Standard Disclaimer – the Ronin boys aren't mine… I'm just borrowing them.
Legends By Ariki Chapter TwoToday would be the day, Shuu could feel it. In the month he'd been living with his uncle, Ryo had "visited" three or four days each week, and each time he'd gotten away. He was a quick little shit, and cocky too. Shuu suspected he was coming by more frequently specifically to taunt him. Even though Uncle Fan didn't mind, Shuu decided it was his job to protect the produce and that meant he'd have to catch the thief. Ryo seemed to have a schedule of some sort, appearing a couple of days in a row, then waiting a few more before reappearing. While the exact days were never the same, Shuu paid close attention and knew he would be by today. And today he would be caught.
The river was the problem. Shuu had grown up in a landlocked village and never learned to swim, but he would. How hard could it really be? And since Uncle Fan gave him the rest of the day off he could take as long as he needed. It came earlier than he'd expected. One minute Shuu had an armful of apples to restock the cart, the next he was down the street, yelling and chasing the thief. Why doesn't anyone ever help, he wondered. Despite the very obvious fact that Ryo was a habitual thief, none of the villagers showed the remotest interest in stopping him. In fact, most of them seemed almost amused.
When they reached the river, Shuu hesitated. As usual, Ryo dove in and moved with ease to the opposite bank. The routine played out as if scripted in advance – he climbed onto the land, patted himself down, shook the water from his hair and face, and turned to look at Shuu. As he wrung out the oversized tail of his shirt, his body language shouted "What are you going to do?" Shuu straightened up, gathered all of his determination, and jumped gracelessly into the water.
The first shock was the temperature. The icy liquid attacked him, penetrating even his fingernails, making it difficult to control his body. It was a momentous act of discipline not to inhale the water in surprise. The second shock was the current. As he tried to synchronize his flailing limbs into a motion that would bring him back to the surface and across to the other side he found the water pulling him in a different direction. Shuu broke free and made it to the top, but his relief was short lived. He dipped under again and began to panic. He finally understood the power that flowed in the Crimson, but it was too late. He struggled against the current but the water was cloudy and he couldn't tell which direction was up. Suddenly, an arm wrapped around his chest and he found himself being pulled with a surprising strength. The second his face broke through the frigid barrier into the warm air, he gasped and breathed deeply and quickly, to the point of nearly hyperventilating. The arm tightened its hold and moved him slowly through the water.
Shuu scrambled onto the bank as soon as he felt the land within his reach. For a moment, he reveled in the feel of dry grass beneath his knees and between his fingers before rolling over into a violent coughing fit. The spasms passed and he stared at the sky, exhausted. He made it.
He turned his head slowly to the right where his rescuer had collapsed a few feet away. The dark gray shirt and pants nearly blended into the landscape but the distinctive black hair had etched itself into Shuu's mind during the past month. The boy propped himself onto his left side and fixed his sapphire blue gaze on Shuu.
"Why the hell did you do that?" His voice was tired but Shuu could hear steel behind it. He said nothing.
"Well?" Ryo demanded. When it became clear no answer was coming, he muttered something foreign and flopped onto his back again. Shuu didn't understand the words but had a pretty good guess what they meant. He focused on the gray pants before speaking.
"Thanks."
It was Ryo's turn not to answer. Shuu listened to the sounds of the village that carried across the river, shrieks of children playing and salesmen hawking their wares. He wondered briefly how he was going to get back.
"So, you got me." Ryo broke the silence.
"Yup."
"What are you gonna do?"
Shuu shrugged his shoulders into the ground. "Nothin'."
Ryo digested that, then nodded. "Hungry?" he asked.
Shuu eyed the other boy's pockets, bulging with Uncle Fan's fruit. As he watched, Ryo sat up, reached into his pocket, and pulled out two oranges. He tossed one to Shuu, who felt a flicker of anger shoot through him. Shuu pushed it out of his mind and peeled the orange.
Ryo had never brought anyone into the forest where he lived, but then again, no one had ever followed him across the river before. It surprised him to realize he was actually proud to show Shuu around.
"So where exactly do you live?" Shuu asked as he stopped to grab a handful of berries.
"Here," Ryo answered.
"Here? Just in the forest?"
Ryo nodded.
"Why?"
Had Shuu blinked, he would have missed the almost imperceptible stiffening. "Why not?" Ryo answered.
Shuu shrugged and sat down. "What do you eat out here?"
Ryo's eyes roamed the trees as he sat across from Shuu. "Whatever I find. Berries, nuts, greens. And fish. There's a lot here if you know where to look."
"Then why steal?"
"Gives me something to do." Ryo grinned. "I get bored so I go to town, see people, get the news… and Fan's nice. He lets me take what I like. If he got mad I'd go somewhere else." He forced himself to stop smiling as Shuu's face reddened.
