Absolution

Him

They both got up from their seats, going over to the room Bamburai was in, a white cast on his left leg. The doctor motioned for Bamberly to come out of the room, the quiet sounds of their conversation in the background as he looked up from his conversation with Banjex as they entered, his expression changing to a puzzled one upon laying eyes on Bamwind.

"You're still here?"

Bamwind stood silent, shifting uncomfortably before responding.

"Yes."

"...why?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"I'm not going to dignify that with a response. I don't want you here."

"I understand." He said simply. "I just want forgiveness."

Bamburai stared blankly at his brother. He knew that Bamwind was untrustworthy, that he must've been saying this because he had fled and needed a place to stay. But a part of him missed him, wanted to let go of the trauma associated with him. He took a deep breath, before responding.

"Are you truly sorry?"

"Yes."

"Then you'll have to earn it back."

Bamwind paced around the room, not responding, before finding a seat and sitting down, as Bamberly and the doctor came back from outside the room. The doctor began rattling off on how to ensure proper healing for his broken leg, but Bamburai wasn't listening.

He was thinking about how his brother got to the point of fleeing, looking over to him. Bamwind was sitting uncomfortably, and he couldn't resist blurting out what was on his mind.

"Why'd you flee, anyways?"

"...I was tired." He said, before the doctor could speak.

"How come you didn't get tired sooner?" Bamburai raised an eyebrow.

Bamwind looked at his brother, memories of his second in command surfacing. Why didn't he flee his village sooner? He could've been with him by now.

He could've been with him, and he wasted the opportunity for his own pride.

"Could you step out for a moment, I want to- want to talk to my brother." He looked around the room with a stern look, but his weak voice betrayed his feelings. As the others exited the room, he looked back at his brother. "I could've been with him."

"And by him, you mean..."

"Yes, I mean him."

"I don't get why you had the others leave. They know."

"You mean they know that I... loved him? You told them?"

"This place is not like our village. Most people don't care about love."

"Why not?"

"Why not?" Bamburai sighed. "Nobody cares about honor, nobody cares about children."

"Really?" He asked in disbelief, as if it was a place from his dreams.

"Yes, really. Now, tell the others they can come back in. I'm not discussing this with you any further."

Bamwind turned to where he assumed the door was, feeling a part of the wall before finding the handle and turning it open.

"We're done."

"Good." Bamberly says, walking into the room and handing Bamburai a pair of crutches. "It's time to leave."

They made their way to the entrance to the hospital, Banjex guiding Bamwind to the car. As Banjex began driving, the atmosphere became uneasy, but for once, Bamburai was calm, smiling.

He knew his brother. He knew he couldn't hurt him anymore, for now.