disclaimer: I do not own Tenchi. The characters and show belong to Pioneer/AIC...blah...blah...blah

“Lady Ayeka, we need to talk,” Ayeka stared in puzzlement at Ryoko. Ryoko had never referred to her as anything like that. She barely used Ayeka for a name. “Yes, Ryoko?” “Well, I think Tenchi chose,” Ayeka was going to laugh, thinking it was one of Ryoko’s regular pranks, but when she saw the way Ryoko’s eyes were pleading forgiveness, she knew it wasn’t a joke. “Who did he choose?” Ayeka tried to act as calm as possible, but she couldn’t help feeling the slowly healing wound in her heart begin to re-open. “Lady Ayeka, I think he chose me,” Ryoko said in an actually sad voice. She saw the fear in Ayeka’s eyes. “Ayeka, please try to understand, he loves us both just as much as the other. He loves us in two different ways, though. He loves you as the greatest friend he could ever have. He said so himself.” “You... you spoke with Lord Tenchi?” Ayeka stuttered. Ryoko nodded. That’s when she realized the mistake she had just made. Ayeka’s eyes welled up with tears. She flew forth and slapped Ryoko before running out of the living room. She ran over to Washu’s lab and raced in. “Where’s Ryu-oh?!” Washu, barely lifting her head from her book, pointed to a door. Ayeka bowed and rushed inside. “You are still young, but I have faith in you,” Ayeka said. “Please help me, Ryu-oh.” Rainbow lights shot from the small plant to Ayeka’s Tiara. Before anyone knew what was happening, Ryu-oh had disappeared from the Earth. Tenchi stared after the fading speck. “You sure there wasn’t any other way?” he asked, a silent tear rolling down his cheek. “I tried my best Tenchi,” Ryoko blinked to hold her own back, for she didn’t want to cry.

Ayeka guided Ryu-oh towards Jurai. “It’s so dark,” Ayeka said. “Without Lord Tenchi, the light, my world is so dark. It’s like I’m lost, trapped. I don’t want him to marry Ryoko! I want to be near him,” Ayeka sobbed greatly now, her face buried in her hands. “I’m sorry, Princess,” said the shy Ryu-oh. She moved a chair forth and seated Ayeka. “It’s so cold, so dark,” Ayeka choked through tears. “I’ll turn the heat up,” said Ryu-oh. “That’s alright. I thank you for your kindness,” Ayeka looked up. “But it’s not that kind of cold. It’s a dark cold that wells up inside of me. I... I... I can’t take it anymore!!!” Ayeka’s face was covered in her hands again. “If there’s anything I can do to help, let me know,” Ryu-oh tried to cheer Ayeka up. “Thank you,” Ayeka whispered. Suddenly, Ryu-oh shook violently. Ayeka looked up as Ryu-oh began spinning out of control. “Tenchi!!!” she cried. Ayeka slammed up against a wall, crying as her world faded red and then black. “Huh... wha...” Ayeka opened her eyes. She couldn’t see Ryu-oh anywhere. Instead, she saw rugged men and women. She suddenly realized who they were. “Gangsters! Murderers!” she cried. Everyone looked at her. Ayeka was laying in a pile of rubble. “Ah, that girl has finally awoken,” he cackled. “Do you know who you’re dealing with? I am the Crown Princess of Jurai!” Ayeka shouted. “Hey, look at the Tiara on her forehead!” someone shouted. Ayeka struggled to sit up. One of the men came towards her. He knelt down in front of her. “Give me your Tiara,” he said. “No!” Suddenly, Ayeka felt pain run through her right cheek. The punch knocked her to the ground. Ayeka looked up. “I won’t give it to you!” Ayeka felt pain through her left cheek now. “What is the secret of it? Why is it so dear to you?” the man said angrily. “I won’t tell!” Ayeka refused. Suddenly, she saw the man pull out a gun. Ayeka held her hand up to shield her face. She heard the trigger pull. Nothing happened. Ayeka opened her eyes. A man lay a few feet from her, a hole through his chest. Ayeka gasped. Suddenly, a shot was heard behind her. Ayeka saw the man in front of her fall over. She saw Galaxy Police run from behind her towards the gangsters. The gangsters pulled out swords and guns. Ayeka watched the bloody battle in horror. “T...Tenchi...” Ayeka began to cry. “Why did I leave?” She watched as the battle left sight. Suddenly, Ayeka felt a hand on her shoulder from behind. Ayeka jumped up. “It’s okay, it’s okay,” the man said. Ayeka looked at him. “Where are all the other Galaxy Police,” she asked in fear. “Dead, along with the gangsters and murderers,” the man said. He walked towards Ayeka. Suddenly, his hand flew forward and grabbed Ayeka around the neck. He lifted her off the ground. Ayeka struggled to breathe. The man just laughed. Suddenly, Ayeka was dropped to the ground. The man pulled a sword out. He brought it down. Ayeka rolled out of the way just in time. She got to her feet and started running. Suddenly, Ayeka fell to the ground as a ball of energy surged around her body. She was weak. Ayeka tried to stand but fell over almost immediately. The man laughed again. He seemed to be getting a kick out of Ayeka’s pain and suffering. He now stood over Ayeka again. The sword was brought up again. This time, Ayeka couldn’t move. There was a flash. Ayeka felt herself scooped up. A man held her like a baby tight to his chest. Ayeka suddenly realized they were coming to the end of the village, close to the edge of a cliff. The murderer was close behind them. “Hold on!” the man suddenly jumped off the cliff. Ayeka screamed. She stopped, though, when she realized what the man was doing. They hit the edge of the cliff here and there. The man used his own body to protect Ayeka. They crashed through the trees of the forest on the very bottem of the cliff. Ayeka’s world once again faded black.

Water rushed past in a nearby stream. The wind rustled the leaves above. The soft cracks of burning wood sounded a few feet away. Ayeka heard all these things though she could not yet see, could not yet open her eyes. Suddenly, she felt coldness surround her body. Ayeka’s eyes flew open and she hugged the man carrying her. “I know it’s cold but I have to clean your wounds,” the man said. Ayeka released her grip. She then found to only be in her lingerie. Ayeka blushed a little. She refrained from crying out as the cold water rushed around her. “Now, you should change out of that now that it’s wet. I’ll bring you a blanket to wrap yourself in,” Ayeka took the blanket, bowed, then went behind a tree. She soon returned with her clothes. The man guided her back to the fire. He had set up logs around it to sit on. Ayeka set her wet clothes on one of them. As Ayeka sat down, she stared deep into the fire. “Miss, what is your name?” the man asked. Ayeka didn’t reply but only stared into the fire. “Will I ever get to hear your sweet voice?” “Oh, I’m sorry, my name is Ayeka,” she said, suddenly snapping back from her day dream. “You mean... Princess Ayeka?” “Yes, but please, just call me Ayeka. What should I call you?” Ayeka realized that this was the first she had talked in front of this man. “Well, call me Warren,” he said. Ayeka nodded. “Thank you, Warren,” she smiled. Suddenly, Ayeka realized what Warren was doing. She cleared her throat. “Oh, forgive me Prin... I mean Ayeka, for staring, but you have the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen,” he admired. Ayeka giggled a little.

