DISCLAIMER: Tenchi Muyo! is copyright AIC/Pioneer, LDC. I claim no rights to it. However, this story is of my own imagination. Please, no plagiarism or altering without permission from the author.
FOREWORD: This is the first of a two-part fic. Just a little idea I came up with and decided to run with. Send all critiques to the address below.
AUTHOR: Dreamr
EMAIL: TrueDreamr@Hotmail.com
LAST REVISION: 04 November 2003
BEGIN.
Mihoshi really disliked cleaning. Even when someone praised her for it, she still hated it. That was not to say she lived like a pig. But she still hated cleaning, even when the messes became intolerable. Since she had come to live in the Masaki house on Earth, she had gratefully abandoned her cluttered rooms aboard Yukinojo. However, standing on the threshold of her cabin, even she could not ignore the smell. She gazed about in distaste at the many and varied piles of disorder within. With a reluctant titter of humor, she likened the multi-colored globes of growth on her coffee table to some of Washu's lesser science experiments.
"Well, I guess I'd better get started." She sighed. "Kiyone would have a fit if she saw this mess."
Thinking of her former partner often helped Mihoshi to feel more motivated when it came to cleaning-up. Kiyone had had a real fetish about cleanliness.
As was always the case when Mihoshi tried to clean her cabin, she somehow managed to cause a small landslide of messiness. And, as always, it was not really her fault. Even the sturdiest bookcase can hold only so much stuff before it collapses. Mihoshi cowered under a rain of books, magazines, and other memorabelia from across the galaxy. Once the storm came to a stop, Mihoshi bravely opened her eyes. Lying in plain sight on top of the mess was a large golden medallion. Mihoshi broke into an immense smile when she saw the object. With this very same object she had once hypnotized Kiyone into thinking she was a poodle. Some very strange things had happened that day.
"Wow! I was wondering where this went to!"
Picking up the medallion by it's heavy gold chain, Mihoshi watched it slowly spin around. One side was gold with a sun emblazoned on it. The other side, which had been facing down, was adorned with a silver full-moon. Both sides had very mystical-looking runes etched around the circumference. Just looking at it made her feel sleepy.
"Kiyone..." Mihoshi sighed, remembering her old partner. Suddenly, she thought of the perfect way to pay tribute to Kiyone's memory.
"I know! I'll show this to everyone at home. We'll have tons of fun!"
Within the main room of the Masaki family's home in Okayama, Aeka was sewing away at another one of her needlework patters, Sasami was arranging some flowers, and Ryoko was lounging in the rafters where Aeka could not see her bottle of sake. When Mihoshi suddenly appeared in the middle of the room at mid-day without crash-landing her shuttle, it was quite a shock.
"Hey, everybody!" Mihoshi yelled as soon as she reappeared, cube in hand.
"Holy shit!" Ryoko exclaimed, looking down. "You didn't crash!"
"Ryoko!" Aeka promptly objected to Ryoko's use of rough language. "What have I told you about swearing in the house?"
"Don't know. I wasn't listening."
Aeka ground her teeth with annoyance at Ryoko's leering smile.
"Hi, Mihoshi!" Sasami cheerfully greeted her friend. "How come you're home so early?"
Mihoshi paused as she realized she had completely forgotten to go on patrol today.
"Whoops! I got so wrapped up in cleaning out my cabin that I plumb forgot to go to work!"
"Mihoshi!" Sasami giggled aloud. "You're gonna get into trouble if you keep skipping your patrols."
"Yeah, your right about that." Mihoshi agreed. "Maybe I should work late to make up for it. Thanks for reminding me, Sasami."
As Mihoshi began to manipulate her dimensional cube to reboard her shuttle, she realized that she was holding something in her hand.
"Oh! I almost forgot! Everybody, come take a look at what I've got!" Mihoshi nearly ran to the couch to sit next to her friends. She was so excited that she actually tried to jump over the back of the piece of furniture. Of course, not being inclined towards displays of athletic dexterity, she tripped on the couch and did a face-plant just in front of the couch.
"O-o-w-w..."
Ryoko laughed as Aeka and Sasami helped Mihoshi get back to her feet.
"Miss Ryoko, I would like to know what is so funny about another person's misfortune?"
"Oh, it's okay, Aeka. I don't mind if she laughs. I'm pretty much used to it by now."
"That doesn't make it right."
