I felt a deep fog, invading my mind like a parasite. Even in my
unconsciousness, I felt it shrink away, my memories. And I begin to wonder
if being loved was such an important thing, or to have a family care about
me greater. I begin to wonder, if this woman I strangely trusted was not a
good enough reason to throw my life away. Peace, which once seemed to be
the greatest thing, does not calm me so. I try to open my eyes, but I
cannot. It is as if I am under a spell. Even these thoughts that I have
float away. I cannot think of the boy's name any longer, but his brown
eyes shine through all my darkness. Yet, I don't remember him clearly.
Yes, something about earth. I also remember laughter in a room, and it
smelled like cherry blossoms that day. But I cannot recall what the
laughter was about, or whom the laughter belonged to. More darkness clouds
my head, and I try so hard to remember. But all I feel is this uneasiness.
I hear someone walking towards me. Who is she again? Is she the angel? I am worried for I feel a dark aura surrounding her. She can't be an angel; I change my mind. What does she want from me, I do not know, but I do know this. I have to get out of here, and back to where I belong. I hear my heart pounding. I cannot avoid my nervousness, as she stops walking.
"Hello, Ryoko. I have come back for you, and I have a present"
I want to respond to her. I want to ask so many questions, but I lay still.
"The time has come."
The pounding heart stopped cold, and I opened my eyes. That voice has haunted me so. I wish I could remember, but I am lost. I try to get up, but I can't. I can only wait for what's to come. She knelt by me, and she held something in her hands. She opened her palms a few feet above me, and two bright gems floated within a warm glow. I felt the power surging out from them, and even in my terrified condition, I was fascinated with it. Suddenly, the gems disappeared, and I felt my body being lifted. I felt the same glow around me, and I surrendered to the power. It captured me, and I couldn't think anything else but the sudden superiority I felt.
Tokimi looked much too content with what was going on. She herself became shocked with how much power this creation held. Her sister, Washu, had done her a great favor of giving up the gems. This creation was soon to be the new goddess, the most powerful of the three. With her guidance, Ryoko would become the goddess of destruction. With Ryoko's memory gone, it was going to be an easy job, influencing her to kill innocents. She was going to have some fun with Tsunami. Tokimi had waited for this moment for thousands of years. Tsunami never knew about her plan. She was much too innocent and good. But good people deserved to feel pain. Good goddesses deserved to walk through hell and back. Tokimi never understood her hatred towards Tsunami, but there had to be revenge. She would prove to those worthless beings that she was to be feared, and she was to be worshipped. Using Ryoko, who had destroyed people's lives for thousands of years, who had massacred cities after cities, Ryoko, who was a living memory of people's fear, was the perfect plan. Afterwards, she would kill her when she's done her job. It was all too simple.
Now she watched the girl being intoxicated with the goddess power. Ryoko always had the power in the gems, but she was not informed of it, therefore never knew how to use it. Ryoko opened her eyes, and the once beautiful golden eyes were now dark, cold green. Yes, Washu had certainly had her reasons for calling Ryoko her daughter. Meanwhile..
Washu typed furiously on her computer to try to figure out what was going on in Ryoko's brain. Suddenly, it started beeping loudly, alerting her of Ryoko's condition. Washu ran to her daughter's body, just in time to see her going through a spasm.
"Oh god, Ryoko, hang on. What's going on here?" Washu panicked as she tried to keep Ryoko's body down. Hearing the commotion, Tenchi and the others came in the lab. Ryoko finally stopped convulsing, and Washu slowly touched her forehead.
"She's freezing! Ryoko, please, say something. Mommy's here." Washu pleaded with tears running down her face. She had a bad feeling about this. Washu checked her pulse, only to find out there was none.
"Washu? Is Ryoko okay?" Tenchi asked warily.
"No, Tenchi! Ryoko's not okay, Ryoko's dead!!" Washu screamed at him. She brought her equipments out, and tried to bring her daughter back. For hours, the little scientist kept working and working without a word. The tears kept pouring, but she never gave up. A knife was in her heart, and until Ryoko came back to the living, her heart would keep hurting.
"Ryoko, I'm so sorry that I've treated you badly. I always loved you. You were the best daughter a mother could have. Please come back to me, please." Washu sobbed out.
