has been everyone in the house having their personality transplanted into someone else's body:

Ryoko is now in Sasami's body. (Ryoko/Sasami)

Sasami is in Kiyone's body. (Sasami/Kiyone)

Kiyone has found herself stuck in Tenchi's body. (Kiyone/Tenchi)

Tenchi now occupies Mihoshe's body. (Tenchi/Mihoshe)

Mihoshe is getting drunk in Ryoko's body. (Mihoshe/Ryoko)

Washu has swapped bodies with Ayeka. (Washu/Ayeka & Ayeka/Washu)

Noboyuki was - rather fortunately - out of town after driving Katsuhito to a conference, and Ryo-Ohki was out in the Carrot Field raiding the harvest.

On with the show...

Tenchi Muyo: Changing Faces
---------------------------

By Mccpcorn

CHAPTER FIVE: SAKE AND TEARS
============================

Sasami hummed lightly to herself as she finished packing the rice-cakes away in their respective boxes. On the floor behind her, she could hear Ryo-Ohki meowing to herself as she played with her tail.

Although Washu had expressly forbid anyone entering the lab while she tried to repair the Personality Transference Transceiver, Sasami would always have had a special dispensation when it came to providing some much needed refreshment. And so she busied herself with packed lunches for both Washu and Kiyone.

Kiyone...

Sasami paused for a moment, staring at her reflection in the window. What she could see was Kiyone's face. The young princess had caught the same image earlier in a mirror. She was surprised at how stressed and careworn Kiyone's face looked up close. Kiyone's face was full of concern, worry and fascination. A tired face, but a face that was oddly content.

It had got Sasami wondering: how different had Kiyone's life turned out to what the young GP officer must have expected when she graduated?

Kiyone was an undeniably beautiful woman, but with a sadness in her eyes that strongly reminded Sasami of Ayeka. Like Sasami's elder sister, Kiyone was a person struggling with two different lives; torn between the life she wanted, and the life she was - perhaps - destined to have.

But did Kiyone KNOW what she wanted, really? Was the life that she sought just a myth - only what she THOUGHT she wanted?

Sasami finished wrapping the ricecakes and put them to one side, then fished some fruit juice out of the fridge. On an impulse, she stooped down and opened the freezer door and picked out a few items for supper. On the way back up, she caught her head on the fridge's door handle.

'Ouch!' Sasami winced in pain. Again she was surprised how deep Kiyone's voice seemed when she was using it.

Ryo-Ohki paused in her play. 'Meow?'

'It's nothing - I'm all right,' Sasami murmured as she straightened up. Her back seemed to complain every inch of the way. I don't understand!, Sasami thought to herself. Kiyone is so athletic; where do all these aches and pains come from!?

It hadn't occurred to her that for Kiyone, used to living mostly on a stable shipboard environment, Earth's weather could be a little rough. Add to that a slightly heavier gravity than what Kiyone was used to, being rushed off her feet in a fast food bar, and the chilly environment offered by most construction sites, and it was unsurprising that sooner or later something would give.

The problem was that Sasami was a child being bombarded by the physiology of an adult woman. One minute she needed the little girl's room; another she felt all tense. There were momentary confusions where Sasami found she had completely lost the thread of what she was doing. Then she would find herself dealing with unexpected rushes of emotion, where she would feel angry or sad for no apparent reason. Sasami idly wondered how much of what she was feeling had been conditioned into Kiyone by Mihoshe's antics.

It wasn't that this sort of behaviour was typical of a woman, that much Sasami knew. It was just that she wasn't used to it and was having difficulty adjusting to it. For Kiyone, used to her own body, it was all second nature. In time, as Sasami grew older, she would come to terms with the changes of her own body as all kids did, be they boys or girls.

In the meantime Sasami just felt as if she was going to hell in a handbasket.