"I laugh because it's funny." Ryoko explained from on high. "You should try laughing once in a while. People might like you better."
"What? Are you insinuating that people don't like me?"
"Did I say that?"
"Anyway..." Mihoshi interrupted once she was upright again. "I wanted to show you this!" She held the medallion up for everybody to see.
"What's that?" Sasami curiously asked.
Mihoshi's smile grew very wide.
"This is the medallion I once used to turn my old partner, Kiyone, into a dog."
That got everyone's attention.
"A dog?" They all asked at once.
"A poodle, actually."
"What does it do?" Ryoko asked as she descended from her perch to get a closer look. "Rearrange their molecules or something?"
"No, silly!" Even Sasami understood how Mihoshi had used the medallion to change her partner into a dog. "Mihoshi hypnotized her."
"O-o-o-h-h-h. I've heard about that." Ryoko commented in a long, drawn out sound of realization.
"So have I." Aeka revealed. "But couldn't that be dangerous?"
"Oh, no!" Mioshi assured her. "It's perfectly safe. Uh, although, Kiyone did make a bit of a mess in the engine room."
The other girls' expressions of distaste made it clear to Mihoshi that that kind of behavior was not acceptable.
"Okay, then. No animals. So who wants to go first?"
"I do!" Sasami immediately volunteered.
"Shouldn't we have a professional on hand, just in case? Perhaps Miss Washu..."
"Quit being such a stick in the mud. Go ahead, Mihoshi. Hypnotize Sasami. I could use a good laugh."
Out voted three-to-one, Aeka had no choice but to accept that Mihoshi was going to hypnotize at least one person this afternoon.
"Very well. But I'm not at all comfortable with this."
"Okay." Mihoshi started waving the medallion back and forth in front of Sasami's face. She spoke in a clear, calm voice. "You're getting sleepy; very sleepy. You..."
Mihoshi stopped to let out a huge, face-splitting yawn. Ryoko immediately broke into a fit of snickering laughter.
"Hey, you're supposed to be hypnotizing Sasami, not yourself!"
"Oh, goodness. Sorry about that. I've been up all day without a nap. Okay. I'll start again." Starting the medallion moving again, Mihoshi restarted the session.
"You're getting very sleepy, Sasami. You are so sleepy, you just can't seem to keep your eyes open." As Mihoshi spoke, Sasami did indeed appear to be getting sleepy. "Your eyelids are very heavy. You can't keep them open anymore. Relax. Don't fight it. Relax and go to sleep."
Looking carefully at Sasami's peaceful face, Mihoshi tried to discern if she was asleep yet.
"Um, I think that did it."
Aeka and Ryoko stared at Sasami in absolute astonishment. They looked from Sasami, to Mihoshi, to the medallion, then at each other, and then back at Mihoshi.
"Wow!" They both excalimed.
Ryoko stretched a hand out and waved it in front of Sasami's face.
"She's really hypnotized." A large grin spread across her face. "Okay, Mihoshi. Let's have some fun with her."
"Nothing dangerous." Aeka insisted. "And, will she remember any of this?"
"Nope!" Mihoshi answered. "Not unless I tell her to."
"This is gonna be cool." Ryoko chuckled. "Make her do something."
"Um, okay. Uh..."
"Come on, come on! Some animal impressions, or something."
"Um, okay. Sasami, bark like a dog."
Sasami immediately began yapping like a small canine.
"Yaip-yap-yip!"
Mihoshi and Ryoko immediately started laughing. Even Aeka had to admit it was funny. She held a hand over her mouth to hide her smile.
"Okay, okay! Something else." Ryoko asked.
"Okay, um... Ah! Sasami, you are Ryo-o-ki!"
"Yeah!"
Sasami drew her legs up under her hips and sat on the couch with her hands down in front of her.
"Myan!" She called, doing a passable imitation of their cute and furry little friend. When she started scratching behind her ear with her hind foot, the girls all laughed out loud.
The sound of another cabbit in the house caught the attention of the real Ryo-o-ki. She soon came cautiously hopping down the stairs to investigate the excitement. Tentatively, she called to her friends.
"Mya?"
