Justin Felder (attitude29018@hotmail.com)
Regular
A Walk in My Shoes
Ryoko and Ayeka switch bodies.  Mature content, but not a lemon.

Disclaimer:  Tenchi Musaki and all related characters (Ryoko,
Ayeka, etc.) are from the Anime series "Tenchi Muyo!" created by
Masaki Kajishima owned by AIC and Pioneer.  I, Justin Christopher
Wesley Felder, do not declare ownership of the characters, which
defers me from all legal suits (I hope).

Author's Notes:
-General:  First of all, I want to say this is my first
"official" fanfic.  When I was younger (I'm 16), I wrote a few
Sailor Moon fanfics, but I deleted them as I wasn't proud of my
work.  Besides, that was before I began to hang on to everything
I wrote.  I've also written a fanfic on the WWF, but I haven't
posted that anywhere.  Now that I know such writing exists, I may
in the future.  Second, I'm proud of my country.  I'm sure you've
all heard of American cultures hitting it off in other countries.
Well there are a few examples in this story, since Tenchi and
those live in Japan, and not the US.  Such as MTV, and
professional wrestling, which both have a good bit of
international appeal anyway.
-To Tenchi fans:  According to research on various web sites,
Ryoko's ability to form a sword-like object of energy is either
an Energy Sword, or a lightsaber.  I believe lightsaber was a
reference to the Star Wars weapon known as the Lightsabre, so I
used Lightsabre, since I like Star Wars (I'm no die-hard fan).
-To everyone else:  As before mentioned, I did not create any of
these characters, hence I don't own them.  If you've never heard
of Tenchi Masaki or any of his six (yes, you read correctly)
female friends and are curious (and you will be after this), I
suggest you check out the following web site:
http://www.unitedanime.com/neelick/
-Thanks.
	Tenchi munched on popcorn and looked at the TV screen,
nothing special going on this day.  In the life of Tenchi Musaki,
however, "nothing special" included any sneak love attacks by
Ryoko and/or Ayeka.  So as Ryoko approached down the stairs to
sneak up on him, one could still consider it nothing special.
	Anyway, that's what happened.  She stopped at the bottom of
the stairs, and rather than walk the rest of the way and give
herself up, transported from there to right behind Tenchi.
	She began to massage his shoulders.  Tenchi expected this
such of thing, and was alert of it, 24-7.  Although he didn't
condone it any one bit, there was no stopping Ryoko.  "What are
you watching?" she asked.
	He never looked away from the screen.  "Say my name."
	Ryoko brought her lips to Tenchi's ear and began to whisper
his name.  "Tenchi.  Tenchi."  After a while, she stopped
whispering and used her regular seductive voice, but in a low
tone.  "Tenchi Musaki.  The man I love with the short, dark hair
and those gorgeous eyes..."
	"No you silly," Tenchi interrupted, waving her off.
"That's the name of the music video.  Say my name, by Destiny's
Child.  They're sort of an R&B, pop group, I think."  Tenchi
found himself mesmerized at all of the knowledge he had of
American Pop Culture due to its small but vastly growing
international appeal, learning most of it from one of the US's
main outputs, MTV.
	Ryoko moved back and frowned.  Then she disappeared and
reappeared right next to Tenchi on the sofa.  Tenchi still
managed to not acknowledge her, even as she began to wrap her
arms around him.  He merely stared at the TV, and waited for the
next video.  He didn't even seem to notice when she grabbed the
remote and turned to ESPN.  "Wow!" she said, smiling.  "The
Mariners!  Ichiro Suzuki."
	Tenchi raised an eyebrow and gave a stern look to Ryoko.
"You have an interest in US Major League Baseball?"
	"I have interest in a lot of things," she said in a low,
seductive voice.  She gracefully rubbed the back of her hand on
Tenchi's cheek.  He frowned in disappointment.  "You're one of
them."
	"Yeah, I know. Now could you quit it please?"
	"You should listen to Lord Tenchi," Ayeka said, coming down
the steps and witnessing the events in the down below living room
at the same time.
	Ryoko took her hand away from Tenchi and sighed, looking
up.  "God help us all, here comes the annoying bitch."
	"Annoying?  You're the annoying one, Ms. Ryoko."
	"Yeah, well whether I'm annoying or not, you're still a
bitch, bitch."
	"Oh?  I'm a bitch?  Define bitch, Ms. Ryoko."
	"I just did, didn't I Tenchi."
	Ayeka actually looked at him for an answer, as if he was
really stupid enough to say something that would bring him into
all this.  Instead, he merely raised his hands in defense and
said, "I'm not a part of this."  Then he got up, and walked to
the kitchen.
	"Now see what you did Ryoko?  You've driven Tenchi away
when I had to ask him something!"
