(Spotlight illuminates Ayeka standing in front of a red curtain.) Author:(Off stage with a megaphone.) Okay, Princess, just say the lines as they are on the cue card. Ayeka: All right. (Clears throat.) Tenchi Muyo is the property of AIC and Pioneer LDC. The author owns only the writing. Oh, my. Mr. Director, wouldn't that make this illegal? Author:(Blinks in surprise and throws a look at his lawyer, who is flipping desperately through a large, leather bound book with the word, "Law," written on the spine. The lawyer looks up and shrugs. Author raises megaphone to his lips.) Security! We've got another one! Ayeka:(Looks from side to side as two security officers appear on either side of her.) What is this?! Author: Sorry, Princess, but I don't have time to write this fic *and* keep an eye out for big brother. Moose, Rocko, escort Miss Ayeka to the back alley. Ayeka: You can't do this to me! (Security goons grab Ayeka and begin to drag her out the door.) Author: Can. Will. Have. Catch 'ya later, Princess. Ayeka: I'll see you swing for this, Doscher! I swear it on all that's holy. (Goons drag her out the stage door, kicking and screaming.) Author: Hmmph! Imagine the nerve of her. Trying to spoil *my* good time with her legal claptrap! Hmmph! Some people! (Checks schedule.) Hmmm. The Bonds of Sisterhood, Part 4: False Smiles. The Bonds of Sisterhood Part 4- False Smiles She could see them clearly. Three women floated above them One of them was Tsunami, who looked very worried. Another was Washu, whose face betrayed no emotion at all, and the third... The third she had never seen before, but was very familiar. Below the floating women, there were three figures. Tenchi, in his white battle outfit crouched down next to someone. His three Light Hawk Wings orbited his body like electrons around a nucleus. He reached out and held that person. She tried to see who it was and gasped in shock. It was Ryoko! No....wait...it wasn't Ryoko. She could see the long pony tail. It was the Empress! E. Ryoko's eyes were shut. Blood dribbled from one corner of her mouth. Tenchi gently moved a few stray hairs from her face. "You should be proud, Masaki," a voice said. She looked up along with Tenchi to see a shadowy figure standing underneath the unknown woman. She couldn't make out his face or clothing. The only things that stood out was the green energy lance he held in his right hand and that his wrists and neck were glowing in an eerie yellow light. "She dies well," he finished. She saw Tenchi's face contort in a grimace of rage. He reached out and grabbed one of the wings orbitting his body. She saw it turn into a bright blue lightsword. He screamed and lunged at the figure. She saw the green energy lance scythe around.... "TENCHI!!!" Sasami bolted up from her bed and began to cry. "Tenchi..." She cried for a few more minutes. Suddenly, the guardian, Gensao appeared next to her bed. "Princess Sasami," it said in its booming voice. "Are you in distress?" She wiped a few tears from her eyes. "Go away, Gensao," she told the guardian. "Is there anything I can do?" "GO AWAY!" she screamed at him. Gensao paused for a moment. "Yes, Ma'am." He disappeared. Sasami resumed crying into her blanket. Her mind chastised her. She sniffled one last time then stopped. She wiped the last of her tears away. She *had* to get out of here. That meant finding the Empress and talking with her. She'd help her. All she had to do now, was escape. Ayeka yawned as she turned the corner. It was another morning on Carissia, and they were still under what amounted to house arrest, unable to leave the Imperial Palace due to their appearance. She was heading for the stairs. It was almost time for breakfast. Thinking of this made her pause. Sasami usually cooked breakfast for them. Now she was somewhere on Jurai with that *woman*. As she was nearing the stairs, one of the bedroom doors ahead of her opened, and out stepped the Empress. They both stopped as they noticed one another. Ryoko tried a smile. "Your Highness. How are you this morning?" "Well enough, I suppose," she told her new rival. "And you?" "Fine, fine." They stood there for an awkward moment. Finally, E. Ryoko went to walk past Ayeka. "Excuse me," Ayeka stopped her, "But I thought you'd be eating breakfast with us, this morning." "I am," the Empress told her. "I thought I'd go see if Tenchi is up." "Oh, did you?" Ayeka asked crossing her arms over her chest. "Tenchi doesn't like to be