They stared each other down like nothing else mattered. Tension rolled off so clearly it was like being hit with waves at the beach, one after the other. No one dared to move. At first it seemed like the world had stopped and wouldn't turn ever again. All that could be heard were the creatures of the night. I took a swift glance around. Hemu looked stunned, Ryuu looked hurt. I was confused by his expression until he spoke. And the world started to rotate again.
"Stop it." Ryuu said looking straight at Sari and Muri, who turned to look at him. Ryuu's voice was soft, but firm. Sari and Muri forgot their fight instantly. Question marks took the place of the tension and everyone loosened up as Ryuu sighed. "It's just-I-you have everything!" Ryuu spluttered.
"What do you mean?" Hemu jumped in, surprised. "We're poor, we each lost at least one parent..." I winced as Hemu counted off his fingers, looking up at the sky.
"But-you have each other." Ryuu whispered. "I-I had all of that."
"Had?" I repeated quietly.
Ryuu nodded. "It was paradise. My family was rich. My mother and father played with me. Even my sister sometimes."
Silence settled in, and Ryuu stared at us and we stared back, coaxing him to continue on.
Ryuu took a deep breath, then sighed. "Then they broke in." his voice cracked a little as we listened intently. "They took everything. My sister was hiding at the time, but she rushed out when she heard my screams. I was 8 at the time, still growing. Jubilee was my sister's name, and she screamed at the officers, telling them to leave me alone. She begged them to take her instead." Ryuu shook his head. "The officers wouldn't listen to her, they said they wanted me specifically. My parents were already in the captors' truck. Jubilee was holding on to the officer's shirt, pulling him closer to her, away from the truck. She kept saying how she had so much more to offer, that I should be let free. The officer looked her stern in the eye, and she knew that he would never give in. 'At least let me touch him one last time.' Jubilee whispered. The officer swung me over, in front of Jubilee, still holding my wrist tight. Jubilee stroked my cheek, she had tears in her eyes. And for a split second, the officer holding me loosed his grip the slightest bit..." Ryuu wiped his eyes.
"You don't have to tell us, if you don't want to." I whispered.
"No, it's okay," Ryuu quipped, suddenly turning cheerful, "It's better to let it out anyway."
"Well then," I said, "Go on."
Ryuu continued. "Jubilee took her chance to snag me and run. We thought we go away, but they caught up. I heard them. Heard them yelling: 'Kill the girl! Catch the boy, get him alive, y'hear? ALIVE!!!' Jubilee was soon surrounded, and one officer stabbed her in the back with his dagger. Her special blue skirt turned purple as blood flowed down her back. She still held me as she fell to the ground. She look at me, and for the first time, she looked tired and stressed. 'Remember me brother, I love you.' Were her last words as her eyes went blank and her arms, no longer caressing my face, went limp. 'Jubilee?' I remember saying, 'Wake up Jubilee!' I shook her shoulders, but she was gone, dead. The officers carried me away as I shouted like a madman, fighting them weakly. 'STOP! SHE'S MY SISTER! JUBILEE! YOU PROMISED! YOU SAID WE WOULD ALL LIVE TOGETHER FOREVER! JUBILEEEE!!!' I cried out, reaching for my sister's dead body. 'Jubilee' was my last word as I cried myself to sleep." Ryuu had tears flowing down his face, but he was smiling slightly. All of us were stunned. Silence fell like a blanket over us as everybody absorbed Ryuu's past.
It was Sari who broke the silence. "I guess we are lucky..." She trailed off, her eyes glistening with tears.
Ryuu simply nodded, turning away, whispering her name in the wind.
"Jubilee."
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