Hi, everyone!  Lookie, I've written another fic!  As always, comments and 
criticism are welcome!  (Begged for, actually.)

Special thanks, as always, go to my prereaders: AleeN, Max Gilliland, 
Rhys Doyle, and Lost Magi.  I also have to thank K'thardin, who provided 
some additional help this time around.  Besides, he and Max were the ones 
who managed to convince me to quit making excuses and write this story!  
(But K'thardin, did you have to use that cattle prod?!)

Legal disclaimer: Tenchi Muyo! and its characters are property of Pioneer 
and AIC.  This story, however, is mine.  Please don't sue me, because I'm 
just writing this for fun.  It's summer, and I wanna have fun, darn it!  

Enviable Destiny
By Literary Eagle (literaryeagle@hotmail.com)

	Daddy was near tears.  No, he WAS in tears, but I couldn't stop 
yelling at him.  
	"Why?!" I screamed, "Why didn't you tell me?  I hate you, I hate 
you, I hate you!"
	"Mayuka..." he began.  
	"Shut up!" I told him, "You lied to me!"
	I had thought that I was just a normal eight-year-old kid, but I 
was wrong.  Oh, was I ever wrong.  Daddy didn't tell me that, though.  No 
one in the house did.  It was the nightmares that told me.  Nightmares 
that had been haunting me for weeks.  Nightmares where I'm bigger, and 
there's someone named Yuzuha, and I start killing Daddy and laughing...
	After a while, I pieced together the whole story from the 
nightmares.  I didn't want to believe any of it, but I had a feeling 
that it had really happened.  It was a terrible feeling, one that just 
kept gnawing at me and wouldn't stop.  I just had to know for sure.  So 
finally, I asked Daddy, "Who's Yuzuha?", and from the horrified look in 
his eyes I just knew that it was all true.  
	My mother had been a demoness.  
	
	It was late at night when Daddy came into my room.  I pretended 
to be asleep.  He picked up Kale-Oh-Ki, my plush cabbit, off the floor, 
and tucked it under my arm.  Then he kissed me on the forehead, like he 
did every night, and left.  
	When I was sure that Daddy couldn't hear me, I started to cry, 
burying my face into Kale-Oh-Ki.  I had yelled at Daddy and said that I 
hated him.  I had been so sure that he wouldn't kiss me tonight, but he 
still had!   
	That was why I had been so mad that he hadn't told me about my 
mother.  The real reason I was mad wasn't because of me, it was because 
of him.  I was afraid that I could become... THAT Mayuka again, and then 
attack Daddy and try to kill him.  Didn't he get it?  I loved him, and I 
didn't want that to happen!  Here we were, pretending that I was an 
ordinary kid, when any day I might grow purple claws and hurt him like in 
my nightmares.  Then I would strangle him, and laugh...
	NO!!!  
	Why didn't he tell me?!  Why, why, why?  
	I left my room and slipped outside.  It was a clear summer night, 
and there was a full moon.  I stumbled a bit, partly because it was still 
kinda dark, and partly because my tears kept making it harder to see.  
	It wasn't fair.  I loved Daddy so much, but I didn't deserve him.  
I had tried to kill him, and someday I might try it again... and I might 
succeed.  I couldn't give him the love and happiness he should get.  In 
fact, I shouldn't even be living with him!  It was too dangerous for me 
to be here!  
	I thought of Sasami.  I thought of how she was the complete 
opposite of me.  She was a beautiful twenty-year-old who made everyone 
feel happy and loved.  She was going to merge with Tsunami very soon.  
She was going to become one with the spirit of the Tree of Light!  
Actually, in many ways she already was the perfect epitome of light.  
	What was I, compared to that?  I was nothing like Sasami.  I was 
an abnormal, blue-haired eight-year-old who had horrific nightmares, and 
who might someday become someone completely different.  I envied Sasami.  
	Just then, I realized that I had wandered pretty far into the 
woods.  Just ahead of me was a rocky ledge.  I walked forward, until I 
could see the long drop in front of me.  I couldn't even see the bottom, 
just darkness.  
	Suddenly, I knew what I could do, to protect Daddy.  To protect 
him and the rest of my family.  To protect them from myself.  
	I stepped closer to the very edge of the cliff.  I could hear a 
voice inside of me screaming not to do it, but the memory of all the 
nightmares of the past few weeks came roaring into my mind, drowning out 
that scream.  Then, the roaring was gone too, and the only thing in my 
mind was silence.  I took another step forward.  The scream of protest 
came back into my mind.  I took a moment to stare into the invitingly 
quiet, dark place below, and waited for silence to return to my mind, 
so that I could take the final step and forever be a part of that quiet 
darkness.  

