36 Long Lost Sister (1/2)

”...Alice, right?” Shu Fang assumed. ”Yes! Are you her friends?” Chris was very happy to hear her little sister's name from someone. ”Yes. She was hired by the Inn we were staying. She's a good cook! Everything she makes is just so good!” Chiho quickly complimented Alice. Chris couldn't respond in happiness. ”Though, she can be moody sometimes. But that's alright” Chiho said. ”Yes. She had that attitude. But I assure you, it's nothing serious! She's just that kind of person!” Chris said. ”She's all grumpy when I'm not around. I don't know why, but for some-” She continued to talk to Chiho. Riko bumped Anne with her elbow and waited for her to look. ”She looked very happy” She whispered. ”Yeah. I never saw her this damn happy before” Anne nodded as they watch Chris happily conversate with the two. ”Yeah. I barely even hear her voice before” Riko nodded. ”She looked rather young. Mind if I ask you your ages?” She asked. ”She's only a year behind. I'm twenty-five” Anne answered. ”You guys are too young for this” Riko said. ”Why? How old are you?” Anne asked. ”I'm about to turn thirty next month” Riko answered.

”Wow. Big sister, eh?” Anne giggled. Then she peeked past her to Gabriel, then leaned back. ”How about your buddy?” Anne asked. ”Gab. You're the youngest in our ranks, right?” Riko turned to her. ”So what?” Gabriel gave an annoyed look. ”W-What? I'm just asking” Riko shrugged. ”How old are you, friend?” Anne peeked at her. ”I'm twenty” Gabriel responded. ”So we're all line of two” Anne smiled. ”Line of two?” Riko gave a curious look. ”We're all twenties” Anne smiled. After that, they became silent and just listened to Chris despite speaking another language. ”-too well!” Chris continues to talk to the two. Then later, they stopped, leaving them with another silence. They are three minutes away from Saiju when Chris looked up to Anne and asked. ”Anne, um... Were you serious about before?”. Anne was surprised by the sudden topic. ”A-About what?” She asked. ”About joining them” Chris also brought Riko and Gabriel's attention. ”Uh...” Anne was anxious and glanced at the two. ”Yeah. I mean, you agreed right?” She nodded. Chris didn't respond. ”That, but... How about my sister? She might hurt them if they knew” Chris asked. ”We can't obviously drag her along with us” She added. ”You're worried about your sister. How about your parents back from the West?” Riko joined them. ”You're obviously not thinking this through” She added.

”Your parents will definitely be executed if they knew your betrayal, no matter how rich your family is” She sighed. ”I... don't care about them” Her answer surprised the three of them, they quickly turned to her. ”Chris?!” Anne called her name. Chiho and Shu Fang

noticed them and were curious. ”They treated you like a worthless scum, Anne! I had to lie to be able to see you! They just don't want me near you!” She shouted. Anne was speechless. Then she gradually giggled. ”I kinda knew that already. There's no way a rich family will just let their princess and their prince get close to criminals, right?” She said. ”Yes. You have no idea how much I hated them when I learned their disgust on you! They never knew how kind you actually are!” Chris shouted. Anne laughed at her. ”Chris. You really think I'm kind?” She asked. This led Chris into thoughts. ”I might look kind because I'm with you, my closest friend. But how about other people?” Anne asked. ”C'mon, Chris. It wasn't so hard to notice. I'm a bad person. I killed and rob people. I only looked kind because you were my ally” She said. Chris couldn't accept the words. She strongly believes that deep within Anne lies a kind and gentle personality. If only she wasn't born as a Ramirez and had the goal to keep their names alive. ”Geez, Chris. How many times have we talked about this?” Anne sighed with a weak smile. ”Sorry to intrude, but I get this feeling that you wanted her to be seen as a kind person. She's a pirate captain, a fucking living Ramirez from the history! So what's the point?” Riko joined them. ”Pardon my kid here, She's just confused as of now. Right, Chris?” Anne leaned on her. ”That's right. She was raised from a rich family, after all. Joining the crime life must be a huge step for her” Gabriel nodded.

”Whatever. I don't want this conversation to continue” Chris quickly dropped the topic off. ”You still have a lot to learn, Turner. Being the bad guys, the scums of the world, isn't just about calling people their moms whore and taking off their pants in the public” Riko giggled. Anne nodded to show that she agreed. ”You're also too late to back out of the criminal life now, either. Your family will never be the same even if you apologize to them and even show evidence of you having no more connections with the pirates” Riko said. ”You only have Anne and your pirates now. You two will both see the end of your journey... Ah, let's not get too dramatic here” She scratched her head. ”You're reading too many stories!” Gabriel laughed, making Riko giggle. ”I guess so...” She sighed. ”Yeah, yeah, yeah. Don't say that to her. Despite what I said, her sister might have changed her mind now” Anne swayed her right hand. ”Yeah! I bet she did!” Chris smiled with determination. ”But, as I said, don't expect too much, mmkay?” Anne spoke in a tiny voice.