Tenchi was in denial. Everything happened so quickly and without any reasons. The Kagato incident was understandable. Tsunami and Sasami's assimilation was explained thoroughly. No one died in any of the experiences. Always, someone would save the other from trouble, and that's what made this family alive. But this was unbelievable. One day, he was eating breakfast with her, the next she was dead!? This was just ridiculous. Tenchi refused to believe it, and he stared at the ceiling, listening to Washu's sobbing and the machines soft hum. This was like a bad nightmare. He didn't even notice Aeka quietly crying, standing next to her little sister's hospital bed, praying that everything would turn out fine like it always does.
Why love hurts, no one can understand. Perhaps, this is why the world is so cold of emotions and fearful of affection. But isn't it better to feel something, than to feel nothing, even if it hurts.
But in a certain space pirate's mind, many things were evolving. In another dimension of life, another dimension where the goddesses dwelled, Ryoko was experiencing nothing she had ever experience before, and slowly, the memories of her family, of the fun, of the carnivals were disappearing.
Ryoko opened her eyes, and she cracked a smile. Her whole body tingled with power. She looked around and only saw mists. She pointed a finger at no certain direction and shot a small blast. The mist divided in the middle, and it looked like an ocean, spreading away from the blast. It seemed to go on forever when a huge explosion ended its travel. In less than a millisecond, Ryoko phased next to the explosion. She found a body, standing tall and proud. She spoke.
"Hello, Ryoko. I see you have awakened. Doesn't it feel great to finally feel the full, ultimate power?" Tokimi couldn't help but stare in awe. Ryoko didn't look frightening at all. Other than her new emerald green eyes, not much changed about her. But a shadow of doom skulked around her, and one would shut his eyes and pray for death in fear. She was beautiful, and she was hers.
"What is your name?" Ryoko asked. She honestly had no idea of what she was or where she stood. All she knew and felt was the enormous amount of energy.
"My name is Tokimi. You and I are bound by the power that only goddesses hold! We will…" Tokimi could speak no longer as she felt a hand with strength of an anaconda squeezing her neck.
"You and I will do nothing! Why can't I remember anything? I will blast you to bits unless you have some good answers, Tokimi," Ryoko growled out. She intensified her grip on Tokimi's neck to make sure she understood.
Tokimi became amused with this situation. "I don't have to tell you anything, my dear Ryoko. You are speaking to someone who owns those gems of yours. I can take them any time I want, and I can control you when I wish." She concentrated to take Ryoko's hands off of her to show her what she meant. But Ryoko did not shift away. Tokimi was puzzled.
"Wrong answer." Ryoko squeezed harder and harder until Tokimi's face turned red. Her eyes held a hint of fear. Tokimi was shamed to feel the emotion, for goddesses were supposed to be the most superior beings. She had never even imagined having to go through with it. But for now, her pride had to be forfeited. Only a goddess could kill a goddess, and her life was in danger.
"Alright, that's enough! I will tell you. Let go, please!" Tokimi chocked out.
Ryoko smugly released her death grip. She put her hand on her hip, looking very cocky and ungodly. Habits die hard, they say.
"I saved you from your nightmare. I knew you deserved better. You were going through so much pain. I had to show you the secrets."
"What secrets?"
"The secrets to your happiness. You never knew you were a goddess. You never knew the extent of the power of your gems. Your mother…"
"My mother?"
"Yes, your mother didn't want you to know. She never trusted you enough. She had caused much suffering in your life. She gave you the gems, but she never told you what you should have known from the beginning.
"You were famous as the 'space pirate, Ryoko.' All populations in the universe fear you, for you have destroyed many cities and planets. That seemed to be the only thing you enjoyed. One day, a prince of Jurai, Yosho, captured you and sealed you in a cave. If only you had known the gems' power, you could have killed him in a heartbeat."
"How did I become a goddess if I was the child of a mother?"
"Your mother, Washu, was born a goddess. But she couldn't handle the responsibility and pain. She created you, and she left the burden to you. She probably knew that I would someday show you the truth."
"A mother can't be that cruel."
