Chapter Three.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA." Naama broke into a fit of uncontrollable laughter as Rishio finished telling yey'r how wrong yey'r previous day went.

"Yeah, laugh at my misery why don't you."Rishio said sarcastically as yey sat beside yey'r friend.

They were at Rishio's house, yey called Naama over to rant about how bad yey'r week had been going. Clearly that was not of much help.

"Okay..." Naama continued in between yey'r laughs,"So immediately you oh so bravely dared the universe, your mother call saying you need to go home for your twin's partnering ceremony? How long have you been away from home by the way?" Naama asked turning to look at yey'r friend, yey'r eyes filled with tears of laughter.

"Ten perfect years."Rishio replied a sigh escaping from yey'r while rolling yey'r head back against the wall.

"If you do not want to go then just do not go." Naama suggested slowly gaining yey'r composure.

"If I could I would, but I know I have to properly put an end to that chapter of my life.Let call it proper adulting, heh." Rishio replied finishing yey'r sentence with a lazy roll of yey'r hand.

"My, my look at how much you have grown." Naama added, slowly shifting yey'r position so that yey laid yey'r head on yey'r friend's laps. Yey directed yey'r gaze to yey'r friend finding that Rishio had yey'r eyes fixed on the ceiling, a blank look in yey'r eyes.

With a gentle poke to Rishio's stomach Naama asked, "Hey, are you going to be fine?You know its not too late to back out, you can say that something came up."

Drawing in a long breathe of air and with yey'r eyes still fixed on the ceiling Rishio replied,

"No, I have to do this, I cannot pretend forever that I do not have a past."

"You could try." Naama suggested softly.

With a minute long pause Rishio responded,"I have." Then looked down to her friend and added,

"And yet it seems to have caught up to me."With an emotionless smile on yey'r face.

Snaking yey'r arms around Rishio's waist while burrowing yey'r face into Rishio's stomach Naama said,

"I hate that smile." Earning a chuckle from Rishio," But." Naama continued'" I hate the fact that you have to go back to that damn town even more."

In a quick action, Naama released Rishio and sat up releasing a groan into the air,"To make matters worse you may actually run into my mother."

Letting out a laugh Rishio asked,"How is your mother by the way?"

"Not minding yey'r own business as yey should be." Naama huffed.

"Careful,I am almost certain that yey can hear you." Rishio said in mid laughter.

"Yey asks about you, you should visit yey'r when you are over there. I think yey misses you more than me." Naama said barely hiding a pout that slipped on to yey'r face making Rishio burst out in laughter.

For someone who just complained about their mother being too much of a busy body Naama sure got jealous real fast at the thought of yey'r mother miss me, Rishio thought.

"I will."Rishio managed to wheeze out.

"As much as I would love to stay here,away from my children, yes my alpha included," Naama said releasing a tired sigh,"I have to leave before they burn the house down." Yey added getting up from yey'r seat.

"Are you not going to see me to the door?" Naama asked in a sarcastic tone.

"Why?Did it move or something." Rishio replied in an equally sarcastic tone.

"Here I thought that I had taught you some good manners, Oh my poor child I have failed you." Naama said sarcasm still in yey'r voice.

"Child?" Rishio asked," I am two years older than you, it is not my fault that you age faster than me."Yey added haughtily.

""Age faster " my ass." Naama scoffed as yey turned to leave.

"Do call when you get back,when are you leaving, tomorrow?" Naama turned yey'r head as yey asked.

"Yeah, tomorrow morning on Ryok." Rishio replied.

"A day's ride till there that means that you will arrive the day after tomorrow, isn't that the day when the partnering ceremony is taking place?" Naama asked.

"Yes,but if I remember correctly, I agreed to attend the ceremony and nothing more." Rishio replied with a smirk.

A smile spread across Naama's face as yey replied," Sometimes I forget who I am friends with.Well I am satisfied that you will take care of yourself, see you in three days." Yey added as yey left.

"Yeah." Rishio replied and returned back to staring at the ceiling.

******************************************************************************

The next morning as yey had planned Rishio headed out to yey'r hometown before dawn. Rishio's hometown was far from the capital,although a beast would take a day to get there if one was to use a car, the journey would take three days that with no stops, beasts are truly magnificent creatures,if you get the right one. The town Nanapele was the last place on earth that Rishio wanted to be but yey never wanted to leave any loose ends and this one had been loose for a very long time.