disturbed in the morning." Ryoko blinked. "I see," she said in understanding, and Ayeka was certain she understood far more than that. "Very well, then I'll walk to breakfast with you." Ayeka fought down a groan. "Of course, I would enjoy the company." Together, they walked down the stairs toward the dining room. "Have you heard anything from Ryoko?" Ayeka asked. To her surprise, E. Ryoko nodded. "Yes, Mother contacted me last night and told me they were docking in Jurai orbit some time this morning." She smiled at Ayeka. "It shouldn't be long before they find Sasami." "I..." Ayeka suddenly felt very guilty. She had been worrying about this woman getting Tenchi when the whole time she had been helping her get her sister back. "I want to say thank you," she told the Empress with feeling. "You are certainly welcome, Your Highness," she said, smiling. "I would do anything for him." Ayeka paused. "What was that?" Ryoko stopped. "I would do anything to help." "That's not what you said," Ayeka told her point blank. "You said you would do anything for *him.*" Ryoko blinked. "If you knew what I said, then why did you ask me to repeat it?" she asked with just a hint of irritation. Ayeka's face became stern. "Listen to me," she began, "I don't know what kind of arrangement you have with Ryoko, but stay away from Tenchi. Do you understand me?" Ryoko frowned. Her voice dropped a degree. "And you understand this, little princess," she retorted, "I'm not doing this for you or Ryoko or my Empire's well being. I'm doing it for Sasami and because Tenchi *asked me* to help. And if you *ever* dare to order me to stay away from Tenchi again, I'll punt you back through that gate so fast your grandchildren will be born dizzy." "Now, see here!" "Hey, what's up?" They looked up the stairs to see Tenchi leaning against the banister. "Is there something wrong?" The two monarchs shared a look. "Nothing, Tenchi," Ayeka told him, her eyes never leaving the Empress. "Nothing at all." The Empress broke the gaze to look up at Tenchi. "I got a message from Mother, Tenchi. They'll make Jurai orbit sometime this morning." "That's great!" "Join me for breakfast?" she asked him. "Sure," he said, smiling. Ayeka growled. "Okay, pay attention," PM Washu told the two of them in her quarters on the Soja. "We just made orbit around Jurai. It's time to go to work. Ryoko and I are going to be busy kissing Ayeka's ass, which means the infiltration is going to have to be done on your end, Tsunami." Tsunami nodded. Washu handed her a crystal holomap. "That's the schematic of Jurai's Royal Palace. I wasn't sure if it would be identical to the one in your dimension, so I went ahead and made this." Tsunami quickly checked the map. It *seemed* to be identical, anyway. "Also, I have a couple of gadgets that might help out. The scientist reached into a trunk and pulled out a grey jumpsuit with a metal disk on both wrists. Washu presented it to her. "Here, change into this." Tsunami began to change while Washu explained. "It's a changeling suit that I've modified to answer mental commands through the thought amplification disks on the wrists. Our Intelligence operatives use them." Tsunami listened as she zipped up the suit. "Just tap the disks to activate it, then think of something you want to wear." Tsunami tapped the disks and thought. There was a ripple in the air around her, and suddenly, she was in a Jurain Naval uniform. She looked down at herself and thought again. The ripple effect returned, and when it was over this time, she was wearing an Imperial uniform similar to the one Washu was wearing. She looked back, saw the long white cape, and gave another mental command. The cape turned light blue to match her hair. She thought again, and this time she appeared in her blue ceremonial kimono, what she preferred to wear on her own ship. "Now, this is more like it," she commented. Washu frowned. "Something a little less conspicuous, huh?" Tsunami nodded and gave a last mental command. She appeared now in the outfit of a palace maid, a uniform that, to Ryoko's regret, showed off quite a bit of leg. Tsunami checked her appearance and nodded. "This should allow me to travel freely throughout the palace." "Fine," Ryoko told her, "But when this is over, you're giving that suit back to Washu." Tsunami looked at her and blinked in surprise at Ryoko's harsh tone. She sighed and nodded. If Ryoko wanted to assume that she was after Tenchi, nothing Tsunami