The hormones were problematic enough; but it was the physical aspects that caused Sasami the most difficulty. Before, when she had only needed to stoop, or drop to one knee to check in the oven, she now had to crouch down. This was awkward because she couldn't tuck her knees into her chest as she was used to. To make matters worse, she kept banging her hips against drawer knobs, worktops, and the oven door.

There were some minor compensations, though. There was no need to stand on boxes to check the high cupboards; and Kiyone's stronger arms made for lighter work. And it was also nice being able to talk to people eye-to-eye, instead of looking up to them all the time. And when Sasami WAS concentrating on something, she found herself more focused than she had ever been, and yet still highly alert at what was going on around her.

The most interesting thing, though, was Kiyone's heightened sense of taste. Everything tasted sharper, more pronounced. Sasami had noted in the past that Kiyone was very choosy when it came to fast food and snacks, preferring softer, more natural ingredients. The GP Officer also tended to avoid meals that were very salty or spicy. It perhaps explained Kiyone's fondness for cheesecake, and blended noodles.

Sasami had compensated by selecting more subtle flavours and low-key herbs, going for sharp flavour contrasts or rich, textured foods. Not so much bland flavours but rather breadth of taste over depth of taste. The irony was that Kiyone, in Tenchi's body, wouldn't be able to appreciate the effort.

And once Sasami had her own body back, would she be able to reproduce the recipe exactly?

* * *

Ayeka regarded The woman currently occupying her sister's body with undisguised distaste.

Ryoko - in Sasami's body - was slouched idly on the couch, flicking through the TV channels. Ayeka could hear the Space Pirate muttering to herself: 'No... no... seen it.... Definitely not...'

Why in all the cosmos did that little space wench have to end up in my younger sister's body, of all places!? Ayeka thought angrily to herself, her blood boiling. This is all Washu's fault! Her and her persistent attempts to molest my beloved Lord Tenchi! Anyone can see we belong together, and yet Ryoko and Washu constantly try to drive wedges between us! 'Well it won't work!' Ayeka pronounced loudly.

A little too loudly, as with a sudden 'Eeep!' Ryoko/Sasami was jolted out of her slouch, only to loose her balance and slither off the couch onto the floor.

Ayeka winced and closed her eyes. 'Ryoko will you PLEASE be careful with Sasami's body!?' she pleaded.

The space pirate glared hard at Ayeka/Washu. 'Hey! YOU'RE the one who startled me, princess!'

'Well, YOU should've been sitting up straight!'

'And just who the heck are YOU to be telling me what to do, sister?'

'I am NOT your SISTER, you, you cyan haired FREAK!' Ayeka snarled. 'SASAMI is my sister, not YOU.'

'Did someone call me?' Sasami/Kiyone asked, poking her head out of the kitchen door.

Ayeka flailed around mentally for a moment, tight-lipped. 'Ah - no, er, Sasami,' she finally managed to get out. 'How are you? Are you all right?'

Sasami/Kiyone shrugged. 'As well as can be expected, I guess. How about you? How's life in Washu's body?'

Ayeka scowled and folded her arms crossly. 'Don't remind me!' she huffed.

Sasami/Kiyone giggled. 'Okay. Listen, I'm just going to take some food through to Washu and Kiyone. You wanna do me a favour and start setting the table?'

'Of course,' Ayeka/Washu gave Ryoko a sidelong glance. 'We both will, wont we Ryoko?'

'Why don't you get shafted...' Ryoko/Sasami muttered under her breath.

'PARDON!?'

'I said, when do we get started?' Ryoko sprang up with a game imitation of boundless enthusiasm.

A doubtful look crossed Sasami/Kiyone's features, but she said nothing more. 'Well, okay then. I'll be back soon; please stay out of the kitchen you two.'

'Of course.'

'Yeah, sure. Whatever.'

Looking unconvinced, Sasami/Kiyone left the room. It occurred to Sasami that leaving Ayeka and Ryoko alone together was not a smart thing to do, even at the best of times.