Later, they finally arrived at the gate. They stopped before the gate and the guard on the left approached the driver. ”We came from Trupriv. The two bases, uh, Atropos and Mercy got stolen from us. They used their weapons. We need to report back right now” The driver told the guard and he shouted to open the gate. ”We lost the bases? Damn. What do you mean they used their weapons?” The guard on the right joined them. ”They used guns, everything” The driver replied. ”Also, they were bombarded by those vehicles called 'Katyusha'. Those things fire a barrage of rockets from a long-distance” Chris said to them. ”So you must have lost a count of soldiers” She added. ”I see. You don't sound and look like from here. Are you from the West, perhaps?” The guard on the left asked. ”Yes. We came from the West” Chris nodded. After that, the gate opened and they drove in.

Chiho told Chris about the Inn and Anne said to walk there so they can go ahead and report the situation. With that, they dropped off near the entrance. They looked around them as the carriage drives away. ”Wow. This place doesn't bad. Not as bad at it sounds like from the people” Anne said. ”Yeah. They said too much” Gabriel nodded. ”I remember hearing Miguel being here and telling everyone how bad it is here” Riko said. ”That guy's a dick” Gabriel sighed. ”He always wanted the people around him to believe his shit. He always thinks he's right!” She added. ”I know, but he got his uses, right? As long as he doesn't fuck with us or Alex” Riko said. ”Right, right, right. Let's go to that Inn, I also wanted to lie down for a bit” Anne looked to their right and saw a long road with few people on them. ”Chiho said that it's on the other end. It'll be quite a walk” Chris said. ”Unless we run” Anne winked at her. ”We're NOT running, Anne” Chris gave an angry look. ”Hah, yeah. Not with those heavy coats weighing you down” Riko giggled. ”Nah, it's not as heavy as it looks. I feel fine” Anne shook her head. After that, they walked ahead.

”Is this how a country on war looks like?” Gabriel looked very curious. ”It looks too peaceful, right?” Riko as well. ”Are you expecting them to stay in their houses the whole time and desert the streets?” Anne asked. ”No. But look, they're all happy as fuck! You can't sense the horrors of war in their faces!” Gabriel said. ”Yeah. They all looked contented” Riko nodded. ”Maybe they are just not giving in to the war?” Anne thinks. ”You know, so they won't all depressed and shit. Gotta keep the spirits up and keep the morale balanced” She said. ”Well, ain't that quite positive spirits” Riko was amazed. ”Mostly in the war stories I've read, most country people were driven by fear. I never thought people could actually fight it off” She said. ”C'mon man, those are just fictions! It's the creativity of the people's mind, it's unlikely going to happen in real life” Gabriel said. ”Yeah, there's no way somebody's just gonna appear out of nowhere and conquer our world, right?” Riko laughed but no one else did. ”Dude. Didn't the Prohorovkans appear out of nowhere? They even have magic, they're flying and those futuristic weapons and vehicles. They are time travelers!” Anne said, surprising everyone. ”Y-Yeah, that's right. The fuck...” Riko looked afraid. ”How did it happen anyway?! Was there really a fucking world ahead of our era?!” Gabriel panicked. ”Well, where else did they came from?” Riko said. They walked in silence, observing their surrounding for a while. ”Wow. It's my first time in a foreign place where I don't get stared at” Gabriel said. ”What do you mean?” Anne asked. ”Haven't you been into a foreign place before? They stare at you as you walk by because of your difference in clothing” Gabriel answered.

”Ah, that's what you're talking about. We are used to it. People glare at us almost every day. Don't you get glared at too?” Anne asked. ”Not as much as you said, I guess” Riko shrugged. ”By the way, is that the Inn?” Chris pointed to a signboard facing the street they're on from a building. It has 'Hirashiko' written in it. ”I recognized the text” She said. ”Well. You're the one who can understand these abominations, Chris. You know the way” Anne folded her arms. ”Why do you call them like that?” Chris sighed heavily. ”I ain't a fan of them. Their language nor their culture” Anne replied. Nonetheless, Chris was looking for seeing Alice inside the Inn. Her excitement grow as they walk forth. ”How did your sister ended up as a poor country's Inn servant?” Riko asked. ”Being a maid is what she liked, she never stopped bothering me about it” Chris answered. ”Why become one here at this place?” Riko asked. ”She liked it here. Going here is the reason she studied their language” Chris said.

