Roseus Papilo (Red Butterfly)

As the rope got tighter and tighter I could only think of how to get away. But one thing lingering in my mind is how he knew the stranger. That thought didn’t last very long as “Jun” started coming closer and closer to the man and I. As I thought the whip started getting tighter and tighter as Jun was getting nearer. I could hardly breathe, so I started pulling the whip from my throat. Jun seen my fear stricken face and immediately stopped.

“Oh so you are human, Jun? Hmmm…I always thought of you as an animal…especially when you were little…oh those were good times weren’t they?” the man with the whip started taunting him. I don’t know how this guy knows Jun but it must have been taking a toll on him from the face he was making. It’s like when we were in the desert again, seeing that frightened little boy. Jun didn’t speak but I could see on his face that he wanted to kill this man.

He finally loosened up the whip enough so I could get away but before I did the man grabbed me by the hair so I wouldn’t get away. Jun looked at me with desperate eyes, I knew what he was asking so I nodded my head in agreement. In one smooth movement Jun sliced my hair in half and I ran behind him. Jun had moved his katana up towards the man’s throat so he wouldn’t move or try to capture me again.

“Don’t come again, Daemon.” Jun threatened

I didn’t want to interrupt but I wanted him to leave as soon as possible, but he kept staring at me like I was some sort of “Possession” that he wanted to keep in locked away in a glass case. He just smiled and shifted his eyes towards Jun.

“So Jun I see that you have yourself a partner now, I always thought you would be the “Lone Wolf” type of guy.” He started laughing hysterically at himself, it must be some inside joke between the two.

“She isn’t my partner, I just happened to be there” Jun seemed so sure of himself but I can see his thoughts very clearly in my head. They are saying “I just need him out of here and everything will be alright”

Daemon took a step forward and I took a step back, Jun just stood where he was and again his thoughts surrounded me. “Stand your ground Jun, he can’t hurt you anymore.” That was the little boy inside of him and I now I know it was Daemon that tainted his body with scars.

“It’s quite alright little lady I won’t hurt you, you are the doctor’s special little girl that he doesn’t want anything to happen to. Now come here I have to take you back so he can torture your poor little soul.” He starts laughing again. I can tell he did that very often. It peeved me badly. I wanted to seriously rip his tongue out.

“I seriously doubt you don’t want to hurt me, besides why would I want to go with an ugly old man like you anyways, and I don’t really want to be experimented on anymore. This tattoo is quite enough for me.” He takes another step towards us and I grab a hold of the back of Jun’s shirt for insurance. But he stops right in front of Jun, looks into his eyes, and brushes his hair back out from his eyes.

“We had fun back then didn’t we Jun? I’m sure the little lady would want to have the same fun as you did back then, so how about you give her to me.” The pain escalated in Jun’s thoughts saying things like “Don’t touch me, you perverted old fuck” That really worried me a bit that Jun was being tortured just by having someone touch his hair. What did Daemon do to you Jun?

“Leave now….” Jun’s voice finally came out, it was a low, dark voice…he was getting angry.
“Ah I see I’m not welcomed here….I’ll come again Jun.”

If I had to describe the man that was leaving right now I would describe him as an evil person. It’s just the way his eyes are, they look as if he could steal your soul with them. Even though they were a nice brown color I just didn’t want to trust them. He also had a scar on the left side of his face that made him seem even more unapproachable. The aura around him makes me not want to be around him for very long.

As the door closed Jun loosened his grip on his blade, when he put it back into the sheath I see his hands are covered in blood from holding the handle too tight. I knew he was mad but I didn’t think it would be that bad.

“Are you alright?” His voice surprised me.

“I’m fine, I needed a haircut anyways. Ha.” I was trying to ease the intensity in the room, but it seems that it didn’t work that well. “Here let me look at your hands…”

He jerked away from me again, I didn’t know what to do I can barely even get close to him.
“Just let me see your hands!”

“Why must you be such a pest? It’s not like we are friends are anything. I just helped you because you were there. I didn’t go out of my way to do so, so stop insisting on helping me. I don’t want you to touch me!”

He threw down his blade, and the hair that he had cut from me, then vanished into the night without saying a word. I stood there with nothing but dead bodies and blood all around me, I was scared stiff for the first time in my life. Looking down at my feet that are covered in blood, in shock I run out of the so called hotel to look for Jun.

Running and running around you would have thought in such a small town I would have been able to find him quickly. The people around me were staring at me, at how pathetic I look. Blood, scars, chopped off hair. What more can I ask for? An older lady comes up to me and looks at me from head to toe.