And that these were FAR from the best of times.

* * *

Back in the Living Room, Ayeka and Ryoko lapsed back into stony silence.

It was just typical, Ayeka considered to herself, that Sasami had had to go and remind her of whose body she was in. Ayeka had never realised just how much of a ghastly shade of red Washu's stockings were. Then there was the odd krink or pain in the third knuckle of Washu's right hand, and the Science Academy badge she wore caught the light and glinted in the corner of her left eye to maddening affect.

Jurai Stars! I'm going to get cross-eyed! Ayeka actually giggled as the mental image of a cross-eyed, mad scientist Washu drifted up in her mind's eye.

If truth be told, much to Ayeka's surprise and shame, she was finding it difficult to focus ANY mental or physical energy on any task, no matter how simple. Occasionally, Ayeka had found herself feeling tremendously weary; as if a weight of years were on her shoulders. She found it hard to concentrate on anything for more than a few minutes. Perhaps Washu's brain and body was missing the tremendous driving force of the scientist's will, but regardless of the reason, Ayeka felt as if she had been carved from lead.

Yet her senses were restless; her eyes darted from one object to another, almost as if she were anxious or nervous about something. Washu's vision was also deeper, and seemed to reveal almost a glow in everything it looked upon. And her hearing seemed sharper, more keen. How else had she picked up on Ryoko's witty aside? And she was acutely aware of the sounds and smells coming from the kitchen. But in every case, curiosity was quickly satisfied, and after awhile all became wearisome.

The downside of her heightened senses seemed to be this physical lethargy - and an appalling taste in colour-combination clothes.

A clatter jolted Ayeka from her reverie; Ryoko came marching in with armfuls of eating utensils, Ryo-Ohki perched neatly on her head. 'Miiyya!' the cabbit chirped happily.

'What on Jurai are you DOING!?' Ayeka/Washu exclaimed, bringing her hands up to the sides of her head in alarm.

Ryoko/Sasami gave a blank look as Ryo-Ohki hopped off her head and onto the floor. 'Um... laying the table...?'

Ayeka stood up sharply and marched over. Reaching out, she snatched some of the utensils from Ryoko.

'Hey! Watch it!' Ryoko barked. 'I'll drop the bowls!'

'Then you should have been more careful and not started without me!' Ayeka snapped. To think Ryoko actually decided to DO something for a change! Ayeka thought angrily to herself. And that I was the one left lounging around! As if I'm lazy or something!

Well I'll show her! If Ryoko is actually going to do what I say, I'm going to damn well make sure she does it right!! Ayeka was only vaguely aware that this wasn't exactly a train of thought well-suited to a Crown Princess of Jurai, but she was long since past caring when it came to having anything to do with Ryoko.

Between the two of them, amidst only mildly barbed commentary, they managed to get the table set down and the tablecloth laid upon it. Things were slightly more aggravated when it came to actually arranging the table. Each bowl carried a small motif, in the form of a flower, and Ayeka was constantly readjusting each bowl as Ryoko laid it down, so that each motif pointed inwards, towards the others on the table.

'Look, It's FINE, Ayeka,' Ryoko ground out in an exasperated voice.

'No, it is NOT fine,' Ayeka rejoined hotly as she moved another bowl around so that it's flower motif was pointed inwards to match the others. 'If a job is worth doing, it's worth doing well.'

'Even SASAMI doesn't go into this much detail!' Ryoko protested.

'Well I do,' Ayeka retorted. 'And I am laying this table.'

'WE are laying this table; I put those bowls down!'

'Yes you did. Wrongly. I am correcting them.'

'Fine, fine!' Ryoko snapped. 'Do what you like if it makes you feel better!' To Ayeka's fury, the space pirate dropped the rest of the gear into the middle of the table and stomped back off to the couch.

'RYOKO!' Ayeka hollered. 'You've messed everything up!'

