Rebellion Chap 39

Feli decided to take a walk. She was highly jealous of her sister, but also happy for her. Truth was, she was a very unhappy girl outside of home. She was always picked on for how she looked, how was was adopted, how she had two fathers and how she had no real family. She would put on a brave face, but beneath it all, she was hurting...

"Come back here, you thief!" Someone yelled.

As Feli was walking through town, there was a ruckus going on downtown. Several merchants were raising their fists as they were yelling. Meanwhile, along the rooftops, there was a blonde man running from building to building. He seemed to be making faces at the merchants as he waved a loaf of bread at them.

Feli lifted her head and blinked at the oncoming man. She gasped, having no time to dodge as he ran straight into her, knocking her into the dirt. She groaned softly as she tried to stop the world from spinning.

The man also groaned as the loaf of bread landed in his lap. He was tall and lanky. He had long, shaggy blonde hair and bright green eyes with a long, jagged scar from his left cheek to his nose. His hands were bandaged along with his feet as he wore no shoes and was carrying around a large scroll on his back. He lifted his head to look at Feli. He blinked, never seeing someone like her. "Hey..."

"Get back here!"

"Stop him!"

The boy looked back at the oncoming merchants and quickly got to his feet. "Sorry, gotta go!" He hollered before running past Feli and towards the park.

Feli blinked as she watched him run off before getting up to stop the men. "Hey, hey! Don't chase him! What does he owe you? I'll pay it..."

The merchants told her what the boy had stolen.

Feli reached into her small carry-on purse and gave all she had.

"You're short." The one man hissed.

Feli frowned and looked over herself. Her eyes rested on her golden diamond bracelet that was found with her when she was given away. "H-Here..." She hesitantly unclipped it. It seemed this man had stolen a lot from this store and so he had a hefty bill to pay. "That... w-will cover it... right?" She breathed, trying not to cry.

The man snatched it from her. "Keep him out of my shop." He hissed before walking away with the other merchants.

Feli stood there for a moment, rubbing her bare wrist. Why did she do that for a complete stranger? Tears brimmed in her eyes as she slowly moved in a random direction.

"Oi~ Girl~"

Feli sniffled as she lifted her head towards the voice.

It was the boy. He stood on a sturdy branch as he took a bite of the loaf of bread that was now halfway done.

She blinked few times. "Y-You! I... I just saved your butt!" She hissed, before the tears trickled down her cheeks again, rubbing her bare wrist. She looked away and whimpered.

He blinked before jumping down. "You did? Gee, thanks~" He slapped her back like an athlete would to another player.

She shrugged away. "Don't t-touch me..." She breathed. "Hope you enjoy your stupid bread..." She mumbled, walking away.

"The best thing I've had in weeks~" He smiled goofily.

She took a glance over her shoulder before continuing forwards. All she wanted to do now was go home and cry.

"You know...you didn't have to do that." He stated, taking another bite of his bread as he walked with her.

"O-Of course I did... they would have trampled me otherwise..." She sniffled.

"Nonsense...a girl like you wouldn't get trampled." He shook his head.

She frowned. "Just go away... I sacrificed enough on your behalf today..."

He tilted his head before ripping a piece of his bread. "Well then...here. It's yours too." He breathed.

"I don't want bread... I come from a wealthy clan... you eat it..." She rubbed her wrist again. All she wanted was her bracelet. Maybe her fathers could get it back...

"What's that like?" He asked her.

"Please... I need to get home... go away..." She sniffled.

"Oh..." He stopped following her and sighed a bit, his shoulders slumping. He put the bread away in his pack. "Sorry...Didn't mean to get in your way...I guess I'll find a tree to sleep in." He said, turning around.

She stopped and frowned. "W-Wait... c-come with me..." She sighed.

He shook his head. "Nope~ Don't wanna get in your way~" He said, hopping up into a close branch.

She frowned further. "Well... if you change your mind... my name is Feli... Feli Kasai... come to the Kasai compound.. if you need anything..." She breathed before running off down the street towards home. Once inside, the tears flowed instantly. "D... Daddy!" She sobbed, running to find Ryo.

Ryo came out of the study, hearing Feli's voice, and blinked. "Feli?"

She ran up to him and stopped, sobbing heavily. "I-I... there w-was a boy... a-and... he stole b-bread... s-so I was gonna pay the c-clerk... b-but... h-he had a hefty b-bill... D-Daddy! I-I had to give them my b-bracelet!" She crumpled to her knees in hysterics.

Ryo knelt down and pulled her into his arms. "Shh...It's okay, Feli...Don't cry..." He breathed, stroking her hair.

"P-Please g-get it back!! I-I couldn't a-afford to p-pay it all!"

Ryo nodded. "Alright, sweetie...Daddy will fix everything." He breathed, kissing her head.

She whimpered, trembling in his arms.

"Come on...We should tell your Father." Ryo breathed as he picked her up into his arms.

"Tell me what? Why is she crying?" Arai asked as he came from down the hall, clearly having woken up from a nap.

Ryo looked at him. "She had to give her bracelet to a clerk to pay off someone else's debt..." He breathed.

Arai blinked. "What store was it?"

"I-I don't know... b-but... I know the men's faces..." Feli whimpered.

Ryo nodded. "Alright...then you take us downtown and we'll fix this."

She jumped down and nodded, leading them out of the house.

