[The reviewers return, looking quite happy and relaxed. 
[Kosh: There is little better than a warm cup of tea to brighten an
otherwise angsty day.  
[Uklesh: You said it.  Come on, let's get back to the fic.  
[Murmur: Where the hell is that remote?]

Ryoko stared out accross the vastness of space, the 
incredible cold of lower earth orbit providing an 
apropriate background for the way she felt... empty and 
alone.

[Ryoga: The world is a dark and lonely place.
[Uklesh, Murmur, Kosh: YAAAHHH!!
[Uklesh: Dammit, how does he get in here?
[Murmur: And how does he leave so quickly?
[Kosh: At any rate, that really was quite angsty.]

She should move on, she thought... distract herself with 
glorious adventure while riding the stars without a thought 
or care in the world... But dammit, that wasn't what she 
wanted! She'd had her fill of adventure... all she wanted 
now was....

[Murmur: As someone already mentioned (I believe it was John Biles, or
Chris Davies), Ryoko is the Tenchi-verses answer to Peter Pan.
[Kosh: And as that same person said, Peter Pan never did keep Wendy.
[Uklesh, Kosh, Murmur (after feeling how angsty that sentiment was)
(sim): Chris Davies.]

"Love".

[Kosh: Peace.
[Uklesh: Victory.
[Murmur: Comfort.
[Uklesh, Kosh, Murmur (sim) (singing): These are a few of my favorite
things!]

It wasn't a voice that carried the word to her, not in the 
void of space, but she heard it all the same, as she felt a 
presense pop into existance behind her.

[Kosh: You know, you just can't take a person seriously if they POP into
existence.  It just brings up way too much Imposibble Man stories in
mind.  
[Uklesh: True.  How about 'Flickered', or 'appeared' is a good standby.
[Murmur: Not that it matters, really. Just the vorlons nit-picking
again.]

Faster than a normal person could see, her energy sword 
flashed into existance as she spun, the glowing wave of 
death crashing toward the one who dared intrude upon her 
sorrow. But her quarry just floated there, waiting to meet 
her fate with a grim look on her face. 

[Kosh: So who defines normality?  I, for instance, saw that coming a
pico-second ago, and a pico-second can be a long time.
[Murmur: I think he meant 'normal' by Terran standars, you big ninny.
[Uklesh: I especially like that 'wave of death' bit.  Quite
descriptive.]

Quicker than the eye could follow the blade cleaved easily 
through her breast, the two remaining halves of her body 
seperating in a gore-filled vision, even as the blood froze 
as it poured from her body. 

[Kosh: Hm, look, he made that whole 'Faster than the blink of an eye'
metaphor again. 
[Uklesh: Urgh, no that was a bit too descriptive.
[Murmur: Hm, how about 'In a flash, the blade cleaved easily through her
breast'?
[Kosh: 'In a flash'?  This isn't a Republic serial, you know.  Nor is it
a pulp novel.  
[Murmur: If you think about it, fanfiction is pulp fiction.  Think about
it.
[Kosh: All right, I concede the point.
[Uklesh: Ok, so I'm assuming by the fact that Ryoko bisected the girl,
and it was through the breast, that she did a side-arc cut, rather than
her usual overhead arc.  Hm, I'm not sure how the author can make that
more apparent, but I do think that it should be.
[Murmur: Oh, everyone is smart enough to figure out how Ryoko bisected
the girl, not that it figures in the plot in any way.]  

Ryoko was not amused.

[Uklesh: She was, in fact, a 'space pirate'.
[Kosh: Oh, that's terrible.
[Murmur: Gah, I think they saw that joke coming from Centauri Prime.]

"Its what you wanted, isn't it?" Her mother's voice came to 
her.

[Kosh: Well, yes, Washu is Ryoko's mother, but I've never seen her
acknowledge that fact, even in her own mind. To her, Washu is a virtual
stranger.]

Ryoko cursed as best she could without sound, spining to 
find Washu standing beside her. A chunk of the Tsunami 
corpse-popsicle floated past, which Washu wrinkled her nose 
at. "Of course its not what I wanted!" Ryoko mentally 
screamed back at her mother.

[Uklesh: Actually, for some reason, Ryoko CAN talk in space, or rather,
we can hear what she says while she is in space.
[Kosh: One wonders if Ryoko actually KNEW that the Tsunami look-a-like
was actually a simulacrum.  Or, if she did, if she cared.]    

Washu looked up carefully from the corpse, her gaze serious 
as she peered into her daughter's torchered eyes. For the 
moment that that look lingered between them, an unvoiced, 
even through telepathy, communication passing between them. 
Finally Ryoko relaxed her clenched fists, while Washu 
meerly nodded. 

[Kosh: Now call me crazy, but in direct mind to mind communication, you
can't help but COMMUNICATE.
[Uklesh: Oh, leave off.  He's taking dramatic liscence.
[Murmur: 'Torchered eyes'.  That probably should be Tortured. Or perhaps
the author is trying to say that her eyes were burning like a torch. 
Either works, really.]

"You've changed, Ryoko. Once, not so long ago, your anger 
would have been sated by such an act."

[Kosh: Huh?  I would have thought that it would have taken more than a
simple murder to cool her off.]

"Che. It was only one of your manequins anyway."
[Kosh: Ah, so that's it.  She won't accept a proxy.]

"True."

[Uklesh: Anybody else think that Washu is acting out of character?
[Kosh and Murmur raise their hands.
[Uklesh: I thought as much.  Of course, I rather like this new Washu.
[Kosh: Give me that old time Washu blues.
[Murmur: Meaning?
[Kosh: I rather like the mad scientist Washu, rather than the mysterious
and dark Washu.  Not that it doesn't have its good points.]

