"Hi, Ryoko!" greeted Sasami cheerfully. "Would you like to try
something I just made?"

"Thanks, Sasami, but I'm not very hungry right now," answered Ryoko.

"Pleeeaaase!" begged the princess.

"Oh, alright," said Ryoko, smiling. She decided that she might as well
do something to distract herself. As Sasami walked into the kitchen,
Ryoko followed in the air behind her.

"Here it is!" said Sasami proudly, pointing to a plate sitting on the
table.

Ryoko looked at the plate. On it was a steaming circular object, with
a heart drawn in red-brown sauce.

"What is it?" she asked.

"It's okonomiyaki," answered Sasami. "There's a lady on a TV show I
watch sometimes that makes them, so I decided to do an experiment."
She smiled. "Like Washuu!"

Ryoko looked back and forth carefully. "Don't say anything, but I like
your experiments better. They taste good. And they don't explode."

"But Washuu's inventions don't blow up *that* often," protested
Sasami, slicing up the okonomiyaki.

"What TV show did you see this on, anyway?" asked Ryoko. "One about
cooking?"

"Uh-uh. It's a show about a boy, and all the girls who love him,"
answered Sasami. "It's really funny. And the girl with the big spatula
is the one who makes these."

Ryoko sifted her memory for a few seconds. Then her face brightened.
"Oh, I think I remember now. Is this the one that stars the girl who
turns into a cat?"

"Yeah, that's Shampoo," replied Sasami. "But I like Kasumi the best.
She cooks things for the people she loves, and she's never, never mean
to anybody. Everyone else hits each other all the time."

Ryoko picked up a slice of okonomiyaki and tasted it. "Mmmm... this is
*good*, Sasami."

"Thank you!" Then she paused and thought for a moment. "Ryoko, why
does the little man in the purple clothes keep trying to steal all the
ladies' underwear?"

"I don't know," answered Ryoko, grinning. "Why does Tenchi's dad keep
trying to peek into the women's bath?"

Both of them shuddered, then giggled. Noboyuki's voyeurism was one of
the few subjects all of the girls were in perfect agreement on.

"By the way, where are Aeka and Tenchi?" asked Sasami. "I want to see
if they like it, too."

Ryoko tensed for a moment. She'd really needed to take her mind off of
her worries. Beyond her apprehension about what Aeka had tried to do,
and what might at that very moment be going on in the woods, the
terrible *seriousness* of the day was like a heavy weight on her
shoulders. It had felt very good to laugh again, for a little while.
But now she'd been reminded once more.

"They're out by your sister's tree," she answered.

"When will they be back?"

"I don't know," Ryoko answered quietly.

"Is something wrong?" Sasami inquired, her voice concerned. "You look
kinda sad."

Ryoko was about to answer when she heard a voice from the living room.

"Ryoko?" called Tenchi. He cringed in surprise for an instant as she
appeared in front of him out of nowhere. He *still* wasn't used to her
doing that.

She embraced him and held him tightly for a moment. He responded with
a kiss.

"I told Aeka I'd forgive her if she apologized to you," he said.
"She's in her room, getting changed. Just let her know when you want
to talk."

"But, Tenchi...!" she protested, sounding hurt. Ryoko had known that
Tenchi might try to patch things up with Aeka, but she'd hoped that
he'd find some way to gently let her go, instead.

"Try to listen to her, Ryoko. Please." He started walking to the
stairs. Then he noticed Sasami standing near the entrance to the
kitchen, holding a plate. "Sasami-chan, when I come back down, can you
help me put some bandages on my back?"

"OK, Tenchi," answered the princess. As Tenchi went upstairs, Sasami
turned and looked at Ryoko, her expression puzzled. "What does Aeka
have to say she's sorry for? Were you two fighting again?"

"No, not exactly. She tied up Tenchi, and whipped him," answered
Ryoko.