	Finally, Ryoko decided to turn around and argue with Ayeka.
"Ask him what?  Does he get hard when he sees you?  Trust me,
hon.  He doesn't."
	To say Ayeka became mad is an understatement.  She balled
up her fists and cringed up her face, her eyes staring a hole
through Ryoko.  Rather than summon her two bodyguards, which were
two wooden-looking cylinders which formed a force field, she just
dove at Ryoko and grabbed her in a headlock.
	It was a challenge to Ryoko.  She even decided to hold back
on using her powers and just plain take her, princess to pirate.
	It turned out to be a wrestling match.  Ryoko shoved Ayeka
into a wall, and she quickly turned around to retaliate, grabbing
Ryoko into another headlock, turning this one into a bulldog.
Ryoko hit the couch with a thud, and shook it off.  She locked up
with Ayeka and they tossed each other all over the room.
	Hearing a lamp crash, Nobuyuki, Tenchi and Sasami rushed
out of the kitchen to see what was the matter.  Tenchi slammed
his hand into his head, cursing to himself.  "Aw man, not again,"
he said, starting to run toward them.  But his father stopped him
before he gained any distance.  "Dad, what are you doing?"
	"Don't stop them Tenchi," he said.  "This is getting good."
	Tenchi sighed.  "Oh, brother.  Let go dad before things
get...out of control."
	By then, Ryoko and Ayeka had crashed their way into Washu's
lab.  She screamed and became startled due to the way they busted
in.  It wasn't long before Tenchi followed and found the two
women on the floor, rolling around.  "What are they fighting
about?" Washu asked, looking up at Tenchi.
	"Guess," he said.
	"Aw, jeez.  Again?"
	"They never quit and I don't know how to prevent it.
Either Ayeka finds Ryoko or Ryoko finds Ayeka, and they argue
until it's a physical confrontation.  It's really starting to get
annoying."
	"Yeah, I know what you mean.  I can't get any research done
like this."  Washu looked dramatically as Ryoko threw Ayeka into
a large machine, causing it to dent and short out.  Quickly
though, the Jurian princess retaliated by locking up with the
space pirate again.
	"I'm really sorry," Tenchi said.  "Help me brake them up,
will you?"
	"I'll try, but I can't promise anything.  I'm not very
strong."
	Regardless of her statement, she grabbed Ryoko and tried to
pull her out of her lock up with Ayeka.  Tenchi tried the same
thing with Ayeka, and Ryoko protested.  "Why are you grabbing
Ayeka?" she asked.  "Why couldn't you pull me from her?"
	"Maybe because he regards my safety more than yours and
wishes that you would just crawl into a hole and die!" Ayeka
responded, her grip nowhere near threatening to let up, just like
Ryoko's.
	"Just shut-up!  You don't even understand Tenchi like I
do!" Ryoko cried, tears starting to form in her eyes.  But her
rage took over and she no longer began to cry.  Her few and only
tears rolled off her face as she once again threw Ayeka into a
machine, this time, in its special chamber.  Tenchi and Washu hit
the ground as they were no where near powerful enough to maintain
grip.
	Lucky for them.  As soon as Ayeka made contact, a series of
small, electric charges went through her.  She couldn't move,
only staring straight up.  Ryoko, who still had a hold on Ayeka,
couldn't seem to let go, and experienced the same thing.  Tenchi
and Washu just stared at the both of them in awe, as they became
electrocuted.  "Do something!" Tenchi finally cried.
	Washu hopped up off the ground and yanked the plug to the
machine.  It quickly shut down, but a few charges ran through
Ayeka and Ryoko until they finally hit the ground respectively.
	Tenchi sighed in relief.  "What happened?"
	"I...I don't know," Washu replied.  She bent down and
gently touched both of them on the neck.  "They have pulses," she
said.  "Weird, I can't remember what this machine does.  But they
hit the chamber at the same time.  I don't think it was intent on
killing them, but it did something else.  I just have yet to know
what."
	"Well let's hope it's not bad."  Tenchi picked up an
unconscious Ayeka and took her to her room, laying her on the
bed.  Washu did the same with Ryoko.  Tenchi then went downstairs
and explained to the family what happened.  Sasami began to cry
instantly.
	"Are they going to be okay?" she asked through her tears.
She looked at Tenchi as he was a doctor that knew the cure to
cancer and could help.
	"I don't know.  Washu says they merely got involved in one
of her experimental machines...one of the ones she hadn't tested,
and she can't remember anything about it or what it does.  But if
I know how Washu's stuff work, it shouldn't kill them.  Just
alter them in some weird way."
	Tenchi's attempt to cheer Sasami up worked.  She laughed
and hugged him in happiness.

