Despite not owning Tenchi Muyo! or any of its subsidiaries or sponsors (which I can't recall right now), it hasn't made me in the least bit resentful. Not at all.

Mind Swap, Chapter 1 (The One with the Mind Swap)

"Rivals and Revelations"

----------------------------------------------------------------------

            "There. I think it should work now."

            Washu took the small pink control cube out of the complicated looking machine at one end of her lab and gave it to Mihoshi, who began to twist it earnestly.

            "Really, Miss Washu? It works? Oh thank-you thank-you thank-you thank-you thank-you!" Mihoshi jumped for joy.

            "Happy to help. For once it's your equipment that isn't working properly, not your brain. Oh, and call me Little Washu."

            "Okay, Miss Washu."

            "Little."

            "Oh, of course. From now on, I'll call you Little Washu, Miss Washu."

            The little genius sighed. Some things will never change.

            "Now I think it's time to get back to my latest invention."

            "Oh, what are you making now, Miss Washu?"

            Washu hesitated, remembering all the previous encounters between Mihoshi and her experiments. But her current machine wasn't working yet, she reasoned. So I suppose she can't make it any worse.

            "It's an instantaneous matter transplacer," she said, leading the blond klutz over to a hexagonal pad on the floor. A control panel stood nearby. The whole apparatus had a futuristic space trekking feel to it. "It can be used to move any matter instantly from one place to the other. At the moment, this works on non-organic substances, but it can't transport people yet."

            "Why not?" Mihoshi asked.

            Washu led the way to two facing chairs nearby. A similar control panel to the first resided in front of the left-hand chair. "I think it's because a person has three existences. One is the physical body. The second is the spirit, or soul, or life force, or whatever you call it. It is the essence of the being, the thing that makes the body live. The third is the mind. The body cannot exist without the mind. Unfortunately, most peoples' minds have a tendency to stay in one place. That's why most people are happy to not be promoted in their jobs. Their minds don't want them to move. This makes transporting them a little difficult. This device here," she gestured towards the two chairs, "is a prototypical experiment to try and make a person's mind move to a desired destination. If it works, I'll then be able to transport people as well. Questions?"

            Mihoshi raised her hand. "I have a question. How does that chair thingy work?"

            "Well, firstly I create a copy of me. I then sit in this chair with the control panel, while my copy sits in the other chair. I then use the control panel to try and get us to switch minds. I'll be able to tell if it's worked, because I'll be looking at myself, only I will be in my copy's body, with it's point of perspective."

            "Oh right. I have another question. What's all this for?"

            Washu face-faulted.

---------------

            Meanwhile, in the dimension affectionately referred to as reality, the Masaki household was undergoing another makeover. Ryoko and Ayeka were fighting again. Tenchi had wisely retreated to his room, and Sasami was busy in the kitchen. She wasn't scared of the noises outside. As angry as the fighters were, they knew better than to destroy the kitchen. They still needed to eat, after all.

            Mihoshi stepped out of Washu's lab, where Ryoko's energy sword nearly ran her through. She didn't jump back, however; she was too pleased with her working control cube to notice. She wandered into the kitchen.

            "Everyone, dinner's nearly ready," called Sasami.

            "Food," Ryoko said. "My third favourite thing. After sleeping and annoying you of course, Miss Priss." With that, she faded her energy sword and floated through into the kitchen.

            "Humph!" Ayeka snorted. "I swear that woman has a shorter attention span than a carrot."

            As if summoned by the word, Ryo-ohki ran into the house to Ayeka with a big "Miyaa!"

            "Oh, hello, Ryo-ohki. Come along, dinner's ready." She proceeded towards the kitchen, Ryo-ohki tailing her, and sat at her usual place at the table.

            "Can someone go and tell Washu and Tenchi that dinner's ready please? I don't think they heard me." Sasami said.

            "I'll get Tenchi," Ryoko said. "At least I've got a chance of getting Tenchi. Unlike a certain flat-chested princess I could mention."

            "I am not flat-chested!" Ayeka shouted. "I'm just late in developing, that's all!"

            "Guys, don't start up another fight please. Just go get Tenchi for dinner." Sasami's voice diffused the potential fight.

            "Okay, Sasami," Ryoko said. "Hey, whoever gets there last gets him second."

With that she faded out. Ayeka ran out of the kitchen and quickly up the stairs, to the slightly muffled sound of Tenchi yelling "Ryoko, stop that!".

            "Mihoshi, can you go and get Washu? It's just that I'm busy here at the moment." Sasami said.

            "Sure! Oh I know! I'll use my control cube to get her!" Mihoshi gave the pink cube a few twists and vanished.