could say would make her think otherwise. "Now, then," Washu continued. "These, I'm particularly proud of." She reached into a bag and produced an egg. Ryoko looked at it and then at Washu. "Er...Aunt Washu, you didn't invent that." "Hmm? Oh no, not the egg part, but what's inside the egg." "What is it?" Tsunami asked. "I call them, 'Deggs.' Dimensional Eggs." She approached a table and cracked the egg on the edge of it. She then pried the two parts of the eggshell apart. A viscous, transluscent material oozed out and hit the table top, where it began to shimmer. After about twenty seconds, it stopped shimmering. Washu smiled and reached out with her hand, but instead of it touching the goo, it passed right through it and right through the table top. "Whadya think? Pretty good, huh?" "Portable dimensional holes?" Tsunami asked. "Mm hmm. I have a whole sack of them you can use. This way, you don't have to worry about locked doors or anything like that." She pulled her hand out as the goo began to shimmer again. The others watched as the shimmering stopped. Washu stuck her hand out again, but this time, her hand hit the table and stopped. She took out a handkerchief and wiped the goo off her hands. "It's not quite perfected yet, so listen close. The dimensional breach stays open for about thirty seconds and takes about twenty to open and another twenty close. Be warned. Also, whatever you do, don't open a hole in the ground." "Why?" Ryoko asked as she examined another egg. Washu reached out and snatched it from her. "Gimme that!" she said. "I only have a finite amount of these. As to your question, the dimensional hole will continue until it hits open space or until it reaches three miles. This one made a hole an inch deep because the table was an inch deep. If you were to open one in a planet, it would make a hole *three miles* deep because there'd be no empty spaces to stop it. The dimensional wall inside the hole would be super smooth, so if you were to fall into one, you'd never be able to climb out before the thirty seconds were up." She handed the sack of eggs to Tsunami. "Use them carefully," she warned. Tsunami nodded. "Now then, one more thing. Ryo-Ohki," The cabbit obediently appeared, jumping up into PM Washu's arms. She patted the cabbit's head for a second, then reached into her pocket and produced a short wand with a metal ball at one end. "That's a good Ryo-Ohki," she cooed. Then, suddenly, she tapped Ryo-Ohki's head with the wand. A current of electricity passed from the metal ball into Ryo-Ohki's head. The cabbit yelped and jumped away from her. She ran behind Ryoko's legs. "Aunt Washu?" "Don't worry," PM Washu said. "It was necessary. It occurred to me that if there are no fissures in your universe, then your Ryo-Ohki wouldn't be programmed with their locations. And in this universe, a ship that doesn't know where the fissures are is worse than useless, it's dangerous." Tsunami blinked. "So you just gave that information to Ryo-Ohki, is that it?" "Mmm hmm." Her wrist communicator beeped. "Yes?" "Madame Prime Minister, the Queen's attache is requesting permission to come aboard." PM Washu nodded. "Very well. Pipe him aboard and escort him to the conference room on deck six." "Understood," "Who is the attache, anyway?" "Colonel Masayoshi Rotarin." Washu went rigid. "Is that so?" she asked coldly. "Yes, Ma'am." "Fine, tell him I'll be there shortly." "Yes, Ma'am." Her communicator beeped to signal that the connection was severed. PM Washu hesitated for a moment before turning back to the two of them, who looked at her in puzzlement. "Well," she said, "Tsunami's taken care of, now for you, Ryoko." Ryoko blinked. "What about me?" "You don't *look* like my daughter. Come here." Washu led her to a chair and motioned for her to sit down. Ryoko obeyed and waited. She felt a glimmer of pain as Washu grabbed a handful of her hair. "Ow!" "Sorry, it's a little coarse." Ryoko winced as Washu began to brush her hair. "It's shorter, but no one should notice that." Ryoko sat there and waited while Washu tried to manipulate her hair into a pony-tail. "Um, shouldn't you be heading to the conference room?" "To Hell with him," she said shortly. "He can wait." Her newly established link with Washu wasn't quite complete yet, but she could still pick up on her moods. Right now, that mood was rather black. "Uh...do you *know* this guy? Ow!" This last part came when Washu tugged on the brush a little