(Spotlight comes on, shining on Tenchi Masaki standing in front of a red
curtain.)
Author:(From director's chair off camera, speaking with a megaphone.) 
Okay, Tenchi, just read the cue cards.
Tenchi:(Seems uncomfortable.)  I don't know.  Maybe I should clear this
with my agent.
Author:  Look, kid, you *need* this part time job, alright?  "Manatsu No
Eve," wasn't *that* great, okay?  Now just read the disclaimer from the
cue cards.
Tenchi:(sighs)  Okay.  (Clears throat)  Tenchi Muyo is the property of
AIC and Pioneer LDC.  The author owns only the writing.  Hey, wait a
minute!  How can someone "own" me?
Author:  This is America, kid.  Get used to it.  Now, then...(author
checks schedule.)  Next, we have a love scene with Ryoko...
Tenchi:  WHAT?!  
Ryoko:(Materializes next to Tenchi in a red silk robe and glomps onto
him.)  Oh, Mr. Director, I'm ready for my close up now!
Tenchi:  Now wait just a minute!
Author:  Now, we have a set over in the next room for your rehearsal. 
If you would just follow the stage manager...
Tenchi:  Hold on!  I didn't agree to this!
Ryoko:  Oh, Tenchi!  (Stage manager leads the two off camera and out the
door.)
Author:  Okay, what's next?  (Checks schedule.)  Oh, yeah!  The Bonds of
Sisterhood, Part Two:  Pink Walls Do Not a Prison Make.



The Bonds of Sisterhood 
Part 2:  Pink Walls Do Not a Prison Make.

	Sasami sat crosslegged on the massive pink bed with her arms crossed
over her chest.  She stared at the woman standing before her, her
expression severe enough to melt solid lead.  She glared at the woman a
moment longer before quietly biting out the words,
	"I...want...to...go...home.............now."
	Queen Ayeka's eyes pleaded with her.  "Please, Sasami!  Be reasonable."
	"'Reasonable?!'  *You* want to talk about reasonable?!  You kidnap me,
pretend to be my sister..."
	"I *am* your sister!"
	"...keep me here against my will like a prisoner, and you want *me* to
be reasonable!?  I WANT TO GO HOME, NOW!!!!"
	"This *is* your home now, Sasami,"  Ayeka said, quietly.  She smiled. 
"I know it will take some getting used to, but..."
	"I don't think you heard me,"  Sasami said dangerously, "Take me home,
*now,*  or...or...."
	Ayeka smiled and  waited patiently for her to finish.
	"Or I'll never speak to you again!  So there!"
	Ayeka smiled again.  She sat down next to Sasami, who promptly moved
farther away from her.  The Queen let it pass.  "Sasami, I know that
right now you hate me for what I've done.  I understand.  But as time
goes by, you'll see why I did what I did.  I did it for you.  When
you're older, you'll understand."
	"I don't have to be a grown up to see that you kidnapped me and took me
from my family!"  Sasami spat.  "How does that help me?  Huh?  How?"
	Ayeka's smile never faltered.  She reached out and playfully mussed
Sasami's hair, then stood up.  "I have to go to a council meeting now,
but I'll be back later.  I'm assigning a guardian to...protect you." 
She looked at the ornate door on the other side of the room.  "Gensao!"
	A guardian with a green symbol on his front appeared at the door. 
"Yes, Ma'am?"
	"You will watch Sasami while I am gone.  She is not to leave this
room.  I've not had the opportunity to brief the staff on her arrival,
so for the time being, she is confined to her quarters."
	"I understand, Your Majesty."
	"Good."  She turned and gave Sasami another smile.  "I'll be back
soon."  She started walking toward the door.
	"You can't keep me here!"  Sasami screamed at her back.  "Tenchi and my
sister will come to rescue me!  Then you'll be sorry!"  Ayeka ignored
her, shutting the door behind her as she left.  "Then you'll be sorry," 
Sasami repeated softly.  She studied her surroundings.  Her bedroom was
huge.  The walls were a disgusting pink color that only looked
appropriate on cotton candy.  There must have been a hundred stuffed
animals of every size and shape.  Someone must have been planning on an
infant coming to stay here.  The guardian, Gensao, stood in the middle
of the room, motionless.  Tears welled up in the young princess's eyes. 
She buried her head in a pink pillow and began to cry.

