Ryoko felt an emptiness inside of her that cried to be filled. A gaping void that only engulfed the darker, more miserable things about herself. Was she a failure at living altogether? Why the sudden conscience within her?
"Ryoko? Do you mind if I sit with you?" Came a far off voice.
"Sure." Ryoko's tone came noncommittal, with a hint of cold.
Here sat the one that intruded her deepest thoughts. The intruder sat peacefully, hoping to say something, without overstepping her boundaries. Minagi shyly glanced at Ryoko's miserable demeanor and breathed deep. "I wanted to thank you, for everything you've done for me." The girl lowered her head, feeling shy about talking to Ryoko. "The truth is, I've always admired you and thought you were such an amazing person. Even when I had to hear all the roumors about how you had such a bloody past, I knew that you still had to be amazingly strong to pull off such things."
"Enough."
Minagi visibly shrank in Ryoko's shadow created by the moon beaming down on her back. Though she backed the moon, her eyes glowed with a sort of life that you'd see in that of a god's. They locked eyes, Minagi frozen in fear and Ryoko contemplating more than she ever had ever in her life.
"Don't think so well of me. Here I am, I invited you here and I can't even entertain you properly. You were my guest, but I handed you over like leftovers to the rest of the house. I wanted to make sure you never turned out like me, and that you shunned the way I used to act. But I don't want to relive it, so don't mention the way I acted. I wanted to forget it so that you could never live it to begin with." Ryoko lowered her head. "You... you deserve better than living with the memories of my past..."
Minagi couldn't think to do anything more than hug Ryoko who lost her resolve and gave way to light tears that cleansed the past from her soul. A past that Minagi never judged her for, it was just there. A past that was as dead as all of Ryoko's victims. The girl retaliated on insecurities, and Minagi just wanted to be the one to reassure her that no one was judging her for the way she was - when she wasn't really herself.
Having said that. Who was the real Ryoko?
A third party quietly slipped back into the house after he realized he wasn't needed in this situation.
Ryoko sat upright on a chosen rafter, high above the room the next morning. She glanced down at Aeka with so much contempt that she felt she could kick the girl without even moving. So much time of pent up agitation finally exploded within her as she descended her perch to wind back and knock Aeka over when she wasn't expecting it. Positioning herself, she rolled up her sleeve and stuck out her elbow when she was about the deliver the shocking blow. Minagi entered the room just then. Ryoko's swing stopped only fractions of centimeters away from Aeka's side, the girl quickly grabbed a pillow and started fluffing it.
"Aah Ryoko! You've gotten off your lazy behind and decided to help with the chores!" The princess decided she would milk it for all it was worth. "For once you're not being a total burden on this family and pulling your weight." Looking thoughtful she added. "You have a lot more pulling than that if your weight is what you're intending to pull..." Aeka's less-than-graceful cackle only drove Ryoko insane with rage.
Minagi shook her head and turned to enter Washu's lab. Snatching her opportunity by the hair, Ryoko glared daggers at Aeka. "I dare you to say another word and I'll knock you back to the throne of Jurai..."
The air around both the women heated up, as sparks flew with vitality unknown. Ryoko had been looking for a good spar these days, and now Aeka initiated one. Perhaps the princess had been pent up as well. Ready to attack, Minagi reached out to take Ryoko's hand.
"Thank you, Princess Aeka. That'll be all." The girl dragged a rather perplexed Ryoko out of the room by her wrist.
Aeka waved gracefully. "Any time, Minagi!" She then proceeded to clean the living room.
Now outside, and rubbing her wrist, Ryoko said nothing, but stared blankly at Minagi. Ryoko's double smiled with a bit of mischief in her grin, before leaning forward. "Tell me, why do you pretend to be someone you're not?"
"Hmm?"
"Why do you act so differently when you can see that I'm in the room?"
Ryoko shuddered when she remembered that Minagi was linked with her. Even if she wasn't in the room, her actions were as plain as day to her double. "Damn..."
"I mean it. You try to be so nonchalant whenever I'm physically around." Minagi felt a bit ashamed that Ryoko changed just to make her comfortable.