*************************************************************************

	It was about a year after Mayuka's suicide.  Sasami stood by the 
window in the hall, letting the moonlight wash over her.  She folded her 
soft hands in front of her, fingertips gently brushing her collarbones.  
She longed to feel another's hands on her.  Tenchi's hands.  She smiled.  
Soon, very soon.  
	A few more moments, and the assimilation with Tsunami would be 
truly complete.  Her breath quickened with anticipation.  Tenchi was in 
pain, but she would comfort him.  She could fill the void that his 
daughter's death had left in his heart.  She had the love, and soon she 
would have the light, and then she would complete him ... and he would 
complete her.  
	Yes, this was how it was meant to be.  She understood that now.  
As she had come closer to the assimilation, she had come to see that.  
She ... Tsunami, actually ... had created Tenchi.  Some of Tsunami's 
memories had somehow become muted, but she understood that much, at 
least.  
	Tenchi, same name as the Master Key.  
	He was her key.  That had to be it.  It was like those wonderful 
recipes she so adored.  All those ingredients, carefully measured and 
combined just so, in order to make the perfect meal.  Everything was 
coming into place at last.  Once the assimilation was done, all that she 
needed was Tenchi, in order to be complete.  Imagine that: Tenchi, her 
secret ingredient.  She smiled again.  

	"Tenchi?"
	"Hmm?  Sasami?" Tenchi murmured groggily, sitting up, "What's the 
matter?  What time is it?"
	The only illumination in the room came from the moonlight.  It 
was enough to show that Sasami, standing at the foot of Tenchi's bed, was 
dressed like Tsunami.  She smiled as Tenchi's eyes widened with 
realization, but she could also feel the immense sadness that clung to 
him, and it almost brought tears to her eyes.  
	"Enough," she whispered, pulling the blanket off Tenchi's bed, 
"You do not deserve to be in such pain.  I will help you to forget..."
	She got onto the bed and put her arms around him.  
	"Sasami, what are you-" Tenchi broke off when he saw her moving 
in to kiss him.  "Sasami, stop that!" he snapped, trying to back away.  
	Saddened at how Tenchi's pain was causing him to behave, Sasami 
summoned her power, which caused her to glow with a gentle radiance that 
revealed even more of her beauty than the moonlight's caress was able 
to.  
	Suddenly envious of the moonbeams that stroked Sasami's graceful 
form, Tenchi slowly brought his hand forward and touched her silken, 
water-colored hair.  
	Sasami smiled.  Yes.  She tapped into more of her power, and 
reached for the Jurai power within Tenchi.  It responded, and without 
using her hands she was able to draw Tenchi closer to her, as the moon 
manages to invisibly guide the tide.  She kissed him, pouring her inner 
light into him.  The light within him responded, and he returned her 
kiss with his own fire.  
	Yes.  This was how it was meant to happen.  Everything was 
falling into place perfectly.  Just like all her recipes, all the meals 
that she had prepared to show her love for him.  Now there was no need 
for subtlety.  After all these years, it was finally coming together, 
not just for her and Tenchi, but for everyone ... because her melody 
and Tenchi's melody had become parts of the same song, and now the 
whole universe would move to it.  