	Lance Corporal Ren Tenza threw down two more cards and replaced them
with two from the deck.  He looked up at his two opponents, sitting
across the table from him.  Lance Corporal Wek Nol'al surely had a
straight, given the way he was betting, and Private Haz Gret'an was
probably working on a flush.  Tenza fought down a smile, trying to
maintain his "poker face."
	"I'm in," he said, throwing a few more chips into the pot.
	The other two Imperial Marines placed their bets.  Nol'al called. 
Tenza placed his cards on the table, face up and grinned.  Nol'al threw
his cards down in disgust.  Gret'an merely shook his head.  Tenza raked
the money towards him with his hands.
	"Well, that's it for me,"  Gret'an said, pocketing what was left of his
money.
	Tenza shook his head in disgust.  How was he supposed to take his money
if he left?  He looked over at the fourth Marine, sitting alone at a
nearby table, reading a rather thick book.  "Hey, Rikari!  Wanna play? 
I'll bet you a week's pay on one hand."
	Corporal Misa Rikari shook her head and smiled.  "Sorry, Tenza, I'm not
that stupid."
	"Oh, come on, Rikari,"  Tenza pleaded with the short-haired redhead. 
"You've had your nose stuck in that book for an hour, when are you gonna
come out and play?"
	"I've got a test next week.  I have to have this book read by then."
	Tenza "hmmph'd" in derision.  "You college nerds are all alike."
	Rikari lifted her hand and gave Tenza an obscene gesture, her eyes
never leaving the book.  "Tell it to the complaint department, smart
ass."  She was used to the ribbing.  Her enrollment in the Prime
Minister's "Grunts to Grads," program was why she requested this duty in
the first place.  It gave her plenty of time to study, and the
university where she was taking classes was located in the same city,
the Imperial Capital on Carissia.  It was an easy assignment.  All she
and three other Marines had to do was guard one of the Prime Minister's
old experiments, a large metallic loop that stood several feet tall.  It
was also one of the jobs that most Marines ran from, given its lack of
action and overall dullness.  It had been an easy transfer.
	One of the plusses was the Prime Minister herself.  On their first day
on assignment, she had come into the lab to inspect them.  While they
stood at attention, mentally bracing themselves for an inspection and
chewing out, the PM  told them to relax and that there was cold beer in
the fridge.
	Not that *any* Imperial Marine would dare drink on duty.  It was an
offense that, until just recently, was punishable by death, but it was
nice to know that the PM was a little more laid back than other
commanders.
	Tenza was just about to try again when an alarm klaxon began to blare. 
The lights in the room turned red.  The Marines looked around in
confusion.  Suddenly, a computer voice that sounded just like the Prime
Minister began to speak.
	"WARNING!  GATE SEQUENCE ACTIVATED!"
	"Shit!"  Tenza cried.  The Marines rushed to the wall where they had
propped their weapons.  With a quick, fluid motion, Tenza threw a rifle
to Rikari, who caught it expertly, checked the action, and bent down to
a firing position, pointing the rifle at the metal loop.  He and Gret'an
overturned the table they had been playing on and stood behind it as a
barricade.  Nol'al had made tracks over to the internal communicator. 
Tenza could hear him over the noise of the klaxons.
	"Tac HQ, this is Watchdog.  We've got a situation in L one-thirteen..."
	Tenza checked the action on his rifle and aimed carefully.  Suddenly,
there was an explosion of green light.  He squinted as he tried to make
out the figures that had appeared at the edge of the green vortex.  His
eyes went wide.  Standing there was the dead Emperor, Her Majesty the
Empress, and the Queen of Jurai.
	The Marine made the sign of the Great Tree on his chest and swore. 
"Tsunami, Tsunami..."
	A blue haired woman suddenly appeared at the gate's edge.  "Yes?"  she
asked, as if in answer to his hail.
	Tenza nearly dropped his rifle in shock.  Two more women appeared. 
This time it was the Prime Minister and Commodore Mihoshi.
	Standing next to him, Gret'an whispered, "You're seeing this too,
right?"
	Tenza nodded slowly.  For no apparent reason, the gate collapsed.  The
lights returned to normal.
	Nol'al had finished his call to HQ and was staring at the newcomers. 
"Shit," he said shock.
	The Emperor stepped forward and saluted.   Without thinking, Tenza
returned it, however, Rikari had recovered from her shock and got down
to business.
