All previous notes apply. I apologize for the gutting this part underwent.

Chapter Three

"Acquaintances"

Ryouko stirred slightly from her huddled-up slumber, lifting her head from its not-so-well rested place on her knees. She had moved just a while ago, after the blood had nearly adhered her face to the floor. She winced as her back cracked a few times before she stood up, running her hands behind her along the door-sided wall to keep her shaky frame upright. She glanced around quickly for a few moments before her eyes fell upon the high yellow slits of light that splashed over her demolished futon.

Oh, right. That.

Was it already so late in the day? Almost so late as lunch, maybe? Not that it mattered, of course. After all, it wasn't about how much Ryouko wanted to sit down next to Tenchi and pretend to love all the food that tasted the same to her. It didn't matter that every meal she sat down to was for the people and not the spread. It wasn't about what she wanted at all.

This was about what Kagato wanted. When did Mitsuko get to Earth? Ryouko shook her head, holding a hand to her forehead. That too did not matter. As long as she did as she was commanded things would be fine. As fine as they could be when one's will was submitted to someone like that. Someone so very insane. . . Still, there was something better that lay in being the one in control - at least, it felt like she would be in control.

So she wouldn't be, big deal. Mitsuko liked to play victim so that's how things would pan out. Just as they always had when Ryouko had been so shattered and broken that getting used to what they did together was an easy task. Once she found a sense of comfort, Ryouko's interest in sadism was practically synthesized into place due to Mitsuko's obviously more important needs. Ryouko's eyes burned as she stared at nothing in particular, thinking about the countless nights the two had shared. Forced to share at first, but after a while, Ryouko had found herself going to Mitsuko out of habit. It was a strange relationship they'd shared, mostly raw and sexual.

Ryouko couldn't help but remember. Mitsuko. . . Kagato's second in command was on Earth? Mother fucker. . . Maybe this time, with such a different environment, with such a small grasp still clinging to reality; perhaps this time Ryouko could take the lead roll. Maybe this time it would go beyond sadism. Mitsuko deserved it, didn't she? If Ryouko couldn't make Kagato feel her pain, then the next highest figure would.

Where was Ayeka, anyhow? As best as Ryouko could figure, as she rubbed her stubborn-to-focus eyes, Ayeka had disappeared a couple weeks ago. What a stupid haircut. It was probably a coincidence that the first time she had met Ayeka she'd wanted to kill her. Probably not due to her resemblance to Mitsuko; probably more attributed to her snotty attitude. What a bitch. But that resemblance was there, nonetheless, and it didn't help matters whenever Ryouko remembered what happened so very long ago. Ryouko sighed, looking up with a small snarl. So what if it was so very long ago. The point is that it happened.

Mitsuko, you're going to pay. Reaching up to her mouth, she licked the tips of her fingers, bringing them to the side of her face to wipe away any remaining and coagulated blood. Dropping her hand back at her side, she winced, the sting of spit crawling into the small but surprisingly deep cut burning her face.

Washu probably knew. With a small buzz, Ryouko was gone. It was time.

-o-

Tenchi wiped his forehead, sitting in the shade of a tree as noontime neared. He sighed as a breeze swept through from the mountains, making the trees ripple and the fields sway. It was already a good day; a little on the warm side, but the breeze and affection from his housemates seemed to make it a trivial matter. It was strange: Ryouko only kissed him once this time. He smirked slightly before he reached for the lunch Sasami made him when it disappeared in a white flash.

"What the?" He speedily gazed around the carrot fields from his position and furrowed his brow in puzzlement. It wasn't just a white flash, was it? No, there was a nice cyan fade to it. He looked to the far-away house for a moment before he glances to his left where the view opened up into the wide vista that was the vast fields. To his right, a few trees dotted the landscape before the forest closed off the view any further. While he didn't see the next flash, he felt it. "Oh man. . ." he groaned, "I hope that's not-" Suddenly, the edge of a bokken slipped into the ground at his feet, causing him to look down at it as his lunch dropped on his head. "Hey!"

"Ah," the spry one in the priestly robe muttered as he hopped down from the tree, "your rivals won't take lunch breaks, Tenchi! Now, eat up and come for your training." Katsuhito said, the gleam of his glasses matching his mischievous smile. "Hurry up, Tenchi! Time waits for no one." Katsuhito jumped back and flipped into the underbrush, sitting on his haunches; waiting.

Tenchi sighed and opened his lunch, grumbling. While the occurrence was commonplace, it was annoying. "Honestly, you try to make everything you say monumental. I have one weird grand father- OW!" A rock dropped in his lap after he rubbed his head, looking back sourly.

"Weird to you is efficient to me!" Katsuhito called, smiling, holding the cache of small rocks in his hand. He whipped another one at Tenchi who quickly grabbed the bokken and popped the stone into the air, catching it on its speedy return to the earth.

"Will you let me eat now?"

"Well, if you didn't spend so much time talking to me or complaining you could have been done. Now hurry up!"

Tenchi rolled his eyes and picked up his meal as he sat down. He quickly devoured it, rice balls and the egg roll not having so much definitive taste as he smashed it all into his mouth. He took awareness to the note inside after her finished the remainder of the meal, careful not to eat it. He picked it up, Sasami's decorative handwriting sprawled across the small square of paper. She was becoming infamous for putting notes in his lunch, blessing him and hoping for his safe return from the fields. "Or from the training," Tenchi mumbled quietly. "OW!"

"Don't think my old ears are slipping just yet," he said with his priestly smile remaining. "Now, finish reading and let us start."

Tenchi nodded and glanced over the note. He was surprised at the urgency of the text, as it wasn't a blessing, but a request; almost a demand. I'm sorry Sasami, Tenchi thought, but if I skip on my training, grandpa will lynch me! He stuffed the note into his pocket and flipped the rock he had into the air. Using his bokken, he swiftly launched the tiny pebble at Katsuhito who was casually removing his robes. Barely taking notice as he shook himself from the final extraneous ware, he caught the stone and whipped it back at Tenchi who then knocked it into the ionosphere. Grinning, Katsuhito cracked his neck as he came to stance in his sparring digs. They'd start here, sure, but their battle always took them up to the shrine. After all, there were too many carrots to crush in the fields.

"Ready?"

Smiling defiantly, Tenchi called out. "Hai!"

