Chapter Seven: Not Quite Human
Then
Bruce ran across the grounds of Wayne Manor. It had been little over two years since Aré had come to live with them and they had been an interesting two years. Bruce made it through the last two grades with honors. He still got into trouble on occasion but it didn't seem to be as bad as it was when Aré had first arrived. In keeping to their agreement, Aré had been teaching Bruce how to sneak around unnoticed. Bruce practiced all the time but he was still never able to get away with anything with Aré around. He always managed to get caught, how that happened was beyond him.
He jumped over a bench and he kicked up dirt when he landed. His path had taken him to the front of the manor. He ran down the road and when he came to the gate he slowed down long enough to turn himself around and ran full tilt back towards the manor. His lungs burned from all of his running. He came to a screeching halt right below the front steps. He stopped the stopwatch he'd placed on the steps and looked at his time. "Yes!" He said between breaths. He'd beaten his old time by a minute and a half!
Bruce slowly made his way to the back of the manor and he found Alfred doing some gardening. Alfred heard him approach and turned around, "My word!" Bruce was covered in dirt from head to toe.
Bruce grinned broadly. "I beat my old time." He said proudly. "By a minute and a half," he displayed the stopwatch for Alfred to see.
"I see. However, you're not to go into the house with those filthy shoes. You're to take those off before you go inside." Alfred said, waving the miniature shovel at Bruce. "I'll not have you tracking dirt all over the house."
Bruce nodded, "Okay, track dirt all over the house, got it." He turned and headed for the house.
"Bruce." Alfred warned.
He turned back around and smiled at Alfred again. "I was joking." Alfred's eyes narrowed. He obviously didn't like the joke. "By the way, have you seen Aré? I want to show him my new—Ah!" Bruce yelled as a stream of cold water shot up his back. He turned to the source of the water, which continued to soak him even as he moved, to find Aré holding a garden hose and laughing hysterically.
"You looked like you needed a shower." Aré said between fits of laughter. "Figured I'd hose you down."
Bruce glared at Aré, though he wasn't very intimidating with little rivulets of dirt running down his face. This only made Aré laugh harder. "What was that for!? It's not funny!" Bruce yelled.
"Sure it is."
"No it's not!"
Aré lowered the hose and leaned forward. "Wha'cha gonna do about it small fry?"
Bruce balled his hands into fists; he was shaking with rage now. "WHO YOU CALLIN' SMALL!?" He yelled at the top of his lungs.
"You. You're what? Twelve? And you're all of four foot nothing. By the time I was your age I'd already hit five feet." He raised the hose and sprayed Bruce again. "Maybe a little water will help you grow a few inches."
"Stop that!"
"Why? Plan on doing something 'bout it short stuff?"
"Stop calling me that!"
"Master Aré, must you continually tease him about his height?" Alfred asked.
Aré shrugged. "Gives me something to do." He pulled the trigger on the hose and Bruce got another face full of water. "And yeah, I must."
Bruce growled and took off running straight towards Aré. Aré dropped the hose and started running. They ran further out into the backyard. Alfred called after them in warning, "Be careful of the cliffs!"
The boy, and the man who acted like a boy, didn't seem to hear Alfred. Aré was laughing hysterically. Bruce was running as fast as he could to catch Aré. Aré's long strides kept him well out of Bruce's reach. It took no time at all to reach the cliffs.
"Slow down!" Bruce yelled.
"No," Aré yelled back, "'cause if I did you'd catch me. But if you grew a few more inches you might be able to keep up."
"Stop talking about my height!"
"Why?"
When Aré finally did stop he was standing on the edge of the cliffs. Bruce smiled in triumph, with Aré by the cliffs, there was nowhere for him to run to. He'd have to pass Bruce in order to get away. Even though Bruce was small, he had a good chance of catching the larger man should he try to run past him. "Got you now." Bruce said triumphantly.
Aré raised a skeptical eyebrow, "Oh you do, do you?"
Bruce nodded, "There's nowhere you can go."
Aré adopted a smile on his face too, however his was a sly one. "Is that what you think?" He looked around and his gaze settled behind him for a moment before he turned back to Bruce. "I see a number of ways that I can get past you."
Bruce was enjoying their game but when a few of the rocks fell out from under Aré's feet their game suddenly turned dangerous. "Maybe we should go back." Bruce suggested.
