This chapter has been corrected [09/28/2013]
Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne's characters and world, only Number twenty-seven.
Be gentile please *x* If the grammar or the spelling are bad or monstrous abominations is because I'm good at reading english but terrible writing it. This chapter wasn't betaed and Strata-Assassin has no blame to take for my mistakes.
This is the notation I will use.
Italics for thinking.
Jajuka refers himself as Ore – I, but for teenage boys.
Huit de Pique
The child still eats the porridge, they hear the distant voices of the guards making bets about who spits further. Twenty-one sits on the ground with legs crossed and supports the right elbow on one knee to hold his head.
"Well, I'm going to explain you what Jajuka told me before," he said with a bored expression on his face "Parents are the guys who give you the life and take care of you. They feed you, search shelter for you, teach you how to communicate, and how to behave with the others," the pauses for a moment "Do you understand me or I'm going very fast?"
"Ah understand you, but not vary well," Twenty-seven narrows his eyes in a thoughtful expression on the face.
"Fine, then I'm going to explain you what I know about it, maybe you can understand this," the child nods and eats more pouridge. The boy closes his eyes and breathes deeply. "When I was with papa, mama and my siblings I drank mama's milk and papa gave us fresh meat he hunted."
In the child's mind appeared the image of two gray animals which faces looked like Jajuka's, they look him with an expression he doesn't knew but surely wasn't the same of the person who gave him food on his dream.
"Mama taught me how to growl, about the dangers of the woods and how to walk," Twenty-one smiles softly while he says this. The child can see a beautiful animal cuddling him and liking his face.
"Dad taught me how to hunt my food, the routes through the forest and how to defend myself against the other wolves of the pack," the boy makes a fierce face. Now the child was standing on a field full of greenery, the wind was warm and fragrant.
"With my siblings was different, we played to catch squirrels," he extends his arms as if catching the little rodent "Hide and seek," he makes a playful expression. The gray eyed child can see two little animals like the other two. "We ran on races and fought friendly, like a training for real battles," the boy punches and scratch the air, then he makes a serious face.
"When the Black Dragon's army came for me, they fought until the very end. I tried to defend myself and my siblings but they outnumbered us and had weapons."
What Twenty-seven saw was fire and blood. The two bigger animals fought to protect him while he escaped with the other two little animals, but he failed. Soon many armoured men surrounded them and with iron tubes they shot his little companions. Rage invaded him and a shockwave hit the guards, many of their limbs were ripped of their bodies or exploded. He lifted his siblings with his arms and started to cry. The guards died trying to approach him, when they began to retreat a tall man came; he had green hair and a pair of cruel blood-red eyes. He waved his right hand and grabbed the air. The next things the child felt was like if he was floating on the air, lifted by an invisible hand which asphyxiated him.
The gray eyed child put his hands around his own neck fighting the invisible grasp. The air started to lack in his lungs and scratched his skin with his nails.
What was dat! Then he started to cry.
"Hey!" the boy approached to the child, grab him by the shoulders and snap his fingers together in front of his face. "What's happening to you!" When the child saw his red orbs the cold hearted man disappeared and thus he regained his breath.
"Are you fine now?" the child nodded. When the child raised his hand to touch his own neck the hand disappeared and he was again on the room with the silver haired boy.
"Thanks god, I thought you were going to die," the boy turned to see the door. "Now, what was that?" he asked with a serious tone.
If Ah tell him he's going to be mad at me. Ah'll ask him latter about what Ah saw.
"Who knows…?" he tried to avoid the boy's gaze.
"Don't try to fool me!" the boy tighten his grip "You saw it, don't you? I told you to stop with that trick of yours!" he looked really mad.
"Sorry" the child cryed softly "I can't control it," then the boy softened his grip.
"Fine, you are such a crybaby," he said behind his teet "but when you learn to control it you must never use it against me! Deal?"
"Fine, but don't be mad at me" then he released the child shoulders.
"Sorry about that but I don't like when people see inside my head, they made it in the beginning and from that on I don't like it" the boy pressed his legs to his chest and hugged them "Leaving that aside, did you understand me? Do you have any question?"
