The Lamentation of Innocence

They brought him back seven days after his \"great\" escape.

To say that Korin was distraught would be a great understatement. The young master had confined himself to his room, only allowing Kuronue (who already had a key to the master’s bedroom) inside. He could be heard throwing things, or when he was not throwing things, he was crying. Cries of \" Why did he hit me?\" could be heard from outside his door. Even Kuronue was feeling the effects of the master’s behavior, always sporting some new bruise, half hidden beneath clothing, as he walked the halls. The only person Kuronue would speak to was Lily, and even then it was hushed tones that could be overheard by no one.

But when Zight was brought back, dragged half dead through the doors of the mansion, Korin’s behavior changed once again. For the first time in what seemed an eternity, the master became quiet. His eyes held none of the usual anger or madness as he looked at Zight. He hardly even seemed to register the bounty hunters’ words. All that existed for Korin was the boy, who lay barely breathing on the floor of his throne room, bleeding out of a wound in his side.

\" Why is he like this?\" Korin had asked in a hushed tone, and when the bounty hunters had been slow to give an answer, he had repeated himself, now screaming the question like an accusation.

Two broken ribs, a stab wound to his side, and a detached retina; these were the extent of Zight’s wounds. The bounty hunters had given up no excuses other than that the slave had resisted, and so they had been forced to go to the furthest of extremes. Kuronue had not believed them; neither did Korin, who had looked murderous as he sat on his throne.

When the bounty hunters left, taking with them the meager reward that Korin allowed them to take, he stared at the body laying on the floor like it was a foreign object. He said nothing as Kuronue ordered the servants to take the boy to his room and to call for a doctor. The young master only sat on his throne, still staring at the empty spot where Zight had been, watching as two young slaves rushed to wipe up the blood.

It was then that he spoke.

\" Why am I afraid?\"

…

Throughout life, bad memories are made. One can not go throughout life without creating at least one bad memory. If we are lucky in life, all we will have is a few bad memories. But I have never been lucky, all my memories, have been bad ones…

\" I was the son of a wealthy lord. The illegitimate child. I suppose I was loved… No one in that house really loved me, but him… I guess…. I guess you could call it love. I was their shame… No one wants to live with shame…\"

The boy’s rambling had been going on for quite some time now. Kuronue had sent the other slaves out, the only reason they were there was for gossip’s sake anyway. No one deserved to have their unconscious thoughts heard or told to others just for the sake of a few minutes of enjoyment.

So why did he stay? He stayed because he felt he had a right to stay. Because of this boy, Korin had suffered; and not only Korin, but also, Kuronue had suffered too. For the first time since being purchased by his master, he had been treated no better than any other slave had. He had been able to think himself better than the other slaves, that in a way he was more special to the master than they were, and thanks to this little upstart, that bubble had finally been burst.

But could he hate him? Could he honestly sit here and say that he hated Zight? No, he could not. He could say that he envied Zight. Yes, a part of him envied the boy for having the courage to do what he’d always wanted to do. For doing what every slave here had always wanted to do. To fight back, and not only fight back, but to also escape. For just that short while Zight had been free.

\" He said I would be his… He said he’d take care of me… Thanks to him, it’s all thanks to him\"

For hours Zight had been mumbling about this mysterious \"he\". From what Kuronue could make of it, it was someone that the boy had known before becoming a slave. Zight’s story of being some wealthy man’s son seemed a little far-fetched, but then again, Zight did not seem like the average commoner. There was something noble about the boy’s features, so just maybe he did have some blue blood running through his veins. It wouldn’t save him from his fate of course, not unless this father or the mystery man showed up to claim him and buy him from Korin.

\" How is he?\" Lily asked, walking through the door. She carried a small basket in her arms, the smell of fresh banana nut bread filling the air.

She walked over to him, setting the basket down on the table, before seating herself in his lap. Her stomach was beginning to swell a little bit more, and Kuronue knew it would not be long before her status could no longer be hidden. They feared going to Korin, worried of what he might force them to do. Neither of them wanted to lose this child.

