:::Flashback:::
Ryoko had come back from yet another exhausting day in the field, both mentally and physically. Kagato had forced her to kill a Jurain family. Fortunately, there had been a knight with them, and they had managed to escape. She, however, was not so lucky. She had had to kill the poor fool.
::I cannot take much more of this::
"Ryoko?" A soft whisper came through the cracks of her cell.
"Who's there?" It did not sound at all like Kagato, and Ryoko had known no one else for a long time. Her only memories not involving singularly Kagato were of a redheaded woman smiling at her. But that was only a dream. No one had ever loved her, no one *would* ever love her. But Kagato had been known to play demonic games with her. "Who's there? Come out! Show yourself!"
A catlike creature stepped out of the shadows behind the bars of her cage. He was as tall as she was, but his face betrayed the innocence of a small child. His eyes, however, were definitely not feline. They were a deep, deep blue. So dark that Ryoko had trouble finding where the irises ended and the pupils began. His hands, also, were those of a human, slightly covered by a reddish fuzz that matched the rest of his fur.
"Ryoko. I'd heard of you. Kagato says you're a bad, bad girl, and I mustn't ever see you. But you don't look too horrible to me. You look kinda funny." He laughed, "That's okay though. I mean, look at me! I look funnier than you ever will." Ryoko stepped out of her fighting stance.
"What's your name?"
"Reibun. How're you doing in there?"
"Horribly. Kagato isn't nice to me at all."
"Really? He doesn't seem that bad." He walked out of Ryoko's sight.
"Wait! Wait! Where are you." but suddenly, the bars of her cage rolled away.
"C'mon! let's play a game!"
:::Flashback:::
It was several years later, Reibun and Ryoko had grown into the best of friends. But Reibun was forced every day to return Ryoko to her cell, to avoid being caught by Kagato, and Ryoko obliged, not wanting her friend to suffer because of herself.
"Ryoko?"
"Yeah?"
"Why does he keep you locked up like that?"
"Because." Ryoko grimaced.
"'Cause why?" Reibun persisted.
"Because he hates me. He can't stand to look at me."
"Ryoko, you're not going back into that cell." Reibun stated it as a fact, not an opinion. He turned towards her, his blue eyes flashing. "No. Not anymore. I see the bruises, your expression. Ryoko, I've come over this time to. to."
"What?"
"Ryoko, I love you."
Ryoko shot up off of the ground. "No. No, you're lying. Nobody loves me. Nobody could! Don't lie to me!"
"Ryoko, I'm not lying. I. Love. You."
"I. I."
"Ryoko. When did I ever lie to you?"
That night, Ryoko slept within the company of another for the first time in her life.
:::Flashback:::
"RYOKO! FILTHY WHORE! BACK TO YOUR CAGE!" Ryoko quivered in her bed, but Reibun put a restraining hand on her.
"He'll kill you!"
"I don't care. I love you, and that's all that matters."
:::Flashback:::
Ryoko could hear the screams from where she sat in her cell. She was used to the whip, and did not feel the burning anymore. Reibun. He was unprepared for the punishment that she knew would come. She heard a faint whimpering sound, and the shuffle of large feet along the corridor.
"Ryoko." He wheezed
"Reibun! Are you alright?" Kagato swirled up behind Reibun.
"No, he had better not be. What you have done... is disgusting, Reibun."
:::Flashback:::
"Ryoko! I know it is not true!"
"When did he ever lie?"
"Ryoko." he sat down on the bed next to her. They had snuck out regardless of Kagato's wrath. "Ryoko. I'm going to leave. I want us to be happy together. But first, I will find power. Enough to destroy that bastard Kagato!"
"No. Reibun, don't leave."
"I'm sorry, Ryoko, I have to."
:::Flashback:::
No. This was not her Reibun.
She could do nothing to him. He betrayed her, and therefore could not care. The worst thing she could ever do.