"Yes but the only thing Ah don't understand is why they must do that for you?" the boy closed his eyes and made a serene face.
"That's easy. Because they loved me" he opened his crimson eyes "Did you not have someone who treated you the same way?"
The child stops eating his pouridge.
"Ah don't know" They surely aren't like the person in my dream…
"One day you'll remember. It's a matter of time. But if it does not happen, don't worry, it's not uncommon."
"Now, if you don't have more silly questions. We must clean that wound of yours of they will get mad at me," Twenty-one grabbed a bag and took a rag. He started to clean the lesion and tied it with the rag.
They do a work like Jajuka's… Thought the child.
"Fine, this will work"
"But that makes him like your father, doesn't it?" Twenty-seven says.
"Who?" Twenty-one see to the eye to the child.
"That Jajuka guy, " the silver-haired boy rises quickly from the floor and open widely his bloody colored eyes. Then the child takes the bowl and continues to eat.
"Ah can tell it from how he see you, he look you with the same gaze on his eyes, like your parents saw at you, " he says with the pouridge in the mouth.
Twenty-one blushes and shouts "Stop talking nonsense!" he steps back from the child "He's a beastman, he can only be my servant, "he says with a sad voice "Or that's what he told me, "he mumbles.
"Shut up! And stop talking to me while you eat that filthy thing! Is nasty how you spit me that garbage on the shirt!" he says while shakes off the food of the shirt and walk to the door. Then he sits on the floor with the legs and arms folded. The time passes and he starts to doze.
"Pst" somebody call him across the door.
The boy wakes and quickly approaches the small door on the big metallic door "You're late Jajuka" he reproached the guy across the door.
"Sorry, they told me to clean the halls and bring some things to your new partner, " he apologizes. Twenty-seven approaches the small door to see the owner of that gentle voice.
"I hear steps in the room, " Jajuka sharpens his ears "That must be your new roommate."
"Nice to meet you, I'm Jajuka, and your name?" the dogman extends his hand. The child sees a gold fur covered hand with claws but that doesn't scare him and take the extended hand.
"How do you feel?" he asks nicely.
"Fine, " the child stomach growls and he blushes "and a little hungry" Jajuka laughs softly.
"How can you eat so much?" the boy says "you were eating until a moment ago!"
"What's your name?" the beastman asks.
"Twenty-seven, that's what his brand said, " Twenty-one answers.
"My boy, what I said many times?" the dogman pauses "Let the others speak, don't interrupt them, " he recalls to the boy, but not scolding him. The beastman gives the boy a tray with food.
"Fine, " the boy walks away but not before taking the tray with food and starts to eat a pouridge.
"Sorry for that, " Jajuka says to the child "but he's not used to talk with anyone aside from me."
"But he has been too nice with me, he seems to be a nice person, only a little rude, " the child says and smiles.
"Really?" The beastman says softly and with a surprised tone "I wish you the best of the lucks, is hard to survive here, " the beastman take back his hand from the door "Walk away a little, I want to see your face, " the child does as Jajuka ask him.
Twenty-seven sees a golden beastman with a compassionate look "Your head…what have they done to you?"
"No!" the silver-haired boy shouts "You don't want to know, Jajuka should not ask or he'll hurt you the same way as me!"
"Don't worry, for what I can see I have a little idea, but that reminds me what I had to give you, " he gives a bag to the gray-eyed child.
"What's dis?" he stares at the bag with curiosity.
"Inside of it are some bandages, a bar of soap, and other items for personal use."
"Thanks, " says the child.
"I see your bandages are dirty and need to be fixed, " the beastman turns to talk with the guard "Guard, can I enter the cell?"
"Fine, but without tricks beastman, the same for you little freaks, " the guard approaches the door and open the cell.
Jakuka enters the room and come near Twenty-seven. He calls him with the hand "Come here my boy, " the child moves toward the beastman "Please, sit down."
The gray-eyed child sits cross-legged and Jajuka places himself behind twenty-seven. He starts to unwind the bandages. Twenty-one walk towards the child with curiosity. What he saw was beyond his understanding about cruelty. But it still amazes him. This is what they did to him…I want to touch it…But Jajuka'll get mad at me…
Twenty-seven's head has a scar around and feels a little fragile; as if you want it you would uncover his head and see his brain. The golden beastman starts to bandage the child wound.
