Disclaimer: I do not own any of the original characters, places, or events from 
the Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-ohki! OAV's. All of these things are the property of AIC 
and Pioneer. I do, however, own any new characters, places, and events portrayed 
in all my previous Tenchi stories.

Notes: Well look at this. It seems that I have decided to change my mind about 
writing more Tenchi stuff before my next large Tenchi project. Let's just say 
that back in late April I had a few brain storms. I decided that there was one 
more serious fic I needed to write. After that I realized that there were a few 
characters that readers should become a bit more familiar with before we get to 
"Shadows of a Forgotten Sin."

Therefore, I have put myself back on the writing track for Tenchi. So without 
further delays, I bring you this somewhat serious fic about Mayuka. I realized 
that the topic of her past and evolution into the future is a big deal that 
needs some attention.

Also I have to say this. Stop right here if you have not read my previous 
stories that have led to this one. If you have, keep on reading. If not, then go 
back and read them so you know what's going on.

See you in the post notes.


Of Mothers and Daughters


	"Wake up!"

	"Wake up!"

	"Wake up!" 

	Mayuka Masaki thrust her right hand out from under her light blue 
comforter in search of her alarm clock. After several seconds of blind groping, 
the thirteen year old girl finally found the crab shaped clock that spoke in her 
grandmother's nasal voice. Without pause she tossed it in a random direction. 
The sound of it crashing up against the wall brought a satisfied smile to her 
face.

	"It's Saturday morning for god's sake," she grumbled into her white 
pillow. "Getting up this early must be illegal if not just plain wrong." Having 
disposed of her alarm clock, the eldest Masaki child began to drift back into 
blissful slumber.

	It could not have been too much later when Mayuka was once again awakened. 
This time, however, it was not by her busted clock. There was a distinct weight 
sitting on her back. At first she tried to simply ignore it, but two things 
stopped that from happening. One, it was getting a little hard to breath. Two, 
the occupant of said weight was now flicking her left ear. That action alone 
gave away the identity of her "guest."

	"Hiro, if you don't get off me right now, I'm going to feed you to one of 
Washu's fish," she growled.

	He flicked her ear once more, harder, and managed to scramble away before 
she could turn over. Mayuka cursed loudly and turned her head enough to open one 
brown eye. Her younger brother Hiro Masaki was standing next to her bed with a 
huge grin on his face. The seven year old stood about four foot eleven inches in 
a red and black training gi. The top of his head was a small mass of cyan hair 
that was relatively short on the sides with a couple of spikes jutting forward 
and eventually turning into a few small bangs that fell to his left eye. 

	"Dad's waiting downstairs in the hall," he told her. "He says you have 
five minutes to get down there or your chores get tripled."

	Mayuka pulled her comforter over her head. "Get out of my room, termite!" 
she yelled from within.

	She yelped when something thumped her in the rear. Mayuka threw off her 
quilt and dove at her little brother. Unfortunately, he disappeared just before 
her hands closed around his neck. The teenager hit the floor hard. Hiro 
reappeared at the door smiling. 

	"I'll tell dad you're coming," he said before exiting. 

	Mayuka rolled on to her back and stared at the ceiling. "Why can't I sleep 
in on Saturdays like a normal teenager?" she asked her room. "And why the hell 
does he get to teleport?"

	Grumbling to herself, she got to her feet and walked over to the dresser 
opposite her bed. She stopped to look at herself in the mirror over said 
dresser.Standing at about five foot four inches, Mayuka ran a hand through her 
bluish black hair that almost fell to her shoulders. She leaned close and 
grimaced at seeing a couple of pimples forming on her forehead. Continuing her 
grumbling, she quickly changed out of her purple pajamas into her black training 
gi. She tossed her pajamas on the trunk under her window, grabbed a small band 
for her hair, and left the room.

	Mayuka unhappily trudged down the stairs, while pulling her hair back into 
a ponytail. She walked into the living room to see her father sitting quite 
comfortably at the dining room table reading a newspaper. Dressed in his white 
and blue priest robes, Tenchi Masaki was drinking a cup of tea while reading his 
morning paper. Even though he was thirty years old, her father did not look a 
day over twenty five. The only way one could tell he was aging was the fact that 
he wore his hair a bit differently than he did in his youth. Tenchi's hair was a 
bit longer on all sides, and his ponytail now fell to the base of his neck. 

	Tenchi's eldest daughter stalked over to him. "I thought you were waiting 
for me?"

	He sipped his tea once before looking up at her. "Good morning to you, 
too." He placed the cup down and resumed looking at the paper. "I added in some 
extra time to make up for your 'slow to rise' factor. We still have a half an 
hour before training."

