Somewhere in what appears to be a normal household, there is a 
small closet. Or at least that’s what it appears to be. Washu sits in 
her high-tech lab, which she made out of that closet. Her face shows 
that she is doing some strenuous thinking. You see, she just made a 
big mistake. Of course, she’d preferred to call it a small 
experimental mishap. After a while, though, she starts to feel some 
guilt towards what happened. After all, she was the one who started it 
all...
                              ***
     It was a normal, sunny, peaceful evening at the Masaki household. 
At least it was to its inhabitants. Sasami, being the sweet, 
mother-like girl that she is, was preparing dinner. Mihoshi was 
outside clumsily destroying the statues entrusted to her and her 
partner by the Galaxy Police, while her partner, Kiyone, tried 
desperately to prevent yet another disaster. Tenchi and Yosho were 
working the garden, and Nobuyuki was at work.
     In the living room, Ryoko and Aeka were sitting down, not really 
watching the television show in front of them. They each studiously 
ignored each other while thinking of the same thing. As usual, they 
were thinking of ways to "beat" their "rival"-that is, each other-for 
Tenchi’s affection.
     Suddenly, Washu bursts out of her lab and shouted happily, her 
voice ringing like a child’s. 
     "Hey, everyone, come here! I’ve got something to show you!"
     The others quickly, but not so enthusiastically, gathered in the 
living room. Aeka, seizing her chance, stood quickly and positioned 
herself so that she would be standing right next to Tenchi. Ryoko 
looked at her and snarled, but fortunately Washu demanded immediate 
attention from everyone, so a fight was prevented. 
     "So, Washu-chan, what is it?" Sasami asked sweetly.
     "Well..." Washu said, reaching into her pocket. "Ta da!" She took 
out a small vial containing two colored liquids, one on top of the 
other. On the top was a blue liquid, and below it was a red liquid. 
Ryoko indifferently stood up and peered into the vial.
     "Uh, sure. But looks to me like any ordinary colored water," she 
commented, rather harshly in Washu’s sensitive opinion. "So what’s so 
special about it?"
     Washu was about to rebuke her for this, but apparently decided 
that she might as well continue that she’s got everyone’s attention. 
"This," she said with emphasis, "is what I call the ultimate switching 
fluid!" Encouraged by the murmurs from her "audience," Washu continued, 
"If you pour the blue liquid into someone’s drink, and the red into 
another person’s drink, their personalities will be…switched! Ha-ha! 
Am I a genius, or am I a genius?"
     There was a silence as they all took this in. Then Sasami 
enthusiastically exclaimed, "Wow, Washu-Chan! That’s incredible!" 
Kiyone glared at Mihoshi, then commented, "Just be careful with it. 
We don’t want any *accidents* happening from *some* clumsy oaf."
     A half hour and many questions, insults, and exploding fireballs 
later, everyone resumed what they were doing.
     Ryoko sat on the couch, not really paying attention to what’s on 
the television. It was decided that usage of the new formula will be 
banned, but she couldn’t help thinking that somehow she could use it 
to her advantage...
     She looked left and right, got up and teleported herself to 
Washu’s lab. She was startled to hear Washu greeting her as soon as 
she arrived. "Well, well, looks like someone’s not following the 
rules," Washu said in a tone that would make most people blush. Ryoko 
just smirked at her.
     "All right, there, Washu. You got me. I need the formula to do 
something important." At Washu’s inquiring look, she was forced to 
continue. "I wanna switch Aeka and Mihoshi’s personalities, ok?! 
*Now* can I have the formula?" She snapped impatiently.
     Washu laughed. "Hmm…you’re not going to get it if you’re not 
*nice,* you know."
     Ryoko threw her hands up in exasperation. "Fine, fine. 
Washu-Chan, can I *please* have one vial of your formula?"
     Washu smiled brightly. "Of course, all you had to do was ask!" 
She turned around to face her computer, pressed a few buttons, and a 
holographic shelf appeared. She opened the shelf, which was floating, 
and took out a large vial containing the blue-red liquids previously 
mentioned. The question on the possibility of something real being 
contained in something *holographic* is another story-that looks like 
a job for a scientist!
     Then Washu took an empty, smaller vial and poured one-fifth of 
the liquid in the first vial into it. Interestingly enough, the blue 
liquid "managed" to stay on top of the red liquid, even in the new 
vial. Again, this is material for another story.
     Washu handed the small vial to Ryoko, giving her instructions: 
"Here, you know the basics already. Just don’t screw things up to 
much."
     Ryoko thanked Washu, hid the vial in her pocket, and teleported 
into her room. She made sure the door was locked, and started her big 
plan...
