Enter: A new location of new sights and new sounds. One viewer, taking in her sights and committing them to memory. A most scenic setting of wind-blown grass. Trees lining the horizon, spilling out as far as the eye could see. A large opening, where she stood waiting. A peaceful setting, a serene setting, a quiet setting. No animal sang it's praises from the tree tops. Just utter silence and no one to break it. Beside her, a sleeping cabbit dared not even breathe hard enough to end the sweet serenity. She stood there waiting as the wind whipped through her cyan locks, the sun reflecting off it's silver hilights. Her amber portals flicking back and forth between her blind spots and the emptiness in front of her. Had this been any other situation, she'd have been on the defensive. Instead, she just stood, idly, waiting. Waiting for her...
Minagi, as she had been named by her father, was Ryoko's perfect clone. Their trademark difference, the darkened areas of skin starting from mid cheek and extending downwards to the underside of her chin, had been the only thing that separated Angel from Malice. Mother from Daughter. One from another. The girl stood saying nothing, but remained quietly in front of her mirror image. Her one advantage, her sword abilities, were the only advantage she had over Ryoko. Eager to learn, and desperate to know all, Minagi's shoulders slumped just a bit as she worried about how she would match up to Ryoko.
"Thank you... for meeting me here..." Minagi's eyes seemed worlds away as her melancholy tones set Ryoko on an unease.
"Why a request to see me so privately? And why here?" Ryoko tilted her head just a bit to watch Minagi's expression.
"Do you ever feel out of place?"
"Hmm?"
"Out of place. Do you ever feel like you don't belong with Tenchi and everyone else?" Minagi's words seemed to bring pain to her heart. Her forced words only meant that she found it difficult to speak about the things plaguing her mind. Truth was, they were deteriorating her heart. The girl lived such a lonely life for so long that she was afraid she'd die alone. Enough meditation on the subject brought her to these very circumstances. Sending an SOS out to Ryoko, Minagi requested to see her on the very land they both originated from.
It was then and only then did Ryoko decide to truly gaze around her surroundings. As if on queue, buildings that she had overlooked before were of a strange structure. She'd come to this planet of no name to her knowledge, and she waited for Minagi to meet her as they planned. No interruptions, no extra company, just her ride and her wits about her. The land still baffled her, but she felt a nurturing, home-like feel to the place she'd been standing on. Before she could answer Minagi's question, the girl stepped away from her and pressed her hand into the thick grass.
"A door was once here. A door to a lab that belonged to a genius. A young woman that locked herself in the lab all day. She once had a husband and a child, wrongfully taken from her. She vowed that she would never grow up. She swore that science would be her only love from now on. Here, she created a divine being with two assistants. Here, one assistant secretly stole DNA from that being. Here she was dreamt of, to be his greatest achievement. Here is where it all begins. Do you feel like you belong here?" Minagi pressed down on the grass, leaving an imprint of her hand in it's thickage. "Can you say you feel like you belong here?"
"No more than I can say I feel I belong locked in a cave." Ryoko's arms dropped to her sides, and she sighed slowly. "To answer your question, I don't believe I belong anywhere in this world or maybe even the next. I won't complain, though. I just make fun the only way I can. I want to live for today. Tomorrow's another day."
"Why couldn't I be like you, Ryoko? You're so carefree and naive." The girl gazed at her superior with a hint of envy.
Ryoko laughed softly, "You don't want my life, but you do want companionship, ne? It's why you asked me to come out here, you were seeking some sort of fulfillment in having company." The girl threw her hands behind her head and put on her most innocent look. "Well it's not my place to invite you to live with us, but I'm sure Tenchi won't mind if you stick around for a while."
In gratitude, the girl bowed her head and clasped her hands in front of her. "Thank you for your invitation, Ryoko!" Totally losing herself in her bliss, she embraced Ryoko as tight as she could and buried her head into the girl's shoulder. "You don't know how much it means to me to have a family, even at least for a little amount of time."
Ryoko didn't know how to react to these situations. She never had a little sister look up to her and think the world of her. She was always judged by those that shunned her for her destructive actions. Actions she couldn't control. Now she had this girl that looked like her and talked like her and walked like her, and she loved her so very much. It made Ryoko feel bad to now know how to react. She simply wrapped her arms around the girl's back and patted her shoulder gently. "Let's go back, this place gives me the creeps."
Ryoko wasn't a woman of many responsibilities. Taking on the task of playing role-model wasn't something she intended from the get-go, but now she had to remind herself constantly that she was a big sister. She had this new life to take care of. It was a responsibility she couldn't shrug off as easily as sweeping a front porch. The pressure to be at her best behavior threw her into a vortex of confusion. She braced herself everytime Minagi entered the room, feeling that she should sit up straight and hold her head up higher. She should curb her viscous tongue and not agitate the princess while Minagi watched her. She felt that she should be a bit more calm, though she was always painfully tense. Many a night she spent soaking her aching body in the onsen's peaceful waters, feeling like she had fought an entire war on her own, when the only war she fought was the one inside of her. Afraid to lose touch with herself, she'd hide from Minagi sometimes just to ease the tension of always looking over her shoulder. It was almost as if Ryoko was trying to be more like Minagi to keep Minagi from being more like her.
Minagi had made herself useful in the house. Able to cook and clean, she helped Sasami a great deal. Tenchi offered her a room in the house, but she humbly declined, admitting that she enjoyed lodging with Washu because the little scientist was fun to learn from. She'd become another part of the family just as Mihoshi, Ryoko, Aeka and the rest had, but she kept her distance as well, always remembering that getting too attached would only result in heartbreak when she had to move on.