"Oh there is so much more, but you needn't know the rest. Your pain and suffering have ended. Now you stand before them all, with the universe grasped in your hands."
"And how do I know you're telling the truth? I feel a great evil in you. I believe there is something behind all this with you, but I need to know more." Ryoko felt anger rising when Tokimi spoke of the woman, Washu. A woman who claimed to be her mother turned out to be her worst enemy?
"I will show you, but only bits at a time. You might become overwhelmed with the sudden information."
Ryoko suddenly stumbled backwards as a rush of memories invaded her. She saw through the eyes of her mind the events that would scar her past life forever.
A strange looking man, with the eyes of a dead yellow slapped her across a humongous room. It looked like a cathedral. The impact cut her lips and a tiny stream of blood formed.
You failed me again, Ryoko. Why must I always control you in these missions? Don't you see, I don't want to waste my energy on a defect like you!
The man shocked her, and the pain was excruciating. She thought she was dead, but she felt him kick her in the stomach. Ryoko coughed out blood, and she looked at him.
Please, master. I will obey. I am nothing but trash, and I don't deserve to live. Please forgive me.
The man spat on her face. He sneered at her, and she felt her heart drop. Suddenly, he stabbed her with such a force that she flew across the room and hit the wall. It made a crack, and she felt several bones breaking. She couldn't get down. A blade held her by the chest.
Let's see how much you bleed till you die, Ryoko.
A lone tear slid down her cheek.
Is that a tear I see, Ryoko? A defect, a machine does not feel.
He stabbed her hand to the wall. Ryoko shouted in pain, and she received another slap in return. A stab in the stomach, another spit, tears mixed with blood, and the pain…
Such pain……
The goddess held her head in anguish and screamed in horror. Power burst out of her body, and Tokimi had to shield herself with some work to stay safe from the energy.
"What did I do to deserve this?" Ryoko cried out. She felt foolish, because she noticed the three gems on her wrists and neck in the memory. If she had known about her goddess powers, that bastard would have been in hell a long time ago.
"That's only the beginning, Ryoko," whispered Tokimi with affection.
"What do you mean?" Ryoko looked at Tokimi with tears in her eyes. But they were not of sorrow; they glinted with anger and regret. She hungered for death. Her vision blurred as the flashbacks continued.
Ryoko opened her eyes, only to see nothing but darkness. She heard drops of water everywhere, and it echoed endlessly. By the sound of the echoes, it seemed like she was trapped in a cave. Her body felt frozen by the liquid around her, and she tried to stand. But she was held firm by some kind of power. She called out softly, "Help? Anyone?" She tried to shout, but her throat was soar beyond belief. Days passed by, but she was held in the water, no matter what she tried. The goddess saw herself in despair and loneliness as years after years flew away, wasting her life in this cave. Soon, she developed fear of the darkness and was haunted by nightmares of the man who tortured her before the capture. She heard laughter of a little child, but the memory ended.
"You see Ryoko, no one cared to help you out of your misery. Finally after hundreds of years, I tracked you down. I unlocked the cave so that you could get out, but I have been secretly observing you during your stay on earth. A boy and his family lived nearby the cave. You stayed with him, and you have grown a strong feeling towards him. You dedicated all your time for the boy, and you learned to love. But like any other times, you were stepped on and you experienced pain in a different way in this house. I only waited for the right time to take you to this higher place. I will show you how much effort and emotions you have given to one person. You will realize that I am the one to be trusted."
Ryoko loved the boy intensely. It was obvious, but she carried a tough exterior, and he couldn't see through that. She looked for him everywhere. Another woman had affection for him, she recalled. This woman had to be the most irritating person she had ever met. They could have gone anywhere. She felt the jealousy rising. Rain started to drop, and the despair grew worse. She heard a little girl calling her name, but she kept searching. She floated above the forest when something caught her eyes. The boy stood in front of a shack. His shirt was off, and she blushed. He walked inside the shack, and she sneaked in quietly through one of the wall. She hid behind the boxes. Her heart shattered when she saw the purple haired woman. Then a rabbit jumped on her chest, and the bitch screamed and latched onto the boy. Both of them blushed as young lovers often do. No one noticed her steady stream of tears. She couldn't stay any longer. She dejectedly phased back to the house, where the little girl still called out her name. Ryoko later helped the girl find the pair, but her heart would never be mended.