Aré shrugged. "Okay." As he went to take a step forward the ledge he had been standing on fell out from under him. Their gazes met and Aré let out an, "oh shit!" as he fell over the edge.
"Aré!" Bruce yelled. He ran as close to the edge as he could. He was hesitant to look over. He didn't want to see Aré's broken and bloodied body on the rocks. Why didn't we listen to Alfred!? He asked himself. Bruce edged himself closer to the edge of the cliff. Very carefully, so as to not ending up joining Aré, Bruce looked over the edge. Bruce was surprised to not see Aré's body lying on the rocks. Though, it was possible he had bounced to an area that Bruce was unable to see. He called out once again, "Aré!" Panic was starting to set in. "Aré answer me! Please!" His eyes started to water, how was he going to explain this to Alfred? Alfred, that's it! "Hang on Aré, I'm going to get help." Bruce quickly stood and began to run back towards the manor.
"Bruce!" At the sound of his name Bruce stopped in his tracks. He spun back around, his eyes widened and his jaw dropped. There was no disguising the shock on the boy's face. It took a moment for the boy's brain to process what his eyes were telling him. There was Aré, his arms and legs crossed and a hint of a smile on his face. But that wasn't what shocked Bruce the most, besides the fact that he had just seen Aré go over the cliff, Aré was upside down and hanging in mid air!
"H-h-how?"Bruce stuttered.
Now Aré did smile and he flipped himself over before letting his feet touch the ground. He wished he had a camera to capture the look on Bruce's face. "It's part of what I am." He said.
Bruce looked Aré up and down, still trying to understand what he had seen. "What do you mean part of what you are?" For every step that Aré took Bruce took a step back. "What are you?"
Aré stopped walking, the look on Bruce's face making his heart fall to the pit of his stomach. He hadn't meant to scare the boy but he'd had to use his ability to fly. He hadn't had any other choice. "Bruce, I didn't mean to scare you." He reached out a hand and the boy recoiled.
"Don't come near me!"
Aré pulled his hand back as if burned and then lowered it. He swallowed hard and turned his gaze away from the boy. "I'm sorry." He said softly. He looked at Bruce once more before turning and heading away from Bruce and the mansion. Aré started to run once he was a few feet away from the boy.
Bruce watched Aré's retreating figure. He had seen so much sadness on the man's face before he had left. He could feel his heart beating wildly in his chest. He'd been so scared just moments before that Aré had fallen to his death. He should have been happy that he was alive, but what did he do? He recoiled from him as though he was some kind of monster. He turned and started back towards the mansion.
When he got back Alfred was already inside and with all of his running around Bruce had managed to dry off, especially with it being almost ninety degrees outside. He went in through the kitchen and silently took his shoes off.
For some reason he couldn't figure out he was afraid. His mind wouldn't center on just what it was that scared him. Really, wouldn't the idea of someone being able to fly be cool? Had someone asked him earlier he would have said yes. Now though, he didn't know what to think. If Aré could do that then what else could he do? What exactly was he?
"Bruce?" Alfred's voice came from the doorway into the kitchen. "Is something wrong?" Bruce looked up, his face saying it all. "What happened? Where's Master Aré?"
Bruce felt a chill run up his spine and Alfred didn't miss the scared look that crossed the twelve year olds face. "He…. He um….." Bruce looked down and gripped his hands together to stop them from shaking. "We ran to the cliffs and I thought that I would be able to catch him. When we stopped he was standing right at the edge. Some of the rocks came loose and he fell over. I thought he was hurt bad but h-h-he…." He looked up and caught Alfred's gaze. "What is he? How could he do that?"
Alfred realized that Bruce must have seen Aré use his powers. It was something they had discussed telling the boy but had never actually gotten around to doing so. He motioned for Bruce to sit at the table. "He is unique." Alfred said after a moment. "And you have nothing to fear from him."
"You knew he could fly?"
Alfred nodded. "Yes, among other things. I would not have asked him to come here if I had thought he was dangerous. Where is he now? It would be best if he were the one to tell you about himself."
Again, Bruce looked down. "He left." He said. "I got scared and told him not to come near me. He said he was sorry then he left."
Alfred sighed deeply. That hadn't gone over as well as he had hoped. Though he could understand Aré's need to use his powers after falling over the cliff. However if they hadn't been running there in the first place this would not have happened. "Go get cleaned up. Dinner will be ready shortly." Bruce gave a small nod then went to do as told. Alfred watched the boy go. This was not going to be easy. Alfred was going to have to work hard if he was going to get Bruce to understand who and what Aré really was. He would have to discuss it with Aré first but he thought that it was probably time to tell Bruce just what Aré was to the boy.