-o-

Sasami, bored like no child should ever be, fed Ryou-ohki another carrot as she sat up and sighed. Another breeze swept through as she stared out to where she hoped she would see Tenchi coming towards her. She turned to the kitchen door, thinking that perhaps it was time she got to making lunch for those who were still in the house. The others finding things to do, it really only left Mihoshi and Ryouko as her food mates. Washu would stay crammed in her lab with Ayeka, of all people, Kiyone went out to town, surprisingly, and big brother Yosho had probably abducted Tenchi. Kicking her foot to and fro, she leaned against the wall of the storage shed.

"Where are you, Tenchi," she muttered, "I know you got the note. . . can't you skip training just this once?" She sighed again and looked at the sun's rays, streaked across the wooden planks with sharp and defined lines. "Maybe I should just let them fend for themselves. . ." She blanched momentarily and shook her head. "Ryouko would probably kill herself with gas fumes and Mihoshi would scald herself silly. . ." She pushed off from the wall and puttered very slowly to the door.

"I just need to talk to Tenchi. . ." She had something pressing to ask of him, as lately, she'd been hearing and understanding some odd thing on TV. Also, after coming down late at night for a glass of water, she'd sometimes stumble across Nobuyuki watching a few select programs. Of course, there were also the words that Ryouko spewed that Ayeka tried to cover her ears from. It never worked; Sasami always heard Ryouko clear as day.

This aroused some questions from Sasami, and felt they could only be answered by Tenchi. She was too embarrassed to approach Ayeka or the other girls, but through some divine twist of reality, she felt only brother Tenchi could rise to the challenge. She had also briefly figured that Ayeka had no idea what this 'sex' thing was. Tossing Ryou-ohki another carrot, she called for the cabbit to follow.

"Let's go talk to Mihoshi, she seems like the type to know all about this stuff!" Naively trotting off, Ryou-ohki jumped up and settled atop Sasami's head.

-o-

Bang! Two wooden shafts clacked off each other, sending a crack high into the air to shake small birds from the rustling trees. Tenchi stepped back up onto the third landing of the shrine steps before he swung the bokken down in a wide circle. Katsuhito swept it aside, Tenchi bringing it back in a slash. The age-guised Yosho hopping onto the slanted left side of the steps as Tenchi's sword narrowly missed him. Tenchi smirked, thinking he had him on the ropes before he stabbed the bokken forward. Katsuhito returned the cocky grin, already on the other slant as Tenchi skewered air.

The priest swung the wooden blade around to the right, expecting to catch Tenchi in the stomach. He would have, had Tenchi not slipped back and pulled his handle down, making the blade vertical. The collision pushed Tenchi back as he stumbled onto the steps, hopping back onto his feet. He sliced the blade around and swung to the left, again clamoring with Katsuhito's. The priest charged up the smooth slant on the side of the steps, making Tenchi gallop over two, three or four steps at a time to keep pace.

The forest swept by behind both Katsuhito and Tenchi as they shot up the long stretch of steps, their blades battling in a hold and not actual swordplay. Tenchi stole a glance as the top of the run was a mere few steps away. He touched down on the ground and immediately propelled himself off Katsuhito's bokken as it cut like lightning under his feet. He touched back down, the sword following in a high arc.

"Kaai!" Swinging away on the hinge of his bokken, Katsuhito skipped to the side as Tenchi's blade buried itself into the ground. As quickly as he was bamboozled, his opponent slipped the blade under his feet, Tenchi dropping like a brick to the pebbled ground. Katsuhito stabbed his sword into the ground inches next to Tenchi's head, looking down smugly at his partially confused opponent.

"Ahh. . . God. . . do you have to makes these encounters so painful and realistic?"

"Well Tenchi, if your enemy had rather fight with video games instead then I suppose this isn't necessary. However, I'm afraid all aggressors would take all advantages. Now, again; watch your feet and keep your swings manageable!"

-o-

Ayeka looked around the vast laboratory as Washu swept beside her on her floating pillow. Ayeka began to jog in a dignified pillow-to-ground race as Washu stretched in an easy glide. "Still in awe? I figured you people would get used to the place by now!"

"Well, you are constantly changing it, are you not?"

Washu twisted her face into a wry grin. "Yup, I guess you're right! After all I am Washu!"

"The greatest!"

"The best!"

"Washu!" The puppets chimed in unison.

Washu laughed, making Ayeka's skin tighten as the scientist sped up, bolting down the machineries' alley way. Ayeka tripped on her robes and fell face forward in a skid, sliding across the smooth floor as her attempt to go faster was quite quickly halted. "Ow. . ."

Washu laughed again; somehow her chortling always seemed sinister. Maybe because it always was sinister. When wasn't Washu on the crest of blowing something up or dominating a race of people? She returned in a putter, hovering above Ayeka's still form. "I love these li'l guys!" Washu cheerily patted the heads of her robots as they disappeared behind her. "So, what did you need again?"

Ayeka blushed as she got to her feet. "Stupid robes. . ."

"Ahem."

"Oh! Er, I do not need it; after all I am Crown Princess of-"

"Oh yeah! Boobs!" Washu said, interrupting her.

Ayeka's entire face reddened quickly, hiding her small blush behind a curtain of a deeper crimson. "Again, Miss Washu, I do not need these. But I'd like to experime-"

"Oh. You mean 'seduce'."

"AHEM. Experime-"

"Alright, fine! Entice!" Washu threw her hands up in mock presentation, an evil smile carved into her face. She brought her hands back down to slap her knees as she settled into a highly amused grin.

"Miss-"

"Tempt?"

"Washu-"

"Lure!"

"WASHU!"

". . . Yes?"

"I'M EXPERIMENTING AND ONLY THAT! Why can't you get that into your head? I DO NOT NEED BIG BREASTS!" Ayeka covered her mouth, still trying to fight off the rest of the fluster. "I mean. . . I just do not require them to be so large; I only wish to seek unpretentious alternatives to my. . . modest size. . ." Ayeka held her head high, trying vainly to regain her dignity.

"Hmm," Washu let out, a covert smile still marring face. "Follow me. I never really pegged Tenchi for a breast-guy, but we'll look into it!" Ayeka obediently followed as Washu hopped off her pillow, spun on a heel and skipping off, calling back in a motherly tone: "And dear, it's Washu-chan!" Quietly, Ayeka's face threatened to explode.

-o-

Kiyone stepped off the train, the trip to Tokyo not taking nearly as long as she figured it would. She needed to get away, no doubt about it. The last week had been nothing but interview door-slams, temp jobs which ended in her owing more money than she would have made had she been employed the whole day, and generally the never ending antics of Mihoshi. It wasn't so much that she hated the girl; she just despised her. Sometimes, at least.

