Fallen Star

Chapter 23

"You're as shifty as ever," Sayuri snarled. "Who are you?"

The hooded man said nothing but there seemed to be a smile under his cloak. What kind of smile adorned his stupid mug Sayuri couldn't be sure of but if there was one thing for certain, it was pissing her off.

Her foot careened near his head and though he expertly dodged as a pipe was blown out of his framework, that smile never seemed to wipe off his face. He swiftly darted away from Sayuri and she clicked her tongue; this shady bastard was annoyingly good at putting distance between them. Sayuri rushed at him but not before grabbing some dirt off the ground and throwing it at the cloaked guy's face. He clearly wasn't surprised and deftly ducked under it but ended up getting socked in the stomach by Sayuri's oncoming fist. This he also seemed to expect but at this point, he seemed resigned to his fate.

So was he just giving up!? Everything about this guy seemed to push all of Sayuri's buttons. But then he finally staggered back, coughing, and his hood finally came off. His demeanor had changed; he was sheepish now, as if to match Sayuri's own personality morph.

It was stricken grief that overtook her, grief that soon became warped with rage and tinged with a hint of sadness. The face of the boy in front of Sayuri was one she'd seen over and over again in her childhood, day after day. His skin was tanned and his hair was black as night with an indigo sheen. His eyes were warm brown yet downcast in shame, as if he felt he were the wronged one in this situation. That black sclera in his left eye said otherwise.

"Yuma," Sayuri hissed venomously, "I knew it, it is you!" He laughed.

"It's been a while, Sayuri." His voice feigned cheerfulness; it was pained, yet another act. "Have you been well? How is Angel? Did you ride Indigo Streak all the way to Alpha from our dusty little hometown? Sike, it's pretty awesome seeing you here."

"Don't talk to me like that," Sayuri growled. "You don't get to." She sucked in a deep breath. "You're going to pay. I'm going to kill you." Yuma laughed hoarsely.

"Turning my own deeds against me, are you? Well, I suppose it's what I deserve," he mused. "You have every right to be upset, Sayuri, I've committed an unforgivable crime. But if you'll allow it, may I plead for mercy?"

"As if!" Sayuri snapped. Yuma continued onward.

"I'm sorry, Sayuri, I never meant to harm you. I was being controlled. I still am. Everything I've done... Everything I'm going to do... I don't want to do it. Yet I have no choice. Seems like Lady Luck has finally left me." He gripped the left side of his cheek, his nails digging into the skin under his blackened eye. "Help me, Sayuri. Won't you free me from this nightmare...?"

"...Help you? Free you!?" Sayuri laughed mirthlessly. "You killed them. You killed them all! YOU KILLED THEM, YUMA! You burned my house to the ground. My family, my mother, my father, my brother and sister, they died in the fire you started. On purpose. Do you expect me to do anything for you!? You ruined my life! You took everything from me! You were my best friend, and yet you destroyed everything I cared about! I trusted you!" Sayuri yelled. "I trusted you with my life! And then you went and took everything I loved away from me!"

"You really don't get what I'm talking about, do you? That's okay. I didn't expect you to," Yuma said gently. "I know what I did. I'm not going to deny anything. Kaede blood is on my hands. I deserve retribution but unfortunately, I'm not allowed to die here. Forgive me, Sayuri."

"Never," she spat.

She came at him swinging. But never, not even throughout her childhood, was Sayuri ever able to get a hit on Yuma unless he let her. He was slippery and slick and seemed to slide through her fingers out of reach. Yuma Phoenix was a man loved by Lady Luck and she wouldn't let him die nor would she allow him to be incapacitated by the slightest inconvenience. He never got a bad hand in a game of poker and was he ever caught in a game of tag or hide-and-seek. Yuma never tried but he always bragged and even now he had a smile on his face as if telling he knew Sayuri would never catch him.

You don't have any skills.

You're not outstanding.

I am the most mediocre out of everyone.

Her father had a hearty laugh and strong arms that could carry anything for forever. Her mother had a lovely voice and a laugh that sounded like a rippling brook. She had two siblings: A brother and sister who were older than her by several minutes. They were near-identical triplets, but Sayuri was born as the clear runt of the litter. It was even in her name: "Sayuri," little lily. She was anything but dainty and she wasn't outstanding in the slightest. Her sister was prettier than her with hair that was evenly cut and well-groomed; it shone like the sunlight. Her brother was tough and a natural with anything involving machinery. Sayuri? ...Sayuri was a crybaby.

She wasn't naturally hearty like her brother or wonderfully pretty like her sister. She was scared to go outside into the cutthroat desert town and wacked off her pasty blond hair with kitchen shears when it got too long and annoying. But they loved her. Every single member of her family loved her. Her mother would sing songs with her and her father would carry her on his big shoulders around their little house. Her brother would hold her hand when they went outside and her sister would fix up her hair after she got a little too snip-happy with the kitchen shears. Sayuri didn't know what she would do without them.

And then there was Yuma... She had been crying in the eves, terrified by the long shadows of dusk, when he approached her. He asked her what was wrong. She said she was lost. She was too scared to move. He had an idea. He took a coin out of his pocket and told her that together, they would take a step forward every time the coin landed up heads. If it landed tails, they would remain rooted in spot for a full minute. Sayuri had thought this would be a good idea since it would mean she wouldn't have to move very much and could calm her nerves. But lo and behold, the coin ended up heads every single time it was flipped, and that's how Sayuri found her way home. And that was how she met her best friend, Yuma Phoenix.

Thanks to Yuma, she learned how to stop crying. With Yuma's help, she found the courage to go outside. With Yuma by her side, she was able to raise her fists in retaliation. It was their friendship that allowed Sayuri to find the will to survive in this merciless desert town that swallowed up the weak. Thanks to Yuma, Sayuri grew strong.

And then he threw it all away.

Sayuri would never forget that day, when flames licked high into the night sky. They consumed her poor house while she had to be held back kicking and screaming so she wouldn't run into the burning building for her family. She would never forget how she saw him in the distance, dazed, and looking at the still-ignited torch in his hands as the flames were reflected in his warm brown eyes.

"S-Sayuri... I... I-I don't𑁋"

"You monster!" she had screamed, tears streaking down her eyes. "You'll pay! I'll kill you! You hear me!? I'll kill you!!"

He ran away into the darkness of the desert night after that, never to be seen again. Sayuri's entire house was burnt to cinders. The flames had gone for so long that nothing but ashes remained. Though the fire was contained just to the house, it had consumed everything within it, including the trapped people. Their bodies were nothing but ashes upon ashes and Sayuri was left with absolutely nothing. She hated fire and grew to fear it; just the slightest spark was enough to send her screaming into convulsions, sobbing and moaning as the memories flooded back. This fear made her feel weak.

That all changed starting today. Sayuri had sworn to herself that the next time she met Yuma, he was going to pay for everything he'd done. Once Yuma was gone, Sayuri was convinced that her terrible fear would be gone and she could face her family again. Now, he stood right here in front of her. She'd braced herself for this day and she wasn't about to waste it. Sayuri would never let Yuma go.

Even as he dodged and danced just out of her reach, Sayuri would not let him out of her sight.

Today was the day her family finally had their reprieve. Today was the day she finally killed Yuma Phoenix.