The two children watched with vastly differently levels of amusement as Gong June displayed her dominance over Khan Lang. The boy with the amethyst eyes snorted as he watched the show while Ming Ran shivered next to him. The boy ruffled his head, and looked on trying not to look smug as he watched Khan Lang struggle under the young miss of the Gong Family. Slowly, as he watched, his eyes became cold again, and the apathetic expression returned to his face as he watched Khan Lang retreat, her maids stumbling over each other as she left. Gong June sighed and looked over at Ming Ran,
"Thank goodness! Still here." she murmured. She scooped up Ming Ran and held him close. Ming Ran tilted his head in confusion and snuggled deeper into her embrace. "Hold it." Gong June said. The boy-- who had been trying to sneak off-- jolted in surprise, and looked slowly back at Gong June. "Where are you off to like a little rat?" The boy put on a flawless poker face and looked back at her, a slight challenge in his eyes.
"...What's it to you?" he asked. Gong June studied him, and was about to say more when Ming Ran's stomach growled.
"Ah. Still hungry?" Ming Ran shook his head, but Gong June only took the boy's hand, "C'mon! Tell Jiejie what you want to eat, I'll get you anything you want." she said to Ming Ran looked at her with tears in his eyes, and pointed at a stand with candied hawthorns. The boy looked truly thrown for a loop,
"Why're you dragging me along?" he asked.
"You're a spitfire and have willpower, but you got no actual strength to back it up." Gong June told him, as though it answered him question. In the end, Gong June entered a restaurant holding Ming Ran in one arm and the boy tucked under her arm like a bag of rice. They were quickly seated and the boy looked around in shock.
"Um... this place is..."
"Order anything you like." Gong June tossed him a menu, while she opened one and allowed Ming Ran to have a look. He pointed at a dish, and Gong June nodded. The server came over and took their order. Gong June listed off ten dishes and looked to the boy to finish the order. The boy shrugged and listed five. Ming Ran gaped at him. He shrugged,
"She said I could order anything I liked." he closed the menu, and shamelessly poured himself some tea.
"You helped our Ming Ran earlier, least I could do." Gong June took a tea cup, gauging the boy's reaction, "However, I have to ask, was it worth it?" The boy leveled her gaze with a look of his own.
"Why wouldn't it be?" he asked, finally. He took a swig of the tea and scrunched up his face. Gong June grinned a little, and ordered some sweet tea. He glared at her, "I didn't need you to order any of the kiddy junk." Gong June shrugged,
"Who said I was ordering it for you? Ming Ran happens to love fruity tea." Gong June said. As the tea arrived, the boy watched as a cup was poured for Ming Ran, and continued to force the bitter tea down. Ming Ran sighed, and scooted over to pour him some of the fruit tea. The boy stared at it for a while before taking it. Gong June sighed, a leaned back.
"I have to ask, do you like the way you're living?"
"Who the hell would?" the boy spat bitterly. He took a sip of the tea and his cheeks turned a little rosy, before looking at Ming Ran's gentle expression and blushing. "It's sweet." he muttered. Ming Ran laughed. The boy looked at him with a mixture of sadness and pity. "...was he born that way?"
"Yep."
"Huh." he looked away. Gong June picked up her chopsticks as the food came and began serving Ming Ran. The dishes were colorful and some of them seemed to burn the air above. Ming Ran looked at the dish Gong June had ordered, piled high with peppers and spice and felt his eyes water just looking at it. She smiled at them both and picked up her own bowl.
"Enjoy." she said. The three of them ate in silence for a moment before Gong June picked up where she left off. "So, how are you planning on changing?"
"Come again?" The boy had barely begun eating before he was hit with a new question.
