Nightmare

By Harmony283

Summary: It's a stormy night on the Legacy, Moses and Jay are traveling through the rain to Werites Beacon: Jay because of Will, and Moses because of Csaba. What happens when they stay at an abandoned cottage for the night, and why is Shirley in the hospital? Also, everyone thought Solon was dead…so why is he back?

Pairings: Moses/Jay, Senel/Shirley, Senel/Chloe, Norma/OC, and Jay/OC

Disclaimer: No matter how much I want to own them, I neither own Jay, nor Moses. If I did, not only would they get more cute scenes together, but you would be able to get Jay as a 'playable character' earlier in the game.

Authors Note: -inhale/exhale- okay then, this is my first bit of fanfiction for ToL, I got the game for Christmas, but it somehow got lost while I was cleaning, and I suddenly found it again. Right now I'm not done playing the Character Quests, I'm at the very beginning of Grune's CQ--meaning I don't know much of what happens to her, so she will be collectively absent until I'm finished playing through the game (which should be sometime either this week or early next week).

Warnings: Shonen-ai, and suggestive themes are ahead (in this chapter) so if you don't like, then please push the back button.

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The Legacy; random cottage house:

The thunder and lightning crashed outside, illuminating the inky darkness, rattling the thin framed glass windows of a small, abandoned, cottage. The wind howled threatening to blow the wooden door from its all ready worn and rusted hinges.

The insides of the cottage was dark, a single candle flickered inside its lantern, threatening to go out as the wind crawled its way through the carious imperfections of the small wooden structure. On the far side of the wall, the wall that one first sees upon entering, there were two beds covered with a thin white sheet that, if any were to take shelter in this place, wouldn't provide much relief from the elements.

Just as another flash illuminated the cloud sky, lightning dancing along the underside of the dark clouds in a brilliant light display, two figures, both shaded by the darkness, made their way towards this worn structure, obviously seeking shelter from their quickening steps across the soggy dirt pathway. Soon the first figure, who seemed to be quite tall compared to his companion, made it to the door, kicking it open with his foot before stumbling inside.

The second figure followed him in shortly after, closing the door quickly before a gust of wind could bring in the cold rain water, as well as other debris such as leaves, twigs, and blades of grass.

A few seconds of silence, rather awkward silence, passed between the two, before the taller figure spoke, his visage still hard to see in the flickering candle light, "Well I guess we're stuck here for tha night. Another flash of lightning revealed that the speaker was a man known commonly as Moses Sandor, the leader of a group of bandits. His red hair was matted down from the pounding rainfall he had just ran through, his tan skin shimmered, excess water trickling down his mostly bare chest.

"Yes, unfortunately that seems to be the case." His companion, another, slight younger boy, stated, his plum colored eyes flashing in annoyance. He reached up to untie the bands that kept his raven hair up in its usual side-ponytail, letting it fall around his shoulders before gathering it back up and squeezing the excess water out of it, or at least as much water from it as he could. He then let it fall, turning to look up at the Moses when he felt the bandits eyes on him.

"What?" then he smirked, "Don't tell me you're still scared of thunder?"

Another moment of silence, this one even more awkward, passed between the two, the only sound was the harsh pounding of rain on the roof.

"…Well, are you?" Jay prodded, studying the red-heads visage, his eyes narrowing.

"No O'course not, Jay! I ain't afraid of no th—"

A flash of lightning followed by a crash of thunder caught the red-haired beast tamer off guard, causing him to jump and, because Jay just so happened to be the closest thing/person around to grab onto, he grabbed the young strategist into a tight hug.

"Moses!"

Thunder boomed outside the home of a well known man named Will Reynard the 'sort-of' mayor to Werites Beacon. This boom of thunder caused the man, as well as his daughter Harriet, to jump.

"Wow, it's getting really bad…the storm, I mean." Harriet murmured, pulling the blanket she had on tighter around her shoulders, glancing out at the pelting rain, and flashing lightning.

"Yes, this is the time of year for these storms, and since we're on the ocean it makes it even worse." Will agreed, adjusting his glasses before following Harriet's gaze out the window, "I hope Senel and Shirley are okay."