Yesterday was probably the hardest day of her life. Three jobs came and went; three headaches came and stayed; and three bosses collected checks that would probably end up bouncing. Damn you, you stupid, stupid blonde.

It was a calm, Tuesday morning when it all happened. They rolled into Tokyo around the same time, merely on the journey for a little shopping. Okayama didn't have as much to offer bar for the occasional thrift store. Even Mihoshi's luck couldn't get a good find out of one of those. Besides, it was fun to hit the big city. Sure, Kobe or even Kyoto would have been an easy trip, but Tokyo just had an undeniable allure to it. It was a slow mid day, everyone back into a groove of working after the weekend. They had two shifts to get to in the evening back home but they had time. They'd only been on those jobs for a few days, however, so being late didn't stay as an option.

Well, it did, but Kiyone wanted to keep the jobs.

It was fated that they'd pass that 'help wanted' sign. It was fated that it would be a pet shop. It was certainly fated that Mihoshi would flip the fuck out. "Kiyone!" she had screamed, grabbing her partner's shoulders in a raven's grip. Kiyone was jerked around and the precarious balance of boxes Mihoshi practically forced her to carry toppled onto the sidewalk. One had spilled into the street, Kiyone's new sweater crushed by a bus.

"Damnit. . ." Kiyone had muttered, not even bothering to stoop to pick up the boxes most people had the courtesy to step around. There were maybe one or two, the big guys even Kiyone wouldn't stand up to, that blindly stepped on the packages. Kiyone grumbled as Mihoshi continued to rattle her.

"Kiyone! Lookit!" she had squealed at her, twirling her around to see the sign and the adorable kitten next to it.

"Yeah, but we don't need another job-"

"Look at that kitten!" she had practically shrieked, shaking Kiyone again.

"I see it. Great. Help me with these boxes, will you?" Kiyone had knelt back down to salvage what she could of their gratuitous spending before Mihoshi gasped in delight.

"Look! They're looking for people! We could get another job!"

"No," Kiyone had responded firmly, not wanting to overly fatigue herself since it would probably mean daily trips out to Tokyo.

"But the kitties! Look at them!" Mihoshi had wailed, causing a few on the street, including Kiyone, to cover their ears. Kiyone huffed, stacking the packages next to a mailbox. She had dared to venture out into the street to get the expensive ware that Mihoshi insisted looked fantastic on her, only to see it be swept away by a passing street cleaner. Kiyone's shoes nearly followed, had she not hopped back and clanged into the mailbox. She grabbed at her arm to prevent it from slamming into the unbalanced stack as the sharp edge of the metal rocked up her spine.

"No!" Kiyone had screamed, rubbing her back. She took a place next to Mihoshi, her eyes falling onto the wrestling kittens. Her heart melted for a moment as a smile took place. "Man, that's cute. . ."

"Think we can get a job here, too?"

"I don't know. . .it's a long way away. Our shifts wouldn't last very long since we'd have to be back in Okayama by seven."

Mihoshi nudged Kiyone's arm, giggling slightly. "But I thought every yen counted, Kiyone!"

The other detective sighed, running and hand through her hair. "Yeah. . . it does. Alright," Kiyone said gently, rubbing the nape of her neck, "let's check it out." Mihoshi yelped something incoherent and rushed in like a sugar-powered rocket ship, leaving Kiyone to gather their packages. She turned and stared at the lonely mailbox as she watched a car speed away, a box spilling out of the back.

It was the other expensive sweater she was coaxed into buying.

Inside, Kiyone silently fumed as Mihoshi, for once, did all the talking. Somewhere inside, Kiyone blessed this, knowing they wouldn't get the job and that they'd get to go home right away. Best of all, Mihoshi would feel like it was her fault and would leave Kiyone alone for most of that night. Tokyo had seriously dampened her nerves.

Of course, it was Mihoshi's enthusiasm over animals that won them the job. Kiyone really, really wanted to cry.

They would have started that very day if not for her labored intervention that would get them to start next week. Mihoshi, however, found it necessary to be so damn recalcitrant then and insisted on starting on the hour. The misguided storeowner seemed to be leaning towards Mihoshi's desire to start, until Mihoshi's desire exploded into a few open cages and a stopped up sink in the back room. To be totally fair, that sink had always had its troubles, but after the cataclysmic event that was soon to occur, the pudgy fellow decided to reap the rewards of a blundering idiot and her tired companion.

Then a few more cages followed. Then, in just a few seconds, the store was in shambles as a few animals escaped, while others fought, and while others still left messes behind the counter, on the counter and on the storeowner's shoes. Kiyone, in her equally shocked state as both she and the manager watched Mihoshi fiddle with her cube in an attempt to make everything go back to the way it was, thought she heard him mumble something along the lines of 'how did she do that'?

Kiyone thought she heard herself respond with something like 'her brain is made of licorice'.

They would have still had the job, simply ordered to work for free for about two or three weeks before they would be paid. Of course, it took Mihoshi to find the command that sent all the animals out on to the sidewalk and made the shop implode. In the shambles, Kiyone hazily remembered writing the burly storeowner a check and holding one ear as it slowly bled.

One job down.

The train ride home was in a sour, sour mood. Mihoshi was forced to sit on the other end of the train, for nearing Kiyone to just a few feet was a fatal path to walk. Kiyone could plainly hear her partner's sniffling as the car was nearly empty. The noon crowd got off well before the long, non-stop to Okayama.

"Sorry," Mihoshi had finally muttered without breaking out into a shuffle of sniffles.

"Shut up," Kiyone said curtly, shifting closer to the farther wall of the cabin. The other train inhabitant looked between then, shifting in her seat in slight discomfort. Mihoshi pouted before she settled into a gloomy slump.

"But, Kiyone. . ."

"Shaddup!" Kiyone screamed back.

The woman shifted again and covered her mouth to suppress a cough. Then they were all launched out of their seats as the train wrenched to a halt. It was the second time that day that Kiyone ended up face down on a hard surface. It hurt, a lot. The car jerked again, sending Kiyone into a roll down the aisle before she slammed Mihoshi into the cabin exchange-door. The blonde yelped as a voice rang over the intercom.

"Attention passengers," was the surreal, cheerful drone, "the train is experiencing technical difficulties. Please, stay in your seats until the train ride recommences." Kiyone snarled as she balled her fists. It was always a technical difficulty. Mihoshi was a goddamn technical difficulty.