The absolute silence of space closed in around them once 
more, as both became lost in their thoughts. Finally, Ryoko 
spoke.

[Murmur: I'd rather think that the silence of space would be ever
present, cause, you know, in space, no one can hear you make nookie.  
[Kosh: Well, actually, let me tell you about this time I listened in on
Sheridan and Delenn.  This I swear up and down, the man went 'Woo Hoo.'
[Uklesh: Good lord, he's contagious.]

"How can I do it, 'Kaasan? How can I win tenchi's heart." 
Ryoko's telepathic voice sounded as pathetic as she 
looked... desperately hoping that there might still be a 
chance....

[Kosh: Ah, I see, trying to get Washu's help by calling her 'Okaasan'.
[Uklesh: So sad how the proud fall so far.
[Murmur: You know, come to think of it, Ryoko has called Washu her
mother before, just under duress, or something similar.  I think.
[Uklesh: It's not as if your memory is the most reliable.] 

Washu looked down at her feet (and the earth circling 
below), and slowly began to shake her head.

[Kosh: Perhaps (and 'at' the earth circling below)?
[Murmur: You just love to nit-pick, don't you?]

Ryoko grabbed her, shaking her. "There must be a way! There 
has to be! Tell me how!" The tears were flowing now... a 
few ice crystals falling like pearls from her eyes toward 
the monstrous planet below.

[Uklesh: Ooo, now THAT is what I call drama.  And the pearly tears,
well, that's just beautiful.
[Murmur: sniff]

"Alright, alright already! Let me go!" Ryoko reluctantly 
released her grip, as Washu glared at her. "But you have to 
be *absolutely* *sure* that this is what you want! I can 
tell you how to win his heart, but things maybe worse in 
the long run if you do!"

[Kosh: A deal with the devil, to gain your heart's desire.
[Murmur: Yeah, those things never work out, except for the devil.  And I
should know.
[Uklesh: Perhaps that should be may be, instead of maybe.]

"I. Don't. Care!" Ryoko shouted back. "Just tell me 
already!"

[Kosh: Ah, fools do rush in, don't they?]

"no." said Washu quietly. "I'm not going let you waste your 
life on some crush. Give me one good reason why I should 
tell you, because if I do, it will mean giving up 
everything you've ever had, everything you ever will be... 
do you even begin to understnd what that means?? I created 
you with a purpose Ryoko, a very specific one... You have a 
destiny that overshadows *any* petty romance, Do you 
understand?? Why should I take that risk??"

[Uklesh: You know, you can see how masterfully Washu manipulates Ryoko
into doing what she wants.
[Kosh: Really?  All I see is simple reverse-psychology.
[Murmur: What are you two talking about?
[Uklesh: You mean you don't know?
[Murmur: Ok, listen, I do know, but, c'mon, you know that there has to
be some exposition in here, and that was the only device I could think
of, ok?
[Uklesh: Ok, here's the exposition and the theories.  One, Washu did
create Ryoko for a specific purpose.  What that purpose is, is unknown.
[Kosh: However, it can be safely assumed that it has SOMETHING to do
with the Gems and, in turn, Washu's former Godhood.  
[Uklesh: And it also has quite to do with Tokimi.
[Kosh: That's a given.  At any rate, since Tsunami, her own sister,
seems to find Tenchi important enough to 'join with him' (in the sexual
sense) to better gain control over him, what better way for Washu to
wrest control of Tenchi from her sister than by her own daughter? 
That's where the reverse-psychology comes in.  See, she blatantly states
that Tenchi isn't important enough for her to help 'ruin' Ryoko's life
over, which hardly should be the case if he wasn't all that important. 
After all, how could something so insignificent as Tenchi ruin Ryoko's
extremely long life?  
[Uklesh: After all, she has lived an extremely long time, and will
probably live forever, so how can her life be ruined?
[Kosh: It can't, so logically, it must be a deception on Washu's part to
get Ryoko to do what she wants and make it seem like it was her own
idea, in order for her to be more willing to do that which she would
have balked at before all this.
[Uklesh: In other words, it's all coming up aces for our little
Washu-chan.
[Kosh: Or so it could be speculated.
[Murmur: Oh.]

Ryoko turned away, unable or unwilling to deal with this 
new revelation. How could she possibly be that important? 
She was just a space pirate! It just didn't make any 
sense... No, it was more likely that Washu was just feeding 
her more lies....

[Kosh: Ryoko apparenlty has very low self-esteem.  
[Uklesh: And she is smart enough to see that she is being lied to.
[Murmur: But not perceptive enough to see the true deception behind the
lie.]

"It doesn't matter" Ryoko said silently through the void. 
"Even if everything in the universe disappears the next 
day, it would be worth it to be with him for just one 
instant... to hear him say he loved me... and for him to 
know that I loved him."

[Murmur: Wow, she really does base her self esteem on how Tenchi thinks
of her.
[Kosh: Like I said, that isn't a good basis for a meaningful and
mutually benficial relationship.
[Uklesh: Thank you, Dr. Frasier Crane.
[Murmur: Say, any of you get the feeling that that was said on a soap
opera?
[Kosh and Uklesh, after re-reading the line, agree.]

Washu sighed heavily. She'd known the eventual outcome of 
this conversation (how could she not, having felt the 
intensity of Ryoko's emotions?) but secretly she'd still 
hoped... but no, this is how things had to be... "Alright, 
Ryoko-chan... I'll tell you a secret..."

[Kosh: Ah, it's nice to see that Washu still has the ability to feel
guilt.
[Murmur: You're incredibly Catholic, did you know that?
[Kosh: I don't have a religion, as you define it.]

Washu paused for a moment, gathering her thoughts, as Ryoko 
looked back expectantly. 