The sun hadn’t risen yet. Ayeka began climbing the cliff only in her lingerie and undergarmets. She reached the top. Ayeka ran aways. Finally, she found her bag of all her needs. Ayeka put on a new Kimono. Then, she took her stuff and slid back down the cliff. Ayeka used her Tiara barrier to keep her from hurting herself. Earlier, she had been too weak to use it. Ayeka then went back to where they were camped out. “Ayeka!! Ayeka!!” Warren called. Then, he spotted her by the stream. “There you are.” Ayeka looked up and nodded. As she stood, Warren saw that she had quite a few fish near by. “Wow, Ayeka, where’dja get those??” “In a tree,” Ayeka said with heavy sarcasm. Then, she laughed. “I’ll teach you how to catch them.” Warren nodded. Ayeka then sat back down by the stream. Warren sat next to her. Ayeka put one hand in the water at the bottom. When a fish swam by over her hand, she snapped her hand up, knocking the fish out of the water. “Now, you try,” she said. Warren put his hand at the bottom. A fish swam by. He tried to get it, but ended up knocking it staight up and out of the water. He watched sadly as the fish fell back into the water. Ayeka laughed. Then, she took Warren’s hand. She blushed a little but shook it away. A fish swam by. Ayeka moved Warren’s hand up and once out of the water, to the side. Sure enough, the fish sat next to Ayeka’s other ones. Warren then tried again by himself and got one. Ayeka got up. She grabbed half of the fish by the tails. Warren got the other half. “You cook too??” “I’m not that good at things like waffles, but I can cook fish,” Ayeka said. They both took a fish and had breakfast. “Warren?” “Um-phumph,” Warren said, his mouth full. “Would you mind if I, well...” Ayeka blinked to hold back the tears,”...if I called you Lord Warren??” The boy sat up and blinked for a second. Then, he smiled and nodded. Ayeka smiled, also. Suddenly, Warren saw Ayeka’s eyes widen. “LOOK OUT!!” she jumped at Warren and knocked him out of the way. A sword shot through the air just where Warren had been. Ayeka grabbed Warren’s hand. She began running. Ayeka stooped low to the ground, grabbed her back-pack, then put her it on her back. She also got Warren’s and handed it to him. Suddenly, she stopped dead in her tracks as another sword shot through the air a few centimeters in front of her. It hit a tree right in front of her. Ayeka grabbed Warren’s hand again and continued running. Suddenly, Ayeka felt a sharp pain come to her side. She fell to the ground with the man on top of her. He ripped her Tiara off her head. Ayeka screamed. That’s when she felt relief as Warren punched the man off. “You protect me much better than Lord Ten...” Ayeka quit talking at the name. “There it is!!” Warren called out. He guided Ayeka over to a ship. It looked a little like Yukinojo except it was red. “Have you repaired yet?!” he called. “Yeah, no thanks to a certain someone!!” a woman’s voice shouted as a door opened. Warren led Ayeka inside. He began pressing buttons. Suddenly, a hand shot out from the other seat and slapped him. “OW!!” “Let me drive!!” came the woman’s voice. Ayeka fell to the ground suddenly as the space ship began to rise into the air. Soon, they were in outer space. “This isn’t my ship. It’s my sister’s,” Warren said. The person in the passenger’s seat turned around. She had teal hair and a red band around her forehead. Her eyes were a kind of blue not much different from her hair. Unlike Warren, she wore an actual Galaxy Police suit. It was a lot like Mihoshi’s. It had gray pants and a blue shirt with black stripes. There was also an orange tie in the middle. “My name’s Kiyone,” she said. “Oh, do you know Mihoshi??” Ayeka asked. “Yeah, she used to be my partner. Then, I moved up and Mihoshi moved down. How’s she doing??” Kiyone felt a little awkward. “Well, she lives with us. She was assigned to our part of the galaxy so she stays in our house. She’s a klutz, sleeps too long, eats too much, and is a crybaby,” Ayeka didn’t have to think at all before describing Mihoshi. “She seems just the same as before,” Kiyone smiled. “Half of me is glad to be rid of her, yet half of me misses her.” “I see. I’ve heard her talking about you in her sleep,” Ayeka smiled brightly, and Kiyone returned the smile. “By the way, my ship’s name is Yagami,” she informed. Ayeka nodded. “Now, what’s your name??” “I’m Ayeka,” she said. A little in awe, Kiyone turned back around and slapped Warren again. “Let me drive!!” she cried again. Warren sighed. That’s when a beautful planet came to view. It had the two rings that Jurai did. It was purple with much white and an assortment of other colors. Ayeka gazed at it in wonder. “This is Cariji,” Kiyone headed towards it. They headed to a small island. It only had a hotel, a hotspring, a forest, and a lake on the island. All around were beautiful waves of an ocean. Kiyone got down to where she was just hovering above ground. Ayeka felt Warren’s hand grab hers. Suddenly, they were floating underneath Yagami towards the ground. “See ya tommarow night!!” Kiyone called before flying away. “Yagami is a nice ship. By the way, where’s she going to??” Ayeka wondered aloud. “She’s going back to headquarters. She gets to come home on weekends. Sometimes, Kiyone will take me for training. I want to grow up to be just like her,” Warren admired. “So, you must have a pretty cool household, you, Mihoshi, a regular boy.” “No even close. It’s crazy. There’s me, my little sister Sasami, Mihoshi, and the “regular” boy, Tenchi (Ayeka flinched at the name), is actual Yosho’s grandson. Yosho lives with us. His name is Katsuhito. Tenchi’s dad, Nobuyuki, is normal. Then, there’s space pirate Ryoko and her “mother” Washu. Then there’s Ryo-oh-ki, the cabbit. She can become a space ship,” Ayeka expained. Warren’s eyes had gone from normal to huge. “I don’t think things could get any weirder there,” he said. “Think again. Tsunami is really my sister Sasami. Sasami was in the royal tree room when Ryoko attacked. An attack made her slip and fall from the top of the room to the very bottom. She would have died if Tsunami hadn’t assimilated with her. Now, Sasami will grow up to be Tsunami,” Ayeka sighed. “Must be fun. Why did you leave??” he asked. Ayeka shook her head as if to clear her mind before looking up at the sky. “A...Ay...Ayeka...” Sasami began to cry as she saw the