	Sasami smiled as she prepared lunch.  It had been a week since 
her marriage to Tenchi.  Sunlight streamed in through the kitchen window, 
embracing her in warmth.  It also caused nearly everything in the kitchen 
to gleam.  As usual, Sasami had cleaned the house until it was spotless.  
Just like everything else now was.  Spotless.  Immaculate.  Perfect.  
	Ayeka slowly shuffled into the room, causing Sasami to frown 
slightly.  Leave it to Ayeka to spoil it all.  Ever since the wedding, 
Ayeka had eaten less and less.  Fortunately, Sasami had the ability to 
shift Tenchi's focus to whatever she wanted, so that he would not have to 
endure the unpleasant sight of how thin and pale Ayeka had become.  
	Ryoko, thankfully, was a different story.  The day of the 
wedding, she had sobbed in Washu's arms, then followed her mother into 
the lab and spent most of her time there.  Although Sasami had not 
ventured into the lab since the wedding, she could sense what transpired 
in there.  Washu was her sister, after all.  Yes, she knew that now.  
What she also knew was that Ryoko had turned to Washu for comfort, 
reconciling with her mother.  
	Sasami's spirits were lifted at that thought.  Soon, she would 
restore Washu's memories.  Yes, then her sister and her niece would truly 
be a part of her and Tenchi's happy family.  It was a shame that Mihoshi 
and Kiyone had left the Masaki home, due to their new promotions.  
	"Sasami?" Ayeka said weakly.  
	"Yes?" Sasami asked, slightly annoyed.  Really, why couldn't 
Ayeka feel happy for her and Tenchi?  
	"I don't want any lunch today." Ayeka mumbled softly.  The 
amethyst-haired woman then turned and slowly shuffled out of the kitchen.  
	Sasami turned back to the meal she had been preparing, smiling 
now that everything in the kitchen appeared perfect again.  

	Several days later, Ayeka left the Masaki home and departed for 
Jurai.  

	And Sasami smiled.  

	A week later, Ayeka was engaged to a Juraian lord, and it was 
announced that they would be the next rulers of Jurai.  

	Shortly before the day of Ayeka's marriage, the broken-spirited 
princess was deemed unfit to rule.  The wedding was called off, and 
Tenchi and Sasami were declared to be the ones who would rule instead.  

	And Sasami smiled again.  

	Sasami and Tenchi stood side by side, taking in all the sights 
and sounds of the celebration being held to welcome the future rulers of 
Jurai.  The royal gardens were alit with multicolored lanterns, and 
fireworks filled the Juraian night sky.  Sasami turned her head to admire 
the many colors that were reflected in Tenchi's eyes.  Tenchi noticed and 
looked into her eyes, smiling.   What he saw reflected in her eyes were 
not the fireworks, though, but moonlight.  Her eyes always held moonlight 
for him, and they always drew him to her.  He leaned forward and kissed 
her, causing her to blush slightly.  
	Sasami finally pulled away from Tenchi, and scanned the crowd of 
Juraian nobles until she spotted Washu and Ryoko.  Washu was not in her 
adult form, even though Sasami had restored her memories.  Sasami 
shivered at how Washu had to tried to fight her as the memories returned, 
and screamed, "Sasami, you're hurting me!"
	Fortunately, unlike Yosho, Washu had agreed to join Sasami and 
Tenchi on Jurai for the celebration, so Sasami was sure that her sister 
had forgiven her.  Sasami was a bit baffled as to why her sister had 
erased her own memories in the first place.  Why had Washu chosen to 
deprive herself?  It had resulted in a life of great pain, and for some 
odd reason, she had even fought Sasami as her memories were given back.  
	At any rate, the important thing was that the healing process had 
begun, and Washu and Ryoko were here.  Mihoshi and Kiyone had come to the 
celebration as well, taking a brief holiday from their busy careers.  
Deciding to talk to her sister, Sasami left Tenchi and made her way to 
where Washu and Ryoko stood.  The two women appeared to be scanning the 
crowd for someone.  
	"Sister?" Sasami said softly.  
	Washu appeared startled.  Ryoko muttered something and walked 
away, turning around only once to glare at Sasami.  Knowing that it would 
take time for Ryoko to accept what she had done to Washu, Sasami was not 
offended.  Instead, she chose to focus her attention on Washu ... but her 
sister was walking away, too.  
	"I want you to know," Washu said as she suddenly whirled around 
to look at Sasami, "that my daughter and I only came here to see Ayeka."
	Sasami watched her sister and niece disappear into the crowd 
again.  No matter, she decided.  Eventually, they would accept their 
place, and accept the two gems from Tenchiken that she had offered to 
them.  They could still be a part of her family, even though Ayeka could 
not.  Sasami smiled.  

	While her mother continued to search for Ayeka at the 
celebration, Ryoko decided to go into town to search for her there.  
Using the hood of her cloak to hide her face in shadow, Ryoko headed 
towards a bar that served a particular type of Juraian sake that she knew 
Ayeka was rather fond of.  