too hard. "I should." she told her adopted niece bitterly. "Why is that?" She winced again. "Because," Washu told her tightly, "He's my son." Tenchi looked down into the decorative pool and studied his reflection. A carp jumped out of the water and fell back with a splash, distorting the image. When the ripples in the water smoothed out, he saw E. Ryoko's reflection next to his own. "Tenchi?" He looked up and tried to smile. "Hello, Ryoko. Do you need me for something?" "Actually, I was wondering if *you* were okay." He opened his mouth to tell her he was fine, but no sound came out. "It's my fault," he told her, finally. "I didn't tell them. I *should've* told them. If I had..." "If you had, Ayeka would've come for Sasami anyway, and it wouldn't have made a bit of difference." "I should be with them, helping them rescue Sasami, not just sitting here." He shook his head in self reproach. "I should be *doing* something!" "Like what!?" Ryoko asked him harshly. The tone of her voice surprised him. She took him by the shoulders and looked into his eyes. "Tenchi, on Jurai, your face is a death sentence to you and anyone near you. I understand if you feel guilty because you *can't* do anything, but rest assured that if you tried, you would die...and you would probably take Ryoko and my mother with you. Is that what you want?" He shook his head guiltily. "Tenchi, you've already done so much, let someone else handle it this time." "How can I?" he asked her. "How could I ask Ryoko, Tsunami, and Washu to go into danger while I stay here in a palace? I didn't come here to sit by the pool!" "How can you say that?" she asked, seriously. "You don't think you've done enough? You don't think the contributions you've made count? I think you can sit this one out with a clear conscience, Tenchi." "What are you talking about?" She sighed, then took his hand in hers. "Come with me," she whispered. "I want to show you something. I want to show you just how much you've done for all of us." An hour later, dressed in gray cloaks and hoods that hid their faces, Tenchi and E. Ryoko entered a large park in the middle of the capital. Tenchi looked around, sincerely impressed. He had learned that the capital city of the Empire was one of the largest in the galaxy, so the people who lived there valued their parks and took exceptional care of them. The fountains were clean, the grass was cut, and flowers were planted in decorative areas all over the grounds. She led him down a path that led to the center of the park. He was so enthralled in the natural beauty around him, he didn't notice the statue unitl he was standing right next to it. He looked up at it. It was a statue of him and Ryoko. They were standing, facing opposite directions, but their hands were joined. He was wearing an Imperial uniform like the one he saw on his double when he was kidnapped. Ryoko was dressed in a kimono. "Ryoko, what is this?" he asked her. "It's an Imperial monument," she told him. "You probably didn't notice, but your statue faces west while mine faces east. The sculptor who created it intended it that way. The Emperor's statue is facing the dusk of the old Empire, while my statue faces the dawn of a new one. But this isn't what I wanted to show you." She took his hand and led him to a park bench where they sat down together. She nodded towards an area of the park. "Take a look at them," she told him, "What do you see?" Tenchi took a look around. He saw two children playing with a kite, a young man in an Imperial uniform walking with a young woman, and another man in uniform, this one a little older, walking with a woman carrying a child in her arms. Tenchi didn't see what Ryoko wanted from him. "I see people," he said stupidly. She nodded. "That's right, Tenchi. People." She faced him. "Do you know *how long* we were at war with Jurai? Two hundred and fifty two years," she answered her own question. "That Marine and his girlfriend over there," she pointed at the young man and woman, "He should be crouched in a foxhole on Banipal right now, praying that Tsunami will come down on a cloud of glory and save him. That officer and his kid," she pointed to the family, "He's a Marine Corp Major," she told him as if it explained something. "Ninety percent of the Marine Officer Corp never made it to Major. Most of them die in combat long before that." She pointed to the children playing with the kite. "Those children over there. If the war was still