"Get off me, Kiyone," Mihoshi said, squirming about. Kiyone gladly got up to take a seat where Mihoshi once sat, crossing her arms in a bitter disposition. Mihoshi flashed her a reassuring smile as she walked up the aisle to where Kiyone was once brooding. Kiyone smiled back, thinking that Mihoshi was finally understanding that she hated her so desperately. Confused, she watched as Mihoshi went through the exchange-door and into the driver's cabin. Kiyone's eye flinched as she heard the exchange of blonde and driver, and then the bop of a cube.

A few seconds later, the speed regulator fell clear off the train. Then went a few panels and then the electromagnetic emission filter. Quite a few hours later, Kiyone pounded the floor of the now airy cabin as her watch read eleven o'clock. Second and third jobs done and gone.

When Mihoshi miraculously found a way to transport them to downtown Okayama, Kiyone was stewing slowly. Mihoshi made all attempts to mollify her furious friend, including a few persuasions towards karaoke. Each one was met with a snarl and a growl.

Eventually, they did end up hitting a karaoke bar, mainly in Kiyone's attempts to shut the blonde up. It was then that alcohol took its sweet place as the night ended with singing, apologies, more singing, hand holding, apologetic hugging, explorative hands, kissing-

"Kissing?" Kiyone muttered to herself as her head snapped up. She looked around from her place on a park bench before her gaze fell upon the tip of Tokyo tower. "When was there kissing?" She shivered slightly despite the warm day, almost regretting the tank-top and shorts she wore. "Well," she muttered, hugging herself as a few goose bumps made pace up her arms, "if we didn't kiss, why did I think it?"

"Hi."

She tipped her head back, seeing a fairly leggy woman lean over the edge of the bench. Kiyone smiled in a friendly nature and returned the greeting in kind. This was a little odd, but she seemed nice. Nothing wrong with being affable, right? Maybe a little overly affable, but it was still a nice gesture to say hello. Maybe Kiyone was wearing a sign that said: Hey there, I am lonely.

Oh, Kiyone noted mentally as the voluptuous girl, maybe twenty, took a seat next to her, she's a blonde.

-o-

Ryouko's shadow fell upon the door to Washu's lab as she stood there, contemplative. She knows, Ryouko's mind screamed at her, but she doesn't want to hurt me. Her eyes narrowed a little as a plethora of memories - past and recent, hazy and crisp, degenerative but none supportive - screeched by. Reaching up, she poked at her cheek, frowning at the dull jolt it sent over her face.

"Yeah, I've been hurt plenty of times."

Ryouko shuddered and shut her eyes. She knew what hurt was, now. She remembered that hurt, daring even to say that she lived in it. She knew every curve, every facet, every side, every section, and the all that made up the hurt, and the pain and the misery of life. But, her inward monologue muttered, she knows what really happened to me, and she can explain these. . . feelings.

Why was that goddamn slut Mitsuko here of all places?

The hallway was darkened for a moment as the sunlight that streamed in was covered by a field of clouds. It lit up once more as the sounds of Sasami's dicing and chopping echoed from the kitchen. It stopped for a moment, Ryouko's ears perking up to the click of the knife being set on the counter. Ryouko looked around for a moment as the hallways briefly dimmed once more. Shakily, she reached for the door handle when Sasami rushed around the corner in an askew path and ran into her.

"Whoa! Huh?" After toppling over each other, Sasami looked at Ryouko and sighed. "Sorry Ryouko, I wasn't paying attention, and I need to ask Washu-chan something and I don't want the food to burn and-"

Ryouko waved it off and pushed herself up and into reclining on her elbows. "It's okay, Sasami, I need to talk to her too- what is it? Did I grow another ear, or something?" Sasami shook her head and stood, reaching out to Ryouko's face. She recoiled a bit, relaxing as the girl's gentle touch traced the wound.

"What happened?"

"Nuh-nothing. . . you don't have to worry about it." Ryouko stood, covering her face with a hand, casting her glance away for a moment as a shadow fell across her almost dreary face.

"Does it hurt?"

Ryouko opened her mouth to answer but sighed, smiling warmly to the younger and much more tolerable princess. It hurt like she could have never dreamed – or nightmared of. It was a pain that seared her like no other – and Ryouko had been through more than enough to know.

Placing a palm on her apprentice's head, Ryouko turned her gaze to her mother's door. "Yeah. . . just a little. . ."

-o-

"Erm, Miss Washu-"

"Ayeka, it's Washu-chan. CHAN!" Washu said irritably, shaking her forearms and fists furiously in front of her.

"Uhm, uh, Washu-chan, is this all really necessary?"

"You doubt me?"

Ayeka grimaced at the thought of 'kappa'-nization and quickly shook her head. "Oh no, no! But, uh, why. . . is it that. . . I need to be. . . this way-"

"Naked? Bearing all? Sans-clothing? Dans le costume anniversaire?"

"I get it!" Ayeka huffed.

"You sure? I've got a lot of euphemisms."

"Washu-chan. . ." Washu grinned down, the two of them centered in the large court; a wide circle set in the circumference of a grand set of columns. Each column was one of machinery, of course, diodes and conduits sliding up and lighting the lab's court with green, red, and sometime blue incandescence. Of course, to offset the mania of pure-mechanism, hanging down from above was a bar lamp set in makeshift style. While it was indeed the fixture you'd find in a dive, the bulb Washu put in made sure to light the immediate region quite well. A refraction shield was put under it to prevent from both blinding and charcoaling Ayeka. That, and the pretty azure filter used made for a nice though sorta funky atmosphere.

"Well, if you want this done right, we need proper proportionality. That means scaling size, weight and mass so you don't look like you're 400 in earth years and haven't been wearing a bra." Washu reached under her collar and pulled on her bright yellow bra strap.

"Yellow?"

"What?"

"It's a weird color."

"Sorry that I'm not into high frequency visible wave lengths, Ayeka."

"What?"

"Purple. It's a higher frequency." She frowned at the confused stare that was returned to her and shook her head. "Forget it. You're missing the point." She snapped the strap back into place and patted her bust. "See? My own invention! Perky after 20,000 years! That, and I am in the manifestation of a quite becoming thirteen year old, dare I say so myself!" Washu smiled. "Now, as for you-"

"Um, that's not what I was really asking about."

"Oh, then what?"