"I mean, you want to stand tall and fight for what you believe in, but what power do you have to back it up?" Gong June stirred her food around her bowl with her chopsticks, absentmindedly. It had been a while since she had thought about her older sister in her last life. Nightmares tainted with regret used to be about her elder sister, but after what happened to Elle... "Saying you stand for justice is pretty and all, but it's not the same as having the ability to stand for it. Even if you get strong, as long as you are stuck at the bottom of the food chain, you are forced to listen to a bunch of bureaucrats who may not care about anything beyond filling their coffers with tax money." The boy took a few bites in silence. Gong June continued, "Like today; you step up to save Ming Ran from a pompous aristocrat, but with the amount of power you have that very well could be a death sentence. You aren't in a much better position than a servant; actually, you might be even worse off than them." The boy sighed, twirling his chopsticks.
"Yeah, easy to say, but for now, impossible to be much more than a dog without a pack." he looked at her, "I am only seven years old, after all." Gong June rolled her eyes,
"Hm." she shrugged. The rest of the meal was eaten in silence, and eventually, Ming Ran fell asleep on his new friends shoulder.
…
…he huffed as he looked in the mirror. Why did he need to dress up like this? He was a boy, wasn't he? Ming Cheng was 15 years old tonight, as was Gong June, Fa Linn, Khan Qing, Wei Ning, and Wen Quinn. All of them, plus some other children who had turned 15 that year would have their coming of age banquet at the palace that night. The cultivation ceremony would happen tonight as well. So why was he dressed like a girl?
The Gojo Empire was the largest empire in the east. Its origins were said to have begun long ago when the Spring of Origins reached down towards the lower world and transformed into a beautiful dragon. The dragon was made from the purest energy of the universe transcending both the beginning and the end. It's scales colored a dusty silver like sifts of snow blown about on windy winter nights, and in some places dark as the natural face of the night sky, it's eyes were that of an inferno that was endlessly exploding— reminiscence of the cosmic explosion that brought everything to being… and this great being touched one claw to the earth and dived deep within it. Its body pushing aside the earth and surroundings and creating twelve mountains. Immortals came to call this place and its limitless cosmic energy the Twelve Mountains. Centuries later, the great dragon awoke to defeat the Demon King. The ground shook and the dragon emerged in the form of a human. The human sealed away the Demon King, and lived out its days cultivating on the thirteenth mountain where it had emerged from the earth. Finally, came the day were its life ended, and so the dragon-born human descended again to the lower realm just at the foot of the mountain. It journeyed for seven days and seven nights before dying in the middle of an empty space. As it lamented the world around it and slowly came to except everything the mundane world had to offer, its body disintegrated. In its dying breath it became a great oasis in the middle of a barren, ruined land that had once been corrupt with the evil of the demon race. The Empire was founded by a sage monk who had studied under his master until it passed. The first emperor of the Gojo Empire.
It has been tradition since its founding that the youth who come of age journey seven days and seven nights to the Twelve Mountains and learn cultivate before making their way back to the mundane world. Soon, Ming Cheng and the others would ascend the mountains and find their path in life. Wei Ning had already made those mountains his home, as he had been taken in by Cang Yuan, however, this was an extremely rare occurrence.
Ming Ran looked into the mirror, there was a time when he was quite vexed at the fact that he had the body of a boy. He had thought that he was a girl, but now he would give anything to look a little more manly. Looking from the mirror back at him was a pretty little thing. Long silver hair being decorated with jewels and hairpins, long flowing and lovely silks in a light a dew blue dye, big red eyes, and fair complexion. How was he supposed to deal with this..? Ming Ran sighed, and looked over at his mother. Ming Qing hummed a merry tune as she picked out a few more trinkets. Ming Ran smiled softly; a dark room where a haggard woman sat singing deliriously next to an open window flashed through his mind. He looked in the mirror and made peace with what he saw.
"Wow! My brother is a goddess!" Ming Quan ran inside looking at his little brother in awe. He puffed up his cheeks, "Just wait, shidi! In three years I will have my coming of age ceremony! You have to dress up even prettier, okay? You gotta!" Ming Luo smacked his head,
"Today isn't about you."
"Right…" his brother deflated like a balloon. Ming Ran laughed silently. This was exactly what he needed.
...