	After a few hours, nightfall came, and neither Ayeka or
Ryoko woke up from what had happened.  The household sat round
them for a while, and then when to bed not.
	It took a while for Tenchi to fall asleep, as he had blamed
himself for what had happened.  Not because he didn't stop them
sooner, but they both insisted they were in love with him, which
caused a rivalry that always caused them to fight.  He soon began
to regret his existence.  He laughed at the thought of suicide,
because he couldn't help but imagine the two of them arguing over
who brought him to such insanity.
	"That rules that out," he said to himself, following with a
small laugh.  Before he knew it, he was fast asleep.

	In the middle of the night, Ryoko finally woke up for the
first time since her latest fight with Ayeka.  Her eyes slowly
opened, and she rubbed them for clarity.  What the hell am I
doing in Ayeka's room? she thought to herself.  After a simple
shoulder shrug, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and
got up, stretching for a while.  The room was completely dark,
the moon wasn't on that side of the house, and she wasn't
thinking about turning on a light, as she couldn't half see
anyway.  The only thing she did was trudge to the bathroom and
looked at herself in the mirror.
	Upon approaching the bathroom, she merely reached at a spot
on the wall and the light came on.  Everyone appreciates Washu's
little inventions.  Anyway, she put her hands down on the sink
and looked at it.
	"Man, I feel terrible," she said, then hastily stopped.
She gasped.  Her eyes bulged wide open and she grabbed her neck.
She didn't sound like her normal self.  Her voice was higher than
normal and she sounded like she had an accent, as if she came
from England.  "What the hell is going on?" she said, still
stunned at herself.  "If I didn't know any better, I'd said say I
sound just like Ayeka."
	Slowly, Ryoko motioned her eyes up to the mirror.  The rest
of her head soon followed.  She began to hyperventilate at the
image she saw.  That silky purple hair.  Those blood red but
"prissy-too-cute" eyes which just added to the cuteness of the
rest of the face.  She had somehow, due to an unknown force of
nature, become Ayeka, Princess of Jurai.
	She didn't like it, but she had to do it.  Ryoko let out a
shocked scream, which wouldn't have been so bad if it were own
voice.
	But it wasn't.  Her scream came out as Ayeka's high pitched
voice, causing it to be bloodcurdling and ear piercing, and
rivaling some of Jamie Lee Curtis's best.
	Needless to say, it woke up everyone in the house, except
Ayeka, who had yet to find out what had happened.  Tenchi was
first.  He jumped up and hit his head on the wall behind him.  He
had forgotten he had fallen asleep in a sitting, upright
position, but it was a sure thing now.
	He rubbed the back of his head.  "What the hell did Ryoko
do now," he asked himself, figuring she had somehow sabotaged
Ayeka.
	After about 30 seconds of straight, continuous scream,
Ryoko changed to short but still loud shrieks, still staring at
the mirror, shockingly holding Ayeka's hands to Ayeka's face.
She finally stopped when everyone appeared at the bathroom door,
all wearing robes and half-closed eyes.
	The only thing Ryoko could do is look at Tenchi, as if
something happened to him and she was normal, when he started
forward into the bathroom.  "Jeez, what's wrong?" he asked,
scratching his head.
	Ryoko breathed hesitantly.  It altered her speech.
"Look.l-look at me," she started, unable to keep calm.  "I-I'm
Ayeka!"
	Tenchi raised an eyebrow and scratched his head-this time
in confusion.  "Yeah, Masaki Ayeka Jurai, 720 years old, princess
of Jurai, who crash landed in front of my residence in pursuit of
Yosho, your step-brother and possible lover.  What was all that
screaming?"
	Ryoko grabbed the collar of Tenchi's robe.  He was
surprised, as this was not Ayeka's nature.  "Listen to me,
Tenchi.  You don't understand.  It's me, Ryoko!  Some.freak
accident must've caused her to switch places with me or
something!"
	Despite his current predicament, Tenchi laughed.  "Ayeka,"
he said, "has Ryoko introduced you to sake?"
	Only Ryoko could turn Ayeka's beautiful, serene eyes into
cold scornful eyes.  "It's apparent that you don't believe me,"
she said.
	"No, I don't," Tenchi laughed.
	"Fine.  I'll prove it to you."  Ryoko let go of his robe
and grabbed his arm, powering her way out of the bathroom and
through everyone else.  She went straight to her room, and slid
the door open.  She turned on the light and looked at her
sleeping body in the bed.  It was one of the few moments such a
ruthless person could become the absolute most beautiful.
	Ryoko motioned Ayeka's hand at the body.  "See, that's my
body, but I'm not in it."
	"No, that's Ryoko.  You're Ayeka.  Are you feeling okay?"
	Ryoko forced another mean look on Ayeka's face.  Then she
pulled Tenchi's hand from her forehead as he started to feel it
for temperature.  "Yes Tenchi, I'm fine, except for the fact that
I'm sitting here looking at my very body from the outside!"
	Tenchi shrugged as Ryoko yanked him closer to the bed.
"Watch this."  She yanked the covers off her body and slapped it
in the back of the head.
	"Ayeka you two don't need to fight now!" Tenchi whispered,
praying who he thought was Ryoko wouldn't wake up.
	Ayeka stretched and looked up at her own body, too sleepy
to even think about interpreting that something was seriously
wrong.
	Ryoko couldn't help but laugh, knowing this was the joke of
all jokes.  She reached at a few strands cyan blue of hair on her
body and put in front of her eyes.  A semi-coherent Ayeka looked
at it and shrieked, not in her usual high-pitched voice.  "Ryoko
you dyed my hair!?" she sad, bringing Ryoko's knees close to her
body.  She gasped and covered her mouth, her eyes wide open.
	A golden moment, indeed.  Still giggling, Ryoko reached at
a mirror with Ayeka's hand and put it in front of her own eyes.
"What in the name of bloody hell?  I'm Ryoko!" Ayeka shouted in
Ryoko's voice.  She jumped out of the bed and cringed up on one
foot, in the middle of the room.
	"You know, for a person in love with Tenchi, you aren't
scoring yourself many points right now," Ryoko pointed out,
pointing Ayeka's thumb at Tenchi.  His facial expression was
funny one, half cringing and half frowning at Ryoko's goddess-
like body, which was only covered with a skimpy t-shirt.
	Ayeka formed Ryoko's eyes into a half stern, half
embarrassed look.  Then she grabbed a robe from a nearby rack,
covering all that Ryoko had to offer.  "Not funny.  I don't know
what the hell you did Ryoko, but this isn't funny."
	"Not my fault, swear it on my Jurai royal family."
	"Shut up.  You don't have a Jurai royal family."
	"Believe me now, Tenchi?  Tenchi?"
	Tenchi now looked like a psychotic.  One eye looked
straight while the other looked straight up, and his mouth was
cocked to one side.  In a few seconds, he keeled over.  The
expression stuck.
	Ryoko looked down at him.  It wasn't long before Ayeka
walked up next to her, desperate to keep Ryoko's robe around her
body.  "He took it worse than I thought," Ryoko said.
	"Yeah it was a real surprise."  Within a few seconds, Ayeka
found herself looking up from an unconscious Tenchi and staring
at her bust, Currently enhanced as Ryoko decided to cross the
arms of Ayeka's body.  "Is that a stain?" she said, scratching at
the material.
Ryoko found it funny that Ayeka was scratching at her own
chest like a perverted male who had found an excuse to do so.
When a smile turned into a giggle, Ayeka stopped.  "What?"
"Look at yourself," she said.  "You're scratching your
right breast with a fingernail.  Or should I say my right
breast."
	"Oh," Ayeka replied.  She stood back up straight and
brushed off the bust area of her body to finish things off.
Although it was just the two of them standing in the middle of a
house full of asleep residents in a traditional house deep in
rural Japan in the middle of the night, even she had to admit it
seemed pretty embarrassing.  "You know, that is kind of
embarrassing."

