Copyright 2002 by Steve Robinson, All existing Tenchi characters are copyright 
Pioneer AIC. The character Ryeka is copyright 2002 by Steve Robinson (me)

Disclaimer - Look, it's a fan fic, so don't get bent out of shape. I thought up 
this idea a while ago, so I'm unabashedly pirating the Tenchi universe and 
bending it to my own nefarious purposes. I haven't read the millions of lines of 
existing a fan fic, so I can't say for sure that no one else has written this 
story line, but if so, well great minds and all that. I am sure that if Pioneer 
and company refrains from suing me, so should you. Besides, I wouldn't be 
listening anyways, la la la .... 

This fic is posted in its entirety at http://www.viciousbunny.net/

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Thicker than Blood
Chapter16

Ryeka laughed and tried turning another cartwheel on the hillside. Ryo-ohki was 
with her and the two cartwheeled down the hillside until the both got out of 
control and collapsed in a heap laughing until tears came. On the hilltop, the 
rest of the adults were sitting on a picnic blanket enjoying sight while they 
ate a Sasami/Ryeka supreme picnic lunch.

Sitting a little ways off to the side, Ryoko and Ayeka watched Ryeka playing.

"She is getting so beautiful, just like her mother," Ayeka sighed.

"Yeah, but do you mean you or me?" Ryoko asked.

"I mean you, Ryoko. I swore that you would forever be her mother. I mean that."

"It doesn't have to be that way, Ayeka," Ryoko said, seriously. "There is as 
much room here as there always was, you know."

Ayeka shook her head. "Someday, when the empire is finally secure, and I can 
turn my attention to other things, maybe I'll retire and come back here."

"Well, don't wait too long, your not getting any younger, you know." Ryoko 
continued to stare at Ayeka.

"I know. As I told you last night after I spoke to Washu, I am not concerned in 
the least about aging. It is a burden I bear from using the Jurai power."

"You had Ryeka use quite a bit of that power." Ryoko said, deep concern showing 
in her eyes. "Does that mean she is going to pay the price someday?"

Ayeka picked a blade of grass and carefully began to split it along the veins. 

"Nobody knows, Ryoko. I asked both Sasami and Washu. There is no way to predict 
it. Ryeka may not have been immortal to begin with. After all Tenchi doesn't 
show any ill effects and he has used the power as strongly as I ever did. Also, 
Ryeka is different than all of us. Washu discovered that she might actually be a 
multidimensional being, more like Tsunami than us. Who is to say what such a 
being may be able to achieve?"

Ryoko looked back down the hill at Ryeka who was panting as she was climbing 
back up. Ryo-ohki kept pulling at her ankles and making her fall down.  The 
childish laughter rose up the hillside and all around the trees and the birds 
and all of the sounds in the world seemed to mimic it.

"If I have my way, she'll just be a perfectly normal girl." Ryoko said, waving 
to Ryeka. "There is no need for constantly having to save the Universe as far as 
I'm concerned."

Ayeka nodded. "Well, you might be fighting a losing battle there. It seems to be 
in her blood."



The end.