"The metal restraints?" Ayeka asked meekly. She was forced-sprawled over a cushioned metal table - for her head, back and buttocks sat little inlets of foam padding - positioned under the dive-light, Washu standing over her left in her nurse's outfit. Ayeka only wore an embarrassed, squeamish expression.

"Oh, THOSE! Bondage fetish." Ayeka turned red all over and tried to squirm but was held fast. Washu looked her over as she writhed. Pausing at the 'V' of her legs, she muttered and mentally jotted: "I knew she dyes it." Washu nodded jokingly, patting Ayeka on the head. "You people just don't accept divine humor."

"But still," Ayeka posed, laughing uneasily, "why?"

The goddess turned her face up into a reflective look, rocking up on her toes for a moment. "Good question, I'll find a reason later!"

"What! Let me go, let me go, let me go!" She struggled again but gave up under the futility. Ayeka sighed and looked at the amused, wry face of Washu. "Oh shut up."

"Well, first, let's test what you've got so far." Pointing quickly in the other direction to briefly distract her captive, Washu reached over and gave one of Ayeka's breasts a quick squeeze when the princess was not looking.

"HEY!" Ayeka whipped her head back around and struggled again, more intensely. "Stop that this instant!"

"Now I remember! So you wouldn't throttle me!" Washu smacked her forehead in a cute tilt, her low chuckle flipping around into a suited giggle. "I really am a genius!" Ayeka snorted and looked away as Washu twirled on her heel, facing the direction to which Ayeka's head pointed. She flicked her wrists, the holo-top fading into view. "These Earthlings are insane," she muttered, looking back at Ayeka to get an estimate of what exactly she was adding.

Looked to be a lot.

"Oh?"

"They used to, and still use silicon as a means of augmentation. Silicon causes way more sagging than any other means due to the density of the gel they use. It pays its price well after you've paid your money."

"What are you going to use on me - if, if I want it, that is. . ."

"Natural enhancement! The mammary glands never go out of commission, but signals from the brain do. There's nothing that says any woman couldn't be a real . . . what was her name. . . Lee? Panny Lee? C'mon Ayeka, you watch Baywatch, don't you?"

"Wha?"

"Forget it."

"Wait!" Ayeka interjected, straining to look up at the scientist. "I've seen this stuff on the television!" Washu immediately shot her a grin, her previous shivers returning twenty-fold.

"Yup. One to two cups sizes, was it?"

"Uh huh. . ."

"And how long does it take, a few months?"

"I think."

"Then I can guarantee: It'll take maybe a year, and the most the stuff will give you is up to a cup's advancement. This is Earth, Ayeka, get serious."

"Good point. What makes yours better?"

"I'm so glad you asked!" Washu smiled, tapping an entry key before a curly tube shot down, the needle on the end stabbing itself into Ayeka's arm. Ayeka yelped, grimacing at the thin point almost going clear through her limb.

"What is wrong with you!"

"Mine is a one time shot! Literally. That TV one makes you take pills every day or so. Mine will act within MINUTES! Not to mention that two cups is the minimum advancement!" Ayeka looked to the long needle poking down, a few beads of sweat dripping off her forehead.

"Washu," she began, "I don't want you to go crazy, now. Will this process be reversible?" Washu nodded, reworking a sequence on her keyboard.

"You bet. In fact, what I'm about to inject you with will cease to act and will cause a regression, er, leaving you jes'ta LITTLE bigger than you used to be, within a few hours. Who knows, it might turn out to be what you wanted." Ayeka frowned a bit but nodded hesitantly as she turned her head to look up at the glaring light.

". . . What do you mean by 'a little?'"

"I don't really know."

Ayeka silently cursed but swallowed back her refusal. What was life without the risks? "Fine. I'm ready, then."

"Good. I love biology," Washu mumbled, an orange streak of liquid shooting down the curly tube and through the needle that pieced Ayeka's skin. Ayeka stiffened for a moment, a shudder sweeping over her as a tiny writhe ended her movement. Within seconds, the flow stopped. Within further seconds, Ayeka made some pretty odd-ass noises.

"Ng!" Ayeka clenched her teeth tight and pulled at the arm restraints as her breasts suddenly swelled without distending the skin, causing them to pop straight up. It was like watching a thin spot on a balloon expand before the rest of the latex as a stretch of flesh pulled itself into existence under and on the sides of her bust. They bounced once and then were still. Ayeka panted for a moment, whatever pain there was in the nano-second process now resided as a stint of complacency. "Oh. . . that wasn't so bad. . ." She peered down at them and gasped audibly - quite audibly - at a size that shamed even Mihoshi.

"Wow!" Washu breathed as her mind registered the scene like water bursting through the bottom of a barrel. "That worked way better than I'd anticipated!" Giddily, she poked one, arousing a yip and an 'erk' from her prey.

"Ahh. . . suh-sensitive. . ."

"Noted. . . anything else?" Washu didn't take her eyes off them as she cupped the other, give her the squeeze she gave before. They were a hell of a lot softer. Oh, Washu was a penis-fan, no contest; but man, this was her best innovation yet! Ayeka's best as well, probably.

"Nyah . . .Washu, puh-please don't . . ."

"Oh! I'll be damned! It acts as an aphrodisiac as well! Now this will market!"

"Sleepy, too. . ."

"Eh, I'll add a dose of pep-pills to the mixture. But as far as I'm concerned?" She gave a triumphant squeeze as a mark of emphasis, reaching up with her other palm to bitch-slap the heavens.

"Oh God, stop!"

"SUCCESS!"

"Washu. . ." Both Ayeka and Washu turned to the sound of the calm, serious, staid voice. Ryouko stepped through the north face of the columns with Sasami tagging behind her, giggling uncontrollably. Sasami was young, not ignorant. Ayeka blushed furiously as she tried to regain any sort of composure, her face exhibiting a wide and eclectic variety of notions.

One of them read as something along the lines of 'fuck me, now, anyone'.

Another read something like 'kill me, now, anyone'.

"Uhm. . . Sasami, this is not what you think. . ."

"Save it," Ryouko said, raising her hand to Ayeka without any sense of troublemaking in her words. The general rivalry that would normally stain her speech was lost in a somber tone. "I need to talk to you, Washu."

Washu nodded questioningly as her eyes narrowed slightly; she then nodded again. "I understand." Washu sighed and assumed a very abstemious expression, plucking off the hat and the entire uniform in a quick swoop. "I guess I can't keep that from you any longer. Where and when do you wish to talk about this?"

"Now would be nice. How about a walk outside?"

Washu grinned slightly. "Well I am in the middle of something."

