A few days after the incident with Ryoko, Ayeka was sitting in her room, thinking. Considering the way Ryoko had acted and the fact that she was cured with hypnosis, it was clear that she'd been hypnotized to act that way in the first place. Ayeka had an idea but she didn't know how to execute it. Since Washu had fixed it (and probably caused it too), maybe she could help. She knocked on the door of Washu's lab and it opened for her. She entered and bowed. "Excuse me, Miss Washu, but I was hoping you could help me with something."

"Oh? What do you need?"

"Well, I was wondering..." it was clear to Washu that Ayeka was embarrassed about what she was about to ask but Washu already had an idea what it was based on her reaction and what had happened recently. Ayeka took a deep breath and tried again, "I was wondering if you could teach me hypnosis?"

"What, so you can hypnotize Ryoko to leave Tenchi alone?" Washu replied, a fox-like look on her face.

"W-what!? No! Of course not!"

Bingo, right on the mark! Washu thought but she wanted to hear whatever excuse Ayeka had come up with.

"It's just that...I've been having trouble sleeping so I'd like to know how to use it on myself." It was clearly a lie but Washu thought it could be fun to see how things turned out.

"Alright, I'll show you."

"Show me?"

"Yeah, the best way to learn something is to experience it firsthand. So, I'm going to hypnotize you so you can see how it feels and gain a better understanding of what you're dealing with."

Although she was a little worried that Washu might take advantage of her if she agreed, Ayeka knew that Washu had a point. "A-alright then."

"Great!" Washu seemed a little too happy about this but Ayeka thought nothing of it. Besides, even if Washu did make her do something strange, she was confident Tenchi would realise something was wrong with her and snap her out of it; her own little Sleeping Beauty-esque tale, how romantic.

"What do I need to do?" Ayeka asked.

"First off, I need you to lie down on the bed over there," she pointed to a bed nearby, "and get yourself comfortable." Ayeka did as she was asked and Washu brought a chair over to sit on. "You comfortable?"

"Yes."

"Alright then." She held out the coin on the string. "I want you to follow the coin with your eyes. Not your head, just your eyes." She set it off swinging and began to talk Ayeka down with a soothing voice. "Just follow the coin with your eyes. Observe how it swings evenly back and forth, so soothing and relaxing. Just focus all of your attention on the coin and my voice. Nothing else matters other than the coin and my voice. Your entire world is the coin and my voice. All you see beyond the coin is a black void where the only sound is that of my voice. Notice how they make you feel more relaxed and even a little sleepy." Ayeka's eyelids began to droop a little. "That's right. Good girl. It's okay to feel sleepy. In fact, it's very good that you do. Just let yourself go down into sleep, deeper and deeper, deeper and deeper." Ayeka's eyes were struggling to stay open. "I'm going to count down from five and when I reach zero, you will be deeply asleep. Five. Four." Ayeka's eyelids were almost closed entirely. "Three. Two. One." They closed all the way now. "Zero." She visibly loosened up and became limp like a ragdoll.

Washu lowered the coin and leaned in close. "Ayeka, can you hear me?"

"Yes," she replied softly.

"I'm going to show you the power of hypnosis now. Is that alright?"

"Yes." Just what she wanted to hear. Washu considered implanting some suggestions into Ayeka but, given her relationship with Ryoko and her objective, there was no point. What she was going to do instead was implant a suggestion that would show Ayeka what hypnosis was capable of so she could better put it to use in her plan...so it would be more entertaining for Washu.

"Alright then. When I snap my fingers, you will awaken and feel completely refreshed but you won't remember being hypnotized. Then, when you hear the word 'Tenchi', you will feel compelled to kiss my feet and be completely aware that you're doing it. But, when I snap my fingers again, that suggestion will be removed and you'll remember everything. Do you understand?"

"Yes." Washu snapped her fingers and Ayeka's eyes opened slowly. She looked at Washu and said, "I'm sorry, Miss Washu, but I don't think it worked."

"Oh, really? I wonder how Tenchi would feel about that."

At the mention of Tenchi's name, Ayeka's body stiffened and sat up. "What's going on?" She turned and knelt down on the floor. "Miss Washu, what am I-?" She realised as her head moved in towards Washu's feet. "N-no! Please don't-!" Her lips grew closer and closer to their target until- Snap. Ayeka's body slacked and she regained control. She stayed as she was as she remembered what Washu had said to her, the way she'd implanted commands into her mind and set up triggers for them.