'Well, YOU'RE the perfectionist, PRINCESS,' Ryoko snapped. 'YOU fix it. I'm only in your way, remember?'

Clenching her jaw tightly, Ayeka bit off her response. 'What IS it with you, anyway?' she demanded of Ryoko.

The pirate glanced over, a puzzled look on her face. 'Huh?'

Ayeka sighed. 'I am only trying to do my best as I see fit for EVERYONE. Even YOU. Why must you CONSTANTLY frustrate my attempts, even now, of all times?'

Ryoko/Sasami swung her body around on the couch to face Ayeka/Washu. 'You really wanna know?' Ryoko/Sasami's eyes narrowed. 'You may say that you're only doing what's best, and you may even fool yourself into believing it's true; but it's NOT. Doing your best is the LAST thing on your mind.

'You just try to raise yourself above others by putting everyone else down and making them look inferior. If I'd laid those bowls out to perfection, with all those flower motif's turned inwards, YOU just woulda found some excuse to turn 'em all around so that the motif's were facing OUTWARDS.

'I'm your rival Ayeka; NOTHING I could do would EVER be enough for you - it would never measure up to those supposedly high standards of yours, because you're always changing the height of the fence. If you were honest to yourself, you'd admit it too.' Ryoko hopped down from the couch and struck a defiant posture that looked faintly laughable for Sasami's body.

'On the other hand, I make no pretences about what I am; what you see is what you get. You Jurians, with your stuck up, haughty behaviour! It's all a veneer! About the only thing that makes you guys civilised is that you eat with a knife and fork. Underneath, you're just as dirty and rotten as anybody else.'

Ayeka failed to respond right away. Not through a lack of anger, for Ryoko's accusation was outrageous. The bottom line was that she was struck dumb with surprise. She had never heard Ryoko use such sophisticated language, and it had never occurred to her that this arrogant, foul-mouthed, poorly mannered prima donna of a pirate might actually be relatively intelligent, though being Washu's 'daughter' it may appear obvious in hindsight.

Perhaps being in Sasami's body had allowed a previously sleeping aspect of Ryoko's personality to surface, similar to how Ryoko's long imprisonment on Earth and freedom from Kagato's influence had irrevocably changed the pirate into something better than she had been (though not by much in Ayeka's opinion).

It was a further indication, not that any was needed, of how closely tied a personality was to the body it inhabited, and the environment it lived in. And how fragile and vulnerable a personality was when removed from that environment.

All this passed through Ayeka's mind in a fraction of a second; barely enough to consider it, and certainly not enough to restrain her anger. 'I did NOT request insults!!'

'Truth hurts, doesn't it?' Ryoko/Sasami taunted.

Ayeka's voice shook with pained emotion. 'Now more than EVER we must try to hold onto who we are,' she explained. 'I swear to you, I meant no disrespect to your efforts. I'm just trying to get through this thing as best I can, and I do NOT need YOU to make things anymore difficult! This whole mess is your fault as it is.'

Up to that point, Ryoko had actually decided that the whole thing HAD been a misunderstanding, and been prepared to offer burying the hatchet for the rest of the day. But that last, arrogantly casual accusation - as if EVERYTHING that went wrong in the Masaki household was somehow inspired merely by Ryoko's presence - there was no WAY she was going to let that slide. 'MY fault!?' she demanded.

'Yes,' Ayeka responded matter of factly. 'If you hadn't blasted Washu's machine -'

'You'd have preferred letting Washu paw at Tenchi's privates in the middle of the night??' Ryoko retorted. 'What the hell do you WANT!? Maybe next time you oughtta watch how much sake YOU knock back before you go to bed, PRINCESS!'

'We'll be lucky to survive this trauma you've inflicted upon us!' Ayeka snapped. 'Look at what Mihoshe nearly did!'

'Hey, YOU started that!' Ryoko cut in. 'Everything was fine until you started your high and mighty Goddess Ayeka routine! You think I saved your butt because I wanted too? No way!' Ryoko/Sasami's eyes burned.