	"Stay where you are!"  she demanded.  Her rifle didn't budge, and her
eyes never left the intruders.  "Nol'al, where's our back-up?!"
	"On the way," 
	The Queen of Jurai stepped forward.  "You don't understand.  We're
here..."
	"Save it for the MP's, lady!"  Rikari shouted.
	Suddenly, the door opened, and the Prime Minister ran in with ten
Marines at her back.  She carried a small laser pistol in her hand.  She
took a quick look around and deduced what was happening.  She sighed and
holstered the weapon.
	"Hey Tenchi," she said with a wave and a smile.  "Fancy meet'n you
here!"

	The Empress of Jurai, Ryoko, flew down the stairs a foot off the ground
and giggled as she circled a white marble column twice.  She stopped and
landed in front of a mirror, checking her hair and make up.  She spun
around, admiring herself for a few seconds.  Leaning against another
column in the main hall of the Imperial residence, Prime Minister Washu,
the Greatest Scientific/Political Genius in the Universe, smiled at her
daughter's behavior and shook her head ruefully.
	"All right!  All right!  You look beautiful, already!  They'll be here
any minute,"  she told her daughter with a smile.
	Ryoko adjusted her hair, seeing if she looked more alluring with her
long, cyan ponytail hanging down her back or down the front of her
shoulder.  "I know, I know," she said happily.  "How long does
decontamination take, anyway?"
	"About an hour, which gave me enough time to warn you.  I figured you'd
need at least that long to get over the giddy phase."
	Ryoko "hmmph'd."  "Scoff all you like.  All that matters is that he's
here."
	"Er...Ryoko.  He brought quite a crew with him.  Some of them are on
the Galaxy's Most Wanted list, as a matter of fact.  Whatever brought
them here must be bigger than a social call."
	Ryoko seemed to consider this.  "There must be some kind of trouble. 
He wouldn't risk coming here.  Not when the Jurains would gladly cut his
throat."  She mulled this over.  "You're right, there's something
wrong."
	Washu's wrist communicator beeped.  She brought it up to her face and
activated it while Ryoko went back to adjusting her hair.  When she
turned it off, she faced her daughter again.  "They're here."

	The reunion was happy for some, but also very subdued.  Tenchi and the
others walked into the main hall flanked by the Marines who had been
guarding the Gate.  The Empress greeted them.  The Marines came to
attention, saluted, and bowed.  The Empress wasn't even watching, she
had stepped forward and was facing Tenchi.
	"Hello, Tenchi," she said warmly.
	Tenchi put on a subdued smile.  "Ryoko."
	They stared uncomfortably at each other for a few seconds before the
other Ryoko coughed loudly, breaking the moment.  Tenchi seemed to
mentally shake his head.  "Yes, well, you know Ayeka, Ryoko, Washu, and
Mihoshi.  This is Tsunami."  He gestured to the tall, blue haired woman,
who stepped forward and performed a perfect bow.
	The Empress smiled.  "Actually, I knew exactly who she was.  General
Tsunami made quite a name for herself during the war.  It was the
Tsunami that shot me down for the first time just after Stardica."
	"It's nice to meet you, Your Majesty,"  Tsunami said pleasantly.
	"And you."  She took a look around.  "Well, you've certainly brought a
notorious bunch with you Tenchi.  I take it this isn't a social call?"
	He shook his head.  "I'm afraid not.  We need your help."
	The Empress sighed.  She had hoped.  "Of course, anything we can do."
	After dismissing the Marines, she led the visitors to a sitting room
where Tenchi outlined what had happened to Sasami.  A well-dressed
servant served them cups of tea, which they took gratefully.  When
Tenchi finished the story, the Empress was shaking her head.
	"But how could she have found out?"  she asked.  "We've been keeping
your origins a secret, Tenchi.  As far as anyone else knows, Tenchi
Masaki died on board the Soja in battle against the traitor, Kagato.  He
died a hero.  There was no mention of your dimension or anyone in it. 
Aside from us, a few techs in Mom's lab, and that courier we sent to
your dimension, no one knows about you."
	"Wrong,"  Tenchi told her.  "Remember, I wasn't *trying* to keep it a
secret when they captured me.  Tsunami believed me, and I told the Queen
everything, although she didn't seem to believe me at the time."  His
voice turned bitter.  "She certainly spent enough time torturing it out
of me."
