Shoulder-length messy hair, small face with pretty blue eyes, wearing a worn-out white frock that is tainted with ashes but her smile was just like a rose.
I clearly heard her saying that name with a smile, 'I'm Rosianna Martinez...But my sister calls me Rose. You can call me Rose.'
Ruan Sayo offered me the white rose that was in her hand. I unconsciously took that flower from her hand. Suddenly, my heart started to feel heavy, 'Was that..it was me?'
Her expression confirmed that it was me.
No way I could believe it.
'Ma!' Rei calls her asking, 'What is it?'
'Nothing! Come down in a few minutes, ok?' She left without answering me.
I felt like I was gonna explode with the suspense, 'Let's go down! Right now!'
'Ok! Why are you so restless!? I'm hungry too...wait.' Rei was surprised at my behavior.
I had forgotten that Reiji didn't eat anything. So we have to eat now. But I didn't have any appetite. But manners matter. So we went down.
The dining hall was nicely decorated. The table was filled with many dishes. It also had flowers in the middle of the table. I looked at Rei.
'When was your grandma born?' I asked as her taste in decoration had an old vibe.
'Oh! I was born in 865, on April 5th.' A female voice answered.
"Ah! not again!" I was surprised as to why she had to come at the wrong moment. I turned to apologize but I turned around and saw the woman who was Mona.
Mona was Reiji's grandmother?
'How are you doing Grandma?' He kisses her forehead.
She pats on Reiji's back.
'Aki...this is my Grandmother, Xen Lisa.'
I didn't think it was Lisa and thought her name was Mona. Just then she answered, 'That is my twin...Mona.'
Twins are very common among them. Rei also agreed that It's pretty common.
'Well! Well! Look Who is here!', Mei got in.
I greeted Mei.
'So it was because of Senpai why dad had changed his schedule?' Mei asked.
'Ya! We are gonna have a family meeting.' Reiji's answer "Family meeting" word sounded like how a human family would say. They are not different.
'Come sit with me.' Lisa made me sit beside her. Surprisingly, I wasn't nervous at all.
'Oh! So you have seen Rose.' I was surprised that she knew about it.
'You have no idea! How much I have missed you.' I was not able to understand the meaning of her words.
Eyes are the mirror of your soul. She had a blindfold in her eyes, still, it felt like I could feel her emotions even though I can't see her eyes, 'Did I know you in my past life too?'
'I don't know which one you are talking about, but ya! I and Mona have known you...more than anyone.' Lisa sounded nostalgic.
'Lisa! Darling!' A rough voice was entering the dining hall.
I didn't have any difficulty understanding who he was. He was Seigneur Lin Ryo. The leader of Lin Clan. I unconsciously stood up when he entered but Lisa made me sit, 'Family don't have to be formal'
'Ah! Darling you are here!' A very tall and handsome person entered the room. He was just like Lin Ryuji. That would be wrong. Ryuji- san was like him. He couldn't see us at all. He went directly to Lisa and kissed her forehead holding both of her chins.
'Dad! You know there is a guest here, today. At least mind him.' Ryuji tried to be polite.
'No! No! It's totally ok! I don't mind…' I was caught off guard.
'Oh right! Welcome to Lin's, Azusa Akio! Sorry if I have made you uncomfortable, it's a habit and my day won't go well without seeing her.'
I was capable of understanding that. Thank you.
There I felt, Why Rei was like that. It was his natural way of showing affection. They just genuinely loved their partners. Ryuji-san made his wife sit beside him and settled the chair for her. You can just tell by looking at how much they love each other.
Joshua entered at last, with bed hair. He smiled when our eyes met, 'You are finally here.'
I greeted him and exchanged the usual news. He was really tired and you can tell it in a glance.
I didn't see his wife, 'Where is your wife?'
Joshua paused then answered, 'She is...not here. She is at her mother's.'
Everyone except her was here. That type of family breakfast would make anyone get hungry.
Seeing Reiji with Mei talking, Lisa urged them to join the breakfast. They were talking about something. It was like Mei was explaining something to Rei. They joined when everything was set.
I ate too much.
Lisa took me to her garden to stroll. I wondered how she was able to walk with a blindfold like that. Her hair was really long too.
Silver hair.
I was thinking Did they always wear blindfolds and she answered, 'No, we didn't always. It was a gift on our 100th birthday.'
It was really baffling, 'A blindfold?'
Lisa smiled while saying, 'I know it seems weird to give someone this type of gift but trust me it was the best gift for us. Before this, we couldn't control our blessings. We would always have headaches. Our abilities were messed up. After this, we could finally concentrate on what we wanted to see.'
'Future?' I asked as Mona could too see the future.
'Past. My ability is to see the past.' Lisa corrected me.