[Uklesh: Gathering her thoughts, my foot.  She's just trying to be
dramatic.]

"Tenchi does love you... very much as a matter of fact. 
With hardly a moment of hesitation, he charge off to fight 
Kagato for your life, even though he knew there was no way 
he could possibly win. However, when he was... killed... 
Tsunami took him and implated part of herself into his very 
being... and from then on, she began twisting and 
manipulating his thoughts and feelings... subtly, with 
dreams and fantasies... she made sure that he was hers." 
Washu could see Ryoko's fists clenching tighter and 
tighter... her eyes now begining to blaze with righteous 
anger. "But the brain washing job is not complete... 
somewhere in there, baried deep, is the heart of Tenchi 
that still loves you, I'm sure of it, but every time he 
starts to think fondly of you or Aeka, Tsunami interrupts 
him or distracts him."

[Kosh: Hm, the beginning, it should read, 'he charged off to fight', but
that's a nit.
[Uklesh: You know, I love that explanation.  It explains everything so
clearly, and it makes sense. So, I am suspicous of it.  It's just TOO
pat.
[Murmur: And besides, this demonization of Tsunami is just as bad as the
deification that Tenchi does.  And it isn't too much of stretch that he
could be changed that much, because it apparently seems that his
impossible crush has been reciprocated, despite the fact that we have
been saying 'Mind Control' from the beginning.]

Ryoko was now clearly struggling to control her anger. 
"What do I have to do?"

[Murmur: Well, first, you put your right hand on your left arm, then you
put your left hand on your right arm.  Then you move your right hand
onto your right hip, then . . . 
[Kosh: Stop that.  
[Uklesh: Hey, Macarena!
[Murmur: Aye.
[Kosh: Oh, god.]

Somewhere, deep inside, Washu smiled, although no hint of 
it reached her face. "Get your gems back... with all of 
your gems, you should be able to at least stand up to 
Tsunami, though she'll still beat you in an open fight.. 
and get Tenchi away from her as soon as you can. The 
farther away, the harder it will be for Tsunami to retain 
her link. You've got to convince him of what Tsunami has 
done."  Ryoko nodded, her visage grim with a look of 
determination. Washu looked her over, feeling the full 
weight of the knowledge she carried waying upon her 
shoulders, wishing she could at least see her again... 
Before Ryoko could react, Washu floated up and embraced the 
much larger girl. "Good luck, my daughter."  and with that, 
she was gone.

[Kosh: Hm, an interesting glimpse of Washu's mind, and a tiny reference
to Washu's true plan.  
[Uklesh: Ah, the out of character experience that is LLL Washu.
[Murmur: Oh, hush.  Besides, I found the hug to be very genuine, in a
scene filled with lies and deceptions.
[Kosh: Amen.]

***

Tenchi stood around doing the only thing guys can really do 
in a woman's clothing store: look uncomfortable. Trying his 
best to draw as little attention to himself as possible, he 
sat back in the farthest corner and tried not to look 
anyone in the eye.

[Murmur: As were the other men in the store, as they tried not to be too
bored, or striving to control their bloody noses from the sight of all
that underwear.
[Kosh: Do you mind?
[Murmur (as Happosai): Sweeto!]

Now that he had a chance to think, tenchi couldn't help but 
feel bad about this mornings breakfast... he really should 
have been the one to talk to Aeka and Ryoko, not Washu. he 
was so caught up in the thought of actually spending time 
with Tsunami that he had completely forgotten how hurt the 
both of them had looked.. and now he felt like a total 
heel.

[Kosh: Ah, yet another sighting of the Tenchi we all know and like. 
[Uklesh: You know, I don't know why everyone calls him spineless.
[Murmur: Mostly because the man is pretty passive about how the girls
fight over him.  Of course, he might just be getting off on that.
[Kosh thwacks Murmur.]

Even if he didn't love them, at least, not the way they 
wanted him too, He still thought of them almost as a sort 
of family, and it hurt to think that he might have led them 
on in some way....

[Kosh: Now THAT is very Tenchi-like.  I'm liking how these two
paragraphs are so in character, given the interpretation of the
character, and the developments of the sitaution.  
[Murmur: You know, I believe the fact that all those people living in
the Masaki household (and including Miho-Kiyo) are a family, of sorts,
was a major theme in Shin Tenchi Muyo.
[Uklesh: Speaking of Mihoshi, where the hell is she, anyway?  And
Katsuhito, for that matter.  You'd think that he'd make a cameo.]

"Yoohoo... Tenchi..."

[Murmur: Oh, baby, yeah, that voice, that just makes the knees turn to
water, they do.
[Uklesh: You know, that just gives credence to Washu's explanation.
[Kosh: I'm loving how the author is making us guess.]

Tenchi line of thought was abruptly cut off (along with the 
flow of blood to his brain.) as tsunami stepped into few, 
wearing a really short, tight, leather miniskirt and a low-
cut blouse.

[Murmur: WOO WOO!  Take it off, Baby!  Take it Off!!
[Kosh: Quiet, you.  Though he does bring up a good point. I don't think
that Sasami, no matter how influenced by Tsunami(with a capitol T),
would dress like that.
[Uklesh: And besides, I would think that Tenchi would have the same
reaction no matter what Tsusami wore.  And, come to think of it,
wouldn't blood be rushing to his head, rather than the opposite?
[Murmur: WOO WOO!]  

***

"Tenchi no Hentai!"

[Kosh: Besides the obvious Ranma references, I truly don't think that
she'd be THAT vehement.  Hentai, after all, is a pretty strong word,
though used quite often in said Ranma series.  
[Murmur: True.  That's why I would suggest the rather less offensive
'ecchi'.  It doesn't mean sexual deviancy, like hentai, but rather that
the person in question has sex on the mind.]      

