Disclaimer:  This story features characters that weren‘t created by me, 
they were created by Masaki Kajishima.  I don‘t own these characters 
either, they are owned by Pioneer LDC.  The author only owns the 
story and the characters he has created.  I do not write this for profit, 
only for the pleasure of writing.  Suing me would be pointless since I 
have no money or assets.

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Tenchi Muyo!
When I Grow Up...
Chapter Three
Lost Hopes and Dreams

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	Ayeka pressed her hand as hard she could against the back of 
her sister’s head, desperately trying to stop the bleeding.  Beside her 
Ryoko held the crumpled, unconscious form of Washu.  Why had 
Tokimi only gone after the two of them?

	Before her Tenchi stood in his full light hawk gear ready to 
continue the fight.  Ayeka wanted to help him but if she let go of her 
sister she might bleed to death.  Ayeka prayed that Tenchi would be 
powerful enough to defeat Tokimi on his own.

	Tenchi turned to look at everyone and smiled.  “I’m sorry it 
has to end like this, I’m sorry for any pain I’ve caused any of you, 
remember that I love you all very much and always will, goodbye.”

	Ayeka panicked as she realized what Tenchi meant.  He was 
going to sacrifice himself to save them all.  “No Tenchi! Don’t!” she 
screamed at him.  It was too late; he was already running toward the 
goddess.

	Tenchi leapt up at Tokimi and drove his light hawk sword into 
her heart.  There was a blinding flash of light followed by a loud rumble.  
Ayeka looked toward the spot where Tenchi and Tokimi had been only 
a second before and saw that it was empty.  Tenchi was gone forever.  
“No Tenchi!” she cried.

*	*	*

	“Tenchi!” Ayeka screamed.

	She awoke in a sweat.  She was still in her bed on Ryu-Oh.  
‘It had all been a dream’ she thought to herself.  ‘It’s been hundreds 
of years since he died and you still dream about him.’

	The day he died had been the worst day of her life.  The man 
she loved had died right before her eyes.  All her hopes and dreams 
had been shattered.  She wished she could have been the one to die 
and not Tenchi.

	She had told herself over and over again that she couldn’t have 
done anything to help Tenchi.  Only Tenchi was powerful enough to 
face Tokimi, she and Ryoko had been tossed aside like rag dolls.  For 
all her power, Ayeka was rendered completely helpless during the battle.  
She knew all of this was true but she still felt guilty that she had 
survived while Tenchi had died.

	No, she had to stop thinking about the bad times.  She had to 
think about the good times with Tenchi.  That month before he had 
died.  She had become his lover during that month.  He had said that 
he loved her during that month and she had said the same to him.  
They had kept their relationship a secret from Ryoko, neither one of 
them wanted to hurt her.  They met and made love in secret.  One time 
they met in that cabin where they had taken shelter from rain.

	She had willingly given up her chastity for Tenchi.  She had 
never thought that she would lose her virginity before her wedding 
night but she had wanted him so badly.  She remembered the words 
Ryoko had said that night when she stopped her from sneaking into 
Tenchi’s room; “It’s only natural to want to be with him and make 
love to him if you love him, right?”  So when Tenchi said that he 
loved her she had pounced on him.

	Every time that Ryoko had glomped Tenchi during that month 
she had wanted to scream at her that she and Tenchi were making love.  
She didn’t because that would hurt Ryoko and anything that Ryoko 
would hurt Tenchi.

	“Poor Ryoko,” Ayeka sighed to herself.

	Ryoko had been hurt just as badly as she had by Tenchi’s death.  
She had actually hugged Ryoko during his funereal something she never 
thought she‘d do when she first arrived on Earth.  She had actually 
become friends with the woman who had attacked her home seven 
hundred ago.  They might have become closer if there was no Tenchi 
for them fight over.