The imperial palace shown like a star scape on this night. Laughter rose from the banquet hall, lanterns were hung everywhere, fireflies were let loose, and the sounds of bells and music filled the air. Thirteen immortals sat high upon a dais. They sat calmly just above the Son of Heaven, as the thirteen immortals who were descended from the original thirteen sages that studied under the Great Dragon. They sat in order like this every year. The first sage was Cang Yuan, the insignia of a nine tailed fox hanging from a talisman on his sash. He was the first sage to study under the Great Dragon. The second had a rat insignia; a small, smiling woman named Jin QiRei. The third was strong and sturdy with a fierce face named Go Rong. His insignia was an ox. Rou Sou was the next down, a slender man with closed eyes and a calm face. Powerful muscles were dormant beneath his robes. A tiger hung from his sash. Shu Mein looked uneasily at his long time friend, Rou Sou, and shivered a little in anticipation. A jittery fellow that licked his lips every once and a while. The insignia of a rabbit hung from his sash. Next was an aloof man who sat uptight and proper named Long Jo. A dragon hung from his sash. A woman with pointed looks sipped emotionlessly from her chair, a serpent basking on a rock in the sun, a snake hanging from her sash. She stared down at those beneath her with a judgmental glare. A robust, smiling man elbowed her and said something before laughing. The snake woman, Meng Qi, eyed him, unamused. Po Ron had a horse insignia. A man with every type of delicacy piled upon his plate (even the stinky tofu) ate with an air of mystery. A goat hung from his waist. This was Meng Shou. Tong SouJing (the insignia of a monkey) enjoyed sneaking little bits of food from his plate, and throwing it over Mu Shin (the insignia of a rooster) before it landed on Kang Gon (the dog), who guarded against the plump one with the insignia of a boar who stuffed everything in his face. These were the Thirteen masters of the Twelve Mountains and the overseers of the coming of age ceremony. Ming Ran looked over at the last seat that was left empty. Supposedly the seat of the Great Dragon.
The hall was filled with every type of food, and the children all played in the imperial gardens watched over by their elders. Those who had come of age all sat with their new classmates. All were dressed in Daoist robes as they would be leaving the mundane world behind soon. Come dawn they would walk seven days and seven nights to the mountains. Once there they would be sorted into their retrospective mountains. Wei Ning sat behind his master along with with his shixiong. Ming Ran waved at him, causing him to smile softly back at him. Cang Yuan looked at Ming Ran with a complicated expression.
The night went on with laughter and merriment, before the Emperor stood and began to address the crowds.
"Long have I waited for the day where my son comes of age and ascends the mountain. When I ascended the mountains, I found an understanding of the world and a closer link to the Great Dragon who touched our land long ago. I have been on battlefields alongside my brothers— many whom you all know. We sit here today watching our children take their first steps where we had once taken them. They will walk along the road we once strode, climb to the very peaks we did, and will learn what they must to find their own paths in this land. They will face trials, and once the sun sets on my time, theirs will have already begun to rise." the emperor paused looking around, "All the children here are going through the trials that we had challenged, and it is not a sure thing that they will overcome them, however, I believe that so long as they walk this road together, supporting each other as they walk, that there is nothing that they cannot overcome. We are not an individual, but a great nations filled with many people." He swished his sleeves, "I wish you all luck and pray that you will ascend safely."
"May you have luck and ascend safely." The adults all chorused after the emperor, and the newly crowned adults all stood and bowed.
…
When he had first met her, she was crouching under a park bench wailing. It was particularly odd the way they had met, and when he'd looked into her eyes— filled with tears both shed and unshed— he realized he had another chance. He was a brawny kid, much larger than his classmates, he was tough, and stern, and rarely laughed. He looked like he could tackle anything, but Theo was not sure how to help a crying child who was shivering under a park bench in late November. The child wasn't wearing any shoes, socks stained with mud, and her eyes were red and swollen. Hair drenched with tears and sticky with snot. She didn't wear any coat or jacket, though she should have. He should have taken off his jacket, should have picked her up and told her it was alright, should have whispered all sorts of sweet lies to her. He didn't. He just stood there dumbly trying to remember how to even breathe. If one could believe that this sniveling girl would become the strongest woman he knew, that she would make men cry, push teachers to the brink of insanity, create plea bargains for classmates in trouble, argue, debate, and rule the written word, he didn't think anyone would believe how he met her. Theo knew that this girl had learned to survive by bending constantly to the whims of others. To rise to expectations, to exceed them, and eventually would leave those expectations behind. If he had tried to comfort her that day, what would Ren have become instead? Would she have been softer?
