Chapter six: Fate, fortune and farming
Location: Tigermouth
---
It was strange, the way things had turned. A few days ago, he was a warrior, a warrior whose sole purpose was to swing his axe and land it in flesh. Now, where was he? He wasn't holding an axe anymore, instead he held a hoe. He didn't stand on dead bodies anymore, instead he stood on freshly-tilled soil. Soil that he himself had tilled.
He had never held a hoe, or any other farming tool in his hands before and now he did. It was strange, how things had turned... How strange indeed.
Yet, in some way, the twist was a welcome one. He had no need to fear dying in the middle of a blood-soaked field. All he had to fear now was the crops... Yes, it was welcome, this change in routine and lifestyle.
He would have thought that this was not his way of living, but the more he looked at it, the more he realized that he was so wrong. He could just be doing this, helping out the bandits or other people in a very simple way, without all the battles... Without the constant conflict between two weapons. He wiped his brown once, lifted the gardening tool above his head, and brought it down soundly and swiftly.
Yes, it was welcome... And for once, in so many days, he was content.
---
It was strange, the way things had turned. She no longer had her fingers dirtied with blood from wounds. Instead, they were dirty from mud and what else that she had been in while she played with her new playmates. Actually, they weren't her new playmates... They were her FIRST playmates. She had never played like this with anyone ever before. Back in the bandit village, everyone was so caught up with training or stealing that most of the kids were often left alone and unattended. She didn't have time to play either. She was a doctor, and she had a job to do...
They came home all the time, bloody and bruised, and she helped in fixing them up. She had that sense of satisfaction that came with helping her mom and other people...
Yet, it was a different kind of satisfaction than the one she got here while playing wholeheartedly with other kids her age. Yes, it was a welcome change in routine and lifestyle.
She would never have dreamt of living like this, not until now anyway. Now all she could envision was the smiles, laughs and antics of her fellow children...
Yes, it was welcome... And for once, in so many days, she was content.
---
It was strange, the way things had turned. Here he was, standing with another axe in his grip. But it was an axe that wasn't his... Instead, it was an axe of a woodsman, an axe of someone who would chop trees to obtain lumber for building homes, for profit, for warming up his family on cold, windy nights...
Family...
Yes, he was a family man, although you would never have guessed it once you saw his scruffy face. He constantly reeked of alcohol, cheap tavern ale more specifically, every night and his voice sounded like a dying elephant once he got drunk. Now, it was so very different. He didn't have the same smell, now it was the smell of sweat. Sweat not coming from killing, but coming from working hard, all-day long. Yes, it was a welcome change in routine and lifestyle.
The axe was swung several times, each time knocking splinters out from the tree that he had begun to chop. Each blow resounded throughout the entire empty forest and he felt that it was great.
Yes, it was welcome... And for once, in so many days, he was content.
---
It was strange, the way things had turned out. She wasn't anymore in her small bar serving beer to a bunch of smelly bandits. Instead she was in an inn, working up some drinks for all the travelers that decide to stop by this small village. She would aid the innkeeper in anyway she could...
Nevertheless, it seemed so natural for her. Not to harass customers that didn't pay but instead politely ask them to pay their dues. It worked well, and she was surprised how different people were from her village. Maybe she had found her true calling... Not as a bar owner, but as an innkeeper. Maybe she would become like this in the future instead of what she had previously fancied.
But she was also a warrior, and her warrior's blood craved for the heat of an argument.... Yet, that urge died out as well. Now she was an innkeeper's assistant... Yes, it was a welcome change in routine and lifestyle.
A man came up to her and paid the fee that he was supposed to pay. 400 Potch for 5 days stay... She thanked him fondly and went over to fix up the room that he had just used.
Yes, it was welcome... And for once, in so many days, she was content.
---
The sun was blisteringly hot as it loomed directly overhead, clearly stating that it was already noontime. The boy looked up, his eyes blinded by the magnificent ball of flame that was so high in the clear blue sky.
"Koyu! C'mon, it's time for a break!" Koyu looked over his shoulder and there were several other workers there who signaled to him. They waved their hands, calling him out of the blistering field. Koyu waved back at them, and shouldered the tool as he left for them.
"You're a good kid, Koyu. I've never seen someone at your age work so hard! If you keep working, I'm sure the crops'll be a big success!" One of the older worked commented. The man was considerably old, his white beard and slightly bald head proof of his age and experience.