	At this, Ryoko's head shot around to look at him, and Ayeka almost spit
out a mouthful of the tea she had been drinking.  He had never mentioned
*that.*  "Tor...torture?"  Ayeka asked him.
	Tenchi nodded.  "Yeah," he said ruefully.  He hadn't meant to tell them
that, either.
	Ayeka balled her hands into fists.  That *woman*.  It was that woman
who was responsible!  It all suddenly made sense.  Tenchi had been
acting strangely around her because of what her double had done.  She
ground her teeth together.  Another crime *Queen* Ayeka was going to
have to answer for was the crime of making Tenchi associate her with
pain.
	The Prime Minister shook her head.  "But how could they have gotten the
technology to do it?"
	The Empress frowned.  "The JSIS," she muttered.  "It had to be."  She
saw the questioning glances on their faces.  She explained.  "The Jurai
Secret Intelligence Service.  Ayeka's eyes and ears.  It was said that,
during the war, the JSIS was responsible for more Imperial defeats than
the Jurain fleet.  If anyone could get their hands on Gate technology,
it would have to be them."
	"Which doesn't help us now,"  PM Washu told her.  "The question now is,
what are we gonna do about it?"
	"Well,"  the Empress mused, "We can't do anything 'officially,' except
lodge a formal protest, but what's that worth?"
	Ayeka bolted up in her chair.  "Don't talk to me about, 'official!' 
That......woman," she seemed to have trouble getting the word out, "Has
kidnapped my sister!  Don't tell me there isn't anything you can do!"
	"Your Highness!"  the Empress said firmly, "Calm yourself.  There's
nothing we can do *officially*, so we're going to have to do something
*unofficially*."
	Washu smiled.  "You have a plan?"
	E. Ryoko smiled.  "Of course.  In three days Mom and I leave for an
arms summit on Jurai to discuss N2 weapons proliferation, or some other
nonsense.  While we're there, we'll find Sasami and rescue her."
	Tenchi nodded.  "When do we leave?" he asked grimly.  He was still
feeling responsible for Sasami being kidnapped.  If he had told the
others everything, they might've been more prepared.
	"'We,' aren't going anywhere, Tenchi.  You're staying here with the
others.  If the Jurains saw you, they'd kill you on the spot.  Your face
is too recognizable.  Mom and I will handle this."
	"Sorry, Ryoko, but you're not going either."  E. Ryoko turned and
looked at her mother in puzzlement.
	"Excuse me?"
	PM Washu stared her daughter down.  "You heard me.  We can't risk it. 
This abduction could be a sign of a serious instability in Queen Ayeka
and therefore a serious instability in the Jurain government.  We can't
risk sending the Empress of Jurai into her hands if she's going to wig
out.  It's too dangerous."
	"Dangerous?"  E. Ryoko repeated in disbelief.  "So...what?  We're going
to tell the Jurains to go to Hell, and that we're not coming to their
summit?!  That'll go over *real* well."
	"Noooooooo,"  PM Washu drawled out, slowly.  "I'm still going....and so
is the Empress of Jurai."  She grinned sadistically.   "Ryoko will go in
your place."
	Ryoko looked up and blinked.  "Huh?"
	PM Washu approached Ryoko and smiled.  "You're going to play Empress
the same way Tenchi played Emperor."
	
	D-6 accepted the data crystal from the nine foot K'rystava with a short
but respectful bow.  The giant, green insect returned the bow and turned
back to its other duties.  D-6 rubbed the bridge of his aging nose and
sighed.  He missed his previous assignment which did not require him to
use his physical form, however, Lady Tokimi had asked him to take on
this assignment, and he had accepted without complaint.
	It was an important post, but there were times when he wished that he
didn't have to be surrounded by the giant insects.  The K'rystava were a
warrior race, a race Tokimi had found millenia ago and had found
useful.  Now, she used them to maintain and guard this place, her
Arena.  The K'rystava had accepted their role from their goddess without
hesitation.  D-6 had been put in charge of overseeing the K'rystava. 
Not that she didn't trust them.  The K'rystava hive mothers had sworn a
blood oath to Tokimi, and each of the insects would rather see the
destruction of their entire race than to see a single one of their kind
break a blood oath.
	No, Tokimi trusted the K'rystava, but she still wanted one of her own
lieutenants to be there in case of an emergency.  That lieutenant was
D-6.