The first time he met her was in a gang fight. She was covered in mud and grime and blood. She held a metal pipe and stood tall above the bodies around her. She looked at him with feral eyes and wiped away the blood with one sleeve. Challenging him with her eyes, assessing him. How would she take him down? How would she dominate over him?
"Got a problem, asshole?" Cass pointed the metal pipe at him. In a second they were brawling, and Theo did the only thing he could do at that time. He took her down a notch. She sat butt flat on the dirt and stared up at him in shock. The first man to beat her, he figured from the look on her face. He held out his hand to help her up, and she just stared at it. First man to beat her and to offer a hand to help her stand up. Looking back, he wondered if he had allowed her to beat him, to try and talk things out, would he have lifted some of that burden? Would she have been saved?
The first time he met her was on the street, dead eyed and bruised. He had been around the block a few times, had people who he trusted, and so this time he helped her. Her father was a deadbeat and a bastard. He saved her, brought her from hell. Lulu never spoke about everything that went on in that house, but she accepted the loan from his parents and gave college everything she had. She broke, however, very easily. She wilted away from strife, put on a smile, a mask. He wondered, should he have been tougher on her? Was she too soft? Maybe it wasn't right to shield her. Yet he couldn't stop anymore. She was his responsibility.
He met her last. She was already very fragile, very beaten, and very broken. She still smiled and still moved forward. She didn't stop and complain, always listened, always giving a helping hand. Every last piece of her was for someone else. She listened to Lulu and helped her come out of her shell. She held Ren up and gave her the support she needed so she no longer stood alone. She treated all the wounds that Cass came home with. She made Billy feel appreciated and accepted, and gave Cal a reason to live. She gave him the ability to breathe. There was something about her that accepted everything and everyone. What did they give her though? Where were they when she needed them most? Why..? Why could he not see how much she suffered?
Theo was an older brother, he was the eldest and had so much to protect, but what exactly could he protect?
…he couldn't even save one girl…
Looking up at the Twelve Mountains, he saw what each of his friends had become. Saw how their loss had created their new identities in this life. Ming Cheng wondered how he had changed too. Yet the one he needed to see the most, was the one person who was not with them. The one person they could not find no matter how hard they searched.
...
Three years passed and the two boys grew up, days passing as calm as the day before. Ming Quan got taller and gained more muscle. His hair grew longer and his face began to look like a brash young man's rather than a chubby-cheeked young master. His eyes grew sharper, he began to learn the art of drinking and enjoyed the flower houses with Gong Jo, the middle child of the Gong Family. The number of times he went off to hang out with his friends grew, and the amount of time he spent playing war with Ming Ran dwindled. Every time he went off, Ming Ran would accompany him to the door and wave good-bye. He smiled as he watched his brother grow in both mind and body. As for Ming Quan, he began to look at Ming Ran a little differently. His calm, cute brother was still just that, however, as he watched the younger siblings of Mo Song and Lan Qin, he began to see something very different from other children. Children of ten or eleven wanted to join in on the fun with their older brothers. They didn't just watch, they tried to come along. Ming Ran watched his brother similar to that of an elder. Watching with endless love and boundless contentment as he grew up and gained friends his age. He read books on cultivation and philosophy. He played wuqi with elders, drank tea alongside their parents and grandparents. He spent his time peacefully surrounded by nature, quiet and at ease. There was nothing but contentment in his eyes, as though there was nothing more that he could need. There were also times, however, when he would look like he had just woken up from the most heinous of dreams, times where it looked as though he was enduring the most terrible of anxiety.