	"Does this come off?" Ayeka asked, annoyed at Ryoko's
birthmark.  For some reason, Ryoko insisted on following Ayeka
into the bathroom and sitting there with her as she showered.
She became jealous as she rubbed lather all over Ryoko's drop-
dead gorgeous body, and by now, was ready to sacrifice
unspeakable pain just to scratch it all up.  Frowning up Ryoko's
face, she continued to scrub, as if it was a chore.  She stopped
as she found something on the back of Ryoko's neck.  "What's
this?"
	Ryoko assumed she was talking about the gem on the back of
her neck.  "That's my source of power!" she shouted.  She also
knew Ayeka would try to get rid of it.  So she added, "Touch it
and Ayeka will retire her undying love for Tenchi and let Ryoko
have him all to herself."
	Ayeka stopped in mid process.  "Bitch," she said to
herself.  Normally she wouldn't be caught dead with such a word
rolling off her lips.  But these weren't her lips.  And somehow,
that caused it to come easier to her.
	Over the course of showering, Ayeka found even more
birthmarks and bumps and bruises from 5 millenniums of battle.
"Ryoko, you sure do have a lot of battle scars.  Did I put any of
them on you?"
	"I prefer to call them badges," Ryoko blushed.  "And of
course not, I've eaten tougher things than you."
	Ayeka didn't notice it, but she used energy from Ryoko's
gems to melt the bar of soap in her hand.  Due to the fact that
it was Ryoko's source of power, it didn't burn her, just dropped
down into the bottom of the shower stall.
	"Speaking of badges," Ryoko continued, "I wonder if you
have a few?  Let's see."  Ryoko yanked up the sleeve of the
article of Ayeka's wardrobe that she was wearing.  She didn't
find anything, except perfect, soft pale skin that looked like
the perfect research subject for the Pond's Institute.
	Not that she wanted to admit it, but Ayeka was curious as
to whether her skin was ruined or not as well.  "Well do I have
any?" she asked, peeking out behind the shower curtain.
	Ryoko pondered in the chair she sat in, carefully walking
Ayeka's fingers over her arm.  "No, I don't see any," she said in
a sweet, talking-to-a-child voice.  "Oh, wait, here's one."  She
pinched Ayeka's skin and a small red spot formed.  Upon her
release, the spot remained, turned brown, and became what was
officially known as a bruise.
	Ayeka saw the whole thing.  "Ryoko why did you do that?"
she shouted.  It would have sounded funny to anyone else.it
sounded like she was talking to herself.
	"Because I felt like it."  Ryoko made Ayeka's voice sound
real prissy as she turned up her nose and crossed her arms.
	Another uncontrollable frenzy of profanity occurred.  "Well
I feel like kicking your ass!"  She simply jumped out of the
shower stall, naked, and hopped on Ryoko, who attempted
resistance.  She was holding her own wrists, as Ayeka commanded
them to attack her, who was in Ayeka's body.
	After a while, Ryoko retreated and let out another high-
pitched, trademark Ayeka scream.
	It could be heard all the way outside the house, within
about a 200-foot radius, as was proved by Tenchi and Kiyone.
They were about 200 feet away from the house, as Tenchi watched
Kiyone take shooting practice.  But it was more like a show as
Kiyone was a perfect shot, and could nail a target a quarter-mile
away.
	"Did you hear that?" she asked, looking up as birds
abandoned the trees.  She remained on one knee, pointing her
weapon at objects Tenchi could barely see.  The whole time, he
was like,  "Wow Kiyone, I think you got it," while she was like,
"Trust me, I know I got it."
	Tenchi looked back toward the house.  "Yeah," he replied,
"I heard it.  Sounded like Ayeka.  I'm going to check it out.
Coming?"
	"Yeah, I guess."  She started off after Tenchi.