	Still, it could be very lonely.  The insects were incapable of human
speech, although they could understand it just as he could understand
their language but couldn't hope to speak it.  Even so, they were simply
too different for D-6 to feel comfortable around.  
	So he endured, waiting for the day Tokimi had prophecied.
	He examined the information on the crystal.  The Arena was one of
several, massive space stations Tokimi had established throughout the
multiverse.  They served as bases of operation for Tokimi's operatives,
places where they could make contact with her or wait and watch for the
day of prophecy.  However, *this* station had a higher purpose.  When
the day *did* come, this Arena would be the place where the destiny of
the multiverse would finally be determined.
	For the K'rystava, the coming day was a holy one, a day of armageddon
they referred to as Creestaca Reestan.  For D-6, it was just a day on
the calendar.
	He heard the sounds of several of the insects kneeling, their chitinous
knees striking the plasticrete floor with several dense clicks. He
turned in puzzlement and gasped reflexively as he saw Lady Tokimi
standing there.  He bowed low in respect.  Then, something odd clicked
inside him.  She was *standing* there.  Usually, when she made contact
with one of her operatives, she appeared...well...god-like.  Her image
would tower over everything.  Now, she appeared no taller than he was.
	He gulped.  "Lady Tokimi, you do us honor with your presence."
	The various K'rystava assembled in the main control area of the Arena
echoed this statement as one in their own language, a series of low
buzzes and clicks.  One of them, a slightly larger insect with a red
exoskeleton approached and stood next to D-6.  It bowed low and
prostrated itself before its goddess.
	"D-6," she began in a voice that was both melodious and haunting at the
same time.  "Lady-" she made a sound of clicks and pops, properly
pronouncing the insect's name, a feat D-6 *still* couldn't imitate.  The
closest he could get to pronouncing her name was, "Lady Reek'sta."  Lady
Tokimi continued.  "There has been a new develpment.  We will have to
move sooner than expected."
	D-6 blinked.  "Has something unforeseen occurred, My Lady?"
	"Indeed," she said, "Washu is here."
	It took a moment for D-6 to see the true impact of her statement.  "You
mean," he said in shock, "The core?  Washu's core consciousness?"
	"Yes, and she's not alone,"  Tokimi seemed wistful, "Tsunami is with
her."
	Reek'sta's antennae began to wave urgently.  She turned to her
followers and spoke a few words in her own language.  The other
K'rystava fell to their knees before Tokimi.  The goddess smiled at
Reek'sta.  "It would appear so, Lady Reek'sta.  The time of Creestaca
Reestan had apparently come.  Soon the fate of your people will be
decided."  Reek'sta bowed low again, her foreclaws opened and closed in
excitement.
	Tokimi turned back to D-6.  "See to it that everything is ready when
the time comes."
	"Of course, My Lady.  Er...My Lady?"
	"Yes, D-6?"
	"Have you decided on a replacement champion?"
	Tokimi smiled.  "Indeed," she said.  "As a matter of fact, I have been
training him in secret for the past three centuries."
	D-6's eyes went wide.  "Then...you foresaw Lord Masaki's death?"
	Tokimi's smile got a little wider.  "Of course.  Did you think I would
leave something like that to chance?"
	He gulped.  "Of course not, My Lady, I meant no disrespect."
	"I know.  In truth, I did *not* see Lord Masaki's death. 
It...surprised me.  I trained this champion because Lord Masaki was
becoming too unstable to control.  The fact that he died before we had
to take action was a...happy coincidence."  She raised her head and
faced Reek'sta.  "Lady Reek'sta will represent the K'rystava hives," she
intoned.  Reek'sta's three antennae flapped back and forth at her
goddess' honorable praise.  "As for the other champion..."
	D-6 listened as she named her other champion.  His eyes went wide in
shock.  She smiled at his discomfiture.  "See to it that all is
prepared."
	He and Reek'sta bowed low.  "Yes, My Lady."
	With that, she disappeared.  D-6 turned to his insectile counterpart. 
"Lady Reek'sta, we have much to do."
	Reek'sta bowed to him in agreement.  Together, they began to work
bringing the Arena online.

	"Are you sure you want to go through with this?"  Tenchi asked Ryoko
for the hundredth time.
	"Yes, Tenchi.  I hate to say it, but her plan makes sense.  What better
cover could I possibly ask for?"
	"I should still go with you," Tenchi told her.