"Oh yeah, they went down to the ocean to take care of some monsters, right? Do you think Shirley'll be okay? She gets sick whenever she's around sea water…"

Will shook his head, "I hope so. Besides, I doubt Senel will let anything bad happen to—"

Just as he was about to finish his sentence, the front door burst open and, shortly after, Senel and Chloe ran in. Chloe's uniform was thoroughly soaked, her hair matted to her forehead, dripping down. Her hat was in her hand, having been clogged with so much water. Senel's hair, like Chloe's, was matted down to his forehead, his white shirt soaked through so that you could see the tan skin of his chest and stomach.

They both looked worried.

"Senel! Chloe! Where's Shirley?" Harriet asked, jumping up from the couch and rushing over to them, offering the blanket she had been wearing so that they could at least dry their hair off.

"She's…" Chloe started, taking the towel first before quickly wiping it across her face, looking over at Senel.

"She's in the hospital."

"WHAT?!?"

"H-Hey, l-let go of me!" Jay choked out, suddenly feeling panicked from Moses' reaction, 'He still seems to be afraid of thunder, or rather the sound caused by the thunder.' He thought, glaring, or at least trying to glare, at the form on top of him.

'I wonder why he's so afraid. He said he doesn't like loud noises, but what could have caused that fear? Wait, why do I even care in the first place? He's just a stupid bandit, right?'

But when another loud crash of thunder racked over head, Moses just gripped Jay even harder, burying his head in the crook of his neck, his breath tickling the sensitive skin there. This caused Jay to shift; unintentionally tightening Moses' embrace.

"Moses! I said let go!"

In an attempt to free himself from the unwanted, and highly unexpected, embrace, Jay stepped backward…

Only to find himself sprawled out on the ground a few seconds later, Moses still firmly locking him in an embrace.

'This…feels…very familiar.' The raven haired boy thought, staring up at the ceiling of the cottage. That's when it came back to him…that memory. It had been a regular training day with his former master. Jay had been exhausted, and had laid out on the grass, attempting to at least rest his eyes before his master found him. Unfortunately those 'few minutes' of rest were outlived, as his master had found him mere seconds after he had lain down.

'My, my what do we have here? A vulnerable boy lost in the forest?' Solon mocked, grinning sadistically at Jay's weak form.

'M-master! I--' suddenly a cloud drifted over head, causing Jay to look up. The cloud was dark, and others were quickly crowding around it.

'Hmm, look at that, it's going to rain soon.' And just as those words left Solons mouth, the rain began to fall.

'It's…rain…'

'Yes rain.' Solon walked over to Jay, standing directly in front of him, 'and you'll get wet if you continue to sit there.'

'I-I don't mind.'

'well I do. If you get sick, you won't be able to fight. Or train. And I can't have my favorite apprentice sick.'

'I won't get sick!'

'What was that?'

Jay noticed the edge in his voice, his eyes widening in fear, 'Um…n-nothing…nothing master. You're right. I might get sick.'

'Then let me help you.'

Jay gasped as he felt his master's hands on his shoulders, pushing him down to the grass-covered ground he had been laying on. The blond haired man quickly straddled his waist, grinning down at him with the same, wide, insane grin he always had.

'There, does that feel better?' he asked, pinning the young boys hands over his head.

'M-Master…please…g-get…off me. You're making me feel…'

'Feel? You can't feel. You are not human, therefor you can not feel.'

'But--'

Solon gripped the boys wrists tightly, making the raven-haired youth flinch, 'You. Can. Not. Feel." He then bucked his hips forward, before raising himself, towering completely over his apprentice.

'M-Master…'

That memory…that was when Solon had first…no, it wasn't the first time that man had shown any signs of dominance. It was one of the times Jay hadn't noticed, and now sourly regretted it. Because he had shown Solon that he was weak, he had given up what little chance he had of escaping.

'Heh, I was pathetic then, wasn't I? But I'm not like that now, and Moses is…Moses isn't like Solon at all. Solon is crazy, sadistic, Moses isn't. Moses is…'

Jay shook his head, 'He isn't anything to me. But…Solon…he…why was I thinking of that time? It's not like I can do anything about it now. But it…he did…that was…'

The young strategist flinched involuntarily, another boom of thunder and blast of wind making the small shelter tremble. It was just like he was, in that memory. Weak but still staying strong.

'I am not weak. I am not…I am not like that. I can't be like that. I'm stronger than Senel is now, most likely. But I wasn't then. I didn't even do anything when Solon--'

Jay then remember the training that he had gone through directly after that particular rainstorm.

It had been horrible, he had been so bruised that it hurt to move. But he hadn't shown it, 'All because I thought I was weak.'