Ming Ran could feel something was growing. Something outside his vision, and sometimes it was stifling. Like being held in one place too long, unable to move. He had long grown accustomed to his silence. His voice had so long been trapped within his body that he could no longer feel the suffocating isolation that his condition brought him. Sometimes he felt as though he was holding his breath, but after a while he found that this silence suited him. When he was younger there were times that he tried to speak, to let his voice overcome this barrier, but now, really what more could he need than this? Ming Ran waved good-bye to his brother as he left again with his friends. His brother looked at him as though he was seeing him for the first time. When he was younger, he stuck with Ming Ran constantly. He was not just a brother but a childhood playmate and best friend. It was nice to see him with new friends. Soon, his brother would be having his coming-of-age ceremony as well. Ming Cheng had been excepted as a disciple of the Dog Immortal, Kang Gonzo. Ming Ran felt as though that particular animal suited his eldest brother perfectly. He was loyal and protective, guarding his charges like a dog or wolf.
…
His room was located in the innermost part of the manor in futile hopes that he would not be kidnapped. Ming Ran sighed, well if he could be kidnapped by the Gong family so easily, why would it be impossible for others to kidnap him too? He looked over at the table where five men gathered wearing masks. This… was going to suck…
—A Few Hours Ago—
There was a large koi pond outside his room and every day Ming Ran could be found reading at this pond. His daily schedule was as follows: wake up, get dressed, meet his family for breakfast before his father went off to work (unless he was at the Southern Border with Gong Cho taking out the barbarians). After breakfast he would study with a teacher, do some Qi Gong, and read. He would then go out to the koi pond and feed the koi. He would sit at the shore and enjoy the weather or scenery for a while. He'd read a book, meditate, and go eat lunch with his mother. He would then help with some sort of task, read, eat dinner with his family, and play a few rounds of Wuqi with his father before going to bed. His brother thought that Ming Ran's daily routine was boring and very similar to an elderly man's. He didn't mind, however- Ming Ran believed a quiet lifestyle like this was suited for someone silent.
He dipped his toes into the water and smiled lightly as some of his koi nibbled at his toes. He looked up at the foliage of the willow tree and closed his eyes. Times like these he felt like humming, but… he smiled to himself. It was fine. That was then, and this was now. He opened his eyes to the world disappearing in darkness. He wiggled a little and struggled under the fabric of the sack. His heart picked up and tears filled his eyes. The sack was limiting his movement, he couldn't move. He couldn't move, he couldn't, he couldn't, couldn't. I want to move! His senses screeched in his mind, the fear of being trapped overriding his senses and causing him to panic. He felt the world going by outside the sack, and his stomach dropped further and further with each passing moment. He was going to die, he was going to die, going to… going to… I don't want to die! He struggled harder, feeling the pressure and wind go passed his ear, the horrible explosion, falling, again and again and again and again. Laughter and…
"Jeez!" the sack was lifted off of his head and Ming Ran came face to face with a demon mask. He swallowed hard, looking frantically around himself before finding some sort of calm. It was a dusty hut of some sort, rats scrambled on cobwebbed eaves. Hay was strewn about as though this were a stable, abandoned by all the horses. Abandoned… abandoned… Ming Ran shook his head and brought himself back. The man was cursing at him for struggling so much, and how his shoulders hurt. "You little shit! You ignoring me, huh? What, too noble to respond?!" he screamed at him, hurling abuse, until finally his silence erupted into pain. Heat flashed through his cheek and he felt an indescribable feeling of relief just feeling this pain. His body fell swiftly to the ground as though hurled by the motion alone, and he lay there as the man continued to yell and cuss and beat him.
"That's enough!" a new man— large, burly, and hairy— walked in, scaring the men who had carried out the kidnapping. "Do not damage the hostage."