Joy suddenly filled Sasami's face. "Oh, boy! She finally decided to
show Tenchi how much she loves him!" she shouted, dropping the plate
and jumping up and down. It broke when it hit the floor, but she
didn't seem to notice. She ran to Ryoko and hugged her around the
waist. "And he kissed you, Ryoko! Tenchi kissed you! He loves *both*
of you! I *knew* he did! I'm so happy! Now you and my sister won't
have to fight anymore, and you can be friends, and you'll never be
mean to each other ever again!"

Ryoko looked down at the little princess' happy eyes, hating herself
for what she was about to say. Strangers or enemies she could inflict
pain on without hesitation, but not someone sweet and innocent like
this.

"I'm very sorry, Sasami-chan. I wish I didn't have to tell you, but
that's not how it's going to be."

Sasami blinked. "But, why not?" she asked.

"Aeka hurt him, Sasami. I'm very angry with her. And so is Tenchi."

"But daddy never seemed to mind, that much, when mommy whipped him
after he'd been bad," reassured Sasami. "You shouldn't worry. Really.
Tenchi will be OK."

Ryoko frowned, her curiosity piqued slightly, but for now she'd had
all she could stand of the marital habits of Jurai's royal family.

"It isn't just the whipping," she said. "It's what she said he had to
do, to make her stop."

Sasami looked confused. "I thought she'd say he had to tell her he
loves her. Isn't that what she said?"

"No, Sasami-chan," Ryoko said, her voice breaking. "She said he had to
say he doesn't love *me*."

All of the happiness vanished from Sasami's face in an instant.

"No..." she said quietly, slowly shaking her head. "No. She wouldn't,
Ryoko. She *wouldn't*." For a moment she'd thought she'd finally get
to see what she'd wanted for so long, but now those hopes had been
dashed, replaced with the prospect of her worst fears coming to pass.
She sat down, staring at the floor, on the verge of tears. "No...
no... no..." she repeated, over and over.

Ryoko stood there, frozen, looking at the damage she'd had to inflict
and didn't know how to repair. Deciding that anything she might do
would only make things worse, she sat down on the couch.

"Is that what Tenchi said she had to say she's sorry for?" asked
Sasami, after a minute or so.

Ryoko closed her eyes and nodded.

"Will you listen to her?" asked Sasami hopefully.

Ryoko shook her head. "No. Not after what she did."

Sasami moved in front of Ryoko, knelt, and bowed her head. "Please
don't be mad at her so much, Ryoko," the princess begged. "She's
scared of you. She's afraid you'll take Tenchi away from her, and
leave her all alone."

"What makes you think *that*, Sasami?" scoffed Ryoko.

"She said so. Lots of times. But last night she was really, 
*really* scared, and it made her cry a lot. I told her you wouldn't do
such a mean thing to her, but she wouldn't believe me." Sasami paused
for a moment and looked up, her expression very concerned. "You
*wouldn't*, would you, Ryoko?"

"But that's what she tried to do to *me*, Sasami!" snarled Ryoko. Her
fists clenched and her body shook before she managed to control it.
Then she continued, her voice full of cold fury. "There's no way I can
forgive her for that."

Sasami got up and backed away, fear in her eyes as she held her hand
over her mouth. This was the first time she'd ever really felt scared
of Ryoko, the first time the space pirate had ever spoken angrily to
her. For a brief instant, she remembered things Aeka had said, about
what a terrible, cruel, vicious person Ryoko was. Sasami spent a
moment summoning up her courage. Then she sat down next to Ryoko and
looked up at her, her concerned expression tinged with hurt.

Seeing Sasami's face, Ryoko realized that she'd just lashed out
unthinkingly at someone who'd never been anything but kind to her.
Guilt piled up on top of all the grief she'd been through already. It
was just too much. Ryoko doubled over, sobbing uncontrollably.

Sasami's eyes widened in surprise. Ryoko was always so brave, so
strong, and Sasami had never, ever seen her cry before. It made her
feel like crying, herself, and she almost did. But she told herself to
be strong and brave, like Ryoko usually was, and she put her arm
around her.