But that didn't mean that he was that strong then, either. Or else it probably wouldn't have hurt as much as it did.

Regardless, Jay still flinched at the thought of going through that training, and what it all had been for. Almost instantly, Moses seemed to back off, unhooking his arms from around the younger boys neck.

"H-heh…sorry 'bout that." The redhead muttered, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. He expected the boy under him to snap back with a witty, and hurtful, comment. But he didn't get one. He glanced down at Jay, noticing immediately the distraught look in the boys eyes.

"Jay…you look like you swallowed a bunch of crap again…"

That got the boys attention, "What?"

"Good, you looked like ya dazed off there for a second…but you…"

"I…? Well? What is it?"

"You look tense." He then looked out the window, watching as the rain slowed, and the thunder drifted into a state of just a light muffle. The storm was finally passing. He then looked back down at Jay, his face serious.

Jay shook his head, "It's nothing that you…that you…" he couldn't find the words for it.

But he didn't have, Moses already knew.

"It's nothin' that I wouldn't understand? Cuz I'm 'stupid'? C'mon now Jay! I might not be the smartest, but I ain't that dumb. You can tell me."

Jay scowled, "Thanks, but no thanks, I'd rather not waste my breath." He then propped himself up on his elbows, still not liking the fact that the red-haired bandit was so close to him, but at least now he had a bit more freedom.

"Jay--" Another crash of thunder rang out overhead, the sky outside illuminating with the light from the Lightning.

'Great, the storm really isn't over.'

"Ahh!"

"Agh!"

Jay fell to the ground once more, as Moses grabbed onto him.

'Now I'm starting to think he's doing this on purpose.'

Though he wasn't quite sure whether or not it was on purpose or not, and he certainly wouldn't say anything to the man…for now. Afterwards he would probably tell him. It was certainly wonderful black mail material.

'Well, no one ever said it was a bad thing…but still…'

This was going to be a long night.

"Yes the hospital." Senel shook his head, moving some of his wet, dripping, bangs from his eyes before walking further into the room.

"But…why? Is she hurt? Did one of the monsters attack her? Is she okay now?" Harriet asked, jumping off the couch with a worried look on her face.

Senel just sulked.

"Now, now Harriet, that's enough. Though I'm curious as well, what happened?"

"I…we…we were out near Lumen Spring, by the coast. We were battling up against a sea monster, and then it…when she tried to heal me it caused a wave, which carried her out. She was fine, but then another wave came and she swallowed some sea water."

"S-sea…water? But…but that doesn't make any sense!" Harriet was now waving her arms around, looking between Chloe and Senel.

"Yes…it doesn't. Dammit, if only I had know she was still affected by it! This is all my fault." Senel clenched his fists, shaking his head in defeat.

"Coolidge…"

Another loud boom of thunder, and another yelp and squeeze from Moses, made Jay sigh in annoyance. Why was he annoyed? Well, apart from the fact he didn't even want to be near the bandit, it had to deal with two things. One was that it was getting harder for him to breathe, especially since, whereas Moses seemed to have grown even taller over the past month, Jay hardly grew at all, so he was technically being crushed under the weight of the taller man. The second reason was that he was starting to feel…odd.

'It's probably just due to the lack of oxygen' he kept telling himself.

But a feeling told him that wasn't the case. He didn't understand it, and it, to say the least, scared him. Not that he was going to admit that to the bandit, but when he felt scared, he wanted to get as far away from that danger as he possibly could. And the only way to do that was to try and get Moses off him once more.

"M-Moses! G-Get off me!" he really hadn't meant to stutter, and yet he did. But to emphasize his point, he started to squirm, which, thankfully, got Moses' attention. He raised his head, still shaking, and gave the young strategist a confused look.

"Jay?"

When his name was voice it just made him feel even weirder. He squirmed even more, looking away from the man now straddling his waist.

"Jay?" Moses asked again, now thoroughly confused. Yes he knew Jay was uncomfortable, that was just plain noticeable. But the fact that he wasn't yelling, and that he wasn't responding verbally had him worried.

He sighed, calling out the boy's name once more. Though this time he received an answer.

"Just.Get.Off" Jay tried to keep his gaze away from Moses, trying to think of something more pleasant than his current position…and the rising fear and strange-ness coursing through his body. If Moses didn't move, he was afraid of what he might do to him.

"But…you don't look so good. Are ya feelin' sick?" It was lame, and Moses knew it. But he had to know what was bugging Jay.