"…but Boss, he disrespected me…"
"And how, exactly, did a mute disrespect you?" the burly man sneered. The man who was just beating him lowered his head, forced submission etched across his face. He trembled in fear before a real predator. Ming Ran watched the scene from his place on the floor. He was still, silent, and tried his best not to catch any attention. His kidnapper stuttered, unable to make anymore excuses. In a flash, he was rendered unable to ever speak again. Ming Ran flinched as his head rolled toward him, shivering as a person's life was cut away before his eyes. "This is what happens to the next person who damages the hostage. Got that?" He looked around, his saber laid over his shoulder, covered in blood, and craving more. Yet, the leader of this group controlled the blade's thirst with ease. This pair was meant for each other. A blade with the rage of the fire element, and a man with the calm water element who was able to tame it completely. This man kneeled in front of Ming Ran and held his chin.
"Hmph, a little worse for wear, but still intact. Nothing a little bit of salve won't fix." Ming Ran swallowed hard and met the man's gaze for a moment before lowering his to his chin. He shivered a little under his intense stare, eventually he was released and was allowed to move to a corner.
All the men wore demon masks, and the burly man— called Boss by the others— was the only one with large horns on his mask. His eyes were that of a calm man, but it was clear that he was inclined to bloodshed much like his blade. As for the rest, there was a clear balance of fear, awe, respect, worship, and care towards the man called Boss. These men waited in this hut only leaving to retrieve supplies, information, and to relieve themselves. Although Boss didn't seem like the type that was squeamish, he took great care to make this makeshift hideout seem more hospitable. The very first day that Ming Ran was there he was smeared with all sorts of salves before being stripped and changed into clean clothes. The second day was very much the same as the last except that a mandatory bath and scrubbing was added. His third and the forth were much the same as the second. After a week, Ming Ran was quite sure that his skin and hair had never been cleaner. His men were constantly cleaning, and Ming Ran, unsure how else to spend his time, found himself picking up a broom and cleaning as well. Three weeks passed like this, and slowly Ming Ran found himself growing closer with these men. After a week and a half he had been allowed to eat at the same table. A month passed and he was allowed to treat their wounds. He slowly found himself at ease in this strange environment. Boss seemed unsure how to treat him at times, but at the end of the day it was always the same. He was brought struggling in vain to the tub and washed to Boss' standards.
Two months passed and he began to wonder what was going to happen now. He was expecting a blood bath, and it was quite clear that while his relationship with his captors was less hostile, that there was still an impassable bridge. Ming Ran never did forget his place as their captive, and they never truly saw him as one of their own. It was a strange thing and most would probably wonder if this symbiosis was even possible. It wasn't until a half a year later that things finally blew up.
...
It was a cold day. The group had moved six times since they had kidnapped Ming Ran. Every time they made sure to clean the new headquarters upon finding a barn, an abandoned house, a cabin, or whatever other low-key place they could take over for a month. Ming Ran swept the floor chasing away the dust, debris, and little pieces of pottery. There were some chipped bowls in the cupboard— whatever was left of the family that once inhabited this house. Rats had infested the kitchen where there were some bones left. The only evidence that there was food in the place after the family left was the fat rats, the crumbs that were left strewn across the floor, empty jars, bones, and the very occasional grain of rice in the places easy for humans to move and clean under but much too big and heavy for rats and the like to access. There was once rat who was carrying children to term, and while Ming Ran felt for the mama rat, if she didn't leave Boss would certainly have a fit. Better than to have a prayer than no hope at all. Ming Ran helped the pregnant rat outside, and if he could talk would have wished it luck. The rat made its way to a warmer place in the donkey shed while Ming Ran watched it go with a mixture of awe and a twinge of longing.