	Mayuka stared at her father dumbly. "But Hiro just said..." Her voice 
trailed off at the sound of suppressed laughter behind her. The teenager spun 
around to see her brother standing near the stairs trying to control his 
laughter. "Why, you!" she barked and dashed towards him.

	"Uh oh!" he cried and moved quickly to avoid her seeking hands.

	The teenager dove right for her brother, but the smaller child was faster. 
Sister chased brother around the living room for several minutes before Tenchi 
finally intervened. They were heading for the stairs when he spoke up.

	"That's enough, you two," he said calmly without looking up from his 
paper. "Hiro."

	Mayuka stepped aside to allow her brother to receive the coming rebuking. 
"Yeah, dad?"

	"Get the broom," he said simply. 

	Hiro's mouth hung open in shock. "Come on, dad! Are you serious?"

	Tenchi laid his paper down to look over at them. "And when you finish with 
the Shrine steps, go and see Grandpa Katsuhito. You'll train with him today."

	Mayuka smiled as the cyan haired child paled. Hiro opened his mouth to say 
something, but thought better of it after a second. The seven year old turned 
and walked towards the front door. Instead of opening it, he just phased right 
though the wooden door. Mayuka jumped as the house suddenly shook. She turned 
around to see an indentation in the wall next to the door. 

	"That's coming out of his allowance," she muttered as she walked back into 
the living room. She sat down next to her father with a moan.

	"You should not let Hiro get under your skin like that, Mayuka," he told 
her. "You need to learn some more self control."

	Mayuka was about to respond, when another voice interrupted her. "All 
right! What's all the racket down here?"

	Tenchi and Mayuka turned their heads towards the sound of Ryoko Masaki's 
disembodied voice. The cyan haired beauty suddenly teleported into view in the 
hallway. She wore her old pink housedress with her spiky hair pulled back into a 
standing ponytail. Her husband motioned with his head to the door. She looked 
over her head and raised a cyan eyebrow.

	"Which one?" was all she asked.

	"Hiro," replied Tenchi. 

	Ryoko nodded. "What are we doing about it?"

	"He's sweeping the steps, and then spending the day with Grandpa," he 
added.

	Mayuka blinked, and her mother was standing next to them. Ryoko leaned 
down and kissed her husband briefly. "I approve. The house isn't a punching 
bag."

	"Ha!" barked Tenchi. "Look who's talking." He gave Mayuka wry look. "Do 
you have any idea how many holes I had to patch up because of the fights she had 
with your Aunt Ayeka?"

	Ryoko slapped him lightly in the back of the head. "Quiet, you. No one 
asked for your opinion." She moved over slightly and placed a kiss on Mayuka's 
head. "Good morning, sweetie. I don't suppose you had anything to do with your 
brother's current misfortune?" 

	"I'm just an innocent victim," the teen proclaimed. 

	Tenchi folded his paper twice and rose from the table. "I'm heading up to 
the Shrine. Because of Hiro, I'll give you a little bit of extra time, Mayuka," 
he explained. "Therefore, I want you and your sister to meet me in front of the 
Shrine in forty minutes." 

	"Sure, dad," she replied.

	He leaned forward to give Ryoko another kiss. "I'll see you around dinner 
time."

	"That's right, buddy. Just leave me to slave away at house work all day 
while you go out and have fun," she said with a smile to his back. Tenchi waved 
once without turning around before leaving. Ryoko looked back down at Mayuka. 
"Hungry?"

	"A little," she replied with a shrug. "Did Sasami leave anything behind 
before she left with Grandma?"

	Ryoko frowned at her. "Oh, come on. My food isn't that bad?"

	Mayuka got up and walked past her into the kitchen. "No, but it isn't 
Sasami's," she stated with a smile. Ryoko laughed and grabbed her in a rough hug 
as they both entered the kitchen. 

	Ten minutes later found them both seated at the island counter. Mayuka was 
eating a small bowl of cereal, while speaking with her mother. It was then that 
Rei Masaki entered the room. The seven year old twin of Hiro was nearly the 
spitting image of her mother. Bearing feline brown eyes and Ryoko's sharp, 
exotic features, it would be hard not to know whose daughter she was. The only 
difference was in the ears, and that Rei sported long, raven black hair that 
fell nearly to her waist. The little girl was dressed in a white gi for the 
morning training session with their father. Mayuka also couldn't help but notice 
Ryo-ohki perched atop her small head.

	"Morning," she said cheerily.

	"Meow!" added the cabbit.

	"Good morning, my little kitten," returned Ryoko. 

	"Hurry up and finish getting ready," said Mayuka. "Dad's expecting us in a 
little over ten minutes."