news flash. Ayeka was nowhere to be found. Suddenly, Sasami heard something. She along with everyone else ran outside. There was Ryu-oh. She was very weak. It landed and became a tree. Ayeka’s Tiara fell out of it. “Is that... is that... is that all that’s left... of Ayeka??” Tenchi began to cry along with everyone else. Sasami picked it up. Suddenly, she gasped. “What.. what is it... Sasami??” Ryoko said through tears. “The Tiara, it’s warm.” Sasami wiped away the tears. “If it’s warm, it’s alive. If it’s alive, then Ayeka’s alive. She’s okay.” “Why *did* I leave home??” Ayeka wondered. She sat on the roof by herself. Warren’s mom wasn’t home yet. “She’s so beautiful,” Warren stared as the sunset cast rainbows of light behind Ayeka. He walked up to her and sat down next to Ayeka. “Why are you all alone up here??” “Oh, I don’t know,” Ayeka’s teeth suddenly began to chatter and she began to shiver. Then, Ayeka felt herself pulled in towards Warren. He put his arm around her. Ayeka felt a strange warmth spread through her entire body. She smiled. After awhile, they headed back inside. They were just coming down the stairs when the door opened. A woman with blue eyes and blonde hair walked in. “Mom, this is Princess Ayeka,” Warren said. The box of asparagus dropped from his mom’s mouth into the bag of over flowing grocieries she was carrying. “Princess Ayeka??” she stared dumbfounded at Ayeka. “Yes ma’am. But, this goes for both of you, when around other people, call me Akemi. I don’t want Te... the Masaki family to find me,” she said. “Wait, if you’re Ayeka, then where’s your Tiara??” Ayeka’s eyes went wide and she lifted up her bangs. “IT’S GONE!!” she cried. Then, she turned to Warren. “THE MURDERER GOT IT!!!” “Shh....Shh...” Warren put his hands on Ayeka’s shoulders. He rocked her a little. “Now, let’s have dinner, I’m starved!!” “Hey, Lord Warren, do you have any customers??” Ayeka asked. Warren shook his head. “This place was abandoned when we bought it. We repainted it. I guess people had heard rumors about his place so they never came. It’s said to be haunted, but it’s not,” he explained as he picked up his chopsticks. Ayeka nodded. As she ate, she found that though it wasn’t as good as Sasami’s, it was delicious. After Ayeka finished, she was led to a suite. “This one is fit for you. Mine’s the one right next door. If you want to bathe anytime, the bathing house is down there. Then, there’s the hotspring. It’s generally used for either untensing muscles or swimming, as I use it. This room has the best view. It used to be mine but I gave it up for a smaller room. It was too big and a huge hassle to clean,” he said as he showed Ayeka around her room. After he left, Ayeka decided to go take a bath. “He’s so kind. He acts like I’m not even a princess, but rather a regular human being. I’ve never been treated like that before. It’s nice. He never refers to me as ‘Princess’ or ‘Miss’ or any of that. It’s like he’s made me forget all about Tenchi. I don’t miss that boy at all. I don’t understand. At the Masaki family house, even with seven other people, I felt lonely. Now, with just him and his mom, I feel not so lonely anymore,” Ayeka wore a very pretty dress. It was a spaghetti strap, slender, long dress. It was white with a purple-ish tint. The spaghetti straps and the outline were purple. Ayeka dipped her foot into the warm water, lifting up her dress. Suddenly, she heard a splash. Warren came into view. “Oh, Ayeka, I didn’t realize you were here. You should go change, the water’s great!!” he called. Ayeka smiled. “I wasn’t going to swim but,” Ayeka took off the dress,” I guess I’m going to now!!” She wore a cute tankini. It was red. The top had a keyhole in it. The bottom of the top piece had a line of white flowers going across it. The bottom had white flowers all over the red bathing suit. Warren didn’t blush but instead smiled. Ayeka did a cannonball in. “Good lord!!” Warren laughed when she came up. Then, Warren got out and climbed the tree right next to the hotspring. “Warren??” Ayeka looked up into the tree. Suddenly, she heard a whoosh behind her and a huge splash. Warren had jumped out of the tree above her. “WARREN!!” he only smiled. “Oh yeah, look at me, uh-huh!!” he began dancing around. Suddenly, he was knocked over by a huge splash. Ayeka was under again. He looked around for her. Suddenly, he felt her hand around his ankle flip him upside down. He came up and splashed Ayeka. Ayeka laughed as she jumped out of the hotspring. She grabbed a piece of rope and climbed up the tree. Warren then saw one end of the rope drop. Ayeka jumped into the hotspring, got that end, then swam over to another tree. She tied it on a lower branch on that tree. Then, Ayeka ran out behind the hotel to the little kids jungle gym. She soon returned with a strange contraption. She hooked a little thing onto the rope. The end dangling was a triangle outline made of rubber. Ayeka took that over to the tree where the rope was higher. The rope was going across the hotspring long ways. Ayeka climbed the tree. Warren suddenly saw Ayeka swing out of the tree on it. She let go when she was a few feet away from Warren. “Whoa, let me try!!” Warren called. Ayeka laughed. He got up, climbed the lower tree, got the triangle, then figured out he couldn’t get it back. Ayeka ran out of the hotspring and back behind the building and soon returned with another rope. She tied this one to the triangle thing. She now used the rope, which reached the ground, to guide the triangle back to the higher tree. When Warren got up there, she heard him whimper a little. Ayeka got out of the water as quietly as possible. She climbed up into the tree to hear Warren mumbling things like, “What if I miss the hotspring” or “What if my hands slip and I land on the concrete?” Ayeka smiled to herself, got behind Warren and pushed him. He flew across to the center and dropped. When he came up, Ayeka jumped in next to him. “Oh man, I’ve never been so scared in my life!!” he cried. Ayeka only laughed at him. “If that was scary, you wouldn’t survive Ten...” Ayeka stopped herself. “You know, it’s getting late, I think I’ll go up to my room and go to bed. Thank you again, Lord Warren.” Ayeka got out, took her dress, and headed upstairs. “She said Tenchi’s full name only once. She always seems so down whenever she talks about him. I wonder...”

