All Over Again
2303 Words
I guess kissing is what it's called when the lips of two people are touching. “Don't even think about it,” a voice whispers inside my head. I open my eyes.
Yanmei says, “Say, ‘I promise’.”
“I promise,” I answer.
“Now, you made a promise. Don't make me sad, okay?”
“Okay.”
Wait... haven't we had this conversation earlier? The way she's slowly nearing her face towards me is like what happened. What's going on?
“Don't even think about it,” the voice starts to whisper again. I feel that it's a promise, so I turn my head the other way.
“What's the problem?” she asks.
“I made a promise,” I say, although I'm not sure if I'm right. She lets go of me, scooches away, and shows me her back. I guess she wants to sleep now.
-
*
Hiding her face from him, Yanmei's frown is darker than the night yet more violent than the fire that keeps them warm.
Still in the Martian village, Sayuri, Jack, Jasper, and Hyun walk around the town to see how it thrives. They have a well-maintained pump at least to provide them water for every day. Farming or at least planting spices is not possible here. This addles Jasper for a bit.
“How do they get food in this town?” he asks as he follows Sayuri—who is walking towards somewhere she intends to go. And that's outside the village.
“I was thinking the same thing,” says Jack walking by his side.
“I think Lady Sayuri smells something odd,” says Hyun, walking by her side. “Isn't that right, my love?”
She continues walking as if, for her, the three of them never existed until they found a rocky plain with cliffs and huge tall plateaus along a canyon. It's like a maze in here but there are tracks of people going in and out of this place. Further and deeper into the canyon, they start to sense people. Finding them is easy.
“What is going on here?” asks Jack, looking at the dead-end of the canyon where Martian men, women, and children are working in the mines.
“It's like Ra all over again,” Hyun remarks.
“It's boring,” says Jasper. “Everywhere we go, people are just the same. They would do anything to survive.”
The children are sorting precious minerals from a pile of rubble with their small bare hands to help their mothers. The men go in and out of the dangerous mineshaft that looks like it's gonna collapse at any moment because of how poorly made it is. There is a tower made out of rocks on each side of the canyon wall. On each of them are men with guns, already pointing at Sayuri and her comrades. Other guards also stand by in between the two towers. All of them have fabric to cover their faces. Most of them are humans. The workers stop what they're doing and hide behind the towers.
“Leave!” one of the guards threatens. Sayuri senses his aura is a demigod and notices his height is normal. He's on the ground in the middle of the towers and seems to be their leader.
Jasper sighs as he steps forward, removing his hood then raises his hands. “We're not here for trouble.”
“This is private property. Leave or be shot!”
“We want just want to help the people.”
“They don't need your help!”
“We know that this is only your way of making income to feed your families. You guys with big 'ol guns are not enslaving them but-”
“They are never our slaves! Leave!”
“So, I was right...,” Jasper smirks.
“I don't like the face you're making. You're definitely up to no good!”
“I may look like this but I'm concerned about the women and children. They don't look healthy. The minerals they're collecting are slowly killing them.”
“They do it to help their family! And I'm here to keep it that way for them!”
“Relax, man... geez. I said we just want to help.”
“Don't fool with me! You just want to make money with this mine. That guy with fangs just wants to drink the bl**d of the people. That cyborg probably wants to check the mines for its metals, and that woman with the sword-” He stops for a moment. His eyes widen through the slits of the fabric that covers his face. “Sword?”
Jasper half-smiles, muttering, “Well, well, well...”
Bewildered, Jack adds, “Don't tell me-”
“Who is she?” asks the leader. “Why does she have that sword?”
“What sword?” asks a guard.
“Tamashi no Ken...,” the others mutter seeing its hilt glistening.
“I never knew it was real.”
“Is she a goddess?”
The leader raises his fist and the guards lower their guns. He removes the covering on his face as he approaches Jasper. His face is very oily and sweating. The beard he has is bushy but he's still a middle-aged demigod.
“Does the sword belong to her?” he asks Jasper.
“Yes, of course.”
“Any proof?”
On his shoulder, Jasper looks at his goddess as she lets the sword let out a violet fire while it's in its sheath, proof that the sword heeds her command.
“So, it ‘is’ true.” The demigod's eyes marvel at the sight of Sayuri showing herself by removing her hood.
“Oh, it ‘is’,” says Jasper, rubbing his nose.
“I'm Habib and we would like to know your names.”
Jasper flicks his booger off of his finger to the side before saying, “Well, to start, I'm Jasper, the God of Trickery, this is Jack, the cyborg, then that's Hyun, the God of Blood. And the most powerful of us all, Lady Sayuri, the Goddess of Blades.”
“Show your respect!” Habib yells.
Then the people hiding behind the towers show themselves and kneel on the ground. They stand up as soon as Sayuri nods. Not waiting for permission, she passes by Habib and takes a closer look at the people. Those without fabric to cover their faces have dust all over them. The children are thin. Little girls have fabrics to cover them but the boys don't. So thin, it looks like their flesh is thinner than leather. Some of them only have underwear. Their eyes are focusing on the goddess in front of them, looking at her as she looks at them one by one. Meanwhile, Jasper, Habib, Jack, and Jasper observe from afar, in the same place as they were.