I was concerned if they can see a human's past or future too as they can see for Jinn's. But she could not. She said unless that person is entangled with a Jinn. Human fate is secured. It can't be read or predicted.
Just exactly after one hour, we all gathered in the living room. I and Lisa sat beside me while Ruan Sayo, Ryuji-san, and Joshua sat together. Mei and Rei were standing next to Lin Ryo who was sitting alone.
'Why don't you two sit? Are you guards?' Mei laughed while listening to Lin Ryo as Ryo tried to ease the atmosphere.
'You are growing old GG. So we are guarding you.' Mei laughed.
Lisa cast something transparent. It feels so different now that I will get those answers. Ruan Sayo touched Ryuji-san and said, 'Ry, He is close with you. So…'
Ryuji tried to prepare himself for the answers, 'Ok! Aki…'
My heart became unbelievably silent, 'Yes!'
'As you know, I have one daughter and two sons…' I nodded hearing him agreeing.
'Sora...is…' His expression was really sad and he was having a hard time uttering those words, 'she is not mine.'
I couldn't comprehend the full meaning, nor did I know the depth till then. The whole room was silent. Even Lin Ryo had a sad expression on his face. Ruan Sayo placed her hand on Ryuji's knee and asked him to continue. Joshua's eyes met with mine, 'She's our sister no matter what.'
'Ya! My wife was…' Ryuji again stopped and gave up. Ruan Sayo understood, 'Ok! So, I was raped by humans...'
My hands began to sweat. The pause made me realize even though Ruan Sayo was strong, this incident had cut her deep. Of course, it would. No matter how strong you are. I don't know why I saw that girl from my dream at that time. Tsubaki. She was broken like that too.
She continues that those humans were part of a church and the one who raped her was a priest.
The word shook me to the core. I couldn't believe my ears. Lisa continued where they left.
They are beautiful, strong, and courageous girls. They are rebellious against the Law. Some saw them as hinders. They still do. Some of the religious leaders among humans know about the Jinn's existence. They interact with jinn too. The one who tried to break Sayo was offered an ability that he craved. Jinns are able to read humans what humans are greedy for, they too also used that opportunity.
They asked him to rape her if he wanted that power. He refused as it was contradicting his morality. When the Jinn saw that he was refusing, he told him that she wasn't a human so it wouldn't go against morality and he would also gain whatever power she had as well as what he was greedy for. They also offered to change his looks so that no one recognizes his face. When it was time, he and his followers attacked her. They were humans and were under protection. They tried to freeze her body with her sealed name. But her name was spelled half right. So she was not fully suppressed. They had their way with her within that time.
I couldn't keep listening to the tragic story so I begged to stop. I was unable to hear anymore. She understood.
My hands were trembling. Even though she wasn't human, they can't rape her. It's immoral. Ruan Sayo was looking down to the floor blankly. I still don't know how much it still hurts her. She looked at me directly as if she heard me, 'I didn't let it...turn my heart into the dark.'
The words felt familiar to me. I hope it's not what I am thinking.
'Yes, That was me, Tsubaki.' her answer indicated that my nightmare was real. I was far beyond shocked realizing.
'You don't just dream. You see the past, in the form of your dreams.' she explained.
They were my past.
'Yes! But some of your dreams are…' I got what she wanted to say so I said, 'Future…how do you know that?'
Reiji said that Sayo can read every one if she wants. Whatever they are thinking, or had thought.
'She can also see whatever you are seeing. Control them, manipulate them, converse with them.' Ryuji explained.
'You all can do that can't you?!' as far as I knew they could.
Lisa said, 'Only humans. Not Jinns.'
I never knew Jinn couldn't read each other. This ability of Sayo has more capacity than other Jinn who have a similar ability like her.
'I'm kind of a freak in my world.' she tried to laugh.
'You are not...a freak...You…' I didn't know how to console.
'I don't mind being a freak.' she plays with her nails then said. 'On the main topic now...because of your grandfather, Azusa Arata, they couldn't fulfill their task and I was saved. I didn't let that break me...I and Ryuji were staying in Japan at that time.
They had called Ryuji to attend an operation in the hospital saying it was an emergency. It was true that it was an emergency but later Ryuji realized it was to compel him to stay away from her.
'Even though I always followed her, I couldn't save her.' Ryuji seemed to have regrets.
'It's not your fault. You never left me alone. They knew you won't be able to abandon a human in the midway. You have a moral sense of responsibility towards humans. They took that chance. If he dies because of Ry, he will also lose his power.' Ruan Sayo was surprisingly calm while saying them.
There I also found that, in a marriage, a couple always syncs as they naturally bond after an oath. The enemies didn't know that Sayo didn't let Ryuji enter her mind to share her feelings.
