All the leaves are brown and the sky is gray: Chapter 1: 
Hi-Standard
By Vid Sicious


	Right now, if I could, I would leave. I would run out 
of this house at the speed of light and not turn back. I 
would enter the brave new world of recklessness at all 
costs if it meant I wouldn't have to return to this place 
for along time. Seriously, I need a break from all these 
people and this, "alternative," lifestyle. Ok, maybe not 
alternative, but I call it strange to live with your dad, 
your grandpa, and a bunch of girls that aren't related to 
you.
	Seriously, I would give anything to just get out of 
here, so I could be able to piece my life back together 
without any distractions. But if I did, these girls would 
chase me down and they would worry and moan and get really 
pissed that I hadn't invited them along. Then, Grandfather 
would bitch at me and hold a one-on-one sermon on duty and 
responsibility.
	So by now, you are probably still wondering why I want 
to leave, right? Well, the constant bickering between Ryoko 
and Ayeka, the constant stupidity provided by Mihoshi, My 
father's loose moral system, Grandfather's ability to 
appoint chores every couple minutes, and Washu dragging me 
off to her lab. It seems I can never sit down and think 
anymore. The only possibility is my room, where I happen to 
be now, door locked and window shut. Pretty soon, it will 
be dinner and I will be forced to go downstairs anyway.
	Sure enough, Ryoko comes floating through the door and 
seductively asks me to come down and eat with the rest of 
them. I say that I would rather not at the minute, because 
I am not feeling that well and I want to take a nap. She 
then gives me that sly little smile and floats over towards 
me. She lands on top of me and whispers into my ear all the 
ways she could make me feel better.
	Now, being a normal guy, I would take this kind of 
offer in heartbeat. Seriously, if I told almost any guy in 
my school about a situation like this, they would laugh 
when I told them that I wouldn't take it. But I have my 
reasons. I am sexually frustrated teen and that means that 
while Ryoko prepares to have her way with me, my mind is 
flashing and I'm wondering what the hell this really means 
to her.
	My mind is racing through worries and possible 
situations, but all are the same; I don't know. Knowledge 
is power, but ignorance isn't bliss. I politely stop Ryoko 
and turn down her offer. Of course, I get these kind of 
babyish whines and pleas, but I got reasons for doing this. 
Ten minutes later, she'll be looking over at Ayeka, 
grinning madly. Ayeka will ask her what's so damn funny and 
Ryoko will let something slip about what she almost did 
with me behind closed doors. Then, I'll be embarrassed and 
subjected to watch these two girls compete over me like I'm 
some god damn prize.
	So, as Ryoko leaves with her head tiled down, I sigh 
and then grow increasingly angry. Why should I be a prize? 
And if one of them happens to win me, how would they act 
without the competition around anymore? Would they care 
about me, or grow paranoid and start accusing of me 
cheating on them with the other. So part of the frustration 
comes from the obvious miserable life I would have if I 
were won.
	Then, my hormones come into play. After Ryoko has 
walked away, I start to feel like kicking myself, since I 
have just turned down possibly one of the greatest 
experiences of my life. Instantly, my mind is flushed of 
the emotional baggage and it shifts over to the urges and 
need I have yet to be met. I stare up at the ceiling and 
begin to beg for Ryoko to return, but my chance is used. As 
get up from my bed, I start to ponder if I am sad or happy 
that I did not take Ryoko when I could have.