\" In my village, a woman getting pregnant was a sign of good luck\" Kuronue said, rubbing her swollen belly.

She laughed, as she always did when he talked about his village. She refrained from correcting him by saying \"our village\". Somewhere in that village was a child, a child who had eyes like hers, and a smile like hers, and the sins of her father. No, that village had never been her village; any woman born in that village would feel the same way.

\" I doubt we will receive blessings, not in this place,\" Lily said, glancing over towards Zight. He had slipped back into silence; there would be no more whispered words of a father who had never loved him or of the person who had.

Kuronue hated when she talked like that. He hated it most of all because he knew that it was true. In this house, there would never be any blessings. They would all be fated to serve here until death, and even in death they would linger here, still chained to this place. Before he had been sold off as a slave, he had always thought his life in the village bleak. Now he longed for those days when he was free to work in the fields and care for his mother and younger sisters.

\" You should not speak like that,\" Kuronue said in a soft voice.

\" Why, because you’re afraid I’ll hear it?\"

The voice was loud, and soft at the same time, filling both Lily and Kuronue with dread. There was no need to turn around to see who it was; his presence could be felt in the room. He strolled in, looking nothing like the man who had whimpered and screamed in his room, clinging to Kuronue while the doctor had tried to fix his nose. Now he was the crazy one again, the one who had no care for anything in life other than his own vanity.

\" Master Korin—\" Lily began only to be given a dismissive look.

\" Get out\" he said, and this time it was directed towards both Kuronue and Lily.

It worried Kuronue to leave Korin here alone with the boy, but what was he to do? The only thing that could be done was to walk out of the room with Lily, closing the door behind him. He would have stood next to the door had Lily not held his hand and urged him to come with her. \"The master will be angry to find you here\", she said, tugging at his sleeve like a child. \" We have to leave him be\" she would say as she tugged him into her room.

Now that he was alone with the boy, Korin could remove his mask. He hovered over the boy, staring at him with a mixture of curiosity and fear. No slave had ever struck him before. Why had Zight struck him? He’d been so nice to the boy, giving him a nice meal that he was sure Zight had never been given before. He had even invited him to his room. Most slaves in this place would die to be given a chance to eat what Zight had eaten, or to be invited into his room. He had always treated Zight special, so why had Zight hit him?

It just made no sense.

\" Hate you… I hate you most of all… Liar…\" Zight mumbled, groaning softly in his sleep.

The doctor had done his best to heal the boy, bandaging what needed to be bandaged and working as best he could on the boy’s eye as he could with the equipment he had. A bandaged now covered Zight’s damaged eye, at Korin’s request, the boy’s red eye had scared him. It made the boy look like a demon.

He hovered over him, staring at him as the boy went quiet once again. Who did he hate? Was it him? He couldn’t see why Zight would hate him. He had always been so good to the boy.

Zight made a soft noise, and whispered something that Korin could not hear. It was hard leaning over the boy, so he lay down on the bed, curling up next to him. His fingers traced over Zight’s dry, cracked lips, pressing his own lips against Zight’s briefly.

\" I can’t figure you out. What should I do with you? Kill you? Get rid of you? \" Korin asked, a slight smile on his face as his fingers moved lower over his neck. Zight groaned in pain as his nails dug into the tender skin.

\" What will I do with you?\" he whispered, resting his head on Zight’s chest. \" You look so much like Master… When you hit me, it scared me… Just like Master…\"

\" Kai—\"

\" Don’t say it!\" Korin said, pressing his lips over the boy’s lips. \" Don’t say his name. I don’t want to hear it!\"

If he said his name, then it would be like he was alive. The memories would come back and the bad would mix with the good and Korin would forget everything and be afraid.

Author’s Note: Sorry for the long wait! My Internet access is limited to the library and my mom’s boyfriend’s house, so it’s going to take me a while to update. Hopefully I’ll have the Internet on at my house soon. (Fingers crossed for good luck)