---------------

            She reappeared in Washu's lab. Ten feet above the floor. She fell, flailing her arms wildly. Her hands smashed into Washu's mind displacer control panel, inputting commands accidentally. She landed on the seat, and then promptly dropped onto the floor.

            "AAAHHH! What have you done!" Washu yelled. "My experiment!"

            She rushed over and started tapping buttons furiously. Mihoshi got up, slightly bruised.

            "I don't think my control cube is fully fixed, Miss Washu," she said.

            "The cube works perfectly, it's just the user that's broken!" Washu said angrily. "And now this! You aimed the targeting scanners somewhere else. I severely hope that no-one was there, and that you didn't manage to get it to work."

            "I'm sorry, Miss Washu. But look on the bright side. Dinner's ready!"

---------------

            Meanwhile, Ayeka and Ryoko were facing each other off in the upstairs corridor. Tenchi was watching from behind the safety of a door, a tedious look on his face.

            "Girls, I've told you before," Tenchi tried reasoning with them; he had tried to do so before, but maybe the ninety-second time's a charm. "There's really no point in fighting over me. Please stop it."

            "We're not just fighting over you," Ryoko said, glaring at Ayeka, who glared straight back. "It's the principal of the thing."

            "I wasn't aware there was a principle," Ayeka said smoothly. "Pray tell me what it is."

            "It's the principle that it's just good fun fighting you," Ryoko said. "And besides, what stopped our last fight? As I recall, I had my blade to your neck and you were squirming for your life."

            "Hardly. If anything, you were losing. And it was dinner that stopped our last fight."

            "Of course! Dinner! I knew there was something missing."

            With that, Ryoko powered down and went for the stairs. But when she got to the top step, she experienced a sudden dizzying moment. Everything around her merged into itself, and she completely lost her bearings. Then it was all over, but the feeling of displacement remained. She stepped forwards, missed the step and proceeded to fall down the stairs. She caught herself halfway down and floated there, wondering what had happened to her. She dismissed it quickly, and proceeded to the kitchen.

            Ayeka had also had a similar experience. She had just powered down when a powerful wave of nausea came over her. She stumbled, but regained her posture. It was probably just a side effect from one of Washu's experiments. They had a habit of doing strange things. She too dismissed it and went downstairs.

Tenchi was concerned, and said so as he sat down at the table.

            "Concerned?" Ryoko said in the smoothest and most child-like voice she had. "About little old me?"

            "Yes, well," Ayeka said sharply. "It was probably just one of Washu's experiments backfiring. You know how they can be."

            "Yes, you're probably right," Tenchi nodded. "Where is Washu anyway?"

            "Oh, she had to work on some project I fell on," said Mihoshi.

            "Fair enough."

---------------

            Washu, on the other hand, wasn't quite as casual about it. She had determined where the targeting scanners had been refocused to, and had also discovered that purely by chance Mihoshi had tapped in the correct command to activate a time-delayed mind swap. Now Washu was worried if anyone had been in the way of the scanners when that had happened.

            Washu, a habitual non-sleeper, especially when several of her experiments needed tending to, suddenly realised that she was immensely tired. Since there didn't seem to be anything immediately requiring her attention, she decided to have a nap. She summoned her trans-dimensional keyboard, tapped a few buttons, and collapsed and fell asleep on the soft double bed that had appeared from nowhere. She would deal with the transplacer in the morning.

---------------

            It was now nighttime. After the usual routine of calling goodnight and prising Ryoko off Tenchi, everyone lay in bed trying to get to sleep. One by one, they fell unconscious, and slipped into the realm of the night.

---------------

            Ayeka was... somewhere. All around her was white, seeming to stretch on infinitely. She looked around, trying to realise where she was. Nothing else existed here, only her. She span around several times, but her view seemed not to change. Then suddenly, a figure entered her vision. She immediately focussed on it, trying to determine who or what it was, but the glare around it hurt her eyes. She closed her eyes and looked away.

            The next thing she knew, she felt herself rising upwards. She opened her eyes again, to notice that another figure was dropping away beneath her. This one she recognised with a shock. It was herself. She was outside her own body.

            Before she could recover from this shock, she noticed that she, that is, not her body drifting away, now out of sight, but her essence was moving towards the first figure. A hint of recognition sparked. And then it was more than a spark. It was Ryoko.

            Why was Ryoko in her dream? She had dreamt of her before, but in very different situations. This dream was not at all like the others.

            She was just stood still, almost seeming lifeless. Ayeka drifted over to her by some unseen force, getting closer and closer, until it almost seemed like she was inside her.

---------------

            Ryoko tossed and turned. She was having a nightmare. An indescribable demonic creature was slashing at her, tearing her up and pulling out her insides. Ryoko wasn't able to fight back, although she felt no pain. At the limit of her periphery she thought she could sense a Jurian standing behind her.