Of course, it was exactly the reaction she'd wanted to 
provoke out of him, although inwardly she was sighing at 
having to resort to such blant control via his hormones. 
Soon though, once this critical stage was passed, she could 
tell him how she really felt about him, and there would be 
no more lies between them. Ever. 

[Kosh: Ah, now this I can understand.  Rather than out and out mind
control, she is trying (and succeding) to control him via the hormones,
like every female does, from time to time.
[Uklesh: You notice that she does have secrets to tell him.  Very
interesting.] 

'This is wrong and you know it.'

[Murmur: Huh?  Who's saying that?]

Tsunami grimaced inwardly. 'No it isn't. Tenchi needs 
someone to lead him. Left to his own devices, he'd only 
make a mess out of things. Besides, He loves us as much as 
we love him, so how can it be wrong to make him see it?'

[Kosh: Good god.
[Uklesh: Exactly. 
[Murmur: Tsk, tsk.  The solipsism of a fascist. 
[Uklesh: And, once again, an obique reference to controlling Tenchi.
[Kosh: Quite disturbing.] 

The voice that was Sasami said nothing but silence in 
response to that. It just felt so good when tenchi looked 
at them _that_ way, and the blush crept up on her cheeks... 
But something still bothered her about all this. Today had 
been so strange... when she'd woken up this morning, 
everything was different... she was suddenly so much taller 
than before, and had all these wierd sensations running 
through her body... it was quite shocking. but even more 
disturbing was the way there seemed to be two of her now... 
and yet they were always one and the same. She was still 
Sasami, but she was also Tsunami... and she couldn't even 
begin to understand the ramifcations of that.. just 
thinking about it made her head hurt. She could always talk 
to Tsunami in her mind, but now it seemed like Tsunami was 
also influencing her... giving her these strange impluses 
that at first she thought were her own, but they were so 
unlike her...Their source had to be Tsunami.

[Murmur: She's right, this is quite confusing.  I'm having a hard time
telling who is the dominant personality in the Tsusami body.]

And it frightened her. Badly. It wasn't like Tsunami had 
taken control of her, it was more like suddenly she 
couldn't trust her own feelings. And that was the worst... 
The idea that even though she still thought she was 
herself, she just wasn't... and she had no idea what to do 
about it.

[Kosh: The fear of the loss of self is truly great.  
[Uklesh: But, of course, the exploration of the self to see if they are
truly themselves, in both actions and thoughts, leads to madness,
whatever the truth.
[Murmur, Kosh, Uklesh: Paradox.]

Could she even do anything about it? In many ways she *was* 
Tsunami... her very form and being were made up of Tsunami, 
having been assmilated and recontructed by her power... so 
if she tried to seperate, would she die? Could she even 
die, at that? For a moment a horrible fantasy ran through 
her mind where she threw herself off a cliff, ending in a 
broken heap at the bottom, only to *not* die, and lay there 
in agony while her bones slowly reconstruct themselves...

[Kosh, Uklesh, Murmur: Good god.  The author is truly in a morbid frame
of mind.]

'Do you really think so poorly of me?'

[Uklesh: I'm not sure if I can tell whether she is being sincere or just
being extremely machiavellian.]

Sasami felt instantly guilty... Tsunami was working for the 
greater good, after all... she was a goddess to her people, 
how could Sasami even consider that Tsunami would let her 
be in such pain? Or was that just Tsunami putting feelings 
in her head again?? She just didn't know... She just wanted 
to curl up in a little ball and cry somewhere, not that it 
would really help anything.... but she  couldn't do that, 
she had to be strong, she was a princess, afterall, she had 
help Tsunami with her plan, and she had to be there for 
tenchi... Yes, that was it, Tenchi needed her. She could 
worry about all those other things later.

[Kosh: You know, Tenchi does seem to be the foundation that many of the
characters base their self-esteem on.
[Uklesh: And the fact that she feels 'instantly guilty' makes me highly
suspicous.
[Murmur: I myself have found that there is no such thing as 'the Greater
Good.'
[Kosh: Hear, hear.
[Uklesh: Hmph.]

'I know you are trying to do the right thing.'

[Murmur: Can anyone else hear the timbre of doubt in her voice?
[Kosh and Uklesh raise their hands.]

'I love him.'

[Uklesh: That I do believe, surprisingly.]  

'I do too.'

[Kosh: I don't doubt that one bit, despite the doubts that she herself
may have.]

***

She had been so cold on that night... Shivering in the dim 
firelight, feeling the dampness seeming to seep into her 
very bones. Millions of light years from her home and her 
life, everything she knew seemed wrong... Yosho was dead, 
she was stranded; there didn't appear to be a reason to go 
on. What did she have waiting for her back on Jurai? A 
cold, loveless politically-arranged marriage, endless 
political wheeling and dealing...

[Kosh: Of course, the Centauri would be right at home in that kind of
enviroment. 
[Murmur: Very nice scene setting, and great prose.  I can't think of
anything that could possibly enhance that.]

And then the sounds came, adding immediate fear to those 
foggy disturbing thoughts of the future. At first just a 
rustle here, a movement half seen out of the corner of her 
eye, nothing you could put your finger on... but it made 
the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end, as every 
nerve became taunt throughout her body. Then _it_ leapt for 
her.... There were no predators on Jurai, in fact, there 
really wasn't any wild life left at all that wasn't in a 
preserve of some sort, and as such she had no idea what it 
could possibly be, on this strange world, leaping at her in 
the dark. 

[Kosh: Good god, this is terrific.
[Uklesh and Murmur silently agree.]