	Rei climbed up on to a stool next to her older sister, and Ryo-ohki hopped 
off her head to forage for carrots. "Where's Hiro?"

	"Sweeping," was all Mayuka had to say. Rei gave her a knowing nod. 

	"Are there any pancakes?" the raven haired child asked hopefully.

	Ryoko thinned her golden eyes. "You know very well that I can't make 
those."

	Rei frowned and placed her chin in her hands. "When are Aunt Sasami and 
Grandma coming home?"

	Ryoko placed a bowl of cereal and milk down in front of her youngest 
daughter. "When they finish traveling around the world in a normal fashion."

	Mayuka groaned inwardly. After her graduation from college, Washu had 
offered to take Sasami on a trip around the world by conventional means. It had 
only been a few weeks, and the Masaki children were already starting to miss 
their aqua haired aunt's culinary abilities. It wasn't that Mayuka hated her 
mother's cooking. Far from it. If all the old stories were to be believed, the 
mere fact that Ryoko could now make edible food that tasted half good was 
nothing short of a miracle. She was just spoiled from having grown up eating 
Sasami's cooking.

	Being the most adapting of the three Masaki children, Rei complied and ate 
the cereal in front of her. She stopped after several mouth fulls to look 
around. "Can I have a little sugar on this?"

	Ryoko shrugged. "I don't see why not. Your father's going to work you hard 
anyway. I think Sasami keeps some in the cabinet over the refrigerator," she 
said with a gesture.

	"Okay," replied Rei. The child literally floated out of her seat, over to 
the refrigerator, opened the cabinet above it, and removed a jar of sugar. She 
returned to her seat at the island just as easily.

	The whole time two thoughts repeated in Mayuka's mind. *I wish I could fly 
like Rei, or even teleport like Hiro.* 

	Mayuka watched her little sister eat and speak to their mother, who simply 
smiled happily and listened in turn. Rei looked so much like their mother. The 
only real difference was the hair. Hair which Hiro had inherited instead. And 
both of them also exhibited several of their mother's powers. Suddenly, the 
eldest Masaki child started to realize that where her siblings had physical 
maternal traits, she didn't even have one. Her hair had nothing in common in 
color or natural style. All of her features could be traced to her father's side 
of the family in one way or another. 

	She had never really thought about any of this until just now. Perhaps it 
had something to do with her age. People always said that teenagers were more 
attuned to physical differences than anyone else. So maybe it was natural for 
her to arrive at her next question.

	*Why don't I look anything like mom?* 

	*Why haven't I exhibited any of her powers by now, when both Hiro and Rei 
have powers at seven?*

	Mayuka was shaken from her thoughts by an outside question. "May? Are you 
ready?" It was Rei. "Daddy's probably waiting."

	She focused on her sister. "Huh? Yeah." She took the little one's hand. 
"Come on, let's go. Bye, mom," she said as they left.

	"Bye, Mommy," added Rei cheerfully before Mayuka hurried them out of the 
door.

_____ 

	She parried the first strike towards her head then backed off to avoid the 
follow up swipe at her mid-section. Tenchi nodded silently as Mayuka started to 
weave her bokken in a defensive pattern to counter act the swipes of Rei's bo. 
For this combat situation, Mayuka had all the advantages. She was a foot taller 
than Rei, older, faster, and more skilled with her bokken than Rei was with her 
bo. All that, plus the ban on powers. Rei was not allowed to fly or use her 
superior strength, nor was Mayuka allowed to enhance her physical abilities 
using her Juria Power. 

	Tenchi's brow furrowed as Mayuka's parries began to become sloppy. She 
made a weak thrust at Rei, but the younger girl more than easily parried the 
attack with a quick spin of her bo. Mayuka completely lost her grip, and the 
bokken went flying from her hands. Rei was quick to follow up with a slap to 
Mayuka's mid-section, ending the combat. 

	Rei stepped away and began jumping up and down happily. "I won! I won! I 
won!" 

	"Rei," Tenchi said calmly. "Proceed with your cool down exorcises, and 
then you can back to the house for lunch." 

	The child immediately stopped her celebration and bowed. "Yes, sensei." 
She spun around and wandered off to the other side of the courtyard in front of 
the Shrine. Mayuka moved to follow her.

	"Mayuka, wait," Tenchi ordered. His oldest daughter stopped to look at 
him. Tenchi remained on the Shrine's entrance steps and motioned her to sit by 
him. She trudged wearily over and took a seat. "You shouldn't have lost that 
match."

	Mayuka shrugged. "Maybe Rei's getting better."

