Five years ago, a war broke out between two clans.
The reason? I don't know.
All I know is that, from that moment on, everything changed.
"This family's future is over," the man said.
He unleashed a powerful fire attack, strong enough to destroy an entire city, directly at a little boy who was at home, taking care of his sick parents.
At the last moment, Ryuzo intervened, protecting the entire family from the devastating attack.
"What are you trying to do?!" Ryuzo shouted. "What did this family ever do to you?!"
My parents had always been sick.
I never knew why.
Ever since I was born, their health had been gradually deteriorating. Before I even turned three, Ryuzo had already begun taking care of them—and me—even though we barely had enough money to survive.
In the end, our clan lost the war.
The destruction affected everyone.
Our house was left in ruins, and we were left with practically nothing. My parents and I were taken to the hospital.
I wasn't seriously injured, but my parents weren't as lucky. Since they couldn't get out of bed, falling debris had struck them during the destruction.
Even so, Ryuzo stayed by our side and protected us.
I didn't remain in the hospital for long. I spent most of my time unconscious and was discharged soon afterward.
Ryuzo walked me home.
On the way, we passed a lamppost and a trash can.
There was something strange about it.
A single lamppost stood in the middle of nowhere, completely alone.
For some reason, I felt drawn to it.
I looked inside the trash can.
There was only a teddy bear.
Nothing else.
It looked abandoned.
So I decided to take it with me.
I thought for a moment about what to name it.
Then I knew.
"Ash'vour. The one who stays by my side."
Ryuzo turned around, his eyes widening slightly.
"Lauren, what are you doing with that teddy bear? It was in the trash. It might be contaminated."
I lowered my head and hugged the bear tightly.
Ryuzo let out a long sigh.
Then he smiled softly.
"It's okay. You can keep it."
He gently ruffled my hair, and we continued walking home.
The old gate creaked as Ryuzo pushed it open.
The house was quieter than I remembered.
The windows were ajar.
The garden—which had once flourished thanks to my mother—was now nothing more than dry earth and fallen leaves.
I hugged Ash'vour tightly.
"There, Lauren. You're home," Ryuzo said as he opened the door.
The smell of bitter tea and medicine hung in the air.
"Lauren," he said softly, "I brought your parents home before you woke up. The doctors said..."
He paused for a moment.
"They don't have much time left. If it were only their injuries, they would recover... but there's also an illness they haven't been able to identify."
"You don't need to apologize," I said. "It's not your fault."
The doctors had told us to take them home so they could spend whatever time they had left with their family.
"They said everything will be alright," Ryuzo added with a forced smile. "So don't worry."
I smiled back.
But Ryuzo felt guilty for lying.
"Go see them, Lauren. They're in the room."
I entered the room.
A weak voice immediately called out to me.
"Lauren? Is that you?"
My mother was pale and thin, lying in bed.
Beside her, my father was wrapped in blankets, coughing softly.
I wanted to say:
"I'm here.
I'm okay.
I missed you."
But no sound came out.
"Oh, my son... You're back..." my mother whispered as she slowly wrapped her weak arms around me.
"You're alright. That's all that matters," my father said with a gentle smile.
Tears fell silently from my eyes.
Ash'vour slipped from my arms and landed on the wooden floor.
That night, I fell asleep holding my new companion close to me.
When morning came, something seemed different.
Ash'vour was lying beside the bed.
He had been dirty before...
But now he was clean.
As if someone had washed him during the night.