	Tenchi and Kiyone arrived to the same scene as everyone
else-a naked Ryoko threatening to punch a fully clothed Ayeka,
only they were suspended, looking at the household look at them.
	Everyone stared for a while, then Sasami was first to
respond.  "Ayeka?  You aren't straight?" she asked.
	Ryoko twisted everything around.  "Of course I'm not
straight," she said, deceiving everyone because they thought it
was Ayeka.  "I'm as lesbian as they come-hey!"
	Ayeka giggled shyly.  "This isn't what it looks like," she
said, keeping her mouth covered so no smart Ryoko remark would
come out of it again.  "Of course Ayeka's straight."
	"So you were trying to rape her?" Nobuyuki asked, figuring
it was just who he thought was Ryoko who came out of the closet.
	"No you perverted idiot!  I just attacked her straight out
of the shower, that's all.  I couldn't help it.  You know how we
fight."
	Tenchi raised his eyebrow.  "How much sake have you had
today?"
	"You know what Tenchi?" Ayeka responded.  "I may not be
able to remember too well but I don't think I had any.  So you
know what?  I'm just going to get my robe and get some clothes on
and isolate myself from the rest of the world. Forever."
	That's what she did, as everyone watched.  At least up to
the point where she left the bathroom.  Once again, everyone
dispersed with the fact that there was nothing left to see.
	Tenchi started to do the same until Ryoko stopped him.
"Wait!" she said.
	He stopped and turned around.  "What is it, Ayeka?" he
asked.
	Ryoko slapped Ayeka's hand into her forehead, signaling
grief.  "Oh man, I'm not Ayeka!  I'm Ryoko!"
	"I think you need to lay down, Ayeka."
	Tenchi started off again and Ryoko grabbed his shoulder,
turning him around forcefully.  "Wait a minute.  You don't
remember anything about last night?  Me screaming, or waking up
Ayeka and proving to you what happened?"
	For a second, Tenchi looked down, Ryoko still resting
Ayeka's hand on his shoulder.  This was the first time Ryoko
realized actually how tall Ayeka was.  Or how short Tenchi was,
however one wanted to put it.  Either way it was stunning.  It
wasn't a foot's difference, but anyone could have noticed it.
She couldn't help but sneak in a giggle and hid it with Ayeka's
free hand.
	Tenchi finally looked up.  "No, I don't remember anything.
What's so funny?"
	Looking down at Tenchi and realizing there was no way of
trying to convince him, Ryoko giggled a little longer and said,
"Nothing, Lord Tenchi," in Ayeka's sweet, innocent voice.  "I
think I'll take you up on that sleep offer.  I am a bit tired."
She pretended to stretch.
	"Okay.  See you in a few then."
	"See you, Lord Tenchi."  She bent down and gently kissed
him on the cheek.
	Regardless of what body she was in, Ryoko was expecting a
"Dammit Ryoko, why'd you do that?" but she never got one.  He
just touched his cheek as if kissed by his high school sweetheart
and went downstairs.  I can get anything I want in this body,
Ryoko thought.
	Sitting in Ayeka's room, Ryoko thought about the pros and
cons of Tenchi appreciating her kiss.  Was it a good thing?
After all, according to his response it was a good thing.  But it
was Ayeka's sweet lips that touched Tenchi's cheek, not her own.
But then it was her that delivered the kiss.  Perhaps Ayeka could
never do such a thing.  Like having the most powerful weapon in
the universe and not knowing how to use it.  Which is what had
her stuck up a tree of confusion.

