Prologue
Bound Through Tragedy

Two months was all it took. Two months of desperation and fear as they tried to survive against immeasurable odds. Two months of unquenchable hunger and death. Two months of seeing innocent men, women and children slaughtered due to genetics. Two months of coming across dead bodies; some missing limbs and any traces of meat as a result of the last resort method of survival. Two months of pure chaos that would plague them for the rest of their lives, binding them in a way no one else could ever understand.

Tarsus IV changed their lives, stripping them of any innocence they may have had left and left them with nightmares and triggers.

"Jade."

The familiar voice brings her from her weary thoughts. Though Jade isn't her true name, she turns in response to the teenage boy. It seemed a survival instinct to not reveal their true names; their names derived from features that stood out the most. Her bright, soft-jade colored eyes remain impassive as she meets sky-blue eyes. Neither of them would ever be the same. After they leave this Federation Med Center, finally back on Earth, they would each part ways and return to whatever lives they lived before.

Not that anything would be like it was before.

"Hello, Sky."

He shifts his body awkwardly, rearranging his grip on the pack strapped across his back, "When does your shuttle leave?"

"Fifteen minutes," she answers curtly, though after the past two months, Sky was no longer bothered by her general aloofness. "Did you require something?"

He shakes his head, "No. I..." he pauses, unsure of how to breech the topic, "Look, can I just...walk you to your gate? My shuttle doesn't leave for another thirty minutes."

Offering him a small, sincere smile, the raven-haired girl nods slowly, "I welcome it."

"So..." Sky trails off, searching for something to break the comfortable silence as the pair move through the port. "Are you looking forward to seeing your parents?"

Jade looks at him briefly from the corner of her eyes before they move back to looking forward, "I can't remember my parents. I was adopted by my aunt when I was little."

"Why were you on the colony?" Sky asks, instinctively not using the planet's name.

"I lived on the colony for about a year, attending the University," she replies simply.

"University?" His bright blue eyes blink in shock, "You're like...what? Fifteen?"

Jade's lips twitch at the impressed gleam in his eyes, "Yes, I am. I..." Jade shrugs nonchalantly, "I happen to be...smart. I was majoring in Strategy and Tactic, along with Basic Combat Training and Combat Analysis courses."

"Holy shit," he breathes out, "You're not smart. You're a freaking genius."

A small huff of laughter, a feeling she hasn't felt in a long time, escapes her, "I suppose. I don't like to display it, as it tends to make others...uneasy."

Arriving at the shuttle, the two turn to face each other, both taking the time to take in the sight of the person that has stood by them during such a tragedy. Without warning, Sky reaches across the short distance between them, wrapping his arms around the back of her shoulders and pulling the smaller girl toward him. Remembering her aunt's displays of affection, Jade smiles into his shoulder as her arms wrap around his torso. They may have not known each other long, but Suri's throat tightens at the thought of leaving her companion, an unusual burning sensation prickling in her eye. Closing them tightly, trying to will away the sensation, her grip tightens around him, her chest expanding as takes in every smell and the steady thrumming of his heartbeat.

"Is it weird if I said I'm going to miss you?" Sky asks, his own arms tightening, pulling her closer and she feels a pair of lips press against the side of her head.

"Perhaps," she responds, a teasing tilt on her words, "but within reason, I admit I will miss you as well."

Hearing the last call to board, the two steps away from each other.

"Hey," Jade pauses, glancing at him over her shoulder, "Will you tell me your real name?"

Thinking it over, she nods, facing him one last time as she extends her hand, "My name is Suri."

Calloused meets smooth as he claps his own hand in hers, a broad grin displaying gleaming white teeth appearing on his face, "Nice to meet you, Suri. I'm Jim."

With those last words, the two friends-of-circumstance part ways.

Not knowing that another tragedy will bring them together once more.

This one far more personal than either expected.