'Washu's the only one who can fix this mess for us, and you almost got her head scalped! She would've just LOVED that, wouldn't she? Not to mention risking your OWN life, AND the fact that Mihoshe almost skewered herself on MY laser sword! And you have the nerve to call MIHOSHE disrespectful!'

Ayeka/Washu's nostrils flared angrily and she took a threatening step towards Ryoko/Sasami.

'You, YOU have the NERVE to judge MY actions!! How DARE you! What do YOU know of respect?? You think I don't know about the three lunches you've had since you were in Sasami's body!?'

Ryoko found herself breaking out in a cold sweat. How had Ayeka found out about that!? 'What does THAT have to do with anything?' she asked in a slightly guilty tone of voice.

'What does it have to DO with anything?? Try abusing a child's trust; that you wont harm something precious and valuable to them! All that time you were stuffing your face, did you think of the repercussion's that SASAMI will have to deal with once back in that body?' It was at this point that a very worried looking Ryo-Ohki left the room.

Ryoko and Ayeka squared off from one another. 'I had SOME snacks!' Ryoko protested. 'What's the big deal?'

'More like a 3 course meal! I saw you dump the boxes in the trash outside.'

Ryoko/Sasami's eyes widened. 'You little BITCH! You spied on me!'

'Well, who ELSE was going to look after Sasami's body? YOU certainly weren't!'

'Hey, YOU try going 2,000 years without tastebuds and see what YOU do when you finally get a chance to enjoy a proper meal.'

Ayeka acted as if she hadn't heard. 'And the way you FLIRTED with Lord Tenchi!!' she continued. 'In SASAMI'S body! Disgraceful!'

'It was a JOKE!! I forgot for a second! What the HELL do you know about flirting anyways!? You're so damn frigid you only have to open your legs and the furnace kicks in!'

'Who DO you think you are talking too!?'

'You, ya princess prissy pants!'

'Why you pint-pot pirate, you!!'

'Who're YOU calling pint-pot, LITTLE Miss Ayeka!?' Ryoko taunted Ayeka/Washu with the scientists preferred name. 'You see what I mean? You're not worried about ANYONE, 'cept your sorry princess ass!'

The slap was so hard it knocked Ryoko/Sasami sideways to the floor; she banged her head on the base of the couch. Ayeka/Washu stood, trembling with barely controlled fury.

'You little MONSTER!' she panted between ragged breaths. 'How dare you! How DARE you judge me and my actions! BY WHAT GRACE ARE YOU PERMITTED TO SIT IN JUDGEMENT ON A CROWN PRINCESS OF JURAI!?!

'You! You show respect to my sister? Laughable!! If it had not been for Tsunami's intervention, Sasami would be DEAD! Where was your respect there, DEMON? DON'T preach your hypocrisy to ME!

'You MURDERED Sasami! Do you care? No! Did you care THEN? No! Did you care when you threatened her life aboard my ship when I first came to Earth? No!

'You don't care! You've never CARED! It's all you you you you you! You never lift a FINGER in this house, but you're quick enough to take advantage of the work of others. You never give a thought to anyone else. Sasami cooks while you laze around!'

'On Jurai, we honour duty, respect, obligation. YOU honour NOTHING, except the gratification of your own peverse desires! You're just a hollow shell of a being. You have no sense of purpose. You're empty! Souless!

'I recognise the rewards of responsibility; I strive to better myself. All I want is to make a difference, to help people live a better life. THAT'S the reason you constantly undermine my efforts! Because you KNOW you are a shallow and selfish creature, and cannot match my dedication or devotion. You're a product without a purpose; a mere construct! You play up what you are because you have no choice - it's all you CAN be. You're incapable of growing beyond yourself.

'You will NEVER learn; you'll NEVER accomplish anything of worth or value. You will never change what you are: a tool; an obsolete weapon, a device whose time has passed.' The last sentence came out like a curse.