	Ayeka emptied the contents of her glass in several quick gulps, 
but failed to feel any better.  If anything, she felt worse.  She sighed 
and wiped at the tears she imagined must be running down her face, and 
was surprised when all she felt was dry skin.  She was too spent to even 
cry anymore.  
	Grunting with the effort, the princess shakily rose to her feet.  
Even though she was no longer the next in line to be empress, it was 
still her duty to attend the royal celebration and congratulate Sasami.  
She carefully made her way to the exit, hoping that the sake had dulled 
her emotions enough to get her through the rest of the night.  Glancing 
at a nearby clock, Ayeka realized that the celebration would be over very 
soon.  Just as well.  
	No one paid any attention to Ayeka as she left.  Odds were that 
none of the other customers could even recognize the princess anymore.  
However, outside the bar, someone did.  
	Ayeka gasped in surprise as she was grabbed and pulled into an 
alley.  Whoever had grabbed her suddenly threw her against the wall, 
causing her to see stars when the back of her head hit the bricks.  When 
her vision cleared (at least, cleared as much as it could, given her 
current state), she realized that her attacker was the Juraian noble she 
had been engaged to, before she was deemed unfit to become empress.  
	The man moved closer to her, and Ayeka noticed that he smelled of 
alcohol.  The princess' eyes went wide when she realized what the noble, 
doubtlessly enraged at the lost opportunity to become emperor, might do 
to her.  

	As Ryoko approached the bar, she saw someone throw Ayeka against 
a wall in an alley.  Teleporting closer, Ryoko shouted, "Hey!  Leave her 
alone!"  Ryoko's hood fell back, and she bared her fangs.  
	Ayeka's attacker snarled and began to move towards her.  Ryoko 
fired a blast of energy from her hand.  It had been meant as a warning 
shot, but the way the man moved was surprisingly unsteady.  He stumbled 
and fell directly into the path of Ryoko's blast.  Ryoko realized, too 
late, that the man was drunk.  
	Ayeka let out a horrified scream as the shot pierced the man's 
heart.  The body hit the ground, steam rising from the hole that the 
energy blast had left behind.  A frightening silence followed, as it 
occurred to Ryoko and Ayeka that a Juraian noble was dead.  
	The princess found her voice first.  "Miss Ryoko, get out of 
here!" she said frantically, "You must leave!"
	Ryoko took a step closer to the princess.  "But..." she began 
uncertainly.  
	Ayeka managed to find that she could cry again as well.  "Please!" 
she said, tears spilling out of her eyes, "You will be executed if they 
find you!"
	"None of them could catch me!" Ryoko protested, trying to take 
Ayeka by the arm.  
	"What about Tenchi?  Or Sasami?" Ayeka reminded her.  
	There was the sound of people shouting and running towards the 
alley, and both women realized that Ayeka's scream must have been heard.  
	"Come with me," Ryoko said quickly.  
	Ayeka shook her head, a spark of her old determination returning 
to her eyes.  "I'll stall them," the princess said quietly, "Go save 
your mother."
	A sob escaped Ryoko's throat as she hugged Ayeka tightly.  Then 
she was gone, and Ayeka was alone.  Kneeling by the corpse, Ayeka 
decided that she could do more than mere stalling.  She removed her 
ceremonial dagger from it's hiding place within her robes, and thrust it 
into the hole that Ryoko's energy blast had left in the man.  

	Letting Tenchi sleep, Sasami exited the bedroom alone and 
listened quietly to what the guard told her.  "I will direct this matter 
myself," she said once he was done, "Make sure that my husband is not 
disturbed."
	Without even waiting for a reply, Sasami left the guard behind 
and went to the cell where Ayeka was being held.  

	"I killed him," Ayeka told Sasami as steadily as she could, "I 
admit it, I killed Lord Toshiro."
	Sasami frowned at Ayeka.  The princess looked even more haggard 
and sickly than when she had left the Masaki home.  Worse, she reeked of 
alcohol.  
	"If you are going to have me put to death, sister, do it 
quickly," Ayeka murmured.  
	Sasami stared hard into Ayeka's eyes, disgusted with her for 
attempting such deception.  Did Ayeka really think that she could be 
fooled so easily?  "You will stay here," said Sasami, "but you will not 
be put to death."
	Sasami turned to one of the guards standing behind her.  "We must 
find Ryoko," she said.  
	"No!" Ayeka screamed, trying to reach her sister through the 
branches that formed her cell, "Sasami, you are wrong!  I killed him!  
It was me!"
	"You are a liar," Sasami said coldly.  
	"Your highness!" a guard shouted, running into the room, 
"Ryo-Oh-Ki is trying to leave Juraian airspace!"
	Sasami quickly followed the messenger out, ignoring Ayeka's cries.  