            She suddenly surged forwards with the creature's hand. She tried to struggle, but she felt a strange feeling, as if she was outside of herself. It was as if her conscience was a physical thing, which the creature had pulled out, and was now holding in its hand. It pulled her back and threw her behind her body towards the Jurian. It was someone familiar. It was female, and someone for whom she had great feelings for, although she didn't herself know whether these feelings were good or bad. It was Ayeka.

---------------

            It was morning. The sun was an hour into the sky and still advancing bravely. It was around now that Ryoko usually jumps Tenchi in bed.

            Ryoko woke up. It was automatic now; she had done this so many times before. She got out from under her duvet and straightened her nightwear from a night of tossing and turning.

            Nightwear?

            Ryoko usually wore nothing to sleep. She found wearing clothes while sleeping was too restricting. And yet here she was, wearing nightwear of a seemingly Jurian nature. She looked around. Sasami's bed was vacant, and made. She always woke up early to prepare breakfast.

            Why was she in Ayeka's room? Had she been sleep-drifting? She had never done so before. She looked down.

            She wasn't just in Ayeka's room. She was in Ayeka.

---------------

            Ayeka meanwhile had also woken up early. She was planning on cleaning the shrine for Tenchi, thus saving him a chore. She stretched, and noticed a breeze move across her bare body from an open window.

            Only it wasn't her bare body. She knew of only one person who had a body like that. Ryoko.

---------------

            Their first instinct was to find each other. The next was to find Washu. She had obviously done this to them.

            They met each other in the Onsen, the extra-dimensional bath Washu had created for the girls.

            "Ryoko," she said. "I mean, Ayeka. No, Ryoko."

            "I guess we had better decide what to call each other before we do anything else," Ryoko in Ayeka's body said.

            "I agree," the other said. "I'm Ayeka, trapped in your, Ryoko's, body. I suppose I should be called Ayeka."

            "Then I'm Ryoko," Ryoko said.

            They both slipped into the water.

            "Wait," Ayeka said. "What if we're stuck like this for a while? The others will be calling us each other."

            "That's true. We'll just have to tell them. Or make Washu tell them. After all, this must be her fault."

            "Indeed it is. But this situation is embarrassing. What about if we don't tell them until we know how long this change is going to last."

            "Fair enough. So between us two, we are who we are, not who we're in. For the others, it's vice versa."

            Ayeka had to think about this.

            "Yes," she agreed. "That's right."

            They sat and soaked for a few minutes.

            "After this, we need to tell Washu what's happened," Ayeka said. "She's the only one that could be able to help us."

            "True. But look on the bright side. It's not all bad."

            "Oh? Why is that?"

            Ryoko grinned. "Now I have first hand experience of how flat you are."

            "Hmph!" Ayeka crossed her arms. "We need some ground rules. You are not to blemish my body. It is pure, and for Tenchi only, not for the likes of you."

            "Alright. Well the same goes here. No spoiling my temple. It's too beautiful for a priss like you to mess up."

            "Deal." Ayeka paused. "Wait a minute, your body's not that beautiful. That's your deluded mind thinking."

            "Yes, but you're forgetting that this deluded mind is controlling your body. You should be careful what you say to yourself, otherwise you could get upset and cut your hair really short."

            "You wouldn't."

            "Wanna try me and see?"

            "Hmph!" Ayeka refocused her attention on washing Ryoko's body.

---------------

            Meanwhile, Washu had just woken up. She felt fully refreshed after the long sleep she had had. She had placed a temporal inhibitor around herself, which had the effect of letting her sleep for nearly a whole day, whilst only 9 hours had passed within the real world. She got out of bed and summoned her console. She was still groggy, and so it took her a while to remember what she had been doing.

            Washu snapped awake. The transplacer. Mihoshi. The targeting scanners. She remembered now. If she could find out if anyone was in the targeted area at the time of activation, namely, when Mihoshi fell on it, she might be able to do something. Perhaps the residual extraspace fractal imager would be of use. But that would take some time to charge. Meanwhile, she could continue work on the energy regulator she was designing for Ryoko. She was actually nearly finished with it. She should probably summon Ryoko and get her to try it out.

            She closed her eyes. "Ryoko, can I see you for a minute?" she thought. "I'm in the lab."

            "Yeah, sure," came the reply. "Just a sec."

            Washu went back to her console.

---------------

            "Ayeka, shall we go see Washu now?" Ryoko said. "She wants to see me anyway."

            "Very well. The sooner I'm out of this body the better. I can't stand to think of where it's been."

            "Very nice," Ryoko said. "Let's go."

            They stepped out of the Onsen and went towards Washu's lab. Sasami heard they were there and went to see them.

            "Good morning, Ayeka, Ryoko," the little princess said. "What're you doing up so early?"

