Chibi Meg: In our last chapter of 'Escaping Sanity', Ryoko gets visited by
a strange reflection of herself in a dream! Could this be a look into the
future? Or did she just eat some weird food before she went to sleep? And
Ayeka, confessing her love to Tenchi through a kiss, gets discovered by a
stunned Ryoko! Is this the end of Ryoko's trust for Tenchi, or can he win
her back?! Wait and see in the next chapter of Escaping Sanity:
Chapter Two: The Chase
As the glass shattered on the wooden kitchen floor, Ayeka released Tenchi and stepped away from him. Tenchi was completely dazed and closed his eyes to re-gain himself, not realizing that Ryoko had seen the whole thing.
"T-Tenchi?" Ryoko stuttered as she took a small step back into the hallway. Tenchi, recognizing it was Ryoko, and remembering what happened, paused and stared at the ground in alarm.
Tenchi raised his eyes up and looked at Ryoko and saw the hurt in her eyes, "Ryoko-" She clenched her fists and closed her eyes tightly as she turned and walked angrily back down the hallway from where she came.
"No! Ryoko, wait! It's not what you think it is!" Tenchi called out as he tried running after her. But before he left the kitchen, Ayeka reached out her hand and took him by the arm.
"Lord Tenchi, wait! Let her go!" Ayeka pleaded pathetically, still clinging onto his arm. Tenchi turned and grabbed her hand and pried the tight grip off from his arm.
"Ayeka, you've done enough already, just stay here," He snapped as he ran out from the room and down the hallway.
Ryoko was already past the dining room and was walking out to the porch when Tenchi ran up from behind her. As she stepped down onto the porch, Tenchi reached out his hand and gently took hold of Ryoko's shoulder, trying to get her to stop walking away.
"Don't touch me!" Ryoko shouted as she twisted around to slap Tenchi forcefully across his face. Tenchi lost his balance and fell backwards, collapsing against the side of the house. He slowly reached his hand up and touched the side of his face where he had been hit, it throbbed and stung more then a normal slap did. He looked up at Ryoko, not saying a word. The look in Ryoko's eyes hurt Tenchi more then the throbbing pain on the side of his face, they were cold but also expressed the pain she was feeling.
Ryoko turned away from Tenchi and continued her walk across the porch and down the steps. "Don't follow me," she remarked solemnly as she jumped into the air to fly away towards the forest.
Tenchi watched sadly as Ryoko flew farther and farther away from him. He placed his arm on his knee and rested his forehead on the palm of his hand, "Ryoko."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Ryoko flew farther then she had realized into the forest and decided to fly down to rest on a tall tree-branch. She stood on the thick branch and leaned against the trunk, staring blankly at the full and bright moon in the sky. The air was clear and crisp, enough where she could see her breath when she breathed or sighed.
She crouched and sat down on the branch, still leaning against the trunk and tried to keep warm. The picture of Tenchi and Ayeka kissing was still fresh in her mind. She closed her eyes and tried to erase it, but nothing worked. Tenchi was supposed to be the person to make everything fine and make her feel better, but he was the one who hurt her the most.
"Tenchi." She sighed as she looked up again at the bright moon. She slowly closed her eyes and before she knew it, she was in a deep sleep.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Ayeka slowly walked out from the kitchen and saw Tenchi sitting on the porch with his forehead still rested against his wrist. She was about to walk to him, but stopped herself and paused. She lightly smiled and turned around towards the end of the hallway to walk up the stairs. However, when she looked up to the top, Sasami had been waiting for her.
"Ayeka, what's going on?" Sasami asked as Ryo-Oki leaped onto her left shoulder. Ayeka slowly began to walk up the stairs.
"I finally found the courage to kiss Tenchi. But when I did, Ryoko walked in and saw us," She explained as she walked up the stairs. Sasami only gave a look of stun; she never thought Ayeka could kiss him!
"What happened?" Sasami asked as she stood up from the top step. Ayeka paused as she made it to the top and looked down at her little sister.
"He didn't kiss me back, and he went after her when she ran away," Ayeka responded slowly before walking towards her room. Sasami watched her as she opened her door and closed it behind her after walking in. She frowned sadly and looked down the stairs and saw Tenchi still sitting on the porch, as if waiting for Ryoko to come back.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Ryoko once again found herself standing in the shadowed room, and the red light was once again above her head. She looked around a few times before stepping deeper into the red light.
"I know you're here, whoever the hell you are. I know you were waiting for me to come back," Ryoko declared loudly. Her voice echoed in the darkness and slowly faded away. As she scanned the room around her, Ryoko finally saw a shadow begin to emerge from the dark where the light did not show. Ryoko clenched her fists once more, ready again to go on the defensive.
The shadowy figure stepped into the light, it was none other then her dark other self. She grinned as she stepped closer to Ryoko. She eyed Ryoko up and walked slowly around her in a circle, as if examining her.
"You are an amazing creature, Ryoko," her reflection finally said as she walked in front of Ryoko. Ryoko glared darkly at her other self and sneered.
"Who are you?" Ryoko snapped. Her other self continued grinning and gave out a small laugh.
"Unless you're completely blind or stupid, which you're not, you can see that I am none other then you, Ryoko. I am you in every sense. You're face, you're body, you're strength, even you're blood, we're the same," she responded.
Ryoko sneered and opened her right hand to materialize her laser beam sword, "You're not me!" She shouted as she leapt forward. Her other half grinned as she materialized the same beam sword and easily blocked the attack made by Ryoko.
Ryoko and her other self held their swords together from the previous attack. Ryoko's eyes widened as she saw the same laser beam sword in which she herself also wielded.