The land between the capital and Nanapele was all barren since most parts of the continent were still experiencing the aftermath of The End war, the places that were not barren experienced mutations of some sort due to the interaction with the angels and demons.These mutations were mostly the vegetation turning into new alien-like vegetation that no one had ever seen, some were helpful like medicinal while others,well the opposite, the surviving fauna were turned into mutant versions of the beasts but those that were usually a source of food could still be eaten if one was brave enough to hunt a demon looking animals. This went both ways, as the predators that did survive also did mutate into beast mutants, they were not a bunch that one would like to meet if they did not have their beasts with them, since the beasts ate everything that breathed,that was until humans found a way to tame them.

With the speed and stamina of the beasts,Rishio found yey'rself approaching yey'r hometown one day later, it did not matter how many breaks and stops they took, Ryok was so excited to be on a long journey with his master that after every break he just kept on increasing his speed and as predicted by Naama Rishio arrived as planned.

Since it as still in the afternoon when yey arrived and the Partnering Ceremony was to take place at night also the fact that yey did not want to go to yey'r parents' house right then and spend more time with them, Rishio decided to visit Naama's mother, mainly because yey was afraid Naama's mother would butcher yey'r if Rishio did not go to see yey'r first.

Seriously they both are a special duo, Rishio said about Naama and yey'r mother will directing Ryok towards Naama's childhood home.

As Rishio approached the house yey was met by Naama's mother curses that were directed at yey'r own beast.

"YOU GLUTTONOUS BEAST!WHY THE FUCK DID YOU EAT ALL THE GODDAMN CHICKEN?WHAT THE FUCK AM I SUPPOSED TO FEED YOU THE REST OF THE WEEK?YOU KNOW WHAT STAY HUNGRY FOR ALL I CARE." Naama's mother finished while stomping out of yey'r beast pen where yey'r beast was watched yey'r with a disinterested look on its face.

Rishio was at the pen's gate when Naama's mother stomped past yey'r heading towards yey'r house and said,

"Are you going to be there all day or will you put that damn beast away and come in?" leaving Rishio laughing at yey'r antics.

"Give me a minute I will be there." Rishio answered as yey directed Ryok towards the beast's pen, where the older beast was. After ensuring that both beasts were not going to fight, Rishio headed towards the house, a bit scared of what awaited yey'r.

Normally beasts did not attack other beasts but since both Ryok and Naise, the other beast, were both males, Rishio just had to make sure they were okay with each other. Naise was quite older compare to Ryok, so he had no issue with Ryok being in the same pen with him, Rishio had a thought that Naise saw Ryok as a son as it could clearly be seen by the way he let Ryok play with his tail.

"So you have arrived." Rishio was welcomed by Naama's mother who was seated facing yey'r with a blank look on yey'r face.

It took all of Rishio's self control not to burst out laughing,

" I have arrived mum." Rishio replied not missing the way yey'r "mum's" eyes lit up at being called mum.

"Ten freaking years, no information how you are or where you are." "Mum" stated to which Rishio responded witha slight smile.

I see yey never stopped with the exaggeration, Rishio thouht cause yey was sure to send yey'r a hologram message at last once every month for the past ten years.

"Good to see you toO Heln." Rishio replied.

"Oi! What happened to "mum?" Heln asked while rubbing yey'r eyes, "Well come closer I need to get a good look at you."

This old trick again, Rishio thought but still went to yey'r, scared of course cause yey knew what was coming.

Grabbing Rishio's ear Heln said "Ten frreaking years is too fucking long not to come visit me, I mean even my other idiot child comes to visit me once or twice, do not pull this shit again, you hear me?"

"Ow, ow, ow! Yes I hear you I did wrong I am so soooorrrryyy." Although Rishio knew what was coming, it did not lessen the pain, Heln's ear pinch was sure to convince one that humans my have pincers.

Letting go of Rishio Heln said,"You look good though,if you looked any other way I would have had to kill you. Sit." Yey added while pointing to a seat opposite yey'r, which Rishio sunk into with an exhausted sigh.

"What is it that is making you so exhausted, the journey or where you are heading after this?" Heln asked.

"You know?" Rishio asked back tilting yey'r head backwards.

"Please. nothing gets past me since I have nothing much to do these days with all my children gone and some never visiting me. Not.Even.Once." Heln said ending with an accusatory tone directing yey'r gaze at Rishio.

"Holding on to the past will make you age faster.' Rishio replied jokingly.

"I will pinch you." Heln said narrowing yey'r eyes at Rishio.

"I am sorry, I am sorry." Rishio defended yey'rself while breaking into tiny fits of laughter.

