"Really? Didn't I tell you to stay away from the Troupe?" Your half-sister's exasperated voice sounded off from behind you. "Men in general. All trash. We don't want a repeat of the last time. They're worse now."

The  sun was almost gone now, you could feel the  lack of heat. Just a few more minutes and it would be  swallowed up by  the clouds of despair. You grinned and raised your arms to embrace the  air, the delicious, cold  air, that blew gently against you. Your eyes  were still falsely locked on the  view before you. The sinking,  beautiful sunset. The colors in your mind were truly  mind-bending and  heart throbbing, although likely they were nothing but grey and yellow.

"I no want men love me, Machi." You sighed. "They just do."

"I need to learn your language. You and Feitan both speak it, and it'd be  better than hearing that terrible broken speech you both have."

Purple,  orange, red, and blue  mixed in your head and colored the sky and  clouds into a lovely pink color. It was a  mesmerizing thought, to say  the least. So mesmerizing that you just wanted to fall into its endless  cycle of beauty. Just  as the last bits of the sun were to be eaten away  by the clouds, you  closed your eyes, the picture of the sunset so  clear and so beautiful in your mind, and took a deep breath.

"You no my mother." You tried to stand up for yourself.

"No. I'm more like your keeper. And trust me, it's a job I take very seriously. I'll move you every day if I have to. I might not be able to kill him, but I can certainly keep him away."

"Why, Machi?" Your voice whined a bit. "He so nice. Soft hair, strong... Why not Feitan?"

"He's  a thief and you're an artist. You can do so much better. Someone will  take you away from here and take care of you. I just have to keep all  the losers away until then."

What if I don't want to wait for them? What if I want to be with thieves?

But  you were too scared to voice your opinion. The last time you had fought  with her, a real fight, was when she stuck her needles through your  eyes. You feared what she'd do this time, if you were to defy her.

"Okay, Machi." You gave in. You wouldn't win against her, for sure. She was too strong and didn't have an ounce of compassion. You were her duty and she would do what she felt she had to, in order to protect you. And there wasn't a day that went by that you didn't resent that fact to the fullest.