“Oh thank goodness your back!”

Alephi was the first to greet me this evening.

“Yes… sorry I was out so late?”

“Oh it’s completely fine…..we saved you your dinner.”

She was still worried, Marin was subdued as well. Though maybe for different reasons, meaning because

I’d left her cooped up in here all day……once again.

I gave Alephi a reassuring smile.

“Thank you.”

Yuli gave a cold snort from the bed.

“Where were you?”

That got my attention. Yuli was interested in what I was doing. Maybe she’s warmed up to us a bit? Or was she worried as well for her own reasons.

Regardless I couldn’t help but grimace when I looked at her. Seeing her…brought up unpleasant memories.

“I was, taking care of some issues.”

At that I carefully laid the pen and paper down on the floor in the center of the room.

“Tomorrow you will be joining me for training with the old man.”

“””Huh?”””

That elicited a confused noise from all of them.

“…..Yuli specifically. I won’t force you two to train. I figured Yuli would find it particularly fun to fight.”

She narrowed her eyes slightly at that, had I been off the mark about her?

“Thank you.”

Maybe, maybe not.

“As for you Alephi, Marin. I was able to acquire some pen and papers. How would you two like to learn how to read?”

“REALLY!?”

Marin was positively bouncing in excitement.

“That’s only something rich humans get to learn right?”

Awe, only you could make something so horrible sound so cute Marin.

While I was appreciating Marins adorable smile I saw movement on the bed out of the corner of my eye. Yuli had turned away from us and her ears were flattened against her head, her silver tail had also curled around her protectively.

“Yuli..”

Her ears slightly twitched.

“You are welcome to learn too.”

“Nnn…”

Her head bobbed slightly, but that was good enough. Maybe there was more to her than met the eye. I suppose I should pay a bit more attention to her, considering that she was now my responsibility as well.

“Alright then, we will start learning tomorrow after training. I’m sorry girls but I need the rest.”

“”It’s ok!””

Alephi and Marin both responded brightly before moving towards the bed. I quickly scarfed down dinner

and did the same.

Like most nights the sleeping arrangement started with Marin to the far left, then Alephi, then myself, and finally Yuli took up the right part of the bed. Though tonight she was a bit closer to the rest of us than usual.

Maybe she was warming up to us……

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

“Ho-ho-ho, so you did bring her.”

The Old man’s eyes glinted with a dangerous light. I was beginning to grow concerned that I had misjudged what that glint was. However, seconds later I realized the concern was entirely unfounded.

“Work harder scrubs! Scrub-1 what is this! Scrub-2 has been here only since today and she can already lift twice your weight! It looks like I’ve been too soft with you! Put some spirit into it!”

As I thought! This old man is a sadist! Yuli seemed to be enjoying the workout like it was the best thing she’s ever done. I, on the other hand, was suffering! She’s so damn strong!

Yuli lapped up the praise, her expression twinkling with an ‘in your face’ attitude.

That was at least until the end of the day.

“Kill it.”

The old man once again coldly stated those words. This time they were directed at Yuli. The slothutan had been brought out for what was going to be the last time. It left a sick feeling in my gut, but I knew that the old man was trying to force us past the trauma. He wanted to force us into being killers. But that was his job. It’s the reason why I decided to do whatever he told me to do.

“Ooh Ooh Ooh!”

The slothutan had already been let out of its cage and was pacing back and forth. It seemed to know what was about to come. It knew that it couldn’t run. There was unwillingness in Yuli’s eyes.

Did she perhaps not want to kill?

Previously I just assumed she was a born fighter. Someone who enjoyed conflict. It seemed she enjoyed learning how to kill. But the expression on her face showed that she was unhappy.

Were those tears forming?

“Kill it, or leave. I teach killers, not fighters. Are you a scrub or are you a child?”

Tearfully she looked to me. I could only grimace in sympathy. I remember when I’d been in that situation. I had found my resolve. It seems that Yuli now had to find hers. If anything this would at least give her a chance at freedom as well.

That’s at least what I consoled myself with. I’m the one that brought her to this after all, a seven year old child would become a killer under her own will because of me.

Yuli’s expression hardened, though a tear or two leaked out.

The fight was over in an instant. The slothutan had no special ability like the baboon had.