Amidst Ryoko's fury, something snapped. There was a sudden, powerful rush of deep shame. An awful charagin; a terrifying fear.

A fear of being wrong.

A fear of Ayeka being right.

A fear of being a soulless demon, without compassion; without companions.

A fear of the dark; a fear of being alone; a fear of being cold...

Please, stop, Ayeka. You're really hurting me.

I can't change the past; I can only try to live a better future.

I spent 700 years in a cold, dark, damp cave.

700 years . . . Is it REALLY that long? Ryoko's thoughts went back to when she disarmed Mihoshe. How intimidating her body had looked; how she had marvelled that Sasami could care about her.

Ever since Ryoko had learned the truth about Sasami's heritage, some dark corner of her mind had wrestled long and hard with the knowledge that she had been responsible.

Every time she saw that happy, laughing, smiling face. Every time Ryoko had patted her on the head. Every time she had held the child close...

I'm not LIKE that anymore. I could NEVER harm Sasami - not now. I love her! I'd DIE to protect her.

But that image of herself - tall and dark; menacing and threatening - wouldn't go away. In this body, in this mind, Ryoko's thoughts had nowhere to hide, not with Ayeka focusing her upon it. It just wouldn't go away.

Is Ayeka right? AM I beyond redemption?

But . . . if I HADN'T attacked Jurai, Yosho would never have tracked me here. He would never have married Tenchi's grandma; Tenchi may well have never existed...

Would me and Ayeka be prepared to sacrifice Tenchi's existence, so that Sasami was never hurt? Ryoko doubted that could be possible.

But if Yosho hadn't left Jurai he would've married Ayeka. What of the strife he feared his succession would cause? Jurai may have lapsed into civil war if Ryoko's actions had not removed Yosho from Jurai's political scene.

Maybe it was preordained. Maybe Sasami was always MEANT to join with Tsunami.

And if it HAD happened differently.... I'd still be Kagato's soulless puppet. Yosho may have found some other excuse to escape to Earth, but I would have remained as I was. Forever...

Am I selfish to sacrifice Sasami to Tsunami, to be the way that I am, and with Tenchi also?

Ryoko realised that if Yosho HAD gone to Earth anyway Kagato would've likely destroyed Earth when he'd attacked, captured Ayeka and Sasami both, and perhaps even captured Tsunami. Yosho and Tenchi would've been killed on Earth.

Who knows? Perhaps even by me. And Washu was already his prisoner...

No. Ryoko knew events could never have been allowed to happen that way. The thought of herself laughing as she ran her sword through Tenchi was so blackly terrifying she squeezed her eyes shut and shivered against the vision. She would not - COULD not - believe that was possible. Her actions may not have been intentional, but they may well have saved the galaxy from erupting into violence, and the lives of the people she loved.

Her family. Sasami included.

Attacking Jurai was the best thing I could've done for everybody. It brought us all together HERE. We were MEANT to be here together. We were MEANT to find each other! If Sasami herself understood that, I'm sure she'd make the sacrifice all over again willingly.

Ryoko had served her time. She had done 700 years in solitary. All the warrant's on her had expired - she was FREE.

Innocent and FREE.

I'm free to choose, to go where I will, to carve a new life out for myself.

And Ryoko chose to be HERE.

This is my place now. This is where I belong. We ALL do. I belong here, with Tenchi, AND Ayeka, and everybody else too.

Ryoko/Sasami broke out of her reverie. She had never felt such a thrill of excitement, such compassion, not just for those around her, but for AYEKA of all people! The princess had help clarify it all for her. Ayeka had forced Ryoko to confront the demons of her past - and she had passed the test.

'I'm GLAD I attacked Jurai,' Ryoko blurted out. 'I'll NEVER regret it. It was the BEST thing I've EVER done.'

* * *

Back in Washu's Lab, a very worried cabbit had snuck in searching for Sasami.

