Chapter Text
Since she was young Chiwa knew she was a good judge of character just like her dad was. She remembered the day she met Rudo, and from a short glance she already knew there was no way he would turn out to be anything like his father.
Stupid
Stupid
Stupid
The same word rang in her mind as she slipped out her window. The sound of her boots hitting the pavement rang out in the quiet of night. No one was out tonight, she guessed it was because of the trial no one wanted to get caught up with the Apostles finishing their searches…so only someone truly stupid would be out.
Chiwa felt the word suited her perfectly at the moment. She had gone out of her way to befriend the son of a killer and just like everyone said he would…he’d finally done it, Rudo had finally killed someone.
Chiwa blinked back tears. Why? Why would Rudo who’d always seemed so kind and gentle kill someone? He didn’t kill just anyone but he’d killed Regto of all people, and if Rudo someone she’d believed in was capable of killing his adopted father, then she was stupid for believing in him.
She scanned the streets making sure they were empty. After seeing nothing but empty streets and run down houses she let out a small breath and finally started walking through the side of the streets. If someone saw her out here, the girl who was friends with a murderer she knew she’d be raising some eyebrows.
Chiwa hadn’t missed the looks people had given her when she and her mom started heading back after Rudo’s execution. Pity and suspicion mostly. She frowned, not sure she could blame them either for her. She'd stuck around Rudo. She hadn’t really befriended many other kids like she had him…yeah he was her best friend.
So why didn’t I defend him?
She shook her head doing her best to push back the thought. Finally the third and final reason she was stupid, a full on idiot, was because she was here looking for that stupid stupid puppy.
Well maybe not stupid Rudo had put a lot of care into it and I just dropped it.
Rudo…she tried to push away the memory of his blushing face from what seemed like just a few minutes ago. Tried to reconcile the image of Rudo, someone she thought she could always tell how he was feeling given his face and tried to reconcile it with the blood on his clothes just moments before he was dropped in the pit.
Chiwa thought back to when she had met Rudo it had been years ago some of the other kids had cornered him at his booth, full of all the trinkets he seemed to be fixing. She had been hanging out with the group who soon started talking about him being a murderer's son and pointing at him stepping on his stuff and everything.
Chiwa remembered just standing there dumbly for a moment. The kids she’d been hanging out with had seemed so nice. And maybe they were nice to her at least. She remembered watching as the other kids finally left. She remembered Rudo picking up the crushed figurine…she now knew he probably got it from the rich side of town.
She remembered crouching down to help him with it, and trying to make conversation with him, she remembered the suspicion and shock on his face. She remembered asking him about all the stuff he was selling, she remembered smiling and telling him she’d be back tomorrow.
She remembered going home to tell her mom about what happened, and her shock when her mom told her to stay away from Rudo. She didn’t because she had already told him she’d be back, so she came back the next day, and the days after that.
It took Chiwa a moment to notice her lips twinging upwards at the thought of those days…days she could never have again, because Rudo was gone. She believed in him, she told him that, but even though she was sure he knew her feelings, he still went ahead and he murdered Regto.
But Rudo loved Regto?
As she walked she wondered why Regto of all people if it was one of the bullies, could she understand him, even if there was no way she’d forgive him for betraying her trust in such a way. Rudo killing Regto wasn’t something she’d understand, it was something she didn’t ever think she’d understand.
Maybe she hadn’t known Rudo as well as she thought she had…
Yeah maybe.
Chiwa made her way to the areas where executions were held. It was dark out and she couldn’t see much. There had been a crowd so she couldn’t even pinpoint where she’d been standing. She walked around feeling exposed by how empty it was, if people were still walking by they’d definitely notice her.
Chiwa bent down raking her hands through the ground searching. Ignoring the grainy texture dirt and other trash people had dropped while watching the execution. She searched blindly for a few minutes getting up, checking the ground again.
Someone must have taken it or thrown it down to the pit—
Just as the thought crossed her mind she felt something soft. The plushie of the puppy there was a new tear in its back…it was littered with footprints but it was still here. She wondered how Rudo would feel if he saw the plushie in such a state, when he’d given it to her earlier today, for a moment it seemed nothing in the world could go wrong even though she’d embarrassed herself blurting out she loved Rudo…right in front of him.
She stared at the puppy brown button eyes, red scarf and a tear in its back, covered in dirt. Discarded.
Would any of her feelings matter, it wouldn't matter to anyone else in the slums who probably wouldn’t care much. It didn't matter to her mother who would tell her I told you so, scold her for getting so close to a murderer, and it wouldn’t matter to Rudo anymore because he’s—
Oh that’s right…Rudo’s he’s—
Chiwa felt her grip tighten on the puppy squeezing its already torn body as tears streamed down her face. The realization that Rudo was dead and she’d never see him again finally hit her.
“Why!? Why would you!?...couldn’t you just,” Chiwa said her voice choked with sobs.
The words didn’t make sense even to her own ears…she didn’t know who her words were addressing Rudo, the plushy, or herself. She’d heard Rudo calling out to her saying he hadn’t done it. But the blood all over Rudo’s shirt…so why would he—
Chiwa cut off her thoughts, wiping her face rapidly as more tears came. She couldn’t stay out here sobbing…you weren’t supposed to cry over murderers. Even if it felt like the world around her was falling apart.
When Chiwa slipped back through her window and into her bed taking the puppy along with her she let out a small shaky breath. Rudo was guilty; he was dropped into the pit for murder. Though Rudo’s last words before he fell to her had been telling her Regto’s actual killer was still out there.
Probably just an excuse.
Chiwa slid into her bed deciding she’d find a place to hide the puppy in the morning. Staring up at the ceiling she frowned. She spent the next few hours tossing and turning eventually she gave in to the ping in the back of her mind. Tomorrow she would check Rudo’s and Regto’s home…Rudo was guilty, she knew that, but that didn’t stop a small flicker of hope. Maybe he wasn’t.