Ayeka moaned in embarrassment; surely she'd never be able to live this down. Ryouko, however, paid her no mind. Thinning her eyes to dark lines, Ryouko spoke softly. "Choose your priorities. An experiment that can take a rain check, or an experiment you call your daughter."

There was a sense of uneasiness as the mother and offspring stared at each other. Washu pursed her lips a moment at the well guised insult that was slung at her before she nodded a third time. "Very well, Ryouko."

Ryouko didn't change her expression as she phased out. Washu sighed, cracking her back forward before she grabbed Sasami by the shoulders and covered her eyes. "Don't stare at your sister, sweetie."

"Washu, let me up, please." Washu nodded, the table tipping up as the arm and leg locks released. Ayeka stumbled forward as her feet touched ground. She tipped forward further as the pull from her chest to the floor sent Ayeka tumbling. She suppressed a shriek as her body weight pressed unevenly on her still highly sensitive chest. Both Washu and Sasami 'oo'ed, turning away.

"Perhaps a little too sensitive. . ." Washu tapped Sasami's back, sending her a few steps away. Moments after, Ayeka appeared back on the table as it righted itself with the clank of a few gears. Washu replaced the restraints and patted Ayeka's forehead. "You better not move. They're awfully. . . responsive. I'll keep you here until it regresses, alright?"

"Uh. . . huh. . ." She blinked back a few tears as the feeling of being pressed into a spiked wall of lollipops and love resided in her front.

"And I wanted to have fun today." She pouted. "But she's my daughter. I've got to go."

"Uh huh. . ."

Washu nodded as a thin sheet fell out of the air above her, resting neatly on her still body. Washu padded back over to Sasami and rested her hand upon Sasami's head. "Let's go, young'un." A door appeared up from the floor and they stepped through, the portal remaining a few moments before it began to fade out from the top down. A small alarm sounded when the portal stopped, however, the quantum-shift to intangibility inhibited from the scrape of metal and the lodging of a large square aluminum frame under the doorknob.

The sides of the frame buckled for a moment but it held fast.

It was one of Washu's most regretted flaws, without a doubt: matter not originating from shift-phase could not go into shift-phase without a chemical change with original matter from shift-phase. More accordingly, matter from shift-phase could not complete re-shift when in direct contact with matter not originating from shift-phase. At said point, matter from shift-phase reverts to totally physical attributes.

In other words, the thing was blocking the door.

A miles-long radius of machinery shut down, lights dimmed, and the quiet of the lab kicked up to a low hum. Ayeka's eyes opened momentarily at the change in lab conditions and weakly looked to her side where the door struggled to disappear. A whisper flowed past her ear, sending goose bumps along her neck as her eyes were brought back to the refraction shield above her. She took quick notice to the slight raise in lab temperature.

There was a snip in the air before a white flash of sparks came from above the lamp and the fixture was violently whipped away. Ayeka, all too exhausted in pain and too scared to speak or scream, inwardly gasped in a strike of terror as the fixture slammed into a column with a crash. High above a wire sparked before her attention was diverted entirely to a voice that floated gently around the room. If she could, Ayeka would have held her sheet in a death-grip.

"It's about time we met again, Mitsuko."

Washu immediately felt a twang of fear when she found herself and Sasami trapped in the subspace transfer area. Beauty, with its gardens and the stretch of the universe, stars and celestial bodies and oceans of creatures and a plethora of wonderment at the fingertips, surely had its ominous tones. Washu's laboratory had few flaws, but those that existed were enormously problematic.

How else do you explain Mihoshi? It's Washu's error, not Mihoshi's luck.

One such problem: power distribution. Opening portals and doorways was a major drain, and because of that, disallowed more than one portal to be open at a time. After all, it was the union of two points in two different spatial regions: it took a good bit of energy to merge two universes. Washu of all people should know that the laws of physics were not to be trifled with. Conservation of energy and matter was the big one when it came to the universe. You just don't mess with the universe.

Even the goddesses (whether they recognize themselves or not) know that.

When she turned and saw half the door they had passed through still remaining, she became reasonably worried. Far down to the other end of the transfer room, where the dots that lit up space mingled with the white washed long structural beams, things began going haywire. Like a wave, a tsunami of light-dimming flowed down, bathing both Washu and Sasami in shadows until the red cast of a back-up generator's feed gave them light.

Washu jostled the doorknob, hissing at the shock that knocked her back a few inches. Lab energy was storming through the door. Sasami tugged at her sleeve, causing Washu to look down slightly. Keep your cool, she thought briefly.

"Oh, fuck. . ."

Way to keep your cool, genius.

Shaddup, brain.

"Washu? Why aren't we back in the house yet?"

Washu gulped for a moment, guiding Sasami over to a bed of flowers where on the rim of the trough Washu sat. Sasami ruffled through the exotic flora, instantly transfixed. For the moment, colors of magenta, cyan and aquamarine were enough to sate the mind. Washu cast her eyes away, intently staring at the door. She had the distinct feeling that Ryouko had just played her like a grand piano.

"Make yourself comfortable, Sasami. . ."

The dim lab hummed with the light buzz of white noise as Ayeka's hazy mind picked up the silhouette of a thin figure high against one of the column's dull red luminous panels. The figure shifted, evaporating like a shadow disappearing with the advent of the darkest of nights. Ayeka's eyes settled on a pillar three stocks over to find the same shadow on a demonic backdrop of green. The eyes never swayed. Still golden, still angry. The slim shadow disappeared and reappeared three or four more times before it failed to return. Ayeka's tired eyes were left to stare up at the void above.

Who was Mitsuko?

Ayeka sucked in a shallow breath as a ghost of a hand danced over the sheet, pressing the cool material to her stomach. It glided gently over her chest, resting to cup the side of her cheek, the thumb softy rubbing her skin around her mouth and around her eye. Ayeka shivered for a moment, too weak-willed to move away from the careful hand, too afraid to look at who she knew was touching her so intimately. Ryouko couldn't mask the buzz she added to the air when she phased to be.

"What are you doing," she muttered nervously, stilled out of both fright and physical bonds, looking at her not-so-aggressive aggressor through the corner of her eye. The hand stopped its caress, reappearing on her neck after Ryouko came into existence centimeters above. Ayeka gritted her teeth, her mind not yet so focused on the knee that placed itself between her legs. "Ryouko. . ."

She didn't respond, sliding her hands up into the tangle of Ayeka's hair. Leaning down, she sensuously brushed her cheek along her captive's, blowing lightly into her ear. "Putting on a show, of course. . ."