The terror of that instant had been overwhelming, causing 
her to lose the last scraps of dignity that she was still 
clinging to... With a scream she leapt to her feet, 
instinct and fear forcing her to flee in terror... and then 
she was safe... warm... protected... Just like that. Her 
relief was so powerful she nearly wept as she held that 
wonderfully warm, comforting presence to her... 

[Murmur: Yep, Tenchi is the cornerstone of their existence.
[Kosh: Well, he is a nice guy.]

It was at that instant that things seem to change in her 
life. Suddenly, this backwater planet didn't seem so alone 
and cold anymore, nor did it seem to be the tragic end of 
her long journey. Now, suddenly, unexpectedly, this place 
was her last hope. Here, she could feel again.

[Kosh: Wouldn't change a damned thing, here.]

She would love to say that she fell in love with him in 
that instant, love at first *real* sight, since before she 
had only seen him as the implement of her pain. But that 
wasn't the truth... It wasn't then that it happened, but it 
was then that the possibility occurred to her... and that 
the idea took root in her loneliness and began to grow. 
Until one day, which one she wasn't exactly sure, it bore 
fruit, and from then on she knew, just *knew*, beyond any 
shadow of a doubt that she loved him more than anything. 

[Uklesh: Not THAT'S the way one uses a metaphor!]

It was a hard fact to accept, at first... She was suppose 
to be the crown princess of Jurai, high and mighty, always 
above such mundane concerns as love... because of her 
position she had to be strong enough to live a life devoid 
of such feeling, for the good of her people...

[Kosh: Hm, you'd think that the example that Misaki and Funaho give
would deter that sort of sentiment.
[Uklesh: Look at how he the man is portraying Tsunami, and say that with
a straight face again.
[Kosh: True.]

But the feeling was addictive.... Suddenly, it wasn't so 
hard to forgive and forget that Yosho had abandoned her to 
live on this planet, because suddenly that was all she 
wanted to do to... live a quiet life here with Tenchi. The 
road certainly hadn't been easy, fighting for ever scrap of 
his attention with a girl that might as well have been her 
exact opposite, yet to her mind the outcome was never in 
doubt. She had been shipwrecked on this desolate planet for 
a *reason*, and Tenchi *was* that reason. It was only a 
matter of time, and while Aeka might not have been strong 
enough to resist the temptation of love, she was strong 
enough to wait Tenchi out...

[Murmur: Love as manifest destiny?  That's what one calls 'delusional.' 
Or even, Kuno-ish.
[Kosh: Quite nice, very real.  Ahem, but, I've notice two errors: 'to do
too' instead of 'to', and 'fighting for every' instead of 'ever'.
[Uklesh: Ah, Kosh nit-picks again.]

But now this, this *abomination* had occurred. Tsunami... 
the very name held the rancor of a curse to her mind... The 
trees had always been central to Juraian culture, and 
therefore to her as well, but Tsunami was different than 
all the others... The other trees were holy, true, but they 
were quiet, docile... tools, more or less. Her own Ryuu-oh 
was a great comfort to her, as well as a powerful weapon, 
but it was *not* a companion. Tsunami was different...

[Murmur: Mmm . . . it's nice to see that even the nicest people can be
given into insane paranoia.
[Kosh: Yes, but given what we know about Tsunami in this fic, how much
of it is paranoia?
[Uklesh: Not much on OUR part.  But for Ayeka, it is paranoia, for she
doesn't know what we know.]  

Tsunami had always been there, a legend among the Juraian 
people, a benign goddess watching quietly from the trees... 
But then she had assimilated Sasami, gaining a human form, 
and the change among the trees of Jurai was tangible. When 
Tsunami made her physical presence known to the Juraian 
Royal court, no one really knew how to react... All 
Juraian's gave lip service to the near holiness of the 
trees, but most of them deep down felt quite threatened at 
the idea that their most valuable tools might rise up 
against them...

[Uklesh: Well, it wasn't so much a change in the trees, was it, but
rather in the Juraians preceptions of those trees.
[Kosh: That's why we Vorlons imprint deep loyalty in our tools to the
atomic level.  It pays to think ahead.
[Murmur: You know, this is why I don't like religion.  If you can't
truly believe, then you're just giving lip-service.  And I hate
hyprocripsy.]

But then Tsunami had vanished again, no one hearing word 
one from her for centuries, not until Aeka herself 
discovered the secret behind her sister's fatal fall. At 
the time, Aeka hadn't thought about the fact that the two 
were merged much... She loved her sister and was grateful 
that she hadn't died... but the more she thought about it 
in later weeks and months, the more something about it 
felt... wrong. She had finally figured it out sometime 
back... the way Tsunami had told her that when Sasami grew 
up, she could call her either Tusnami or Sasami, as they 
would both be her. On the surface it seemed great, Sasami 
would get to grow up fairly normally and would still be 
herself as well as Tsunami, but Aeka should have known 
better.... The only way Sasami could become Tsunami was if 
Tsunami manipulated and changed her into becoming who *she* 
wanted Sasami to be, not who she was actually going to 
become... Now that the process had been accelerated, Aeka 
was only that much more sure of it. Tsunami was toying with 
her in a most horrible way, enslaving Sasami to her will, 
and Aeka could hardly think of a worse fate for her 
sister...

[Murmur: You know, even the nicest people can be turned into
bloodthirsty mobs.
[Uklesh: This just reinforces my utter lack of trust of the younger
races.]

Maybe it would have been better if she *had* died during 
Ryoko's raid... it certainly would've give Aeka the excuse 
to have the annoying demon executed. However, The truth 
about Tsunami was even more frightening, in light of a 
message she'd just received from Jurai... Apparently 
Tsunami had made another appearance before the council and 
had asked them to mobilize the largest fleet ever 
conceived... She had given them some story about some 
nebulous evil coming to enslave the galaxy, but whether or 
not that was true it gave Aeka cause to suspect her of even 
more of a dark purpose...