	Tenchi put his left arm around her shoulders. "Or maybe you weren't 
concentrating. You were doing fine until late in the match. Something on your 
mind was distracting you." He gave her a small one armed hug. "Wanna talk about 
it?"

	There was silence for a few moments. Nothing could be heard except the 
blowing of the chill October wind and the rustling of dried leaves. Tenchi's 
robes fluttered slightly, but he seemed not to notice. Other than the wind, the 
silence was only broken by the occasional cry from down hill. Mayuka turned her 
head in the direction of the cries and raised an eyebrow.

	Tenchi smiled. "Someday your brother will learn to master your great 
grandfather's agility test." He waited a moment for her to speak. "You know you 
can talk to me about anything."

	Mayuka took in deep breath. "Why don't I have any of mom's powers like Rei 
and Hiro? They're only seven, and they can either fly or teleport where I'm 
thirteen and can't do either. Both of them are strong without using their Jurai 
Power, they heal really quickly like mom, and can produce energy weapons at will 
without using Jurai Power." She looked up at him with confusion in her brown 
eyes. "Why?"

	Tenchi felt his blood run cold. He had always known this day would come. 
The day Mayuka would start to notice that she didn't look like Ryoko or have any 
of her powers like the twins, but he and Ryoko had not thought it would arrive 
so soon. Tenchi mentally steadied his voice before answering.

	"I can't really explain that, sweetie," he lied. "Genetics is more the 
field of your grandmother. When she gets back from her trip, we could ask her to 
look into it." Tenchi's breakfast was threatening to come back up from the lies 
he was spewing to his beloved daughter. It took all his control not to start 
retching. "I'm sure your mother has lunch almost ready. Go through your cool 
down exorcises, and then go get something to eat. After that you can take the 
rest of the day for yourself."

	"What about my chores?" she asked. 

	"I think your Grandpa Katsuhito is going to be making your brother pick up 
the slack today," he replied with a smirk.

	Mayuka favored him with a small smile. "Thanks, dad," she said along with 
a hug.

	Tenchi held her close. "You know I love you, right?"

	She moved back to give him a kiss on the cheek. "Yeah. I love you too, 
dad." Tenchi watched her rise and walk off to a corner of the courtyard.

	Tenchi remained on the steps to quietly watch Mayuka go through her 
exorcises. Ten minutes later she rose and started heading down the steps. She 
stopped to wave once before going down. Tenchi smiled and waved back. As soon as 
she was out of sight, Tenchi opened up his link to Ryoko.

	*Ryoko,* he called out telepathically. 

	*Yes, my love?* she answered right away. 

	*What are you doing right now?*

	*I just gave Rei lunch and set up some for Mayuka as well. You feel tense. 
Is something wrong?*

	Tenchi mentally sighed. *Yeah, there is something wrong. Meet me up at the 
Shrine when you have the girls settled.*

	*Okay,* she said. Tenchi could feel her uneasiness coming across their 
link. 

	Heart pounding hard enough to break through his chest, Tenchi took several 
deep breaths and closed his eyes. He needed to clear his mind. Be at peace. He 
and Ryoko were about to make some serious decisions, and he needed to be 
completely focused. His breathing soon became even. It didn't take much for 
Tenchi to embrace the power of his Light Hawk Wings. Three green triangles 
appeared on his forehead. 

	The wind seemed to pick up slightly. A single, blue Wing appeared before 
Tsunami's Knight. The blue, luminescent object floated before him pulsating with 
power. Soon it tilted and drifted slightly to the right just before a second 
Wing appeared to its left. Both Wings pulsed in perfect rhythm. It was not long 
before a third Wing appeared vertically beneath the other two. 

	A single bead of sweat rolled down the side of Tenchi's right temple. The 
third Wing slowly tilted and moved to the right to mirror the one above it. 
Several more beads of sweat rolled down the sides of his face. Suddenly a fourth 
blue Wing appeared to mirror the upper Wing on the left. Four Light Hawk Wings 
in an X formation floated in front of Tsunami's Knight, pulsating with the power 
to alter the very essence of the universe.

	"Wow," came the voice of his wife. "This must really be something if 
you're going to the Light Hawk Wings to calm down." Tenchi heard her walk 
towards him. "And since when can you summon four Wings?"

	Tenchi released a long breath. The runes on his forehead disappeared, and 
the Wings followed suite. He opened his eyes and dragged the right cuff of his 
robe across his brow. "I practice, and you don't." 

	Ryoko was wearing a pair of loose white pants with a black waistband, a 
short sleeved white blouse with a shallow neckline, and a dark blue vest with 
gold embroidery. She made a face at him just before taking the seat to his left. 
"So what's this big emergency?"

