Disclaimer:I do not own Tales of Legendia or any of the characters, places, or anything else but the plot.
AN:Hehehe, my second Tales of Legendia story! Just if you're all wondering why both my ToL stories are centered around Jay, he's my favorite character! Now please, enjoy the story!
A Place to Call HomeChapter 1
"You're so weak, you're so useless, you're nothing compared to me," Solon looked down at the young boy, sprawled on the ground, tattered and wet from the rain. "I love beautiful things, and you're definitely the most despicable thing I've ever seen in my life." He kicked the boy around as he moaned and grimaced each time Solon's foot made contact with his side. The boy wanted to cry, yet held it in, since he knew, that that was what Solon wanted out of him. He had been biting his lip and now, he could taste his own blood, which he wanted so badly to spit out in Solon's face. Suddenly, the kicking ceased, and when the young boy looked up, Solon stared down at him, "you disgust me, you only exist now because of me, I saved you when you were abandoned by you're parents, left out in this empty world alone. You should be thanking me for giving you a place in this world to live in, yet all you do is disappoint me." With that he bent down and pulled the boy to his feet by the back of his collar, when something fell out of his pocket. "Hmph, you still carry around that piece of junk?" Solon picked it up between his thumb and index finger, and held it away from him as if it were something disgusting. "P...Please, give it back!" the boy tried to get it back, but Solon held it just out of his reach. "You want this thing back? Then you are going to have to take it back by force!"
Jay woke up with a start, startling everyone around him, "you alrigh' Jay?" Moses was crouching beside him now, looking rather worried.
"What's it to you, stupid bandit..." and Jay just walked away from the party.
Everyone just watched Jay leave, fairly shocked at his reaction.
They had been taking a break, since Jay had suddenly collapsed after they found him with a mysterious man. Senel had recognized him at once, he had asked him for directions once, but was disgusted when he found him staring at Shirley.
"I wonder what's wrong with him..." Senel had grown worried about his sudden attitude change. It had become normal thing, which everyone had grown accustomed to, for Jay to make some remark towards Moses, but it was always something that they could all laugh about. Senel looked over at Moses, who was still frozen with shock, and went over to him.
"I think there's definitely somethin' wrong with 'im," Moses looked down sadly. "Why don't he ever open up to any of us? We're family, he could tell us anythin' and we'd help 'im."
Jay was making his way towards the Oresoren Village, a place he now called home, but somewhere inside, he felt that he would never belong anywhere. He was so taken up in his thoughts, he didn't notice that he could've just taken the duct there. He didn't even notice when he had arrived at the village, nor did he notice Pippo, Poppo, and Quppo looking up at him with eyes filled with wonder as he entered the house. He just really didn't know anything anymore, he just wanted to sleep. Sleep forever until this nightmare would end, when all the aching pain in his heart would go away. He went up to his room and locked the door, he didn't bother turning on the lights or open his curtains. He sat on the floor in front of his bed and pulled out his Star Festival leaf, and stared at it for the longest time ever. "I wonder if my wish will ever come true..." he thought to himself.
"Do you think it ever will?" Jay was surprised at the sudden voice that didn't belong to him nor anyone he knew, besides those facts, he was completely alone in his bedroom. "OF COURSE IT WILL!"
Meanwhile, Senel and the rest of the party headed towards the Oresoren Village in hopes of finding Jay and the three worried brothers greeted them.
"We're glad to see all of you here..." Poppo sadly looked up at them, as did his other two brothers.
"Jay's been in his room ever since he got home and he hasn't come out once," Quppo explained.
"We're worried that it might have something to do with his past, but he won't even talk to us!" Pippo just plopped down on the floor, looking as though he was ready to cry.
"Don' worry lil' buddy, Moses'll check on 'im for ya," Moses patted Pippo's fuzzy head and went up the stairs, and just as he expected, the door was locked.
"Hey, Jay! Open up!" Moses started banging on the door. "Come on out! The Oresorens are worried 'bout you!"
Jay just sat in his room pretending to be asleep, he could hear everything that went on outside, he heard Will cough "just the Oresorens, Moses?"
Moses blushed, "well, uh... I'm... worried too," he continued. "We're all worried 'bout you, so please, come on outta there!"
"..." but still, Jay didn't answer him nor any of the others who called out to him.
"Well, we'll all be down 'ere waitin' when you're ready," he heard Moses walk down the stairs.
"Stupid bandit..." Jay thought but felt a smile creep up to his face. "I guess they really do care..."
"No, they're just saying that, they don't really care..." Jay jumped up at the voice again. "Wh...who are you? Wha...what do you want!" Jay spun around, searching for the source of the voice.
"They're only saying that to get to your weak points..." the voice said seductively, ignoring Jay's questions.
"I...is that true..?" Jay's voice quivered slightly, but he soon gained his composure again. "OF COURSE IT'S NOT TRUE!" he yelled at nothing.