But to Jay, it seemed that that was an…accurate description of what he was feeling.

'Yes, I must be feeling sick. That's the only way I can think of describing it.'

"It's that Solon guy, isn't it?"

Jay flinched, making it known that yes, Moses, the ever stupid bandit that now didn't seem all that stupid, was right.

When the younger teen didn't answer, Jay sighed again, "Don't lie to me Jay. Y'all know I hate when someone lies…especially you." He paused, the look in his eyes changing from fear and worry, to some other, softer emotion, "And ya know I'll listen, and that I'll protect ya always…right Jay?"

"D-Don't make promises you can't keep." Jay stated, shaking his head from side to side.

Moses smirked, noticing the red hue the normally pale boy's face was taking, "Are ya embarrassed?"

Jay turned to him and glared, "NO!"

"Oh? But yer face is red."

Jay just blinked, "What?"

'Am I really blushing…? I can't tell…'

Moses seemed to have read his mind, and so he placed a hand on his cheek, making the raven-haired boy painfully aware of how warm his face was. This caused him to look away.

"Heh, you're so cute sometimes."

"Wh-Whatever…just get of me, please." It nearly killed his pride to say please, especially when he knew Moses probably wouldn't get off him, and probably wouldn't any time soon. Because that was Moses and Moses loved to annoy Jay…or was it the other way around?

'I can't tell anymore…'

When he looked back up at the red-haired beast tamer, he noticed the thoughtful expression on his face, "Hmm, well, it must be pretty serious if yer sayin' please." He seemed to pause, looking back down at Jay, before getting up.

'He actually did what I asked him to…'

Jay watched as Moses walked over to one of the beds, sitting down on the edge of it. This made him sigh in relief. He stood up slowly, then began to walk past the bandit towards the other bed.

But he wasn't quick enough, and Moses grabbed his shoulder. It wasn't a firm hold, and Jay could've easily slipped out of it. But he didn't. Instead he looked towards the older boy with an annoyed expression on his face, "What is it?" he paused to listen as the thunder outside was reduced to a mere rumble, "the thunder stopped, you don't--hey!"

Moses had jerked him forward, so that now their faces were mere inches apart. This caused Jay to feel even more uncomfortable than before.

"You're soakin' wet. And you know you'll catch a cold you--"

Jay slipped his hand overtop Moses', taking it off his shoulder. When the bandit tried to reach for him again, Jay slapped his hand away, "I'll be fine. And I'd rather we get to Werites Beacon…Will called me there after all." He stopped, contemplating on if he should really say what had just come into his mind, but then again, he didn't really care if this hurt the bandit or not, so he did, "Also…I honestly don't want to spend another night with just you."

"Hey!"

Jay smirked, "And I especially don't want to hear anymore of what you say in your sleep." He watched in amusement as Moses' face turned from one of hatred, to shock, to embarrassment.

"H-Hey! I d-don't…"

"Yes you do."

"Uh, heh, I-I never knew…" he said, laughing nervously as well as scratching the back of his head.

Jay crossed his arms over his chest, turning away from the red-haired man, "Hmph, well you should be glad that I'm the only one who's heard it…"

'Even if it just makes me feel even stranger…around you…especially now…'

Suddenly the bed creaked, and Moses stood up.

"Wha--?" Jay turned his head, wondering what Moses was doing, but was stopped, not by an action, but from the bandits voice.

"Don't turn around." His voice was gentle, and yet it was forceful, like an order. An order that Jay, for some reason or another, felt complied to follow.

"M-Moses?"

"He felt fingers run through his hair, "So you're keepin' your hair down?"

"It'll never dry if I put it up again."

"Heh, well, I like it this way. An' it won't dry if we continue on so let's…"

"But--!"

"I know whatever Will called ya for is important, but it--"

"It can't wait! Not only does Will need to tell me something but I…Shirley…"

"Shirley? What about Shirley?" Moses questioned, looking at the backside of Jay, who still hadn't turned around. He thought it over for a few seconds, of what exactly the strategist could mean. And then it hit him, "Wait…don't tell me Solon wants her? I mean, I heard he wasn't dead like we thought, so…"

Jay's shoulders dropped, making Moses worry…worry that he was right. He had silently hoped that Solon was dead, that the murders that had gone on in the past month had been from monsters, or at least from someone else.