"Hey, Kiddo, hurry up! Boss will be back soon." Rat called to him. Ming Ran nodded and went back to help the boy out. Rat was the youngest of the gang, and around Ming Ran's age. He wore a black rat mask, the teeth bared at whoever laid eyes on it. He had met the boy after one and a half months with the gang. Rat was a stoic boy and had a strange way of swinging his emotions back and forth. At one point he would play the part of elder brother, making sure Ming Ran bundled up or that his hair was put properly up in a ponytail. A few minutes later he'd play the part of mother hen, wiping his cheeks as he ate and chiding him about his mealtime manners. Other times he'd play the part of guardian— especially after Ming Ran had been allowed to go out on errands under his watchful gaze. Other times he seemed to hate the sight of him. During these times, Ming Ran made himself scarce, and even if Rat went out to look for him, refused to leave the safety of whichever place he needed to hide. Rat's words were the most venomous out of all of his kidnappers, stabbing him in the most painful of places. The number of times he cried after receiving a tongue lashing from him was uncountable. After everything was said and done, Rat would simply come over to Ming Ran and sit silently by his side, waiting first until he was done crying and then patting his head. His touch was both awkward and gentle— as though he was unable to figure out exactly how to deal with this fragile boy. The gang members treated him like a younger brother, and despite the obvious wall he put up between himself and the others, it was very obvious that he was one of them.
Ming Ran trotted over to him, broom in hand and continued to sweep. He felt the hair tie that he had put in this morning slip away and sighed. He followed Rat over to the stool over in the corner and sat obediently as his hair was properly tied up.
"What? You think I want to have to tie your hair up like this every morning. If you just did it yourself, I wouldn't have to."
I did. Ming Ran motioned. Rat grinned like a proud papa for a moment,
"Look at you. Finally figured out how to talk back now that you can speak." He smacked Ming Ran on the head, gentle enough that it wouldn't do any damage, but hard enough so that it was a proper punishment. "If you did properly put your hair up, I wouldn't be doin' it for ya, now would I?"
…no, sir… Ming Ran pouted a minute. Rat finished tying his hair up and gave Ming Ran a rag, "Dust that." he pointed haphazardly at the table. Ming Ran nodded and began to wipe off the table. "How long have you been here?" Rat suddenly asked.
Six months. Ming Ran signed.
"…six months…" Rat echoed his words, as though he could taste some sort of sound. Ming Ran nodded. A lot had happed since he was kidnapped and especially since he met Rat.
When Rat first found out he was mute, he dragged Ming Ran over and taught him sign language.
"It's no excuse. You can't walk, you learn how to wheel yourself along, can't see? Use your ears. Can't use one arm, use the other. Having a disability doesn't make it impossible for you to do something, it just makes it possible for you to do something different. Don't let yourself be limited by what you can't do. Find a way to do it. No matter what." These last six months had been all about learning how to sign, and Ming Ran made the most of the opportunity. Now, he was able to speak to Rat. He was still choppy, but it was nice to be able to express himself.
The others had stepped out to get supplies, leaving Rat and Ming Ran to clean on their own. They had finished the biggest room and had moved on to clean the kitchen. They cleaned silently for the most part. Rat sighed,
"I'm curious… do you even know where we are going? Or what we're planning on doing with you?" Ming Ran paused. He came over to Rat and motioned for his hand. He wrote the character for "captive" and looked up expectantly. Rat threw off his hand.
"I'm being serious here!" He took a deep breath and ran his fingers through his dark hair, "Ugh, turning this into a learning situation. How are you okay with this?"
It's okay, Ming Ran signed. He felt a little panic at the looming loss of his ability to communicate. There was just too much to learn in such a short period of time. He could feel the boundaries of his own lack of vocabulary close in on him constantly. Every time he did, he could feel true fear.
"I can never tell with you. You go on and on, saying 'it's okay' or 'I'm fine'. You never seem scared or nervous, but you get this panicked look at the most random times, like you've been trapped. Why? Why are you fine with being someone else's captive or hostage?" Rat looked away. Ming Ran took a step back, feeling the weight of Rat's words. He tried to turn away, but before he could run, Rat grabbed him.
"Would you stop running? I'm not—" thud!
Ming Ran let out a small whimper, and moved a small bit under… he opened his eyes and could make out someone on top of him. He began to panic and tried to fight his way out from under his attacker. His wrists were pinned down, and someone growled from above,
"Would ya stop? If anyone didn't know better, they'd think I was—" The sudden sound of boots, boomed a few feet away.
