Rachels' Book Of Short Stories

Forever Yours - Part One - Zitao Fanfiction

  Layla

He smiled as he watched her, dancing in the waves. She was so carefree and happy, like the sea. She turned towards him and grinned, running over.

"Come on, Tao! Come in with me!" She said, grabbing his hand. He smiled.

"I'm fine!" He said, not wanting to go in the water. She pouted.

"Tao!" She said, trying to pull him up. He started laughing.

"Layla, I'm fine! Go have fun with your friends!" He told her. She smiled and sat down next to him.

"It's not fun without you!" She said, leaning her head against his shoulder. He smiled and put his arms around her, gently kissing the top of her head.

"I love you!" He whispered, she smiled and took his hand.

"I love you too! So much!" She whispered back.

Tao woke up searching for her, dismayed when he realized that she wasn't there. It had been a year since she was stolen from him. A whole year. He could still remember what happened. He could still see it as clear as day. They were walking along the beach one evening, enjoying the sunset, when they were attacked.

There were gunshots and yelling, people scattering and running away. Tao had grabbed Layla and pulled her behind a rock, postitioning himself in front of her to protect her. One of the thugs had gone over and pulled him away, hitting him relentlessly. The last thing he remembered before blacking out was Layla screaming his name, then he woke up in a hospital bed. Layla was gone. No one knew what happened to her, and she wasn't the only one who had gone missing.

Search parties were sent out, but after awhile, the missing were considered dead. There were memorials set up in their honor. Taos' family and friends were sympathetic, but expected him to move on. But how could he? How could he just forget about her? He sighed. He had no choice but to keep going. And there was still that small hope, deep down inside him, that she was still alive and would come back to him.

He got up and showered, and started getting ready for his day. After work he usually went to teach children taekwondo at his father's martial arts school. He hoped it would be a good day, sometimes it was and sometimes it wasn't.

He went through his workday like normal, then went to the martial arts school. The day seemed to be going pretty well, until he was done at the school. He was walking back to his apartment when he suddenly heard screaming. He ran down an alleyway, where they were coming from. He turned a corner and saw a man and a young looking girl. The man was threatening her. She let out a scream, making him grab her again and covering her mouth.

"Hey! Let her go!" Tao yelled, starting towards them. The guy turned and grinned.

"Make me!" He sneered, grabbing her tighter. Tao ran towards him, and in one swift movement, he was on the ground. He looked up at Tao with a shocked expression. He started to get up again but Tao knocked him unconscious. He turned towards the girl, who was crouched behind some crates.

"It's ok, you can come out now, it's safe!" He said. The girl peeked out, then went over to him.

"Are you ok?" He asked her, she looked to be about twelve.

She nodded, then asked, "who are you?"

"I'm Tao! What's your name?" Tao said, with a smile, kneeling down to her level. The girl smiled back.

"I'm Nani!" She replied. Tao smiled again and held his hand out to her.

"Well Nani, can I walk you home? I don't want someone else to come after you!" He said. Nani smiled and took his hand. "Who was that man?" Tao asked her.

"That was my uncle. He gets drunk a lot! I live with my grandma." She said. Tao nodded.

"Well, I don't think he'll be bothering you for awhile!" He told her. She smiled at him.

"Thank you!" She said. Tao smiled back at her. She reminded him of Layla, in a small way. He was glad he helped her. When they got to where Nani lived, Tao was going to leave but Nani begged him to go meet her grandmother, so he gave in.

"Granny, I found a friend!" She called, as they entered. Tao saw an old woman sitting on a couch. She smiled at Tao.

"Hello!" She said, holding her hand out. Tao smiled and went over to her, taking her hand politely.

"He saved me from Uncle." Nani told her. Granny smiled.

"Thank you! My son can get angry very easily, when he's drunk. He often does things he regrets later." She told him. "What is your name?"

"I'm Tao! I was walking home when I heard Nani scream. I'm glad I could help her!" Tao told her. The elderly woman smiled again. He ended up staying for a long time, then, after he went back home, he realized that he felt happy for first time in a very long time.

After that night, he saw Nani a lot more. She started going to the martial arts school, and Tao would walk her home afterwards and have dinner with her and her grandmother. She became like a little sister to him, and she looked up to him.

One Saturday, Tao took Nani to the zoo. They had a lot of fun looking at the animals and eating ice cream, and the petting zoo was just as fun. But when they were walking back home, they came upon some trouble. They were in the wrong place at the wrong time, quite by accident. There was a bank robbery going on, and the thieves didn't want any witnesses, so they took Tao and Nani captive.

Tao tried to defend her, but they all ganged up on him. He was tied up and blindfolded, and thrown in the back of a truck.

"Nani? Where are you? Are you here?" He asked, frustrated because of the blindfold.

"Yes, I'm here! They put a blindfold on me and tied my hands together really tight! It hurts!" Nani responded, he could hear her moving, like she was trying to get the ropes off.

"Don't move around so much, it'll make it worse!" He told her, "I'll get us out of this, I promise!"

"I know!" Nani said, trusting him. They rode for what felt like hours, and when the truck finally stopped, Tao couldn't help but feel a bit relieved. He heard muffled voices, then the back of the truck opened, and the men went in and pulled him and Nani out.

"You got a CHILD?" a woman's voice asked, that voice made Tao's heart stop. It can't be! he thought, shocked.

"Well, she was with her older brother. And besides, if we just took one, the other would talk. So we didn't have a choice." A rough voice responded.

"Well, let's see then!" The woman replied. The blindfolds were jerked off, and Tao had to blink to get used to the light. He stared at the woman in front of him.

"Layla???" He asked, shock written all over his face.