Ryoko jumped from one tree branch to another with great speed. She hadn 't run like this probably since the incident with the bounty hunter. Her breathing started to become shallow. Was she out of shape? No ' maybe ' just a bit ' But Ryoko had been running for hours, so it was not only the lack of training making her feel the strain full force.

Sweat trickled down her neck, like a traitor leaving her scent behind. Ryoko ignored the scratches left on her skin from reckless running. There was no time to carefully avoid the obstacles in front of her. Besides, with the speed she was going, Ryoko would have a hard time avoiding anything even if she wanted to.

Just a bit more '

she told herself. Her goal was up ahead. Ryoko pushed her acing legs to jump farther, to move faster. She had to escape. She had to win this race. No matter what. Every nerve ending stood alert within her. Her body, despite everything, was excited. This was a thrill.