'I'm sorry, Ryo-Ohki,' Kiyone explained, 'but Sasami's not here. After dropping our lunches off she asked me if she could go to my room to change before dinner.'

'Miya! Mee mee!' Ryo-Ohki pleaded with a concerned expression.

Kiyone had been so busy helping Washu that she'd only been able to keep brief tabs on what was going on outside, but the cabbit's worried expression roused her concerns enough for her to go back to the monitoring station and keep an eye on Ryoko and Ayeka whilst she ate.

Kiyone had imagined that being in Tenchi's body would be one of the most difficult and embarrassing experiences of her life, but it seemed that after all Mihoshe had put Kiyone through that swapping bodies was proving about as alarming as being caught out in the rain without an umbrella. It was this clarity of thought that now kicked Kiyone's mental processes into overdrive.

She KNEW Ryoko. More importantly she clearly understood the context Ryoko had meant to place on what she had just said. But if Ayeka's expression was anything to go by, the Jurian Princess had missed the plot completely.

So, Kiyone's lunch scattered in all directions as she tore herself out of her seat, yelling: 'WASHU! We have a BIG problem!!'

* * *

Ayeka was so stunned by Ryoko's words, her mind virtually seized up. In the nearly two years since she had arrived on Earth, the princess had witnessed the transformation of Ryoko from mindless automaton to to a passionate, loyal, almost likeable person.

As far as the pirate's attack on Jurai went, Ayeka had virtually forgiven her, even despite what Sasami had suffered. Even now, she wondered why she had raised it in the first place. She had, after all, come to Earth expecting to find Ryoko, the demon. What she had found was Ryoko, the person.

And even though she could never admit it, even to herself, she had grown to care for this outrageous woman. It wasn't really Ryoko's personality that Ayeka had a problem with.

It was her body.

The body of the monster that had hurt her precious, dear, beloved little sister.

THAT was what Ayeka hated. Not the almost warm-hearted personality that had taken root in it.

That personality had been the dam that prevented Ayeka's feelings for the body rushing out. Ryoko's playful innocence, her teasing nature. On that level Ayeka loved Ryoko as deeply as she had cared for anyone.

But with Ryoko's mind seperated from her body, the dam had been broken, and Ayeka's long buried feelings had begun to surface. Every ounce of pain and loss Ayeka had endured since those dark days on Jurai, it was all rushing through her. A last release of a deep, long held resentment; a purge of darkness. The death of a hate that no longer had a purpose. Those feelings were now pouring forth, and they had just run smack into Ryoko's last words like a freight train slamming into a mountain side.

Ryoko had just done the emotional and verbal equivalent of throwing petrol on a fire.

What she saw on Ryoko/Sasami's face was not beloved revelation, but a smug, haughty defiance; a proud and unbowed criminal; untouchable by authority; greedy and selfish. Ayeka's heart was torn by a sudden, agonising sense of betrayl. This person she had begun to trust, to care for - had it been an act all along?

Of course it hadn't, but Ayeka was too wrapped up in her own grief to realise it. All rational thought was swept away in the tornado of twisted emotion. Ryoko had humiliated her once more, and it left Ayeka with only one emotional option left to deal with this casual, blasé demon.

She went berserk.

In Washu's body, Ayeka was only a head taller than Sasami, but either Washu's body had greater strength than Ryoko/Sasami anticipated, or Ayeka's fury had lifted her strength to new heights. For the second time that day, Ryoko found herself being bodily hauled of her feet.

'You! YOU -!!' Words failed her. Nothing gets under that precious skin of yours, demon! Well perhaps this will! It's all you understand. It's time your pride took a beating!!

Ryoko/Sasami shrieked in alarm as Ayeka tipped her upside down. Ayeka/Washu's left arm coiled around Ryoko/Sasami's waist and held her with frightening force. With her right hand free, Ayeka began tanning Ryoko's hide.

