Chapter Text
father, father where did you go? will you come back? why did you leave?
the thought swirled around a young brain nightly, a question that stuck longer than Ryoko would have liked.
I'll be back, bug. don't worry. I don't know when, but I will. I promise.
his pinky finger wrapping around hers felt warm and safe and all too wrong. the poor girl was young, but not stupid. Ryoko recognized the way her father grew frail with stress, the way he looked over his shoulder far too frequently to be normal. he was paranoid. but of what?
now he was leaving, and Ryoko knew that his return wouldn't be for a while, but she can wait. she's always been good at that. from when dinner smelled too good but wasn't ready for a while, to when the horses would stomp their hooves in protest to the long walks back to the paddocks. she would be patient.
.. -- .. ... ... -.-- --- ..-
staring up at nowhere in particular, Ryoko's mind slowly swirled with 'what if's, trying to find the reason why he had to leave. she could feel mother's arms around her, could hear her breathing and her heartbeat and the footsteps. she could smell the hay from the stables and faint gunpower... she could hear footsteps and mother rising, her heartbeat quickening in her chest.
"Ryoko."
mother's breath was hot against Ryoko's ear, and she turned her small head to face mother in the dark. their yellow eyes met, the little girl's pupils dilating in the blackness of the night, glinting with confusion whilst mother's did with fear.
"hey, want to play tag?"
what a strange request. the girl considered it. late at night? it was odd, but the fear in mother's voice made her say yes.
ryoko was quiet, to not spook the horses as she ran. the weird footsteps and whispers faded out of the two girls' hearing as they ran through the rough undergrowth of the forest, their bare feet carefully evading the patches of dry crunchy leaves that lay like kindling over the dirt.
but the fun didn't last. it never did. they could hear the footsteps again, aggressive and fast as they grew louder and louder. Ryoko ran faster, now not bothering to be picky about where her feet landed. mother hung slightly behind, less nimble or fast.
something is wrong.
the intuitive child thought, now hearing mother's breathing grow heavier and the whispers turn to barks.
"RYOKO, FASTER!"
mother sobbed, tears springing at the corners of her eyes now. men could be seen now, tailing the two girls closely while rifles weigh heavy in their hands. they bayed like a pack of wolves, laughing gleefully as they hunted the mother and child like it was a game and their lives were tokens to be stolen.
mother doubled over as a loud BANG rung through the thicket, the woman making something akin to a gurgling scream rise from her throat. she collapsed on the mud and leaves clawing at her sides, gasping for air and begging for Ryoko to just keep running.
the little girl didn't make it far before she was tackled to the ground, kicking and screaming and crying. her fists were caught and bound, her vision was blocked by stale woven walls as everything hurt then faded to black.
"what a beautiful young girl."
"she looks just like her mother."
"a girl like this can fetch a hefty price."
"spare her."