She came in swift and decisively, the small, hardened nails of hers raking a deep wound across its front. It only had time for a choked off cry of pain before both of her thumbnails pierced through its windpipe. She stepped away from it as it fell to the ground, convulsing and struggling for air. All it had was its own blood.

When it finally fell still she looked up at the old man with a bitter face.

“Eight points. You left it to suffer. Most audiences like gore but not a death like that.”

He sighed lightly before looking to me.

“That’s enough for today. I expect both of you back here at the same time tomorrow.”

“Yes teacher.”

“…..Yes……..teacher.”

Yuli barely mumbled out a reply before the old man and his servant disappeared into the hallways leading off from the courtyard.

We stood there for a while. I eventually realized that Yuli wasn’t going to move without some help. I walked over to her and took her hand. She numbly followed me out and down the corridor. This world was so insane. It was a place where it was acceptable for children to kill each other and for a mother to get away with murdering another mother.

I didn’t like it.

“Kitling…..”

“I’m sorry Yuli.”

She stopped us and I turned to look at her. Then she did what I was probably expecting the least.

She hugged me.

“I’ll work harder.”

“No…you don’t have to do that ever again. We’ll find something else for you, I promise.”

She shook her head.

“No, this is what I was made for. It’s all I’m good for.”

“That is so horribly wrong! You’re good for so much more!”

Was this really the girl who probably would’ve emerged victorious from the Blood Bloom if I hadn’t been there?

She gave me a sad smile.

“It’s fine anyways.”

She stalked off slowly, tail hanging limply, back to our room

We walked in silence the rest of the way.

I think…. I screwed up.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

“Yay! Kitling! You’re back!”

Marin greeted me with more enthusiasm than she’d shown for the past week! But it wasn’t only me that was returning this time.

“Welcome back Yuli.”

Alephi probably recognized something was off. She gave me a slightly worried glance and then went to greet Yuli. She really is such a good girl. Definitely a big sister. Maybe for more than Marin now.

“Kitling?”

Marin gave a worried query from below. I forced on a smile.

“Hey! Are you ready to learn?”

“Yes!”

Marin’s smile helped, but I’m not sure if it helped as much as it used to.

“Well great! I’ll be back in a second and then we can start!”

I stepped out to find the guard-boy returning with water and vinegar. It seems he’d learned the routine by now.

“Thank you.”

I’m not sure who was more surprised. Him, for my civility or me, for my dropping of character. I was supposed to be an evil, hard-ass gladiator around him. I let it rest there though. I suddenly felt very tired tonight.

Though my night wasn’t quite done yet.

I returned with the water and vinegar. Yuli almost eagerly washed her hands. Afterwards she went under the covers, her dinner left untouched.

I sighed lightly before starting on mine and pulling the pen, ink, and paper out.

The first lesson was very simple. The alphabet was laid out for them and I spelled out everyone’s name.

“Kitling, why didn’t you write down yours?”

Marin, as innocent as ever asked.

“Because kitling isn’t his name.”

Alephi quick to follow up.

“Then what is it?”

The inevitable counter-question.

“I haven’t decided yet.”

Was the only reply I could give.

I spent the next hour writing out common words that started with each letter of the alphabet. The two of them began to absorb it like sponges.

“Alright that’s enough. Time for bed.”

“Okkaaayyy.”

Marin’s reply was less enthusiastic than it had been last night. But we all needed sleep. Me in particular.

Or at least that’s what I thought.

*HIC*

A series of choked back sobs and sniffles woke me in the middle of the night. The came from behind me rather than in front of me.

It was Yuli.

She must have waited till everyone was asleep to indulge in her tears. I rolled over to find her under the covers, her back shuddering.

This was my fault.

Hesitantly I shifted across the bed before I was beside her.

“Hey, hey…ssshhhh it’ll be ok.”

I repeated all the little things that I remember my mom telling me whenever I cried as a child. They sounded empty coming out of my mouth.

“B-bbut I killed so many people. I didn’t want to! I didn’t want to!”

Yuli seemed to remember some of what happened that day. I guess today must of brought those memories to the forefront. I could feel mine creeping up and ready to overwhelm me to.

I took a long tearful sigh.

“I know, I didn’t want to either. But what’s done is done. We have to live with it.”

“nnoooo..”