Soon after the heartbreak, the goddess saw herself in a small room. This must have been a different day, for she didn't feel the pain in her heart any longer. Strangely, she felt a strong emotion above all others for this brown-eyed boy. She snuck into his room one morning, and she took out a lavender kimono. She thought it was perfect and phased into it. She waited and waited for the boy to come home. Her heart pounded like crazy, and she couldn't stop the cold sweat forming on her forehead. The kimono had been a very important possession to the boy, but he had to go on and leave the past behind. She would prove to him that she could be a woman just like his mother had been. Ryoko looked out the window. She saw birds flying by and felt the warmth of the spring sun. She twirled around happily. The door opened and there stood the boy, shock apparent in his face. She asked him if she looked all right, and he nodded dumbly. When he had said yes, she was so happy that she twirled again, filled with joy, and heard the sleeve tearing. She looked at it in shock. She quickly recovered and did the only thing that would fix the kimono right. She tore the other sleeve off.
I hate you! The words echoed in her head like raindrops. The once fluttering heart felt like tombstone, and she held the tears back. She was finally broken. Love. What a pitiful emotion.
Suddenly, she looked at Tokimi.
"They will pay for this. They will all pay for the pain I have gone through!!"
"Yes, Ryoko. All you have to do is use your power, but I have one last thing to show you."
Ryoko tried to stop her, but once again, her mind was invaded. Ryoko saw a big lab. It was dark and cold in here. She heard a muffled growl somewhere, and she walked towards the sound. She was shocked to find her past self again, but this time being held by a machine many times bigger than she was. The girl wore nothing but a small tank top, and a band covered a part of her head, lights blinking every once a while. She struggled to get out of the manacles, but she seemed to be having troubles. A handkerchief covered her mouth, and she was trying to shout at something. Ryoko noticed a child with wild, red hair talking to a blond girl in front of the machine and herself. They ate and chatted, not even noticing the tortured and humiliated girl. After a while, the blond woman went back out, and the child (Washu, the blond had called her) walked away also. Her past self finally got the handkerchief off, and she called out to this Washu. She continued doing so for several minutes, and she became desperate. Ryoko felt it with her, and she resented emotions altogether. The girl in the machine screamed out once more for Washu. Then she started calling for her mother, and tears formed again. She called out for her mommy, then Washu, and Ryoko finally understood. The child was the mother of Ryoko: The mother who betrayed her and lied to her. Ryoko became shocked once more by finding this 'mother' recording the torture with a mischievous smile on her face. Ryoko became enraged and threw herself at her, but her body went right through the woman/child. She stood next to this psychotic woman and stared at herself. Exhaustion took over the girl, and she fell into a troubled sleep.
Tears always flowed from her eyes. It never ended. Why did that Ryoko continue living when life was so painful? Why live when there is no happiness? Why live when she knew that tears were signs of living death?
"You must have known that you will gain happiness someday."
Ryoko came back to reality… or what seemed real anyway, and she nodded.
"Now, you have your opportunity. You have more power than anyone can possibly imagine. I agree with you. They must pay. I will only help you to reach your goal. Consider me, a friend. You can trust me; I have shown you everything I can. It's a goddess's word."
"No, I will work alone. This is my revenge. It doesn't matter what you do, but these earthlings, I will take care of them."
"Certainly, my dear." Tokimi smiled. She still had to find out why she couldn't take control of the gems, but things seemed to be right on schedule. All she had to do was wait till the Juraians were out of the way.
***A note to you readers..(has nothing to do with the story)
Yesterday, I rented a movie, and it had to be the greatest movie ever. Well, not the greatest, but it was very interesting. It's called "Impromptu". Hugh Grant and Judy Davis star in it. It is about the lives of poet and writer George Sand and the great composer Frederick Chopin. I enjoyed it very much, and I hope you get a chance to watch it. I was disappointed about the ending however, because there is a tragic story to this love affair that the movie doesn't show. If you do get to watch it, and are curious to what this tragedy is, please inform me. I'm a passionate musician, and I would love to share the knowledge.