[Uklesh: Tokimi, anyone?
[Murmur: Mercy killing in retrospect or missed oportunity lamented?
[Kosh: I want to say mercy killing, but, really 'missed oportunity
lamented.'
[Uklesh: Ditto for me.
[Murmur: And me as well.  Well, it appears we are all in agreement. 
Ayeka is as cold as ice, she is willing to sacrifice her sister.]

She had to be stopped.

[Uklesh: Really, the arrogance of these youngsters sometimes makes my
blood boil.]

And to that end Aeka was cloistered in side the shell that 
would become Ryuu-oh's new home, using the sapling's 
fledgling power to connect up to Jurai's infosphere, trying 
to glean *anything* that might be of use against the giant 
space tree. She'd already read through several of the 
legends concerning Tsunami, but each was so clearly baised 
in favour of the space tree it was ridiculous... If one 
went by what the historians had to say, Tsunami was the 
greatest thing since sliced bread and was about as 
dangerous.

[Kosh: Now, as we all know, historians are rather infamous for their
conflicting views and so called 'reinterpretations', so when they ALL
agree on a few facts, then it most likely is true or they're all too
lazy to come up with more.
[Murmur: Since I like Tsunami, even in this story, I'm going to give her
the benefit of the doubt and say that she IS the greatest thing since
sliced coconuts.]

"There has to be a way!" she sighed in frustration.

[Uklesh: If she sighed that, would she sigh it that loudly?
[Kosh: One could sigh that loudly.  Perhaps 'screamed in fustration.'
[Murmur: Well, all she needs is someone to defrost her a little, and
then she won't be screaming in FUSTRATION, I'll gauruntee that
personally. Heheheheheh.
[Kosh: Good lord, you're sick.]

"There is...." a voice said from behind her.

[Kosh: Ah, the standard mysterious voice from behind.]

Aeka whirled around to face Washu, who was standing just 
behind her inside the dome. "W-Washu-san! What are you 
doing here?"

[Uklesh (as Washu): That's Washu-CHAN, and I have a particle exploder,
so Beedah.
[Kosh: That does bring up a point, this fic is very lacking so far in
the standard Tenchi Muyo wackiness, going so far as to litterally remove
all of the comic relief characters.
[Murmur: And trust us, this fic NEEDS comic relief.]

"Answering your question..." replied Washu, with a 
disintrested look.

[Uklesh: The old manipulator is at it again.
[Kosh: She's just going to employe simple reverse-psychology again.
[Murmur: Well, it worked the last time, didn't it?]

Aeka looked at her quizicly. "What? You mean, you... you 
know a way to defeat Tsunami?"

[Murmur (as Washu): Nope!  But I do know that she likes quiche!]

Washu's only response was to fix Aeka with a pointed glare. 
Aeka immediately started to sweat...

[Murmur: Right, who here thinks that a glare even from WASHU would
immediately break Ice-Princess' compsure?
[Kosh, Uklesh (sim): Not us.]

Plastering a fake smile on her face, Aeka tried again. 
"uh.. hehe... Of *course* you know a way, don't you Washu-
chan? Your the universe's greatest genius!"

[Kosh: You're.  Oh, and notice that she's using Washu-chan?  She only
does that when she's beggin Washu for something.]

Washu smiled and nodded "Yes, its true... " abruptly she 
became serious again. " but you'll need to be able to lie 
more convincingly than that in order to wrest control of 
your empire from Tsunami's hands."

[Kosh: Hm, Since it was the power of the trees that MADE the empire,
shouldn't it be considered Tsunami's empire?
[Uklesh: I truly doubt that Ayeka would see it that way.  Or that Washu
would ever bring up that point.]

Washu sighed heavily as she walked over to Aeka's tree, 
pulling up her own etheric keyboard. "Beating Tsunami won't 
be easy... but it can be done. In order to defeat Tsunami, 
you must take away the one thing that binds her to Jurai: 
The trees. Tsunami discovered long ago, before your race 
was in existance, that the trees of Jurai are all conected, 
no matter how far apart they are, by a forth dimensional 
link. This link allowed the trees to flurish in a violent 
and turbulent era in the history of the planet Jurai, for 
when one of the trees was damaged, the other trees were 
able to combine their energy and send it through the link, 
which in turn both healed and protected the endagered tree. 
Tsunami was the first to discover this poperety and soon 
realized the vast potential that this created, and, already 
a higher-demensional being, grafted herself into the tree's 
network, allowing her power and that of the trees to grow a 
hundred fold. The tree that you know as "Tsunami" is just 
that: a tree. If it were destroyed, if that were even 
possible, Tsunami's conciousness would still live on in the 
limbo of forth dimensional space, to be later given 
physical form again in a new tree... and it would continue 
to exist in the body of your sister. You see, your sister 
is now an integral part of Tsunami's spectral network, a 
link through which she can draw immense power... or have 
that same power drawn from her. It's through this link that 
Tsunami controls and effecets her... and she's not the only 
one." Washu finished omniously, giving Aeka a pointed look.

[Murmur (as Ayeka): Ouch!  That look hurt!
[Kosh: Now really, that made a great deal of sense.  And notice how much
Washu is NOT saying.  Oh, and it should be 'controls and affects her'
[Uklesh: Bum bum BUUUUMMMMM!!]

Aeka slowly felt comprehesion sink to sink in, but for some 
reason she felt the point Washu was trying to make elude 
her. "How does this help? I already know that Tsunami has a 
hold on my sister! What I need to know is how to *break* 
that hold.  *How* do I cut her link to the trees, Washu-
san?"