Ayeka slid her PJs on and began to brush her hair before putting it in the usual tie. She hummed quietly to herself. Then, she got into bed and fell into a deep sleep.

Sunlight fell upon Ayeka’s soft face as feet, barely making a sound, crossed her room.

Ayeka’s eyes opened. Her cutains were open. She looked onto the nightstand to see breakfast. Ayeka looked at the clock. “It’s already ten,” she said sleepily. She ate her food, dressed, then went downstairs. Warren wasn’t anywhere to be seen. Ayeka walked into the kitchen to find a note on the fridge. It read: Ayeka, Mom has gone to work. Kiyone came and picked me up. She decided to bring me to work and train me. I will be home around 4:00 PM this afternoon. Feel free to help yourself to anything you like. -Warren

Ayeka decided to wake herself up by going into the hot spring. That didn’t help, though. She fell asleep with her head on her arms. Her arms were on the outside of the hotspring. “Wha...” Ayeka opened her eyes. Warren was playing with the triangle. She was in the tree. Warren turned around. “I was afraid that you were gonna fall in and drown, so I brought you up here. Ayeka nodded and smiled. “By the way, school starts this Monday. You wanna come with me??” “Okay,” Ayeka said, a little weirded out. “But make sure to have them call me Akemi.” Then, she walked over to Warren and put her hands on the triangle next to his. They jumped and fell into the water with each other. Ayeka found it colder than usual. “I turned it into a pool. We only make it a hotspring every now and then,” he said. Ayeka nodded. Warren then pulled himself up onto a raft. “Here,” he tossed some goggles. Ayeka took a breath and went under. “Asshole?? Asshole, where are you??” Kiyone’s partner walked through the house. She went outside. “Your supposed to be doing your job!!” she shouted. “I am.” Warren smiled. Suddenly, Ayeka came up out of the water. “Found ’em!!” she held up the goggles. Kiyone’s partner, Kimiko, stepped back in fear. Warren only nodded as Ayeka fit the goggles on her head. “Her name’s Akemi,” Warren said, winking. Kimiko nodded before going back outside.

Kiyone came and took Ayeka shopping. Ayeka got to buy a few new Kimono’s and a school outfit. It was very cute. The top was white. The collar thing was navy with a red stripe very near to the edge of it. The bow at the bottom was also the same very dark navy. Right before her hands, the end had the navy stripe, the red stripe, then another navy stripe. The skirt went a bit past her knees and was also navy. School finally came. Ayeka had been tutored most of the weekend. When she got to school, she found most of the people had American names, unlike Jurai. “Class, we have a new student,” Mrs. Bippus informed. Ayeka walked in. “Now, what did you say your name was??” she asked, turning to Ayeka. “Uh, it’s, Piper,” Ayeka put on her best smile. “I thought you said it was something like Akedi er..” Ayeka shook her head. “Alright Piper, go sit over there,” she said. Ayeka sat down next to two girls, Natalie and Jenny. Suddenly, a girl named Abby stood up. “WE HAVE MORNING MEETING THIS MORNING!!!!” she shouted. Then, she sat down and started laughing a really weird laugh. Mrs. Bippus put her her hand to her mouth and smiled. “Well, let’s go!!” It was an outdoor school. Though classes were inside, the lockers and walkways were outside. When they finally reached Burch Hall and burst through the door, everyone clapped. “You actually made it,” the headmaster of the middle school, Mr. Crabb, said, pretending to be surprised. After morning meeting, they all walked back to class. Ayeka made friends with quite a few people. In her class, she barely talked to Warren. She liked Jenny and Natalie. She also liked liked two people out of her class, Michael-Anne and Michele. Chris was also pretty cute. Ayeka had no idea about recess, though. “AHH!!!” Jessica Rosenaur had tripped over Chris’s feet and was now crying on the ground. “RUN!!” Michael-Anne (M-A), Michele, Ali, Ayeka, and Chris started running from the platforms to hide behind the shed. Suddenly, Chris ran to the dugout and pressed himself against the back of it. “THEY CAN SEE US!!!” he cried. Then, he ran back to the shed. The stood still for a minute. Then, he dropped to his hands and knees. “Secret Agent MAN!!!” he said in a weird voice. He crawled pass the horizontal dugout and over to the vertical one. Everyone else, including Ayeka, ran over to him. They hid behind it. “Oh crap, the teachers can see us!!” he ran around to another side of it. With their back pressed agaist it, they were now looking at the soccer goal. They stood still for minute. Then, Chris starting running over to the goal and jumped down into the orange netting. His “girlfriend” Ali ran over and jumped down into the goal netting next to him. Everyone else ran over. “You guys, you can’t see me because I’m camouflaged. I’m down here,” everyone else stood there. Suddenly, Chris popped up and started running down the soccer field, everyone chasing him. They jumped down into the other goal’s netting. A football game was going on around them. “Ooh, look, Secret agent man...” Chris held up a shoe, “found a clue. “Chris, isn’t that your shoe??” “Oops, oh well,” Chris put it back on his foot. “Oh, look, Secret Agent man found a clue!!” “Chris, that’s your other shoe,” Chris put it back on his foot. “Ooh, look, Secret Agent man found a clue!!” he held up a shoe. “Chris, isn’t that... no, that’s not your shoe,” M-A laughed. Suddenly, Chris was hit in the head with a football. He threw it back up into the air. “They’re crappin on us!!” he cried. He was hit in the head with a football again. He threw it back again. “Well’p, good-bye, good friend,” Chris said. He threw the shoe up and hit an incoming football. Then, Chris signalled for everyone to follow him. He began running down the field. Ali jumped on his back. Chris ran forward to catch his balance. He figured that he might as well keep running, even though he didn’t want Ali there. They were all running into the dugout. That’s when it happened. Ali’s forehead hit the top of the dugout and she fell off backwards. Then, the bell rang and everyone ran. NOTE: Okay, just thought I’d verify that these are real people, real teachers, and real events that have taken place in my fifth grade class (yes, I’m only in the fifth grade, well, actually, it’s the summer before going into sixth), Ayeka taking my place. Oh yeah, it’s a real school, too. “So, how was school??” Warren’s mom asked. “Great!!” Ayeka smiled. Many days passed. Warren and Ayeka went swimming together almost every night. Ayeka caught herself whenever she began to talk about Tenchi or the family she left behind. Ayeka got together with friends and made more. But neither Ayeka nor Warren knew that their adventure was only beginning. “Look Warren, the Library has a new book,” Ayeka pulled it down. “Hmm, no title.” Ayeka flipped through. “Oh, this is one of those where you get to add on to other people’s story!” “Well, I guess we have a book,” Warren smiled. “Geez Piper, you’ve read every book in the library!! We’re getting a huge shipment of books on Princess Ayeka and fantasy. You see, she died, though you’ve probably heard. People wrote bio’s on her after her death,” the Librarian smiled. Ayeka bowed quickly. “You know, I’m gonna go buy us some ice cream, meet you outside!!” she said quickly and then rushed out the door. Warren nodded. He met her outside and was handed some chocolate ice cream. “Ahh, that felt nice,” Ayeka streched. She had just gotten out of the hot tub. She loved her new PJs. Ayeka then brought out a pen and opened the book. After finishing, Ayeka didn’t notice her writing begin to glow. “Class, we have yet another new student,” Mrs. Bippus said. A girl walked in. Ayeka gasped and quickly hid her eyes in her hair. The girl who walked in had all blue eyes. In the middle of her bangs was a yellow hair bead. Four strands of orange hair came from it. The rest of her hair was light brown. “Now, what did you say your name was??” “Chelsea, Chelsea Tokimi,” she said. “Ummm, may I go to the bathroom??” “Sure,” Ayeka dashed out of the room. She ran down the hall to the bathroom. Once there, she yanked out her hair ties. She put one in her pocket and used the other to put all her hair up into one, high ponytail. Then, she came back to the class room. Ayeka tried to focus but she new “Chelsea” was staring at her. “She makes me uneasy,” Ayeka whispered to Jenny. Finally, the bell rang. Reading was dismissed. Jenny rushed to her locker and grabbed her books. “Chelsea” had just been given all her books. Jenny brushed by her and hit Tokimi’s shoulder. “Oh, I’m sooo sorry, Chelsea. Oh yeah, by the way, quit staring at Piper. I know you’re probably in awe of her beauty but really, you’re a girl, quit acting Lesbo!!” Jenny then continued past Tokimi to get a drink, then back past Tokimi again, knocking the books out of her hands once again. Jenny caught up with Ayeka. Tokimi saw Ayeka laugh. She glared. “I feel her eyes on my back,” Ayeka growled. Jenny turned around. “I said quit acting lesbo. I mean really, walking to science means passing the little kids!!” Jenny shouted. Natalie turned around from Ayeka’s other side. “Yeah, really, you shouldn’t be teaching little kids things like that,” they all then continued walking to science. “She’s still staring at me,” Ayeka grumbled to Natalie during science. “Now, I’m going to give you an example of adhesion,” Mr. Crabb, who was also a science teacher, walked up to Warren. He dipped his hand in the water and started flicking water on Warren. Warren was splattered with water while Mr. Crabb chanted “adhesion”. Warren just sat there and blinked. “Oh gosh,” Mr. Crabb turned around and went back to the sink. “Oh, you want me to say adhesion,” Mr. Crabb turned around again. “When d’ja figure that one out??” Jenny laughed. Finally, the day ended. “Hey, Ayeka, you wanna go to the dance with me tonight??” Warren asked on the way home. Ayeka turned to him, eyes sparkling. “SURE!!” then, they continued walking. “Couldn’t get the guts to ask Laura?” “No, I just decided I wanted to go to the dance with you a lot more. You know, Ayeka, you’ve changed a lot since you came. When you first came, you were pretty shy. Now look at you. I like the new you,” Warren laughed. Ayeka smiled. “Ya think so??”