Thank you all for reading my first fanfic that I have ever attempted of writing. I could never compare to many of the great writers out here. I don't want to name too much people, but I do so admire the works of Sophia le Fey and William 'Thundergod' Nichols.
To escape from the harsh reality and to blend into this wild mixture of colors is a wonderful feeling, indeed. The society is polluted with lies and greed. The only morals left in us will be expressed through written words and music. Let the passion live on, friends. Life is nothing without it.
I hear someone walking towards me. Who is she again? Is she the angel? I am worried for I feel a dark aura surrounding her. She can't be an angel; I change my mind. What does she want from me, I do not know, but I do know this. I have to get out of here, and back to where I belong. I hear my heart pounding. I cannot avoid my nervousness, as she stops walking.
"Hello, Ryoko. I have come back for you, and I have a present"
I want to respond to her. I want to ask so many questions, but I lay still.
"The time has come."
The pounding heart stopped cold, and I opened my eyes. That voice has haunted me so. I wish I could remember, but I am lost. I try to get up, but I can't. I can only wait for what's to come. She knelt by me, and she held something in her hands. She opened her palms a few feet above me, and two bright gems floated within a warm glow. I felt the power surging out from them, and even in my terrified condition, I was fascinated with it. Suddenly, the gems disappeared, and I felt my body being lifted. I felt the same glow around me, and I surrendered to the power. It captured me, and I couldn't think anything else but the sudden superiority I felt.
Tokimi looked much too content with what was going on. She herself became shocked with how much power this creation held. Her sister, Washu, had done her a great favor of giving up the gems. This creation was soon to be the new goddess, the most powerful of the three. With her guidance, Ryoko would become the goddess of destruction. With Ryoko's memory gone, it was going to be an easy job, influencing her to kill innocents. She was going to have some fun with Tsunami. Tokimi had waited for this moment for thousands of years. Tsunami never knew about her plan. She was much too innocent and good. But good people deserved to feel pain. Good goddesses deserved to walk through hell and back. Tokimi never understood her hatred towards Tsunami, but there had to be revenge. She would prove to those worthless beings that she was to be feared, and she was to be worshipped. Using Ryoko, who had destroyed people's lives for thousands of years, who had massacred cities after cities, Ryoko, who was a living memory of people's fear, was the perfect plan. Afterwards, she would kill her when she's done her job. It was all too simple.
Now she watched the girl being intoxicated with the goddess power. Ryoko always had the power in the gems, but she was not informed of it, therefore never knew how to use it. Ryoko opened her eyes, and the once beautiful golden eyes were now dark, cold green. Yes, Washu had certainly had her reasons for calling Ryoko her daughter. Meanwhile..
Washu typed furiously on her computer to try to figure out what was going on in Ryoko's brain. Suddenly, it started beeping loudly, alerting her of Ryoko's condition. Washu ran to her daughter's body, just in time to see her going through a spasm.
"Oh god, Ryoko, hang on. What's going on here?" Washu panicked as she tried to keep Ryoko's body down. Hearing the commotion, Tenchi and the others came in the lab. Ryoko finally stopped convulsing, and Washu slowly touched her forehead.
"She's freezing! Ryoko, please, say something. Mommy's here." Washu pleaded with tears running down her face. She had a bad feeling about this. Washu checked her pulse, only to find out there was none.
"Washu? Is Ryoko okay?" Tenchi asked warily.
"No, Tenchi! Ryoko's not okay, Ryoko's dead!!" Washu screamed at him. She brought her equipments out, and tried to bring her daughter back. For hours, the little scientist kept working and working without a word. The tears kept pouring, but she never gave up. A knife was in her heart, and until Ryoko came back to the living, her heart would keep hurting.
"Ryoko, I'm so sorry that I've treated you badly. I always loved you. You were the best daughter a mother could have. Please come back to me, please." Washu sobbed out.
Tenchi was in denial. Everything happened so quickly and without any reasons. The Kagato incident was understandable. Tsunami and Sasami's assimilation was explained thoroughly. No one died in any of the experiences. Always, someone would save the other from trouble, and that's what made this family alive. But this was unbelievable. One day, he was eating breakfast with her, the next she was dead!? This was just ridiculous. Tenchi refused to believe it, and he stared at the ceiling, listening to Washu's sobbing and the machines soft hum. This was like a bad nightmare. He didn't even notice Aeka quietly crying, standing next to her little sister's hospital bed, praying that everything would turn out fine like it always does.