Aré walked silently down the long road leading away from the manor. He kicked at a stone in his path and watched it bounce and come to a stop a few feet in away from him. He realized that he really shouldn't have been too surprised by Bruce's reaction. That's how most people reacted to him, what made him think this would be any different? He eventually stopped walking found a place to sit along the road. He stayed for a long time just looking out over the valley that led into the city of Gotham.
Once it was good and dark outside Aré decided he should probably head back to the manor. He stood and started walking back. He had taken only a few steps before deciding he didn't want to walk so he rose himself into the air and flew back to the manor. Another reason for this was that he didn't want anyone to know he was back on the grounds. He flew in through his bedroom window and lay down on his bed.
He buried his head in his pillow, his mind still looping the image of Bruce's frightened expression over and over. He'd have to leave soon; there was no way he could stay after this. His throat tightened and a choked sob escaped his lips. He gazed out the window from his position on the bed and looked up at the stars dotting the sky. The moonlight shone in through the window casting him in a silvery light. It would have been so much easier if I had been born normal. He thought. If I had been then I-
There was a light knock on his door interrupting his thoughts but Aré didn't bother answering it. He didn't move at all, just continued to stare out of the window. He heard the door open and saw the light from the hall seep into the room as whoever it was entered. He had a feeling it was Alfred and he was proven correct when the man spoke. "Master Aré?"
"Would you drop the 'master' thing?" Aré asked, his voice muffled from covering half his face. "You know I don't like it."
Alfred entered the room completely and closed the door behind him. "Are you all right?"
"Yeah, fine." He lied. "Why do you ask?"
Alfred shook his head though Aré didn't see it. He moved to stand beside the bed. "I know about what happened earlier."
Aré visibly stiffened. "I'll leave soon. He's been pretty good lately so I don't think you'd have anything to worry about."
"You do not have to leave. This can be worked out."
"You didn't see his face." Aré tightened his grip on his pillow and turned his head more into it. "He was terrified of me."
"More like startled actually. You do remember that it is not every day one sees a man fly on his own." He sat down on the bed and placed a hand on Aré's shoulder. "I know this pains you but I believe it is time that we told Master Bruce the truth."
"Oh and scare the poor kid further. How about not?"
With his hand on Aré's shoulder Alfred could feel him shaking slightly. He had seen the pressure begin to build and knew that the dam was about to burst. Aré went through regular periods of emotional ups and downs with what he was. Bruce's reaction to him had been the final push against his mental dam. "Aré?"
Aré began to shake a little more. "I don't…. I couldn't…." He sat up and looked at Alfred, tears running down his cheeks. "I didn't ask to be like this. I-I didn't ask…" Aré buried his face in his hands and his shoulders shook as he sobbed. "I didn't ask to be this way." Aré may have been over four hundred years old but this was a pain time just could not erase.
Unfortunately there was not much Alfred could say so he went with the only thing he could think of. "I know." He said softly. He squeezed Aré's shoulder. This would pass, Alfred knew but it always took time. "I left some dinner for you in the kitchen should you want it."
Aré's sobs had lessened and now he sat with his arms wrapped around his legs. His eyes, from what Alfred could see with the minimal light, looked lost. "I'm not hungry, but thanks."
Alfred once again squeezed Aré's shoulder. "Aré, talk to Bruce. I think you'll find that he will be more accepting of you than you might think." He smiled at Aré when Aré looked at him from the corner of his eye. "Very few of your people live among mortals, you told me that yourself. You may not feel as though you fit in, that you do not belong here. But let me assure you that you do belong here. They say with age comes wisdom however I do not believe that to be true. I believe wisdom is obtained through experience. You have experienced a lot. You have lived a long time. Let me ask you; has there ever been a time that anyone in this family has cast you out? Has anyone ever told you that you do not belong here? Have they ever judged you simply because you are different?"
Aré's weak reply was a small, "No."
"I thought not. I may not be blood but I have never seen you as anything more than just you. I have never once judged you simply on the fact that you are a mystical being."
"Mystical is pushing it."
"You are half Fae."
"Don't remind me."
"Speak to Bruce. As I said, I think you'll find that he will be more receptive to you than you may think."
