Okay, so I just finished watching the complete season of "G.I. Joe Renegades" and absolutely loved it! Snake Eyes is also my top favorite character in the series and this story idea came to me after watching the season finale of the show, since it didn't show what happened to the Joes after they cleared their names. Well, this idea came to me.

I only own Aika (Japanese for "Love Song") in this story. G.I. Joe Renegades belongs to Hasbro. Also, there are some spoilers for the episode "Return of the Arashikage: Part 1 & 2" and other episodes of the show.

Peace Found At Last

Snake Eyes breathed a sigh of relief when he pulled his motorcycle up to a log cabin that he had purchased long ago before he had worked with Scarlett's father. It was fully equipped with what he needed, including a space to train, just like his dojo that had been destroyed some time back.

He now entered, looking forward to a cup of tea and a meal that would celebrate the victory the Joes had over Cobra. He then thought of Scarlett and nodded to himself. Duke would take care of her and her father. He now thought about perhaps taking in a student. But for now, he was ready to enjoy a brief time of relaxation.

After a sweep to make sure all was clear, Snake Eyes went into the kitchen to prepare a meal.

Not far from the cabin, a small girl, about five years old and wearing a pink t-shirt and blue jeans, wandered nearer to the cabin she had seen on the hill a few yards back. She was lost and scared, stories of monsters roaming the forests making her run faster to the cabin, hoping it would keep the monsters away.

Her parents were gone, having been killed when she was a baby. The orphanage lady was not very kind towards the children she took in and the young girl hadn't liked her and so, when the lady took the kids to the amusement park, the five-year-old decided to head out and find someone to help her, but she had been walking all day with no luck until she saw the cabin. Her stomach then growled, indicating she hadn't had anything since breakfast before the amusement park.

She now made it to the cabin and pushed the door open, going in and shutting it, tiptoeing carefully as she looked around to see if anyone was there. Then, a wonderful aroma reached her and she followed it to see some rice, pork, and bread set out for a meal. Her stomach growled again and she glanced around before grabbing the food and eating it quickly, feeling her stomach fill up and feeling better when she was done. She then noticed a colorful bird on the branch of a tree that was outside a window and curiously went over to see it. As she watched it, she didn't know that she was now being watched by the owner of the cabin.

The bird soon flew away and she waved goodbye to it before turning around and coming face to face with a black mask and a visor. Startled, the five year old did what her brain told her to do in front of the being her mind said was a monster.

She screamed and quickly ran to get away from him, but he followed in hot pursuit.

Snake Eyes had wondered who had stolen his dinner when he had returned to the kitchen and had seen the five-year-old at the window watching a bird before she had turned and seen him. Now, she was running blindly to get away from him, but he followed her, knowing she would get hurt if he didn't stop her.

The five-year-old ran under the desk nearby and hid there, hoping to stay hidden, but the monster found her and reached for her. "Go away!" she screamed and quickly slid out from under the desk and out of his reach, running again as he pursued her again. She ran into the bedroom and quickly got under the covers, her small mind telling her to hide under the blankets to keep the monster away.

Snake Eyes followed the child into his room and saw her hiding under the blankets, shivering in fear. Seeing this, he moved towards her, sitting down on the bed and gently tugging the blankets to reveal her hiding place, but to his slight surprise, she had a firm grip on the blankets and wasn't letting go. So he stood up and stayed by the bed, waiting patiently as he knew she'd be curious enough to come out and see if he was gone sooner or later.

The five-year-old poked her head out after it seemed like the coast was clear and sat up, pushing the blankets away from her as she looked around and saw she was alone.

But that thought quickly morphed into fear again when she turned around and he was there and he had grabbed her before she could hide under the blankets again. She let out a fearful whimper as he set her beside him and she curled up in fear, trembling.

Snake Eyes saw how afraid she was and him being in full armor probably didn't help, but he had to show her he wouldn't hurt her. He placed one hand on her head, gently stroking the dark brown hair covering her head. She stopped trembling a little and looked up at him, but the fear was still in her wide eyes that he noticed were the color of steel. He gently brushed her cheek with the back of his fingers and she calmed down a bit more. She moved her head and his fingers lightly poked her neck, making her scrunch up her shoulder and giggle.