Ryoko stepped forward, then stepped back. She wanted to walk away, but instead she stood and stared hopelessly at Funaho's roots coming out of the water. "Can't knock this feeling that I have to be a role model."
"You don't have to be anything more than Ryoko. I like Ryoko. She's made me who I am, and I like me. Don't you like me?" Minagi loved to fall into childish banter whenever she could. She grabbed Ryoko's hand with both of hers and held it so the woman couldn't walk away. In secret, Minagi was giving Ryoko what she wanted, a chance to give the girl guidance. Perhaps Minagi had been too difficult to allow Ryoko to communicate with her in a way she felt it easy to. Now she fully understood that Ryoko was showing a true part of herself. A mature and motherly side of her. It made the girl prideful to know that Ryoko wanted to guide her and motivate her to do the right things.
Was this who Ryoko really was?
Ryoko's soft smile spread, and transformed into a fit of laughter. "Yea, I you're an OK kid." The two girls laughed together, as if they'd known each other forever.
Minagi smiled to herself as she held onto Ryoko's hand. "Ryoko, promise me something."
"Hmm?"
"Promise me that you'll be yourself, no matter how much you think you'll influence me to act. I want to know the real Ryoko. The one that smiles so brightly and doesn't hold anything back. All I've seen is this really melancholy Ryoko. One that hides and sulks and contemplates too much. That's not you! You wanna have..."
"FUN!" Ryoko clasped her hand over Minagi's. "I wanna have fun!"
"Ya-ku-so-ku?" Minagi squeezed Ryoko's hand tighter on every syllable.
"Yakusoku!" Ryoko squeezed tightly in one, sweeping grip of the girl's hand.
The two girls smiled so hard, their faces started to hurt. It was agreed, then, that Ryoko would be herself, and Minagi would be herself. Together, they would be a whole.
Tenchi pushed his bokken over his shoulder and quietly ascended the steps to the shrine, where he had stopped momentarily to admire the site of Funaho, but also was able to see the transformation of another goddess right before his very eyes.
The true Ryoko who he rarely sees.
End of Ch. 2
"Ryoko? Do you mind if I sit with you?" Came a far off voice.
"Sure." Ryoko's tone came noncommittal, with a hint of cold.
Here sat the one that intruded her deepest thoughts. The intruder sat peacefully, hoping to say something, without overstepping her boundaries. Minagi shyly glanced at Ryoko's miserable demeanor and breathed deep. "I wanted to thank you, for everything you've done for me." The girl lowered her head, feeling shy about talking to Ryoko. "The truth is, I've always admired you and thought you were such an amazing person. Even when I had to hear all the roumors about how you had such a bloody past, I knew that you still had to be amazingly strong to pull off such things."
"Enough."
Minagi visibly shrank in Ryoko's shadow created by the moon beaming down on her back. Though she backed the moon, her eyes glowed with a sort of life that you'd see in that of a god's. They locked eyes, Minagi frozen in fear and Ryoko contemplating more than she ever had ever in her life.
"Don't think so well of me. Here I am, I invited you here and I can't even entertain you properly. You were my guest, but I handed you over like leftovers to the rest of the house. I wanted to make sure you never turned out like me, and that you shunned the way I used to act. But I don't want to relive it, so don't mention the way I acted. I wanted to forget it so that you could never live it to begin with." Ryoko lowered her head. "You... you deserve better than living with the memories of my past..."
Minagi couldn't think to do anything more than hug Ryoko who lost her resolve and gave way to light tears that cleansed the past from her soul. A past that Minagi never judged her for, it was just there. A past that was as dead as all of Ryoko's victims. The girl retaliated on insecurities, and Minagi just wanted to be the one to reassure her that no one was judging her for the way she was - when she wasn't really herself.
Having said that. Who was the real Ryoko?
A third party quietly slipped back into the house after he realized he wasn't needed in this situation.