A lot of American songs were played that night. Ayeka loved dancing with Warren. He was great. Of course, since she was a princess, she had been taught to dance well. Tokimi sat by the fruit bowl the entire time, glaring at Ayeka. “Another day to work Chelsea,” Jenny laughed. Ayeka sighed. It was lunch already. However, none of them wanted to eat. Whenever you finished, you headed out to recess, fifty minutes from the start of lunch. Ayeka stayed inside to eat a little. When she walked out, she saw Tokimi forming a ball of energy in her hands. Jenny was backing up. Ayeka sighed, ran to where she could hide, and a change took place. She was in her Jurain battle suit. Ayeka was thankful that her pigtails were hidden. She took her sword, then ran out. She jumped and blocked the attack just in time. “Who are you??” Jenny asked, a little fearful. Ayeka smiled. “I’m the warrior, protector of the three planets known as Earth, Jurai, and Cariji.” Tokimi growled. She had two green stripes on her face and was wearing a kimono. “Well, who’s she??” Jenny asked, pointing to Tokimi. Ayeka sighed. “You’re better off not knowing,” she sighed. Tokimi then backflipped away. Ayeka ran back to where she had transformed and deformed. Then, she ran out. “I heard something was going on out here!!” she cried. “You just missed the most beautiful warrior you could ever even imagine,” Michele said. Ayeka smiled to herself.

Many more times, Tokimi attacked and Ayeka protected. No one ever figured it out. One day, though, Tokimi followed Ayeka. Finally, Ayeka and Warren reached the dock. They jumped on their wave runners and rode back to their island. “Finally, the hotspring,” Ayeka smiled. Then, she ran outside in her towel. Suddenly, Ayeka felt a strong hand go around her throat. “Give it up, Princess,” Tokimi smiled. “As soon as I’m done with you and Tsunami, it’s Ryoko and Washu’s turn.” “WHAT DO YOU WANT WITH OCTOPUS HEAD?!” Ayeka shouted. “Which octopus head?? Washu, or Ryoko??” Ayeka growled. She made her sword appear in her hand. Tokimi let go of her. Ayeka fell backwards and dropped the sword. Tokimi picked it up. Ayeka began running. She screamed as Tokimi stuck time after time. “Oh my god, help me!!” she cried. Ayeka practically ran up the tree. Suddenly, she saw Tokimi appear in it. Ayeka jumped onto the triangle and began flying over the pool. Suddendly, she felt a blow hit the side of her. Ayeka dropped. She quickly ran out of the pool. Suddenly, Tokimi appeared in front of her. She slapped Ayeka upside the face. Ayeka fell backwards into the pool. She quickly jumped out again. Ayeka ran for the door. It was blown off. “That ain’t gonna work,” Ayeka sang fearfully as she fell and caught her balance right in front of it. Ayeka continued running. Suddenly, unbearable pain shot through her side where it was hit. Ayeka held her side and began to stagger. Tokimi appeared. She slapped Ayeka again and Ayeka fell to the ground. Ayeka was on her back. She struggled to move, but she felt Tokimi’s strong foot on her back holding her down. Ayeka began crying bitterly. “Please, don’t...”Ayeka cried very hard. “Please don’t hurt me. Oh please, let me go!” Tokimi only laughed. Suddenly, Ayeka felt Tokimi’s foot release it’s grip and she saw Tokimi crash to the ground next to her. Ayeka felt strong arms pick her up. Her world began to blur. “Thank you,” she whispered before it all went black.

Ayeka awoke. She looked down. Though there was still a blood stain on her Kimono, she had no wound. She looked towards the roof. Ayeka rose and walked the stairs to the roof. She found Warren up there. “Thank you,” she said. Warren nodded and turned to her. They smiled at each other. “But only special Jurains have healing power.” Warren’s smile faded.