	Ryoko frowned.  "No offense, Tenchi, but from what I hear, your face
will get you and anyone near you killed if you go to Jurai.  You
*should* stay.  You won't do Sasami any good if we're captured."
	They were all standing in the palace courtyard next to a decorative
fountain and reflecting pool.  Three days had passed since they had
decided on this plan.
	Just as Tenchi had asked the same question for the hundredth time,
Ayeka said the same thing she had been saying for three days for the
hundredth time.  "I'm going with you," she told PM Washu firmly.
	PM Washu sighed.  "One last time, you can't.  The Soja is going to be
stopped at least three times and inspected before we even get to Jurai. 
Their scanners will pick up your powers just like they would for
Ryoko's.  The difference is, they're expecting her."
	From behind her, her Washu spoke up.  "That's why Tsunami can go. 
Because her body is made up of the Mass, and the Mass don't show up on
most scanning equipment.  She can slip in, but we can't."
	The two Washu's looked at each other and spoke in unison.  "Agreed."
	"I really wish they wouldn't do that,"  Ryoko said in annoyance.
	Ayeka turned to Ryoko.  "Ryoko, I should really go with you.  You may
need my powers to..."
	Ryoko cut her off.  "Listen, Ayeka.  You're staying here, and that's
final."  She looked around to make sure Tenchi and the others were out
of earshot.  "Look, I'm going to be gone, so you *have* to stay, because
if you don't that will mean that Tenchi will be here...alone....with
*her!*"  Ryoko shook her head.  "I can just picture it."  Suddenly, to
Ayeka's surprise, Ryoko split herself into two Ryoko's.  The two demons
faced each other.  The one on the right spoke to the one on the left.  
	"Oh, Tenchi.  I'm so worried about Sasami and Mother."
	The one on the left struck a heroic pose and said in a deep, masculine
voice, "Don't worry, Ryoko, I'm sure they're fine.  After all, Ryoko and
Ayeka are with them."
	"Oh, Tenchi.  Hold me!"
	"Oh, Ryoko!"
	"Tenchi!"
	The two hugged, then separated and faced Ayeka.  "See?"  they asked in
unison.
	Ayeka smiled wanly.  "You're just trying to make me feel better for not
coming along," she accused the pair.  
	The two Ryoko's dematerialized and reappeared as one Ryoko.  "Don't
worry, Ayeka.  We'll find Sasami."  She smiled wickedly.  "Besides, it
gives me the chance to do something I've always wanted to do,"
	"What's that?"
	"Kick Ayeka Jurai's ass."
	Ayeka laughed.  "Yeah, right!  Like you could ever beat me in a fair
fight!"
	"I don't know, I've always thought we were pretty evenly matched."
	Ayeka's laugh trailed off.  All of a sudden, she seemed very
uncomfortable about something.  She seemed to be in the grips of a
fierce mental debate.  "Yes...I guess we were."  She looked around
suddenly to see if anyone was looking at them and took Ryoko's hand. 
Leading her away from the others, she placed Ryoko's hand on her
headband just in front of her right ear.  "Put your hand here.  Do you
feel that?"
	Ryoko felt the area on her headband that Ayeka was referring to.  "You
mean...that rectangular nub?"
	Ayeka nodded.  "It's a power distribution node.  There's one on each
side of my headband.  It allows me to focus my thoughts and energies. 
It's what lets me form my force fields.  My double should have two
similar nodes on her own headband.  If you can destroy or short out just
one of them, she'll be defenseless."
	Ryoko was shocked.  Ayeka had just given her the means to neutralize
her powers, the only thing that made Ayeka a true threat to her. 
"Ayeka...I..."
	"Just bring my sister home, Ryoko,"  Ayeka told her.  "Please, bring
her home."
	Ryoko nodded seriously.  "I will."
	"All right, Ryoko, it's time to go,"  PM Washu called out to her from
the fountain.  Ryoko gave Ayeka a last curt nod before turning and
standing next to Washu and Tsunami.  Ryo-Ohki "miya'd" and jumped up
into her arms.  She threw one last glance at Tenchi as PM Washu gave the
Soja the order to transport them to the ship.  Then, Tenchi and the
others vanished to be replaced by a transporter crew standing at a
computer console.  One of them, a tall, gray-bearded man in a red cape
approached them, saluted, and bowed.
	"Your Majesty," he began in a strange accent Ryoko didn't recognize,
"Welcome aboard the Soja."