"Koyu's prob'lly the best worker we ever got!" Another one bellowed through a mouth stuffed with bread. He washed his parched throat down with a water canteen which he offered generously to Koyu. Koyu took it, smiled and gulped down a large dose of water.
"Hey, Koyu, do you mind if I ask you a question?" Koyu swallowed once more and wiped his lips, looking at another one of the workers. He nodded, and the worker moved to get closer to him.
"I heard that you were once a Lampdragon bandit. Why'd you come all over here when you guys could've stayed back at White Tiger?"
How was he supposed to tell them without breaking into tears? He couldn't even think of the last scene he saw when he was back there, and now someone wants his life story? A story that he himself could not understand?
How many weeks have passed since then? To his memory, he remembered that it was about two to three weeks... But yet, he knew that it would take many years for him to truly move on. The work got his mind off the problem, but destiny would not let him forget.
He hated the Tinto troops even more now. He felt that they should be exterminated as soon as he can get back to fight them. He felt that the only person worthy of beheading Gustav would be him...
Or perhaps, Fumi.
Now he thinks of him. That same boy that he loved so many days back. He still loved him until now, maybe even more so than when the two were together, wrapped in one another's arms, cradled in their passion for one another. Now he was nowhere to be seen, but he knew that he must be alive. Alive and ready to greet him when they meet again...
But at the same time, he also knew that this was probably just wishful thinking. There was an even higher possibility for Fumi to be dead than missing. He could've been killed back there in White Tiger and he wouldn't have known about it. Or Fumi could have run away and never would he see him again. But in any case, he knew that he should at least live life for the future... Not only for the memory of Fumi but for himself as well.
"Yes, I was a Lampdragon bandit... And to make a long story short, White Tiger isn't on the map anymore." Koyu said as bluntly as he could, his eyes focused on the freshly tilled soil underneath his feet. He just wanted to get it over with as soon as possible... And thank the gods that no one else spoke of it.
"I'm sorry to hear that... Everyone, that's all in the past already. Why don't we just let sleeping dogs lie and celebrate for the great new friends that we have now!" The eldest man said as he lifted his water canteen up high into the air, a joyous smile on his face.
"For Koyu!" The rest of them followed, their canteens brought together by new found camaraderie.
"For Koyu!" They all stated simultaneously, laughter and merriment filling the air. Koyu smiled and then soon joined in the revelry.
* * *
Hours passed and the sun had set. The fields were deserted and all that anyone could see would be earth ready for planting. Koyu had removed his shirt for the name of comfort, his stride was fatigued yet emanated a strange aura of confidence. He was young yet he was powerful. He was young, but he was experienced...
He was young... Yes, he was just that...
Something about him was so different from other kids. From the time he could walk, he was taught how to carry an axe, how to fight without thinking of his opponent... How to kill. Maybe this was what he was destined to be.
Deep down, he knew he was nothing more than murderer. And the very thought of it made him wince.
What was he made to be? His thoughts were about turning over a new leaf as a normal person, not a bandit, not a thief and definitely not a murderer... But the only thing that filled his mind was the idea of killing Gustav... Killing the same person that made him suffer so much.
Killing the person that separated him from Fumi.
No, he had tried to put those days behind him already! There was no reason for them to return! He was simply known now as Koyu... Not the bandit Koyu, simply just Koyu.
And he would like it to stay that way.
The inn came into view after a few moments. Lucky for them that the innkeeper had decided to take them in as helpers despite their less-than-friendly record. The old wooden door creaked open, him being greeted by two of his fellow bandits enjoying a small drink, paid in full and with honest money, of course.
"Y'been working hard? I heard that you were great today!" Gijimu bellowed between hiccups and the occasional belch.
"It wasn't anything, really. I just did what I was told to."
"Oh just shut up, Koyu! You sure worked your butt off today and you deserve a drink. Several of the other workers actually came over and told us that you were the best worker they've had in about several years! Quit the false modesty and grab a glass!"
Somehow, Koyu forced to stifle a laugh as he looked at Lo Wen's completely red face.
(Sis' got herself drunk again... I can't remember a time when she actually drank that much. Usually, she's on the end of belting out some angry comment about Gijimu being a slob...)
We're all different now in so many ways that I can't even seem to count them all. So different after that day…
Sometimes, I miss the old us. But for some reason, I like it the way it is... We weren't bandits anymore, we were just normal, everyday people trying to make a living as honestly as possible... And I think I like that even more.
"Thanks sis." Koyu handed his glass to his sister, who filled it up so much that it overflowed all over Koyu's hand.