"If you truly believe that, then why are you still here?"
"I...I..." Jay didn't know why he didn't just go see them, and suddenly, the black mist shrouded him. "I...I...I don't know, I just don't know anymore!"
Jay fell to his knees and his back started to heave harshly, and tears fell out of his eyes.
"There, there now, just let it all out. Let it all out and give in to the darkness in your heart..."
He couldn't remember what happened after that, but all he could remember was leaving his room and collapsing, and his so called 'friends and family' were kneeling beside him. Jay could hear them calling to him, but they seemed so far away, and so faint, he felt like he was falling into a deep, dark pit that he would never be able to climb out of on his own. His body felt heavy and sleep swept over him.
"You are just as useless as ever, you've let you're emotions take over again. You were supposed to be a tool, a weapon of mass destruction! But look what you've turned into, a soft little boy, who probably couldn't even hurt a fly... I've heard, my young apprentice, those little furry rats have been caring for you. Ahh... I'd like to see what color their blood is, I want to hear them cry out in agony and pain, as I take them out, one by one..." Solon's voice range through his head.
"No, NO! You leave them out of this! I'm the one you want!" Jay desperately tried to defend his Oresoren friends.
"Ahahahaha! You make me laugh, just looking at this pitiful sight makes me want to hurl! Fine, then, I'll leave you're precious Oresorens alone, if you bring me the Merines!" He snickered seeing the pained look on Jay's face. "You want to protect those furry friends of yours don't you?"
Jay looked down at his feet in defeat. He felt like he had no choice and felt the weights on his shoulders again. Just then, he felt a hand on his shoulder, and he saw Moses smiling at him with that goofy grin of his. He felt another hand on the other side, and saw Senel, also smiling at him. He turned his whole self around and saw the rest of his friends holding their hands out towards him, and the Oresorens were waving him over. Jay stretched his hand out to them and felt someone take hold of it, he opened his eyes and found that it was Senel. He looked around himself and he saw that the others surrounded him. He felt that he had enough strength to sit up, he did while everyone watched him. He still clutched in his small hands, the Star Festival leaf, as he looked up and around, like a small child, at the ones who looked at him with worried eyes.
"Are you alright, Jay?" Chloe asked.
"Yes, we were all worried you," Shirley peered over his shoulder from behind.
"You kinda freaked us out, ya know," Moses placed his hand on his head and messed up his hair. "You were talkin' to yerself in there!"
"Cut it out, you stupid bandit!" Jay growled, but started laughing.
"Huh! What the..." Moses was taken aback and so was the rest of the party.
"My, my, you seem to be having a lot of fun Jay!" Grune smiled, tilting her head to one side. "You definitely seem to be much happier now, especially when you are around Moses!"
Jay blushed and looked down at his hands, "yea, Grune is right, ors!" Poppo hopped around happily, and soon his brothers joined him.
"Yea you definitely smile more when you're with them, ors!" Pippo smiled up at him.
"Yup, you definitely made very good friends, ors!" Quppo stood in a line with the other brothers, and cocked their heads cutely at him, with adorable eyes.
"Aww, aren't they just the cutest things you've ever seen?" Norma was infatuated by the Scallop Brothers' cuteness, but everyone else just stared at her and they heard the Crickets of Awkward silence. "Umm... that was very random wasn't it?"
"Anyhow, we're glad you're better, Jay," Will nodded in acknowledgement.
"Am I really better?" Jay wondered. "Thank you, Will, everyone."
Then he remembered what that voice had said to him, "they're just saying that, they don't really care..." Jay shook his head and cleared that thought out of his head.
Well, I hope you all liked the first part of the story.
And now, here's backstage with the Fun Bunch!
Jay: So tell me again why I'm always in your stories?
Me: What do you mean 'always'? I've only written two ToL stories!
Jay: But still, I have a bad feeling about being in so many stories...
Me: Aww, that's alright, it's only a feeling right?
Jay: Whatever, as long as you don't turn me feminine or gay, or anything else...
Me: Hearing you imply something like that, I hope you're not wanting to be in one...
Jay: OF COURSE NOT YOU CRAZY WOMAN!
Me: Okay, if you say so... grins evilly
Moses: Hey! How come I don't get a story to myself, huh?
Me: What, jealous now are we?
Moses: Jealous! O' half pint over there! You've gotta be kiddin' me!
Me: Riiight... But that's okay, I'll write one about you after I'm done this one!
Moses: ALRIGHT! YEEHAW! runs around like a maniac
Grune: Aww, Moses seems to be having so much fun!
Me: sigh... Why do I always get stuck with the weird ones...? Except for Jay, that is...
Haha, my little skit, the only reason I used Me instead of my real name is because then it would look weird since it rhymes with Jay by only one letter! Yay! And no, that is not my name, just replace the 'J' with a reasonable letter, not a G or an H. Anyhow, please R & R.