                                  ***
     Aeka was standing in the doorway, watching Tenchi as he helped 
his grandfather, Yosho, with the garden. She sighed wistfully. She was 
sure Tenchi was in love with her and he’d choose her over Ryoko. But 
time went by and she never really got the upper hand in this rivalry.
     Then her mind started to wonder. If only there was a way to make
Ryoko act like the fool she really is and have Tenchi see all this...
     She smiled as a brilliant thought crossed her mind. She looked 
inside the house. Ryoko apparently went to her room for an afternoon 
nap, Sasami was sitting on the couch, playing with Ryo-oh-ki, and 
Mihoshi and Kiyone had an emergency call somewhere near Neptune. 
They’re certainly not going to get back soon. She smiled again as the 
idea crystallized itself.
     Aeka went inside through the other door so Sasami wouldn’t see 
her. Then she went into the closet-or Washu’s lab, depending on the 
way you look at it.
                                 ***
     It is now 7 PM. Nobuyuki came home announcing that he was 
promoted and got a raise. Ryoko, seeing the perfect opportunity to 
execute her plan, suggested that they all drink sake to celebrate. 
Everyone agreed, for their own reasons, of course.
     As everyone waited for Tenchi to return with the sake from the 
store, Ryoko and Aeka were doing the final stages of planning. By 8 PM, 
the party was set. The food and sake were there and everyone sat in a 
circle with a karaoke in the middle. Tenchi sat, uncomfortably close, 
with Ryoko to his right and Aeka to his left. Near Aeka sat Nobuyuki, 
whom she purposely asked to sit near her. Mihoshi sat to Ryoko’s 
right, Kiyone sitting next to her. Yosho declined the offer to join 
their celebration and went instead to the Masaki temple. 
     Washu came in looking as cheerful as ever, as she was the one who
knew everything that was going on. "Okay, people, who’s singing 
first?" She asked, plopping down to sit next to Kiyone.
     Ryoko’s first part of her plan was to give the impression that 
she wasn’t up to anything. So she volunteered to sing first. As the 
song went on, Aeka slowly reached into her pocket and took out a small 
vial. The others were singing along with Ryoko, drinking sake all the 
while. Nobuyuki was especially getting drunk. 
     Without getting noticed by anyone-except Washu-Aeka poured the 
blue liquid into Nobuyuki’s drink, pretending to help him fill his 
glass with more sake. She looked over at Tenchi, then at Ryoko’s empty 
glass. Hoping for something favorable to happen, she poured herself  
some sake. Fortunately, Ryoko became thirsty from singing.
     "Hey, ’yeka, pour me some sake, will ya?" Ryoko requested. 
     "Sure, Ryoko!" Aeka said cheerfully. At last, her chance is here.
     And so she poured some sake, and the red liquid, into Ryoko’s 
glass. 
     *Time to sit back and wait,* she said to herself as she handed 
the glass to the still-singing Ryoko.
     Then she noticed that her younger sister was not in the room. She 
turned over to Tenchi and asked him. "Lord Tenchi, do you happen to 
know where Sasami is?" She said in her "sweet, princess voice." 
     Tenchi looked confused for a second, then remembered. "Oh, that’s 
right. She told me she was going to bake a cake in honor of dad’s 
promotion. Poor Sasami, working all alone. Maybe I should help her," 
he said, as he started to get up.
     "Oh, no, let me help her. You just sit here and relax," Aeka 
said sweetly. *Then you will be here when Ryoko starts acting like a 
real fool.* Then she got up and went into the kitchen.
     Ryoko, who happened to be finishing up with her last song, 
announced that she was done as soon as she saw Aeka go into the 
kitchen. She wasted no time to pour the blue liquid from her vial into 
Aeka’s drink, taking the opportunity as the others discussed whether 
Mihoshi and Kiyone should sing next. When she finished, she 
immediately suggested that Mihoshi and Kiyone sing-after all, they did 
make a good karaoke team.
     As the two policewomen prepared for their song, Ryoko hastily 
poured the red liquid into Mihoshi’s drink.
     *Job well done,* Ryoko told herself. *Now all I need to do is 
relax and watch what will happen.* Then she took up her glass and 
drank to her own success.
                                ***
     Aeka returned with Sasami, both announcing that the cake would 
be ready in a few minutes. As she rejoined the group, she noticed 
Ryoko drinking away. *Well,* she thought as she took her glass, 
*looks like Tenchi is never going to look at Ryoko the same way 
again...ever.*
     She smiled, and drank the sake in her glass.
                                ***
End of part 1.
Well? what do you think? E-mail me at amizuno@yahoo.com!