on, all they'd have to look forward to in life is a draft notice. Do you know what changed all this? Do you?" Tenchi saw where she was going. He remained silent. "They have *you* to thank, Tenchi," she told him seriously. "These are *your* people, and they're the people *you* saved. Don't you think you've done enough?" "It's not that simple, Ryoko," he told her. "I wasn't trying to save your empire, I was just trying to get home." "That doesn't change what you did for us," she replied, "It doesn't change the fact that you *saved* us! You were here only a short time, but in that time, you stopped a war that had taken on a life of its own. Now, you feel guilty for not doing *more?*" She looked at him. "That's just being selfish." "Selfish!?" "Yes. Don't you trust Ryoko...and my mother....and Tsunami? Are they incapable of getting Sasami back? I trust your opinion, Tenchi. If you tell me they can't succeed, I'll send the fleet to Jurai right now! I'll restart the war, Tenchi, I swear I will, just give the word." Her words finally got through to him. He shook his head. "You're right," he said, silently berating himself for his own stupidity, his own selfishness, his lack of trust in Ryoko, and his own unavoidable uselessness. "There's nothing I can do *but* nothing." Ryoko sighed in relief. It was at that moment that he realized that she *really* would've done it. She would've ordered her forces to Jurai to get Sasami back if he had asked her to, even knowing the odds, even knowing the consequences for her people. "Thank you, Ryoko," he told her, and he meant it. She blinked. "No problem, Tenchi." She stood up and faced him. "Well, the day is young. I counted on spending hours browbeating you into reality. What should we do now?" He smiled up at her. "Why don't you show me more of your city?" "I'd like that." The door to the conference room slid shut behind PM Washu. She took a breath and a few steps toward the man seated at one end of the table. He heard her approach and stood up. He gave a quick salute and a short bow. Washu returned neither one. She looked at him. He was tall. His height and his blonde hair were from his father's side. His green eyes were from her. She knew he was also highly intelligent, another gift from her, but where she used her genius in the pursuit of knowledge, he used his in the pursuit of conquest. She regarded him a moment, then said, "Colonel," "Mother," "Don't call me that!" she snapped. "You gave up the right to call me that when you put on that uniform!" "You wear a uniform yourself, now, *Madame Prime Minister,*" he told her pointedly, with a hint of contempt. She took a step forward and grabbed a handful of her white cape of rank. She held it up to him. "You see this?" she asked, "White," she told him harshly, "Science, Medical, and Engineering Sevice. *Non-*combatant!" She let it go, allowing it to fall back behind her. "Not like my darling little boy and his *illustrious* career." He flinched. "You didn't think I knew?" she asked, "You didn't think I was keeping tabs on my own flesh and blood? I saw you!" she spat. "You killed half the men Tsunami got credit for!" She felt tears well up, but fought them down. "You betrayed your people, your country, and your family!" "What was I supposed to do, Mother?!" he asked bitterly, "Let the Emperor run right over the top of Jurai? You want to talk about combatants, let's talk about Ryoko! How many unarmed freighters did she destroy during the war, huh?" "You leave your sister out of this!" Washu cried out. "She didn't have a choice!" "Half sister! And neither did I." Washu fought down a retort. "This is getting us nowhere," she growled. "The summit meeting starts in two hours." She sat down at a chair across from his. "You may begin your briefing on security measures and what we can expect planetside," she said, now totally business-like. "Keep in mind that while she's here, Her Majesty will want to meet with her ambassador at the embassy building." "Of course." "Then there is the traditional dinner at the Royal residence." "I have been informed that that is to be canceled." Washu thought. "Why?" she asked casually. Masayoshi had a ready response. "The palace is currently undergoing renovation and is...unpresentable." She smiled devilishly. "Oh, now, we don't mind, and it would mean a lot to Ryoko if she could speak to the Queen in a more...casual environment." "I'm told it is forbidden." "Really? Why? Does Her Highness