In the distance, in a land that seemed abandoned by everyone, stood a solitary house.
Night had fallen. In front of the door, a woman was busy bringing in furniture. Her name was Amu. A little girl with pale lilac hair and yellowish eyes came to join her. Her exceedingly gentle face belonged to Salomé Satsujin Otoko, her daughter.
— "Mom, you're finally back from the market?"
Amu seemed exhausted, and the fatigue could be read in the depths of her eyes.
— "Yes, my baby. I need to put all these things away; tomorrow is another day. I was able to earn at least two hundred KM this week: that's a lot."
A young boy with light-brown hair and black eyes joined them. He was Bakuran Satsujin Otoko, Amu's third son.
— "Mom, you're at the end of your strength. Leave all that and go rest in the living room. Salomé and I will bring all this in."
Salomé nodded. Amu smiled, proud of her children's kindness.
— "Oh, my children, you are adorable! How lucky I am to have you!"
— "When I think that Mom took the plane with all that to go to the market, it's incredible!" said Salomé. "Mom, tomorrow, could I come with you?"
— "But, my darling, tomorrow is Sunday: I don't work."
Salomé protested with a sulky pout.
— "Oh, that's not fair!"
Amu stroked her head to console her.
— "You know, working at the market isn't easy. You're better off here, at home."
— "But, Mom, I want to be with you!"
Amu remained silent for a moment, then gave in.
— "Well, I'll think about it. Perhaps you can come with me on Monday."
Salomé jumped for joy.
— "Hooray!"
Amu smiled again.
— "Well, children, bring the things inside. I'd like to go rest a little."
— "Understood, Mom! Come on, Salomé, help me," said Bakuran.
*
In the sky, two silhouettes stood out: Sakolomé and Ramos. They had flown over the region and were now preparing to land.
— "My little Sako, so this is where you live?"
Sakolomé nodded.
— "You must not get many visitors here. It's so far from the city!"
— "That's somewhat the point, Mr. Ramos. People don't like us very much."
— "Hmm… I'm truly sorry for you."
Sakolomé smiled, in a soothing tone.
— "Don't worry: we already lived like this before."
They touched the ground, and Salomé spotted Sakolomé immediately.
— "Oh, Bakuran, look, it's Sakolomé!"
Bakuran turned around and saw that his little sister was telling the truth. But his gaze was immediately caught by the man accompanying Sakolomé.
— "I'm going to give him a hug!"
Salomé was about to run forward, but Bakuran caught her.
— "Hey, Bakuran, let go of me!"
— "Wait. Don't you see that he isn't alone?"
— "Of course I do, and so what? What's the problem?"
— "The problem is that this never happens here."
— "Hmm…"
Sakolomé approached his little brother and his little sister, Ramos at his side.
— "Salomé, Bakuran, let me introduce you to Ramos."
Ramos smiled and raised his hand.
— "Good evening, children!"
— "Good evening, sir!"
Ramos immediately noticed a difference. The little girl with lilac hair was open and confident, while the boy holding her in his arms remained cold. He merely stared at Ramos without a word.
*For a child, he is remarkably wary.*
— "Hmm, hmm… Tell me, children, are you alone here?"
— "Actually, I don't really know," Sakolomé replied.
He turned toward Bakuran.
— "Bakuran, has Mom already come back?"
Bakuran let go of Salomé and walked toward his brother without saying a word. Then:
— "Sakolomé, big brother, I'd like to speak to you in private first."
— "Uh… okay. I hope it's not to tell me some bad news."
The two brothers moved a little away, leaving Salomé and Ramos alone for a moment.
— "Sakolomé, who is this guy?"
— "It's Ramos," he replied immediately. "He's great, don't worry."
Bakuran, for his part, was worried, and his questions were not lacking. Ramos's appearance inspired little confidence, and Sakolomé could see it.
— "How did you meet him? And what if it's a trap? What if he wants to hurt us?"
Sakolomé placed a hand on his brother's left shoulder to calm him and make him listen to his words.
— "Bakuran, you know I would never put our family in danger, let alone Mom. Mr. Ramos didn't know who I was; he didn't even know these lands were inhabited. In short, it's a long story, but I promise you: you have nothing to fear from him."
Bakuran was still not reassured.
— "And why shouldn't I fear him, Sakolomé? We are hated by everyone, everyone would want to see us dead, so a guy with a murderer's face like his is anything but reassuring."
Sakolomé gave a little laugh.
— "You know, Mr. Ramos knows a Satsujin Otoko. And not just any: our uncle Baham."
Bakuran's face suddenly changed.
— "Oh… really?"
— "Yes. I swear to you that Mr. Ramos is kind. He's here because he needs to see Dad: his plane crashed several kilometers from here, and he needs someone to repair it."
— "How does he know Dad can help him?"