Ryoko yelped, more in surprise than anything else. But the numbing sensation of the slap was quickly followed by a painful stinging. Ryoko writhed furiously in Ayeka's grasp, twisting like an eel, frantically trying to ward off another blow.

It was quite futile. Ayeka brought her hand down again, harder this time, although she was being far from savage. Every humiliation, every taunt, every ounce of pain Ryoko had inflicted upon Ayeka burned her mind with a maddening intensity.

She would NOT tolerate it any more.

'Ayeka!' Ryoko bawled. 'Stop! Please! Stop!!' She cried out loudly as Ayeka smacked her again.

'You!' Ayeka cried. 'All you ever do is hurt people I care about! You took EVERYTHING from me! And for once in your life you're going to care about that!' Her hand slipped from Ryoko/Sasami's waist, and the pirate/princess struck her head on the floor. Ayeka reached down to re-secure her grip.

There was a wrenching pain in Ayeka's wrist, and she pulled back her hand, twisting it out of the vice-like grip of Ryoko's teeth. Ryoko had bitten her hand. Even as Ayeka pulled away a streak of blood hit the carpet.

Ayeka shrieked in shock and surprise, and Ryoko tumbled the rest of the way to the floor. In an almost crab-like movement, the pirate/princess spun on her hands and feet to face her adversary.

Ryoko/Sasami's lips were bloody and a streak of red stained the front of her robes. The child's face was streaked with tears; her face burned red with furious humiliation. All thoughts of sympathy and kinship were gone. All she considered was little Goddess Ayeka,
arrogant with her power.

'I - HATE - YOU.'

The words were a cold, poisonous hiss that chilled Ayeka to the very core of her being. Those bright pink eyes glowed with primal emotion, hard as steel; cold as ice. The face of her little sister had become the mask of a monster.

The vision lasted only a moment. In that second, Ryoko/Sasami spun like a hunted animal and flung the patio doors apart so hard that one shattered. A cool blast of air came in from the chill evening and Sasami's body scampered off into the dusk.

It took a moment for Ayeka to find her voice.

'Wait - WAIT!! Sasami! SASAMI!!' Ayeka went to run after her, but she seemed to stumble; she had caught her foot on the table cloth. By the time she shook it off, Sasami was lost from view.

For a moment, Ayeka did nothing. Then, she was wracked by a deep sob; her shoulders collapsed and she sank to her knees. She buried her face in her hands and cried.

'Sasami,' she whispered. 'Ryoko. I'm SORRY! I didn't mean it! Forgive me! Oh, Jurian Suns, forgive me.' Ayeka raised her head a little; saw the dark, smeared blood on her hands and felt the stickiness on her right cheek. Ayeka had almost forgotten the wound for the nerves had become numb. Almost the entire hand was caked in drying blood, and the lower part of the sleeve was stiff. There was a dark brown stain on the floor.

A thundering of footsteps behind her, did not rouse Ayeka from her position. Nor did the startled gasp.

'Ayeka!' It was Tenchi's voice.

That DID rouse her. She spun sharply; saw Tenchi; caught the blurred visage of a red clad figure as she hurled herself at him.

'Tenchiii!!!' Ayeka flung her arms around his waist and began to sob into his chest. His arms clung awkwardly to her.

'Ayeka!' This voice jolted her even more; it was her OWN.

She pulled up and away from Tenchi, her face flushing in embarrassment. 'Oh, my!' she said, covering her eyes with her hands. 'Kiyone, forgive me! I - I just forgot.'

'It's all right, Ayeka. Where's Ryoko?'

Ayeka was silent. Hands tore at her, spun her around. She found herself looking into her own face. A face of stern judgement; almost a face of accusation.

'Ayeka!' Washu/Ayeka pleaded. 'WHERE is Ryoko??'

The breath tumbled out of Ayeka, and she sagged in on herself again. 'Ryoko's gone,' she said simply.

END OF CHAPTER 5