“Miss, are you alright? You look terrible.” The lady asked me with a concerned look on her face.
“Ahh yes I’m just looking for someone. He has red hair and really pretty ice blue eyes, oh and he is really tall…Have you seen him?” No one has probably seen him but I just it’s good to ask.

“Oh hmmm… I think I have seen someone like that around here, he wore all black, yes?”

“Yess! That’s him! Which way did he go?”
The woman smiled, turned around and walked away without answering my question. I thought it was quite odd. I wanted to follow her but something was telling me not to, so I just stand there. That’s when I saw shadow looming over me. Frightened, I turned around to find that Jun was standing there. That’s definitely the reason why the old woman walked away.

“You seriously need to work on how to approach people Jun. Geez. You scared the shit out of me…..Are you even listening to me?”

“Sorry.” He looked away from me like he was embarrassed. “The blood isn’t mine you know.”
I didn’t quite understand what he was trying to tell me because in all this confusion who could. He then turned over his hands and showed me his palms, they were cleaned off. Not a scratch in sight.

“Oh ha, I see.” I still wanted to know some things about this situation but I dare not ask him right now. Instead he started walking back toward the hotel we were staying at. We didn’t go into the same room we just got out of, for reasons only him and I knew about.

It had turned night before I knew it, and in the darkness had covered the desert with no traces of any light. I didn’t like the dark, but Jun’s presence made me, be at peace with it at least for now. He peered out the window waiting for another group of men to attack at any moment. I felt utterly useless at this point, I couldn’t help one bit if someone was to attack us. Only Jun knew how to fight, I could only get captured again and again. Having someone save you is okay the first time but I wanted to fight alongside Jun, not having him protect me. I’m not that type of girl.

As I tried to go to sleep I could only think about how Jun and that Daemon guy knew each other. They didn’t seem to be on good terms with each other at all. Was he the one who gave Jun all the scars on his back? I’m pretty sure it was him. I guess I’m just thinking way too much for one night. I need to get some rest if I want to help at all….but something was eating me up inside and I didn’t know what it was….

The next morning Jun was nowhere to be found. That guy is just like a cat, going as he please without telling me. It makes me a bit worried at times, I knew he could take care of himself but I couldn’t help my worrying nature. As soon as that thought come to mind she popped into my head again, she was like this too. Leaving me alone at long periods of time and when I needed her most she would mysteriously come back. I never say her name anymore because I want to throw up every time I think about it. I guess it was my way of grieving her death.

While sitting on the bed I heard a noise coming from the banister, it frightened me so I jumped off the bed and into the floor hiding behind the nightstand. A hand appeared on the frame of the window it was familiar to me so I lightened a bit, but I wasn’t for sure. Jun jumped into the room with two bags.

“Dammit Jun! You scared the shit out of me, don’t do that.” I scurried over to him to see what he had got, in hopes that he had brought food for me. He handed me the bags and went straight to bed. He must have been up all night watching for strangers.

I opened the bags and they were full of fruit, just what the doctor ordered. I picked out a few strawberries and oranges to settle my hunger the rest I left for the trip. I knew that we were leaving soon because Jun had got supplies, this fruit naming a few of them.

I sit on the frame of the window waiting for Jun to wake up so we could leave this God forsaken place. It was a nightmare staying here day in and day out. It’s not like I’m complaining about it at all, it’s just I want to get out of here as soon as possible before those men came again. I think about it all the time, it hasn’t left my thoughts at all. Thinking and thinking all the time it gives me a headache, and runs straight into my back. But I can see things more clearly now for some reason, like escape routes, or even see things from far away. Maybe this is part of that power the man who gave me this tattoo was talking about.

Pain still trickled down my spine every now and again. I’m not sure what I should do with this power I was so unwilling given. My brain wants more and more things to learn, I even read the directions to the fire exits on the inside of the hotel door, shampoo, bottles; I could probably make it if I had the supplies. Anything I can get my hands on to read, my reading has improved impressively. I haven’t read the bible until just a few minutes ago. You know those ones they stick in the nightstand right by your bed? Yeah I can recite every word in it.

Jun got my attention as the corner of my eye I could see him sweating, and tossing around in the bed. I guess even tough guys get nightmares, but this nightmare must not have been the normal falling out of bed type of scary dream. I wasn’t sure if I should go and wake him up or not, I know if I did I would be laying straight on my back with Jun on top of me. Not the good kind of on top of me either…more like him slamming me on the ground. As I was pondering on this thought, Jun sits up with a worn out face. With his hands on his face he looked at me through the spaces between his fingers and with a cool composure stood up and got fully dressed.

“Get dressed we have a ways to go until the next town, and also you might need this.” He tossed me a hood just like his. He must have thought my red hair stood out too much. But now that my hair is short I can hid it a lot better. The hood had an attachment on it that covered up my mouth, now I feel more like a ninja. I was laughing to myself while putting it on, and then I hear a noise right outside the window.