"I get mad," Shuu stated.
Ryo locked eyes with him. "It's not your fruit. Besides, I like a good chase, it keeps me on my toes. And I like you."
"You've got an interesting way of showing it."
Ryo smirked, then decided to change the topic. "So what's the news?"
"In Sheratz?"
"Yeah."
"Not much. The weather's been nice…"
Ryo frowned when Shuu trailed off. "That's it?"
Shuu was quiet a moment before adding, "No. I don't know. The elders are a bit jumpy because of some rumors going around."
"Rumors about what?"
"The Eastern Kingdom."
Ryo sat up. "What about it?"
"They say some soldiers were spotted not too far away, so the elders are getting paranoid."
Ryo's heart began to race. "When did that start?"
"A few days ago." Shuu shrugged. As he watched the other boy lean back Shuu seemed to sense his unease and began to fidget, visibly enthralled by the grass near his feet.
"How far away were they?"
Shuu looked up. "You think it's true?"
"How far away were they?" Ryo repeated.
"Supposedly the next village."
Ryo nodded.
"Um…" Shuu cleared his throat, "how do I get back across the river?"
"There's a boat upstream. I'll take you across," Ryo answered absentmindedly.
"A boat?" He watched Shuu struggle against his anger. "You mean I almost drowned for nothing?"
"Come on." Ryo rose and headed in a direction only he knew. Shuu would have no choice but to follow. While Shuu trudged behind him, fuming, Ryo listened to the sounds of the forest, and then for the sounds of the village. As the left the trees, the only noise greeting him came from the river, creating an unnerving silence. He was almost certain Shuu hadn't noticed. At that moment, Ryo realized he was forgetting something.
"Hold on," he said, then disappeared back into the woods. He ran through the leaves, following the inadvertent landmarks he'd left in his time in the forest, until finally he found what he was looking for. He experienced a moment's panic as he dug, but six inches below the second bush to the right he found his prize and let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding. Ryo quickly dusted the earth from the red cloth before strapping it across his back and running to meet Shuu. "Let's go," he said and led the way to the promised watercraft.
The boat was small, barely large enough to seat two adults, and the wood peeling off the sides hardly inspired confidence in its seaworthiness but Ryo knew it would do the job. He waited for Shuu to climb in before he got in the boat himself, picked up the oars, and shoved off. Shuu was silent during the passage and Ryo wondered if the other boy had the same uneasy feeling that Ryo did himself. Something wasn't right.
When they reached the land, Shuu didn't look back at his companion, he only jumped out of the boat and started walking. Ryo watched him before pulling the boat out of the water and slowly following. He had been coming to Sheratz for two years and knew the village well. He knew most of the vendors by sight and many of the children as well. On most days it was a very lively, very noisy village. If salesmen and children weren't screaming, the din of a crowd could be heard at the market, and the animals never stopped their bleating. He listened for these sounds as he moved closer to the village but still heard nothing beyond the water slapping the banks and his own feet on grass. As he followed a curve and walked in-between buildings, the grass underneath his feet gave way to gravel. Far ahead, he could see Shuu following a snaky path curving to the right. Shuu was running now.
Fan's fruit stand was empty except for a few small items rolling on the ground near it. Ryo left them where they lay and moved through the dark stone buildings until he found himself in the village's outskirts, where most of the livestock was kept and the few wooden structures stood, or rather used to stand. The houses had been destroyed and the field was littered with dead cattle, goats, sheep, and dogs. Ryo backed into the village, unable to tear his eyes from the sight. Without a doubt, all of the villagers were either gone or dead. A thin trickle of red dripping from beneath the door of yet another stone house told Ryo all he needed to know. He had to find Shuu.
Fan's house was the only building with an open door and Ryo cautiously peered inside. Shuu sat hunched on the ground not far from the entrance, two bodies in front of him. Ryo ducked his head as he walked inside, intentionally making enough noise to alert Shuu to his presence. When the boy finally looked up, his dark eyes seemed to swallow his pale face.
"It was true." His voice was a strangled whisper.
Ryo looked away. His heart seemed to beat so hard he felt his entire body shake with the rhythm. When he was sure he could speak, he swallowed hard. "We need to go."
Shuu turned back to his aunt and uncle and leaned forward to kiss their still warm foreheads. With shaking hands, he reached behind Fan's head to unknot the necklace he wore. Gently, he slid the leather and bone from his uncle's neck, then knotted it around his own. Ryo walked outside and closed his eyes, trying to chase away the images that flooded his memory. Just as he felt himself sinking under them, the sound of gravel crunching called him back to the present. He opened his eyes and saw Shuu standing beside him. The two left the village without a word. As they moved further and further west, Ryo glanced back at the ruined village he had all but called home the past few years. He had known the day would come when it was no longer safe to stay, and it finally had.
He just hadn't thought it would happen like this.