Yuli continued to mewl weakly. I tried to embrace her, maybe it would provide some comfort words couldn’t. At first she struggled, before nuzzling into my chest. Her sobbing increased though it was a bit more muffled now. Vaguely I could feel movement behind us, but for the moment Yuli was my focus.

It was the first time I looked at her. Really looked at her. I’d been avoiding it I think. It was easier to blame her as some monster in a girl’s body. But, the crying child that was in my arms right now shattered those thoughts. She’d been hurting, just as much if not more so than me.

“It’ll be ok. You’ll see. We will get out of here….all of us.”

She continued to sniffle a bit, before pausing.

“Promise?”

There was so much weight laden on that promise. I knew it was one that I very well may be unable to keep. But if it would help keep this poor girl going….

I’d make it.

“I promise.”

“Nnnn…”

That night, Yuli tearfully fell asleep in my arms.

The next morning I found Alephi and Marin curled up together on the other side of the bed. A few tearstains made their way down Alephi’s cheeks. It seemed all of us had had an emotional night.

Nobody really said anything. Alephi and Marin stayed asleep while Yuli and I ate my breakfast and whatever was edible from her portion of dinner last night. I had forgotten to have the guard-boy bring her portion of dinner as well.

After finishing it was off to training. Despite Yuli’s and mine subdued appearances the old man was in high spirits. So we suffered through another day of hard workouts, stories of gladiators past and at the end, sparring. Though instead of a new primate like creature the two of us sparred against each other. Our hearts weren’t in it.

“Put some damn effort into it scrubs!”

“I have never seen such shit-for-brains fighting in my life!”

The old man continued to roar obscenities at the two of us. Something I hadn’t ever seen him do. It was a little terrifying.

“Let’s fight for real. It’s all for getting out of here.”

That finally seemed to wake Yuli out of her slump. Her eyes regained a little clarity as she focused.

“That’s right. Us getting out starts here.”

That elicited a small nod.

“Then let’s do this!”

My high-pitched voice made the last bit come out as more of a squeak rather than a roar. But it got the point across.

Yuli beat me black and blue.

“Ow, ow, ow.”

“S-sorry…”

“It’s fine.”

“hohoho much better. You two were useless scrubs at the beginning of the day. But that ending made it worth it. Scrub-1 you’ve gotta be quicker than that when she’s on the attack. Scrub-2, stop falling for his feints! Use your head a bit.”

“”Yes teacher.””

“Good, do better tomorrow.”

“twelve down…. Three-hundred-fifty-three to go.”

“Hrm?”

“Don’t worry about it. Let’s get back.”

“Ok.”

Yuli was much happier. The fight seemed to have raised her spirits. I think in part I was right. She is a battle lover, just not a killer.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

“B-bed.”

“Good!”

“hehehe.”

When we returned to the room, both Marin and Alephi were excitedly waiting. They’d spent the entire day

memorizing each word and letter I’d left them with last night. It was cute, and exactly what I had been hoping would happen. The two of them seemed to be in better spirits then what I assumed they must’ve been this morning.

“Alright! Then let’s make a sentence?”

“What’s that?”

Yuli joined us.

“What?”

Naturally the other two looked at her funny. No matter, it’ll be easily fixed.

“A sentence, Yuli. Is something like this.”

I paused for effect.

“Yuli kicked my butt today.”

“hehehe.”

That elicited a small bit of laughter from her and Marin. Alephi smiled slightly.

“A sentence is what you and I and everyone uses each day. It is composed of a subject and then an action the subject takes or a description of the subject.”

“Uh……..uh huh.”

This is the tricky part. I remember when Clyde and Claura…..

I could feel a frown forming on my face.

“Kitling?”

Alephi piped up now. Her expression was, as always now, one of concern. I smiled.

“It’s nothing.”

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

That night, I found myself getting squished by Yuli and Alephi. Both of them slept just a bit too close for comfort. I could feel it getting extremely hot under sheets. The summer weather made it bad enough already, but now it was quite a bit worse.

“Kitling?”

“Mmm?”

“Is everything really ok?”

Alephi was the one who stayed up extra late tonight.

“Mhm?”

“Kitling?”

“Nnn?”

“Are you awake?”

“Nnnhnnn.”

“Hey!”

“Sorry, Alephi you’re worrying too much. You’ll get wrinkles.”

A small enraged huff greeted my last comment. Despite the heat I wrapped my arms around her, much like Yuli last night.