”How about you? You like it here?” Riko looked at her. ”Sort of. I was mostly influenced by my sister and my interests just went along. I didn't actually care about this place to be honest” Chris giggled. ”You did for your sister. What a lovely sibling you are” Riko said, making Chris smile. About thirty seconds, they arrived and stopped in front of the Inn. ”Huh. This looks like a decent Inn” Riko placed her hands on her hips as she looks at the building. ”From the outside, that is. I wonder how it looks inside” Gabriel said. ”Can't be that bad. C'mon, Turner. You're ready?” Riko turned to Chris, surprising her. ”A-Ah. Yes” She nodded and prepared herself. Many scenarios built up within her mind. How if Alice weren't happy to see her after all? How about if she was happy? How should she react? How if she got mad and charged at her? Will she get mad or remain happy? She feels like she will never be able to do either way and lose herself into tears, which she prepares. Those thoughts rushed her in her head. They set aside for Chris to open the door open. Chris didn't waste any more seconds and pushed the door open. The usual noises of people talking greet them. ”Welcome to... Hirashiko!” Suzuka shouted her usual greetings to new customers, she was surprised by their appearance. ”Would you like to rent a room? Do you want to try out our delicious dishes? Or you just want to pass the time in our bar?” Suzuka put a little more effort since they looked foreign. ”Not gonna lie, I quite like it when they welcome us, they look cute” Anne said. ”We... We would like to rent a room!” Chris answered. ”A room, it is! Come! Write your name here first and the days you will stay and you'll be in your rooms right away!” Suzuka raised a pen. ”Hey, did you just tell her that we'll be staying?” Riko asked.

Chris nodded. ”We don't have the money!” Anne shouted. ”My, is there a problem?” Suzuka looked at them curiously. Chris quickly looked at her. ”W-We can't actually pay right now... So...” ”It's fine!” Suzuka smiled. ”Wha-!” Chris got surprised. ”What now?” Anne asked. ”Since you were the first foreign customers we had, your stay will be free!” Suzuka said. Chris turned to her group. ”She said our stay is free! Because we are the first foreigner they had!” Chris happily told them. ”Really?!” Anne happily shouted, making Suzuka giggle. ”Let's get going!” Chris grabbed Anne by her wrist and dragged her with her towards Suzuka. Riko and Gabriel just walked. ”Here, write your names here! It's okay if it's in your language!” Suzuka placed the pen near the book on the surface. ”Don't worry. I can write our names in Tsuchiyan” Chris smiled and took the pen and the book. She skillfully wrote their names at ease. Down to Gabriel Smith, Chris finished writing and rotated the book to face Suzuka. She looked at the names and the first name surprised her. ”Christine Turner?” As soon as Suzuka mentioned her name, a loud noise came out from the kitchen and Alice went barging out with a nervous look. ”Sister?!” Alice shouted in English. ”Alice!” Both in surprise of her entrance and her being her sister, Chris turned quickly. ”Alice...!” Chris smiled as she was astonished to see her sister for a long time. Alice looked like she was about to tear away but held it in. ”Where...have you been?” She asked. ”Why did you left us?” She added. The people around noticed the rising drama and behaved themselves. Nonetheless, the two kept going.

Alice just wanted to run and hug her long lost sister but the grudge was holding her. ”Not only you left us... You ruined us!” She shouted. ”Why did you... follow her?” Alice glared at Anne, making her look away. ”I know you already know the reason” Chris said, leaving Alice no response. ”Anne was the only person who cared about me. I mean, who ACTUALLY cared about ME! Our parents are drowning in pleasure of being the richest family and barely gives us a damn!” Chris shouted. ”That's not-!” ”You should have noticed them as well, Alice!” Chris raised her voice against Alice's, then sighed. ”I know they are still our parents, but it is too much for me. I didn't felt any love the moment I gained the ability to think!” She said. ”And that's why I made up my mind. I chose my own path and believed what I think is right” She added. ”So that 'path' of yours is to leave your family and break everything we had apart?!” Alice shouted. Chris was hit hard and began trembling, eyes unsteady trying to focus on Alice's. Everyone noticed her right away. ”Did you really think I wanted that?” She asked. ”You had no idea what I went through, Alice. The thoughts and regrets overwhelmed me at that time... But I had no choice, I can't take them anymore. I can't bare staying in that house of loveless family, no matter how rich we are” She said. Alice can't find any more reason to ask her further. ”You could have stayed for my sake!” Alice shouted. ”We were happy, weren't we?! I loved you and never wanted to leave your side! But why?!” She shouted. Tears started flowing down her cheeks, Alice was filled with overwhelming emotion, the feeling of being betrayed and left alone by the beloved person who was always in her side. In that same spot, Alice continued to sob. Chris didn't know what to do but had only one choice. She slowly approached Alice and in her surprise, Alice didn't moved an inch and accepted her embrace.