"You didn't really think I'd make you do that, did you?" Washu asked, smirking. She patted Ayeka on the shoulder and asked, "What would Tenchi say?" Nothing happened this time. Ayeka remembered Washu saying that the word would only work until she snapped her fingers. It was clear now that Washu had caused all the commotion a few days earlier and she clearly had Ayeka remember so she could better use it against Ryoko. This was basically a blessing from the gods.

But Ayeka didn't care. She'd learned what she wanted to and Washu hadn't betrayed her trust. She moved herself away a little and looked up at Washu. "Thank you, Miss Washu," she said, bowing. "I think I'm ready." She stood and left as Washu smirked and turned to her monitors to observe how Ayeka would put her new skills to use.

Ayeka found Ryoko, sleeping on the couch in front of the television as she often did. Ayeka decided this was her perfect chance; a sleepy Ryoko would be less resistant to the hypnosis than a fully awake Ryoko. "Oh, Ryoko," she said quietly while patting her cheek. Ayeka began to swing the coin just as Ryoko began to awaken. Ryoko groggily opened her eyes, which immediately fell upon the coin as it swung back and forth just above her face. "That's right, Ryoko," Ayeka whispered. "Watch the coin as it swings back and forth, back and forth. Let yourself relax and fall into a niiice, deeeep sleeeep." Ryoko's eyes closed again and her body slackened. "Ryoko, can you hear me?" Ayeka asked.

"Yes," Ryoko replied softly.

"Ryoko, I'd like you open your eyes but remain in your trance." Ryoko's eye opened and Ayeka saw that they were now glassy and lifeless. If not for her breathing, she'd look positively dead. Ayeka was so tempted to command Ryoko to suppress her feelings for Tenchi. To not try to seduce him or openly display her feelings for him. To instead only wish to help Ayeka to win his heart. But she had to make sure Ryoko was really under her control before trying to give her long lasting commands. "Also, whenever you hear the phrase 'Obey, Ryoko' you will go back into your current state and obey all of my commands until you hear the phrase 'Wake up, Ryoko'. Once you awaken, you will not remember anything that happened while you were in your trance. Is that understood?"

"Yes."

Ayeka looked around cautiously. She knew no one else was home (Tenchi, Noike and Sasami were out in the fields and Mihoshi still hadn't returned from her assignment) but she had to be sure before she went any further. "Call me Mistress Ayeka."

"Yes, Mistress Ayeka."

Ayeka loved the way that sounded, especially coming from Ryoko's mouth, and while Ayeka knew she should finish up now, she just couldn't help herself with her main love rival completely in her thrall. "I wish to continue this in my room. Carry me there."

"Yes, Mistress Ayeka." Ryoko stood robotically and lifted Ayeka and carried her upstairs like a man carries his wife on their wedding night, a night Ayeka yearned for with Tenchi.

Washu, meanwhile, was watching the whole thing and had already thought of a few dozen ways Ayeka's triggers could go wrong...but that was half the fun. The other half being to watch how it all went horribly, horribly wrong. Fortunately, she could observe Ayeka's room as well, something she had rarely done before but also something she was glad she'd set up when she had.

Once they were inside Ayeka's room, Ayeka locked the door and prepared to have fun with her enslaved housemate. "Ryoko, get down on your knees."

"Yes, Mistress Ayeka."

Ayeka sat down on her bed and raised her right foot. "Kiss my foot."

"Yes, Mistress Ayeka." Ryoko took Ayeka's foot in her hands and began kissing it. Ayeka giggled, though if it was more because of the feeling of power she had or the fact that it tickled a little, she couldn't say.

"Now, massage it."

"Yes, Mistress Ayeka." She did as commanded and Ayeka loved it. She was surprised how well a barbarian like Ryoko could do this. Ayeka thought of more things she could get Ryoko to do.

"Now, I want you to repeat 'Mistress Ayeka is the most beautiful woman in the universe' over and over until I tell you to stop.

"Yes, Mistress Ayeka. Mistress Ayeka is the most beautiful woman in the universe. Mistress Ayeka is the most beautiful woman in the universe. Mistress Ayeka is the most beautiful woman in the universe..." She kept this up as Ayeka laughed her noblewoman's laugh at what her greatest rival had been reduced to.

"Okay, stop." She did so. "I have one last command for you: I want you to believe you are Ryo-Ohki until I say 'stop.'"

At this, Ryoko's expression changed to one with more life and child-like wonder. She looked around the room. "Meow?" Then she saw Ayeka. "Meow!" And leapt onto her lap. Ayeka began stroking Ryoko's head and Ryoko purred in return. After a few minutes, Ayeka heard the others return from the fields and knew that her fun would have to be cut short. She was disappointed to say the least (as was Washu). She put her hand under Ryoko's chin to lift her head up and looked into her eyes. "Meow?"