have relatives over?" She watched Masayoshi's face, searching for a sign of recognition. She didn't see any reaction. "No, as I said, it's renovation. However, in the interest of detente, I'll pass your request along to Her Highness." Washu nodded. "Next..." They continued the meeting as professionally as they could. Ayeka walked into the sitting room and did a quick search. She had checked the dining room, the grand hallway, his bedroom...Tenchi was simply nowhere in sight. She stopped dead in her tracks. Come to think of it, she hadn't seen the Empress around all day, either. She looked up at the fireplace. It was easily the size of her room back on Earth. Above it was a decorative wooden mantle. It was surprisingly bare. A vase, a few books, and a small crystal were the only things there. A small crystal. She remembered that the Empress had given one of those crystals to Tenchi before she left Earth after her visit. Tenchi had taken the crystal and blushed. She and Ryoko had wanted to know what it was, but he would never tell them. She stepped forward and gently picked the crystal up. She held it for a moment, but nothing happened. She took a breath and closed her eyes, allowing her mind to relax. Suddenly, she was kissing Tenchi! He was there! Plain as life! He wore a red uniform similar to the one she had seen PM Washu wearing when she left with Ryoko. She didn't know what was happening or why, but she allowed herself to be swept up by the moment. Tenchi was kissing her! she thought. Suddenly, he was gone. She was back in the sitting room, the crystal still in her hands. Her face was beet red. She growled low in her throat as she realized just what it was she had experienced. It was one of *the Empress'* memories. The crystal she had given Tenchi must have been the other side of that memory, a memory of him kissing E. Ryoko. She hastily put the crystal back on the mantle. <*She* must have spirited him away, the little bitch!> "Excuse me, Milady," Ayeka turned to see a woman with short auburn hair wearing a uniform that identified her as an Imperial Marine. As a matter of fact, she looked awfully familiar... "Are you okay, Milady? Do you need any help?" the woman asked politely. It suddenly hit Ayeka. She pointed at the woman. "You're that soldier who was at the gate when we arrived!" The Marine suddenly seemed very uncomfortable. Ayeka thought. "Er...yes, Ma'am. I was there." "What's your name, Miss?" The Marine stood straighter. "Sergeant Rikari, Ma'am. Misa R. Imperial Marine Corps. Service number 5846985214154." "Hmm. Well, I intend to have a talk with the Empress about your behavior when we arrived. You had no right to speak to me in such a manner!" The Marine gritted her teeth. "With all due respect, Milady," she began dangerously, "I was doing my job. If I had not treated you the way I had, I would have been remiss in my duties as an Imperial Marine. If you had been in my place, *you* would've done the same, otherwise *you* would have been remiss." Ayeka blinked and silently berated herself. This woman had only been doing her job. She didn't deserve to be reprimanded just because Ayeka was angry at the Empress. "I...I apologize, Sergeant." She took a breath and sighed. "I'm just rather upset at the moment, I did not mean to lash out at you. I know you were only doing your duty." "I quite understand, Milady," Rikari said with just a hint of relief. Performance of duty or not, a bad word from one of the Empress' guests could've caused her a great deal of trouble with Colonel Stolykios. "Do you need any help?" "No, no, I'm all right," Ayeka responded sadly. "Thank you, Sergeant." "Yes, Milady." Misa turned on her heel and walked away as quickly as she could, quite relieved that she had managed to get away from Ayeka unscathed. Queen Ayeka hummed a light tune as she walked down the hall to her sister's room. Today was the summit meeting with the Emperor's Tart, so she would be very busy until the little whore left. Before that time, she wanted to spend as much time with Sasami as she could. She approached the door and found it unguarded. Ayeka paused. Where was Gensao? She mentally shrugged it off. He was probably inside with Sasami. He *was* in charge of her education, after all. She pressed her thumb against the lock pad and waited for it to turn green, the signal that the door was open. She heard the click that told her it was, and she pushed the door open. "Sasami, I..." she broke