But if it did have anything to do with Solon…

'What is that guy up to? Don't tell me he's gonna force Jay into helpin' him again. Jay wouldn't fall for that again, would he?'

There was only one way to find out, and that was to ask.

"Jay, has Solon contacted you at all this past month?"

"…"

"Jay!" Moses squeezed his shoulders.

"He…"

"He what? What did he do?" Moses asked, his grip tightening, "Tell Me."

"He…" Jay shook his head, swallowing audibly, "He came for a visit."

That was very vague.

'Not that I was expecting a straight forward answer from 'im anyway.'

"And how did it go?"

Jay tensed, "How do you think it went?" he then turned around to face Moses, not even moving away when he noticed just how close they were.

All the while Moses just stared at him, trying to read his emotions. But his face showed none; it was as blank as it had been back when Solon first appeared before them.

"What did he do to you?" the bandit asked, his voice barely above a whisper, and yet it seemed to have more of an affect on Jay, who suddenly looked like he was about to cry.

But he wouldn't cry. That would make Moses worry about him. And if Moses worried about him then that would make it twice as bad if Solon ever did find out. Jay was used to the punishment, but Moses wasn't. And even though he was a 'stupid bandit' Jay still couldn't find it in himself to let him go through that kind of pain.

'Besides, it's not like Solon wants to kill me. He even said that he didn't want to. Heh, he'll probably just bring me close to death…just to make me scared…just to make me suffer. Heh, that's a depressing thought.'

Jay sighed, slipping his hand into his pocket, searching for the knife he always had hidden there. He always felt like he needed it whenever the subject of Solon was brought up. He found the cool bladed, and pulled it out, squeezing it as he did so.

He flinched, but made no move to drop the knife.

"Jay…?" Moses noticed the knife, and a wave of discomfort passed through him. He would never forget when Jay had used him as a 'practice dummy'. But then he noticed a bit of crimson on the edge of the blade facing the boy's hand.

"Wait…your hand! Jay you cut your hand!"

"What?" Jay glanced down at his hand again, "So?"

"You…gimme that!" Moses snatched the knife out of Jay's hand, throwing it onto the bed, "And don't you dare touch one of 'em until…"

"Until what? I'm fine. I didn't even mean to do that." Jay replied coldly, closing his eyes and looking away from the older bandit.

"Really? You ain't gonna up and do it again?"

Jay shook his head; "No I'm not going to do it again. It's just…it happens whenever I think about Solon now, or at least ever since I realized I hadn't killed him."

"Well that ain't no way to act, cuttin' yerself I mean."

"I didn't mean I do that."

'Or did I? It was an accident, I just grabbed my knife wrong.'

"I just grabbed my knife wrong."

"And since when did you ever do that?"

Jay paused, 'He does have a point--'

He couldn't even finish that single thought before he felt himself being turned around and being pulled into an embrace…a very tight embrace.

"H-Hey! L-let go…!"

"Nuh-uh, not yet."

"But--"

"not…yet…"

Something in Moses' voice changed, making the odd feeling Jay had had earlier come back in full force. It also made him quickly comply, leaning his head on the older boys tan chest, sighing in defeat.

"I'm fine…I'll be fine." Senel shook his head, "I just…Shirley wanted us to tell you about it."

"Yes, Alcott and Elsa are both looking into why the salt-water is affecting her again." Chloe said, shaking her head, "It shouldn't affect her anymore should it?"

Will nodded his head, "Yes, after she became the Merines, it shouldn't have affected her at all. It didn't when she saved you, did it?" he turned to face Senel, who just nodded.

"Yeah, she dove right in and saved me. And she didn't even get sick."

"Yes, so the question really is why it's--"

"EVERYONE!" a loud, very familiar, girl cried out, making everyone in the room jump.

The front door banged open, and there, standing in the doorway was a very saturated looking Norma with a scary expression on her face.

"N-Norma…? What are you doing here?" Chloe asked, her hand over her heart, staring at the brunette with her eyes wide.

"It's…It's…Ninja's! A-And So-So! I saw them…I saw them near the Forest of No Return…and they were looking for JJ!" she waved her arms frantically, looking both worn out and hysterical.

"But Jay's not here," Senel pointed out, then after a second of thought he continued, "Actually, I have no idea where he--or Moses--is." He shook his head, "Thankfully they won't be anywhere near the Forest of No Return…but then again, they could just as easily go through the duct…"

Will sighed loudly, "This isn't good…"

"Teach?" Norma cocked her head to the side cutely, "What's up with you? You look like you swallowed a bug."