Ryoko sat upright on a chosen rafter, high above the room the next morning. She glanced down at Aeka with so much contempt that she felt she could kick the girl without even moving. So much time of pent up agitation finally exploded within her as she descended her perch to wind back and knock Aeka over when she wasn't expecting it. Positioning herself, she rolled up her sleeve and stuck out her elbow when she was about the deliver the shocking blow. Minagi entered the room just then. Ryoko's swing stopped only fractions of centimeters away from Aeka's side, the girl quickly grabbed a pillow and started fluffing it.
"Aah Ryoko! You've gotten off your lazy behind and decided to help with the chores!" The princess decided she would milk it for all it was worth. "For once you're not being a total burden on this family and pulling your weight." Looking thoughtful she added. "You have a lot more pulling than that if your weight is what you're intending to pull..." Aeka's less-than-graceful cackle only drove Ryoko insane with rage.
Minagi shook her head and turned to enter Washu's lab. Snatching her opportunity by the hair, Ryoko glared daggers at Aeka. "I dare you to say another word and I'll knock you back to the throne of Jurai..."
The air around both the women heated up, as sparks flew with vitality unknown. Ryoko had been looking for a good spar these days, and now Aeka initiated one. Perhaps the princess had been pent up as well. Ready to attack, Minagi reached out to take Ryoko's hand.
"Thank you, Princess Aeka. That'll be all." The girl dragged a rather perplexed Ryoko out of the room by her wrist.
Aeka waved gracefully. "Any time, Minagi!" She then proceeded to clean the living room.
Now outside, and rubbing her wrist, Ryoko said nothing, but stared blankly at Minagi. Ryoko's double smiled with a bit of mischief in her grin, before leaning forward. "Tell me, why do you pretend to be someone you're not?"
"Hmm?"
"Why do you act so differently when you can see that I'm in the room?"
Ryoko shuddered when she remembered that Minagi was linked with her. Even if she wasn't in the room, her actions were as plain as day to her double. "Damn..."
"I mean it. You try to be so nonchalant whenever I'm physically around." Minagi felt a bit ashamed that Ryoko changed just to make her comfortable.
Ryoko stepped forward, then stepped back. She wanted to walk away, but instead she stood and stared hopelessly at Funaho's roots coming out of the water. "Can't knock this feeling that I have to be a role model."
"You don't have to be anything more than Ryoko. I like Ryoko. She's made me who I am, and I like me. Don't you like me?" Minagi loved to fall into childish banter whenever she could. She grabbed Ryoko's hand with both of hers and held it so the woman couldn't walk away. In secret, Minagi was giving Ryoko what she wanted, a chance to give the girl guidance. Perhaps Minagi had been too difficult to allow Ryoko to communicate with her in a way she felt it easy to. Now she fully understood that Ryoko was showing a true part of herself. A mature and motherly side of her. It made the girl prideful to know that Ryoko wanted to guide her and motivate her to do the right things.
Was this who Ryoko really was?
Ryoko's soft smile spread, and transformed into a fit of laughter. "Yea, I you're an OK kid." The two girls laughed together, as if they'd known each other forever.
Minagi smiled to herself as she held onto Ryoko's hand. "Ryoko, promise me something."
"Hmm?"
"Promise me that you'll be yourself, no matter how much you think you'll influence me to act. I want to know the real Ryoko. The one that smiles so brightly and doesn't hold anything back. All I've seen is this really melancholy Ryoko. One that hides and sulks and contemplates too much. That's not you! You wanna have..."
"FUN!" Ryoko clasped her hand over Minagi's. "I wanna have fun!"
"Ya-ku-so-ku?" Minagi squeezed Ryoko's hand tighter on every syllable.
"Yakusoku!" Ryoko squeezed tightly in one, sweeping grip of the girl's hand.
The two girls smiled so hard, their faces started to hurt. It was agreed, then, that Ryoko would be herself, and Minagi would be herself. Together, they would be a whole.
Tenchi pushed his bokken over his shoulder and quietly ascended the steps to the shrine, where he had stopped momentarily to admire the site of Funaho, but also was able to see the transformation of another goddess right before his very eyes.
The true Ryoko who he rarely sees.
End of Ch. 2