	Sasami stood on the balcony of her room overlooking the palace grounds
and the nearby capital city of Jurai.  She had been here for a week, and
she still wasn't allowed out of her room.  Ayeka spent all of her free
time with her, but Sasami would have preferred it if she stayed away
from her.  This Ayeka seemed...what was the term?
	Homicidally psychotic.  Yes, that was it.
	She went about acting as if nothing were wrong, as if Sasami were
really *her* sister, and if Sasami confronted her with the fact that she
wasn't, Ayeka would smile and cheerfully change the subject.
	Her only other company was Gensao.  He stayed in the room with her at
all times, disappearing for short periods whenever Sasami needed her
privacy, but was always nearby.  He obeyed her commands like any good
guardian, but only to a certain extent.  Whenever Sasami asked the
guardian to help her escape, he would simply tell her that it was
against his orders to allow that to happen.  Nothing more would be said
on the matter.  
	Still, he was good for information.
	"Gensao," she called.
	The guardian appeared next to her.  "Yes, Ma'am?"
	Sasami pointed out a large statue in the distance, in the center of the
city.  Except for that and a few minor details, the city was just like
the one in her universe.  "What is that statue in the distance?  I can't
make it out."
	Gensao looked at where she was pointing and turned back to her.  "That
is the Tsunami Memorial, Ma'am.  In honor of General Tsunami, who
commanded Jurai's military forces during the recent unpleasantness."
	"You mean the war?"
	"........Yes."
	"Oh,"  Sasami said.  "You mean...Tsunami's dead here?"
	"Yes, Ma'am."
	Sasami blinked in puzzlement.  She wondered.  "What about Princess
Sasami?"
	"You are Princess Sasami."
	"No, I mean *this* dimension's Sasami.  What about her?"
	The green guardian checked his memory for a moment before responding. 
"If you are referring to the Queen's sister, Duchess Sasami of Belegast,
then she is dead as well."
	"Do you know how?"  Sasami asked in a low whisper.
	"According to my records, she died of a seizure more than three years
ago.  An exact cause of death could not be determined."
	"When did Tsunami die?"
	"At about the same time, Ma'am."
	"I see."  Well that made sense, at least.  Things were beginning to
come together.  Sasami bit her lip and thought hard, trying to sort it
out.  It seemed that this Ayeka's sister died when Tsunami did.  She
wasn't sure how that could happen, but it was certainly possible if the
two were assimilated.  She wondered if it could happen to her and
Tsunami.  She made a note to herself to ask Tsunami when she got back. 
*If* she got back.  Still, it was creepy.  Thinking of her double as
dead made her shiver.
	She didn't have any more time to think about it.  Without even a knock,
Ayeka entered carrying a wicker basket.  "Sasami?  Where are you?"
	Sasami sighed and turned from the balcony.  "I'm over here."  There was
no point in ignoring her, Ayeka  would just ignore the fact that she was
ignoring her and press on no matter what.  
	Ayeka found her and smiled.  "It's a beautiful day out, Sasami," she
said cheerfully.  "I packed us a picnic lunch.  We can eat it in the
courtyard."
	Normally Sasami would've said no and railed at her would-be sister, but
she had been stuck in that disgusting pink room for a week, and right
then, she would've killed to be outside again.  She nodded.  "Okay."
	Ayeka's smile broadened.  "Good, come along."
	Sasami followed her outside and down the hall.  The palace was the same
as the one she had grown up in, but the decorations and portraits that
lined the walls were different.  It was strange.  It was familiar, but
alien.  
	Ayeka led her to the open air courtyard and found a grassy spot near a
reflecting pool and a small cluster of trees.  She laid out a blanket
and sat down, motioning for Sasami to do the same.  She opened the
picnic basket and began removing various cakes and finger sandwiches. 
She also produced a thermos and two tea cups, which she filled, handing
one of them to Sasami, who took it without enthusiasm.  As Ayeka did
this, Sasami turned suddenly, scanning the trees that had been planted
in the courtyard.  She could've sworn she saw someone standing there. 
She shook it off and brought her attention back to Ayeka, who was
munching on a small cucumber sandwich.
	Ayeka saw she wasn't eating and paused.  "What's the matter, Sasami? 
You're not eating."
	"I'm just not hungry,"  Sasami told her.
	"I see,"  Ayeka said simply.