'She didn't love him? But they are very much sincere to each other.' My question was very rude now that I think about it.
Sayo answered, 'I had affection towards him because he loved me so much. But I wanted to stay bonded only to my sister. No one else. I still don't love anyone more than her and they didn't know that. So, they trapped Ry too, thinking to block the possibility that he could save me. Little did they know, a human will be there to save me.'
That's how little Sora was born. Lisa's expression seemed grateful that Sora was born.
I unconsciously looked at Ryuji-san. He truly loves Sayo. What a great person!
Ryuji-san smiled, 'I love her to death, true but I wasn't that great enough. I couldn't accept the fact. It was hard on me that my beloved was harmed. I was so angry. And she misunderstood. She even stayed away from me. She doesn't read me when it's necessary.'
Sayo didn't want to read Ryuji back then so she misunderstood him, resulting in leaving Ryuji-san.
'I charged the criminals but couldn't find the culprit. As Jinns can change their faces, it's deceiving to look through a human mind. So that culprit could easily escape. After a few months, I found out I was pregnant.' She sighs.
There arose a situation where Sayo wanted to keep the baby but Ryu didn't want to because the baby was half-human.
That was a good intention. That life didn't have any fault.
Ryuji-san heard my thought, 'Told you I wasn't that great. I couldn't accept something that wasn't mine and she left me again saying she won't be able to kill that life.'
She chose the baby over Ryuji. It surprised me that Sayo-san and her sister both were fighting for the mixed-blood human rights to change. The enemies didn't suspect Sayo, as she had always fought for mixed-blood human rights. She stayed in the human world and gave birth to Sora without letting anyone know because she couldn't have kept the baby safe with her.
'So I left her at your grandfather's home and came back here to change the system. Funny thing was that they wouldn't accept a Yarim(half-blood) no matter what. But I wanted my girl to be accepted.'
She put the evidence in front of them that all the things that were done to Sayo, was a preplanned setup to destroy her.
'My sister resorted to threatening. Saying that she would take over all the clan and change the law by force.' Sayo smiled.
The Justice pretended, even if she did that, Justice is beyond their control as Justice is not a clan. They only follow what is right to keep Jinn safe from humans.
'Is the Justice blind?' I couldn't help but feel irritated.
Whoever is in the Justice won't want to accept the fact. Because if they accept it, half-humans will be born more. And when the humans find out about it, they will attempt to create more of them. As they can be greedy to the point to harm their wife, own child, family in order to be powerful.
But to me it didn't seem human is capable of going that low.
Lin Ryo speaks up, 'I have seen it happen. We all have, which your generation didn't. There is a clear reason to avoid it.'
'But she was trapped by her own kind.' I tried to defend that humans are good.
'Yes! That's why I could pass my rights.' Sayo crossed her arms leaning back.
'But that doesn't mean it will be the same for all. We can't verify everything, every reason related to half-human. So that's why it's still not accepted. If this keeps happening, then world peace will be destroyed.' Lin Ryo sounded serious as if he had seen the worst.
I don't get it, why? But for some reason, it felt right whatever Lin Ryo was saying, because as we are different, we won't co-exist peacefully. There will always be a war to win over and they want to live peacefully as they already have their own fights.
One good thing that came out of the accident is that, from then on, in every case about half-humans was treated differently and punished accordingly.
'It's not like I also wanted a half-human law to be accepted. I wanted a result that was just regardless of identity. And my daughter was bound to have justice. At last, they gave me the right to have my daughter. But It was already very late.'
I didn't understand the meaning behind it. But something must have happened.
Lisa said, 'She had Joshua and Rei during those fights against Justice. So she had to fight slowly.'
My thoughts were being read and I couldn't keep them hidden. If she didn't want to continue the family, why would Sayo give birth to them?
Sayo smiled, 'In our world, It's necessary to give an heir to your husband's family if you don't want to stay with him. And I didn't want to stay with him.'
The law didn't make sense.
Ryuji said with a sad face, 'She was very cruel towards me. I knew she would not want me but I didn't want to let her go, so I tried to get to know Sora when Sayo was pregnant. I was taken by Sora instantly. She was just like her mother and she reminded me of my mother as well. I was so glad that I didn't have to force myself to love her. She was just a sweetheart.' The love in his eyes for Sora was still visible. Joshua even said that Ryuji -san still loves her more than them and they couldn't take her place.
'He would secretly escape from his job to see her.' Lisa smiles while looking at Ryuji-san. 'And I thought he had finally gotten over me.' Sayo sighed.
'I can never.' Ryuji-san kissed her in front of all of us.
This family has no reservations when it comes to showing love.
Reiji agreed to my thoughts, 'You are right! They are always like this.'
Mei added with a disappointed face, 'Always.'