	"It's Mayuka," he said quietly. "She basically just asked me why she 
doesn't resemble you at all." Tenchi felt her go emotionally cold.

	"No," Ryoko breathed. Tenchi saw and felt her jovial mood evaporate 
instantly. "No. I'm not ready for this yet." She looked over at him with sudden 
fear in her golden eyes. "How...how can I tell my baby girl that...that she's 
not...mine." 

	Tenchi felt her tears before they even started to fall. Ryoko rarely let 
herself go like this. The only thing that could ever make her cry was when 
someone close to her was hurt or in danger. Ever since she and Tenchi had 
officially gotten together, Ryoko had taken on full responsibility for the care 
of Mayuka. Before that it had been a collective effort by all the women in the 
family. But with the eventuality of their marriage, it had been only natural for 
her to take on the complete role of Mayuka's mother. So, that had been the way 
of things for the past twelve years. And for all those years, Ryoko had loved 
Mayuka as if she were her own. 

	Tenchi quickly pulled his suddenly shaken wife into a tight embrace. "You 
knew that we were going to have to face this someday, Ryoko. Whether or not 
Mayuka started to ask questions herself, we were going to have to tell her the 
truth about Yuzuha."

	"She's mine, Tenchi!" cried Ryoko into his chest. "She's *my* daughter! 
She's mine not Yuzuha's!" Her sobbing intensified. All Tenchi could do was hold 
her.

	"I know, love. I know."

_____ 

	The moment Ryoko vanished Mayuka's mind started working. If anything, once 
her mind was focused on something she was determined to see it to its end. Ever 
since her father had mentioned Washu, Mayuka had started thinking. Washu was 
technically the family doctor, and she had medical files for everyone in her 
computer database. Perhaps if she could get a look at her medical file, she 
could find out what might be stunting the development of her powers. 

	The only problem was that Washu had locked her lab before leaving. "How do 
I get in there?" she muttered.

	"What did you say?" asked Rei over her bowl of rice.

	Mayuka looked across the counter at her sister and shook her head. 
"Nothing. You want my rice? I'm not hungry."

	"Hmkay," replied the child as she floated forward to grab the small bowl. 

	The doorbell rang. Mayuka rose from her seat. "I'll get it." The teenager 
slowly walked out of the kitchen to the hallway. When Mayuka opened the door, 
she was only mildly surprised at the caller. After all, it was lunchtime.

	"Hi, Mayuka," Mihoshi Kuramitsu greeted cheerily. The Galaxy Police 
Officer was dressed in a pair of white slacks and a yellow sweater. Her mass of 
blond hair was bundled back into a large, fluffy ponytail. 

	"Hey, Mihoshi," she greeted back. "What's up?"

	"Weeeelllll, I was kind of in the neighborhood, and I was hoping that I 
could come over for lunch." The blond gave her a hopeful smile. "Since Kiyone's 
living on Jurai now, it's really lonely at the apartment."

	"I guess," replied Mayuka with a shrug. She didn't really care whether 
Mihoshi emptied the fridge or not. There was still the problem of how to, 
"...get...into the...lab," she finished out loud. "Mihoshi, wait!"

	The blond stopped at the edge of the living room. "What is it, Mayuka?"

	The teenager thrust her thumb back at the "broom closet." "Could you open 
that door for me? It's kind of stuck."

	Mihoshi walked over to the stairs. "What do you need in Washu's lab?"

	*Think, May.* "I uh need to look at something in her computer." *Dad 
always says the truth is the best answer.*

	"Okay," chimed the GP. She strolled over to the door and pulled on the 
handle.

	The door didn't budge.

	Mihoshi grabbed it with both hands and started pulling again.

	Still didn't move.

	Finally, she put her left leg on the wall for a little extra leverage and 
strength. Mihoshi yanked once more with all her might.

	"Aaaahhhh!" she cried out as the door swung open, and the GP went flying 
into the opposite wall. 

	"Thanks, Mihoshi!" said Mayuka before running into the darkness. She 
stopped suddenly remembering that accessing the lab was only the first step. 
Mayuka walked back and helped Mihoshi to her feet. "Come on. I still might need 
your help."

	"Oookkaaayyy," she replied groggily.. 

	Mayuka and Mihoshi soon found themselves on the first level of Washu's 
lab. According to what she knew, family and friends were usually able to have 
complete access to the first level, or planet in the lab's case. Only Washu, 
*and* Mihoshi, were able to access the other four levels/planets. The first 
level was basically for Washu's more harmless experiments, plant life, and 
animal specimens. Mayuka walked over to the railing and looked down at the 
flower garden. To her left and right were gigantic water tanks with sea life 
swimming about happily unawares of everything. 