            "Good morning, Sasami," Ayeka said. "I was just, umm..." She had just remembered that she was still in Ryoko's body, and as such saying that she was going to do a chore was suspicious.

            "Umm, Ryoko was just going to wake Tenchi up, weren't you, Ryoko?" Ryoko asked her.

            "Oh, yes, I was," Ayeka started. "And Ayeka was just going to sweep up the shrine for Tenchi. Isn't that right?"

            Ryoko frowned. "Sweep up? Me?" She looked at Sasami. "Oh, of course, yes. Sweep up. That's it. Umm, Sasami? Why are you smiling?"

            "Oh, it's just that you know what each other is doing," Sasami said. "It makes it seem like you're friends."

            "Friends? No way!" They said in unison.

            "No, umm, we've just been talking a bit, that's all," Ayeka said.

            "Okay, well, breakfast is in ten minutes. It's French pancakes today. I saw them in one of the foreign cookbooks I have."

            "That sounds great, Sasami," Ryoko said. "We just have something to take care of first. Ryoko?"

            "Hmm? Oh, yes. Excuse us."

            "Okay."

---------------

            There was a banging at the door.

            "It's open!" Washu called.

            The door opened to reveal Ayeka and Ryoko.

            "Ryoko, great, come here. I have something for you. Can I help you, Ayeka?"

            "Yes, you can help me," Ayeka said. "You can tell us what you did to us."

            "Ryoko? I don't understand." Washu was puzzled. From her point of view, Ryoko answered her offer of help.

            "It must be you. You're always doing something like this," Ryoko said.

            "Ayeka? What are you two up to?"

            "Look, when we woke up, we were each other," Ayeka said.

            "Put us back now, Washu," Ryoko said.

            "Wait, you two are each other? How did that...? Oh!" Washu realised. "I get it now. You two have been victims, I mean, subjected to my transplacer. It swaps people's minds around. It's a part of a bigger experiment."

            "Yes, well, I don't care," Ryoko said. "Change us back now."

            "I'm afraid I can't."

            "WHAT!?" they both exclaimed.

            "Your minds haven't been fused into your new bodies yet. They need to be properly combined before I can separate them again. Sorry."

            "Well, how long will that take?" Ayeka asked.

            "I'm not sure," Washu admitted. "At the most it will take a week, but it could happen any time between now and then."

            "A WEEK!?" they both shouted.

            Washu winced at the raised voices. "Yes, up to a week. And please don't shout. I'm right here."

            "How are we going to survive as each other for a week?" Ryoko asked.

            "We'll just have to try our best," Ayeka answered.

---------------

            Ryoko and Ayeka emerged from Washu's lab, only to be greeted by Tenchi.

            "Good morning, girls," Tenchi said.

            Ryoko leapt forwards and grabbed hold of Tenchi, hugging him tightly. "Tenchi, how could you sleep last night knowing I was so alone? I was ever so lonely without you, you know," she said, stroking his chest with her finger.

            "Umm, Miss Ayeka? What are you doing?" Tenchi asked, suddenly very nervous.

            "Ayeka? But, oh..." Ryoko said, letting go of Tenchi. "I'm sorry, um, Lord Tenchi. I don't know who or what got into me." She looked over at Ayeka.

            "I think I've got an idea," Ayeka replied coldly.

            "Please don't start fighting yet again," Tenchi groaned. "It's only eight in the morning. Can you at least save it until after breakfast?"

            "I know I'll try, but I'm not too sure about that demon girl over there," Ayeka said, pointing at Ryoko.

            "What did you call me?" Ryoko snarled. Tenchi took the opportunity to make a hasty retreat to the kitchen.

            "You heard me, devil woman," Ayeka replied. She cocked her head slightly, calling her spirit logs. But nothing came. "Huh?"

            "We're in each other's bodies, remember?" Ryoko said. "And since I can't call your puny logs, now you can't."

            "Yes, but you don't know how to call them," Ayeka retorted. "You can't use them against me." She thought. "Actually, come to think of it, neither of us can use any of our powers, nor each others. We just don't know how."

            "Yeah, you're right," Ryoko said. "I guess this means we can't fight for a while."

            "A week."

            They both sighed.

            "I sure hope this refusing thing happens quickly," Ryoko said.

            "Me too," Ayeka agreed. "I don't know how long I can last without beating you in a fight."

            "Beating me? That's a laugh. You couldn't beat a punching bag."

            "Do you want to see what I can beat?" Ayeka threatened.

---------------

            And so they whiled away the next hour playing chess. Neither of them was very good, though, so each game ended in stalemate. Since that diversion was no good, they sat in the main room, thinking quietly.