	"Remember when I told you I didn't know what this machine
did?  Tenchi?  Tenchi?"
	"Huh?  Oh, sorry," Tenchi replied.  "I was
just.uh.preoccupied."  He couldn't help but feel the aftermath of
Ryoko's kiss, holding on to his cheek with one hand, and holding
a cup of tea in the other.
	"Really?  What's the matter?"  Washu turned her head
sideways, like a dog, feeling a little remorse and willing to
help him through his troubles.
	"Oh, it's nothing, really.  I just couldn't help thinking
about that kiss Ayeka gave me not too long ago.  If I didn't know
any better, I'd say it was Ryoko who kissed me."
	"Oh?" Washu blushed.  "And how do you know how Ryoko's kiss
feels?"
	Tenchi looked up with an "I don't believe you" expression
on his face.  "You're kidding, right?" he said.  "Her lips
must've smacked me on the cheek a thousand times.  It's rough,
you know?  Sort of quick and painful.  Straight to the point."
	"And what about Ayeka?"
	"Ayeka, well I can't explain Ayeka's.  She does it very
rarely.  Like when I do her a favor or something.  Ayeka's is
slower and calmer."  Where the hell did I get all this knowledge
on kissing? Tenchi thought to himself.
	"So what you're saying is you felt Ayeka's lips, but
Ryoko's kiss?"
	"Yeah, that's it.  Weird, huh?"
	"Yup.  Weird.  Kind of funny, too."
	"Now what were you saying about this machine?"
	"Oh, yeah, almost forgot.  I forgot what I called it, but
causes two living beings with functioning minds to switch all
mind data with each other; thoughts, feelings, personality,
everything.  You're your normal self, but you're walking around
as someone else.  Now there is a possibility that this could have
happened to Ryoko and Ayeka, or nothing may have happened at
all."
	"I'm pretty sure they're aware of it by now.  Think I could
ask them?"
	Washu concentrated for a second, gently rubbing her hand
across her chin.  "I don't see why not.  Like you said, they must
be aware of what has happened, but I wouldn't trust Ryoko as far
as I could throw her.  She probably likes her position right now,
since she can use Ayeka's sweet, charming appearance to win you
over.  She knows Ayeka doesn't harbor over you all the time like
she does, and if she hadn't ever said anything, you wouldn't even
know Ayeka's in love with you.  If I know Ryoko as well as I
think I do, and trust me, I know her, she'll try and use this to
her advantage.  First it's 'Let's go to Tokyo tonight,' then
before a week can go by, you're married to her.  And trust me,
you aren't headed to Jurai."
	"Um.thanks for the tip, Washu."
	"No problem."

	With what Washu had just said in mind, Tenchi went upstairs
to talk to Ayeka (by now, he already knows what's going on, so
we're referring to the real Ayeka, who's in Ryoko's body).
Standing at the door, he pondered for a moment, then took a deep
breath, sliding the door open.  Out of nowhere, a slender,
feminine hand with well manicured fingers quickly pressed against
it, and forcefully slid back closed against his will.  If there
was any time to feel like a sissy, now was it.
He looked at the hand, wondering exactly who was stronger
than he was.  "Hello Lord Tenchi," someone said.  He looked up.
It was Ryoko, using Ayeka's sweet, calm voice, just like Washu
had warned.  She even used the phrase "Lord Tenchi" just like
Ayeka, as Ayeka was sure that she and Tenchi would get married
someday and he would become Lord Prince of Jurai.
	"Uh.hi Ayeka," he said, as if he didn't know it was Ryoko
speaking to him.  "I was just going to talk to Ryoko."
	"Oh, leave that old bat alone, Lord Tenchi.  Wouldn't you
rather go downstairs and have some tea instead?"
	"Um, you know?  Some tea would just about hit the spot
right now.  Why don't you go downstairs and fix some for us, and
I'll be right down.  Thanks."
	Ryoko caused Ayeka's face to frown, showing an expression
of anger from inside.  She balled up Ayeka's fists, and sighed.
"You know, Tenchi, I'd really like it if you'd come with me.  I
was hoping we could sit outside and talk about something."
	"Not now Ryoko I really have to talk to-oops."  Tenchi
nervously laughed and looked up at Ryoko.  He hoped that he
didn't let on to what he knew, as she would probably do something
crazy.  He waited for a reaction.
	Still sticking to the sweet Ayeka image, Ryoko merely
tilted Ayeka's head, and looked sad, so to speak.  "I feel great
after my nap Lord Tenchi, but I think now you need one," she
said, trying to lure away the possibility as much as possible.
"I mean, you are feeling okay, right Tenchi?"
	"Uh, yeah."
	"Then let's go get some tea."
	Tenchi gave up.  There was no fighting against a Ryoko
request.  Sooner or later, you found yourself doing whatever she
asked, whether she talked you down or blackmailed you by
threatening to slice you in half with a Lightsabre which she
could form in her hand on the fly.  At least that's how it worked
with Tenchi.  Before he knew it, he was walking downstairs under
the weight of Ayeka's arm on his shoulder.