A week had passed. “Oh, your not acting Lesbo around Piper anymore,” Jenny laughed, walking backwards. Suddenly, Tokimi growled deeply. She ran up to Ayeka and knocked her against the wall. “Her name isn’t Piper, it’s Ayeka. That’s right, PRINCESS Ayeka,” she growled. Ayeka punched her off. “What do you want with me?!” she screamed. “You are what I wanted to talk to Washu about. You see, I wanted info on you, Ayeka. I wanted more info so I could find your weakness. You see Ayeka, I can’t get rid of my sister, Tsunami, unless you’re dead. You have a connection that I can’t get rid of,” Tokimi shouted. “What do you want with Sasami?!” “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe I want to kill both Tsunami and Washu because we are all sisters, yet they claim all the fame and glory while I sit in the darkness. Since Sasami is Tsunami, I guess I will have to kill Sasami,” Ayeka shook her head. “NO NO NO NO NO!!!!!” she screamed. Suddenly, Tokimi disappeared. Ayeka noticed everyone surrounding her. Around were Warren, Michele, M-A, Natalie (Jenny had run away in fright), Chelsea (not Lady Tokimi, a different Chelsea), Asta, Elena, Chris, Brandon, and Jonathan. Suddenly, a green glow appeared in the middle of all of them. “RUN!!” Ayeka screamed. But she knew it was too late for that. Ayeka then fired her own energy. It dissolved the small green one. Suddenly, Ayeka bumped into Tokimi. “Going somewhere?,” Ayeka was once again knocked to the ground. “You see, Ayeka, I know the world you left behind. You left Tenchi, the man you loved so much. You left Ryoko. You left your dear sister Sasami. You left Mihoshi. You left Washu. You left Nobuyuki and Yosho. You left Ryo-oh-ki. You left all of them and now they are unprotected. Upset?? You should be,” Ayeka scrambled to her feet. “She just left her home??” Warren wondered. Lady Tokimi disappeared. “You know, I think I’ll go to Jurai. Maybe your mom would look nice with her head mounted on the wall,” Ayeka gasped. She began crying bitterly. Ayeka ran. That was the only thing she could think of. Ayeka ran and ran. She ran to the dock and used the wave runner to get home. When she did, she ran up to her room and jumped down onto the bed. After a little while, she heard Warren’s knocks. “Ayeka, there’s something I need to tell you,” he said. Ayeka quit crying. “Kiyone used to be a lot like Mihoshi. She loved to have fun and was so carefree. Then, she fell in love. The boy she loved, though, loved another woman. Right after their first kiss, Kiyone told the man she hated him. Then, he died on his way home. His ship was hit by a meteor. Kiyone stuck around awhile. We figured if we left her alone, she’d get over it and be back to normal. We didn’t give her any extra support or love. That was about the worst thing that happened to her. Kiyone then found another guy. This one fell in love with another woman too. Kiyone stuck around awhile, but we did nothing for her. That was the worst thing we could do for her. Kiyone was so broken that she drifted into space with Yagami. We found her six months later. She was dying fast. We’re lucky Kiyone survived. Kiyone wants to focus on work now. She doesn’t want friends like that. She doesn’t want to be broken again and work is about the only thing that relieves her. If she focuses on work, she can’t think about anything else. I don’t want the same to happen to you, Ayeka. I... I... I love you. I care for you, Ayeka, like a sister. I don’t want that to happen to you, Ayeka.” Warren sighed. He was about to leave when the door opened. Ayeka’s face was red and sticky. Tears still blurred her eyes. Her hair stuck to her face. “Would you like to tell me about the life you left behind??” Ayeka let a few more tears escape unnoticed. Warren took her into his arms and rocked her back and forth. “I loved Tenchi so much. He was my whole world. Then, he chose Ryoko over me. Ryoko was the one who tried to kill him when she first showed up, the one who dragged Tenchi into battle when she fought me to the death, although I ended it. He chose Ryoko, the one who killed so many innocent souls. He chose Ryoko, over me. He chose Ryoko over the one who smiled at him when we met. He rejected the one who protected so many innocent souls. He rejected the one who he always managed to make stop crying. But what if the person who usually can make you stop crying is the one who made you cry?” Ayeka cried again. “I shouldn’t cry over someone who won’t cry over me!!” “Ayeka, you’re running away from your past. Good friends are hard to find, harder to leave, and impossible to forget, Ayeka. Good friends are like stars, you can’t always see them but you know they’re there,” Warren tried to calm Ayeka. “The hardest thing you can do is watch someone you love fall in love with someone else. I know that.” Ayeka’s crying began to muffle. “It’s painful to think back of the life I lost. I’m afraid of what will come,” she began to cry again. Warren set her down on the couch and wiped a tear from her eye. “When it hurts to look back and you’re scared to look ahead, look beside you and I’ll be there,” Warren smiled. Ayeka threw herself into his arms. “Thank you.” “Oh my... Where’s Ayeka’s Tiara??” Sasami shouted. Suddenly, she caught a glimspe of a figure. Sasami was smacked hard. She lay on the ground. “Tokimi...”

Ayeka sat next to Warren inside Yagami, a little frightened. Warren was taking her back to see her family. They landed up near the shrine. Ayeka ran ahead to the house while Warren walked slowly, absorbing everything.

Tenchi saw Sasami drop her chopsticks as she stared out the window. “Ay... Aye...” Sasami choked on her words as tears of joy filled her eyes. Azaka and Kamidake perked up from the gate entrance. Tenchi turned around. His own chopsticks dropped. Everyone ran out the door behind Tenchi. Ayeka smiled at him. “Hey, Tenchi’s my man,” Ryoko decided to have a little of the fun they had before. She fired a bolt at Ayeka. Ayeka stood in its path and screamed. It hit her hard and she flew to the ground. Ayeka rolled into the water. Ryoko gasped. Tenchi saw Ayeka’s bangs fly up. “Her Tiara, she doesn’t have it. Sasami, I thought you said she came back and got it!!” Suddenly, a man ran past them. “I see why she left.” He ran over to Ayeka and took her frail body into his arms. Then, Yagami flew overhead. The man disappeared into it with Ayeka. No one caught a glimpse of his face. “I don’t see why, but that space pirate just attacked her,” he said to Kiyone. Kiyone sighed. Ayeka’s eyes fluttered opened. “It hurts to look back, I’m scared to look ahead, and you are beside me,” she said. Suddenly, the ship shook. A laugh echoed through the ship. “TOKIMI!!” Ayeka sprung to life. She then turned to Kiyone. “We MUST go to Jurai!!” Kiyone nodded. They began going at top speed. They made it all the way to the checkpoint, then ran in. Suddenly, Ayeka found herself surrounded by Jurain guards. “What’s the problem, officers? I’m the Crown Princess of Jurai and I’m trying to get through!!” Ayeka growled. “This. You ordered for your parents and aunt to be locked up so you can have the pleasure of killing them yourself!” one officer shouted. “You’re that desperate to become queen?!” another laughed. “Pitiful.” Ayeka shook her head. “LIES!! IT’S ALL LIES!!!” she screamed. “I HAVEN’T BEEN TO JURAI SINCE I RAN AWAY THREE HUNDRED YEARS AGO AND I HAVEN’T CONTACTED ANYONE UNLESS THEY CAME TO VISIT ME!!!” The guard growled. Suddenly, the guard fell over. Kiyone was shaking her hand up and down. “I still can’t figure out how to punch,” she complained. Ayeka, Warren, and Kiyone rushed out. Jurain battle ships followed them. Fires were exchanged. However, the quick Yagami managed to escape. They continued their jouney. Suddenly, Ayeka screamed. Kiyone looked out the window and screamed also. The ship shook greatly as it was hit and fell down to planet Karonija. They all ran outside the ship except Kiyone, who began repairing. “Lady Tokimi, SHOW YOURSELF!!!!” Warren shouted. “Alright,” Tokimi appeared. In her hand, she was holding Harrison, a boy in Ayeka and Warren’s class, up by the back of the shirt. He was unconscious. “I’ll show something more than myself,” Tokimi pulled out a sword. Harrison’s eyes widened as the sword sliced straight through him. “Oh my god...” Ayeka began staggering backwards, her eyes never leaving Harrison. She suddenly, ran into Warren’s arms. “She killed him!! SHE KILLED HIM!!!!” Ayeka began screaming. Suddenly, Tokimi held her shoulder and cried out in pain as she went down. Behind her was Kiyone, holding her gun out in front of her. Tokimi began rising into her ship. Suddenly, a red light engulfed Warren. He began rising slowly, then he flew up into the ship very fast. “AYEKA!!!!!” he shouted. Ayeka just stood there staring. “It hurts to look back, I’m scared to look ahead, and your not there beside me,” Ayeka began to cry. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder. “But I’m here beside you,” Kiyone smiled. “KIYONE!!” Ayeka began to cry as Kiyone hugged her. “We’ll get him back, I promise.”