	"All right then," Mayuka thought out loud. "All I need to do is find a 
terminal. Holographic ones are out because all of them are tuned to Grandma. 
Can't use mom's because it's linked to her." The teen rubbed her hands together. 
"Looks like it's scavenger hunt time."

	Fortunately for Mayuka, Mihoshi's luck was in full force. It was only a 
few feet past the garden that she saw a solid keyboard sticking out of a nearby 
wall. She ran over and immediately started typing, but nothing happened. 
"Mihoshi? Could you try getting this to work?"

	The GP walked over to look at the keyboard. "I dunno, Mayuka. Things tend 
to blow up whenever I play with one of Washu's machines. I'd like to keep my 
eyebrows for more than a couple of months."

	Mayuka gave her a pleading look. "Please? This is really important to me."

	The bubblehead started to get all teary eyed. "Oh, all right," she sobbed 
lightly. Mihoshi started typing on the keyboard. Moments later a view screen 
appeared with options for a database search.

	"Yes!" cheered Mayuka. "Excuse me," she said before craefully pushing 
Mihoshi aside. "Thanks, Mihoshi. I can take over from here. Just have Rei show 
you where everything is in the kitchen."

	Mihoshi smiled happily. "Okay. Glad I could help, Mayuka. Are you going to 
be all right down here?"
	
	"Yeah, yeah," she replied without looking around. Mayuka barely registered 
Mihoshi leave the lab. 

	The teenager typed in a search for her own name. Search results scrolled 
down the screen. Most of the result summaries showed routine examinations by 
Washu. Mayuka stopped scrolling down the list when she noticed one summary:

	DNA RESULTS OF HAIRS FROM SUBJECT MAYUKA. 

	Mayuka paused for a moment to look at that option. She opened the file and 
read the results:

	ANALYSIS OF BLACK AND SILVER HAIRS FROM SUBJECT MAYUKA:

	AGE: 16
	GENDER: FEMALE
	DIMENSIONAL PATTERN: ERRATIC
	DNA OF BLACK HAIR: ELEMENTS FROM SUBJECT TENCHI MASAKI
	DNA OF SILVER HAIR: ELEMENTS UNKNOWN

	"This doesn't make sense," she whispered. "How can Grandma have medical 
data on me from age sixteen, when I'm only thirteen? And since when did I have 
silver hair?" Mayuka continued to read the data results until she came to a new 
file titled CONCLUDING REMARKS.

	Mayuka opened the last file and started reading. The more she read, the 
colder she became inside. Tears silently started to run from her brown eyes down 
her cheeks as the story of her birth came to light. Her life was nothing but a 
lie! 

	"I'm nothing but a creature," she breathed. "A genetic creation. I'm not 
even real." The name Yuzuha flashed before her eyes. "And I have no mother."

_____ 

	 Tenchi and Ryoko took their time walking back from the Shrine. Ryoko held 
on to Tenchi tightly the entire trip down hill. Her mind was a chaotic mix of 
emotions. All of her will power had been completely shattered with the knowledge 
that Mayuka would learn about her past. Her little girl, her baby, the child she 
had virtually raised from birth, would find out that the woman who she had known 
as "Mommy" for the past twelve years was not in fact her mother.

	"But I am," whispered the pirate. "I am her mother. And I'll be damned if 
anyone or anything will tell me differently."

	"What was that?" asked her husband.

	Ryoko tightened her hold on him. "She is my daughter, Tenchi. I raised her 
and loved her. She is mine."

	Tenchi stroked the back of her head. "I know that, Ryoko. Don't worry. 
Everything's going to be fine."

	They walked in silence the rest of the way to the house. The couple 
stopped at the front door. "Are you ready to do this?" asked Tenchi.  

	Ryoko nodded. "Yeah." Tenchi kissed her briefly before opening the door.

	They were immediately greeted by Mayuka sitting on the stairs, staring at 
them darkly.

	"Mayuka," Ryoko said quietly.

	"Why didn't you tell me?" she whispered dangerously.

	Tenchi and Ryoko stared at her without speaking. Tenchi was the first to 
finally respond. "Mayuka, we..."

	"WHY DIDN"T YOU TELL ME!?" she screamed this time. The teenager was on her 
feet now with tears running down her face. "Why didn't you tell me that I was 
nothing but an experiment! A creature of genetic engineering!"

	"May..." Ryoko tried to say.

	"And you!" she snapped. "You've done nothing but lie to me for years! 
You're not even my mother!" 

	Ryoko's heart was breaking. "You don't mean that," she managed to croak. 

	"We're not related!" she cried. "We're nothing to each other! NOTHING!" 
She launched herself from the stairs and blew past them out the front door.