"Stop, Ryoko." As commanded, Ryoko reverted to her entranced persona and awaited further commands. Ayeka knew she didn't have time to proceed with her plan but she had the triggers implanted so she could use them later. "I want you to teleport to the rafters in the living room and go from your entranced sleep into a natural sleep. When you awaken, you will not remember anything after you fell asleep on the couch and will believe that you went up there in your sleep. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Mistress Ayeka."

"Then, go." She did as commanded. She made it into the rafters and fell asleep just a few seconds before Sasami looked up there. Sasami decided not to disturb her and she went into the kitchen with Noike and Tenchi to prepare dinner.

Ryoko woke up as Sasami called her down for dinner. She could smell the food the second she sat up. Tenchi had recently started helping with the cooking and everyone agreed (not just to win him over) that he had a natural talent for it. She floated down and joined the others at the table. Sure enough, Tenchi had done a large portion of the cooking while Sasami and Noike had done a smaller portion. Once Ayeka and Washu joined them, they got started. There were general conversations around the table such as talk about how Tenchi's cooking was getting even better and that Mihoshi would be returning from her assignment within the next few days.

Other than complimenting Tenchi's cooking, Ryoko ate in silence until Ayeka asked, "Ryoko, would you please pass the soy sauce?"

"Huh? Oh," she complied with the request and held out the small bottle. "Here you go, Mistress Ayeka."

Silence. All conversation came to a stop as everyone froze and stared at Ryoko, then at Ayeka, then at Ryoko again. The silence was deafening. Tenchi broke the silence by asking, "R-Ryoko? D-did you just call Ayeka 'Mistress'?"

Ryoko's mind had been unable to comprehend what had just happened until Tenchi asked that and it all became clear. She dropped the soy sauce and grabbed Ayeka's wrist with the same hand while stuttering, "C-come with me!" She stood and forcefully led Ayeka out of the room.

The others just sat in silence watching after them. Oh, you forgot to remove that particular suggestion, didn't you, Ayeka? Washu thought to herself and did her best to conceal her smile. She activated the bug she planted on Ayeka when she'd patted her on the shoulder. She listened in with the earpiece she was secretly wearing.

Once they were out of earshot of the others, Ryoko forced Ayeka against the wall and held her there with one arm. "Y-y-you did something to me, d-didn't you?"

"W...what!?" Ayeka had to think fast to stop anyone from finding out. "H-how dare you!? I did no such thing!"

"You obviously did, why else would I call you M...M...that!?"

Ayeka clearly had no response to that. "What did you use?" Ryoko used her free hand to search Ayeka. "A drug? Some secret Juraian weapon?" She felt something small and round during her search. She pulled it out and saw that it was a small coin on a string. She remembered how Washu had used one to hypnotize her before and undo her previous hypnosis. She looked up at Ayeka, "You...hypnotized me, didn't you?" before Ayeka could even respond, Ryoko's emotions got the better of her and she started swinging the coin in front of Ayeka's eyes.

Ayeka immediately shut her eyes and replied, "No! I swear, Ryoko, I didn't!"

Ryoko wasn't sure if it was some side-effect of being hypnotized or just her mind not taking the time to think but she kissed Ayeka right on the lips. No tongue but it was enough of a shock to force Ayeka's eyes open and onto the coin. Ryoko immediately pulled away and began talking Ayeka down into a trance. "That's right, follow the coin with your eyes. You cannot look away. You don't want to look away." Ayeka's eyes were glued to the coin as her muscles slacked and she fought against Ryoko less and less. "You want to just watch the coin swing back and forth. Back and forth. Feel yourself becoming more and more sleepy. Let your eyes close and sleep."

As Ayeka's eyes closed and her head dropped, Ryoko had a strange feeling of excitement. She wanted to control Ayeka and pay her back as soon as possible. She released her and gave her first command: "Ayeka, stand on one leg." She did as commanded. "Put your leg down and open your eyes." She did and Ryoko saw that her eyes were glazed over and dull-looking. "From now on, you are to refer to me as 'Mistress Ryoko', do you understand?"

"Yes, Mistress Ryoko," Ayeka replied in a monotone.

"Alright, I want you to forget any triggers you've put in my head."

"Yes, Mistress Ryoko."

"Good. I have one more command for you..."