	A while after Tenchi and Ryoko had gone outside, Ayeka woke
up from a nap.  She decided to go downstairs to the kitchen.
Right now, she had no specific reason-maybe her sister Sasami
would be down there.  It was pretty close to dinner time.
Whatever the case may be, she knew she had to get out of the
confines of this room.
	Turns out, Ayeka's sister was downstairs, just like she'd
figured.  Ayeka sat down at the table as if nothing was going on.
	"Hi Ryoko," Sasami said, preparing dinner.
	Ayeka slammed Ryoko's hands on the table.  "Ryoko?" she
shouted.  Sasami jumped in surprise.  "Oh, yeah.  Ryoko.  That's
me."
	"What's wrong?  You seem sad."
	"Oh, it's nothing my dear Sasami-uh.it's nothing kid.  But
thanks for asking anyway."  She decided to kiss her little sister
on the cheek despite the current circumstances.
	Sasami had experienced the same thing Tenchi did.  She
touched her cheek and pondered.  The kiss felt like it came from
her sister Ayeka, but she was looking straight at Ryoko.  "That's
weird," she said to herself.
	Ayeka frowned.  "Yeah, I know, I've never done that before.
It's just that."
	"No.  It's okay Ryoko.  It's just that, if I didn't know
any better, I would say you're my sister based on the way you
kissed me on the cheek.  She was the only person I knew who did
it that way."
	"You know, that's kind of funny," Ayeka said, with a
nervous laugh.  "Sasami, what if I told you that."
	"Azaka!  Kamidake!" a cute voice shouted from outside.
Ayeka knew instantly whose it was-her own.
	"Hey Ayeka wait a minute!" Tenchi shouted in fear, sliding
away on his back from a very angered Ryoko, posing as Ayeka.  "I
only said that I wasn't going with you right now!"
	"Forget it now, Tenchi!" Ryoko said, balling up Ayeka's
fists and rising off the ground.  "I've tried everything to get
you to fall in love with me!  I've tried becoming your commanding
slave!  Then I tried being nice like Ayeka!  But you still turn
me away as if you wanted nothing to do with me!  Well if I can't
have you Tenchi Musaki, then no one can!"
	Just as Azaka and Kamidake started to charge up, Ayeka came
rushing out of the house with Sasami.  "Stop this right now
Ryoko!" she shouted, to the surprise of Sasami.
	Ryoko turned around.  She put up a hand, and Azaka and
Kamidake powered down and brought Ayeka's body to the ground.
"Ayeka, what a pleasant surprise."
	"But.What's going on?" Sasami asked, looking back and forth
between Ayeka and Ryoko.
	"Long story," Tenchi said, walking up to Sasami.  "Ayeka
and Ryoko switched bodies."
	"But how?"
	"Washu."

	Speaking of Washu, she was in her lab, working on a way to
reverse the process between Ryoko and Ayeka.  After countless
experiments and hours of typing on her holotop, she finally came
up with the perfect solution-get them in the machine again.  "Why
didn't I think of that sooner?  Oh well.  Tenchi!"

	By then, Tenchi had explained the whole story to Sasami as
Ryoko formed shields and fired them at Ayeka as she retaliated
with energy blasts and Lightsabre strikes.  Then he heard Washu
calling him.  "What is it?" he asked her.
	"I've found out how to reverse the mix-up between Ryoko and
Ayeka," she replied.
	"How?"
	"Put them back in the machine.  I didn't think about it
sooner.  It should just switch them again, only this time they'll
be back to normal."
	Tenchi looked down.  "Gee, I thought it would be harder
than that."
	"Nope.  We do have to get them back to this machine
though."

	Outside, Ryoko and Ayeka still battled.  Ryoko commanded
Ayeka's guardians to attack her, and they did, believing that she
was Ayeka.  Ayeka formed a small Lightsabre and deflected their
blasts, then flew right up to Ryoko, face to face.  Not thinking
about the fact that she would never be able to reunite with her
body again if she was successful, Ayeka slashed at Ryoko in an
attempt to slice her body in half.
	She was preceded by a shield that not even Ryoko expected.
She just froze for a matter of seconds, Ayeka's jaw dropped and
eyes bulging open.  Nonetheless, Ayeka held the Lightsabre
against the spherical shield, causing small electrical blasts.
	Ayeka saw the look on her own face that Ryoko had formed,
but she had to ask anyway.  "How did you know how to form that
shield?" she asked.
	Her own anger turned into shock when Ayeka saw her own face
turn from a shock into an evil smile.  "I didn't," she said
innocently, "I guess it's just an automatic reaction to protect
the princess."
	This was it.  Ryoko had really gotten under Ayeka's skin
with her silly, childish mind games.  This on top of her constant
competition for Tenchi, the fact that she just tried to kill
Tenchi, the fact that Ryoko's a space pirate and she's a
princess, along with the fact that she just plain hates this
bitch, had taken it's toll on poor Ayeka.
	Within a few seconds, the Lightsabre disappeared per
Ayeka's request.  She was somehow gradually learning how to call
all of Ryoko's powers mentally.  Next, she pulled Ryoko's left
hand back, and exposed the palm, letting it slowly form a small
but increasing ball of energy.  There was no telling whether
Ryoko knew about it or not, but she didn't budge.  The only thing
she did was watch in awe.  Once it was to the size of Ayeka's
liking, she launched it at Ryoko, and it made a direct hit,
blowing away Azaka and Kamidake, dismantling the shield.  Ryoko
fell backwards and hit the ground.  The only thing Ayeka could
think about was how dirty her garment was starting to get.
	But after a few seconds she shook it off, and formed a
quarter staff-sized Lightsabre, flying straight down at Ryoko.
She wasn't thinking about the fact that she would have to put it
through her own heart, that she was a young, beautiful princess
trapped inside the body of an ruthless, sexy demon.  The only
thing she could think of was killing Ryoko.
	"Ayeka stop!"
Ayeka looked down at that very moment and stopped, leaving
herself suspended in mid-air looking down at a Tenchi defending
her body against attack with his own.  Her expression, or the
expression on Ryoko's face, was a questioned one, wide open eyes
and mouth.  She lowered the Lightsabre and it disappeared.  "What
are you doing Lord Tenchi?" she asked.
"You can't do this, Ayeka.  This isn't you.  You don't go
around slaughtering people.  Besides, you know very well that
both of you are my friends and I love you both very much.  Not to
mention the fact that basically you're killing yourself.  Your
home world of Jurai will be very sad to hear that 'Ayeka' died,
and there is no way you'll be able to prove otherwise."
Tears formed in Ryoko's eyes.  Though, based on the current
situation, they were Ayeka's.  She sobbed for a second, and
forcefully wiped all the tears away from her face, taking one big
sniff.  Then she frowned up again.  "It'll be worth it if the
universe will finally be rid of Ryoko forever!"  Ayeka formed
another Lightsabre and flew down towards Ryoko again.
"Wait a minute!" someone else shouted, suspending Ayeka's
motion again.  This time it was Sasami-she was even more hesitant
to move.
"Sasami get out of the way!" Ayeka shouted, the Lightsabre
disappearing again.
"No Ayeka!  Listen to Tenchi!  You and Ryoko may have
switched places, but it looks to me like Ryoko's killing my
sister!  And I'm not going to let that happen!"
Ayeka looked down at her body.  It just laid there,
motionless.  She had seen herself many a time in the mirror, but
this seemed to be a special moment, like she had finally died and
gone to heaven, and her spirit was beginning to leave her body.
The pitch blackness of post-midnight hours and the breeze coming
through only seemed to compliment the scene.
She cried again, but this time, didn't make an effort to
clear tears from Ryoko's eyes.  She just floated to the ground
and wept against a nearby tree.  Sasami approached her, and
placed a hand on Ryoko's back, knowing deep down that she was
consoling her sister.  "It's okay Ayeka," she said.  "Let it
out."
"I know that's me," Ayeka sobbed, "I know that's my body
and I look very beautiful [egotistical joke] but I just don't
know what to do.  I just hate Ryoko so much.  And now, I'm stuck
as her forever and it's all her fault and this is the only way I
know to get revenge and."
"Wait a minute," Tenchi said.  "Did you say you're stuck as
her forever?"
Ayeka looked up at Tenchi.  The moon was bright and seemed
to be flashing right on him, so it was easy to make him out.
"Yeah.  Why?"
"That's not true.  Washu found out what caused all this.
Turns out it was a machine she created, and that the same machine
can be used to reverse the effect."
"Then what are all standing out here for?"
"Well, you two hooked up and."
Ayeka used Ryoko's physical strength and power to jack up
Tenchi.  "I don't want any excuses!  I just want to get out of
this stupid body!"