Ryoko nodded, acknowledging the little princess's gesture, but she
kept on weeping. Gently Sasami pulled her closer and guided the
pirate's head down onto her shoulder. For what seemed like a very long
time, Sasami sat there in silence, holding back her tears for Ryoko's
sake and softly patting her on the back to reassure her that
everything would be alright.

Eventually Ryoko stopped crying, and began to dry her eyes. She
sniffed, then hugged Sasami tightly. "Thank you, Sasami-chan," she
said. "I really appreciated that. I shouldn't have yelled at you."

Sasami looked down, and her face became very sad. "That's OK. My
sister cried that way, too, last night. And she got mad, when I said
that you wouldn't take Tenchi away from her."

Ryoko blinked, unable to think of anything to say.

Then the tears Sasami had held back started to roll down her cheeks.

"I've wished so *much* for you and Aeka to be friends. I've wished for
it, every day. But it never comes true," she said. "And now one of
you's done something so mean, it never *will*." Sasami shook her head.
"I don't want my sister to be so sad. But if I ask you to forgive her,
it makes *you* sad. And nothing I can do will make things better!"
Then she leaned on Ryoko and put her head against her side, crying.

Ryoko fought with herself for a moment. She could only think of one
thing to comfort Sasami as the princess had done for her. It would be
hard, very hard, but she knew she had to.

"Don't worry, Sasami-chan. I'll listen to her," assured Ryoko.

Sasami looked up at her. "You will, Ryoko?"

"I can't promise to forgive her, Sasami-chan. She tried to make Tenchi
say he didn't love me, and that's the cruelest thing anyone's ever
done to me. She'll have to be sorry. *Very* sorry. But I'll listen."
Ryoko smiled. "So don't cry." She reached over and started to brush
the tears from the princess's face.

"She *is* sorry, Ryoko. I just *know* she is. If I did that, *I'd* be
sorry. So she *has* to be."

"I hope you're right, Sasami-chan," said Ryoko, not wanting to crush
the little girl's hopes again.

Sasami beamed. "I *am* right. Everything will be OK. You'll see!"

Ryoko looked at the princess, and couldn't help but smile. 

She heaved a sigh of resignation, deciding that she'd better go and
listen to Aeka's apology now, while the memory of her promise to
Sasami was still fresh. "When you see Aeka, tell her I'm waiting for
her to come talk to me," said Ryoko, standing up.

"But, where are you going to be?" asked Sasami.

Ryoko thought for a moment. There wasn't a spot in the Masaki home she
could truly call her own, where she could wait as mistress of her
domain for Aeka to come to her. Washuu had her lab. The princesses had
their bedroom. But there was no place in the house where Ryoko could
stand and say she belonged.

Suddenly she realized that, now, there *was* a place. Ryoko's heart
warmed with happiness for a moment. Then her eyes flared as cruel,
vengeful thoughts entered her mind.

She'd wait for Aeka in Tenchi's room. The first thing the princess
would see, when she opened the door, would be her rival sitting
triumphantly on Tenchi's bed. Where Tenchi wanted Ryoko to be. Where
she could go now, whenever she felt like it, and be welcomed with
love, not rejected and pushed out.

Where Aeka would never hope to be, unless she humiliated herself to
Ryoko's satisfaction.

Ryoko bared her fangs and flexed her fingers, imagining what she'd
say.

"So, Tenchi doesn't love me, is that it, princess? Then why am I here?
Take a good look. I'm going to be here again, a lot. Would you like a
chance to be here, too? Just a chance? Then *crawl*! And maybe,
*maybe*, I'll think about it."

"Ryoko?" asked Sasami.

"Yes?" answered Ryoko, looking at the princess' face.

"Where should I tell me sister to look for you?"

Ryoko closed her eyes and with great effort controlled her intense
desire for revenge.

"I'll be in the women's bath," she said quietly, before she vanished.

Meanwhile, Princess Aeka stood in her bedroom, changing into a fresh
kimono after having removed her leather gear. She sat down on her
futon, picked up her whip, and eyed it regretfully. Things hadn't gone
at all like her mother had led her to expect.

