Through Thick and Thin | Benimaru

Chapter 2: Fish and Bird

The young master kept his arms wrapped around the small crying female while looking at his parents in shock. His parents stood there in silence with a few tears building up. There was nothing they could say to reassure the young girl completely. No one except Little Blue's parents had seen or heard her cry, not including the time she was born. It was unnatural for her to not cry at all, but after five years, it seemed it was more unnatural now for her to cry. The poor girl was sobbing inconsolably into her best friend's chest as he gently patted her head, not quite sure what to do for his usually cheerful friend.

"Little Blue?" he called gently after a few minutes as her sobs turned into hiccups before dying down. She made no indication that she had heard him. "Little Blue, why are you crying?"

Silence. He gently pushed her shoulders back to see that she had exhausted herself completely and had fallen asleep, tear tracks drying on her cheeks.

"Mother, father, what happened to make Little Blue cry?" The young master asked as he shifted to put the small five year old on his back, carrying her out of her parent's room towards his parents that had been silently standing at the doorway.

"The healers had to leave, but they couldn't bring Little Blue with them," the mother tried explaining gently as she lifted Little Blue off of her son and cradled the sleeping five year old in her arms. The lady of the village smiled sadly down at the child who was just a few months younger than her own. In the arms of the lady of the village, the small ogre's blue hair stood out against the pink hair of the lady of the village and the red hair of both the young master and his father. Her singular horn seemed out of place in the family that all had two.

"Where did they go? Why couldn't Little Blue go?" The young red-haired ogre asked curiously as he followed his mother towards Little Blue's room. His mother put the blue-haired ogre child into her bed, tucking her in as the Young Master sat at the foot of the bed.

"If they could take Little Blue, they wouldn't have left," his father answered him with a sad shake of his head. "They loved Little Blue so much that they had to leave."

"That doesn't make sense..." the young master whispered under his breath, trailing off as he stared at his best friend.

As the leading family sat in her room, the sound of the main door opening caught their attention. It didn't take long before another blue-haired child popped his head into the doorway. It was Little Blue's cousin. He seemed surprised to see everyone in her room, but was quick to read the mood and silently made his way in.

"Is Little Blue okay?" the six year old boy asked as he glanced at her sleeping figure. Clearly, even in her dreams, she was distraught as her eyebrows were creased as she lightly tossed and turned.

"Her parents had to leave her here," the young master said sadly as he reached for her hand and gently grasped it. He had to be careful not to accidentally absorb or send energy with his Little Blue in this state. Her cousin stared at the young master before turning to the lady and lord of the village.

"Where did they go? Why couldn't Little Blue go?" He asked the exact same questions that the young master had asked. The parents looked at each other before crouching down to be eye level with the two boys.

"If you two promise not to tell Little Blue, we'll tell you why they left." They each held out their right pinky to the two boys, who quickly hooked their own pinky with the adults'. The young master who let go of his Little Blue's hand to link pinkies glanced back at the small blue-haired girl before turning back to his parents.

"We promise," the two boys said, inching closer to the adults to hear.

~~~

Immediately after they heard the reason, the two of them regretted promising to not tell the small blue-haired girl sleeping beside the group.