	Dinner goes exactly in sync with what I gave away 
earlier. Ryoko brags to Ayeka and the fight escalates. The 
end up knock over all the entrees on the table and covering 
the whole family in Sasami's once blue ribbon dinner. I get 
up from the table and head to men's bath, once again pissed 
off that I have only finished half of my meal, because of 
some immature bout between to possessive people. 
	After I finish my shower, I am once again in the most 
peaceful place of the house: my bedroom, locked door. I 
walk over to my dresser and fling through my clothes, until 
I find some boxers and a T-shirt. I dress and quickly 
assume position on my bed, on my back, hands covering face. 
	A knock comes from my door, and I request the identity 
of the knocker. Sure, enough, its Ayeka coming to, 
"apologize for her rude actions at the dinner table." Of 
course that strictly translates to, did you have sex with 
Ryoko? It seems that this happened well over a hundred 
times already, and each time I have given her an assured 
no, but I still have to explain it to her every time. If I 
don't, she gets all worried about me and my morals, and 
thus proceeds to act real nosy, until she finds out I in 
truth haven't. As soon as I say no, she cheers up and 
leaves me as if who I have sex with is all she cares about.
	As I unlock the door, I feel the first accusation of a 
question thrown upon me. "Did you have relations with that 
monster woman," she asks me. I slowly explain it to her, 
and then she's exiting, all smiles and careless. Until, I 
decide to yell after her. She slowly turns around and I 
beckon her into my room. I decide for the first time right 
there, that I am going to get to the bottom of this. 
"Ayeka," I ask her, "what would you do if I did have sex 
with Ryoko?" She peers down at the ground, as if she's 
moping, and then answers. "I would feel like you hated me."
	"Bullshit!" She looks at me astonished, but I am not 
sure if it is because I have swore, or because I am 
questioning her beliefs. "Ayeka," I begin, "if you truly 
believed that you wouldn't treat me like a prize to be won. 
I wouldn't be the object of power in the pride filled game 
that you and Ryoko like to play with my head." 
	She turns away from me, and already I know she's 
crying. For once though, I am not rushing to make her feel 
good again. Screw it, I think to myself, I am not going to 
be the one to comfort her if all I get in return is a fight 
between these two again. My face freezes to a monotonous 
stance and my eyes fill up with ice. When she turns to look 
at my next, with tears pouring down her face and circles 
already forming under eyes, I am ready. "You know I don't 
think like that," she yells at me hysterically.
	"Do I? If I did I wouldn't have to fret being in the 
same room as you two at every encounter," I tell her in 
cold, raspy voice. 
"It's not my fault," she begs, "It's the monster woman 
who starts it." I shake my head, knowing I have not changed 
anything at all. 
"I open the door and say, Just leave. When you are 
willing to act like the Jurai Official you're suppose to 
be, then we will talk." She storms out of my room sobbing. 
For a second, I feel sorry for her, but quickly I remember 
all the wasabi stains I have had to wash out of my clothes, 
the noodles I have had to take out of my hair, and the 
conversations ruined by them. Bitterness, I must say, cures 
all. 

	Hours later, I am sitting on my bed when Ryoko comes 
floating through my door. Her usually low-key, sly grin is 
now ear to ear, and her eyes are shinier then ever. She 
lands on the edge of the bed and says, "So, I heard you 
finally took the Princess out of our way." I smack my 
forehead and shake my head, for again I am going to have to 
teach a girl a little lesson on compassion. "What's wrong, 
baby," she asks.
	"Since when am I your baby?" 
"Well," she begins, "didn't you tell off Mrs. high-
and-mighty so you could get closer to me." I feel a chuckle 
leave my mouth, followed by a smirk. Soon, I am laughing 
like a maniac, while Ryoko begins to stare at me in 
mystery. Finally, she asks me, "What's so funny?" 
"Well, I guess I could begin at the fact that you 
believe that I am your trophy to be won. Next, we could 
bring up how you never asked if I wanted to be with you in 
the first place. You just assume that I want what you do 
and well, maybe I don't," I say.
	"But I love you," she begins. I shake my head and feel 
the coldness over take me again. "Ryoko, if you had any 
true feelings for me, you would stop trying to jump on me 
every second I see you. If that isn't bad enough, a little 
while later, you're using it against Ayeka. The only time I 
spend with you, is when you're fighting her, or getting at 
me." 
	"What about all the times we have had together," she 
reminds me, "All the adventures, all the rescues, all the." 
.But I cut her off. "Ryoko, I cherish those moments. 
Especially, when we are all together and you and Ayeka 
aren't fighting. But then, you egg her on so I have to 
explain to her later that I am not with you." 
"Well," Ryoko sneers, "At least I have faith in you."
	"Hardly, you try so hard to ward off Ayeka, that you 
either think I am after her every second, or you think I am 
to weak to resist her. Face it, Ryoko, you're too damn 
insecure. Now, please leave me alone for awhile." Ryoko 
jumps off my bed in an aggressive manner and instead of 
floating through the door, she kicks it open. Some how, I 
knew she would take it this well.
	Inside my head, the voices start bugging me again. 
They tell me that I shouldn't have been so harsh with them. 
That I should have been my normal, passive self, because 
everyone likes you when you only aim to please him or her. 
I tell the voice to shut the fuck up, because I am tired of 
always being everyone's Prozac. No longer will Tenchi 
Masaki be controlled and made a toy.

Vid Sicious can be reach at vid, stuckey or whatever at 
vidsicious@yahoo.com