Alfred stood from the bed and made to leave the room and Aré watched him go. As Alfred was stepping out the door Aré called after him. "Alfred." Alfred turned and looked back at him. "Thank you. You have no idea how much your words mean to me." Alfred nodded and with a smile left the room, closing the door behind him.
With a sigh, Aré lay back on the bed. He returned his gaze to looking out the window and thought about Alfred's words. It was true that while he had known the Wayne family for a long time, for obvious reasons that he didn't want to think about at the moment, not a single one of them had shunned him for what he was. But that alone wasn't enough to ease his pain at being different.
Aré couldn't describe exactly what it was he was feeling. It was a combination of self-loathing, loneliness, hurt, the need for acceptance, and many other emotions that fought for dominance. He hated it when he fell into these bouts of depression but the look on Bruce's face only served to remind him that he wasn't normal. That he wasn't human.
He continued to lie there while his emotions ran rampant. Aré hugged his pillow and once again buried his face in it. While Alfred's words had helped they weren't enough at the moment to completely ease his depression and pain. He tried to hold back the sob that threatened to escape his lips again but was unable to do so after a few minutes. Not caring any longer, Aré silently cried himself to sleep.
Bruce woke up sometime during the middle of the night. He didn't know what time it was he woke up but the events of the previous day had yet to leave his mind. He kept looping what had happened at the cliffs over and over again. He felt really bad about it and he still didn't know if Aré had come back yet or not.
Leaving his bed, Bruce left his room and started towards Aré's. He moved silently, just like he had been taught. He really wanted to apologize to him but had no idea how to even begin to do so. For the longest time he just stood outside of Aré's room and stared at the closed door. Gathering his nerve, Bruce slowly and quietly opened the door and went inside.
He found Aré lying on his bed, his back facing the door and bathed in the silvery moonlight. Bruce found that he was quite glad to know Aré had come back. He crept over to the bed, his bare feet barely making any sound on the hardwood floor. He walked over to the other side of the bed so that he could see Aré's face. With the light coming in from the window he was able to get a good look at the older man's face.
Aré was fast asleep, to which Bruce was very grateful. He studied Aré's sleeping form for a long time. Aré lay on his left side and he was still hugging his pillow however his grip on it had loosened since falling asleep. His face was relaxed from sleep and he looked much younger than he really was and Bruce could also tell Aré had been crying.
Aré stirred and Bruce held his breath afraid that Aré was waking up. He breathed a silent sigh of relief when he didn't. The window had been left open in order to let the cool air into the room and when Aré shivered slightly was when Bruce noticed he was sleeping above his covers, his boots were still on and it looked to Bruce as though Aré had fallen asleep without meaning to. Either that or he hadn't bothered changing for bed.
Bruce silently moved to the end of the bed and carefully pulled off the light blanket that sat at the foot of the bed, careful not to wake Aré as he moved the blanket. He covered Aré up with it and then yawned, realizing that he was tired once again. He looked at Aré one last time before quietly leaving the room and returning to his own. He crawled back into bed and thought to himself that in the morning he'd talk to Aréand apologize for what had happened the day before. With one last yawn, he curled up and went back to sleep.
The next morning started as an uneventful one. Alfred had been the first one up, as usual, and Aré had woken up next but had yet to even get out of bed. After waking up he just lie there looking out of his window. He'd noticed someone, probably Alfred, had covered him sometime during the night because he didn't remember doing it himself. With a groan, and realizing that something must have died in his mouth last night, he grudgingly crawled out of bed. He grabbed some fresh clothes and went into the bathroom to shower and change and to remove the foul taste from his mouth.
Aré came out feeling quite refreshed about fifteen minutes later. He still didn't know what he was going to do though. Alfred suggested he talk to Bruce but he had a feeling that the boy was going to avoid him like the plague. He sighed and sat on the end of his bed, putting his boots back on. He sat there for a long time, elbows on his knees and his chin resting on his hands. What was he going to do? That question kept looping over and over in his mind.
There was a soft knock at his door and Aré rolled his eyes. He still didn't fell like talking to anyone so he didn't bother to answer the door. He just hoped that whoever it was on the other side of the door would go away. The person on the other side knocked a few more times. What part of the silence didn't they understand as go away? He felt himself stiffen when he heard the door open but refused to turn his gaze that way. He just continued to stare at the wall in front of him.
"Aré?" Aré went completely ridged at the sound of Bruce's voice. "Can we talk?"