[Murmur: 'Comprehension start to sink in.' And one must ask how one can
comprehend yet still miss the point?
[Uklesh: Ah, look at Washu, playing on Ayeka's paranoia just like a
master violinist.]

Washu looked away for a moment, then finally, very quietly, 
she said. "You start a war."

[Uklesh: Trust me, a war is always for the best.
[Kosh: Have you been hanging around Za'ha'dum again?
[Uklesh: It blew up.
[Kosh: Well I died, so you can see how premanent reality is.]

"WHAT?"

[Murmur: No need to be so shocked, Oujo-sama.  After all, you knew it
was going to come down to a fight before hand.]

Washu fixed her with a hard stare, causing Aeka to step 
back half a step under the intensity of the gaze. "That's 
what it will come down to." she said, relenting her gaze 
once she was convinced that Aeka knew she was serious. "I 
have a device which I can give you, and which Jurai's 
scientists can reproduce, which will block Tsunami's 
link... If used on a tree, the tree will be mostly 
powerless while the device is activated... if used on a 
person who's been assimilated by Tsunami, the effect will 
be... a bit more permenent."

[Uklesh: How convenient.
[Murmur: Oh, and I'd like to make this little comment.  Isn't it
interesting that Ayeka would start down this course of utter
ahnihilation when it seemed that she lost the Tenchi Marathon?
[Kosh: Hell hath no fury, etc. etc.
[Murmur: Don't I know it.]

Aeka gave Washu a hard look, half thinking this was all 
some sort of twisted joke, and half fearing that what she 
said was true. Start a war? The was maddness! Yes Tsunami 
had to be stopped, but the cost in lives... she loved her 
sister dearly, but it wasn't worth her people's *lives* 
for!

[Uklesh: If one is set upon a path, one must be ready for the
consequences.
[Kosh: To quoth my good buddy, Spock, 'The needs of the many outwheigh
the needs of the few or the one.
[Murmur: And he died for that principal, so you can't accuse the man of
hyprocripsy.]

Washu could apparently read the confusion behind her eyes. 
"Its much, much worse than you suspect, Aeka-hime. Tsunami 
will subjigate the entire universe in order to get to her 
ends. If she's not stopped here, there will be no force 
great enough to turn the tide..."

[Uklesh: Good lord, isn't that the same reason that Tsunami had for
mobolizing the Juraian Forces? 
[Kosh: Yes, but I rather think that it was because of Tokimi, and not
because of plans for universal conquest.  Of course, I could be wrong.]

"How do you know this Washu?? Why are you privy to the 
plans of Jurai's pattron goddess?" Aeka asked 
incredulously, the shock of what Washu wanted her to do 
jolting her out of her anger at Tsunami.

[Kosh: Patron is spelled with one T.  And I think it should be 'How are
you privy'.  I know, a bit repetitive, but if you want to ask that, you
have to use 'How'.]

Washu was quiet for many moments, though her fingers never 
ceased flying across her keyboard. Finally she paused, 
making a gesture with her hand the made the screen expand 
in size. "Look." she said simply.

[Murmur: Ooo, Playbeing magazine.  Tsunami is going to take over the
universe by undermining its moral fiber!
[Kosh: Fiber is good for you.
[Uklesh: They're Pinky, they're Pinky and the Brain, Brain, Brain,
Brain, Brain.]

And look Aeka did. What she didn't do was understand. 
Flowing accross the screen at an extremely rapid pace 
appeared to be all maner of records... arrests, police 
reports, financial reports, troop movements.. it didn't 
seem to have any pattern or reason to Aeka, appearing to 
just be randomly called up bits of info from all over the 
galaxy. Puzzled she looked at Washu.

[Kosh: Obviously not a believer in heuristisism.  
[Uklesh: or chaos theory.]

"It doesn't seem to make any sense, does it?" Washu once 
more began typing. Now it was medical records flying by, 
tales of people living through horrendous accidents that 
should, by all rights, have killed them... and then she 
started to recognize many of the names flying by on the 
screen... names of heads of industry, highly placed 
officers in Jurai's army, trusted advisors, Galaxy 
Police.... the glimmer of comprehension began to light in 
Aeka's mind.

[Murmur: Boy, it sure is dark in here.  Good god, this places hasn't
seen a thought in over three hundred years!
[Kosh: Now that's mean.
[Uklesh: Well, you have to admit, Ayeka does spend a lot of the fic
trying to understand stuff, and not getting it.]

"Yes... now you are begining to get it... doesn't it seem 
odd that so many highly placed individuals have had such 
horrendous accidents? and that they all miraculously lived? 
Many weren't more than well placed lackies when they had 
their accident, but after their "near-death expirence" they 
all had renewed drive and fought their way up to be at 
their very heads of their chosen fields... perfect pawns 
laying in wait to unwittingly do the will of the one who 
once saved them... and now enslaves them. Your sister is 
only one of the more important pawns in her scemes...."

*,*
[Uklesh: Now that is a great plot, whether it is true or not.  
[Murmur: What makes it so great is the ambiguity that we as readers have
as to whether or not it is true.  I for one can easily see Tsunami doing
such a thing if she believed it was for the greater good.  Conversely, I
can see Washu manipulating the data to make it seem that Tsunami was
doing that in order to get Ayeka to do what she wanted.
[Kosh: Let's say that it is somewhere in the middle until we are told
otherwise, agreed?
[Murmur, Uklesh: Agreed.]