*That's because mother would have NEVER given up, like YOU did. She'd
have lashed until father gave in, or he died.*

*I doubt that. And I would not kill Ten-chan for not returning my
love.*

*Ha! Beauty, brains, and lots of power? Is that what you say you're
gifted with? Your looks weren't enough to hold Tenchi, you stupidly
let your guard down against Ryoko, and power is nothing without the
will to use it. Such a fine queen YOU'LL make!*

*I sought to hold him with my heart, not my beauty. I could not have
stopped Ryoko forever. And I wish Ten-chan to love me, not be my
slave.*

*So you're going to act as if you're HER slave? Are you REALLY going
to bow, in front of HER? Apologize, to HER?*

*I apologized to her before.*

*That was NOTHING compared to what you're going to have to do now. You
can't possibly go through with it.*

*Yes, I can. Ten-chan asked me to. And there is another reason.*

*Another reason? Such as WHAT?*

*It is what's right.*

*HAHAHAHAHA!!!! It's RIGHT for YOU to apologize to HER?*

*After what I tried to do to her, yes.*

*And the things she's done to you? What of those?*

*Nothing either of us has done to each other has ever been as terrible
as what I did today.*

*Both of you have tried to take Tenchi from each other. What's so
different about this?*

*We didn't try to take him. We tried to have him. We both raced
towards his heart, each trying to get there first and to slow the
other down. But once we both were there, and he'd shown his heart
could contain her AND me, what reason was there to ask him to renounce
her? Why should I ask him not to love her, if he could love me as
well? Ten-chan is right. I should not have hurt her that way.*

*So what? She's nothing! You're a princess, and she's a criminal. Do
what you like to her! Why should you care what kind of pain she
suffers?*

*This has nothing to do with my throne or her crimes.*

*Then what does it have to do with?*

*I am not cruel. That is not how I wish others to see me. That is not
how I wish Ten-chan to see me. And that is not how I wish to see
myself.*

*Cruel? You've always been cruel to each other. Why this sudden
weakness?*

*It has never gone this far before. And I should never have let it.
There are some things even the worst of enemies should not do to each
other.*

*Your pathetic display of goodwill won't help you with Ryoko. When she
sees it, she'll go for the throat. She's going to make you CRAWL. So
don't say you weren't warned.*

"Aeka?"

She started jump in surprise, but she recovered. "Yes?"

Sasami closed the door, and stood next to her sister. "Ryoko says
she'll be in the bath, when you want to talk to her."

Aeka nodded. "Thank you, Sasami."

"And Aeka?"

"Yes, Sasami?"

"Don't worry. Ryoko will listen. She promised."

Aeka blinked. "She did?"

"Uh-huh," replied Sasami proudly. "I asked her."

"I'm sorry if all this has troubled you, Sasami," said Aeka, shaking
her head. "This is my burden. You shouldn't have to bear it for me."

Sasami knelt down next to her. "You're my *sister*, Aeka. I want to.
And everybody being happy is what I want, too. So I don't mind."

"Thank you. That's how a princess should think. How a queen should
think." She sighed and hung her head. "I think, perhaps, you would
make a better one than me."

Sasami stared at her, not understanding.

Having reminded herself of her duties, Aeka sighed again. "If I must
leave, Sasami, do you wish to go with me, or..."

"No!" said Sasami angrily, standing up and glaring at her sister, her
face extremely cross. "No! You're staying, and I'm staying! Anything
else would be so sad, I'd cry forever and ever!" She calmed down
slightly, but her voice remained stern. "You're sorry, and Ryoko says
she'll listen if you tell her, so everything will be OK. I won't let
anything else be true. I won't let it. I won't!"

Aeka smiled, very proud of her little sister's ability to be concerned
and to command, at the same time. She bowed her head.

"Yes, Queen Sasami. I hear, and obey," she said, still smiling. Then
she rose, bent down, and kissed the younger princess on the forehead.