Aré felt his chest tighten and he thought his throat would close up on him completely. He didn't trust his voice. Swallowing hard he pressed the base of his hands against his eyes. "What about?"
Bruce shifted uncomfortably, shifting back and forth from foot to foot. "Um, about yesterday."
"There's nothing to talk about. I'll be leaving soon."
"No!" Bruce cried. This made Aré actually look at him. Bruce noticed that Aré eyes looked lost and full of a pain that Bruce didn't understand but he knew he could relate. "I mean, please don't go. I don't want you to."
Aré looked confused. "But after what hap-"
"I'm sorry." Bruce interrupted. "I'm sorry I got so scared yesterday. I've never seen anyone do that and I…" Boy did his apology suck. "I'm just really sorry. Can you forgive me?"
Aré didn't know what to say. He was surprised Bruce had even come near him and now the boy was asking that he stay. He looked away from the boy and back down at his hands. "There's nothing to forgive Bruce. I understand your reaction. It's happened before; you'd figure I'd be used to it by now."
Bruce moved more into the room and sat on the bed next to Aré. "Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why should you be used to it by now. I know I wouldn't like it if people were scared of me like that. Why should you be used to that? I don't think it is something you should get used to."
Aré smiled and patted the boy's head. "When did you get so smart?"
Bruce smiled back, happy to see Aré's features brighten. "I don't know." He shrugged. "Guess I've been hanging around you and Alfred too long."
"Maybe, but Bruce, are you sure you really want me hanging around?"
The boy nodded, "Yep, but on one condition."
Aré felt his chest tighten again. "What condition?"
Bruce stood and moved so he was standing in front of Aré. "You have got to show me more of what you can do. I want to know everything about you. And you absolutely have to take me flying!"
Aré blinked a few times, he wasn't sure if he had heard Bruce right. "You…. You don't care that I'm, well, different?"
The boy shook his head. "Nope. As I said, I'm sorry about how I reacted yesterday. I shouldn't have done that."
"It's alright Bruce, I understand. I'm sorry for scaring you like that though. That wasn't my intention."
Bruce shrugged. "I'm not afraid now." He smiled. "Come on, I think that if you don't come out of here Alfred is going to call the Marine's or something to come and get you."
Aré laughed and stood. "Okay, I could use something to eat anyway."
"Great." Bruce said. They headed out of Aré's room. "So, how long have you been able to fly? What else can you do? I mean, I've got like a billion questions and I don't know where to start."
"How about breakfast first." Aré suggested.
Bruce gave him a funny look. "Breakfast? It's closer to lunch now."
Aré hadn't realized he had been moping in his room that long. "Okay, lunch then."
"What do you want?"
Aré shrugged. "Don't know yet. Let's go see what we've got." Together the two went down in the kitchen in search of food.
The two sat with plates of left over spaghetti in front of them during lunch. Bruce's questions were coming about a mile a minute and Aré was having a hard time keeping up. When Bruce said he wanted to know everything he meant everything. Aré couldn't remember anyone being so interested in what he was in a very long time. Actually he really couldn't remember anyone being very interested in it at all. "How do you fly?" Bruce asked around a mouth full of food.
In spite of himself Aré laughed. "It's magic."
"Magic doesn't exist."
"Don't talk with your mouth full." Bruce swallowed. "And yes it does. I'm kind of made of it, I guess."
Bruce's head tilted to the side. "What do you mean?"
"Here I'll show you." Aré stood and picked up a steak knife then sat back down across from Bruce. He took the knife and used it to cut a small line in his hand. Bruce looked shocked but continued to watch. Putting the knife down he held out his hand for Bruce to see. "See my blood. Anything look out of place to you?"
Bruce studied Aré's hand; "You've got something in your blood. It looks like metal." He said.
"Exactly. Actually it's not really metal but it does look like it. It's what gives me my powers." Aré took a napkin and wiped his hand. Bruce noticed that after all of the blood had been wiped away the wound on Aré's hand looked days old, even though he had only cut it a minute before. "I also heal pretty fast too." Aré said to Bruce's gaze.
"Cool."
Aré laughed. "I'm glad you think so. Now," he picked up his dishes and put them in the sink, "Bruce, in all seriousness you can't tell anyone about me." The boy looked confused. "It's a secret I've had for a long time. No one can know about this, especially now. I'm not normal, as we've already figured out. But I can't take the chance of someone finding out what I am. It wouldn't be safe."
