In the Past

Your POV

Warrior Tao just stands a few feet away from me as we walk into a new village.

I smile as I see children run past me I stop when one trips and falls. I catch him before he does so and I help straighten him out as he stands up. I smile as he faces me. I see that he’s awfully skinny and he looks scared.

“Are you alright?”

He shakes his head and runs off.

“Ya, hajima,” I shout after him chasing after the boy losing Tao as I make my way down the streets.

I find him after running for a good hour.

I take a deep breathe, “Wow you run really fast.”

The boy turns around and looks at me, “What do you want?”

I hold out a drawing of a beautiful woman smiling, “You had dropped this.”

The boy swipes the picture from my hand and slowly moves his hand over the woman’s face.

“Who is that?” I ask him as I sit down next to him.

The boy simply looks up at me and says, “My mother.”

“Ahhh… she’s beautiful you must take after her.”

He nods his head, “A strange man had come to our house a few weeks ago and took her away from me.”

“Who took her away from you?”

The boy looked away from me so I took his face in my hands, “Do not be seem ashamed. Do you want me to help you look for your mother?”

The boy nods his head wiping away his tears, “I just want my mommy back.”

I pull him against my chest and start singing a familiar traditional Chinese lullaby that my mother had sung for me.

The young boy smiles as he slips into sleep.

I look up to see a surprised looking Tao.

“Why did you run after this child?”

“The look in his eyes reminded me of a friend of mine before we became close. Everyone always looked at him poorly so soon his eyes became empty. Then one day he had killed himself in a final act of depreciation believing that no one was there for him. This boy has lost his mother and is willing to do anything to get her back and I’m going to help him find his mother. For I do not think I can sit back as he’s hurt by these people anymore. He wants a life with his mother and I’m going to try and help him. The question is: are you with me, Tao?”

He kneels down before me and places one hand on the ground then when he looks up he takes on of my hands, “I’ll always be with you.”

I smile as he takes my hand and I place my other hand on the young boy’s head, “Can we go to a bathhouse? I believe this boy should get a proper wash.”

Tao nods his head and points to me, “You bring him into the bathhouse area that you get. He will be your responsibility.”

I nod my head as I look at the young boy as if he was my very own, “I’ll take responsibility for him.”

We reach the bathhouse when I ask for a room for me and the young boy the woman manning the desk looks back at Tao who is standing behind me like a dutiful bodyguard that he is.

“It’s just for me and for my brother. This is a family friend who wants to protect us from harm.”

“Do they not trust this bathhouse?”

I shake my head, “That’s not it we are traveling and they did not want us to be alone.”

The woman nods as she hands me a small ticket made of wood.

I sigh as I take the boy in my arms once again and carry him to the hot springs area that I left for Tao to pay for.

Damn it I wasn’t going to pull something like that but here I go.

He wakes up to find me scrubbing off all the dirt that has layered his skin.

“I can do it myself?”

I shake my head, “Nope. If you want to do something for me tell me your age and name.”

“My name is Nam Chin Hae and I’m 8 years old.”

“Ahh what a beautiful name the meaning of it is truth, correct?” He nods and I smile at him, “It’s a wonderful name. I bet in your life you will live to find many truths.”

Chin Hae blushes as I speak to him causing me to giggle.

I hear the door of the bath busted down so I quickly dress him and throw a thick piece of cloth over him as I slip on a pair of black pants that I believe are ZiTao's and the thickest layer of my hanbok.

“Who do you think you are entering a woman’s bath?”

I challenge the man and they sneer at me. I feel my blood run cold but I don’t back down. They draw near me and pick me up by the front of my clothing.

“What do you think you are royalty?”

I scoff at his ignorance, “Of course I do because I don’t go barging in on people while they are trying to clean themselves.”

I slap the man as hard as I can and he throws me across the room away from where Chin Hae is hiding.

I scream in slight pain as my back and head hit the hard ground.

Chae Hae jumps out of his hiding spot and start to beat on 1 of the men’s backs, “Leave her alone you brut.”