Sasami hugged her, briefly but tightly. "You'll *see*, Aeka," she
said. "Everything will turn out fine. It has to."

"Thank you, Sasami. I needed someone to tell me that. I hope you're
right."

"I *am* right," declared Sasami confidently.

They walked out of their room and down the hall, hand in hand, Sasami
bounding happily at every step.

"Do you really think I'd be a good queen?" she asked.

"Oh, yes," responded Aeka.

Sasami thought for a moment. "But a queen has to be mean sometimes,
and tell people to hurt each other. Right?"

Aeka nodded. "Sometimes."

"I don't want to be a queen, then," said Sasami.

"There are times, Sasami, when a princess must also do those things,
if there is a reason."

Sasami shook her head. "I won't," she said vehemently. "Not ever. I
*won't*. There isn't any reason good enough."

Suddenly, they were standing in front of the door to the bath.

As her sister watched, Aeka slowly summoning the strength of will to
open the door. She closed her eyes, preparing herself for a difficult,
painful task. At first the flimsy panel of wood and paper seemed to
weigh as much as a giant stone block. Then it moved aside. She opened
her eyes, and made herself look.

Ryoko sat in the bath, her gold eyes simmering. The eyes glared at
Aeka for a moment. Then they went to something else, and softened.

Beside Aeka, Sasami returned the pirate's gaze hopefully.

The fire in Ryoko's eyes cooled to embers, and she nodded,
acknowledging her promise to Sasami.

Aeka braced herself, walked inside, and closed the door behind her.

Sasami sighed with relief. Then, for just a moment, doubts and worries
stirred inside her. She repeated to herself what she'd told Aeka and
Ryoko.

"Everything will be OK. I'm right. You'll see."

She nodded, then smiled. She skipped out to the living room, to wait
for Tenchi.

He was already there, sitting on the couch and wearing his kimono.
Next to him sat a first aid kit.

"Ready, Tenchi?" she asked.

"Uh-huh," he responded. He pulled his arms out of the sleeves, letting
the top of the kimono gather around his waist. Then he lay down on the
couch, on his stomach.

"Wow!" Sasami gasped, looking at the wounds across Tenchi's back. "She
*really* loves you. Really!" She curiously touched one of the welts
with her finger.

"Ouch!" winced Tenchi. "Don't poke at them, Sasami!"

"I'm sorry, Tenchi," said the princess, as she opened up the first aid
kit. She counted the lashes. "Only nine times?"

"Only?" asked Tenchi in a surprised voice.

Sasami didn't notice his tone. "Mommy said once that the first time,
she whipped daddy until he fell unconscious. She said he really liked
to play hard to get!"

Tenchi cringed and remained silent.

"Hmm... it looks like Aeka already put salve on them," observed
Sasami.

"Yes, but Ryoko brushed most of it off by accident."

Sasami got out some cotton swabs and a bottle of hydrogen peroxide,
and began cleaning the wounds. "Mommy will be kind of upset, though.
It's against tradition, a little. But I think it's sweet."

*Sweet?!?!* Tenchi shook his head in disbelief. "What do you mean,
`against tradition'? Aeka said this *was* a tradition."

"Not before you're *engaged*, Tenchi!" giggled Sasami. "Otherwise it's
very, very naughty. But that's why it's sweet. She doesn't care,
because she loves you so *much*."

Tenchi sighed sadly. He knew how much Juraian traditions mattered to
Aeka. If she was willing to break them, it could only be for some
incredibly-important reason.

*Why did she HAVE to demand I do the ONE thing I wouldn't do for her?
Why did it have to be THAT? WHY? WHY? WHY?* 

Sasami got out some bandages, and started applying them.

Tenchi's fists clenched in anger. He wished that, somehow, things had
gone differently. If Aeka had just said *something*. If she'd only
*asked* him first, instead of tried to force him. He would have been
very angry, but he could have explained to her *why*, before
everything got out of hand.

"What's wrong, Tenchi?" asked Sasami in a concerned voice, halting her
bandaging of his wounds. "Did I hurt you?"