	Ryoko had left Earth forever the day after Tenchi‘s funereal.  
She had said that she no longer had a reason to stay on Earth.  
Sasami had begged her to stay with them and even she told her that 
there was no need for her to leave.  She was worried that Ryoko 
might become suicidal and if Ryoko left Ayeka could not help her.  
But Ryoko couldn’t be convinced took Ryo-ohki and left.  Later they 
found out that Washu had sneaked abroad Ryo-ohki and left with her 
daughter.  Ayeka hadn’t seen either of them since the day of the 
funeral.

	She had stayed on Earth for a few weeks after the funeral.  
She had tried to be strong for her sister and Nobiyuki.  That didn’t 
last for long.  She had a mental breakdown, unable to contain her 
grief any longer.  Kiyone had turned out to be the strong one, helping 
everyone through this as best she could.  ‘Big sister Kiyone, you were 
always looking out for us,’ she remembered with a smile.

	Eventually Ayeka and her sister had to leave.  Their father had 
been assassinated and Ayeka had to assume the role of Empress.  
After a tearful goodbye they had left aboard Ryu-Oh.

	It was on the way back to Jurai, that Ayeka discovered 
something that made her happy.  She was pregnant.  The father of her 
child could only be one person, Tenchi Masaki; she had never been 
with another man.  Tenchi may have died but she was carrying his child.  
She had accomplished something she had wanted to do for a long time; 
she had become the mother of Tenchi’s child.

	The baby was blessing; the child had brought both her and 
Sasami out of their depression.  Ayeka felt she had a reason to live 
again; she had a child to take care of.  She would make Tenchi proud 
of her by being the best mother she could.

	Ayeka had lost the men she loved in life.  First Yosho chased 
after Ryoko and disappeared for seven hundred years.  When she 
found him he had already married another woman.  But that journey 
had led her to a new love, Yosho’s grandson, Tenchi Masaki.  Yosho 
might have been her first love but Tenchi was her true love, her one 
and only.  But Tenchi had died saving her, and everyone else’s, lives.  
Then only a few weeks later her father had died.  

	She was determined not lose her son as well.  No one would 
take him away from her.  She loved him more than anything she had 
ever loved, including Tenchi.  

	This had made her somewhat overprotective of him.  She had 
smothered him in a way.  As a result he wasn’t entirely independent 
of his mother.  He had become something of a momma’s boy.  This 
made Ayeka feel a little guilty.

	Ayeka decided to check in on her son.  Something she did 
almost every night since he began to sleep in his own room.

	She silently crept out of her room and into Tenchi’s room.  He 
was sleeping.  Ayeka marveled at how much her son looked like his 
father.  If it wasn’t for his violet hair people might have mistaken him 
for his father.

	‘Someday he’ll grow up and he won’t need me anymore.’  
Ayeka thought to herself sadly.  Ayeka knew that Tenchi would 
become a man one day.  Sometimes she thought her son was growing 
up to fast, she missed the days when had to rely on her completely.  
She knew she would be proud of the day he would get married but 
she would be sad as well because he would belong to his wife.

	Ayeka had never been married.  She had created forgeries of 
all documents and pictures of their wedding.  She had done this 
because an illegitimate child could not become Emperor of Jurai and 
she needed an heir.  

	Ayeka wondered what her son would think when he found out 
about her relationship with Tenchi.  She planed on telling him one day.  
She hoped that he would not think less of her or worse that he would 
think less of himself.

	Ayeka didn’t think less of her son because two married people 
did not conceive him.  She would love him no matter what happened.  
She was so proud of him.  He was very mature and wise for his age.  
She knew that he would be the greatest Emperor in Jurai’s history 
one day.  He was the best thing she had done with his father.

	Once she had made sure that Tenchi was safe and happy she 
decided to check up on her sister.  Sasami had grown into a beautiful 
woman since they had left Earth, sometimes Ayeka felt jealous of her 
sister’s beauty.  Sasami had many male admirers; she had become a 
sort of female Tenchi.  Unlike Tenchi however Sasami had chosen a 
spouse.