"Sorry if the wine tastes kinda funny. Got no money for the more expensive ones, y'know..." He sipped it and yes, it was kinda funny tasting. It wasn't all that sweet, more sour actually, but he didn't care.
At least he was drinking alongside them.
"Is it okay if I hit the sheets? I'm kinda tired after several hours of working, y'know." He asked as he placed his cup down on the table.
"Yeah, we don't mind... Get a good nights rest, y'hear? And be careful not to wake Yuki up! She's been sleepin' like a baby ever since she got her first friends." Koyu smiled back at Gijimu and waved his hand before leaving for their shared room on the first floor of the inn. He closed the door, and carefully collapsed on the lumpy bed, taking care not to wake up his 'younger sister'.
(I'm pretty banged up, but I like it... I guess it's cause of that self-satisfaction thingy that gets me going...) Koyu thought before turning his eyes towards Yuki's sleeping face.
(She looks so sweet when she's asleep... I wonder how I look when I'm asleep?) He chuckled to himself (Probably not good. I think I drool or at least snore when I sleep...)
We see so many different faces and masks put up by humanity, most of them completely superficial in the hopes of showing everyone that they are strong or they are special... But all the masks come off when one person is asleep. Sleep must be the last sanctuary of every human being. There are so many times when no matter how good our mask is, it usually isn't enough for other people, so we resort to trying to find help in things other than the living. Meditation is one, it's a stupid thing that people do to find inner peace without the aid of their masks. But in reality, the only place where we can find peace is in sleep; the last place that we run to...
But sleep can also hold the most disturbing images that any human will ever be forced to see...
Koyu smiled, closed his heavy eyes and then fell asleep.
* * *
The two stared at each other, the wine bottle now empty to the last drop. They tried as much as possible never to drink with one another, since it always ended up in very unpleasant ways. Always in the negative fortune of the male partner.
"Was that Koyu we just saw?" The male asked the female.
"It was Koyu, but he was so different... But, I like him this way. I like Koyu in any way..." Silence cut in before any of them spoke.
"D'you think we'll ever get back to being Lampdragon bandits?" The long-haired girl said, taking the bottle and the glasses outside to be washed but stopped to put them on top of the counter.
"I'm sure we can... Yes, I've got to say that we're living a pretty nice life but I know that you and I understand that we just weren't cut out for this." He stood up, making almost no sound as his seat was pushed backwards. "You and I aren't village folk."
"Yeah... I know that. But we can't just leave Koyu and Yuki here, right? They'll be in danger if Gustav decides to come looking for them..."
"Whoever said we'll be leaving them? What were you thinking, Lo? I'm never leaving them behind!"
"They shouldn't be out there, risking their lives for a reason that they don't even know of! Gijimu..." The woman broke into tears, falling down to her knees as she broke the bottle, hundreds of tiny shards flying everywhere. The man approached her cautiously, not because he was afraid of the broken glass... He was never able to talk to her when she became emotional...
"Gijimu... They're only kids... If they were my kids, I would never dream of letting them get so involved in things that could have them killed... We can just leave them here, right? They'll be in the protection of the central city-state! Gustav won't just march in here..."
"But he can and he will Lo Wen... You know that more than I do. He hates every bandit that ever lived and died. He wouldn't care if the last two bandits were just preteens..." He held her in his arms, her face pressed to his shoulder, her tears bathing his clothing.
Silence... Broken only by her sobbing...
"It's okay Lo Wen... We'll get out of here one day and we'll start off clean... Somewhere far away, someplace where Gustav can't hunt the kids down..." He didn't know if that was the right thing to say to her... He just knew that he had to say something...
Humans in general, crave for sympathy and have an inborn desire to be loved. To be abhorred or in the least, unloved, meant to be treated as something out of society. It was something that was far worse than death...
Sometimes, all it would take is a couple of words and everything's better already... Even if you don't mean these words, all they want to hear is that it's okay... Someone cares about you... That you matter to others...
"Is it really going to be okay? You think that we'll be able to get out of here and live in peace?"
No... he didn't know if it was going to be okay... He didn't know if they were actually going to get out of here alive...
But all he could say was yes.
"Yes... It's going to be okay..." He held the crying Lo Wen in his arms, cradling her distraught body and mind in a way that he's never done before...
For once, they were husband and wife...
No longer Lo Wen and Gijimu... They were a couple...
Yes, it was welcome... And for once, in so many years, they were content.