"Yes, I am here for that." Rishio responded to Heln's earlier question.

"Then why are you here at my house? And not there?" Heln asked inquiringly.

"I do not know.' Rishio responded while slumping down into yey'r seat." I guess I am looking for a reason not to go." Rishiio added.

"You do know you have every reason not to go." Heln chimmed in.

"I know, so it is very perplexing why I am here, why is it that I believe that they need one last chance.I know they do not deserve it so why is it so hard for me understand that and move on.Why is the heart so hard to convince?" Rishio asked.

"You have one of those?"Heln asked sounding a bit surprised, "Cause the way you always have a blank look I was convinced it does not exist."

Laughing Rishio replied," I had no idea that it showed." earning a laugh from Heln.

"I have no answers to all those questions but I will tell you this,they are your family and for some reason one can never shake off those fuckers no matter how many times one tries to. However that no way means that you put up with their shit, if someone wrongs you,family or not,they should apologize and if they are too high and mighty to do so, then you have no need of that kind of assholery in you life do you?" Heln replied

"Life is simple,you make a mess of something you clean it but if someone else makes a mess of something,then that is not your mess to clean, people should learn more responsibility that way this world will have less assholes." Heln finished.

Sitting up from yey'r slumped position Rishio replied, "I think now I know why I came over here first."

"Oooh?Why is that?" Heln asked.

Standing up and heading to the entrance Rishio answered," For you to remind me just who I really am." and with that yey left.

Heln broke into a chuckle after Rishio left and said,

" Just who are you?It seems I still have no idea."

After leaving Heln's house, Rishio rode around town buying gifts for yey'r family. Yey may not like them but yey was not rude also Heln would kill yey'r if yey fond out that Rishio went to yey'r childhood house empty handed.

When Rishio arrived at yey'r childhood house it was already nighttime the Patnering Ceremony had already started. Yey did not even bother taking Ryok inside the beast's pen because yey knew yey would not stay for long.

Wish me luck baby, Rishio said to Ryok as yey took the gifts off him, Ryok responded with a nudge towards the house as if he could see Rishio's second thoughts of not going through with what brought them there.

Dragging yey'r feet, Rishio headed towards the door.

One would always feel giddy going home,isn't funny how all I feel is pure dread. Ten years and I still cannot get over it, this is too hilarious, Rishio thought a light chuckle escaping from yey'r mouth.

With a swallow of surprisingly bitter saliva Rishio knocked on the door yey remembered all too well, moments later yey heard the voice of which yey recognized as yey'r mother heading towards the door.

With each step yey heard, yey'r mind was a step closer in convincing yey'r of leaving before it was too late. Unfortunately that window of escape was closed tightly shut when yey'r mother opened the door and a look of surprise then guilt flooded yey'r face.

"Hello Saru." Rishio greeted yey'r mother with a face and voice void of any emotion.

Turning away from Rishio yey replied," Hello, nice to see you could make it. I was afraid you would not come." Yey added this witha hopeful gleam in yey'r eye.

"Do not worry, I was raised better than that, you should know that you are my mother." Rishio replied with the same tone of voice yey had from the start. Yey'r mother turned away from yey'r again.

"May I come in, I cannot wait to meet the new family members." Rishio saw yey'r mother visibly swallow at this.

Without uttering another word Saru gestured Rishio to enter the house, which yey did. As they were walking to the dining area where the ceremony was being held,as Rishio assumed it would, Rishio could visibly see that yey'r mother was uncomfortable with yey'r presence, as Saru was clearly fidgeting.

"Stop worrying I will not ruin this for your precious child, you taught me that." Rishio said not missing the breath of relief that yey'r mother let out.

"Mum who was at the door?" Rishio heard yey'r twin asks as they entered the dining area, the silence that followed as Rishio and yey'r mother entered the dining area was almost comical, Rishio scoffed at it.

"Hello family."Rishio greeted looking at yey'r father and twin who were seated at the right side of their long rectangular ceremonial table, turning to the left side of the table , yey saw the parents to the alpha who was to partner with yey'r twin and the face of an alpha yey knew all too well.

"Hello new family." Rishio greeted looking directly at the alpha who just turned away mirroring the same gesture as yey'r mother.

Heading to the seat at the head of the table since it was the only unoccupied seat, Rishio sat and swept a look across the table and saw that all of them would not meet yey'r gaze, including yey'r mother who took yey'r seat beside yey'r father.

Good to see some things never change, Rishio thought to yey'r self.

