There was still no response, and Sudda frowned. Where could her brother have gone off to so quickly? The last thing she wanted to do was stand here in this bleak place forever…but her brother was making it difficult. Always running off at the last minute to do who knew what.

"RICHI!" she shouted again, cupping her hands over her mouth, "Do you hear me?!?"

The only response she managed to get was the sound of her own echo, and the thirteen-year-old sighed in defeat. Maybe he had runaway for good this time, or maybe he had gone back to the campgrounds where Miss Hannah was waiting for them…either way, she didn't think the little boy was around here. Slumping to the ground, she rested her back against the trunk of a tree.

'It's not like he's the only one to get hurt by this…' she thought, tightly closing her eyes. Thoughts of what she had seen at her home came flying back at her, and she took in a few shaky breaths. Remembering what had happened would only make her cry, and she couldn't do that right now. After all, Richi was her responsibility now…

A whimper came from above her, and the girl slowly opened her eyes and looked up. Hanging from one of the branches was a small leg, dangling back and forth in a swinging motion.

"Richi?" Sudda asked, clamoring up to her tired feet. She pressed a hand against the trunk and tilted her head back farther so she could get a better look. Sure enough, she saw her brother's brown hair against the lush green of the tree's leaves.

He whimpered again at the sound of her voice, and his leg was drawn up into the branches. The sounds of soft crying filled her ears.

"Richi, can you come down for a few minutes? I need to talk to you." the girl said, her fingernails digging deep into the tree's bark as she heard her brother's sobs.

No response was forthcoming, and she sighed. Her grip on the trunk became tighter, "Alright then…I'm coming up!"

As she found good holds in the trunk, Sudda carefully began pulling herself up to the first branch. Her fingernails hurt from the bark's bite on her skin, and her feet kept slipping. Pain came from her bandaged arm and a jostled knee against the trunk, but she only grunted with the effort of moving, and pulled herself up onto the first sturdy branch she came across.

Standing up on it, the girl leaned forward, hands grasping onto the branch that her still crying brother was on. With a lot of effort, she managed to launch herself enough that her now scraped knee hit the branch, and then pulled herself onto it. Swinging her legs over the side of the branch, she spared a glance towards her brother, "Richi…"

Pulling his legs tight against his chest, the nine-year-old sniffled and closed red, tired looking eyes, "Leave me alone. I don't wanna talk right now." he told her.

"We just can't stay here crying forever! We have to do something!"

"…Like what? Papa's dead…just like Mama! And it's my fault!"

"Why? Because you ran away? What good would you have done if we'd stayed? Get killed too?" Sudda gritted her teeth, "Papa would have gotten angry if you tried something!"

"So? He hated us anyway…because of what Mama gave us. At least he'd still be able to get angry." The boy looked down at the ground far below their feet. His voice wasn't as shaky as before, and Sudda noticed that his tears were starting to dry.

"That's not true, Papa was just…" she paused, trying to figure out the right word to use, "…Scared, that's all. And he was angry at Mama, for not telling him. That's why he always called her those things."

"…I wish I could have told him that I was sorry. I didn't mean to run away…"

"I think he knows that already." Sudda told him, giving the boy a smile.

"Do you REALLY think so?" Richi looked up at her, skepticism in his big brown eyes.

She nodded her head, and stared down at the ground as the nine-year-old wiped the tears from his face. Her breath came out very slowly, and she wiped her own knuckles across her right eye. It wasn't a good idea to let her brother see any of her tears falling.

"Are you all right, Sudda?" he asked, obviously noticing the small motion she had just made.

"Huh?" she put another smile on her face and looked up at him, "What do you mean? Of course I'm…" then she noticed that his gaze was on her arm, where the brown bandage was wrapped, "Oh. You're worried about this thing?"

Laughing, the girl untied the cloth from her arm, placing it on the tree branch. She couldn't hide the wince from Richi, however, as the wound that she had gotten while going after him was exposed to the cool dusk air.

Inflamed pink skin swelled up around what looked like a clean gash wound that was just now beginning to scab over. Dried specks of blood dotted that pale skin around the cut. She had seen worse before, and there didn't look like there was any danger of an infection.

"I guess I was too busy to think much about it…" closing her eyes, the girl clenched her hand into a fist. Her arm started to sting in response, then the pain dulled and her arm became numb. An all too familiar warmth filled her, and then slowly faded. The numbness quickly followed.

When she opened her eyes and looked down, the wound and pink skin surrounding it were gone. Very carefully, she retied the bandage over her arm so that Miss Hannah wouldn't notice.

"I heard Papa saying…once…that we have an aunt in Tinto City. From our mother's side, I think. Papa didn't want anything to do with her…" her eyes traveled over to her brother's face, "Do you think we should go there now? There isn't much more we can do."

"An aunt? Really?" Richi's face lighted up at this. For the most part, he had only thought that all their relatives had been in Ryube, and none of them had ever been from their mother's side of the family…

Once the boy had nodded, Sudda looked down at the ground again, "All right then…I guess I should go tell Miss Hannah…" she said, slowly starting to make her way back down the tree, "Come back when you're ready, okay, Richi?"

He nodded again, and she dropped to the ground. Looking up at her brother's face, the girl smiled, "And if you don't come back in an hour…you'll be wishing a monster found you first!"

'Where are they?'

Hannah sat facing the small fire she had just started to set up, a hand right next to her sword hilt. Shadows played along the trees, and the first few stars came out in the night's sky.

The two children should have been back by now. The woman took in a deep breath and shook her head. She wasn't exactly sure why, but something inside of her was telling her that she had to keep a lookout on the siblings. Something about them wasn't quite right…although she couldn't put her finger on what it was exactly.

But, then again…Hannah had never been too good at reading children. So innocent and untouched by the seriousness she had been given when she was their age. It made her always been more nervous around them.

Footsteps came from behind her, and she turned her head in the direction of the sound. A girl with dark hair came running through the brush, looking a little disheveled. She dropped to the ground in front of the fire like a stone.

Sudda.

Leaning forward, Hannah poked at the fire with a small stick, causing the flames to grow, "Did you find him?" she asked.

"Richi?" once the older woman nodded, Sudda gave her an affirmation, "Yes, he should be coming back soon. He's just…a little upset about everything."

"That's understandable." Hannah leaned back, feeling her muscles relax somewhat at the news. At least this part of the forest was mostly clear of monsters, otherwise she would have dragged both children back to the campsite herself.

There was an uncomfortable silence in the air after this, and Sudda hugged her knees close to her chest. Her eyes remained focused on a spot on the ground.

"…Miss Hannah?"

"Hmm?"

The girl took in a deep breath, and her nervous eyes lifted from the spot on the ground to meet the older, more serious eyes of the woman in front of her, "What…what are you planning on doing? Now, I mean."

"…I'm not that sure." Her fingers tapped the sword pummel gently, "I suppose I was continue traveling."

"We…Richi and me…have an aunt in Tinto City and-"

"Do you want to go there?"

The girl lowered her head again, and nodded.

Hannah sighed at this, her gaze sweeping back to the fire in front of her. Tinto City was a long distance away, and sending the children by themselves would be a death wish. Besides, they were survivors of a massacre she had failed to prevent, and if she could help them…

"I suppose I could take you there." She said, and, noticing how the girl's face brightened at this, continued, "However, you and your brother will have to listen and do exactly as I say. Understand?"

"Yes, Miss Hannah! Thank you so much!"

She sighed again, and the fire crackled.

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"Hannah" and "Suikoden 2" are (C) Konami. This chapter was posted on May 30, 2000