	The viewscreen showed several Juraian ships chasing Ryo-Oh-Ki.  
With a casual thought, Sasami willed her ship into existence in the sky, 
blocking the cabbit-ship's escape route.  Ten Light Hawk Wings appeared, 
then stretched out into a spherical forcefield that surrounded the 
fugitive vessel.  
	"Oh no!" shouted Mihoshi, as several guards dragged her and 
Kiyone away.  Sasami had ordered their arrests when they had refused to 
participate in the pursuit.  
	"Open communications," Sasami commanded.  
	Within seconds, a smaller viewscreen appeared in front of the 
first one, showing the interior of Ryo-Oh-Ki.  Sasami could see Washu 
glaring at her.  Ryoko was in the background, curled into a ball on 
the floor and sobbing.  
	"Sister," Sasami said softly, "It is not too late for you..."
	"You are not taking my daughter away from me!" Washu screamed.  
	"Sister, listen to reason," Sasami said in her most soothing 
voice, "I am sorry, but Ryoko is a failure.  She is not like us ... but 
it is not too late for you to start anew.  If you would just allow 
yourself to obtain your old powers again, think of what we could do!  You 
are limiting yourself!  Why do you refuse to hear the song that flows 
from Tenchi and myself?  Why do you hold back from adding your own voice 
to that song?  The very stars move to our melody!  Please, sister."  
Sasami finished this by holding out her hand invitingly.  
	As Sasami spoke, tears of rage appeared in Washu's eyes.  Once 
Sasami had fallen silent and held her hand out, the scientist spat at the 
screen.  
	"You have become another Tokimi," said Washu, "As far as I am 
concerned, you are not my sister, and you are not Sasami either."
	Washu's lower lip trembled, but she bit it and turned her back to 
Sasami, walking over to kneel beside Ryoko.  She whispered something to 
her daughter, and Ryoko suddenly appeared to fall asleep.  
	Walking back to the screen, Washu glared at Sasami with such a 
wild look in her eyes that Sasami knew that she had lost her.  
	"No.  Not again.  Never again," Washu said in a fierce whisper, 
"You are not taking my baby away from me..."  She reached for something 
outside of Sasami's view...
	...and Ryo-Oh-Ki self-destructed.  
	Sasami maintained her forcefield, preventing the explosion from 
causing any damage.  She had lost her sister.  A sad waste.  It was 
unfortunate, but it had been necessary.  She could not allow anything to 
interfere with her plans for Tenchi, for herself, and for the universe.  
Everything had to be spotless.  Immaculate.  Perfect.  Just as the 
cooking and cleaning she had done in the Masaki home had been an act of 
love for her Tenchi, this was an act of love for the entire universe.  
Her universe.  
	When the sun began to rise, Sasami made her way to the palace's 
kitchen, wondering if she could convince the cook to allow her to prepare 
Tenchi's breakfast.  
	Sasami smiled.  