“I apologize for that,” says Jasper. “She doesn't like to talk but let her actions speak.”
“I can see that,” says Habib while Sayuri is kneeling on the ground, giving a little boy water from her bottle.
“So,” says Jasper, looking around, especially at the tower. “you guys are so cautious, huh?”
“We have no choice. Some vile people want to take this place for themselves instead of sharing them with others. In this wasteland, those who are unfortunate to live in poverty have no choice but to mine and trade for food. ”
“This is nearly like Ra.”
“The desert on Earth?”
“Yeah. Anyways, you're the only demigod here. Why is that?”
“As someone fortunate enough to have a business in other lands, I didn't leave this place, unlike my family. I chose to stay, and marry my ten wives.
“Ten wives?!!!” Jasper exclaims as l**t takes over his mind. “That's heaven!”
“Well, I married them so I can help them. It's also a way to help their fathers by lightening up their load.”
“Then how many children do you have?”
“None.”
“Why? If it was me, I could've had twenty children by now!”
“Hey,” Jack taps Jasper's shoulder, reminding him to be a little serious.
“Oh, sorry,” says Jasper, grinning. “Please, go on.”
“My father and his wives, including my mother, left this village when I was eight years old.”
“Martian years or-”
“Martian years.”
“Then you would've been fifteen years old in Earth years.”
“That's right,” he nods. “I entrusted my business on my father but he stopped sending me money when Olympus Mons has been destroyed.”
“Yeah, we heard about that.”
“So, I have no more income. All I can do is guard and help my wives and my brothers' families.”
“*Tsk* Could I take a look at what you're mining?”
“Of course, right this way.”
They walk into the area where the piles of rubble are. Jasper takes a look at the pile of rubble then inside the buckets full of minerals.
“Oh, no... these minerals are slowly killing them, Habib. You're slowly killing your wives and people.”
“What do you mean? I've been doing this for years without getting sick before they decided to join me.”
Jasper stands up, dusting off his palms. “You see, Habib, you're a demigod but your wives and people are Martian humans. What doesn't harm you doesn't mean that it won't harm them. The minerals you've been mining are Cobalt—the same mineral that the Ra people we saved were mining. This is very toxic, Habib, especially for the children. Did anyone tell you about this?” He shakes his head. “That's what I figured. Then to whom do you sell these?”
“To any traveling merchant that comes here.”
“Well, stop this now before it's too late.”
“We can't, we have nothing else to do for a living.”
“Take them to the ship,” says Sayuri, passing by them. She goes to tend to the sick girl in her mother's arms as they sit on the dirt under a tent.
“Ship?” asks Habib.
“You heard her,” Jasper says. “We have a self-sustaining ship that can feed all of you. Just be kind enough not to spill its location to the outsiders.”
“Are your words true?”
“Yes, but I wouldn't even try to prove it to you. It's up to you to let Lady Sayuri save your souls.”
Habib looks at Jasper. As normal people would decide, they won't trust the man who has a sly smirk. A smirk that looks more ominous than a prowling fox, preying on a desert rabbit. But Habib sees more than the surface.
“We are forever grateful to you, my lord,” he says, bowing.
“Don't thank me. All of the gratitude should be to Lady Sayuri.”
They watch where she is and Hyun is there to help. With his powers, he heals the sick girl in a matter of seconds. Dark bl**d and dust come out of the girl's nose and mouth. A few seconds later, the girl opens her eyes and breathes fine, wondering why she doesn't have to put effort into her breathing. The mother cries in joy, embracing her daughter.
“Thank you!” she cries, bowing while sitting on the ground. Sayuri just nods, caressing the girl's head.
“Okay, people!” Jasper announces. “Line up and let the handsome Lord Hyun heal ya!”
They follow him without hesitation and line up in a single file. Children first, followed by women and men. One by one, Hyun is careful in healing them. There are twenty-seven people in this mine including the guards. For an hour, he's done treating all of them. All of them rejoice, feeling healthy more than ever.
“So, what now?” Hyun asks Jasper as he joins them with Sayuri.
Jasper says, “I suggest we will take them with us to convince other villagers to come with us. How's that sound?”
“I'd go for it,” says Hyun.
“Okay,” answers Jack.
Habib says, “I don't know if they will listen but I'll try convincing them otherwise.”
“My lady?” Jasper asks for her confirmation. She nods. “Okay, then. Let's do it.”
They search for other people in the canyon and convince them to stop mining and come with them to the ship. They are easily persuaded when they recognize Sayuri's sword. This is thrilling Jasper even more, eager to know why these people know it and hold it in the highest regard. When the last of the people in the canyon have been convinced, only those in the village are left.
With them, are a hundred people. As all of them fly with Hyun's power, Habib warns Jasper, “The people in the village are mainly outsiders. They don't know about Lady Sayuri's sword or even respect it. We people in the mines were the original villagers before they came.”
“No wonder no one recognized her sword when we barged in,” Jasper realizes, looking back. Turning his head, he faces forward saying, “I think they are self-sustaining. I saw how healthy their people are. We'll bring you to the ship without them. They're fine on their own.”
*
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- Writer