"No, Sasami-chan," he answered. "It's just that what Aeka wanted me to
do was very bad."

"Yeah, Ryoko told me," Sasami answered sadly. "I'm sorry Aeka did
that, Tenchi. Please don't be mad at her anymore."

Tenchi sighed again. "I can't promise anything, Sasami-chan."

Sasami shook her head. "I keep saying that everything will be alright,
but no one wants to believe me," she said. Then her voice hardened.
"If everybody keeps being mean to each other, I'll be mean, too. I
won't cook anymore, and you'll have to eat Ryoko and Aeka's food."

Tenchi shuddered. "That's not a very nice thing to say, Sasami- chan."

"If you make me unhappy, I'll make you unhappy," she replied
stubbornly. Then she remembered her conversation with her sister.
"Aeka says that a princess has to be mean sometimes, and hurt people,
if there's a good reason. And Aeka and Ryoko's cooking will really,
*really* hurt you!" She paused for a moment, then continued in a
concerned voice. "Don't tell them I said that, though, Tenchi. Please?
It would make them very sad."

"I won't. But it's not up to me, anyway, how things go," said Tenchi.
"It's between your sister and Ryoko, now. If Ryoko forgives her, I
will, too." He wondered how true that was. Even though he had promised
Aeka that things would be the same as they were before, how long would
it be before he could trust her again?

"Then it'll be OK. Just like I said," answered Sasami.

After a few minutes of silence, Tenchi spoke again.

"Sasami, can you explain some of these Juraian traditions to me? The
ones about the whips, and all that, I mean?"

"Sure, Tenchi!" answered Sasami cheerfully, as she closed up the first
aid kit. "Would you like some tea, while I tell you?"

"Thank you. That would be nice."

"Let's go to the kitchen, then..."

Down in the pocket dimension that contained the women's bath, the two
rivals for Tenchi's heart met once again. This time, it was the
galaxy's most-wanted criminal who sat in the water, thinking. And it
was the crown princess of planet Jurai who entered, as if summoned by
the space pirate's thoughts.

Aeka slowly made her way across the tiles towards Ryoko. Hostile
feline eyes warily observed the princess' every step, piercing the
clouds of steam like amber needles. The vapor rising from the bath
made it seem as if the heat of Ryoko's anger was causing the water to
boil. The slight draft Aeka had let in when she came through the door
passed through the humid air, making it swirl chaotically, mirroring
the thoughts and emotions clashing within Ryoko's mind.

Memories of insults, injuries, and hosts of other wrongs, great and
small, real and imagined, rose up and clamored loudly for vengeance.

Ryoko fought them all down. Tenchi had asked her to listen. And she'd
*promised* Sasami that she would. Honesty usually didn't mean that
much to Ryoko, but she knew that if she wanted to be able to look
either Tenchi or Sasami in the face again, she had to at least hear
Aeka out.

Aeka kept coming closer, taking small, steady steps. Her back remained
straight and stiff, but her eyes watched the ground a few paces in
front of her, unwilling or unable to look Ryoko in the face. A meter
or so from the water, she stopped and stood still, not seeming to know
what to do next.

Then Aeka looked up, and for an instant their gazes met. A mix of
contradicting emotions rose in Ryoko's heart as she saw the panic and
misery that filled the princess' eyes. She'd always thrilled at her
ability to inspire terror in an enemy's heart, always savored the
sweet taste of fear. But this time it had a bitter flavor. And Aeka's
obvious grief and pain brought back memories of her own, again. Ryoko
tried very hard to hate the princess, and to enjoy the signs of her
anguish, but found that she couldn't. At least, not the way she had
before.

But hate, or no hate, she wasn't going to let Aeka off easily, if at
all.

As Aeka's gaze returned to the floor, something seemed to change about
her. Though her posture remained proud, everything else about her
seeming to collapse, until she was like a hollow shell of a woman
being held up solely by the last flimsy scraps of her pride.

And then those fell away.