Ayeka shuddered as they continued to Jurai. Ayeka was afraid of what she would see. She sat in her own corner, kneeling, hands folded, praying. “Warren. Mommy Misaki, Daddy Azusa, Aunty Funaho, please, stay safe,” Ayeka prayed. Then, she rose. “Planet Jurai has come into view,” Kiyone reported. “Yes, thank you, I... aaahhh....” Ayeka screamed as another blast hit Yagami. The Jurain ships had them surrounded. “NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Ayeka screamed, her voice full of not fear, but anger. She began glowing. Suddenly, every ship began to glow with the same glow as Ayeka’s before exploding. As soon as every single one was space dust, Ayeka fainted. “Yagami, auto mode, now!! Head for the royal palace!!” Kiyone got out of the seat and ran over to Ayeka. Then, she ran out of the room and returned with some water. She splashed Ayeka in the face with it. Ayeka opened her eyes. “We’re here,” she said without even getting up. Kiyone rose along with Ayeka. Sure enough, they were landing by the palace. “Ayeka, I’ll be in in a bit,” Kiyone said. “I have to get Yagami somewhere safe.” Ayeka nodded before running out of the red ship. “The halls of Jurai, so... familiar...” Ayeka ran down the halls. Her soft shoes were nothing to her. Suddenly, Ayeka felt something coming up from her back. She jumped out of the way, just escaping a blow. Her shoes fell off, burnt holes already visible. Ayeka turned around. Her eyes began to glow yellow. The guard suddenly fell over. Ayeka’s eyes returned pink and she turned around again. Her soft feet made barely any sound against the marble ground. “Warren...” Ayeka turned down a hallway. She ran down to the dungeon. “Ayeka...” Funaho said sadly. “Why do you wish to kill us??” Azusa said with hatred. “I don’t. Tokimi does,” Ayeka said. She grabbed the keys and unlocked the cell. “Be careful, I have to go save someone.” With that, Ayeka turned on her heel and ran out of the room. She ran down long hallways. Finally, she reached the throne room. Ayeka stared up at the huge doors. “Warren...” Ayeka pushed hard. They opened. Ayeka looked up. She looked up the long path, the seven flights of stairs, up at the throne. Tokimi sat in it. Then, Ayeka gasped. Warren was in some sort of barrier. It was the kind of barrier Ayeka could create to defend herself except much stronger. Of course, it mattered how strong the person who created it was. The stronger the person, the stronger the barrier. Then, Ayeka noticed something. Below the floating, unconcious Warren was her Tiara. “You took it!!” Ayeka cried. Tokimi nodded with a laugh. “But I couldn’t do it without the gangsters,” suddenly, from behind the fake queen, about thirty gangsters appeared. Each of them began running down the steps. Ayeka stood her ground. Her eyes began to glow. “Die,” she said very quietly, though hatred echoed through her voice. Suddenly, the gangsters bodies began to glow and they floated upwards. Ayeka’s squinted eyes widened. As they did, the bodies of the gangsters all began flying backwards. They all hit the wall behind Tokimi. As they did, they disappeared. “You’re strong Ayeka,” Tokimi rose. “But not good enough.” The green stripes appeared on her face. “That cell is only supposed to be used for criminals being forced to talk,” Ayeka said, gesturing towards Warren’s prison. “I know. I needed your Tiara to create it because confining a being such as Warren is almost impossible without it,” Tokimi smiled her sinister smile.

Warren’s eyes slowly opened. He saw his princess. “AYEKA!!! NO!!” he screamed. Ayeka still stood her ground. Tokimi vanished. She then reappeared next behind Ayeka. She formed a sword in her hands. She held it above her head. Just as she began to bring it down, Ayeka put one foot between Tokimi’s feet. she slid under. Tokimi, having swung so hard and hitting absolutely nothing, fell over. Tokimi disappeared and reappeared by Warren. She held the sword up to his neck. “You can’t get in and out, but I can,” Tokimi sneered. “NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!” Ayeka screamed. Tokimi disappeared and reappeared by Ayeka. Ayeka, as if hit by some invisible force, flew upwards and smacked into the wall like the gangsters had. Ayeka hit the wall with a jolt. Tokimi appeared behind Ayeka again. Now, Ayeka flew all the way back down. Tokimi now stood over her, sword raised. Suddenly, she flew backwards. Ayeka looked up. Warren was on the ground. Broken pieces of the logs were all around him. “Ayeka, I need to tell you something,” he said solemly. “First off, I’m a Galaxy Policeman. One of my jobs was to protect you. Tokimi had attacked headquarters before you came. She destroyed part of it. We knew you were in trouble. I was assigned to you. I fell in love with you and I’m sorry. Also, I’m not just a Carijian. My dad is King Azusa. My mom is Carijian. King Azusa was then chosen as king as was forbidden to ever see me or my mother again. I am of royal blood as you are, Ayeka.” Ayeka’s eyes became watery. That’s when Warren’s body began to glow and he floated up. Suddenly, he was smashed down onto the stairs. He rolled down all seven flights. Ayeka caught him at the very end. “Oh my god,” she set him down carefully, stood up fully, then turned around. “Tokimi.” Hatred once again echoed through her voice as she faced the goddess. Her eyes began to glow again. Her body was also surrounded in a glow. Her kimono and hair blew around as if strong winds were blowing at her.