A tiny lick made Ayeka pull her face away, feeling more sober than she ever would at the pinnacle of her most righteous tirade. Wide eyed and as awake as she could possibly be, her questioned stare was answered with a more shocking and confusing, however light, kiss. The hands found their way down, pulling the sheet along before resting tentatively on Ayeka's breasts. Still held fairly immobile, she pulled in a squirm to get out of the kiss and the tightening hold on her bust. The intrusion of the embrace ended within seconds – seconds like minutes that quite possible felt like hours – while the embrace itself, however, still continued. Ayeka suddenly whipped her head to the side as the burn in her lungs ended anything that was and what should have never been.

Ryouko sat up, almost caring in keeping her grasp on her heavy top while Ayeka's still-tired mind struggled to truly recognize what was going on. "What are you doing?" she asked meekly, her voice broken and the force of condescension and haughtiness completely lacking from the demand.

"It's for our master," Ryouko almost purred in response, moving her knee to Ayeka's side where she then sat astride waist. Ayeka winced a moment at the fluid-like motion of her hands, kneading and rolling in slow circles. What followed was a whimper as she found her predator's face a breath away from her own.

"I don't understand," Ayeka struggled again, finding it hard to go against the sensations that dropped a tiny bit below absolutely amazing. "Ryouko, I had no idea. . . but, but I don't enjoy. . ."

"Enjoy what?"

"Women. . ."

Despite the lighting, the counterintuitive grin that defied whatever care was held in her motions was clearly evident. "I remember saying something like that our first time, as well." Ayeka flinched, grinding her teeth together as nails dug into her skin. Her eyes clamped shut for a moment, sending a tear or two down the sides of her face.

"What first time?" Ayeka demanded this time, a genuine but even snotty confusion in her voice. One that implied that someone so disgusting as Ryouko, not to mention being a woman, would EVER have a time, let alone a recurring time, with her. A smack came as an appropriate reply, leaving Ayeka's head to fall limply to the side, staring in stunned silence at her right arm. She didn't bother to turn back up to look at Ryouko, the sting in her face erasing any minor discomforts she had earlier.

"You don't even remember," Ryouko muttered, phasing away. She reappeared, her apparel gone, standing above with her feet planted to the sides of Ayeka's waist. Ayeka didn't respond, with neither gestures nor words as she lay flat and still. She didn't blink for several minutes as the reality of her being trapped with what she could call a severely fucked up Ryouko sunk right on in.

Ayeka, it seemed, was now the true bane of Ryouko's life.

Or was it Mitsuko that she'd said?

Such questions, she faintly heard her still-astonished brain flutter before it registered the sheet being flung to the floor entirely. What was that feeling between her legs? Ryouko still stood, so it wasn't her doing. Was it?

"I know exactly how you feel, too. Did he take away your memory? Did he want you to feel like I had when I first met you?" She got to her knees above Ayeka, leaning forward to tip Ayeka's head back up. She lightly brushed the hair from her eyes, a piteous look in her own. "I know, he's sick. . . But I've been commanded. . ." She slipped a hand behind the nape of Ayeka's neck, gently pulling her up into another kiss. Ayeka still stared as Ryouko's tongue slipped across her lips, pushing in for an exchanging tangle.

Why did this feel so good?

Of course, why did it feel so goddamn bad, too?

"I'm sorry," Ryouko mumbled into the kiss, letting Ayeka rest on the table once more. She kissed down along and under her chin, nipping lightly at her neck before shifting down to her collarbone. "But then again, you hurt me, too. . ."

Ayeka gasped lightly as a hand left its place on her breast and traveled silkily along her side, resting first on her hip and then on her thigh. She shivered, the fingers dancing around in patterns she could not predict. She hissed, mouthing and imploring Ryouko to stop.

"Please--"

She was silenced when Ryouko halted, slapping her face again. She removed her left hand and scooted up a bit, squaring Ayeka's face with her palms. The left side of her face was stained with a shimmering trail from the touch, Ryouko's hands sliding up to gently touch her hairline. Ayeka caught the glimpse of a small trickling sheen coming from the side of her predator's face, herself tempted to reach up and touch it. As the lights turned red, the shimmer turned black.

"Rr. . . Ryouko. . . your face. . ."

She couldn't help but smile, leaning down and nibbling at Ayeka's lower lip for a moment as tears suddenly sprung forth in a more continuous flow. "Why do you say stop?" Ryouko genuinely asked, pulling lightly on the lip.

"It's not right," Ayeka whispered.

"You're enjoying it. . ."

Sadly, Ayeka shook her head. "No, I'm not."

"That's what I said. . ." She let the lip go and crawled up further, holding Ayeka's face with one hand. "And you always slapped me. I never really did learn. . . Maybe I got to like it. . . but I never enjoyed the fact that you violated me so much."

"But I never did," Ayeka stammered slightly, feeling the press of Ryouko's chest on her chin.

"You did. I felt it." Ryouko slid back down. She pushed her tongue in forcefully, sweeping the muscle around to rub along Ayeka's own. Ayeka returned it, tipping her head to the side a bit. Somehow, it made up for the dull ache in her face.

"Ryouko?" She sat back on her torso, placing her hands on Ayeka's stomach.

"I know. . . I know what you're feeling. . ."

"Why is this happening?" she blinked a few times, her remaining tears drying away.

"It's been commanded, Mitsuko. But it doesn't feel so bad, does it?"

Ayeka paused for a moment, staring up at Ryouko nearly serene and relaxed pose. A few spots on her chest glistened a bit, soft golden eyes acting as eerie beacons in the darkness. The traces of a content smile below stood out as well, disbanding the remaining uneasiness.

At least, it would for a little while.

Mitsuko? This wasn't happening because Ryouko thought she was Ayeka. If that were the case, Ryouko would have shot her before kissing her. But who was Mitsuko? And what did she do to Ryouko?

"No," Ayeka whispered, sobbing for a moment. "It doesn't feel so bad. . ."

Time slipped away as Ryouko moved, somewhere, a new rush exploding across her body. Ayeka's voice cracked several times, as whatever was being done to her caused her to scream in delight. She couldn't help it, feeling her mind slip away entirely as feelings she'd never before experienced stole her away.

From somewhere above, she heard a murmur. "I like hearing you scream. . ."

