Juro followed the old man—Samura quietly. Things hadn't made sense to him for the past couple of days. First, his uncle, the Demon King, was assassinated just as he left the Kingdom. Secondly, he was framed for it and was put in the prison meant for people that can potentially destroy the social world. And now, the craziest was that a strange old man suddenly appeared in front of him, saved him from a concussion, possibly coma, and seemed to know him too well for a stranger.
"Sit," Samura said, shattering his thoughts. They had walked across the courtyard from the canteen to a series of benches placed against the wall, although only a few people were using them. He sat down before Samura did. Immediately, he saw the old man's eyes scan the premises. The old eyes caught the people looking at them, the people who were acting strangely out of fear of being bullied, and the confident top inmates that ruled over everyone else.
"Good," he remarked. "No one will disturb us."
"Disturb us from what?" asked Juro.
Samura turned to look at him before scoffing. "Ah, the gift of youth and innocent ignorance. Such a pity the people who have it don't know the true value. Which is what makes me really sorry about the next step of your life that I'm about to force you in prematurely."
Now, Juro was sure that the old man was nuts. He made to get up, but his hand was grabbed with the strength that couldn't have been produced by the feeble old geezer sitting beside him. "Sit," Samura gestured.
Juro sat. He now had a sudden question he wanted to ask. "How'd you know my name, geezer?" he asked.
"Geezer?" Samura repeated under his breath. "Listen, kid. I told you my name is Samura and I'm not old enough to be called a geezer. I'm only sixty-eight."
_Isn't a sixty-eight years old man a geezer already,_ he thought, but shook his head. If he wanted answers, he needed to cooperate. "Alright, Samura. Can you tell me how you know me?"
Samura smiled nostalgically. "Uh, let's just say I'm a... family friend. Your uncle, the Demon King, was an... old rival of mine."
Juro inconspicuously tried to move away from him but Samura noticed and chuckled. "Oh, you're a cautious one. I like that. I guess at the very least, you're a tiny bit more mature than I expected."
"If you'd said you were from my mother's side, I might have believed you. But you mentioned my father's side. Uncle Hidora had no rivals outside war enemies. Which will mean you were an enemy of the Demon King, and therefore, the Demon Kingdom."
Samura sighed, "You are correct. I was a soldier of the Human Kingdom during the war. And I fought with your uncle before. After that, anytime we met, both of us must walk away with injuries. It might seem childish or dumb, but that rivalry counted as friendship for both of us. I will trust an enemy that have crossed blades with me more than I trust a friend I just met. Which made me sad when I heard he was killed by his nephew."
"I didn't kill him," Juro replied matter-of-factly. "I couldn't have."
"Psshh, of course, you couldn't have killed him. Even the Human Kingdom knows you couldn't have. Otherwise you'd be in more trouble now. Do you know how big a deal the assassination of a country leader is? If they were sure you killed him, you wouldn't be here. You'd either be dead or worse, sent to the Demon Kingdom's prison. But more evidence is needed before they can take any action. That's why your hearing felt so hollow. The line of peace between the two kingdoms is so thin that a wrong move in this time will send the world spiralling into war. They needed a scapegoat and there you were, readily made for framing."
"Because I'm an hybrid?"
"Because you're related to the Demon King, yes. If you were found guilty, it could be chalked to family members killing each other for power. You being half-demon will help alleviate some blame from the Human Kingdom and you being related to the deceased will remove the rest, inadvertently saving the world. Your death will stop a world war from breaking out."
Samura looked at him and asked, "Will you die to save billions of people?"
Juro was feeling even more down than when he was accused of this crime. He was not the only hybrid in the Human Kingdom, yet his relationship to the Demon King made him out to be a world-class readily-made scapegoat. To hell with it all!
"I'll find my uncle's killer first before I say the answer to that question. And I promise that whatever it is, that's what I'll stand by... whether the world is against me or with me."
Samura nodded. "I still stand by what I said earlier about you being immature. But I can see that you're capable of massive growth in a crazily short amount of time. Although maturity differs, you seem to have a mature resolve already. Fine, you have my assistance. I'll break you out of this prison and help you achieve your goal."
"Thanks," Juro said, "Samura."
"You have your family's signature feature. You guys knows how to get people on your side." He groaned. "I haven't used my magic in a while. I hope I'm not too rusty. Let's meet here tomorrow, Juro. We will soon be sent back into our cells. Anything else we want to exchange, let's do that tomorrow."
The alarm rang, signifying the end of their free time. Juro followed the scuffles of the inmates, leaving Samura on the bench still seated.