Sasami immedaitely looked over her shoulder to see what was making the sound. Ryo-o-ki and Sasami stared at each other in silence for several seconds.Finally, Sasami slowly crawled to the floor. She made her was cautiously across the floor and up the stairs. Ryo-o-ki sat still, watching Sasami's odd behavior until the princess was nearly nose-to-nose with her. Suddenly, Sasami kissed Ryo-o-ki right on the end of the nose. The girls chuckled as Ryo-o-ki sat back a bit in confusion. But, seeing that it was Sasami who was being so nice to her, she soon decided that she was just being friendly.
"Mya!" Ryo-o-ki crowed happily. She then turned and hopped off the side of the stairs, expecting that Sasami would do the normal thing and run down the stairs to meet her. Of course, since Sasami thought she was Ryo-o-ki, she went for the more direct route.
"NO!" Aeka screached in fright as her sister leapt over the stair rail, fully expecting she would land on the floor unharmed. Fortunately, the princess had others watching out for her.
As soon as Ryoko had seen Ryo-o-ki jump down, she had known Sasami would do the same. She teleported in plenty of time to catch Sasami. Ryoko looked down at Sasami as she snuggled into her breasts just like Ryo-o-ki would do.
"Heh. Close one."
"That is quite enough of this!" Aeka strenuously voiced her opinion. "Mihoshi, return Sasami to her normal state at once!"
"But there's one I wanted to do!"
"Forget it!"
"Aw, come on, Aeka." Ryoko tried to convince the other princess everything was kosher. "We're watching out for her, see?"
Looking at the way Sasami seemed to enjoy being held to Ryoko's chest, she was not at all certain that continuing was in her sister's best interest. But before she could say any more, Mihoshi gave Sasami her next command.
"Sasami, you're Tsunami!"
Ryoko and Aeka stood stock still as Sasami slowly uncoiled her limbs.
"Um, excuse me..."
Ryoko released Sasami so that she could stand on her own. The young lady looked up at her in obvious confusion.
"Pardon me. But... how did I get here?"
"Uh..."
When Ryoko could offer no explanations, Sasami looked around to see who else was around.
"Ah. Mihoshi. Now I understand." Walking gracefully back to her former place on the couch, Sasami reclaimed her position next to Mihoshi. "You should not exercise such techniques without a professional hypnotist present. It could have unwanted effects."
"Told you." Aeka quipped.
"But," Sasami continued with an affectionate smile. "since I know it's all in fun, I won't hold it against you."
"Well, that's good. I wouldn't want a goddess mad at me."
"Boring." Ryoko complained as she came back to sit on the couch once more. "Your turn, Aeka."
"My turn?" Aeka objected. "What about you? Why not you, instead?"
"It doesn't work on me."
"A likely excuse."
"It's true. I've tried it."
"Why do I not believe you?"
"Well," Mihoshi interrupted them again. "I was going to hypnotize Aeka next, anyway."
"Why me?"
"Because you've got no will power." Ryoko answered for Mihoshi.
"What?!"
The girls turned to Sasami when they heard her chuckling softly from behind.
"Aeka, don't you know Ryoko teases you because she likes you?"
"What? That's crazy!"
"Would I lie to you?"
Aeka immediately grew less confrontational and more sheepish.
"Ah, well, that is to say, I didn't mean..."
Seeing an opportunity to put the whole issue to rest, Mihoshi held the medallion in front of Aeka's face and began swinging it back and forth.
"You're getting sleepy, Aeka. You're very tired."
"No, I'm not."
"Yes, you are."
"No, I'm..." Aeka objection stopped when she let loose a huge, unprincessly yawn. "Oh, my. Please, excuse me. I seem to be very tired all of a sudden."
"Yes, Aeka. You're very tired. You can't stay awake any more. You'll be asleep in seconds. You..."
Aeka's chin thumped to her chest.
"Wow, that was easy." Mihoshi remarked.
"I told you she had no will power."
"No kidding. Okay. So... what's first?"
"Impressions." Ryoko suggested. "Make her think she's somebody else."
"Hmm..." Mihoshi thought about it for a second, then she smiled as a novel idea came to her. "Aeka, you're Tenchi's father!"
"Oh, good one!"
"Hello, ladies!" Aeka spoke in a lower-toned jovial voice. Her eyes ran up and down each of the girls sitting next to her. "It looks like it's just us."
Ryoko smiled at the unspoken insinuations in Aeka's imitation of Nobuyuki. She had him down almost perfect.