Everyone looked up as Ryoko returned alone. She returned to her place at the table without saying a word while the others stared at her. Tenchi was the first to speak. "Um, Ryoko?" That was when Ayeka entered the room...entirely naked. Tenchi's nose began to bleed and Sasami and Noike clamped their hands over his eyes. Washu, meanwhile, was glad she was recording all this.

Ayeka had a quizzical look on her face as if she had no idea what the others were staring at. "Ryoko, would you please pass the soy sauce?" She seemed to have forgotten everything since she'd ask that question the first time. Ryoko handed her the bottle without a word this time while everyone else sat in stunned silence. As soon as Ayeka's fingers touched the bottle, she stopped and her casual expression changed to one of horror as she realised her situation: she was naked in front of all the others, including Tenchi. The bottle slipped through her fingers and she covered herself up with her hands. She tried to get up and run out of the room but found that she seemed to be glued to the cushion and couldn't stand. It suddenly registered in her mind that she must have been hypnotized by Ryoko, who was now shooting Ayeka a smug smirk that said 'that's what you get'. Ayeka began to cry over her predicament as Sasami brought in a blanket to cover her up.

"Ryoko!" Noike exclaimed, "That's a bit much isn't it?"

"What? You can't prove it was me."

"Ryoko," Washu took on a stern tone of voice, like a mother scolding her child. "Noike's right, this was too much." She meant it too; while it had been fun so far, seeing Ayeka so upset made Washu feel partially responsible for the way things had gone. "Release her."

"Fine," Ryoko sighed and snapped her fingers. Ayeka felt herself able to move and stood before silently leaving the room.

"You should go apologize to her later," Noike said.

"What? Why should I-" Noike cut her off with the death glare she usually reserved for Mihoshi. "A-alright, I'll do that," Ryoko continued fearfully.

After about two hours, Sasami returned from Ayeka's room to inform them that she'd calmed down and Noike prompted Ryoko to go to Ayeka now. Ryoko knocked on Ayeka's door and received a quiet "Come in" in response. Ryoko opened the door and saw Ayeka sitting on her bed, fully clothed. "Oh, it's you," she said in a tone of discontent upon seeing the person stood in her doorway.

"Yeah. I came here to apologize."

Ayeka looked stunned. "You? Apologize? Don't make me laugh!"

"It's true!" Ryoko understood why Ayeka wouldn't believe her but it still pissed her off the way she expressed her disbelief.

"I bet Washu or Noike told you to though."

"Well..." she couldn't deny that. "Do you want an apology or not?"

"Yes, I do."

"Then, I'm sorry." Her angry tone didn't really express this but Ayeka seemed to accept it.

"I'll accept your apology, but only if you do something for me."

"And what's that?"

Ayeka stood and approached Ryoko. "To look at this," she replied, pulling out her coin and swinging it in front of Ryoko's eyes.

Ryoko didn't have much time to react as her eyes were instantly drawn to the swinging coin. She managed to take her own coin out and start swinging it in front of Ayeka's eyes. Both girls stood, transfixed by the other's coin, occasionally muttering "Back and forth" or "Feeling sleepy" before both girls' eyes had glazed over and they stared blankly ahead.

"Honestly, you two never learn do you?" Washu had been listening in from the doorway (since Ayeka had removed the clothes with the bug on them) and entered the room. "Stand at attention." They did as commanded. "Now, I want you both to listen closely and obey..."

"More tea, Grandmother?" the first maid asked merrily.

"Thank you, Ayeka," Lady Seto replied, holding out her cup for a refill.

"Would you like some scones, Lady Seto?" asked the second maid. "We baked them just this morning."

"That would be lovely, Ryoko, thank you." She turned to Washu, who was sat with her at the table. "So, Washu, what exactly did you say to them?"

"Oh, I just removed all the triggers they'd given each other...and then told them that they would be our maids for a week, which should give them...three more days as maids. That should make them appreciate their free wills when they're back to normal."

"I might have to extend my visit by a few days then," Seto replied, laughing behind her little paper fan. "Hmm? By the way, isn't that the day Mihoshi returns from her assignment?"

"Yes, it is."

"You didn't by any chance arrange it so they'd return to normal just when Mihoshi returns, did you?"

"Well, I couldn't leave Mihoshi out of the fun, could I?"

"I suppose not."

"Still, it's a shame you chose to visit just when those two had taken over all the cooking duties; I know how much you wanted to try Tenchi's cooking."

"That's alright, these two are surprisingly good at cooking too."

"How kind of you to say," the pair replied in tandem.

"Well, at least things will be peaceful for a while," Washu noted.

"Indeed."