Slowly, trembling as if her humiliation were physical pain, Aeka got
down on her knees. A slight smile of satisfaction played across
Ryoko's lips.

*So, finally decided to yank that steel ramrod out of your ass,
princess?*

Aeka placed her palms flat against the tiles, and put her forehead on
the backs of her hands. It was the humblest bow possible. Ryoko
couldn't help but be mildly impressed. It was probably the first time
in generations that a member of Jurai's royal family had managed such
a feat.

"I have come to apologize to you, Ryoko," said Aeka quietly.

"`Apologize'?" scoffed Ryoko.

"Very well. I have come to beg forgiveness of you, Ryoko. Whatever
humble words you wish of me, I will say. I only ask that you listen."

"I'm listening," said Ryoko. "For now. You'd better make it good."

Aeka kept her head bowed. "I'm sorry, Ryoko. For what I did to you."

"You've done a lot of things, princess. You'll have to be more
specific."

"I tried to make him renounce you. I shouldn't have."

"You tried to make him say he didn't love me." It was an accusation,
not a question.

"Yes," admitted Aeka.

"You tried to make him *lie*," said Ryoko proudly.

"I didn't know that, then. I do now. Ten-chan told me."

"What else did you tell him to do?" asked Ryoko.

The princess shivered for a moment. "I don't think you want to know,"
she answered.

Under the water, Ryoko's fists clenched. "Tell me, dammit! I can
guess, but I want to hear you say it."

Aeka swallowed hard. "I told him he wasn't to speak to you, or look at
you," she said, trembling with the knowledge that she might well be
uttering her own death sentence. "Or touch you. Or say your name."

Fire blazed in Ryoko's eyes. "And I should forgive you?" she demanded.
"For *that*?"

The princess shook her head slowly. "I didn't say that you should. I
merely asked that you do."

"Do you have any idea how it felt?" growled Ryoko, a hint of the
killing urge rising in her again.

"Yes, I do," replied Aeka, surety in her voice.

At first, Ryoko's only answer was a long span of silence.

"What can you do to make it up to me? What can you do to *prove*
you're sorry?" she asked finally.

"I don't see how I can do either," replied Aeka. "My sincerity you
must judge for yourself. As for making it up to you, I know of nothing
I have that you would want."

*And here's where she makes you crawl...*

"I'm sure I'll think of something," threatened Ryoko.

*See! Exactly as predicted!*

Aeka searched for something she could say. "I'm *sorry*, Ryoko. I see
that you love him. I should have never tried to take him away from
you. I know how much that hurt you, because I love him, too."

No sooner had she finished speaking, than a memory of her own voice
answered her, full of cruel, merciless contempt. "You know I don't
believe your lies about that!"

She looked up at Ryoko's face. The space pirate nodded for her to
continue, her expression unreadable.

"*Please*, Ryoko!" Aeka begged, her voice plaintive. "What can I say
that you will believe? I'm sorry for what I did to you, and to Tenchi.
I'm sorry!"

Again she heard herself answering. "Your apology is accepted.
Not that you've fooled me for moment into thinking it was sincere. I
shall tell Tenchi what you have done. But being what you are, it would
serve you right if he drove you out of here and never spoke a word to
you again! And I will do my best to convince him to do exactly that." 

Aeka bowed her head in shame. She could scarcely believe that she had
said those horrible words, to anyone. How *could* she have? Yet she
remembered them clearly. They sounded so different now, directed at
her.

*You did it to yourself. How can you expect her to forgive you, after
you said those things? Now she will refuse to listen. Just like you
didn't listen to her. And it will be what you deserve.*

She waited, trembling, for the sword of her own making to descend on
her. Seconds passed, and Ryoko said not a word.

*She's enjoying this. She's going to savor every bit of your shame,
and then she's going to laugh at you, and tell Tenchi she doesn't
believe you. And for what you did that morning, she's going to
humiliate you. She has every reason to. But you gave it to her. You
put that weapon in her hand, yourself.*

Then a thought occurred to Aeka: unmake the sword.