"Okay I promise I won't tell anyone." Bruce said. "So are you going to answer all of my questions or not?"
Aré returned to the table. "All right. Where to start?" He thought for a moment. "Well, I guess I could start with what I am. I'm a Halfling. My mother was human whereas my father is a Fae. A 'mystic' for lack of a better word. I was born in the late fifteen hundreds in a place you've never even heard of. I've been flying since I was about sixteen. I have control over fire, water, ice and metal along with a few other things. I'm immortal and I can't die of illness or, obviously, old age. I won't physically age beyond the point I am at right now. I've been a friend of your family's for centuries. You're entire family has been let in on what I am and it's usually the parents who inform their children about me." He looked down at the table. "Unfortunately yours were never able to tell you. I am sorry about that."
"Me too." Bruce said, looking down at his empty plate. "How did you meet my family?"
"Through a mutual friend." Not entirely a lie but not exactly the truth either. "I've known the Wayne's since their beginning. Um…" Aré went silent, thinking about what to say next.
"Is your magic the reason why your eyes are silver?"
"Yes, it also explains my hair too." He closed his eyes and blew out a breath. Aré's hair then changed to strawberry blonde and when he opened his eyes again they were green. "This is how I would appear if I were mortal." A moment later they were both silver again. "Though it's not my natural form. This comes naturally." He smiled. "Is there anything else you want to know cause I'm kind of clueless about what to say?"
Bruce thought for a moment. "When were you born?"
"June twenty-eighth, fifteen sixty-seven."
"That would make you, like, hundreds of years old!"
"Over four hundred. Four hundred and twelve to be exact."
"Cool. What are your parent's names?"
"My mother's name was Hana and my father's name is Kane."
"Do you have any siblings?"
"Yes, I have two sisters and two brothers and I'm the oldest of them all."
"Cool. I kinda wish I had siblings. I think it would be fun."
"It is. It's especially fun to tease them. It's the older sibling's prerogative to tease the younger ones."
The two sat in silence for a long time. Bruce picked up his now empty plate and placed it in the sink along with the other dishes. "I know you said that I can't tell anyone about you and I won't. I just wanna know how come."
"It's not safe, not for me anyway."
"Why?"
Because I don't want to end up on some scientist's lab table. "People try to kill me."
"Why!?"
Aré still expected that look of fear to appear any minute but went on anyway. "People have tried to kill me. Not so much now but during the late sixteen hundreds I was running almost every day. I somehow managed to get caught in Salem Massachusetts during their witch trials. Massachusetts wasn't a very good place to live then. I ended up getting tried twice and sentenced to death twice; in two different locations thank the Gods because I never could have explained myself. The first place I was tried, Boston I think it may have been Andover," he shook his head, "but anyway, I was hung. That was interesting trying to fake."
"What do you mean? How do you fake being hung?" Bruce returned to his seat at the table.
"It's kinda hard to hang a guy who can fly, don't you think?"
"Oh. Yeah, I guess that would be hard."
"Anyway, I managed to slow my heartbeat down to only a few a minute so they thought I was dead. I skipped town before they could actually burry the coffin they'd put me in. The second time I ended up in Salem, as I'd said before. Those weren't even trials it was like, 'you. Guilty, burn him at the stake.'" Aré rolled his eyes. "That was harder to fake. But since I'm able to control fire I was able to keep myself from getting burned. I used an illusion to make them all think that I was burning. It wasn't fun. Even back then, I never used my magic very much. I wasn't actually judged on the fact of whether or not I could actually perform magic, I was judged more on the fact that I looked different than anything else."
"That's not right."
"No, but it was how things worked back then. It's also, to an extent, how things still work today. People judge others on how they look, not who they are."
"You said there were other things you can do." Bruce said with his childish ability to change the subject. "I wanna see."
Aré stood, actually grateful for the change in subject. "Come on, let's go someplace else first. Then I'll show you." Before leaving he picked up a metal utensil and took it with him. He may have been able to create the other three but he couldn't just will metal to appear. The two went into the living area and Aré told Bruce to sit. "I said that I had control over metal, water, fire and ice."
"And a few other things."
"True, but I'm only going to show you those four."
