"You are curious aren't you? It seems that you won't guess what I have planned."
Maiko carried him back to the disused house and bolted them in. She made him as comfortable as possible. She lay next to him and rested with him nearby in case he woke and needed her.
Maiko put her arms around him and hugged him against her. "You really can't cope with being alone. Maybe I am more use than I thought. You need me now I guess to be the family."
"What else don't I know and when were you going to tell me? When I am next in danger? I don't think I can cope with much more of this. Why couldn't you have just left me alone?" Maiko began to cry.
"Why are they after me? Up until I'd met you I never knew anything about this wretched family and its problems. Did you really think I could cope with every lie and manipulation that you all put on me? I am only human and I now know my family are evil and think nothing of deserting innocents until it is convenient for them. I was happy to die and you denied me even that."
"Stay with me." Maiko wore strips of a spare shirt and bound the wound. "Remind me never to need help when you are around again. You are hopeless. You are weaker than you think, brother. You have failed me and now I must help you. You are pathetic."
"No" Maiko woke up from the nightmare in her mind and ran to him. She held him and treated the wound . "Luckily you are a lousy samurai, you managed to miss anything vital. It's still serious though. She gently removed the blade while applying pressure. "No, my brother, you will not die, but you will not get your own way either. You will live to suffer the pain you have caused me."
"I think you must have confused me with someone else. We have never met before. I'm Maiko by the way."
"I'm not your sister. I never was. I'm a puppet in a strange game that someone else controls." Her eyes became unfocused for a minute. "Excuse me but do I know you?"
"I have no idea who you are of what you are talking about. I have no knowledge of anything of my accursed family. I wish I had never just learned of them. Kill me if you want. You will be doing me a favour."
Maiko woke and slipped the bolt to leave the house.She ran back towards the road. No longer thinking straight, she ran like something possessed.
Maiko tripped and fell. She could barely see through the tears. Picking herself up she changed direction onto a road and ran until she saw a house. Running up to the house she banged on the door. No one answered so she crept in and bolted the door. Checking around she noticed that no one but mice had lived here for some time. She secured the windows and doors before finding a corner to curl up in to sleep.
Gharanth smiled at her enigmatically. He was taking a great risk with their relationship he knew, but if risks weren't taken nothing could be gained. He would get this over with first.
"You should rest Matt. I will collect firewood. If you want a job then you can watch the meat cooking over the one fire we have. I can work in your place. You are almost about to collapse and we can't have that."
Maiko ran, uncaring. She never wanted to have all this happen. She felt more rejected than ever before and wondered what she had done to deserve this. Kaia was a bounty hunter who had hunted men for money so it was poetic that the tables had turned. Takahiro and Koza had lied to her and deceived her, but she had gone in good faith to avenge the now non existent death. She realised she had been manipulated like a puppet. She wanted it all to end as no one would miss her.
While everyone was talking Maiko slipped out. She wanted to get as far away from everyone else as possible. Takahiro was asleep so wouldn't notice her gone for a while. She found a loose board and slid through. Running out into the night she kept going, heedless of the direction. She just needed to get away from all these terrible people. She just wanted her life back; not these lies but the real life she had before this all started.
"Well booyah and bully for you! I just discovered my entire life is a lie. Sorry, but if you are looking for sympathy I'm all out at the moment, just like you it seems."
I totally agree with this idea. They would have no excuse not to read the rules. No more 'where's the thread' questions and it is then completely their responsibility to read and obey the rules. :noworries:
"Well sadly I don't have the charmed background that you do. Things have turned out bad for me. Reality check lady. Just stop annoying me!"
