Weirdly enough, the first thing I felt, was not the girl's wrist.
It was the beating of my heart in my own ribcage.
Came in, pounded, as if I had forgotten about it. As if my body had forgotten about it. Then I heard it in my eardrums. The sound of the streets gradually picked up as if I was just underwater.
The four girls stared at me. Three with shock, and one with fear.
They didn't say anything, too stunned too unfortunately.
I lean forward, my grip tightening on her wrist. "Care to tell me what this is about?"
My finger points at the three bullies. They stutter, stammer. Two of them let go of Rei instincticely. She looks at me, eye contact. The light seems to come back to her now.
No one says a word. But now that I'm here. Everyone wants to be quiet? If you don't address the elephant in the room, I will.
I let go of the girl's wrist. Picked up the coat, the poncho. Making sure the Golden Insignia was still tacked on. When I confirmed it to be so, I handed it back to Rei.
The other girls joined her side, and I crossed to Rei's. She pulled the poncho on like it was a breath. Put it on as if…she felt naked without it. Didn't look at me, and kept her eyes within the coat. Maybe to wipe away a few tears.
I press my fingers against each other tightly. If I was just a second too late. What could've happened to her?
Can't think about it. Won't think about it.
One of them opens their mouth—the older one.
"Th-there seems to be a misunderstanding here, i-it's a little game Rei and all of us play…y-you see…?"
I want to scoff, but can't. She doesn't even sound convincing. Her own words tripping on each other. The other two sharply nod, wanting me to believe a little lie of their's.
I look over to Rei, and her face is apologetic for some reason. As if she blames herself for this. As if…this was all of her fault.
And…and maybe it was. Maybe she aggravated them. Bossed them around too much. But who am I kidding?
She would never do that. It's not even a possibility.
And what they did…doesn't warrant anything. You don't verbally abuse someone and call it a "game".
"Sh-she's right…" Rei begins. She doesn't look at me. Away from me.
"S-see…! We were just playing a game—"
The pink Oni girl catches herself. My gaze lingered on her for too long. Nervous, her breathing hitched.
For once. Around Rei.
I had to put my mask back on.
The one the Oni are accustomed to seeing to. The one Rei so desperately wanted to be.
I had to be Lucien Rainrunner the Ranchmaster—and then, maybe then Rei will realize this is not what she wants.
But maybe—if she sees what it really looks like—
The silence.
The fear.
The way they flinch when I speak—
Maybe then she'll realize…this is not what she wants.
Because this power doesn't protect. It isolates.
It rots.
I point at her.
"You spoke out of turn," My tone chilling. Offsetting. All of them twitch, Rei included.
"Lick the dirt."
There was a pause. A silent one. The pink one eye's darted around. And then slowly.
She got on her knees.
No resistance. No protest.
Face down.
Her horns collided with the ground, too outward, so she had to bend her face a certain way to taste it.
The older one and the other, gray, looked at me. Fear in their eyes.
I speak, slowly.
"It's funny, embarrassing almost. That the three of you would flex your bruised ego's and false sense of superiority against your own,"
"I've given you all too much credit. And here I thought that against oppression…you all would be a community. But yet, there's always time to fight amongst each other, yeah?"
Who am I kidding? This is something that derived from the parents most likely. These…these kids, teenagers were just trained upon it.
But no more of it.
I'm not going for it anymore.
I look over to Rei, not twitching, but watching them. I put a hand over her shoulder, and she looks at me.
She's not me. She's just learning to be better than me.
That eventually, when faced against these type of people. You need to hope, and be the change that you aspire to be. That what you want for your people.
Despite the negligence of your community, and bullyings, and even excommunication, you simply have to be better than them.
Because that's one thing I realized, here.
That one good can break the system. I realized it can't start from me.
But I know where else it can.
"Go on, Rei. They said you weren't a Ranchmaster. Go show them what it's like to be one." She looks at me, eyes widening. Realizing those words.
She'll realize she doesn't want to. Because guess what? Rei, you're here to prove everyone wrong. Grandmother Kon, your mother, the adults here, the teenagers.
They've given you nothing but negativity. But I know you'll turn around and face it with positivity.
If Grandma Kon says you're like me, or mimicking me.
Then I hoped you chose the better version. The one without the mask. Because that's all I've shown you.
"I-I…" She stammers, unsure, but then steps forward to them, away from me.
I gradually smile.
Rei, you're going to make me proud. Be better than your oppressors, show them that…there can be unity, despite how different you are.
Show them that you can love them back. It may not start now. But it'll plant the seeds.
Be amazing Rei, because I know you're sweet.
There's not a single violent bone in your body.
She stares at them, her white hair flowing. With one Oni girl on her knees licking the dirt, it left the other two.
We stood there in silence for sometime, I assumed that Rei didn't know the exact words to tell them. That maybe she just wanted friends too. Heck, if this goes well, then maybe I gave her a path to friends.
But after a while, the two continued to stare. It didn't get boring, but the tension was at an all-time high. I could see it on their faces, trying to guess what Rei's next move would be. Most Oni do that to me.
Makes sense here, she's basically wearing the poncho. The title, the authority. The one they mocked her for.
I waited for one more minute, and when I assumed that Rei froze up and didn't know what she wanted to do, I decided pulling her back. Maybe it was too early.
Right.
She was just verbally abused, and physically mocked. Would be hard trying to forgive those acts, but if it's not today, it will be tomorrow.
I reached out my hand for her.
And I halted.
My breath caught in my throat.
Her face—it was different.
No, not being expressed differently.
Different.
Her eyes, narrowed. Face, hardened. I couldn't tell you if this was the same Rei from before.
And then, she opened her mouth.
"Lick the dirt."
Tone, practiced, measured. It didn't sound like her. It sounded like another person. The tone made me take a step back, my hand reached for my mouth.
For a second there.
I thought I was the one who said it.
The other oni dropped to her knees. She didn't even hesitate. Why would she?
She left the other, the older teenager. Each step taken, precise. Shoulders low, chin slightly down.
For the first time, her hand revealed itself from the poncho sleeved.
And the first thing it latched onto, was the girl's horn.
I take another step back.
The smile on my face fades away.
What did I do?