What Future?

Chapter 5: Eku and Rea

Rehenna's eyes fluttered open, grey and dull. Her finger twitched, as she awoke. Where was she? Shakily, she breathed in and exhaled. Wherever she was, she was lying down on a very comfortable surface. She was no longer lying down on hard wood or filthy dirt, and she guessed that everything was comfortable compared to the previous two she mentioned.

"E-Eku...?" she rasped, her pale and petite hands gripping the sheets beneath her.

Right next to her, Ekubar immediately woke up at the sound of her voice. "Yes, Rehenna?" he tenderly held her hand, letting her know that he was there.

"W-where," she swallowed, "Where are we? What— what happened?" the last thing she remembered was Ray right in front of her.

"Nothing. Nothing, absolutely nothing for you to worry about, you're alright." Ekubar released a breath and pressed his forehead against her hand. He shook as he felt her skin beneath her fingers, and tears began to prick at the corner of his eyes.

"Eku?" Rehenna furrowed her brows, something didn't feel right. "Are you alright?"

"Yes." Was his immediate response.

"Okay..." Rehenna tried to sit up, but was pushed back down by Ekubar.

"No, no. You stay. Don't try to get up, I need to be somewhere, so just stay. Alright?" Ekubar pulled the sheets over her once again, and brushed her hair away from her face. "Alright?" he repeated.

Ekubar was acting strange, but nonetheless Rehenna made herself comfortable and nodded.

Ekubar combed his fingers through his ebony hair, and exited the doctor's cabin. When he closed the door, he slid down against it, and buried his face into his hands.

"Rea... Rea... Rea, Rea, Rea..." the name slipped through his tongue so well, that it felt like second nature to say it.

His midnight eyes peaked through his fingers, and seemed to glaze over everything in his sight.

"Rea." Said a small voice. The voice belonged to small boy with dark hair, and curious dark eyes. "Do you want to play with us?"

A little girl with hair the same shade looked behind her, her hair only reaching up to her shoulders. "Okay!" she yelled with a smile, running over to them from her place in the patch of flowers. "Let's play hide and seek, I will be the one to find the both of you. Go hide with Erash." She shooed them away as she turned to cover her eyes against a tree.

Eku laughed and took his little sister's toddler hands into his own, and tugged her away to hide behind a small house made out of straw.

Ekubar made his way down the mountain, eyes unfocused. The ground was covered with a fresh layer of snow, but he had borrowed some clothes from the doctor, and that included warmer boots and extra socks to prevent the cold from entering.

He remembered living in a small village. A village where only Liya lived inside the regular houses. They were only small in numbers, but they were able to live peacefully with only each other as their company. Nobody complained about it since it was a better life than most Liya had at the time.

Erash, his little sister, lived there with him and their parents. Yes, he had a mother and father, and they loved the both of them very much. Ekubar, Erash, and Rehenna would always play together in the village. The three of them were never far apart from each other, and were the best of friends.

But...

"Rea! Let's play hide and seek!" yelled Ekubar as he ran towards her with a little Erash on his back. His clothes were tattered and dirty, but the little boy didn't seem to mind. "Me and Erash will be hiding again!" he gently put Erash down where she stood by herself, her small hand holding her big brother's shirt.