Aré held out his right hand, the one holding the piece of metal. Bruce thought that he was just going to make it float around. He wasn't surprised, well maybe a little, when the utensil began to float. His eyes widened when the utensil's shape began to warp and form into a long string of metal. Around that, fire began to dance then slowly ice and water joined the mix. All four elements danced only a few inches above Aré hand. Bruce watched as they broke apart and began traveling up Aré's arm and around his body. He watched all of this in awe. As he watched, he noticed that Aré's pupils appeared to be glowing softly. Bruce couldn't take his eyes off of what Aré was doing. A smile lit up his face; that was without a doubt the coolest thing he'd ever seen.
"I'll never grow tired of that."
Aré gasped softly and everything disappeared, the utensil retaking its shape and falling to the floor with a clang. Two pairs of eyes turned to Alfred. Aré turned away and bent down picking up the utensil he had dropped and leaving the room. The other two watched him go. Bruce looked confused. "What just happened?" He asked Alfred.
Alfred sighed. "It is something that he has to deal with on his own." He turned and sent a small smile to the boy. "Just give him some time Master Bruce. He'll come around." With that, Alfred left to return to whatever it was he was doing before.
Bruce sat in the living area for a long time. Things had been going great lately then all of a sudden everything started going down the drain. He'd grown to like Aré over the time that he had spent at the manor. Something must have happened to Aré in the past to make him hide who he was, besides what he had said about what had happened during the late sixteen hundreds. Bruce began to wonder what it was. Standing up from the couch, Bruce went in search of answers.
Bruce silently made his way upstairs and into Aré's room. He didn't know what he was going to find or even what he was looking for. He closed the door behind him and looked about the room. He wanted to know what it was that was making Aré act the way he was lately. Bruce knew that what had happened the day before had only been a part of it. From what he had pieced together from everything he had heard this was something that had been building up over a long period of time.
He opened the closet door and spotted a box perched on the top shelf of the closet towards the back of the shelf. Looking around, he found the desk chair and pulled it over towards the closet to use as a stool. He stood on the chair and reached up for the box. His fingers grazed the bottom and he had to stand on his toes and stretch to get a better grip on the box. He didn't remember the shelves going in that deep before. Bruce smiled in triumph when the box came off the shelf and into his hands. He jumped off the chair and sat on the floor prepared to examine the boxes contents.
Bruce pulled the lid from the box and looked inside. There wasn't really anything of interest inside. However, there was one thing that caught his eye. He found a sketchpad and carefully pulled it out. He began to flip through the pages, amazed at the drawings held inside. There were many pictures of people drawn on the pages. Two women were repeated over and over along with a child. Bruce couldn't figure out who they were because he couldn't understand the strange markings next to each of them. They looked slightly familiar, almost like Japanese. He'd just have to look them up. Deciding he had spent too much time in there already, he carefully replaced everything as he had found it and quietly left the room.
Along the way he continued to think about the pictures he had seen. They must have been very important to Aré and he wondered just exactly who they were. As he thought about it the thought crossed his mind that maybe Aré had just made them up. He shook that thought away quickly though. No, they had to be important to Aré and Bruce was bound and determined to learn as much about Aré's past as he possibly could.
As the weeks went by Aré's mood had begun to improve where as Bruce's behavior began to worsen. It was nearing the anniversary of his parent's death and Bruce was acting out much worse than normal. He was beginning to drive both Alfred and Aré crazy. And the fact that Aré always caught Bruce only seemed to make matters worse. The fact that Aré was different was ammunition Bruce used to get back at him. Just like now. "What do you know? Why do you even care? You're not even human! You have no idea how I feel." Bruce yelled.
"Since I know this is all coming from you're grief I'm going to let that slide for now." Aré said, looking down at the seething twelve year old. "However, I don't ever, ever, want to catch you doing anything like that again. What could possibly possess you to try and set the summerhouse on fire? You're just lucky I can control fire and kept it from doing any damage. For crying out loud Bruce! You know better than to do that. You're smarter than that I know you are. I know this is a difficult time of the year for you but you can't use that as an excuse for arson."
"You don't know anything." Bruce growled, crossing his arms over his chest and looking away from Aré.
"I know more than you think."
"Doubt it." Bruce snorted.
Aré refrained from rolling his eyes. "As a matter of fact I do. I've already lived longer than most of the people I know so, yes, I know what it is like to lose someone."
"You didn't watch your parents get killed."
"No, and I can't say I know exactly what it is you are going through but I can relate."