He’s simply kicked and slides back the entrance of the bath.

I shout to him, “Chin Hae, go get Tao. Go get him run as fast as you can.”

I hear a pitter-patter and the men look back and forth I take this time to swing past them and hit them in the face.

I look around for my bag with clothing to see that its by the cloth I had hid Chin Hae under.

I go to grab the cloth only to be picked up again and tossed into the wall.

“Did you say Chin Hae? I think we took away some wench that called out to her son with that same name. Too bad she had to die she was a looker but nothing but a .”

I see a knife attached to the man’s side. All I have to do is take a hold of that and I can get out of here.

I go and run towards the guy with the blade on his hip, but he seemed to catch onto what I wanted because he grabbed a hold of me and throws me like all the other times but harder. I hide the pile of rocks that were set up to decorate the bath. I scream out in pain but I still pull myself up not caring that I’m badly hurt. All I can think about is what they said about the young boy’s mother.

I start to lose my temper.

“You better take back what you said about Chin Hae’s mother or you’ll regret it.”

‘What’s taking Chin Hae so long ZiTao should be here by now?’  I look at the doors and sigh, ‘I’m going to have to do this on my own.’

I race towards the man and they start to attack me back but lightly after the leader I guess shouted, “Don’t harm the merchandise.”

I scowl at him as I race towards him kicking his man in the face as I make my way to him.

It’s hard on my body since I haven’t done anything this serious in a long time and the surgery that had to be done on my shoulder.

I reach the man and kick him as hard as I can when I land I slip my hand on his hip taking his knife away from him. I hold it out at them as they make their way towards me. I grab the leader and place the knife to his throat.

“I’ll kill him if you step any closer. He’s the reason all of you are wearing fine clothing.”

They take a few steps back. I see that a few of them look they wear the same size as me. I look at my dress to see it torn.

I groan and point at the ones that are my size, “You take off your clothing. I believe you and your friends had ripped my dress up badly.”

I’m only doing this to live, but I feel something darker more sinister hiding under the way I feel.

The way I felt when the guy in the alley had attacked my friend and broke my shoulder pretty bad.

They undress keeping on what you could try to call undergarments on and I push the knife deeper into the guys throat.

“Mei Lien,” my head shoots up looking at Tao.

He looks at the man in the area.

“All of you leave before I kill you,” his voice dripping with something more dangerous than a Coastal Taipan*. They race out of the area and Tao looks my way, “Mei Lien let him go if he does anything I’ll kill him. Do not soil your hands on someone like this.”

“He reminds me of the man that made it so I had to quit fighting. I was getting so good at it then one night he showed up trying to hurt my friend surprising the two of us. I got in the way not even thinking of fighting. I just wanted to protect her. Still when I woke up,” tears fall from my eyes, “ he had murdered her. He reminds me of the bastard that did that to my best friend. He needs to rot in hell.”

“Are you going to soil your hands in front of Chin Hae?”

I look at the young boy shaking in fear.

I push the guy towards the door and give him a look, “Did you really kill the boy’s mother?” He nods his head and I throw the knife at him hitting the wall next to him, “Bring her body to the local shrine I’ll see if its really the boy’s mom.”

He looks at me as he shakes in fear running off.

I fall down to my knees taking in deep shallow breathes hard, “I over did myself, again. I’m not a hero. I’m just a girl who loses her temper when she sees strong praying on the weak. This person isn’t me.”

Chin Hae looks at me as I open my arms, “Chin Hae come here. I’ll take care of you.” He races into my arms as I wrap them around him, “I’m here for you Chin Hae, please remember that.”

He nods his head, “I’ll grow up and become strong to protect you.”

“You’re a sweet young boy aren’t you.”

I faint hearing my name shouted in two different voices.

I’m here for you Chin Hae and for you Tao. You both are precious to me. I’ll protect you. I’ll protect you from the pain.

*Costal Taipan- One of the worlds most dangerous snakes