Yao Wang stood in the small village. He didn't know what he was doing. Not exactly, was he supposed to. For the last few years, he had been wandering. Never staying in a place for too long. He hadn't been to this village for that long. He didn't know exactly where he was, which didn't sound as good as he would like.
He had made friends with a young girl from somewhere. He didn't know where she was either, but he had found her one day on the side of the path. He gave her an apple, and she asked to be his friend. That was it, at least that was for Yao Wang. That's all he knew of the girl. She was the closest friend he had. He wasn't really talkative, liking to be by himself.
He stepped into the middle square of the village, where most of the people shopped and sold their goods. Yao Wang wasn't looking for anything specific. He wasn't looking to make anything specific either. He just wanted food. He was human after all, wasn't he?
Yao Wang scanned the area, rubbing up his wrists to where the tight bandages laid. It was his habit, a bad one but still a habit. He didn't know what hid the bandages. Didn't know if they actually hid anything, but Yao Wang didn't take them off. He was too scared to unwrap the pristine bandages on him.
Another thing that Yao Wang thought was somewhat weird, was the cleanliness of his clothing. No matter where Yao Wang went, his clothes stayed clean. His skin stayed fresh, and his hair stayed healthy. Yao Wang still cleaned his hair, he wasn't barbaric, but there definitely wasn't a need to. Yao Wang smiled when he saw the girl, standing beside a strawberry shop. Whenever the store owner looked away, the girl would snatch a strawberry or two. Yao Wang shook his head lightly, rolling his eyes.
He walked up to the girl, who smiled brightly when she saw him. She was younger than him, maybe nine or ten, but she never seemed to have any family. So, in a way, Yao Wang became her family. Then again, they were still practically strangers. "Ge ge!" THe girl yelled, standing up to hug him.
She hugged him with force, Yao Wang stepping back slightly to not fall. "Mei mei!" He mimicked, only using sister instead of brother. She looked up at him, still smiling. "Guess what I saw today?" She asked, not letting go. Yao Wang thought for a minute, before shrugging. "I can't guess. Tell me." He said. She let go, allowing Yao Wang to look at the strawberries.
"I saw this HUGE boar. It was chasing me, but I think we're friends now!" The girl cheered, jumping up and down to get Yao Wang's attention. Yao Wang laughed, looking back down at her. "Well I'm glad you're safe. It was probably as big as you." Yao Wang says, before taking out his bag of golden coins. "No way! It was bigger!"
Yao Wang laughed quietly at her enthusiasm for the boar. The man, seeing he had a customer, quickly turned around, smiling at Yao Wang. He knew the man only saw in for the gold he would give, but still. Yao Wang smiled back. "May I have five boxes of strawberries, please?" five boxes was a lot. Even for Yao Wang. But the boxes weren't just for him. The man's eyes widened, but he quickly nodded.
He grabbed five boxes, placing them on the table. "25 gold coins please." The man said politely. Yao Wang nodded, counting out twenty-eight. He handed it to the man, before grabbing his box of strawberries. "You can keep it." Yao Wang said smiling, before turning to hold out his hand to the girl. "Let's go get bananas." Yao Wang smiled.
The girl smiled, hopping up from her seat. "Yeah!" She yelled, placing her hand in his. As the two walked through the different stands, Yao Wang hummed softly. "I have a question. WHere exactly are your parents? They can't just leave you alone." Yao Wang wondered, looking down at her. He didn't question her, and she didn't have to say anything. Everyone has things they would like to keep to themselves, even Yao Wang does.
"I don't have parents." SHe answered simply, before tugging on Yao Wang's arm. "Yao Wang! Yao Wang! Can we go here!" She asked, pointing to a stand that sold different toys. Yao Wang looked at the young girl confused. "Um, yeah. We can go." Yao Wang mumbles. The girl began pulling him towards the stand.
Yao Wang followed, looking down at the girl. She must have known for longer than he had known her. He didn't know much about her. Didn't know her age, her life, her name. She seemed younger than ten, seemed that she was lonely, but that was honestly it. Yet the girl seemed to know a lot more about Yao Wang.
Once they got to the toy stand, Yao Wang looked at the many different toys.They sold brightly colored kites, rattle drums, and bu lao hu. Yao Wang picked up a blue and gold rattle drum. He looked at the old woman running the store. "Can I get this?" Yao Wang asked. She smiled widely and nodded her head. "Is this your daughter?" The lady asked.
Yao Wang laughed and shook his head. "No. Yao Wang's my brother!" The girl laughed. The woman nodded. "Three gold coins please?" Yao Wang nodded, picking out three gold coins. He hands it to her, smiling. She hands him the rattle, to which he hands the girl. "Thank you?"
He didn't ask her the question that was running through his mind. THere was no need to, was there. He went up to her, that wouldn't have happened any other way. He takes her hand silently, beginning to walk away. Even then, he sighed, walking for. No matter what, nothing could eat him mind off this question. After all,
He didn't tell her his name.