— "Because I'm the one who told him. Come on, let's join them. Besides, if you're so afraid he'll hurt us, we need to hurry: they've both been left alone with Salomé."
Bakuran, startled, blurted out:
— "Darn! That's true!"
The two brothers hurried back to Ramos and Salomé, and what they discovered took them by surprise: Salomé was in Ramos's arms, radiant with happiness.
— "Uh… Children, you're already back?" said Ramos.
He set Salomé down on the ground.
— "No, Mr. Ramos! Why did you stop playing airplane with me?" she protested, full of energy.
Bakuran and Sakolomé exchanged a look. Sakolomé smiled, and Bakuran returned his smile.
The door of the house then opened, to everyone's great surprise, and the scene had something comical about it.
— "Bakuran, Salomé, you haven't yet…"
Amu stopped. She had just noticed all the commotion in front of her home, and the presence of a stranger. She addressed him without detour.
— "Hey, sir! Who are you, and what are you doing with my children?"
— "Good evening, ma'am. Calm down, I have nothing against your children: one of them simply led me here."
The answer caught her off guard.
— "Oh really? And which one?"
Sakolomé raised his hand.
— "It's me, Mom. I'll explain everything to you."
A few minutes later, after Sakolomé's detailed explanations, Amu seemed to calm down.
— "I see. You simply need help. I'm sorry for the tone I used earlier. Let me introduce myself: Amu, their mother."
— "Oh, there's no need. Your reaction is perfectly normal. And, please, don't use the formal 'you' with me. My name is Ramos, pleased to meet you, miss."
Amu smiled. She noticed that Ramos spoke very well, a sign that he came from the city.
— "Very well, as you wish, Ramos. Come in, all of you. I was just about to prepare dinner."
Everyone entered the house, and Amu invited Ramos to sit down. The interior was pleasant: they did not have everything, but they had everything they needed. A television, a dining room, a living room… Everyone knows what that means.
Once seated, Ramos began telling Sakolomé, Bakuran, and Salomé a few of his adventures. They were all hanging on his fabulous stories: Ramos was a great mutant hunter, endowed with superhuman strength. Amu, proud, watched the scene when…
Knock, knock, knock!
The sound at the door caught everyone's attention.
— "Don't get up, I'll go."
Amu approached the door and opened it.
— "Finally, you're back!"
The door opened wide, and Ramos's gaze fixed on those who were arriving. Salomé leapt from her seat and ran straight toward the entrance.
— "Dad!"
It was Niyus Satsujin Otoko who had entered. Salomé threw herself into her father's arms and hugged him with all her strength.
— "Gently, my darling. Dad is a little tired tonight."
Ramos was on his guard, as though he had just spotted an opponent or a threat. Niyus was a tall man, though smaller than him, with long brown hair. He was slightly muscular, and scars marked the visible skin of his hands. Ramos had a thousand questions.
Behind Niyus appeared another boy: Bakuzan Satsujin Otoko, the eldest son. He had a cold, empty gaze, wore a black tracksuit, and possessed striking beauty. His pupils were black as a starless night.
— "Listen, my darling," said Amu, "we have a guest. He's sitting in our living room."
— "Really?" Niyus exclaimed in surprise.
He stepped forward to take a look and saw Ramos. Ramos stood up and smiled. Niyus came over to him, Salomé in his arms, and the two men looked each other in the eyes, all smiles.
— "Hello, sir. I'm Niyus, the father of these children who are with you. I'm delighted to see that we have a visitor."
He held out his hand, which Ramos shook as a greeting.
— "Pleased to meet you. But please, no formalities between us."
— "As you wish. Tell me, do you already know all my children?"
— "Oh, yes. Your children are very kind."
— "I'm delighted to hear it! Their upbringing is in their mother's hands, and she excels at it. But I wanted to introduce you to my eldest son, over there."
Niyus let go of Ramos's hand and pointed toward Bakuzan.
— "Bakuzan, come here."
Bakuzan stepped forward and raised his head.
— "Good evening, sir. My name is Bakuzan Satsujin Otoko."
Ramos seemed to get lost in his gaze, as though he could not understand it.
— "Pleased to meet you, my little one. I'm Ramos."
Amu closed the door and approached them.
— "Excuse me, everyone, but I'll be serving dinner soon. Wash your hands and take your seats, now."
— "Uh, wait, I wanted to first…"
Amu approached Niyus, staring him straight in the eyes, with a strange smile.
— "I told you to wash your hands and calm down. Is that understood, my love?"
Niyus was sweating profusely. He did not want to make his wife angry.
— "Okay, darling, understood. We'll go right away!"
Sakolomé, Bakuzan, and Bakuran burst out laughing at the sight. Ramos was smiling: before his eyes was a visibly very beautiful family.