"We're back! We brought ya somethin' yum…" Bean— the largest member of the gang second to only Boss— paused in the doorway, staring at them. Noodle and Long— apparently twins— peaked through,
"Oh. We were wondering when you were going to go for it~! We'll just leave ya to it." Noodle grinned, and walked out. Bean blushed, his whole body trembling,
"ABSOLUTELY NOT! GET OFFA HIM!!" He boomed, picking Rat up by the scruff.
"It's not like that!" Rat screeched, red as a beet. Ming Ran quickly sat up and adjusted his clothes, his face red. He looked away in embarrassment. Rat growled and struggled in Bean's hold.
"Would you stop doing things that'll further the misunderstanding!!?"
Rat sulked in a corner while Bean kept Ming Ran close. Noodle, Long, and Dragon— the second in command— sat at the table eating.
"Would you stop sulking on the eaves, Rat? Come down and eat." Long sighed.
"Shut it!" Rat yelled. Ming Ran sighed. The entire thing was very embarrassing. He had already been trying to apologize all day, but Rat would only avoid him. Outside it was snowing heavily, and the wind threw itself at the house like a bull. Suddenly, the door burst open, Boss stood with his saber drawn, covered in the thick stench of death and blood.
"We need to leave. NOW!" Boss growled. In seconds the entire gang was hurrying to get themselves ready. Rat jumped effortlessly from the eaves and pulled a warm cloak over Ming Ran.
"C'mon Kiddo. You're with me." They made their way quickly outside, and wove through the trees.
"What's going on?" Dragon asked, as they ran. He kept his fingers on his blade and stroking it with his fingers. The twins already had their blades drawn and were surrounding Ming Ran and Rat on the both sides.
"The demons have betrayed us." Boss said, "They want to kill us."
"Seriously? We've done everything they asked. Kept the boy alive and well. Heck we even kept him in custody longer than agreed." Long complained. Ming Ran stilled and looked over at Rat. Ferocious howls erupted from all sides, and Boss took a look at the two boys.
"Long, Noodle, you two go with Rat and Kiddo. Keep both of them safe."
"But if we aren't getting paid for him—"
"And who said we can't still make use of him? If his family doesn't care about his safety, then he'll be a great edition to our gang." Boss grinned. Noodle shrugged,
"Can warm the beds, at the very least." he sighed. Ming Ran shivered at the thought.
"So, where do we take him?"
"To the portal."
"Gotcha. We're finally going home, then?"
"Yep. Get going." The howls got closer and Boss swung his blade around decapitating seven demons at once. "GO!" he bellowed. Rat took off in a run, dragging Ming Ran behind him. Noodle and Long flanked them, cutting down demons left and right like they were dancing.
They ran for a long way before the endless labyrinth of trees parted and a clearing could be seen. They made for it, like a light at the end of a dark tunnel. Rat broke through the trees first and brought Ming Ran with him. Ming Ran shivered from both the cold of the forrest, and the fear of what was beyond the portal. Would he really be..? Panic began to set in, tears leaking from his eyes. He pulled back for the first time. Rat looked at him, realization seeming to dawn on him. His eyes narrowed in determination, and he pulled him through the portal before Ming Ran could even resist any further. There was a strange sensation on his neck as he was thrown here and there, and before he could even pull himself together and process his surroundings he felt his lips part.
His eyes widened as he slowly fought for breath, but something probed his lips and entered his mouth. Warmth entered and he felt something burn as it ran down his throat, warming his body and his chest, and burning it. Ming Ran finally was released and sat in a daze for a long time. Rat was equally out of breath, and pressed his forehead to his as they both caught their breath. Ming Ran stared forward, dumbfounded.
"Wow. You sure didn't waste any time." Long sneered.
"Yeah, you even stole Jun Soh's wine right out of his hand." Noodle was snickering. By the time, Ming Ran had regained half of his senses, there was one loud cheer.
"Congratulations on your engagement!" …my first kiss…Ming Ran thought helplessly.