            Ayeka's thoughts went something like this: I do hope Ryoko doesn't try anything foolish. Surely she knows how important my body is to me? She wouldn't be stupid enough to damage it, would she? What am I thinking? My body's in serious danger.

            Ryoko's thoughts went something like this: Tenchi has to like at least one of us. If I approach him as Ayeka and he doesn't go for her, I'll know he likes me. If, however, he does go for Ayeka, at least I'll be in her body. I'll be the first one to know what it's like to be with Tenchi.

            Ryoko stood up and stood there for a second, until she realised that she couldn't phase away, then walked out. Ayeka watched as she went out.

            What's she up to? wondered Ayeka.

---------------

            At this time Tenchi was outside, tending to his small garden. It was a break from the carrot fields, rolling endlessly away from him into the distance. Of course, they needed to be this big. Ryo-Ohki needed all the carrots.

            As such, Tenchi found himself wondering yet again why Ryo-Ohki needed carrots at all, as apparently she could survive without eating anything ever, when Ryoko tapped him on his back. Tenchi jumped and nearly fell onto a small patch of purple flowers, described by Ayeka as Royal Teardrops. He turned around to face his company.

            "Miss Ayeka," Tenchi stuttered. "What are you doing here?"

            "I just wanted to see how you were doing, Tenchi," Ryoko replied. Hehe, she thought. I make a great royal pain, I mean, princess.

            "Oh," Tenchi replied. "I'm fine. How are you today?"

            "I'm great," Ryoko replied. "Thanks for asking."

            "That's always good to know," Tenchi replied.

            There was an awkward silence.

            "You and Ryoko seem to be getting on well today," Tenchi said.

            "What makes you say that?"

            "I haven't heard any explosions or seen any smoke yet. That means you two aren't fighting."

            "We've just been playing chess. Not much of a challenge, really. Ryoko can't play at all."

            "Well, I'd love to have a game with you sometime, if you want."

            "I'll see what I can do."

            "Anyway, I'm glad that you two aren't fighting. It's really nice to see you get along and be friends."

            "Friends?" Ryoko said. "We're not friends."

            "If you say so, Miss Ayeka. But think about it, will you? I'm sure everyone would be much happier if we didn't have to constantly watch out for explosions."

            There was another silence.

            "Was there something else you wanted, Miss Ayeka?" Tenchi asked.

            "Well, yes," Ryoko replied. "I wanted to ask you who you loved. Me or Ayeka?"

            "But you are Ayeka," Tenchi said.

            "Oh yeah. Me or Ryoko, then."

            "Ayeka, are you alright?"

            "What makes you say that, Tenchi?"

            "Well, for one, you always called me Lord Tenchi. And you never asked me who I actually loved before. Excuse me, but I don't think you're acting like yourself lately."

            That's probably because I'm not myself, Ryoko thought.

            "In fact, if I didn't know better, I'd say you were acting a lot like Ryoko," Tenchi said.

            You don't know the half of it.

            "Anyway, I've got to be going now," Tenchi said. "I've got some homework to do."

            "Okay, see ya, Tenchi, I mean, goodbye, Lord Tenchi," Ryoko said. Boy that was so obvious, she thought. It's a good thing Tenchi's so gullible.

            Tenchi went into the house and went to his room. Ryoko just stayed in the garden for a while.

            Wait, Ryoko thought. "He never answered my question."

---------------

            Ayeka knocked at Tenchi's door. She had made a drink for him.

            "Lord Tenchi," she called. "May I come in? I've made a drink for you."

            Tenchi opened the sliding door. "Ryoko?"

            Ayeka suddenly remembered that she was supposed to be Ryoko. "I've got a drink for you, Tenchi. I made it myself."

            "Thank you very much, Ryoko," Tenchi said, accepting the drink. He hesitantly took a sip, and was surprised to find that it wasn't like the last drink Ryoko had made for him. In fact, it tasted a lot like the drinks Ayeka made for him. But Tenchi just dismissed this. "Do you want to come in?"

            "Very well," Ayeka replied. She went in and sat on his bed. Tenchi went back to his desk.

            "I've just been talking with Ayeka," Tenchi said. "It's good to see that you're not fighting constantly any more."

            "Well, we don't really have a choice in the matter," Ayeka said.

            "Why is that?" Tenchi asked.

            Ayeka jerked to attention. "Umm, well, Washu has removed my powers for the moment, and Lady Ayeka has very kindly agreed not to try and fight me. That's why we're not fighting."

            "That's kind of her," Tenchi said. "But she did say that you were no competition as chess."

            "Well, to tell you the truth, neither of us are that good at it. We don't know the correct way to play Earth chess."

            "Tell me about it," Tenchi laughed. "Even I'm not entirely sure what to do."

            Ayeka giggled. "I could teach you how to play Juraian chess if you like. The figures are different from this planet's, and the movement strategies are also different, but as far as I can tell the rules are the same."