*************************************************************************

	I still felt afraid to die, but I knew that if I didn't, then 
Daddy might.  I took a deep breath and was about to jump off the ledge, 
when I suddenly heard a noise from somewhere behind me.  
	I turned around, and my heart almost stopped when I saw Tsunami 
walking towards me, her eyes fixed on the ground.  I heard her crying 
softly.  That was when I realized that I wasn't looking at Tsunami.  It 
was Sasami.  
	Part of me wanted to jump off the ledge before Sasami could try 
to stop me, but I couldn't just see her crying and not want to help in 
any way I could.  
	"What's the matter?" I asked as I ran to her side.  
	"Oh!  Mayuka!" said Sasami, obviously startled to find me here, 
"I-it's nothing, I'm fine..."
	"You don't look fine," I said, putting my hand on her arm.  
	The effect my touch had on her surprised me.  She sank to the 
ground and started sobbing loudly.  She kept trying to say something, but 
it took a few tries before she could say it clearly enough for me to 
understand.  
	"I h-had a ... a bad dream..." she finally managed to say, "I 
was ... I was so cold..."
	I gently touched her forehead, which was shiny with perspiration 
in the moonlight.  "You feel hot to me," I said.  
	"No, I mean ... I was so CRUEL!" Sasami almost screamed.  Her 
body shook as she cried harder than ever.  
	I put my arms around Sasami and tried my best to comfort her.  
I couldn't understand what she was talking about, but all that mattered 
to me right now was that Sasami was upset.  As I held her, I started to 
get a strange tingly feeling in my arms.  It soon spread to my entire 
body, but for some reason it wasn't scary.  I was more worried about 
Sasami than myself.  
	I could feel the tingling in my head, and that was when I 
knew ... that was when I saw.  I could see Sasami's nightmare in my mind, 
and it frightened me.  But I knew that it couldn't possibly scare me 
more than it had scared Sasami.  I could sense something else, too.  Just 
as I had envied Sasami a few moments ago, I could feel that SHE envied ME.  
But ... why?  
	[Yuzuha's Yuzuha,] a voice said inside my mind, [and Mayuka's 
Mayuka.]
	The voice sounded like Sasami's but I knew that it wasn't.  
[Tsunami?] I thought at the voice.  Somehow I just knew that I didn't 
have to talk to her out loud.  
	[Do you remember those words now, Mayuka?] Tsunami said to me, 
[Do you remember who said them?]
	[Wait a minute ... it was me, wasn't it?] I asked her.  
	[Yes,] said Tsunami, [Yuzuha is gone.  But, even before her 
death, you had managed to free yourself from her control.  Only you can 
decide what you will become.  Mayuka is Mayuka.]
	I could feel a slight twinge of envy from Tsunami, and fear as 
well.  Why were Sasami and Tsunami feeling this way?  
	I thought about Sasami's dream, and then I realized what was 
going to happen ... or rather, how little Sasami and Tsunami knew about 
what was going to happen, once they assimilated.  They had no idea what 
they would become, and it frightened them!  I felt an overwhelming 
feeling of sadness, and I realized that, wherever Tsunami was, she was 
crying as well.  
	I wanted to comfort both of them, and say "Sasami's Sasami, and 
Tsunami's Tsunami," but I knew that, while it might be true right now, 
it wouldn't stay that way.  They were going to become someone else, and 
for all they knew, they could become someone like that Sasami in the 
nightmare.  They weren't in control of their destiny.  
	Moments ago, I had thought that Sasami had the most enviable 
fate in the universe.  But I was wrong.  Oh, was I ever wrong.  I tried 
to hold Sasami even more tightly with my arms, while at the same time 
trying to hold - or at least reach out to - Tsunami with the tingling 
within me, which I realized must be my own hidden power.  As I tried to 
hold them both, I saw something else in my mind.  
	It was the Juraian palace that I saw.  I was about to ask 
Tsunami why she was showing me this, when somehow the knowledge came to 
me that I was seeing this through my own power.  One side of the palace 
exploded, and water came pouring out.  Somehow, I just knew that it had 
been the royal nursery, and that it had flooded because all of the royal 
trees were crying.  
	I tightened my hold on Sasami and Tsunami yet again, wishing 
that I could take all of their fears and sorrows away.  But trying to 
do that would have been like trying to hold back the flood of water 
that spilled from the royal nursery.  It was too much for one girl to 
handle.  I could feel time spilling out of my grasp like water, as with 
each second, the time of the assimilation drew nearer and nearer ... the 
time when Sasami and Tsunami would both drown, and someone else would be 
there when the waters dried.  

Author's notes: This fic was partly inspired by a dream that I had 
(Dream?  More like nightmare!), so I even wrote part of it as a 
nightmare.  I wasn't all that comfortable writing it, but there were 
some things that I thought had to be said.  You think Sasami would 
never become so cruel?  I hope you're right.  But if she ever becomes 
willing to take Tenchi away from Ayeka and Ryoko, then I'll know that 
she has.  

Anyway, I'd really appreciate your feedback, even if you didn't like 
this story.  Please send C&C, questions, or suggestions to me at 
literaryeagle@hotmail.com

Thanks for reading!  

Text copyright, 1999, Literary Eagle
(But most of the characters belong to Pioneer and AIC)