Suddenly, her Kimono turned into a warrior outfit like none other. It was a white dress with arms that were that of a kimono. On the legs were two slits from the bottom all the way to her waist. It went all the way down to her ankles. Right under her armpits was a red cloth with a strange symbol on it. It covered her chest. Under that was another cloth. This one black. A red string went around the center of it and tied into a bow in the center of the front. Ayeka’s hair was also different. The top layer of shorter hair was in two loops. Her ponytails extended out from underneath the loops.

Ayeka jumped up each flight of stairs. After seven jumps, she reached the top. Ayeka grabbed her Tiara and held it vertically. She then turned around to face Tokimi and Warren. Warren looked up as well as Tokimi. Ayeka’s Tiara suddenly straightened. The band behind the gold plates disappeared. Two turquoise dots appeared on each of the golden plates. Then, a long, blue, light sword appeared from the top plate. “This is the Light Eagle Sword. Jurain Queens and Princesses have the Light Eagle Sword while Jurain kings and princes have the Light Hawk Sword. Warren rose. He turned around. A glow went around his body. When it faded, Warren was wearing the robes Tenchi wore whenever he used the Light Hawk Sword. He held a base of a sword. It too produced a long, blue, light sword. Ayeka jumped down next to Warren in a single bound. “Only a princess’ or queen’s Light Eagle Sword can be awoken when they find true love,” Ayeka said. She looked at Warren... and smiled. Then, she jumped into the air. Ayeka’s sword hit only a barrier. Warren, however, appeared behind Tokimi. Tokimi’s eyes widened as the sword hit the barrier behind her. She knew she couldn’t hold up two at the same time, so she used most of her strength towards Ayeka. Suddenly, Ayeka’s eyes widened as she flew backwards and hit the wall as she had done before. Her body bounced off and she rolled to the very top of the stairs, threatening to fall down them. Warren removed his sword. Tokimi turned around... and gasped. Warren’s body was glowing just as Ayeka’s had. Tokimi backed up. Warren put one foot forward and pushed off with it. He brought his sword down right onto Tokimi. His body still glowing, he fought the barrier. Tokimi squinted her eyes. Then, they shut all the way as Warren’s sword broke through. Tokimi’s body sliced in half. It began to remold together. It formed a woman dressed in all black. Her all white hair was pulled back into a ponytail. She had the eyes of Kagato. “Who... who are...” Ayeka’s slightly opened eyes stared down at the figure as she strained to sit up. “You killed my brother, Kagato. I figured the best people to get revenge on were Jurains. I locked Tokimi up in the subspace cell within the Jurain palace. I then sent Dr. Clay and Zero on a mission to bring Washu to me. I wanted to destroy Tsunami, the creator of all Jurains. To do that, Ayeka and Sasami must die. Next, I wanted to get rid of Washu, the creator of Ryoko, the woman who betrayed my brother. I would next kill Tenchi, the man who killed my brother. Then, the Galaxy Police would all die. Next I would get revenge on Tokimi, the one who awakened the spirit of Tsunami and Washu, the one who sensed the danger,” the woman revealed her whole plans. “I will now fufill what my brother would be proud to see his younger sister, Jessie, do.” Jessie jumped into the air. Suddenly, she flew straight down into the ground. Ayeka stood at the top of the stairs. Jessie rose and fired balls of energy at Ayeka. Ayeka blocked them all and jumped into the air. Jessie backed up. Ayeka struck her sword into the ground a few feet in front of Jessie. Jessie laughed. Ayeka looked up at her. “You shouldn’t be the one laughing,” Suddenly, a huge blast came from the ground right under Jessie. Jessie’s body glowed and shriveled down into nothing but dust. After it all cleared, Ayeka pulled her sword out of the ground. It vanished and her clothes turned back to normal as she turned around to face Warren. Ayeka fit her Tiara back onto her head. His sword also disappeared as his clothes returned to normal. Tears of joy began to stream down Ayeka’s face. “WARREN!!!!!” Ayeka ran down the pathway. Warren smiled as his own eyes glistened and he too ran forward. They embraced each other. “Prince, Princess, thank you,” came the sweet voice of Tokimi. They both looked up. There was the spirit of the real Tokimi. “I will reunite with my body and go to rest as Tsunami and Washu are. When trouble arises again, I will awaken and wake them.” “What will happen when you wake Tsunami and Washu??” Ayeka wondered aloud. “Sasami will take on the form of Tsunami and Washu’s true power will be revealed. For now, though, Washu and Tsunami’s spirits will sleep along with me,” Tokimi smiled before she vanished. Ayeka and Warren then held hands as they walked out of the palace together. They walked out and onto the dirt mountain, Ayeka on the outside, closest to the edge. Suddenly, Ayeka heard a voice call to her. She turned to Warren, smiled, then let go of his hand. Ayeka turned back to look down at the figures. “TENCHI!!!!” she jumped down and began sliding down the mountain sideways. She hit the bottom and ran towards Tenchi. She jumped into his arms and threw her arms around his neck. “Hey, Ayeka,” Ryoko said shyly. “Tenchi’s *my* man.” Ayeka looked at Ryoko, though her arms were still around Tenchi’s neck. “Oh, I know,” she said. Ayeka then removed her arms and turned to look up at the mountain from the spot she had jumped from. Everyone followed her gaise and saw a figure. “And that’s my man.”

The reunion party played mostly music Ayeka had heard on Cariji. Ayeka danced with Warren. Tenchi heard her laugh and saw her face. “Lemme guess, you wish you had chosen her now??” Ryoko said as she danced with Tench. “I’m sorry, Ryoko,” Tenchi apologized. “Don’t be. Ayeka changed a lot while she was gone,” Ryoko smiled. “You think maybe she’d go for me if I asked??” Tenchi wondered aloud. “You’re a little late,” Ryoko gestured towards them. Tenchi looked at Ayeka’s left hand. Sure enough, on her ring finger was the most beautiful engagement ring Tenchi and Ryoko had ever seen.Warren suddenly handed Ayeka a box. Ayeka opened it. Inside was her Tiara. She giggled a little. She then turned. “Sasami!!” the little Sasami ran over. Ayeka fit the Tiara onto her head as Sasami giggled in delight before running off to show everyone.

Ayeka got up close to Warren’s ear. “When it hurt to look back and I was scared to look ahead, you were always beside me,” she smiled. Then, Ayeka looked into his eyes. “And I love you for it.”

Well, hope you liked it. That’s my third fan fic =) Anyway, please send comments, questions, hate mail, death threats, etc. I’d like to know how to improve. Anyway, I might do a sequel so look for it.