- End Chapter Six -
Location: Tigermouth
---
It was strange, the way things had turned. A few days ago, he was a warrior, a warrior whose sole purpose was to swing his axe and land it in flesh. Now, where was he? He wasn't holding an axe anymore, instead he held a hoe. He didn't stand on dead bodies anymore, instead he stood on freshly-tilled soil. Soil that he himself had tilled.
He had never held a hoe, or any other farming tool in his hands before and now he did. It was strange, how things had turned... How strange indeed.
Yet, in some way, the twist was a welcome one. He had no need to fear dying in the middle of a blood-soaked field. All he had to fear now was the crops... Yes, it was welcome, this change in routine and lifestyle.
He would have thought that this was not his way of living, but the more he looked at it, the more he realized that he was so wrong. He could just be doing this, helping out the bandits or other people in a very simple way, without all the battles... Without the constant conflict between two weapons. He wiped his brown once, lifted the gardening tool above his head, and brought it down soundly and swiftly.
Yes, it was welcome... And for once, in so many days, he was content.
---
It was strange, the way things had turned. She no longer had her fingers dirtied with blood from wounds. Instead, they were dirty from mud and what else that she had been in while she played with her new playmates. Actually, they weren't her new playmates... They were her FIRST playmates. She had never played like this with anyone ever before. Back in the bandit village, everyone was so caught up with training or stealing that most of the kids were often left alone and unattended. She didn't have time to play either. She was a doctor, and she had a job to do...
They came home all the time, bloody and bruised, and she helped in fixing them up. She had that sense of satisfaction that came with helping her mom and other people...
Yet, it was a different kind of satisfaction than the one she got here while playing wholeheartedly with other kids her age. Yes, it was a welcome change in routine and lifestyle.
She would never have dreamt of living like this, not until now anyway. Now all she could envision was the smiles, laughs and antics of her fellow children...
Yes, it was welcome... And for once, in so many days, she was content.
---
It was strange, the way things had turned. Here he was, standing with another axe in his grip. But it was an axe that wasn't his... Instead, it was an axe of a woodsman, an axe of someone who would chop trees to obtain lumber for building homes, for profit, for warming up his family on cold, windy nights...
Family...
Yes, he was a family man, although you would never have guessed it once you saw his scruffy face. He constantly reeked of alcohol, cheap tavern ale more specifically, every night and his voice sounded like a dying elephant once he got drunk. Now, it was so very different. He didn't have the same smell, now it was the smell of sweat. Sweat not coming from killing, but coming from working hard, all-day long. Yes, it was a welcome change in routine and lifestyle.
The axe was swung several times, each time knocking splinters out from the tree that he had begun to chop. Each blow resounded throughout the entire empty forest and he felt that it was great.
Yes, it was welcome... And for once, in so many days, he was content.
---
It was strange, the way things had turned out. She wasn't anymore in her small bar serving beer to a bunch of smelly bandits. Instead she was in an inn, working up some drinks for all the travelers that decide to stop by this small village. She would aid the innkeeper in anyway she could...
Nevertheless, it seemed so natural for her. Not to harass customers that didn't pay but instead politely ask them to pay their dues. It worked well, and she was surprised how different people were from her village. Maybe she had found her true calling... Not as a bar owner, but as an innkeeper. Maybe she would become like this in the future instead of what she had previously fancied.
But she was also a warrior, and her warrior's blood craved for the heat of an argument.... Yet, that urge died out as well. Now she was an innkeeper's assistant... Yes, it was a welcome change in routine and lifestyle.
A man came up to her and paid the fee that he was supposed to pay. 400 Potch for 5 days stay... She thanked him fondly and went over to fix up the room that he had just used.
Yes, it was welcome... And for once, in so many days, she was content.
---
The sun was blisteringly hot as it loomed directly overhead, clearly stating that it was already noontime. The boy looked up, his eyes blinded by the magnificent ball of flame that was so high in the clear blue sky.
"Koyu! C'mon, it's time for a break!" Koyu looked over his shoulder and there were several other workers there who signaled to him. They waved their hands, calling him out of the blistering field. Koyu waved back at them, and shouldered the tool as he left for them.
"You're a good kid, Koyu. I've never seen someone at your age work so hard! If you keep working, I'm sure the crops'll be a big success!" One of the older worked commented. The man was considerably old, his white beard and slightly bald head proof of his age and experience.