Ayeka walked to the house and Ryoko was carried by Tenchi
since she was still unconscious.  Ayeka really despised it and
was thinking of blasting her all the way back to the house.  They
snuck into Washu's lab without waking up anyone (Washu was
already up), and reversed the accident between Ayeka and Ryoko.

The next morning, Tenchi, Ayeka, Sasami and Washu were all
first to wake up.  They gathered at the kitchen table and had
coffee-except for Sasami.  She can drink it if she wants, but she
doesn't like it, so she had tea.
For a few seconds, no one had anything to say.  They just
sat around, sipping.  Then all of a sudden, Ryoko appeared in an
empty seat next to Tenchi, without warning.  "Oh boy, here comes
trouble," Ayeka said under her breath, quickly taking a sip of
coffee to drown out a response.
Needless to say, she got one anyways.  "Shut-up, tramp."
The next thing Ryoko did was cuddle Tenchi.  "Hey, stop
that," he said, knowing it wasn't any use.  He squirmed until she
loosened her grip.  He figured he would settle with that rather
than try to get her off altogether, because he didn't feel like
struggling any further.
"Listen, Tenchi," she said in her low, seductive voice.
"I'm really sorry for trying to kill you last night.  I guess I
just got a little carried away.  It seemed like I couldn't
impress you, no matter how much I tried to express my feelings
for you."
Ayeka put her finger in her mouth, hoping to throw up.
"I understand," Tenchi replied.  "I know how you feel about
me.  But Ayeka feels the same way.  And I can't make a decision
right now.  You both have your pros and cons."
"Cons?  What's wrong with me?" Ayeka interrupted.
Immediately she was shushed by Sasami, who was a romance nut.
Ayeka threw up a hand, threatening to backslap her.
".Anyway, what I'm saying is, I forgive you for trying to
kill me.  I know it was just your rage and anger and besides,
it's not the first time, anyway."
"Thanks, Tenchi," Ryoko said.  "So will you marry me?"  She
batted her eyes like a little girl.
"No," Tenchi said.  Ayeka giggled as he picked up his mug
to take another sip of coffee.
"Why you little!"  Ryoko quickly fired a beam of light
energy at him.  He turned around at just the right moment to
dodge it, and stared at a smoking hole in his chair.  He looked
back at Ryoko.  She had a mad expression on her face, forming
another ball, throwing it up and down like a baseball.  By then,
Tenchi made a run for it out the front door.
Ryoko looked back at the women at the table.  They were all
surprised at she had just done, not seeing it coming.  "If I
can't have him, NO ONE CAN!"  Then she threw the energy ball in
her hand through the floor and floated off after Tenchi.  "Come
back here my love!" she shouted angrily, forming small
Lightsabres on-the-fly and launching them like harpoons.

The End