...

"I won't ask again," Arai hissed. "Where's my daughter's bracelet?"

"I sold it to get some actual money." The clerk stated again.

Arai reached out to yank the man over his counter. "In ten minutes?" He hissed, his eyes turning black.

"It was a valuable bracelet." The man breathed.

Arai growled. Feli was sobbing heavily in Ryo's arms.

"Who did you sell it to?" Arai hissed.

"The jewelry clerk," the man winced at Arai's tight grip.

Arai threw him back on his counter as he turned to Ryo and Feli, his tone becoming more gentle. "Come on."

Ryo smiled at Feli. "It's okay, sweetie...We'll get it back for you." He told her as they left the store.

Feli couldn't stop crying. It was gone. Gone forever. She'd never see it again.

"Ryo, why don't you take her for something to eat? I'll hunt down the bracelet." Arai suggested once they were outside.

Ryo nodded. "Alright..." He looked to Feli. "Come on...let's get you some ice cream, okay? Your Father will take care of everything." He smiled softly.

She whimpered and nodded, trying to calm down. She trusted in her father's. They found a more secluded area to sit as Ryo left her side to get the ice cream. Feli rubbed the last of her tears away as she sat there feeling empty.

"Dropped something?" The boy had returned and was dangling a familiar golden bracelet right in front of Feli's face.

Feli's white eyes widened as she shot her head up to the voice. "Y-You... h-how...?"

He shook his head. "Don't ask me how...Just take it."

She took it from his hands, tears pooling in her eyes again before she stood up to wrap her arms around his neck. "Th-Thank you s-so much!"

The boy pulled away. "Don't."

She blinked and became sheepish. "I... I'm sorry..." She mumbled, blushing faintly as she clipped the bracelet back on her wrist as she wiped her stray tears.

The boy looked down at his feet. "You let me eat another day...the least I could do was "find" what you "lost"..." He breathed.

"What is your name? I... gave you mine... I want to know yours."

"Kawa."

"Kawa..." She breathed, letting his name roll off her tongue. "How long have you lived like this?"

"Since I was little..." He said softly.

"I can... give you a place to stay... and food... and money, Kawa..."

Kawa shook his head. "No...that's okay...I don't mind living like this." He put his hands behind his head and looked up at the sky. "It's always an adventure..."

She frowned. "I... am sorry I was rude earlier... this... bracelet means a lot to me... I didn't plan on giving it away like that... I... hope you don't think I dislike you..."

Kawa looked at her. "Of course you dislike me." He stated.

She blinked. "But... I don't."

"I can see it in your eyes."

She tensed at this. "Never, use my eyes as an example for anything, got it?" She sighed. "My eyes are not normal, they don't hold emotions. If I disliked you, I wouldn't offer shelter and food and money."

"No, you're right. You pity me." He stated. "That's worse."

"I don't pity you." She frowned. "Why are you saying such things?"

"If you didn't pity me, then why are you offering me such things? I don't need a spoiled rich brat to pity me." He breathed. "I just came to give you back that bracelet. I don't need someone else's money."

Her breathing hitched as he called her a rich brat. Tears brimmed in her eyes before she ran from the ice cream shop.

"Scratch that, sensitive spoiled rich brat." Kawa huffed before disappearing.

Feli ran until she bumped into Arai. He was going to tell her he had no luck until he saw her bracelet. She told him what happened and they gathered Ryo before going home.

That night after Feli had a warm shower, she laid in her bed, staring at the wall in silence. Sachiko's bed was across from her, and the sister could tell something was wrong. Feli wasn't usually quiet.

Sachiko sat up in bed and frowned. "Feli? You haven't spoken a word all day...What's wrong? Are you anxious about tomorrow?"

"No... I could care less..." She breathed.

"Then what is it?" She tilted her head, her long blue hair draping over her shoulder.

"I'm... just too strange..."

Sachiko blinked. "What do you mean?"

"My appearance scares people away or... causes them to pick on me... and... I'm awkward around people... I say and do the wrong things all the time..." She closed her eyes.

Sachiko frowned as she got out of her bed and went to Feli's. She wrapped her arms around her. "You don't scare me...I think you are beautiful and all those guys are stupid not to like you." She breathed.

Feli sniffled. "You grew up with me... y-you don't count..."

"Tsu called you beautiful..." Sachiko told her.

"He's family!"

"Feli..." She frowned.

Just then, there was a giant clap of thunder and a bright flash of lightning out their window.

Feli squealed and rolled off the bed, unprepared for the weather.

Sachiko looked over at the window and frowned. "Oh man...it's raining...I hope the ceremony isn't cancelled tomorrow..."

Feli got up and moved to open their balcony doors, moving to stand out in the rain. "I doubt it..." She breathed, leaning on the railing. She then blinked. Rain. Cold. Wet. "Kawa..."

"Come back in, Feli...You'll catch a cold." Sachiko frowned.

“N-no! I..." She moved inside. "Sachiko, I cover for you all the time. Cover for me this once. I have to go somewhere."

Sachiko blinked. "Where are you going?"

"I don't have time to explain!" She said, running to jump off the balcony an landing gracefully in the mud below. "I'll explain later!" She called up before racing off into the cold, wet night.

"Feli..." Sachiko frowned as she had gone to the window, watching her sister's pink hair as the only color in the dark, wet night.