The heat above left her as Ryouko turned, lying herself back down on Ayeka's soft, relaxed frame. Still in her pool of lights, she sensed the touch of Ryouko's tongue lick along her cheeks and eventually, felt it taking refuge in her mouth one last time. Ayeka didn't respond, the shock of the events still holding their grip on her mind. Ryouko kissed her softly once more before phasing away and into the darkness. In the void that followed, Ayeka stared back up to the never-ending ceiling, the beginning of the happenings finally catching back up to her before she passed out.

"Oh, no. . ."

-o-

Dickens, they said, was the master of coincidence. Washu highly disagreed, labeling the universe, the combined chi of all things and the combined karma of all things: the harmonious feng shui that dominated the whole of dimensions as the true master of coincidence. It had to be then that Ryouko went insane, or that Ayeka was dissatisfied, or that she, the supreme goddess of all things scientific and logical was stupid enough to not know when she was having the rug pulled out from under her.

"Yeah, Sasami?"

"What's taking so long? At this rate, I'll never get dinner done!"

Washu smiled slightly, patting her on the head. "You. . . you just wouldn't understand."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. . . I'm sure." Washu turned away a moment, flicking away a renegade tear before turning back to stare at the door. Sasami sat down next to her in a slump, sighing as she kicked her feet slowly.

"I'm bored. Why are we trapped here, again?" Washu's small grin broadened briefly as she outstretched her hand, beginning to count on her fingers.

"Well! As the laws of quantum mechanics dictate, light is composed of and is driven by energy and photon emission. Higher frequency beams have higher energy. I've created a system that energizes electron level drops and photon emissions to surpass that of gamma waves. It was theorized that beyond gamma waves, there were frequencies that could supersede the space-time fabric."

"Tachyon particles?"

"How the hell do you know about tachyon particles?"

"You hear a word, you say it."

"Well, it's not tachyon particles. The waves I'm talking about were left as gamma-A-prime waves. Their high-energy focus is able to tear through space-time by creating a loop between adjacent dimensions. The photon emission density determines with what dimension the connection is made.

"Higher density beams reach lower energy dimensions. It's all concerned with the conservation of matter and energy. If high density particle emissions connected with high energy dimensions, the back-flow of energy would create a paradoxical loop that would ultimately destroy all the universes."

"Wow."

"Yeah. I use high-density emissions, while it drains my lab, because low energy universes have less space and less area to worry about. Low energy dimensions are simply more manageable. Obviously, for the lower level dimensions, I need a lot of energy. While my lab is magnificent in all its glory, it does not have infinite power reserves - that, as we know, is impossible."

"Conservation of energy?"

"Bingo."

"What's the conservation of energy?"

"I'll explain it some other time, okay? Well, thus said, keeping a portal open for a long time eventually takes its toll. That's why I'm always rushing you in and out of my laboratory. While it's possible to keep portals open indefinitely, I haven't devised the technology to harness 'back-draft' energy from other dimensions."

"Well what's keeping that door open? Energy can't be stopped by matter, can it?"

"You bet your behind it can! That's why fire doesn't go clear through your pot."

"Oh. . ."

"The problem with shift phase is that its energy emission is fickle. Either it wants to emit as energy or as a matter. The doors I use become matter the instant you touch them, and turn back to energy once one lets go. They can't go back into shift phase if they're matter, because matter can't become intangible without a chemical change."

"What about Ryouko?"

"Ryouko's tricky to explain. How about when I explain the conservation of matter and energy?"

"Oh, alright. . ."

"Well, take that door." She got up and walked over, tentatively wrapping on the lower half. She got a slight burn but it was not of too much consequence. "It's acting as matter. Matter on the other side is keeping it out of phase-shift because the door is now matter, too. If that matter weren't there, the door would turn back into energy and would be able to readmit its energy as gamma-B-prime waves."

"What happened to gammae-prime?"

"Gamma-A-prime, you mean. My machines emit the gamma-A-prime to get the electrons in air going. The high frequency beams are kept concentrated by magnetic fields - that all has to do with electron spin and that is hell to explain - and keep the doors open as energy portals. To disperse a portal, the fields cut out and the photons re-release the energy back into my machines as lower frequency gamma-B-prime."

"Oh. . ." Sasami suddenly furrowed her brow. "Wait!" she cried, "what about air? Isn't air a form of matter?" Washu beamed, clasping her hands tightly together.

"That's my girl! Very good, Sasami! You are absolutely correct; air is a form of gaseous matter and by the laws of quantum shift the door should never close. Alas, the magnetic field takes care of that. All atoms have magnetic fields and as such, are affected by the poles. The magnetic fields that keep electron spin into order also create a 'matter vacuum' by repelling all atoms in the immediate vicinity. Easy, ne?"

"I don't get it."

". . . I figured." She sat back down, resting her hand on Sasami's shoulder as they both shared a sigh. "It's tough to explain, and when I'm cranky, I don't make too much sense."

"I'm sorry, too. Why're you cranky?"

"Remember, you wouldn't understand. . ."

They both lapsed back into silence before a bright blare of light came from above. Washu wrenched them both up as the door suddenly vanished. She shot her hand out, another door instantly reappearing. They ran into the lab, Washu catching the bar of the cracked metal under her foot before she was sent to the floor. She groaned, another bar shoved high into her back. She writhed for a moment, seeing Sasami unsurely enter. Washu winced when Sasami stumbled back, a high-volume shriek escaping her terrified person.

What the hell did Ryouko do!

-o-

Ryouko dropped from the air, collapsing among the splinters littering her room. She got to her fours, coughing frantically, spatters of blood dripping to the wooden floor. She wavered for a moment, her limbic system unearthed entirely from the thrill of what last happened. Her conscious mind shut down completely as a primal urge bubbled itself to the surface.

There was no denying it; no matter how elegant or choppy it was; no matter how gracefully it had occurred; no matter the shared screams of delight or the shared kisses of passion and lust; no matter what she told herself and what she told Mitsuko, Ryouko had ravished. Nothing more, nothing less; she took the life of someone in her hands and made it hers. She raped and, yeah, it felt good.

She stood, her room dimming further as a cloud outside dancing daringly before the almighty sun, saying 'it's my turn to take control' before the supreme winds shoved it out of the way.

It had really felt good. Not just the act but the concept as well. Disappearing, a singular thought raced through her head as the adrenaline flowed strongly, coursing freely through her body. The ideals of power and dominance were further gripping her lower brain with every passing second. Be her next victim Mitsuko or not, Ryouko felt the need to reap the human soils once more.

And she would.