A Double Life
Ryoko walked into Sasami's room. Sasami was still sitting in the corner, except now she was crying. Ryoko hated watching people cry. 'Look at her,' she thought. 'She's pouting about her brother leaving her. Well, I guess I would feel the same if Tenchi left me without telling me the truth.' Ryoko pulled up a chair and sat in front of Sasami. Sasami didn't look up. She did stop crying when she heard Ryoko speak.
"Are you just going to sit there and feel sorry for yourself? Just because he left you it doesn't mean he doesn't love you." Sasami still didn't move. Ryoko sighed and pulled out a key. "Tell you what. I'll take that shackle off you if you promise to behave yourself. Then you can have some descent food." Sasami looked up.
"I'll behave." Ryoko removed the chains and sat Sasami on the bed. Sasami hesitated when reaching for her food. But after the first bite, she inhaled all of it. She hadn't eaten in about two days. When she finished, she looked at Ryoko. "You came to Ayeka's ball with Tenchi that one time, didn't you?"
"Yep, I wanted to make sure Tenchi wasn't too bored. I remember you. You've grown a lot. I hope you are still as polite." Sasami blushed. "Just to let you know, we ain't going to hurt you. We just want the ransom then we'll give you back to the millionaire."
"I don't want to go back," Sasami quickly answered.
"Well, we can't really keep you either. We don't do the greatest things. You could be in…"
"I don't want to stay here either. I just want to be left alone. I…" Ryoko knew exactly what she was thinking. She didn't want to be alone in that mansion and she surely didn't want to spend another day with Tenchi. The only thing left for Sasami was a life of wondering.
"Listen. Tenchi didn't leave you because he wanted to. He didn't have much of a choice. Before I met Tenchi, he had a simple schoolboy life. He probably couldn't be happier when he was with you. Then, he got into some trouble.
"Before he met Ayeka, he didn't have a job to take care of you. Sure, his dad had a job but it couldn't pay for both of you. He got a job running errands for the mafia. Soon, he was helping them still things. That's how he met me. I was part of the Jiro mob. We had a blast together. Back then we were doing small banks and jobs. Then it all went to hell.
"Tenchi saw the leader Jiro kill the mayor of the city. He threatened to kill Tenchi if he told anyone. It didn't help that we owed Jiro a bunch of money. So we decided to skip town. We had everything ready. At the last minute, Tenchi started to get cold feet."
Flashback
We were actually in your bedroom when it happened. I walked in and found him staring at you as you slept. "Let's get out of this town, Tenchi," I yelled to him. For some reason, he looked memorized. "What's wrong? If we don't leave, Jiro's men will do us in!"
"I can't leave, Ryoko. What if they go after Sasami? I have to protect her. We can take her with."
"Tenchi, if we take her with, she'll be in danger. We're about to start a huge life of crime. If we get caught, she'll get the same punishment as us."
"What about Jiro?" Tenchi asked. "He'll find her and kill her."
"I know how Jiro thinks. He'll do anything to get to you. But if he doesn't know where we are and that we're out of range, he won't waste his time. She's safer this way." Tenchi thought about it. He looked so peaceful. That was the first time I saw him cry. "Tenchi, we need to go now, if not for our sake then for Sasami's." He pulled out a locket and set it on a bed stand near your bed. He then gave you one final kiss goodbye one the forehead. As we walked out the door, he glanced one last at you and then closed the door.
Present
"I'm surprised he didn't jump for joy when I brought you here. He probably wanted to hide his emotions. So will you lighten up on him a little? He really does love you."
"Thanks for the talk, Ryoko." Ryoko smiled at the blue haired girl.
"No problem. Why don't you get some rest? That chloroform really takes a lot out of you." Ryoko walked to the door but turned around. "You'll have more time to talk with Tenchi. I have a feeling he wants to get to know you again." Ryoko locked the door behind her. Sasami thought, 'Does he really love me that much that he would risk his life for me? I had no idea he was like that.' Sasami smiled. 'Don't worry, Tenchi. I won't disappoint you.'
A nice little chapter, I thought. This will set the story up a little better. There will be some action in the next chapter. Please review.