"You know..." Aeka continued, smiling suggestively. "I can understand why you girls find Tenchi to be such a catch. If you gave me a good enough reason, I might be able to put in a good word for one of you."
Aeka's impression of Nobuyuki was so good that, for several seconds, the girls could only stare at her suggestive smirk. Then they burst out laughing. Even Sasami, who was still convinced that she was Tsunami, laughed at the scene as Aeka casually draped an arm around each of them..
"Of course, I can't recommend any girl without getting to know her better. I've got a nice selection of sake up in my study. Why don't we have a drink while we get to know each other better?"
Ryoko laughed so hard at the blatant invitation that she fell off the couch. Mihoshi was also enjoying herself at Nobuyuki's expense, although not quite so freely as Ryoko. To tell the truth, the overtures were strating to make her a little uncomfortable. Fortunately for her, Aeka knelt down on the floor to offer Ryoko assistance in rising.
"Miss Ryoko! Are you all right? Can I help you up?"
Looking up at Aeka as she looked down, an incredibly perverted and hilarious notion suddenly entered Ryoko's mind. It would never happen for real, but this was for fun. In her mind, that made it all right. Looking up at Aeka, she used her sugariest voice.
"Nobuyuki... I... can't seem get up on my own."
Aeka did not hesitate to offer Nobuyuki's kind of "assistance".
"Here. Let me help you." Aeka slid one arm under Ryoko's shoulders, and the other under her thighs. Ryoko was not at all surprised when she felt Aeka's hand well up on the back of her thigh. But when Aeka tried to lift Ryoko, she came up against one of the obstacles involved in this little show. She might think that she was Nobuyuki, but she still had the body of Aeka. In other words, she was no where near as strong as Tenchi's father.
"Oof." Aeka groaned as she tried unsuccessfully to lift Ryoko from the floor. "You, ah... seem to be heavier than I remember."
Ryoko remained silent, barely, as Aeka squatted down to get better leverage. With a groan, Aeka managed to get Ryoko up into her arms, but only as long as it took for her to take one step and just about dump her on the couch.
"Jeez. Maybe I should start working out."
Ryoko bit her lip to keep from laughing out loud. This was the most fun she had had in... well, ever.
"Oh, Nobuyuki. You're so gallant and strong. Tenchi's so lucky." Raising a finger to her eye, Ryoko wiped away a false tear. "I never knew my parents. It would be an honor if I could call you father.
"Ah!" Aeka grabbed Ryoko's hand and held it tight. "She called me father!"
"Honorable Father..."
"Oh, I've chosen the one I want! Er, for Tenchi, I mean." Aeka began to lean closer, obviously intent on a kiss.
"Okay, Mihoshi. Change to someone else."
Mihoshi stared at the developing scene, her face glowing beet-red. It was just like a soap opera. She would not have changed the channel if the entire galaxy were threatened.
"Mihoshi."
Aeka was getting very close.
"Mihoshi!" Ryoko could smell Aeka's breath as the princess closed her eyes and puckered-up.
"MIHOSHI!"
Contact.
"Whoa!" Mihoshi exclaimed in wonder as Ryoko wriggled and struggled under Aeka's grip, which suddenly seemed much stronger than it should have been. She and Sasami stared at the spectacle until Ryoko finally flipped them the bird, reminding the watchers that this was not quite what she considered as romantic.
"Oh! Yeah, right. Um..." Mihoshi considered for a moment who she should change Aeka into next. Considering what was happening, the logical choice was Tenchi.
"Aeka, you are now Tenchi!"
Ryoko froze. That was a different idea. Of course, it was still Aeka on top of her. But it did make things a little more tolerable. Unfortunately, as soon as Aeka realized what was going on, she quickly backed away to the other side of the couch.
"Um..."
Ryoko sat up on her elbows. Aeka was looking down at her hands, only occasionally sending a worried look in her direction.
"Ryoko, was I just... I mean, were we..."
Ryoko smiled.
"Yes, Tenchi. We were about to make love. Why did you stop?"
"I... don't think... I think something's wrong."
"Nothing's wrong, Tenchi." Ryoko assured Aeka as she got to her knees and crawled to her side. "We've known each other long enough. Just promise me to be gentle. It's my first time."
Aeka's face turned a bit red.
"I meant, um, well... why am I dressed like Aeka?"
"Oh, that. Uh... oh, boy. Um... we thought you would feel more comfortable this way."