"It can't be." She muttered quietly. Her other half grinned more maniacally as she released her left hand from the sword and reached up and quickly grabbed onto Ryoko's neck.
Chapter Two: The Chase
As the glass shattered on the wooden kitchen floor, Ayeka released Tenchi and stepped away from him. Tenchi was completely dazed and closed his eyes to re-gain himself, not realizing that Ryoko had seen the whole thing.
"T-Tenchi?" Ryoko stuttered as she took a small step back into the hallway. Tenchi, recognizing it was Ryoko, and remembering what happened, paused and stared at the ground in alarm.
Tenchi raised his eyes up and looked at Ryoko and saw the hurt in her eyes, "Ryoko-" She clenched her fists and closed her eyes tightly as she turned and walked angrily back down the hallway from where she came.
"No! Ryoko, wait! It's not what you think it is!" Tenchi called out as he tried running after her. But before he left the kitchen, Ayeka reached out her hand and took him by the arm.
"Lord Tenchi, wait! Let her go!" Ayeka pleaded pathetically, still clinging onto his arm. Tenchi turned and grabbed her hand and pried the tight grip off from his arm.
"Ayeka, you've done enough already, just stay here," He snapped as he ran out from the room and down the hallway.
Ryoko was already past the dining room and was walking out to the porch when Tenchi ran up from behind her. As she stepped down onto the porch, Tenchi reached out his hand and gently took hold of Ryoko's shoulder, trying to get her to stop walking away.
"Don't touch me!" Ryoko shouted as she twisted around to slap Tenchi forcefully across his face. Tenchi lost his balance and fell backwards, collapsing against the side of the house. He slowly reached his hand up and touched the side of his face where he had been hit, it throbbed and stung more then a normal slap did. He looked up at Ryoko, not saying a word. The look in Ryoko's eyes hurt Tenchi more then the throbbing pain on the side of his face, they were cold but also expressed the pain she was feeling.
Ryoko turned away from Tenchi and continued her walk across the porch and down the steps. "Don't follow me," she remarked solemnly as she jumped into the air to fly away towards the forest.
Tenchi watched sadly as Ryoko flew farther and farther away from him. He placed his arm on his knee and rested his forehead on the palm of his hand, "Ryoko."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Ryoko flew farther then she had realized into the forest and decided to fly down to rest on a tall tree-branch. She stood on the thick branch and leaned against the trunk, staring blankly at the full and bright moon in the sky. The air was clear and crisp, enough where she could see her breath when she breathed or sighed.
She crouched and sat down on the branch, still leaning against the trunk and tried to keep warm. The picture of Tenchi and Ayeka kissing was still fresh in her mind. She closed her eyes and tried to erase it, but nothing worked. Tenchi was supposed to be the person to make everything fine and make her feel better, but he was the one who hurt her the most.
"Tenchi." She sighed as she looked up again at the bright moon. She slowly closed her eyes and before she knew it, she was in a deep sleep.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Ayeka slowly walked out from the kitchen and saw Tenchi sitting on the porch with his forehead still rested against his wrist. She was about to walk to him, but stopped herself and paused. She lightly smiled and turned around towards the end of the hallway to walk up the stairs. However, when she looked up to the top, Sasami had been waiting for her.
"Ayeka, what's going on?" Sasami asked as Ryo-Oki leaped onto her left shoulder. Ayeka slowly began to walk up the stairs.
"I finally found the courage to kiss Tenchi. But when I did, Ryoko walked in and saw us," She explained as she walked up the stairs. Sasami only gave a look of stun; she never thought Ayeka could kiss him!
"What happened?" Sasami asked as she stood up from the top step. Ayeka paused as she made it to the top and looked down at her little sister.
"He didn't kiss me back, and he went after her when she ran away," Ayeka responded slowly before walking towards her room. Sasami watched her as she opened her door and closed it behind her after walking in. She frowned sadly and looked down the stairs and saw Tenchi still sitting on the porch, as if waiting for Ryoko to come back.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Ryoko once again found herself standing in the shadowed room, and the red light was once again above her head. She looked around a few times before stepping deeper into the red light.
"I know you're here, whoever the hell you are. I know you were waiting for me to come back," Ryoko declared loudly. Her voice echoed in the darkness and slowly faded away. As she scanned the room around her, Ryoko finally saw a shadow begin to emerge from the dark where the light did not show. Ryoko clenched her fists once more, ready again to go on the defensive.
The shadowy figure stepped into the light, it was none other then her dark other self. She grinned as she stepped closer to Ryoko. She eyed Ryoko up and walked slowly around her in a circle, as if examining her.
"You are an amazing creature, Ryoko," her reflection finally said as she walked in front of Ryoko. Ryoko glared darkly at her other self and sneered.
"Who are you?" Ryoko snapped. Her other self continued grinning and gave out a small laugh.
"Unless you're completely blind or stupid, which you're not, you can see that I am none other then you, Ryoko. I am you in every sense. You're face, you're body, you're strength, even you're blood, we're the same," she responded.
Ryoko sneered and opened her right hand to materialize her laser beam sword, "You're not me!" She shouted as she leapt forward. Her other half grinned as she materialized the same beam sword and easily blocked the attack made by Ryoko.
Ryoko and her other self held their swords together from the previous attack. Ryoko's eyes widened as she saw the same laser beam sword in which she herself also wielded.
"It can't be." She muttered quietly. Her other half grinned more maniacally as she released her left hand from the sword and reached up and quickly grabbed onto Ryoko's neck.