            "You know Juraian chess? Well, I'd be happy to learn. Maybe I could make some Juraian pieces. I'm quite good at that kind of thing."

            "So how are you, Lord Tenchi?" Ayeka asked.

            "Lord Tenchi?" Tenchi said. "Are you acting strange as well?"

            "What do you mean?"

            "Well, Ayeka was acting a lot like you downstairs, and now you're saying things Ayeka usually says. Are you alright?"

            "Oh, I'm fine," Ayeka replied quickly. "You know what? I think it's because of that dizzy moment we had last night. But I think I'm fine now."

            "Good," Tenchi replied. "You know I'm just looking out for you."

            "I appreciate that, Tenchi."

            There was a silence.

            "You know, I like it when you're like this," Tenchi said. "Not as violent or unpredictable as usual."

            "You mean, more like Ayeka?" Ayeka asked.

            "Well, I guess so," Tenchi replied nervously.

            Ayeka relaxed backwards. So he does prefer me, she thought. He likes me more than Ryoko.

            "Before you say anything, it doesn't mean that I like her more than you," Tenchi said hastily. "I have said many times that I don't love either of you more than the other."

            "Oh."

            "Actually Ryoko, I'm sorry, but I really need to get this work done," Tenchi said.

            "Oh, of course," Ayeka said. She stood up.

            "It was nice talking to you, though," Tenchi said.

            "For me as well." Ayeka walked out.

---------------

            Later, while Ryoko and Ayeka were watching television, Washu came out of her lab. Her eyebrows were half gone, and her bushy red hair was smoking slightly, but that didn't seem to dissuade her. She walked up to the two on the sofa.

            "Okay, you two, do you wanna hear the good news or the bad news?" she asked.

            "What is it?" Ryoko asked.

            "Well, the good news is that your minds have properly fused with your new bodies."

            "Great!" they both exclaimed.

            "When can we swap back?" Ayeka asked.

            "That's the bad news. Since Mihoshi fell on the transplacer, I've been trying to fix it, but it's no use. It's damaged beyond repair. I'm gonna have to make a whole other unit."

            "How long will that take?" Ryoko asked.

            "Well, the prototype took three months..."

            "Three months!"

            "The prototype took three months," Washu repeated. "Since I know what I'm doing now, the new unit should be ready in about two and a half months."

            "What!"

            "What can I say? I'm very efficient."

            "You mean to tell me that I'm going to be trapped in her body for another two months?" Ryoko asked.

            "Don't forget the half," Washu added.

            "Are you sure there's nothing you can do?" Ayeka asked.

            "There is one thing," Washu said. "But you're probably not going to like it."

            "What?"

            "Anything."

            "You're going to have to kiss."

            "You mean, each other?" Ryoko exclaimed.

            "On the lips," Washu said.

            "Are you sure about that?" Ayeka asked.

            "Hey, I don't make the rules," Washu said. "I just ignore them. I have a small device that can do this kind of thing in my lab, but it does only work with a prolonged epidermal contact."

            "Can't we just hold hands?"

            "No. Actually, for best results, you're going to have to use your tongues."

            "That's disgusting!"

            "Hey, if you don't like it, just imagine you're kissing Tenchi," Washu suggested.

            "Yes, but Tenchi doesn't have my teeth," Ryoko said. "The fangs, remember? I just don't like the idea of kissing myself."

            "Are you sure?" Ayeka asked. "I know you can make copies of yourself. What's to stop you from making one late at night and enjoying yourself?"

            "What does that mean?" Ryoko snarled.

            "Ladies, whenever you're ready," Washu said. "I'll be in my lab."

---------------

            "Ugh, I'll never be ready for this," Ayeka said. She sat on a chair facing Ryoko, who was sitting similarly. A small length of wire was wrapped round their left wrists, and connected to each other. Judging from Ryoko's expression, she wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea either.

            "Well, if you're not ready, might I suggest you just wait those couple of months?" Washu said. "Now, I've activated the device. All you have to do is sustain a prolonged kiss."

            "How prolonged?"

            "Fifty-seven minutes," Washu said. "That's with tongues. Actually, that's based on if you go at it full throttle, with all the action and stimulation that goes along with it."

            "AN HOUR!" they both exclaimed.

            "And most of all," Washu continued. "It's based on if you actually enjoy it."

            "How could I enjoy kissing her for an hour?" they both asked.

            "Well, if you don't want to do that, you could always just touch lips," Washu said.

            "How long would it take if we did that then?" Ryoko asked.

            "About seven hours."

            Ryoko and Ayeka looked at each other, their expressions frozen to hide their true thoughts about the impending kiss.