"Just how is this supposed to help?" Aeka skeptically asked.
"Well, you always seem so shy around us girls that we decided to ask Washu for a little favor."
"Washu?" Aeka asked. "Why would you need Washu's help to..." Then answer suddenly revealed itself to Aeka/Tenchi. "Oh, no."
Ryoko cuddled up to Aeka, slipping one arm around her shoulders putting the other on her thigh.
"Make love to me, Tenchi."
"Excuse me." Aeka said, standing up. Quickly, she loosened the front of her kimono and looked down. "Oh, my god."
"What's the matter, Tenchi? Doesn't it turn you on to look at Aeka's body?"
"That is not the point, Ryoko!"
"Really? But you haven't checked downstairs yet."
It took Aeka a second to figure out what Ryoko meant by "downstairs". Although the others could not see her hands, they could see her arms. They slowly moved South until her forearms were pointing to her private area.
"Oh, no..."
Ryoko chuckled a bit. But this was not nearly as entertaining as she thought it should be. Just like Tenchi, Aeka was taking things very calmly.
"This is boring." Mihoshi commented.
"Yup." Ryoko agreed. "Next."
"May I make a suggestion?"
Ryoko and Mihoshi turned to look at Sasami, who had been silent most of the time.
"Oh, yeah!" Mihoshi suddenly remembered. "I forgot to change you back."
"Yeah." Ryoko agreed. "You'd better not leave her like that or Aeka'll have a fit."
"No problem. Sasami, you're yourself again."
"I hate to disappoint you." Sasami said in the same voice. "But do you believe hypnosis would work on a goddess?"
"Heck no." Mihoshi promptly aswered.
"Then is it resonable to believe Sasami would think any differently?"
"Um..."
"Uh-oh." Ryoko mumbled. "Does this mean you're stuck like that?"
Sasami slowly nodded.
"That's weird." Mihoshi commented. "Kiyone didn't have any problems like that."
"Yeah, well, you didn't tell Kiyone to impersonate Tsunami, either."
"That's true." Mihoshi agreed. "Um, should we go get Washu?"
"Actually," Sasami broke in, "I'd like to stay for a little longer. It's been a very long time since I've been this entertained!"
"Oh. Well, I don't mind. Do you mind, Ryoko?"
Ryoko just shrugged.
"What about you, Aeka?"
Aeka said nothing, since she was still convinced she was Tenchi in Aeka's body.
"Oh, right. Never mind. So, what was your idea?"
"I think Aeka should imitate Miss Ryoko."
"Yeah! That'll be really funny!" Mihoshi agreed with a giggle.
"Hey, wait a minute!" Ryoko objected, but not before Mihoshi could give Aeka the proper command.
"Aeka, you're now Ryoko."
Aeka spun around and glared at those assembled.
"All right. What's the big idea? Who put me in Aeka's clothes?" Looking around Aeka's gaze locked on Ryoko. "Was it you? Wait a minute. Who the Hell are you?"
Thinking quickly, Ryoko gave a totally lame answer.
"I'm a figment of your imagination."
Aeka stared at her for a second, apparently thinking about that. Then she shrugged in acceptance.
"Fine."
Ryoko hissed at Aeka's too easy acceptance of her response. To Ryoko, it meant that Aeka thought of her as an imbecile, which was not the truth. Ryoko prefered to think of herself as uneducated. School had never been a part of her life.
"How can that princess stand to wear this stuff?" Aeka muttered as she began to take off her kimono. The others watched in surprise, then bewilderment as Aeka disrobed right down to her underclothes.
"Oh, my." Mihoshi mutter while Ryoko grinned. This was somewhat more entertaining than Aeka's impression of Tenchi.
"This part isn't too bad. But the colors suck and it makes my tits look too small."
Mihoshi slapped a hand over her mouth at the language Aeka was using. Ryoko chuckled at it. Aeka continued to twist around while examining herself. After a few seconds more, she came to another conclusion.
"This hanging stuff's got to go." Gripping the narrow skirts that hung down from her undercloths in the front, Aeka gave it a good pull and tore it away. Casually dropping the material to the floor, she then went to the rear and tore that one off, as well.
"There. What do you think, Sasami? Does it suit me?"
Aeka began strutting around the room to show off her new outfit.
Mihoshi laughed and chuckled at Aeka's rather over-blown imitation.