	<No!  You don't see!>  Sasami screamed at her in her mind.  <I WANT TO
GO HOME!>
	She didn't say any of this, however.  Before the conversation could
continue, a man in a purple robe appeared at the doorway that led back
inside the palace.  He spotted them and approached cautiously.
	"Your Majesty?"  
	Ayeka growled.  "I told you *not* to disturb us."
	"Yes, Your Majesty, however, a situation concerning the summit meeting
plans has come up and..."
	"You interrupted my time with my sister for a minor thing like that?!" 
Ayeka asked venomously.
	"Your Majesty, I'm afraid your responsibilities to the kingdom..."
	Ayeka cut him off.  "Speak carefully, Rodan,"  she said, and Sasami
cringed.  In all of her sister's fights with Ryoko, who was supposed to
be her worst enemy in life, she had never heard Ayeka sound so
dangerous.
	The man, Rodan, appeared to think so as well.  He licked his lips
apprehensively.  "Your Majesty, I only thought it best to..."
	His protest trailed off as power logs appeared around him.  His mouth
dropped open in surprise and fear just before a current of electricity
coursed through him.  He screamed and dropped to his knees.  Ayeka stood
over him.
	"I WILL DECIDE WHAT IS BEST!!"  She screamed at him.  "BEST FOR ME,
BEST FOR JURAI, BEST FOR SASAMI!!  DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?!"
	Rodan nodded pitifully and cringed as the logs around him hummed as
they powered up again.
	Sasami jumped to her feet.  "Ayeka!  Please!  Stop!  Please!"  Ayeka
flinched, and she looked at  Sasami, who begged her with her eyes to
stop hurting the unfortunate advisor.  
	Ayeka sighed and smiled.  "Of course, Sasami.  If that's what you would
like."  Suddenly, she was cheerful again.  She sat down and picked up
her cup of tea.  "Rodan, I don't want to see you for at least a week. 
If I do, consider yourself executed."
	Rodan nodded.  "Y...yes..Your Majesty."  He stood up slowly  and limped
away.
	Sasami was too scared to say anything.  Ayeka looked up at her and
smiled again.  "Would you like some cake, Sasami?"
	The princess could only shake her head, more in shock at the Queen's
shift in mood than in answer to her question.  Ayeka nodded in
understanding.  Sasami sat back down.  She thought about her sister and
her friends.  They must be doing *something* to get her back.  She must
have voiced this idea out loud, because Ayeka answered her.
	"I know, Sasami,"  she told her.  "They might come for you, but don't
worry, I won't let anything separate us ever again."  She shook her
head.  "Never,"  she brightened.  "My new hire will see to that."
	Sasami blinked in confusion.  Ayeka saw this and called out into the
small cluster of trees.  "Come out!  My sister wants to meet you!"
	Sasami turned to the spot where she thought she had seen someone
earlier.  She saw a woman in a blue cape approach from the trees where
she had been hiding.  Her cowl hid most of her face except for some dark
blue hair and some Jurain war paint on the left side of her face. 
Sasami had never seen this woman before, but knew she didn't want
anything to do with her.
	Ayeka smiled pleasantly and took another sip of tea.  "Sasami, meet the
woman in charge of your safety from now on."  She gestured to her as the
blue woman removed her cowl revealing a hawk-like face, like that of a
predator who relished in hunting...and killing.  
	"Her name is Nagi."

Author's Notes:
There it is.  Part 2.  Part 3 is on the way.  I would just like to make
a few comments.  First, yes, I know, Nagi never appeared in the OAV's,
but if everyone else can exist there, then so can she.  Bet you didn't
see *that* one com'n!  Two, up until now, I've written with one eye on
continuity, preserving the original timeline.  I've decided that that's
just too bloody boring, so from now on, I'm writing this story as if
Manatsu No Eve will never occur.  That means people can die, marry, move
to Luxemborg, whatever.  No limits!
I'm not the first writer to name a guardian, "Gensao."  I figure it's a
good way to pay tribute to the person allowing our stories to get to the
public.  Gensao, if you don't like it, tell me and I'll kill him off.
Okay, so where's the story going?  If I told you that, what would keep
you around to read the next part?  I will promise you this:  If it takes
a hundred years, this story will be completed.  Count on it.
I would like to think "Seaver," for proofreading this story.  Doomo
arigato gozaimasu.

Please send any comments or criticism to Thomas "009" Doscher at
doscher009@hotmail.com

See ya next time.