“Really don’t worry so much, everything will be fine.”

“Oo-o-o-ok.”

Came her stuttering reply.

“Goodnight.”

“Nnn, goodnight.”

It’s amazing how quickly a day can reverse your attitude.

A few weeks later, Alephi wrote her first paragraph. The grammar was so-so, but it got the point across and her handwriting was amazingly neat and legible.

It was better than mine……

A day later she passed her final math test. She was already quite good at addition and subtraction, but the engineer in me couldn’t stop there. So I’d had to spend another week explaining how multiplication and division worked. Marin and Yuli lagged behind, with Yuli lagging the most.

That couldn’t be helped though. She had training with the old man and I. I think it bothered her though.

“Shitty cat get back here!”

“Oops! Gotta be quicker than that!”

Our afternoon sparring sessions got very heated, often with verbal abuse thrown in. Surprisingly the old man didn’t say anything about it. Maybe he believed it was good practice for taunting in the arena.

Now came the next problem…..Marin.

All it would take is one introduction from me to Zla for Alephi to start her ‘job’ as his assistant. Yuli was already training with me. For the past week, while they stayed in high spirits in front of me, I could tell sitting around all day was starting to wear them thin. With Alephi gone, Marin would crack.

I definitely would. From shear boredom before anything else.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

“Alephi, this is Zla. Though I believe you two met before.”

“I-I r-remember.”

A shy Alephi managed to utter this out while trying to hide behind me. Which was pretty ineffectual considering that since she was a girl and older she would be taller than me until I hit puberty.

Nonetheless it was still cute! If it was in a less formal situation I’d probably fawn over her. However, this was a business meeting…..of sorts.

“I recall this little one. So she can read?”

Zla was…..being less gruff? Maybe he was being charmed by Alephi’s childish cuteness as well!

“Yes, not only that Alephi here can do basic math!’

“Prove it.”

“Quizz her.”

“Auh! Ki-kitling!?”

“It’ll be fine! You can do this.”

I try to flash her my best reassuring smile. She seemed to calm down so….maybe it worked?

“Very well, spell ‘Pillswort’.”

“Eh?”

Zla immediately fires off an atomic bomb from the get go!

“Zla…..just because she can read a word doesn’t necessarily mean she can spell the names of medicinal herbs right off the bat.”

“Hmpphhh.”

“Alephi you don---.”

“I-I’ll try.”

…….

“P…..i? L? S? W-u-r-t?”

“Hmm close enough. Even I don’t expect her to know something like that. For your information Pillswort is

spelled p-i-l-l-s-w-o-r-t and is a type of fungus that is used in pain relieving medicines. It grows on willow trees and enhances the tree’s pain relieving properties.”

“I-I see.”

Interesting, there wasn’t a fungus like that back on earth. I’m almost jealous of Alephi! However I should reign in my curiosity, this isn’t the time nor the place.

“Well then, any more tests?”

“Yes.”

“Oh?”

“I’ll take her on for one week. She can figure out how to almost spell a word she has never heard before, furthermore it has only been around a month since you said you’d teach her. Clearly she has a good head on her shoulders regardless of how good you are as a teacher. Her ability to handle what comes with being my assistant is the real test. Working as a healer in the Arena is….well it can be quite gruesome.”

Just as I was about defend Alephi’s capabilities, she beat me to it.

“We of all people should be the most aware of that.”

A slightly bitter and forlorn expression coated her face before she looked at me and her smile brightened. She is maturing too quickly. It makes my heartache when I think of that.

An awkward atmosphere hangs over the room. The silence was so thick that the evening sounds of the

Arena came into focus.

“W-well then. If that is all, Alephi and I will be off. I assume you wish her here early tomorrow morning?”

“Yes…yes, that will work just fine.”

“Well…..goodnight then.”

With that I pulled the mildly melancholic Alephi along behind me and exited from Zla’s infirmary. It was quite the awkward situation. The kind that only occurs when someone brings up a social injustice that everyone had been tacitly ignoring.

We didn’t really speak on the way back to the room. That night only Yuli snuggled up closely behind me.

Alephi squirmed away and tightly clung to Marin.

I didn’t think too much of it. Everyone has their own way of dealing with frustration, anger, and pain.

______________________________________________________________________________________

TWO CHAINS! kidding, just a double release.