"Koyu's prob'lly the best worker we ever got!" Another one bellowed through a mouth stuffed with bread. He washed his parched throat down with a water canteen which he offered generously to Koyu. Koyu took it, smiled and gulped down a large dose of water.
"Hey, Koyu, do you mind if I ask you a question?" Koyu swallowed once more and wiped his lips, looking at another one of the workers. He nodded, and the worker moved to get closer to him.
"I heard that you were once a Lampdragon bandit. Why'd you come all over here when you guys could've stayed back at White Tiger?"
How was he supposed to tell them without breaking into tears? He couldn't even think of the last scene he saw when he was back there, and now someone wants his life story? A story that he himself could not understand?
How many weeks have passed since then? To his memory, he remembered that it was about two to three weeks... But yet, he knew that it would take many years for him to truly move on. The work got his mind off the problem, but destiny would not let him forget.
He hated the Tinto troops even more now. He felt that they should be exterminated as soon as he can get back to fight them. He felt that the only person worthy of beheading Gustav would be him...
Or perhaps, Fumi.
Now he thinks of him. That same boy that he loved so many days back. He still loved him until now, maybe even more so than when the two were together, wrapped in one another's arms, cradled in their passion for one another. Now he was nowhere to be seen, but he knew that he must be alive. Alive and ready to greet him when they meet again...
But at the same time, he also knew that this was probably just wishful thinking. There was an even higher possibility for Fumi to be dead than missing. He could've been killed back there in White Tiger and he wouldn't have known about it. Or Fumi could have run away and never would he see him again. But in any case, he knew that he should at least live life for the future... Not only for the memory of Fumi but for himself as well.
"Yes, I was a Lampdragon bandit... And to make a long story short, White Tiger isn't on the map anymore." Koyu said as bluntly as he could, his eyes focused on the freshly tilled soil underneath his feet. He just wanted to get it over with as soon as possible... And thank the gods that no one else spoke of it.
"I'm sorry to hear that... Everyone, that's all in the past already. Why don't we just let sleeping dogs lie and celebrate for the great new friends that we have now!" The eldest man said as he lifted his water canteen up high into the air, a joyous smile on his face.
"For Koyu!" The rest of them followed, their canteens brought together by new found camaraderie.
"For Koyu!" They all stated simultaneously, laughter and merriment filling the air. Koyu smiled and then soon joined in the revelry.
* * *
Hours passed and the sun had set. The fields were deserted and all that anyone could see would be earth ready for planting. Koyu had removed his shirt for the name of comfort, his stride was fatigued yet emanated a strange aura of confidence. He was young yet he was powerful. He was young, but he was experienced...
He was young... Yes, he was just that...
Something about him was so different from other kids. From the time he could walk, he was taught how to carry an axe, how to fight without thinking of his opponent... How to kill. Maybe this was what he was destined to be.
Deep down, he knew he was nothing more than murderer. And the very thought of it made him wince.
What was he made to be? His thoughts were about turning over a new leaf as a normal person, not a bandit, not a thief and definitely not a murderer... But the only thing that filled his mind was the idea of killing Gustav... Killing the same person that made him suffer so much.
Killing the person that separated him from Fumi.
No, he had tried to put those days behind him already! There was no reason for them to return! He was simply known now as Koyu... Not the bandit Koyu, simply just Koyu.
And he would like it to stay that way.
The inn came into view after a few moments. Lucky for them that the innkeeper had decided to take them in as helpers despite their less-than-friendly record. The old wooden door creaked open, him being greeted by two of his fellow bandits enjoying a small drink, paid in full and with honest money, of course.
"Y'been working hard? I heard that you were great today!" Gijimu bellowed between hiccups and the occasional belch.
"It wasn't anything, really. I just did what I was told to."
"Oh just shut up, Koyu! You sure worked your butt off today and you deserve a drink. Several of the other workers actually came over and told us that you were the best worker they've had in about several years! Quit the false modesty and grab a glass!"
Somehow, Koyu forced to stifle a laugh as he looked at Lo Wen's completely red face.
(Sis' got herself drunk again... I can't remember a time when she actually drank that much. Usually, she's on the end of belting out some angry comment about Gijimu being a slob...)
We're all different now in so many ways that I can't even seem to count them all. So different after that day…
Sometimes, I miss the old us. But for some reason, I like it the way it is... We weren't bandits anymore, we were just normal, everyday people trying to make a living as honestly as possible... And I think I like that even more.
"Thanks sis." Koyu handed his glass to his sister, who filled it up so much that it overflowed all over Koyu's hand.