	"Mayuka!" cried Ryoko. "Come back!" She started to run after her, but 
tripped in the process. Ryoko collapsed forward and didn't even attempt to rise. 
"Mayuka," she sobbed. "Come back to me..." 

	Ryoko felt Tenchi gently take her waist and pull her up. Foot steps 
sounded behind them from the living room. "Mommy?" came Rei's voice.

	"What's going on?" added another voice that the pirate vaguely identified 
as Mihoshi's.

	"Rei, help Mommy into the living room," said Tenchi calmly. "Mihoshi, 
could you get Ryoko some water to drink?"

	"Sure, Tenchi," Ryoko heard the GP reply. 

	Ryoko was handed from Tenchi to Rei, who slowly walked her over to the 
couch. They sat down with Rei holding on to Ryoko's right arm. "Mommy? What's 
going on? Mommy?"

	Ryoko quickly wrapped her arms around her youngest daughter. "Everything's 
okay, kitten. Everything's just fine." Unfortunately, those words were for Ryoko 
just as much as for Rei.

_____ 

	Mayuka simply ran. She had no idea what direction she was heading in, just 
that she needed to get away. Who knows how long her blind run lasted. Finally, 
the teenager stopped somewhere deep in the forest surrounding the Masaki 
residence. Out of breath and shaken beyond her bearings, Mayuka collapsed into a 
heap. The distraught teen began crying uncontrollably. 

	"Mayuka."

	She immediately jumped up to see Tenchi standing only a few feet away. 
Mayuka started wiping vainly at her tear stained face. "What do you want?" she 
shot accusingly.

	He folded his arms and kept a cool gaze on her. "We need to talk, Mayuka."

	"There's nothing to talk about," she snapped turning away. She stiffened 
when his hand touched her right shoulder.

	"I know that you're upset," he told her. "And you have every right to be. 
How did you learn about..."

	"Yuzuha?" she finished for him. "I got Mihoshi to help me into Grand...I 
mean Washu's lab. I found my files in her database."

	"I see," he said quietly. "We were going to tell you, sweetie."

	"When!?" she snapped as she spun around to look at him. "When I turned 
into a demon like Yuzuha?"

	Tenchi's face was solemn. "That won't happen, Mayuka. You are part human 
and Juraian. You aren't a demon."

	She scowled up at him. "I read Washu's files. I'm still a combination of 
Light and Darkness, which means that part of Yuzuha is still in me."

	"But there is more of myself and your mother..."

	"She's not my mother!" shouted Mayuka. She folded her arms and looked 
down. "She never was."

	Tenchi took both her shoulders gently. "Now, I know that you don't mean 
that. Yes, genetically Ryoko is not your birth mother, but never once has that 
ever affected her love for you." 

	Mayuka lifted her head slightly. "But I'm not even really one of her kids. 
She can't love me the same as Rei and Hiro."

	A tender finger lifted her chin up. "That is far from the truth." Mayuka 
looked into her father's soft, brown eyes. "You are *her* eldest daughter, 
Mayuka. Ryoko loves you just as much as the twins. Look back over the years, my 
little jewel. Has she ever once not treated you as her own? Has she ever not 
loved you unconditionally?"

	Mayuka looked deep into his eyes. The sincerity in those warm eyes 
betrayed no deception this time. Mayuka sniffed once before thrusting her face 
into his chest to cry. "I'm so confused, Daddy," she wept. 

	"Shhh," he soothed. Tenchi embraced her and rubbed the back of her head. 
"It's all right, honey. Let it out. I'll always be here to guide and help you in 
everything."

	It was several minutes before Mayuka had cried herself out. Never once did 
Tenchi stop comforting her. "Are you ready to go back?"

	Mayuka moved away to rub her nose. "I guess." She gave him a forlorn look. 
"I don't know what to do. Where do I go from here?"

	Tenchi placed his right arm around her. "Sometimes one can only find the 
correct path once he or she starts walking."

_____ 

	Ryoko sat on the front steps of the Masaki home. Hiro had returned a short 
time ago sporting several welts, but Ryoko knew very well that it was just from 
the old man's agility exorcises. Noboyuki had arrived home from work shortly 
after and was helping his grandson get something to eat while Mihoshi and Rei 
were watching cartoons. The whole time Ryoko staid on the front steps waiting 
for Tenchi to return with Mayuka. Her heart threatened to explode from her chest 
when they appeared at the other end of the bridge.

	The cyan haired mother slowly rose. The on-coming pair stopped just feet 
from her position. Ryoko could feel Tenchi's nervousness over the link. Mayuka 
stood to his right with her head down. Tenchi patted her shoulder lightly and 
walked to the front door. His right hand brushed Ryoko's as he passed.

