The Champion's Brother / Running Man Animation / Fan-fiction

Little Bug

Liu didn't entirely know the full story behind why they left. Why one night Sean had snatched him up and walked out on their parents. That wasn't all he didn't fully understand.

Why didn't his parents care for him? Or more accurately, why hadn't they cared for him? As far as Sean seemed to be concerned, their parents were dead.

She'd taken him to a different village where they now lived. They still grew crops and now they trained together. The only downside was when Sean had to travel out to train with other fighters and inventors, and he had to stay behind. Which wasn't so bad. He had gotten used to it over time.

To use up his time he'd go out to the fields and tend to the new crops they'd planted. But he had to go through the village to get to them, which meant he normally ran into...

"Hey Little Bug!" jeered a voice from behind him. "Where you goin' aye?"

He tried to ignore the crowd of kids that gathered not far behind him. It was easy not to turn around, but hard not to listen.

"I think he's going to those dirt piles he's always digging in," sniggered another.

"Hey Little Bug!" the first one called. "What's wrong? You deaf as well as blind aye? With your big glasses you must have been a real embarrassment to your parents. No wonder they abandoned you. Hey look at me Orphan!"

A stone struck him on the shoulder.

"Orphan!" the first kid called again. "Turn around Orphan!"

Liu bent down, picked up the stone, wheeled around, and struck the first one with it. He yelped and clutched his nose.

"Don't call me that!" Liu said furiously. "I'm not an Orphan!"

"Check the facts," the first one in the crowd said, gingerly feeling his nose. "You have no parents and it won't be long before your sister realizes she's risked her chances as Tribal Champion to take care of a burden like you. Can't be much longer before she abandons you too."

"I-"

Liu stopped, pieces clicking together in his mind.Why his sister had taken him and left. Why she constantly pushed herself to be better so she could make it to the Championship. Why she trained him to fend for himself. Why his parents had never cared for him. He was useless.

"Exactly," the first one said. "Orphan."

Liu wanted to run, he wanted to hide, to cry. He turned and hurried out of the village.