"It looks very nice." Sasami answered.
"Really? Hm. You don't suppose Aeka'll miss it, do you?"
"No, she won't miss it."
A large grin was spreading across Aeka's face when the outside door opened.
"I'm home!" Tenchi announced as he made his return from his daily chores.
An entirely new look came across Aeka's face. With a hungry smile, she turned to face the entryway where Tenchi would soon emerge into the main room and put a hand on one hip. When Tenchi finally made his way into the room and saw Aeka, he stopped dead in his tracks.
"Uh..."
"So, Tenchi. How do I look?"
"Uh..."
With a mischievous giggle, Aeka suddenly took a running leap at Tenchi and jumped up on him, wrapping her arms and legs around him. Tenchi took a step back as Aeka's inertia nearly knocked him down. Fortunately, she was not a particularly large or heavy person, and he was able to keep his balance.
"Aeka, what are you doing?!"
Aeka turned her head this way and that, looking for the person she thought was her arch-rival. Once she was sure Aeka was not anywhere nearby, she looked at Tenchi in confusion.
"Where?"
Tenchi stared back at Aeka until she smiled.
"I get it. This little outfit makes me look like Aeka." With a pout, Aeka quickly switched gears. "That hurts my feelings, Tenchi. I can forgive you, but only if you give me a kiss."
"What?" Tenchi asked, incredulous.
Ryoko grinned maniacally and Mihoshi tried hard not to laugh as Aeka leaned closer to Tenchi, bringing her nose-to-nose with him.
"Don't be shy, Tenchi. I know you want me. I can feel it. Or... is that your sword in your pocket?"
"Change her back." Ryoko suddenly demanded, no longer smiling. If Tenchi was actually getting excited by Aeka's little performance, then there was no way this girl was going to let her continue.
"What? Why?" Mihoshi asked. "I'm having fun."
"Oops." Aeka said with a smile. "My mistake. It's in your belt."
Tenchi's face turned bright red as he tried to pry Aeka from around his hips.
"Cut it out!"
"Change her back!" Ryoko demnded again, this time with more force in her voice.
"Okay, okay!" Mihoshi reluctantly agreed. "Aeka, you're yourself again."
At first, it did not appear that anything had changed. Aeka continued to cling to Tenchi, who continued to squirm in her grasp. But soon her face turned even redder than Tenchi's. She suddenly let go of him, dropping to her feet.
"I..."
"Aeka, what is up with you today? You... don't usually do stuff like that." Tenchi looked her over once. "And why are you... ah, half-naked?"
Aeka's eyes went wide. Then she looked down and saw that she was wearing only her undercloths, and even that seemed to be missing something. Growing angry, she whirled around to confront the other girls.
"What did you do to me?!"
Being almost painfully honest, Mihoshi gave Aeka her answer.
"We hypnotized you into thinking you were Ryoko."
"What?!"
With Aeka acting like herself again, Ryoko felt much relieved. Frankly, she found prissy little Aeka to be much more entertaining than the sexually agressive version.
"Hey, no sweat, Aeka. I won't hold it against you."
"Thanks for nothing." Aeka muttered as she walked back to where she had removed her kimono. Although she was indeed embarrassingly clad, it was nothing anyone in this room had not seen before, even Tenchi. At this point, there was nothing more she could do other than to retrieve her clothes. However, when Ryoko suddenly got up from the couch and retrieve her kimono for her, Aeka began to worry.
"What are you doing with my clothes?"
"Relax." Ryoko told Aeka, handing the kimono to her with a smile. "Nothing happened."
Aeka snatched the clothing from her.
"For your sake, I hope not."
Walking past Aeka, Ryoko went to greet Tenchi. He had not yet moved from his place. As she approached him, his eyes finally focused on her, instead of the First Princess.
"Welcome Home, Tenchi."
"Uh... okay."
Without asking, Ryoko put her arms around Tenchi's waist and gave him a brief hug. He tensed for a moment, but when she released him only a few seconds later, he relaxed.
"Are you girls sure everything's all right, here?"
Ryoko just stared at Tenchi. In the few seconds she had had her arms around him, she had been able to verify that Tenchi's sword, the Master Key he had inherited from his grandfather, was snugly secured at it's usual place in his belt. It left her wondering if Aeka had really felt something, or if she had only been joking with Tenchi.