Smiling beneath his mask, Snake Eyes raised his hands and wiggled his fingers in the gesture that he was going to tickle her. The girl let out a squeak and curled up, a big smile on her face as he suddenly attacked, his fingers gently wiggling into her stomach. She let out a cute giggle that rapidly turned into cute laughter as he tickled her stomach and sides and her knees and calves. Then he stopped to give her a moment to rest before tickling her feet. She squealed before pulling her feet away from his hands. "That tickles!" she laughed as she tried to scamper away, but he caught her and pulled her to him, holding her in his lap as his arms prevented her from escaping. She laughed again happily before taking a deep breath to calm down and he patted her head to help her calm down and was pleased when she didn't react in fear. She then looked up at him. "Sorry," she said, looking ashamed. "I was hungry. I didn't mean to steal your food."

Snake Eyes looked at her and gently touched her side where her ribs were and felt them, realizing the young girl probably hadn't had a decent meal in a while. He stood up with her in his arms and carried her back to the kitchen, quickly preparing some more food for both him and his young guest, who rested her small head against his shoulder as he held her in one arm and her small arms wrapped around his neck and it took a moment for him to realize she was hugging him. He then set the cooked food in plates and gently placed her down by the eating table and he sat on the other side, noticing how she mimicked him and waited until he started eating before she began eating.

The five-year-old was quiet for a moment. "Are you a ninja?" she asked, remembering she had seen such a character in a cartoon once.

He looked at her and nodded, seeing her eyes light up before he placed a finger to where his mouth was in the gesture of 'shh' and pointed to the food. She immediately looked afraid that she had done something wrong and went back to her food, making him realize she no doubt took his request as a reprimand and now felt scared he was going to punish her. He waited patiently until they had both finished and then moved to clear away the dishes, motioning for her to stay there. She nodded, not daring to disobey him. She sat in a ball with her chin resting on her knees, remembering all too well what the orphanage lady would do if any of the children disobeyed.

Snake Eyes moved towards her and saw her flinch in fear, but he picked her up and held her, rubbing her back soothingly. She looked at him. "You're not mad that I did something wrong?" she asked.

He shook his head and used sign language to spell out the word 'good' and pointed to her. She sounded each letter as his hand formed it. "I'm a good girl?" she asked and he nodded, gently tweaking her nose with one finger, making her smile as he saw the fear leave her eyes and admiration took its place, telling him that she saw him as a protector now. She then yawned and rubbed her eyes, making him silently chuckle as he carried her to his quarters, placing her on the bed and stroking her forehead soothingly as he stood up and was about to leave when she suddenly reached up and grabbed his arm. "Wait!" she said, fear filling her voice and he turned to her with a questioning tilt of his head. "Don't go. I'm scared."

Snake Eyes sat beside her and patted her back to soothe her, but she still looked afraid. "Monsters," she said. "The dark."

Now understanding, he gently patted her head and nodded, laying down on the bed and she surprised him by immediately snuggling up to him and he placed a protective arm around her, feeling her immediately calm down. "Daddy," she said softly.

He froze at that. The child didn't only see him as a protector, she saw him as a father. He thought back on the past months when he and the Joes had been on the run and he had seen parents with their children and it made him think about perhaps starting a family too. He now looked at the little girl who looked at him curiously and he formed a simple sign with his hand.

A sign that meant 'I love you'.

She smiled, obviously recognizing the sign and forming it with her own hand. "I love you, Daddy," she said.

He then formed three letters with his hand, repeating the first one after the third and pointing to her. "A-I-K-A," she spelled. "Ai-ka? Aika? Me? I'm Aika?"

He nodded and gently kissed her forehead in fatherly affection. She smiled and kissed him on the cheek and then lay her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, falling fast asleep.

Snake Eyes watched his new daughter sleeping and smiled to himself, feeling peace fill him for the first time since he and the Joes had finally cleared themselves of being fugitives. He now closed his own eyes behind his visor, making sure his swords were nearby just in case.

But he had a feeling that the night would be calm for once as he joined Aika in the land of sleep.

I just had to.

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GoldGuardian2418