Will sighed again, "No Norma, I did not swallow a bug. It's…I…"

Norma caught on, "Don't tell me, you invited Jay here? What about the Ninja's? Senny's right ya know! They could just as easily take the duct like any sane person would! Not that So-So's sane…but still! Do you have any idea how far he is now?"

Will shook his head, "No I don't, and the fact that there's a storm makes me even more unsure."

"Well do you know where Red is? Or is he not coming here?"

"Oh he's definitely coming, Csaba came here a few days ago."

"Do you think it's a possibility that they ran into each other?" Chloe asked, folding her arms and shaking.

"There is a possibility…though whether or not that would be a good thing or not…" he trailed off, shaking his head from side to side.

"You're right. Those two never get along."

"Yeah, and the fact that's it's thunderin' an' all…and we all know Red hates thunder."

Almost as soon as those words left Norma's mouth, everyone had the same thought.

'Poor Jay…'

Norma then promptly collapsed on the ground, letting out a long tired sigh, which drew everyone's attention to her once more.

"Norma? Are you okay?" Harriet asked, walking over to her and bending down.

"Nn…I just know I'm gonna miss somethin' good…"

"What?"

Norma looked around at everyone, a 'I know something you don't know' look on her face, "You mean you don't know? Hello! What do two guys do when they're alone together?"

"Get in a fight?"

"Break something?"

"Nope! And I'm not talkin' about regular guys! I'm just saying what would Red and JJ do, more like Red force JJ to do, when they're completely alone?"

"Get in a fight?"

"I agree with Senel, they would probably fight."

Norma rolled her eyes, "Oh come on! Senny, C, you're so dense!"

"I am not!" they both cried out in unison.

"Yes you are! This is Red we're talking about," she threw her hands forward, as if for emphasis, but getting confused stares from them in return.

"Grr…Teach! You know what I'm talkin' about don't you?"

Will coughed uncomfortably, "Norma…get your head out of the gutter. NOW"

"Out of the…? Oh!" Chloe's face immediately turned red, as she realized exactly what Norma had meant.

Senel just continued looking confused.

"But…but I'm right aren't I? Even C gets it now! Don't'cha C?"

Chloe shook her head, "I…yes I know what you mean but…"

"but nothin'! I really wanna know what happens! I mean, come on! Those two are probably getting--OUCH!" she was cut off by a particularly hard whack on the head by none other than Will himself.

"That's enough Norma."

"I still…don't get it. What could Moses get Jay to do that he does want to do?"

"Ah, I'll make this as simple as I can, Senny," Norma stated, jumping up and leaning on the Alliance Marine's shoulder, acting like nothing ever happened.

"O-okay."

"Let's just say that Red wants to be more than friends with JJ."

Senel seemed to get it now, "What? You mean…but they don't like each other that way! I mean they fight all the time…there's no way. You must be kidding…"

"But I'm not…and haven't you ever heard the term 'you always hurt the ones you love'? That term so perfectly fits those two." Norma then started to giggle, and it wasn't until Will tugged her away, giving her another bonk on the head, that she shut up.

"Aww…Teach you're so mean!" she cried out, once more falling onto the ground.

Will just shook his head, "Like I was saying, they probably will run into each other…but if I had known Solon wasn't back on the main land I would've gone to get Jay myself."

"But that would just ruin their perfect moment together!" Norma whined, waving her arms in the air once more.

"No it wouldn't."

"Well it would ruin whatever 'moment' they would be having if you barged in." Harriet butted in, feeling slightly sorry for the yellow clad brunette, who was looking quite dejected at the moment.

"Harriet! Go to your room!"

"But--"

"No buts."

"Grr…fine." Harriet turned and stomped up the stairs.

"Like I was saying, I should have gone to get him myself, because I highly doubt either of them are in fit condition to fight Solon."

"Yeah…Jay, well, from what Shirley told us he couldn't even fight back against him. That and she told us what he did to him back in Mirage palace."

Senel nodded his head, "Yeah, it's hard to believe…"

"And we only know half of it. I mean, yeah Shirl said he beat him, but he could've done a lot worse." Norma murmured, shaking her head.

"Yeah." Chloe, Senel, and Will nodded their heads in agreement.

"By the way…where is Shirl anyway? Wasn't she with you Senel?"

Everyone just stared at the brunette, who looked back at them, confused, "What?"