He had left her.
Ryoko had come back from yet another exhausting day in the field, both mentally and physically. Kagato had forced her to kill a Jurain family. Fortunately, there had been a knight with them, and they had managed to escape. She, however, was not so lucky. She had had to kill the poor fool.
::I cannot take much more of this::
"Ryoko?" A soft whisper came through the cracks of her cell.
"Who's there?" It did not sound at all like Kagato, and Ryoko had known no one else for a long time. Her only memories not involving singularly Kagato were of a redheaded woman smiling at her. But that was only a dream. No one had ever loved her, no one *would* ever love her. But Kagato had been known to play demonic games with her. "Who's there? Come out! Show yourself!"
A catlike creature stepped out of the shadows behind the bars of her cage. He was as tall as she was, but his face betrayed the innocence of a small child. His eyes, however, were definitely not feline. They were a deep, deep blue. So dark that Ryoko had trouble finding where the irises ended and the pupils began. His hands, also, were those of a human, slightly covered by a reddish fuzz that matched the rest of his fur.
"Ryoko. I'd heard of you. Kagato says you're a bad, bad girl, and I mustn't ever see you. But you don't look too horrible to me. You look kinda funny." He laughed, "That's okay though. I mean, look at me! I look funnier than you ever will." Ryoko stepped out of her fighting stance.
"What's your name?"
"Reibun. How're you doing in there?"
"Horribly. Kagato isn't nice to me at all."
"Really? He doesn't seem that bad." He walked out of Ryoko's sight.
"Wait! Wait! Where are you." but suddenly, the bars of her cage rolled away.
"C'mon! let's play a game!"
:::Flashback:::
It was several years later, Reibun and Ryoko had grown into the best of friends. But Reibun was forced every day to return Ryoko to her cell, to avoid being caught by Kagato, and Ryoko obliged, not wanting her friend to suffer because of herself.
"Ryoko?"
"Yeah?"
"Why does he keep you locked up like that?"
"Because." Ryoko grimaced.
"'Cause why?" Reibun persisted.
"Because he hates me. He can't stand to look at me."
"Ryoko, you're not going back into that cell." Reibun stated it as a fact, not an opinion. He turned towards her, his blue eyes flashing. "No. Not anymore. I see the bruises, your expression. Ryoko, I've come over this time to. to."
"What?"
"Ryoko, I love you."
Ryoko shot up off of the ground. "No. No, you're lying. Nobody loves me. Nobody could! Don't lie to me!"
"Ryoko, I'm not lying. I. Love. You."
"I. I."
"Ryoko. When did I ever lie to you?"
That night, Ryoko slept within the company of another for the first time in her life.
:::Flashback:::
"RYOKO! FILTHY WHORE! BACK TO YOUR CAGE!" Ryoko quivered in her bed, but Reibun put a restraining hand on her.
"He'll kill you!"
"I don't care. I love you, and that's all that matters."
:::Flashback:::
Ryoko could hear the screams from where she sat in her cell. She was used to the whip, and did not feel the burning anymore. Reibun. He was unprepared for the punishment that she knew would come. She heard a faint whimpering sound, and the shuffle of large feet along the corridor.
"Ryoko." He wheezed
"Reibun! Are you alright?" Kagato swirled up behind Reibun.
"No, he had better not be. What you have done... is disgusting, Reibun."
:::Flashback:::
"Ryoko! I know it is not true!"
"When did he ever lie?"
"Ryoko." he sat down on the bed next to her. They had snuck out regardless of Kagato's wrath. "Ryoko. I'm going to leave. I want us to be happy together. But first, I will find power. Enough to destroy that bastard Kagato!"
"No. Reibun, don't leave."
"I'm sorry, Ryoko, I have to."
:::Flashback:::
No. This was not her Reibun.
She could do nothing to him. He betrayed her, and therefore could not care. The worst thing she could ever do.
He had left her.