"Sorry if the wine tastes kinda funny. Got no money for the more expensive ones, y'know..." He sipped it and yes, it was kinda funny tasting. It wasn't all that sweet, more sour actually, but he didn't care.
At least he was drinking alongside them.
"Is it okay if I hit the sheets? I'm kinda tired after several hours of working, y'know." He asked as he placed his cup down on the table.
"Yeah, we don't mind... Get a good nights rest, y'hear? And be careful not to wake Yuki up! She's been sleepin' like a baby ever since she got her first friends." Koyu smiled back at Gijimu and waved his hand before leaving for their shared room on the first floor of the inn. He closed the door, and carefully collapsed on the lumpy bed, taking care not to wake up his 'younger sister'.
(I'm pretty banged up, but I like it... I guess it's cause of that self-satisfaction thingy that gets me going...) Koyu thought before turning his eyes towards Yuki's sleeping face.
(She looks so sweet when she's asleep... I wonder how I look when I'm asleep?) He chuckled to himself (Probably not good. I think I drool or at least snore when I sleep...)
We see so many different faces and masks put up by humanity, most of them completely superficial in the hopes of showing everyone that they are strong or they are special... But all the masks come off when one person is asleep. Sleep must be the last sanctuary of every human being. There are so many times when no matter how good our mask is, it usually isn't enough for other people, so we resort to trying to find help in things other than the living. Meditation is one, it's a stupid thing that people do to find inner peace without the aid of their masks. But in reality, the only place where we can find peace is in sleep; the last place that we run to...
But sleep can also hold the most disturbing images that any human will ever be forced to see...
Koyu smiled, closed his heavy eyes and then fell asleep.
* * *
The two stared at each other, the wine bottle now empty to the last drop. They tried as much as possible never to drink with one another, since it always ended up in very unpleasant ways. Always in the negative fortune of the male partner.
"Was that Koyu we just saw?" The male asked the female.
"It was Koyu, but he was so different... But, I like him this way. I like Koyu in any way..." Silence cut in before any of them spoke.
"D'you think we'll ever get back to being Lampdragon bandits?" The long-haired girl said, taking the bottle and the glasses outside to be washed but stopped to put them on top of the counter.
"I'm sure we can... Yes, I've got to say that we're living a pretty nice life but I know that you and I understand that we just weren't cut out for this." He stood up, making almost no sound as his seat was pushed backwards. "You and I aren't village folk."
"Yeah... I know that. But we can't just leave Koyu and Yuki here, right? They'll be in danger if Gustav decides to come looking for them..."
"Whoever said we'll be leaving them? What were you thinking, Lo? I'm never leaving them behind!"
"They shouldn't be out there, risking their lives for a reason that they don't even know of! Gijimu..." The woman broke into tears, falling down to her knees as she broke the bottle, hundreds of tiny shards flying everywhere. The man approached her cautiously, not because he was afraid of the broken glass... He was never able to talk to her when she became emotional...
"Gijimu... They're only kids... If they were my kids, I would never dream of letting them get so involved in things that could have them killed... We can just leave them here, right? They'll be in the protection of the central city-state! Gustav won't just march in here..."
"But he can and he will Lo Wen... You know that more than I do. He hates every bandit that ever lived and died. He wouldn't care if the last two bandits were just preteens..." He held her in his arms, her face pressed to his shoulder, her tears bathing his clothing.
Silence... Broken only by her sobbing...
"It's okay Lo Wen... We'll get out of here one day and we'll start off clean... Somewhere far away, someplace where Gustav can't hunt the kids down..." He didn't know if that was the right thing to say to her... He just knew that he had to say something...
Humans in general, crave for sympathy and have an inborn desire to be loved. To be abhorred or in the least, unloved, meant to be treated as something out of society. It was something that was far worse than death...
Sometimes, all it would take is a couple of words and everything's better already... Even if you don't mean these words, all they want to hear is that it's okay... Someone cares about you... That you matter to others...
"Is it really going to be okay? You think that we'll be able to get out of here and live in peace?"
No... he didn't know if it was going to be okay... He didn't know if they were actually going to get out of here alive...
But all he could say was yes.
"Yes... It's going to be okay..." He held the crying Lo Wen in his arms, cradling her distraught body and mind in a way that he's never done before...
For once, they were husband and wife...
No longer Lo Wen and Gijimu... They were a couple...
Yes, it was welcome... And for once, in so many years, they were content.
- End Chapter Six -