"She's in the hospital."

"Oh, okay. Wait, what? Why?!?"

"Saltwater"

"But I thought--"

Chloe sighed, "We did too."

"But it seems she's allergic to it again…and…I should be getting back." Senel turned to leave, but Chloe placed a hand on his shoulder. He turned to face her, "What is it?"

"We'll go too."

A comfortable, if not slightly awkward, silence filled the room as Moses refused to break the embrace. Jay couldn't believe he was just letting this happen. But it would be even more embarrassing to break the silence, than for it to just die off on its own.

He would never admit it, but he was starting to like the embrace. The odd feeling it made him have earlier was now dissipating, a warm feeling replacing it. He felt like he could just fall asleep in the bandit's arms. Not that Moses was likely to mind, it was the very thought that Moses was, well, Moses, that Jay didn't trust himself to fall asleep in front of him.

Who knew what that guy could do?

Jay felt himself being pulled closer and then he felt Moses lay his head on top of his own, sighing softly. It looked like he was enjoying the embrace just as much.

'Well he is the one who initiated it in the first place.' Not that that made any difference. The embrace was obviously for comforting Jay, but it seemed to have a comforting affect on the beast tamer as well.

"Ya know…I never though huggin' you would be this much fun."

Jay blinked, "What?"

Moses cupped the side of his face in his hand; "It's fun…I like huggin' you." He said this slowly, as if testing the words like he would soup that could be poisoned.

"…You…have an odd definition of fun." Jay's eyes narrowed, "But I can think of worse."

"Heh, yeah. Solon…he…you still feel scared 'round him don't cha?"

"S-some what…"

"Come on now, lil' brother, don't lie to me."

"But I'm not--"

"He makes ya scared whenever you're around him, don't he?"

Jay looked down at the ground, or what he could see of it since Moses still held him, "M-Maybe…"

"Jay."

"Okay fine yes I get scared whenever I'm around him. How can I not?"

"Ya know you can't be afraid of him forever. That just means ya haven't changed a bit."

"But I HAVE changed!" Jay snapped back. Then he stopped and looked away, "Or at least I hope I've changed. I don't want to go back to the way I…the way I was."

Moses stepped back, inspecting the boy, "You ain't sure?"

Jay shook his head; "No I'm not sure. Whenever I'm around him I'm afraid. Whenever I see him I'm not sure if I can continue being the way I am. And now Will's called me to Werites Beacon, and Solon will probably be there as well…and he…he wants…!"

The raven-haired strategist shook his head violently, and Moses would be lying if he said he didn't have any tears in those plum colored eyes of his. But the fact that Jay looked so unnerved startled him.

"He?"

Jay leaned against Moses, "He took it."

"T-Took what?" Moses wrapped his arms around the boys small frame, "He took what?"

"My…my…bell."

"Bell?"

"He took my bell!"

This took a moment for the beast tamer to register it, but when it did he immediately knew what Jay was talking about.

"The bell? You mean the one you had when you…?"

Jay nodded his head, fighting back the now overwhelming urge to cry, "Y-Yes, the bell…the only thing I had of my parents…my real family. And he took it. Even now, when I was just about to start researching what type of bell it was, and…and where it's from…"

Tears suddenly started to fall, and Jay quickly wiped them away, "B-But I-I don't really think I should…start looking…because I don't think they're alive anyway."

"Don't say that Jay! If ya say that then, well, don't ever give up hope! You're my lil' bro! I'll help ya look for your family, and I'm sure Senel and the others'll help too!"

Jay hiccuped, wiping at his eyes again, "Y-yeah…but even if…even if they're alive the may not want me."

Moses wrapped his arms around his 'lil brother' and just held him for a few minutes.

"I told ya, don't think like that!"

"But it might be true."

"And if it is, if it is know that you've always go family…right here."

"But--"

"And ya got someone who cares for ya right in front a ya."

Jay flushed, leaning his head back against Moses' chest, "I-I…thank you…Moses."

And that's the end of Chapter One. And, well, if there's one thing I'll say about this it's that this was one of the hardest pieces of Fanfiction I've ever done. It's not so much the fact that they're hard characters to write about, it's just that I've been struggling with writer's block for about a week, and this is my way to get out of it (this is also the first thing I'm uploading since we've had computer problems). Okay then, Flames are unwanted, CC is welcome and reviews, well, I love them and they make me happy/want to update, so yeah, please R&R!