off. Sasami was nowhere in sight. "Sasami?" She looked around herself in fear. "Sasami?!" She looked up at the window and found it open. As she rushed to it, she saw something that made her eyes go wide in shock. The sheets on Sasami's bed had been removed....and they were knotted together in a rope that was tied to one of her corner bedposts and led out the window. Ayeka's mind screamed at her. "SASAMI!" She rushed to the window and looked down. Sure enough, Sasami was hanging there at the end of her makeshift rope. The rope didn't reach all the way to the ground. Sasami was still two stories above the plasticrete walkway that ran alongside the palace wall. "SASAMI!" she shouted again. She saw Sasami look up at her. Sasami saw Ayeka and started to panic. She hadn't expected her to come see her today because of the meeting with Ryoko. She had sent Gensao to the kitchen to get her a snack...a rather large snack that would be difficult for him to carry, so she didn't expect him back for at least twenty minutes. She looked down and regretted it. In the movies, there was always enough sheet to get the escaping prisoner down to the ground. The movies didn't know what they were talking about. She couldn't jump. Not without killing herself. She looked up at the wall in front of her. Her feet were just an inch above the top of a plate glass window. She licked her lips in apprehension. If she could break that window open, she might be able to... She heard her sister call out above her. "AZAKA! KAMIDAKE!" she thought sarcastically. She took a breath and sighed as the two guardians appeared on either side of her and suspended her in a force field. "Princess," Kamidake boomed, "Please release the rope. We will carry you to safety." "No you won't," she muttered, but let go of the rope regardless. The two guardians lifted her to the balcony where they released the forcefield. Sasami landed on her feet. Ayeka grabbed her and hugged her, weeping all over Sasami's shoulder. "Oh, Sasami! You shouldn't have done that! You had me so worried! You could've been hurt!" Sasami sighed and thought of a few choice curses she had heard Ryoko use once or twice. Ayeka stood up and turned. Her voice became viscious. "And you!" she shouted at the empty room. "GENSAO! APPEAR! NOW!" The green guardian appeared before her, several trays of food balanced precariously on top of his head. "Yes, Ma'am?" Ayeka growled. "SASAMI COULD'VE BEEN KILLED!" she screamed. "YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO PROTECT HER! WHAT IN THE NAME OF THE TREE OF ORIGIN WERE YOU THINKING, LEAVING HER LIKE THAT?!" The guardian floated back a pace in fear. "I...er...was...getting a snack for the Princess. I was unaware..." "NO EXCUSES!!!" The Queen turned to her own guardians. "Azaka! Kamidake! This guardian is defective! Dispose of it!" "Yes, Ma'am!" the two responded in unison. Sasami's eyes went wide. Azaka and Kamidake approached Gensao and began to power up their weapons. Sasami ran forward and placed herself between Gensao and the murderous guardians. "No! Please don't! Ayeka! Please! It's not his fault! I *ordered* him to go to the kitchen! Please! Order them to stay back!" Ayeka didn't move. "PLEASE!" Sasami begged. She licked her lips. She decided to try one last gamble. "*SISTER!* PLEASE!" Ayeka's hand came up and the guardians halted. Ayeka smiled. "Very well, Sasami. I suppose it *was* just an accident." She knelt down next to Sasami and hugged her. "Let's forget all about it." She stood up again and stopped next to Gensao. "But if anything like this happens again, Gensao," she growled in warning, "If you are derelict in your duties again, I'll see to it personally that it takes Azaka and Kamidake six weeks to destroy you." She pointed at him in a threatening manner. "Do...not...fail...me...again." "Ye..Yes Ma'am!" the green guardian stuttered. "Well, now that *that* unpleasantness is over with, let's do something together, Sasami!" Ayeka smiled down at Sasami. The blue-haired princess felt a shiver of fear run up her spine. She had to get away from this woman. Author's Notes: By now, some of you are asking where this story is going. What does Tokimi have to do with it? Who will end up with Tenchi? Ayeka? Ryoko? The Empress? Will Tsunami be able to rescue Sasami without her goddess powers? What are looking at me for? I don't know. You'll just have to read the next part of the story. Thomas "009" Doscher doscher009@hotmail.com