Afro had fallen asleep again, eager to get away from the strange little girl and the pain of his injuries. When he awoke, the glare of daylight was gone, signalling it was night. The owls hooted and the crescent moon shown with a ghostly white light, giving the bamboo woven matts an eerie glow. Afro sat up, slowly, and found that his injuries didn't hurt as much. The throbbing pain had faded slightly. The people here knew what they were doing. Ninja Ninja appeared, whistled and grinned. "You're lookin' good, Afro! Who would've thought that just a few days ago you were a beaten mess! You were like jello, man! Either there's some strange juju 'round here, or you're just a really fast healer!" Afro gives Ninja Ninja his usual glare, filled with killer intent. He reaches for a stray bamboo stalk and Ninja, seeing this, backs away. "Well, uh, I'm gonna go see if I can find me some pussy! See ya!" He then proceeded to climb out of the hole in the ceiling, and disappeared from view. Afro inwardly smirked. 'Works every time.' and thought that it was as good a time as any to get up.
After some struggling, cursing, and pops from unused joints, Afro was on his feet again, hunching over his sword like a crutch. The soft hum of activity through out the village silenced, only to be replaced with Afro's labored breathing. Hundreds of eyes, some curious and some wary, were focused on him. Afro raised his head, with Ninja Ninja appearing and voicing his silent question,
"The fuck ya'll lookin' at?"
After a minute or two, an old man, wearing robes and a headress with bamboo leaves woven throughout it, stepped forward. His tanned, cracked and scarred face changed into something that might have been a smile.
"Afro, you've awakened!"
"...?" The man smiles again. "Your reputation proceeds you. The people here wanted to kill you, but I stayed their hand. Despite what they say, I know that you are no demon, Afro. I see the sadness in your eyes..." The man went on and on about Afro, seemingly cheerful about his appearance here. He told him about how they found him, beated and broken, and eventually came to the desision to heal you and let you live. Afro listened with mild interest, and felt an unfamiliar sense of gratitute. But seven words jumped out at him. Seven words that him question what he heard. "...I would really like to hear your story."
Afro was baffled.
"...Thanks for the stay.." Afro tried to move toward the entrance, but he tripped on a stray root and fell onto his face. "Afro, you're to weak. Come, we will help you." "I don't need your help..." Ninja Ninja chimes in, "Back off, bitch!" Afro's face showed signs of irritation as he tried to rise. Positioning himself as if doing a push-up, he tried to rise. More pops, a few cracks, but ultimately, he did not succeed. He slumped to the ground once more. 'Damn, I must have gotten weak because I was out for so long. How long was I out?' "You are not strong enough to go out on your own." The man gives him pleading look, as if he actually cared. 'Fool,' he thought. 'Everyone who as ever cared about me is either dead or imaginary.' He dismissed it as idiotic altruism for a murderer.
Regardless of the man's reasons,Afro could not argue with his logic. Resigned to his fate, Afro allows himself to be led away into the man's hut.