Why love hurts, no one can understand. Perhaps, this is why the world is so cold of emotions and fearful of affection. But isn't it better to feel something, than to feel nothing, even if it hurts.
But in a certain space pirate's mind, many things were evolving. In another dimension of life, another dimension where the goddesses dwelled, Ryoko was experiencing nothing she had ever experience before, and slowly, the memories of her family, of the fun, of the carnivals were disappearing.
Ryoko opened her eyes, and she cracked a smile. Her whole body tingled with power. She looked around and only saw mists. She pointed a finger at no certain direction and shot a small blast. The mist divided in the middle, and it looked like an ocean, spreading away from the blast. It seemed to go on forever when a huge explosion ended its travel. In less than a millisecond, Ryoko phased next to the explosion. She found a body, standing tall and proud. She spoke.
"Hello, Ryoko. I see you have awakened. Doesn't it feel great to finally feel the full, ultimate power?" Tokimi couldn't help but stare in awe. Ryoko didn't look frightening at all. Other than her new emerald green eyes, not much changed about her. But a shadow of doom skulked around her, and one would shut his eyes and pray for death in fear. She was beautiful, and she was hers.
"What is your name?" Ryoko asked. She honestly had no idea of what she was or where she stood. All she knew and felt was the enormous amount of energy.
"My name is Tokimi. You and I are bound by the power that only goddesses hold! We will…" Tokimi could speak no longer as she felt a hand with strength of an anaconda squeezing her neck.
"You and I will do nothing! Why can't I remember anything? I will blast you to bits unless you have some good answers, Tokimi," Ryoko growled out. She intensified her grip on Tokimi's neck to make sure she understood.
Tokimi became amused with this situation. "I don't have to tell you anything, my dear Ryoko. You are speaking to someone who owns those gems of yours. I can take them any time I want, and I can control you when I wish." She concentrated to take Ryoko's hands off of her to show her what she meant. But Ryoko did not shift away. Tokimi was puzzled.
"Wrong answer." Ryoko squeezed harder and harder until Tokimi's face turned red. Her eyes held a hint of fear. Tokimi was shamed to feel the emotion, for goddesses were supposed to be the most superior beings. She had never even imagined having to go through with it. But for now, her pride had to be forfeited. Only a goddess could kill a goddess, and her life was in danger.
"Alright, that's enough! I will tell you. Let go, please!" Tokimi chocked out.
Ryoko smugly released her death grip. She put her hand on her hip, looking very cocky and ungodly. Habits die hard, they say.
"I saved you from your nightmare. I knew you deserved better. You were going through so much pain. I had to show you the secrets."
"What secrets?"
"The secrets to your happiness. You never knew you were a goddess. You never knew the extent of the power of your gems. Your mother…"
"My mother?"
"Yes, your mother didn't want you to know. She never trusted you enough. She had caused much suffering in your life. She gave you the gems, but she never told you what you should have known from the beginning.
"You were famous as the 'space pirate, Ryoko.' All populations in the universe fear you, for you have destroyed many cities and planets. That seemed to be the only thing you enjoyed. One day, a prince of Jurai, Yosho, captured you and sealed you in a cave. If only you had known the gems' power, you could have killed him in a heartbeat."
"How did I become a goddess if I was the child of a mother?"
"Your mother, Washu, was born a goddess. But she couldn't handle the responsibility and pain. She created you, and she left the burden to you. She probably knew that I would someday show you the truth."
"A mother can't be that cruel."
"Oh there is so much more, but you needn't know the rest. Your pain and suffering have ended. Now you stand before them all, with the universe grasped in your hands."
"And how do I know you're telling the truth? I feel a great evil in you. I believe there is something behind all this with you, but I need to know more." Ryoko felt anger rising when Tokimi spoke of the woman, Washu. A woman who claimed to be her mother turned out to be her worst enemy?
"I will show you, but only bits at a time. You might become overwhelmed with the sudden information."