With a sigh Rishio said, "Look, I was here by invitation by Saru." Rishio did not miss the almost invisible flinch that everyone did when yey reffered to yey'r mother as Saru.

"So if this is too weird I can always go back to where I came from cause I do not want to waste my time in a place I am not welcomed." Rishio added the blankness in yey'r voice never leaving.

"It is a joyous occassion." Rishio started,

"After years of being together Yian, my younger sibling finally gets to pair with yey'r partner, Runi. How long have they been together ten years? twelve? more? It is wonderful to see that love truly conquers all, that no matter what ugly actions one did in the past, love forgives all." Rishio added with no emotion in yey'r voice.

"Rish, please stop." Yian piped in.

With an incredulous look on yey'r face Rishio asked,

"Stop what?"

"We all know what you are doing." Yey'r father added" But this is not the time or place." Gur finished with a firm tone.

"You know," Rishio started while folding yey'r arms," I seem to not have a clue what you are talking about, please do elaborate."

"Let the past be laid to rest Rishio that way we can all move on." Runi's mother said with a a smile on yey'r face.

"If it is such a long time ago then why will none of you speak about it.?"Rishio turned while askin Runi's mother who in response shrunk back into yey'r chair

Suddenly with a look on yey'r face that mirrored that of a peron who finally remembered something important Rishio slapped yey'r leg and said,

"OOOOH! You all are talking aBout twelve years ago when I was only sixteen and Runi raped me."

"Rishio ENOUGH!" yey'r father burst out.

"Come on Jyra ." Rishio replied calmly, "Did you honestly think this was not going to happen? " Rishio asked yey'r father looking at gur dead into his eyes.Jyra in turn responded by looking away.

"What do you want us to do? We will do anything so that you can forgive us for what happened" Saru asked in a soft voice that was nearly breaking.

There was a prolonged silence which was broken by Rishio's scoff.

" I want all of you to stop acting like the victims." Yey replied." I want all of you to look me in my eyes and each of you to bear responsibility of what you all did to me.'

"I want Runi to acknowledge that gur raped me when I was barely an adult . I want gur to acknowledge that gur is the reason why I am a useless omega. That I was so traumatized as a child that my body locked itself up refusing to accept my omega nature."Rishio continued while looking at Runi who would not meet yey'r gaze.

"I want Yian," Yey started as yey turned to look at Yian who also would not meet yey'r gaze," To acknowledge that yey saw the whole thing that yey was the one who locked me in the same as room with yey'r boyfriend while yey clearly knew that gur was in rut.I want yey'r to acknowldge that yey heard my screams but still ignored me for yey'r own selfish reasons.That yey told me that after Rni got it all out of gur's system it would all be fine, when I asked yey'r why yey would do such a thing."

"I want you two,as my parents to acknowledge the fact that you never were there when I needed you the most,ou both preferred to pretend that it never happened and made me get held an year back as apparently it would have not created a great learning atmosphere for the other children at school. That you my own mother told me that what I went through was to protect my younger sibling as my duty as the older one while it is a fact that we are the same age and that my father beat the living daylights out of me because I apparently seduced Runi, a kid who did not even understand what was happening" Rishio said while looking at yey'r parents, with such a monotone voice that sent shiver down the others' spines.

"I do not know if you know this, but when you both kept silent when I came crying to you, that was the biggest betrayal one could ever go through." Rishio added still looking at yey'r parents.

"And you two," Rishio said to Runi's parents'"You two are just the worst people I have ever met in my life.Even if you are extremely influential that did not mean that you two should use your resources to keep what happened under wraps to protett your child. Of course only your child and gur's partner were protected as I was known as the omega who tried to steal gur from my sibling.Yet you raised no hand or voice to at least try and clear the misunderstanding." Rishio paused then continued," As long as it does not affect you it is none of your business, right.?"

"With that I give this Partnership my blessings, I really do hope you know what you are getting into Yian." Rishio said as yey stood up from yey'r seat." I despise your actions till to this day but I would not want you to be stuck in a partnership you will regret, but if gur makes you happy, go for it." Yey added as yey started walking away heading towards the door.

"Oh Saru, sorry about this." Rishio said gesturing at the atmosphere that was created,"I did promised that I would not ruin this,but here we are. Let us all agree that no one will ever contact me ever again I can assume that we all agree that I am not a very good companion to all of you because I honestly do not want to see any of you ever again."

" On my end, this is a promise I make to all of you, I will never see any of you ever again I know the feeling is mutual." With that Rishio left yey'r childhood house and never stepped foot in there again.