It was during dinner one night, that Ryoko realized that she distanced herself from Minagi, fearing that she was not good enough to take care of her. She sat back, realizing that she hadn't done anything to change Minagi at all. Nothing changed between them. With a gentle click of chopsticks against a glass rice bowl, Ryoko quietly excused herself to be alone.
No one had noticed the change in her, except for one person.
End of Ch. 1
Minagi, as she had been named by her father, was Ryoko's perfect clone. Their trademark difference, the darkened areas of skin starting from mid cheek and extending downwards to the underside of her chin, had been the only thing that separated Angel from Malice. Mother from Daughter. One from another. The girl stood saying nothing, but remained quietly in front of her mirror image. Her one advantage, her sword abilities, were the only advantage she had over Ryoko. Eager to learn, and desperate to know all, Minagi's shoulders slumped just a bit as she worried about how she would match up to Ryoko.
"Thank you... for meeting me here..." Minagi's eyes seemed worlds away as her melancholy tones set Ryoko on an unease.
"Why a request to see me so privately? And why here?" Ryoko tilted her head just a bit to watch Minagi's expression.
"Do you ever feel out of place?"
"Hmm?"
"Out of place. Do you ever feel like you don't belong with Tenchi and everyone else?" Minagi's words seemed to bring pain to her heart. Her forced words only meant that she found it difficult to speak about the things plaguing her mind. Truth was, they were deteriorating her heart. The girl lived such a lonely life for so long that she was afraid she'd die alone. Enough meditation on the subject brought her to these very circumstances. Sending an SOS out to Ryoko, Minagi requested to see her on the very land they both originated from.
It was then and only then did Ryoko decide to truly gaze around her surroundings. As if on queue, buildings that she had overlooked before were of a strange structure. She'd come to this planet of no name to her knowledge, and she waited for Minagi to meet her as they planned. No interruptions, no extra company, just her ride and her wits about her. The land still baffled her, but she felt a nurturing, home-like feel to the place she'd been standing on. Before she could answer Minagi's question, the girl stepped away from her and pressed her hand into the thick grass.
"A door was once here. A door to a lab that belonged to a genius. A young woman that locked herself in the lab all day. She once had a husband and a child, wrongfully taken from her. She vowed that she would never grow up. She swore that science would be her only love from now on. Here, she created a divine being with two assistants. Here, one assistant secretly stole DNA from that being. Here she was dreamt of, to be his greatest achievement. Here is where it all begins. Do you feel like you belong here?" Minagi pressed down on the grass, leaving an imprint of her hand in it's thickage. "Can you say you feel like you belong here?"
"No more than I can say I feel I belong locked in a cave." Ryoko's arms dropped to her sides, and she sighed slowly. "To answer your question, I don't believe I belong anywhere in this world or maybe even the next. I won't complain, though. I just make fun the only way I can. I want to live for today. Tomorrow's another day."
"Why couldn't I be like you, Ryoko? You're so carefree and naive." The girl gazed at her superior with a hint of envy.
Ryoko laughed softly, "You don't want my life, but you do want companionship, ne? It's why you asked me to come out here, you were seeking some sort of fulfillment in having company." The girl threw her hands behind her head and put on her most innocent look. "Well it's not my place to invite you to live with us, but I'm sure Tenchi won't mind if you stick around for a while."
In gratitude, the girl bowed her head and clasped her hands in front of her. "Thank you for your invitation, Ryoko!" Totally losing herself in her bliss, she embraced Ryoko as tight as she could and buried her head into the girl's shoulder. "You don't know how much it means to me to have a family, even at least for a little amount of time."
Ryoko didn't know how to react to these situations. She never had a little sister look up to her and think the world of her. She was always judged by those that shunned her for her destructive actions. Actions she couldn't control. Now she had this girl that looked like her and talked like her and walked like her, and she loved her so very much. It made Ryoko feel bad to now know how to react. She simply wrapped her arms around the girl's back and patted her shoulder gently. "Let's go back, this place gives me the creeps."
Ryoko wasn't a woman of many responsibilities. Taking on the task of playing role-model wasn't something she intended from the get-go, but now she had to remind herself constantly that she was a big sister. She had this new life to take care of. It was a responsibility she couldn't shrug off as easily as sweeping a front porch. The pressure to be at her best behavior threw her into a vortex of confusion. She braced herself everytime Minagi entered the room, feeling that she should sit up straight and hold her head up higher. She should curb her viscous tongue and not agitate the princess while Minagi watched her. She felt that she should be a bit more calm, though she was always painfully tense. Many a night she spent soaking her aching body in the onsen's peaceful waters, feeling like she had fought an entire war on her own, when the only war she fought was the one inside of her. Afraid to lose touch with herself, she'd hide from Minagi sometimes just to ease the tension of always looking over her shoulder. It was almost as if Ryoko was trying to be more like Minagi to keep Minagi from being more like her.
Minagi had made herself useful in the house. Able to cook and clean, she helped Sasami a great deal. Tenchi offered her a room in the house, but she humbly declined, admitting that she enjoyed lodging with Washu because the little scientist was fun to learn from. She'd become another part of the family just as Mihoshi, Ryoko, Aeka and the rest had, but she kept her distance as well, always remembering that getting too attached would only result in heartbreak when she had to move on.
It was during dinner one night, that Ryoko realized that she distanced herself from Minagi, fearing that she was not good enough to take care of her. She sat back, realizing that she hadn't done anything to change Minagi at all. Nothing changed between them. With a gentle click of chopsticks against a glass rice bowl, Ryoko quietly excused herself to be alone.
No one had noticed the change in her, except for one person.
End of Ch. 1