	The following silence was deafening to Ryoko. All of her instincts called 
for her to rush to Mayuka, but something else told her to wait and see what the 
girl did first. And so she waited. It was only seconds later when Mayuka raised 
her head to look at Ryoko. Their eyes locked, and tears began streaming from 
both sets of eyes.

	Mayuka suddenly rushed Ryoko and threw her arms around her in a tight 
embrace, which Ryoko returned fiercely. "Oh, mom!" cried Mayuka.

	Ryoko placed the left side of her face up against Mayuka's head. "Oh my 
darling, Mayuka! I thought I'd lost you!" She kissed the side of her head. "I 
love you so much!"

	"How can you?" sobbed the child. "I'm not your real daughter."

	"Don't you ever say that again," Ryoko ordered. "You have always been my 
daughter, and you always will be. Who gives a damn about DNA." She moved back to 
take her daughter's face between her hands. "I love you, Mayuka. Never forget 
that."

	Mayuka's eyes were so sad, so confused. But there was definitely one 
important other thing Ryoko saw there. "I love you too...mom." 

	Tears of joy cascaded from Ryoko's golden eyes. She pulled her child into 
another warm embrace. "Oh, my baby. My Little Mayuka." An idea suddenly occurred 
to Ryoko. "I just had a thought," she said.

	"What?" asked Mayuka in quiet voice.

	"Well," Ryoko began. "I just thought of a way for us to be connected in 
way that I don't even share with the twins. Something that can be just between 
you and me."

	Mayuka gave her a questioning look. "How?"  

	Three green circles appeared on Ryoko's forehead. "I can make it so that 
we have a telepathic bond. One that just the two of us can share."

	Mayuka started rubbing her eyes. "But don't you already have different 
links with dad, Grandma, and Ryo-ohki?"

	"Yes," replied Ryoko. "But they are all different and separate." She 
paused for a moment. "Well, your grandmother can sometimes blend the different 
ones, but your father and I are able to keep her out most of the time," she 
added with a smile. "So, do you want me to do it?"

	Mayuka genually smiled for the first time all day. "Yes."

	Ryoko smiled back and let them both be surrounded by the power of her 
Light Hawk Wings. It only took a small psychic, twinge, and mother and daughter 
were bonded.

	*Can you hear me?* asked Ryoko.

	*Wow!* came Mayuka's response. *This is awesome!* She hugged Ryoko again. 
*I've never felt closer to you, mom.*

	"Good," said Ryoko out loud. "Now, why don't we go inside and enjoy what's 
left of the day." There was a sudden explosion followed by the house shaking.

	"Give me back that CD, Hiro!" came Rei's shout from inside.

	"Now way! It's mine!" he shouted back.

	"Why, you!" screamed Rei. Ryoko winced at the sounds of energy blasts 
being discharged.

	"Ha ha! Missed me!" More energy discharges followed by explosions.

	"Please!" cried Mihoshi. "Please stop, both of you!"

	"Both of you stop right now!" ordered Tenchi. "There are other ways to 
settle this!"

	"But, ddddaaaadddd! I didn't start it!" they both wined.

	"I don't care who started it! I'm ending it!"

	Despite the damage being done inside, Ryoko smiled. There was something 
very familiar about the sounds coming from inside the house. "After all, it 
wouldn't be home without fights and a few holes in the ceiling."

	"What's that, mom?" asked Mayuka. 

	"Nothing, sweetie," she replied. "Just remembering why I love my family so 
much." She put her arm around her daughter and led them inside. "Let's get 
inside and make sure none of our things have been incinerated."

	 Mayuka smirked. "That better not be my CD those two are fighting over." 
Mother and daughter laughed together in harmony as they entered their happy, if 
not sometimes strange and dangerous, home.


More notes:

Well yet another one done. I know that this was short, but that was again the 
point. There was one point that I wanted to focus on and that was what would 
happen when Mayuka found out about the truth of her background. I wanted this to 
be a very emotional fic, and I hope that I have succeeded in doing that. This 
was a topic that I realized could not be avoided.

Now about future Tenchi projects. I know I said in the notes of my last fic that 
there would be a small vacation, but things have changed. New ideas pop up in my 
little mind, and I have to put them to words. Therefore, there will be one more 
very small series right before the second epic "Shadows of a Forgotten Sin." It 
will be called "Through the Eyes of the Kids" and the focus will be on the three 
Masaki kids. These few short stories will all be purely humor based to allow 
readers to get to know these three characters a little bit better. Also they 
will all be released at the same time. 

Please send all comments to Roas1@hotmail.com

Later

Roas Atrades