[Tenchi and Tsunami, sitting on the couch]

[Murmur: Woo Woo!
[Kosh: Ahem, yes.  I just know that there is going to be a)cuddling,
b)an oblique reference to Tsunami's greater scheme, and c)a sign of
Tenchi's total love for Tsusami.
[Uklesh: Hm, I agree with b, mostly because the man can't seem to get
past a sentence without making an oblique reference, and c I concede to,
but a?  No, I just don't see Tenchi or Tsusami being comfertable enough
to actually 'Cuddle'.  Talk, maybe.  You know, THAT talk.  Er . . .
wink, wink, nudge, nudge, know what I mean?  Know what I mean?  Er.
[Murmur: Hell, I don't think that they're comfertable enough to have
THAT talk.  Winkitywinkity.  I think that it would be more of a
Keiichi-Belldandy style sweet and timid hand touching, blushing smile
type scene.  
[Kosh: Hmm, yes, that does seem to be more in character for them. 
However, keep in mind that Tsusam is wearing that rather umm . . .
interesting ensemble.
[Murmur: Don't I know it, hubba hubba.  However, I think that we are all
in agreement that that bit should be changed so that Tsusami is wearing
something a bit more . . . conservative.  Yes?
[Kosh, Uklesh: Quite.]

[might end chapter here...]

[Kosh, Uklesh, Murmur: NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!]

[Ryoko's inner battle, Ryoko and aeka]

[Murmur: So, what will be the focus of Ryoko's little angst fest?
[Kosh, Uklesh: The fact that Tenchi doesn't love her.
[Murmur: Quite.  But what will Ryoko and Ayeka do when they get
together.
[Uklesh: Fight, for the sake of releasing anger, fustration, and the
need to lash out.
[Kosh: Conference about Tsunami, and Washu.  And, hopefully, realize
that something much bigger than even Tsunami's supposed plot to take
over the universe.  And realize that Washu is playing them for a patsy.
[Murmur: Conference yes, but I rather doubt that they would realize
that.  A running theme in here is that all of the mortals are being
played as pawns by the Goddesses.  
[Kosh: Then call it a wishful thought, for I really don't like this
injustice that the author is doing to the characters by having them
being mere pawns.  I'm sure that will change in a future chapter (which
we shall probably have to wait ANOTHER year for), but it won't be quick
enough for me.
[Murmur looks at the screen, and stands up.
[Murmur: Well, it looks like its done.  Come on.
[The trio move out of the theatre and head for the C&C.
[Kosh: C&C to Jeffrey Sinclaire, C&C to Entil'zah Valen.]
[The bridge of the Jeffrey Sinclaire shows on screen.  The Captain and
her 'friend' are now reading Razor's Edge, completely engrossed, with
Winter still on Ivanova's lap.  Lochley is looking sleepily at them from
the helm.]
[Lochley: Right.  The Captain is too busy to listen to you report, so
you might as well give it to me.
[Kosh: Right.  Ahem, general impressions: Another fine and engrossing
chapter by Ryan Anderson.  Masterfully crafted, with a great deal of
intrigue and suspense.  Enough so for me to forget my manners and flame
the man to hurry up with the next chapter.
[Uklesh: I found the characterizations to be both fascinating and
repulsive, but not without a great deal of empathy for all of them,
except perhaps Washu, whose characterization I found to be the most
fascinating and repulsive of them all.  
[Murmur: I liked the ambiguity of the motives behind the two goddesses
to be quite impressive, or whether it was 'good' or 'evil'.  Also, I
especially appreciated that the author doesn't spell everything out for
us.      
[Lochley: Suggestions to the Author?
[Kosh: Characterizations are quite consistent, though I found the
transistion from the original series to this one to be too rapid. 
Perhaps a bit more time to go from one to the other.
[Uklesh: I'd suggest something more than oblique hints as to the nature
of the plots going on.  Just enough for us to get a better idea as to
what is truly going on.  Not telling the reader everything is a good
idea, but he has to give enough hints (a little more than he has given
here, at least) to get a better idea as to what is going on, get it
wrong, and be totally shocked when we find that out.  S'what's called a
'plot twist'.  Right now, we don't know enough to be shocked if that
were to happen, and shocking a reader is also a good idea.
[Murmur: This has to be one of the most 'heaviest' fics I've read in a
while.  As for characterization, perhaps showing that the characters
aren't quite as brainwashed and self involved to not get a glimmering of
what is truly going on, for I find the way that Tenchi, Ryoko, and Ayeka
are being played to be a bit insulting to them.  Not enough for them to
change their mind, but for them to have moments of self-doubt or pangs
of guilt.  Speaking of which, what this fic needs desperately is moments
of pure comic relief, if only for the balance.  I can read this through
with out it, but a little relief now and then would make for a more
whole fic.  Speaking of comic relief, what ever happened to Katsuhito
and Nobuyuki?
[Lochley: Right.  Now, on the scale of 1-20, what would you give it?
[The trio look at each other for a brief moment.
[Kosh, Uklesh, Murmur (sim): 19-20, mostly because it finished too soon,
and it's not done yet.
[Murmur: Now, I'm going to go to my room and read some 'Calvin and
Hobbes'.  I need to un-angst a little.
[Kosh: Mark Twain for me.
[Uklesh: I'm going to go watch Rebo and Zootie.  God, those guys crack
me up.  'Zootie!  Zoot!  Zoot!'
[Kosh and Murmur look at Uklesh strangely
[Uklesh: What?
[Kosh, Murmur (sim): Nothing.  
[Lochley: See ya later, little puppets.
[Uklesh, Murmur, Kosh (sim): Bye Bye, Mad Captain.  Say hello to Moby
Dick!.
[Lochley (as she turns off the comm system, muttering): They vex me,
they vex me, and I shall break them.]


-Murmur the Fallen
harijubal@aol.com
This was all, of course, just my honest and perhaps humble opinion.