	Sasami had married some one from Earth.  A relative of 
Tenchi named Akito Masaki.  He was one of the relatives that Ayeka 
had brought with her to Jurai after visiting Nobiyuki to show him his 
grandson.  She had offered all Tenchi’s relatives to come with her to 
Jurai and live for thousands of years and enjoy the best the galaxy had 
to offer.  Most, including Nobiyuki, had turned her down.  But some 
had taken up on the offer, wanting to give their children all that Jurai 
had to offer.  Akito was one such child.

	Akito had only been ten years old when he arrived on Jurai.  
He had grown into a remarkable man since then.  Sasami was very 
happy with him.  Ayeka was glad to have him around as well.  He 
helped her son learn about his human ancestry and provided a strong 
male influence in his life.  Akito was also very happy, as would be 
anyone who was married to a goddess.

	Ayeka had once asked Sasami if she should call her Sasami or 
Tsunami.  Sasami had said that it really didn’t matter.  She had 
explained that she was just as much Sasami as Tsunami, even though 
she had been Tsunami longer.  She was not merely a combination of 
the two but more like two people who had grown together into a new 
person.  Ayeka simply continued calling her sister Sasami.

	Ayeka silently stepped into her sister’s room.  Sasami no 
longer needed her big sister watching out for her.  Sasami was more 
then capable of taking care of self.  Still it comforted Ayeka to know 
her little sister was safe.

	Ayeka left Sasami’s room quietly as she could.  She knew her 
sister would be upset if she caught her older sister checking up on her.

	Ayeka walked on to the main bridge of Ryu-oh.  The ship felt 
amazingly quiet.  The crew was asleep and she had left Azaka and 
Kamidake on Jurai.  There were enough guards on board already and 
some people didn’t like the presence of guardians at diplomatic 
functions.

	‘Another economic conference,’ Ayeka sighed to herself 
mentally.  She never had enough time to spend with her family.  It 
seemed like there was always something she needed to do.  She did 
her best to take things one day at a time but sometimes it seemed a 
little overwhelming.

	She wished she could be a normal woman and dedicate her life 
to raising her son but it wasn’t that simple.  She had a duty to the 
empire.  She tried to be the best mother and empress she could be but 
it was difficult.  She tried to do both jobs at once but some people 
objected to her toddler age son sitting on her lap during Council of 
Nobles hearings.

	Ayeka looked out at the stars streaking past the ship.  
Tomorrow afternoon they would arrive on Carnas, picked to host the 
conference because of it‘s independent status.  She wasn’t looking 
forward to the conference and Carnas was a dust ball, not like that 
mattered, she wouldn’t have any time to sight see.  ‘For Jurai.  
Everything for Jurai,’ she cursed mentally.

	She knew that she should go back to sleep.  Tomorrow would 
be a very busy day and she needed her sleep.  She made her way back
 to her bed, closed her eyes and hoped that she wouldn’t have 
anymore nightmares.

*	*	*

	Salki sighed with relief as he watched the Empress leave.  
She hadn’t noticed him or else she would have said something.  
Worse still, she might have noticed what he was doing.  He was sure 
he had concealed the bomb well enough.  If it was discovered he 
would have failed in his mission and he would be executed.  He 
couldn’t fail in his mission.  Lady Tokimi’s order would enter this 
universe at any cost.

Okay that’s the end of chapter three.  I hoped that answered some 
questions you might have about the background information on this 
story.  Don’t worry the story will pick up soon.  I’m planning to put 
a fight in the next chapter.  You can always email me at 
drobe@siu.edu.

Next Chapter: Ryoko and Ayeka meet after not seeing each other for 
hundreds of years.  How will they react when they find out that 
Tenchi slept with both of them?  Will there be a fight? C’mon are 
Ayeka and Ryoko with in a hundred feet of each other.  How will 
their sons react when they learn about each other?  Find out in 
Chapter four of Tenchi Muyo! When I Grow Up ... : Really Big 
Confrontation.

Thanks for taking the time to read my fic.
Dave^^