            "Shouldn't we just have a practise first?" Ryoko asked. "Not that I'm that way, because I certainly am not," she added firmly. "But should we just try first, you know, you see what we can stand?"

            "I guess it's possible," Ayeka said slowly. She turned to Washu, who was watching this with interest, a small smirk on her face. "Miss Washu, could you unhook this machine for a minute? You know, so we could..."

            "Experiment?" Washu finished. "Sure. I've never said no to a bit of experimenting, and I'm glad to see that you're taking some interest in what I do for a hobby."

            "What, kissing other women?" Ryoko said sharply.

            "Yes, actually."

            Ryoko did a double take, and then did another three for good measure.

            "You, Washu?" Ayeka asked.

            "No," Washu laughed. "I just wanted to see how you'd react. Anyway, go whenever you're ready."

            "Do you think you could go away while we discuss this?" Ayeka asked.

            "Oh, sure," Washu said. "I'm gone. Just call me when you're ready."

            Washu walked out of her lab. The princess and the pirate looked at each other.

            "So, about this 'full throttle' thing..." Ryoko started.

            "It seems it's the only way this is going to work," Ayeka replied.

            "Should we, you know, try it?"

            "I think we should."

            They leaned forwards, but Ayeka pulled back sharply.

            "Wait," she said. "Didn't Washu say that this all depends on us actually enjoying the kiss? Didn't she say it would only take an hour if we liked kissing each other?"

            "Yes, she did."

            They sat in silence for a few seconds.

            "Well, do you think it's going to take an hour?" Ryoko asked.

            "I couldn't say," Ayeka said, turning away quickly.

            "Me neither," Ryoko said.

            There was another pause, while the women looked at everything in the room except each other.

            "I suppose, maybe, it could take just an hour," Ryoko ventured.

            Ayeka directed her gaze at her.

            "Really? Does that mean that you're a, you know, of that persuasion?"

            "I said before, no," Ryoko snapped.

            "Oh. I thought, maybe you were."

            "Hey, as much as I hate to admit it, it's not an impossibility," Ryoko said.

            "So you could be?"

            "Why are you on about it so much, anyway? Are YOU one?"

            "Me? I am the First Crown Princess of Jurai. Do you really think I would be like that?"

            "Well, judging from the way you're going on about it, yes."

            "Oh." Somehow, Ayeka didn't seem as bothered by that answer as she should have been. Ryoko picked up on this.

            "Well, that was a heartfelt response. You know, I'm beginning to think you are."

            "How could you say that?" Ayeka asked shocked.

            "Well, you're acting like one of those people who is just trying to hide the fact that they are."

            "I am?"

            "Do you always try to avoid answering by asking another question?"

            "I don't always do that, do I?"

            "Yes you do. You doing it right now."

            "Well, why are you so bothered, unless you're one too?"

            "Yet another question," Ryoko exclaimed. "You really don't want to admit it, do you?"

            "You're the one avoiding the topic now. You are one of those people, aren't you?"

            "Aren't you?"

            Yet another pause. The two women were busily trying to decide if the other was a, you know, of that persuasion.

            Ryoko came to a conclusion.

            "You are one, aren't you?"

            "What? How dare you insult me like that?"

            "Look, would it make it easier if I said I was?"

            "You are?"

            Ryoko hesitated. She'd walked into such an obvious trap. It was either admit or deny. Yes or no. Heads or tails.

            Ryoko just turned her head and looked around the lab, trying to decide what to say.

            "I see," Ayeka said slowly. "You are."

            Ryoko would have jerked her head back, but she had spotted something. She stood up and went to investigate.

            "All this time I thought you were after Tenchi," Ayeka said, not noticing her absence. "But it seems that you weren't after him so much as trying to distance me from him, so that I would be free..." she drifted off. "Ryoko? What are you doing?"

            "Hey, princess, guess what?" Ryoko called.

            "What?" Ayeka got up and walked over to her.

            "I think someone's been doing a spot of creative story telling," Ryoko said. "Look what I've found."

---------------

            Washu came back in. She approached the two women, sitting opposite each other.

            "Decided yet?" she asked.

            "Oh yes," Ryoko said. "We've had a bit of a talk, and we've decided to go all out."

            "Really?" Washu was stunned.

            "Oh yes," Ayeka said. "We've decided it's the only way to realise our love for each other."

            "Love?" Washu was completely unready for this. Who would be?

            "That's right," Ryoko said. "And maybe afterwards, would you like to join us for a lot of fun? Maybe we could use that table you reserve for Tenchi. You know, the one with all those tentacles?"

            "Ryoko," Ayeka hissed, nudging her. "That's going a bit too far, even for this."

            "That's right. Sorry, Ayeka," Ryoko said. "That's our little secret. But is it alright if I tell her about the big announcement later?"