During that time the gray-eyed child was staring at the marmoleum face of his roommate. He really looks like an angel. Ah want to touch his face even if it's only for a moment. He rises his hand but hesitate. Ah think he'll get mad if I touch him.
"I'm done, " Jajuka stands up "If you need help ask my boy, without further ado, I say goodbye for now, until I shall have time, " he turns to see Twenty-one "Bye my boy, behave well with your new partner and help him in everything you can, " he waits for an answer.
"I'll help him, " he said without hesitation "When are you going to pay me a visit Jajuka?" the carmine-eyed boy sees the beastman anxiously.
"I think I can come within three days, " he answers.
"I'll wait you, "Twenty-one says "The next time I want some fruit or meat to eat, " he says playfully.
"Fine, I'll try with all my effort , they almost don't give us these foods, " he walks toward the door "Then, bye "And he leaves the room.
The silver-haired boy turns to face the child "Are you still hungry?"
"No, but Ah'm a little curious about the bag."
"Then, let me see it, " Twenty-one extends his hand and Twenty-seven gives him the bag. The boy starts to review its contents.
"Well, let's see, " the blood-eyed boy began to review the contents of the bag. Inside was a bar of soap, a change of clothes, some bandages, a toothbrush, toothpaste and toilet paper.
"From what I see this must last until the next week, " he points to the toilet paper "so you should organize carefully."
"Thanks, " the child takes the roll with both hands and squeezes it "Good timing to say it. I want to piss. Where can I do it?"
"On that corner, " the boy points "On that latrine, and now that you mention it, I'll go too."
They walk toward the spot. Twenty-one unbuttons his pants but Twenty-seven push his own down and sits.
"Are you going to take a shit? Why didn't you told me? If you had I would not have come with you!" the boy shouts, pulls his pants and leaves quickly.
"But dat is the way Ah piss, "and the child continued #More important. Why don't Ah have one like yours?"
"Mine isn't like yours obviously because all the people is different, "the boy answers the child from the opposite side of the room.
"But Ah don't have something like that, mine is flat, " the child looks between his thighs.
"I don't want to hear a description!" and he cover his ears with his hands.
"But!" the child shouts.
"Larararalalalara " the boy shout "I can't hear you!"
"Liar! You told me you'd help me " he says while wipes himself.
"Yeah, but I didn't told you I'd hear something so shameful or see between your thighs!"
"Fine!" he fits his pants "Ah'll ask Jajuka, "the child walks toward the bag and puts the toilet paper inside it, takes his blanket and covers himself with it.
"Hey wait wait wait!" the boy rushed towards the child and pulled his blanket.
"What!" he tried to pull the blanket from the boy hands and made him loose the balance then he fell to Twenty-seven's lap. Quickly he stands up.
"Idiot! Don't touch me! Your hands are dirty!" he started to clean the dust with the hand.
"Come!" he grabed the child by the forearm took his bag and dragged him to the water tap then open it, took the soap bar from the bag pulled the child hands to the water flow with the soap and started to wash it.
"What are you doing?" the child looked confused.
"When you go to the latrine you should wash your hands with the soap bar! And must do it like this, " he taught him how to wash his hands.
"Well, now I want to sleep, I'm so tired," the silver-haired boy says. He walks toward another bag and pulls out a blanket covers himself with it and lay on the ground with his back to the wall. Twenty-seven do the same but on the opposite side of the room. The hours pass and the gray-eyed child can't sleep.
The moonlight showers the alabaster skin of the red eyed boy and his hair and lashes shine like an eerie. Ah knew it, he really looks like an angel. The child walks in silence in the direction of Twenty-one and tries to touch his face but he sneezes and shivers. Then the child take his own blanket extends it and wraps himself with the boy. That night Twenty-one slept warm thanks the gray eyed child warmth and Twenty-seven at last fell asleep.
I hope you've enjoyed the chapter. This will be a monthly release for causes out of my will, but the school is the school and I cannot ignore that fact. If you think the story is to slow, tell me please. I want to read the critiques.
And with that, I bid you farewell until next chapter.