Ryoko suddenly stumbled backwards as a rush of memories invaded her. She saw through the eyes of her mind the events that would scar her past life forever.
A strange looking man, with the eyes of a dead yellow slapped her across a humongous room. It looked like a cathedral. The impact cut her lips and a tiny stream of blood formed.
You failed me again, Ryoko. Why must I always control you in these missions? Don't you see, I don't want to waste my energy on a defect like you!
The man shocked her, and the pain was excruciating. She thought she was dead, but she felt him kick her in the stomach. Ryoko coughed out blood, and she looked at him.
Please, master. I will obey. I am nothing but trash, and I don't deserve to live. Please forgive me.
The man spat on her face. He sneered at her, and she felt her heart drop. Suddenly, he stabbed her with such a force that she flew across the room and hit the wall. It made a crack, and she felt several bones breaking. She couldn't get down. A blade held her by the chest.
Let's see how much you bleed till you die, Ryoko.
A lone tear slid down her cheek.
Is that a tear I see, Ryoko? A defect, a machine does not feel.
He stabbed her hand to the wall. Ryoko shouted in pain, and she received another slap in return. A stab in the stomach, another spit, tears mixed with blood, and the pain…
Such pain……
The goddess held her head in anguish and screamed in horror. Power burst out of her body, and Tokimi had to shield herself with some work to stay safe from the energy.
"What did I do to deserve this?" Ryoko cried out. She felt foolish, because she noticed the three gems on her wrists and neck in the memory. If she had known about her goddess powers, that bastard would have been in hell a long time ago.
"That's only the beginning, Ryoko," whispered Tokimi with affection.
"What do you mean?" Ryoko looked at Tokimi with tears in her eyes. But they were not of sorrow; they glinted with anger and regret. She hungered for death. Her vision blurred as the flashbacks continued.
Ryoko opened her eyes, only to see nothing but darkness. She heard drops of water everywhere, and it echoed endlessly. By the sound of the echoes, it seemed like she was trapped in a cave. Her body felt frozen by the liquid around her, and she tried to stand. But she was held firm by some kind of power. She called out softly, "Help? Anyone?" She tried to shout, but her throat was soar beyond belief. Days passed by, but she was held in the water, no matter what she tried. The goddess saw herself in despair and loneliness as years after years flew away, wasting her life in this cave. Soon, she developed fear of the darkness and was haunted by nightmares of the man who tortured her before the capture. She heard laughter of a little child, but the memory ended.
"You see Ryoko, no one cared to help you out of your misery. Finally after hundreds of years, I tracked you down. I unlocked the cave so that you could get out, but I have been secretly observing you during your stay on earth. A boy and his family lived nearby the cave. You stayed with him, and you have grown a strong feeling towards him. You dedicated all your time for the boy, and you learned to love. But like any other times, you were stepped on and you experienced pain in a different way in this house. I only waited for the right time to take you to this higher place. I will show you how much effort and emotions you have given to one person. You will realize that I am the one to be trusted."
Ryoko loved the boy intensely. It was obvious, but she carried a tough exterior, and he couldn't see through that. She looked for him everywhere. Another woman had affection for him, she recalled. This woman had to be the most irritating person she had ever met. They could have gone anywhere. She felt the jealousy rising. Rain started to drop, and the despair grew worse. She heard a little girl calling her name, but she kept searching. She floated above the forest when something caught her eyes. The boy stood in front of a shack. His shirt was off, and she blushed. He walked inside the shack, and she sneaked in quietly through one of the wall. She hid behind the boxes. Her heart shattered when she saw the purple haired woman. Then a rabbit jumped on her chest, and the bitch screamed and latched onto the boy. Both of them blushed as young lovers often do. No one noticed her steady stream of tears. She couldn't stay any longer. She dejectedly phased back to the house, where the little girl still called out her name. Ryoko later helped the girl find the pair, but her heart would never be mended.