            "What announcement?" Ayeka asked.

            "You know, our engagement," Ryoko said. "Forgive me if I'm wrong, but you weren't kidding when you asked me to marry you, were you? Because if you were I'll be ever so sad."

            "Now you're really overacting," Ayeka whispered.

            Washu was just standing there. She had no idea how to react.

            "Anyway, Washu? Can you get started? We want to be back in our own bodies, so we can truly enjoy ourselves."

            Ryoko leaned over and turned the machine on. The wires had been replaced on their wrists earlier.

            "Pucker up, lover," Ryoko said.

            Ayeka was now blushing furiously, as they leaned forwards to kiss.

            Washu rushed forwards and turned off the machine. The other two looked up at her.

            "What'd you do that for, Washu?" Ryoko asked.

            "Yes. I was looking forward to that," Ayeka said.

            "Look, I don't know what happened, but I was totally not expecting this," Washu said. "I'm afraid I lied to you. The transplacer is fixed. It's over there," she said, pointing towards the machine Ryoko was looking at earlier. "I didn't mean for anything like this to happen. I just wanted to see how you'd react under such circumstances. I'm sorry."

            "Yeah, so are we," Ryoko said.

            "Huh?"

            "We're afraid that we lied to you too," Ayeka said. "We found out about the machine while you were out. We were just pretending that we loved each other to see how you'd react."

            "Oh. So you're not lesbians?"

            "Oh no," Ryoko said.

            "And you aren't getting married?"

            "No," Ayeka replied.

            "And you don't want to use my table and invite me to join in?"

            "Of course not," Ryoko said. "You're only eleven. Why would you ever think that we'd want to invite you to our games?"

            "Well, it was just such a shock," Washu said. "I'm very relieved that you're not. I was just expecting you to grin and bear the kiss. Even so, I wasn't going to let you actually do so."

            "Anyway, can we do the real thing now?" Ayeka asked. "I want my body back."

---------------

            The resorting of the minds was successful. Washu had taken the liberty of dismantling the device afterwards, to prevent any more accidents, and placed the computer files relevant to it in a secure annex.

            And now it was late in the evening. So everyone went to bed.

---------------

            The next day, maybe about twelve noon, Ryoko and Ayeka, glad to be back in their proper bodies, were sitting on the sofa. Unluckily, Tenchi was between them, so Ryoko was busy cuddling up to him while Ayeka was shouting through Tenchi's ears at her. Eventually, after about two minutes of this Tenchi had had enough, and so went into the kitchen for a drink. The others weren't there, as Washu was in her lab, busy destroying evidence of her latest experiment, Sasami was making lunch and Mihoshi was out on patrol, so Ayeka and Ryoko were left alone. They didn't talk to each other for a minute. Ryoko looked up.

            "Ayeka, I'm sorry," she said.

            "What for?"

            "For all that stuff I said back in Washu's lab. I just got carried away. You know I didn't mean to embarrass you, right?"

            "I know," Ayeka replied. "Then I'm sorry for insulting you about your relationships with other men."

            "When was that?"

            "Just in general," Ayeka said. "I know now that the things I've said concerning that aspect of you are unjustified. I'm sorry for saying them."

            "Thanks," Ryoko nodded. She went silent as realisation dawned. "You mean you've..." She gestured towards her hips with a clawed hand.

            Ayeka looked away hurriedly, blushing furiously. "Of course not. I wouldn't want to take that away from you. That's for Tenchi, at least in theory."

            "But what were you doing down there in the first place, princess?" Ryoko asked suspiciously.

            "It's not what you think," Ayeka blushed. "I was merely... curious."

            "Curious. I see. So you've seen mine. You know I have to see yours now."

            "You mean to say you haven't looked at mine?"

            Ryoko paused, then turned her head forwards and away from Ayeka. "This is going too far too fast," she said.

            "Would you rather we go slower?" Ayeka asked. She moved up slightly and reached her hand towards Ryoko's, which was lying on a cushion. It stiffened as she touched it, but then grasped the princess' hand in return. They looked at each other for a long moment.

---------------

            Tenchi stood in the background, out of sight and of mind. He stood in the doorway to the kitchen, just able to see the two women on the sofa round the corner. He turned and returned to the kitchen.

            "So do they want anything, Tenchi?" Sasami asked of the two.

            Tenchi shook his head. "Maybe just time," he said. "I wouldn't go in there for a few minutes."

            "Why, what are they doing?"

            "They're becoming friends."

---------------

            Washu sat at her desk in her lab. She was watching the scene through one of her hidden spy cameras.

            "I've unlocked something within them," she said to herself. "Who knows how deep it goes. I guess only time will reveal it."

            She continued to watch, as the two women remained still, staring endlessly at each other.

            "Time..."

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