The noise surrounding the hotel caused me to completely pass out from how loud I thought it was getting....I guess my mind couldn't handle something like that right now.

While waking up to the sun blinding my eyes, a man was sitting in front of the window opening up the shades to see what was near. The noise I heard just a few minutes ago had gotten louder and louder in my ears. Or so I thought it was a few minutes ago. Jun turned around to tell me something but as soon as he was opening his mouth to speak a loud thump came from outside our door. He pointed at the bag he had packed, and then waved me to the window. I knew what he was asking me to do, I know he didn't know I was terribly afraid of heights but seriously I can't jump down a two story high hotel. But I grabbed the bag and stood next to him for a couple of seconds to regain my courage. But something in my mind was telling me that I could do this and I had to jump no matter what. The banging on the door had gotten louder and louder as Jun was opening up the window. He was trying to rush me by shooing me with his hands, so I jump. While I was falling I could feel the air pushing my hood up and off my head. My hair glided out, yes it was shorter but it still went into my eyes so I couldn't see anything. It didn't take long for me to land on the ground and to my surprise I landed straight on my feet. I see a few guys hanging around beside the hotel that looked quite suspicious. I could tell that they were Daemon's men coming to look for me again, of course I was scared but I didn't have time for that. I heard a noise above me that sounded like metal colliding. Looking up I see Jun fending off a couple of guys, they didn't seem trouble for him though. But he jumped out of the window, he looked so cool. How could I be thinking like this at this time? Footsteps came behind me and my body moved on its own, running towards them wasn't my idea of a good time but that’s what happened.

"What are you doing?!? Are you crazy!?!?!" Jun yelled, I didn't know why I was doing this but again something was telling me I can do it.

"I'm not sure but I think I know what I'm doing?" He heard the unconfident gesture in my voice and started running after me. But he didn't make to me in time before I struck the first man with my foot. He hit the ground; I only kicked him in the side of the leg so he got back up and grouped back together with the other three guys. All four of them surrounded me but my mind already figured out what I should do. It memorized their movements. Even without knowing half the things that Jun did, my movements were faster since I was smaller than all of them. Not to mention I copied some of Jun's moves. I wouldn't be able to use a weapon though because something like that is terrifying to me.

Everything started to slow down like time had stopped, reading everything they were doing. And like a click I went for it. The first guy was easy he was weak the knees, so I swept his legs and while he was on the ground I climbed on top of him punching him the face, knocking him out.

The second guy was sort of hard to read but I already knew his weakness. But before I could kick him he starting walking backwards like he was afraid of something. I stopped and as soon as I did he ran away along with the others. I had no clue what was going on. Jun came running after me stopping at the man I had knocked out.

"What happened?!" He looked totally puzzled looking back and forth to the man and to me. My mind finally calmed down and it became clear why he was looking that way. The whole front of my body was covered in blood. I looked down at the man on the ground. Dropping to my knees I started to cry.
"......What have I done?"

Blood was surrounding the body; I thought I had just knocked him out. But no I completely crushed his skull with my fist causing him to die....I killed someone. I actually killed a man with my own fists. What have I become?

"Roseus we don't have time for this, we have to run before more of them come." After that my mind went completely blank, all I knew was I just run until I couldn't run anymore. Tears kept pouring out making it hard for me to see but I really didn't need them to see anymore. My senses were out of control since I got into that fight.

"Roseus!" Jun's voice climbed into my head waking me up from my unconscious state of mind. My mind still felt like it was out of control, Jun grabbed my hand pulling me back to reality. We were in the middle of the desert yet again, this time we didn't have an oasis to escape to.
“Listen to me when I’m talking to you!” Jun’s voice soothed my untethered mind. I could finally speak again.

“I’m sorry what did you say?” That was the only thing that could come out of my mouth.

“What happened back there?” The concern on his face wasn’t the only thing running through my mind. Different images keep popping in and out of that man’s face. I have seen plenty of dead bodies but, I wasn’t the one who killed them.

“I’m not sure; something in my mind was taking over my body. It was me, I knew what I was doing but not to that extent to ki…ll him.”

The only thing he did after I told him that was look down at his right forearm. I didn't quite understand why he did that but he had a certain understanding in his eyes. This very well calmed me down. I had only met this guy for about a week now, but somehow I seem like we are connected in more ways than just one.

He sighed a deep breath, turned around and walked away. I wasn't sure if he wanted me to follow but I did anyways because I didn't have anywhere else to go at this point. In the middle of walking he came to a complete stop making me bump into him.

"Shall I train you?"

My heart stopped at that moment for I didn't know what to say...