"Okay, Ryoko!" Mihoshi called from the couch. "It's your turn, next."
"I told you, it won't work on me."
"You could at least let me try."
"Ryoko, what's going on, here?"
"Miss Mihoshi is demonstrating her hypnotism skills." Aeka answered for Ryoko.
"Hypnotism?" Tenchi asked with a growing smile. "You're kidding."
"Nope." Ryoko finally spoke, breaking her stare to go sit back on the couch. "I'll tell you what, Mihoshi. When you're done failing to hypnotize me, you can try it with Tenchi."
"Cool!" Mihoshi enthusiastically agreed.
"Um, maybe you should ask me, first." Tenchi suggested, giving Ryoko the hairy eyeball.
"Go ahead, Mihoshi." Ryoko prompted the blond again. "Give it your best shot."
"Okay!" Mihoshi agreed, holding the medallion up once again. As she set the object in motion, Ryoko even went along by following it with her eyes.
"You're getting very sleepy." Mihoshi methodically chanted. "Really, really, sleepy. You really want to take a nap."
As Ryoko followed the pendulum-like motion of the medallion, she found her eyelids were growing very heavy. Much to her surprise, she was having more and more difficulty keeping her eyes focused on the gold and silver ornament's movements. Combined with Mihoshi's steady monotonous voice, her mind slowly grew quiet and calm. Her eyes closed.
"You're asleep." Mihoshi decided, without even checking.
"Very good, Mihoshi." Aeka congratulated as she finished adjusting her kimono. "Now, I have some questions for Miss Ryoko, if you don't mind."
"Are you sure this is safe, Mihoshi?" Tenchi asked, concerned. "This is Ryoko we're messing with."
"Sure, I'm sure." Mihoshi confidently answered. "Watch this. Ryoko, how much do you love Tenchi?"
"With all my heart."
"Mihoshi, are you certain she isn't lying?" Aeka suspiciously asked.
"I don't think she can lie like this."
Tenchi's face colored a bit.
"I don't think Ryoko would want to talk about these things."
"It's a small price to pay for making me think I was her." Aeka insisted, pressing on. "Besides, every time I ask Brother Yosho about their battle, he avoids the question. I want to know the truth about it."
"I think it's pretty clear." Tenchi said, trying to answer the question without poking around in Ryoko's subconscious. "Ryoko was locked-up in that cave for seven hundred years. Obviously Yosho won."
"It can't be that simple! Lord Tenchi, I was there when Ryoko attacked Jurai. You didn't see what she is capable of. Some of the things Miss Ryoko did were thought to be impossible! I agree that it is obvious that my brother defeated Ryoko. It is also obvious that his tree has taken root on this planet because of her. But I can't believe that depriving Ryoko of her power was so easy! There must be more to it."
"I'm sure there is. But I just don't see how it's important anymore. They're both alive and well, and living peacefully here in Okayama. What more could you ask for?"
"Alive and well, you say. Lord Tenchi, did you know that with bio-enhancement the average lifespan of a member of the Jurai Royal Family is well over ten thousand years?"
Tenchi's jaw dropped at the figure Aeka presented to him.
"Ten... thousand?"
"Yes, ten thousand! Yosho is barely over seven hundred and look at him! He's an old man! By destroying his ship and forcing Funaho to take root, she has deprived him of the life that was his by right! I demand an accounting!"
The others in attendance stared at Aeka in astonishment. Her anger and frustration were plainly evident in how upset she was getting about this. Aeka took a deep, calming breath, then continued.
"As First Princess of the Jurai Royal Family, I have a responsibility to learn the truth. As Yosho's sister, and former fiancee, I believe I have the right to ask this."
Aeka stared Tenchi in the eye, daring him to object further.
"I guess..."
"There." Aeka accepted Tenchi reluctanct response as an affirmative answer. She quickly returned her attention to the young woman lying hypnotized on the couch. "So, then, Miss Ryoko. I want you to tell me what happened after Yosho expelled you from the palace."
"I flew away in Ryo-o-ki." Ryoko began her recounting of the incident. "Some Jurai ships are chasing me. They're weak and annoying." A malevolent smile spreads across Ryoko's face, even though she is under Mihoshi's spell. "Ryo-o-ki destroyed them easily. All except the prince's ship. His ship is stronger than the others. At least as strong as the first prince's ship."
"Wait a moment. What prince are you refering to?"