Soon after the heartbreak, the goddess saw herself in a small room. This must have been a different day, for she didn't feel the pain in her heart any longer. Strangely, she felt a strong emotion above all others for this brown-eyed boy. She snuck into his room one morning, and she took out a lavender kimono. She thought it was perfect and phased into it. She waited and waited for the boy to come home. Her heart pounded like crazy, and she couldn't stop the cold sweat forming on her forehead. The kimono had been a very important possession to the boy, but he had to go on and leave the past behind. She would prove to him that she could be a woman just like his mother had been. Ryoko looked out the window. She saw birds flying by and felt the warmth of the spring sun. She twirled around happily. The door opened and there stood the boy, shock apparent in his face. She asked him if she looked all right, and he nodded dumbly. When he had said yes, she was so happy that she twirled again, filled with joy, and heard the sleeve tearing. She looked at it in shock. She quickly recovered and did the only thing that would fix the kimono right. She tore the other sleeve off.
I hate you! The words echoed in her head like raindrops. The once fluttering heart felt like tombstone, and she held the tears back. She was finally broken. Love. What a pitiful emotion.
Suddenly, she looked at Tokimi.
"They will pay for this. They will all pay for the pain I have gone through!!"
"Yes, Ryoko. All you have to do is use your power, but I have one last thing to show you."
Ryoko tried to stop her, but once again, her mind was invaded. Ryoko saw a big lab. It was dark and cold in here. She heard a muffled growl somewhere, and she walked towards the sound. She was shocked to find her past self again, but this time being held by a machine many times bigger than she was. The girl wore nothing but a small tank top, and a band covered a part of her head, lights blinking every once a while. She struggled to get out of the manacles, but she seemed to be having troubles. A handkerchief covered her mouth, and she was trying to shout at something. Ryoko noticed a child with wild, red hair talking to a blond girl in front of the machine and herself. They ate and chatted, not even noticing the tortured and humiliated girl. After a while, the blond woman went back out, and the child (Washu, the blond had called her) walked away also. Her past self finally got the handkerchief off, and she called out to this Washu. She continued doing so for several minutes, and she became desperate. Ryoko felt it with her, and she resented emotions altogether. The girl in the machine screamed out once more for Washu. Then she started calling for her mother, and tears formed again. She called out for her mommy, then Washu, and Ryoko finally understood. The child was the mother of Ryoko: The mother who betrayed her and lied to her. Ryoko became shocked once more by finding this 'mother' recording the torture with a mischievous smile on her face. Ryoko became enraged and threw herself at her, but her body went right through the woman/child. She stood next to this psychotic woman and stared at herself. Exhaustion took over the girl, and she fell into a troubled sleep.
Tears always flowed from her eyes. It never ended. Why did that Ryoko continue living when life was so painful? Why live when there is no happiness? Why live when she knew that tears were signs of living death?
"You must have known that you will gain happiness someday."
Ryoko came back to reality… or what seemed real anyway, and she nodded.
"Now, you have your opportunity. You have more power than anyone can possibly imagine. I agree with you. They must pay. I will only help you to reach your goal. Consider me, a friend. You can trust me; I have shown you everything I can. It's a goddess's word."
"No, I will work alone. This is my revenge. It doesn't matter what you do, but these earthlings, I will take care of them."
"Certainly, my dear." Tokimi smiled. She still had to find out why she couldn't take control of the gems, but things seemed to be right on schedule. All she had to do was wait till the Juraians were out of the way.
***A note to you readers..(has nothing to do with the story)
Yesterday, I rented a movie, and it had to be the greatest movie ever. Well, not the greatest, but it was very interesting. It's called "Impromptu". Hugh Grant and Judy Davis star in it. It is about the lives of poet and writer George Sand and the great composer Frederick Chopin. I enjoyed it very much, and I hope you get a chance to watch it. I was disappointed about the ending however, because there is a tragic story to this love affair that the movie doesn't show. If you do get to watch it, and are curious to what this tragedy is, please inform me. I'm a passionate musician, and I would love to share the knowledge.
Thank you all for reading my first fanfic that I have ever attempted of writing. I could never compare to many of the great writers out here. I don't want to name too much people, but I do so admire the works of Sophia le Fey and William 'Thundergod' Nichols.
To escape from the harsh reality and to blend into this wild mixture of colors is a wonderful feeling, indeed. The society is polluted with lies and greed. The only morals left in us will be expressed through written words and music. Let the passion live on, friends. Life is nothing without it.