"The first one."
"I know that!" Aeka growled at Ryoko.
After having only watched the events occuring, Sasami finally spoke up.
"She must mean Azu- I mean, Father's ship, Kirito. It's the only other first-generation ship."
"Yes, that must be it." Aeka agreed. "Ryoko, what was the first prince's name?"
"Kagato told me his name was Azusa of the Jurai Royal Family."
"I see. Hmm, well, continue your story, please."
"I think I'll call the new prince and ask him to take us someplace where we could be alone." There was a slight pause as the memories replayed in Ryoko's mind Then she smiled. "He says he can take us to see his mother's home-town. He's laughing and saying that it sounds like a marriage proposal."
"Excuse me?" Aeka asked, rather doubtful of what ryoko was saying. "Are you certain of that?"
"Yes." Ryoko answered, still smiling. "I think I'll accept his proposal."
"What?!"
"Easy, Aeka." Tenchi tried to calm the princess.
"I cut communications after seeing the look on his face." Ryoko continued without waiting for Aeka. "He was heading towards a hyper-space gate nearby. I'm pretty sure he wants to use it. It probably leads to his mother's home, like he said. So I'll go through first, just to give him some added incentive."
"I see." Aeka commented. "If Yosho were to take a powerful ship like Funaho through one of those, the power surge would cause the gate to self-destruct. I wonder if Ryo-o-ki would have had the same effect?"
"Ha!" Ryoko suddenly barked out with glee. "He followed me. To bad I've got the element of surprise. I think I'll go visit him on his ship."
"That's impossible."
"What a wierd ship. It's all wood. There's the prince. He looks surprised to see me. Oh, well. Time to fight."
Ryoko's body suddenly spasmed a bit, as if she were having a strange dream.
"Wow, he dodged my attack. He is good. Wait a sec, what the Hell? I'm someplace else. But there's more space."
While the others were looking around in confusion, Aeka offered a possible explanation.
"The tree aboard a Jurai ship has the ability to warp space. That is how the habitat is maintained. That's probably were they went."
"Yup. That's what he's saying. All righty, then."
Ryoko falls into a long silence accompanied by twitches and more spasms. But as the fight replays, her smile quickly disappears.
"I... can't follow him. He's too fast. His sword... He's better with his sword. I have to push him back."
Ryoko features harden into one of intense concentration. But almost immediately, the look is replaced by one of astonishment.
"The Light-Hawk Wings!"
"What?!" Everyone asks, in surprise.
"Where'd he go?" Ryoko asked aloud. Suddenly, with a shout she jerks to one side. "My hand!" Then she jerks to the other side. "He took my hands!"
"Come one!" Tenchi finally objects. "That's enough! Can't you see this is hurting her?"
"Screw this!" Ryoko shouted. "I'm outta here!"
"All right, Miss Ryoko." Aeka calmly spoke. "Calm down, now. I want lucid memories, not rantings and ravings."
Slowly, Ryoko's breathing began to slow.
"He took two of my gems. That son of a bitch took my gems! Ryo-o-ki. Yes, that's it. I can funnel my power into Ryo-o-ki. He can't use that damn sword on me from here. Go, Ryo-o-ki! Kill the prince!"
"Aeka, that's enough." Tenchi insisted again. "Mihoshi, wake her up."
"Kill him!"
"You know, Aeka, I agree with Tenchi. I think this has gone far enough. It's supposed to be fun, not weird."
"KILL HIM!" A golden aura began to form around Ryoko, making the room glow brightly.
"Oh, dear." Sasami said as Tenchi and Aeka began to back away.
"KILL HIM!"
"Um, bye-bye, now." Mihoshi ran for the door as sparks of energy began arcing across Ryoko's prone body.
Aeka managed to erect a protective shiled just before a massive explosion consumed the front of the Masaki house.
Deep withIn the guts of her extra-dimensional laboratory, Washu Hakubi, the Greatest Scientific Genius in the Universe barely noticed the seismic disturbance caused by a massive energy discharge. Only the silent descent of a few lonely dust particles betrayed the events going on outside.
"Kids these days..." She muttered.
END.
AFTERWORD: You may have noticed that Nobuyuki and Katsuhito do not appear in this part. You have my word that at least Katsuhito will appear in Part Two: Darkening Moon. I'll also offer a small explanation as to how I came up with the chapter names.