Bruce uncrossed his arms and his hands balled into fists. "See, you don't know how I feel. And you never will!" With that Bruce turned and ran out of the library. He bumped into Alfred on his way out, nearly knocking him over.
"Oh dear." Alfred said, watching Bruce leave. "I take it that did not go very well." He said to Aré.
Aré shook his head in dismay and sighed. "No it didn't." He ran a hand through his hair. "I don't get it. It's been four years since his parents died. Now I don't expect for him to ever truly get over it but he's got to accept what happened and move on. Keeping everything bottled up like that isn't healthy."
"No it isn't. But what can we do?" Alfred asked.
"Open the bottle."
Bruce ran as hard and fast as he could. He didn't have any particular destination in mind. All he wanted was to get away. His vision got blurry and he furiously rubbed at his eyes. He wasn't going to do that, he refused to be that weak. Finally his lungs demanded air and he was forced to stop running. After leaving the library he had run through the house and finally outside. He looked around at the large trees surrounding him. He didn't remember coming out here. Where was he anyway?
Taking deep breaths he sat himself against one of the trees and rested his head against the trunk. Who did Aré think he was anyway? Saying he could relate to what Bruce was feeling? How could anyone? It was his fault anyway, wasn't it? It was his fault his parents were killed. If he hadn't begged to go see that movie they'd still be alive. It was my fault. He thought. I'm the one who got them killed. He felt the tears that threatened to fall every time he thought of his parents form in his eyes. He absolutely refused to let them fall. He had been too weak to help them and he refused to ever be weak again. He had to be strong and anger made him strong. He had to hold on to that. Crying was for weaklings.
Bruce heard footsteps walking through the woods. Someone was looking for him and he really didn't want to be found. Looking up, he saw the tree he was under was climbable and very high. He stood and quickly and quietly made his way up into the tree. He only hoped that whoever it was looking for him wouldn't look….. Damn it! He saw a flash of silver moving through the woods. Will he just give up already!?
Bruce held his breath, trying not to make a sound. Aré was looking down at the ground and stopped just under the tree Bruce was currently sitting in. What's he doing? The older man placed his hands on his hips and looked around. Bruce silently prayed Aré would just go away. All hope was lost when Aré's gaze traveled upward. "Bruce?" Aré called.
Figuring there was no point in hiding anymore Bruce yelled back, "Go away."
"Bruce, will you come down from there? We need to talk."
"No! And I don't want to talk; I've got nothing to talk about."
"Fine then, I'll just have to come up there."
What? "There's nowhere to sit." He said.
"Who said I was going to sit?"
Bruce looked over to find Aré hovering next to him. "I keep forgetting you can do that."
That earned a small twitch at the corner of Aré's mouth. "What's wrong Bruce?"
"I thought you already knew that."
"I mean the real problem. I don't read minds Bruce; I can't help you until you tell me what's wrong."
"My mom and dad are dead, that's what's wrong."
"I think that's only part of it." Aré hovered in a sitting position next to the branch Bruce was currently perched on. "Something else is bothering you."
Bruce tore his gaze away from Aré. No matter how many times he saw that it was still cool. He crossed his arms over his chest indicating he wasn't going to talk about it any further. "I'm not coming down." He said. Aré gave a nod then reached over and pulled Bruce from the branch. "Hey," Bruce protested as he struggled against Aré's grip, "put me down!"
"Do you really want me to do that? It's a long way down."
"I'd survive it!"
"From here?"
Huh? Bruce stopped struggling and looked around. "Where'd the trees go?" He asked dumbly.
"They're down there goober."
Bruce ventured a glance down, gave a yelp and clung tighter to Aré. How did they get so high so fast? "On second thought, don't put me down."
Aré smiled, though Bruce didn't see it. "That's what I thought. Now, since we are most certainly alone up here tell me what's really bothering you." Bruce looked away. "I know this is difficult for you but you can't keep everything bottled up inside anymore. It's not doing you any good."
Bruce looked out over the distance, really seeing just how high they were. He could see for miles at this height. His head came to rest on Aré's shoulder and he stayed like that for a few moments. "It was my fault." He finally whispered before he even realized he was speaking.
"What was your fault?" Aré asked softly.
"Mom and dad. It was my fault."
"No it wasn't."
Bruce began to nod vigorously and his grip on Aré only seemed to get tighter. He squeezed his eyes shut. Stupid tears go away! He hated himself when his voice shook. "I k-killed them. I-it was my fault."
"No Bruce, you didn't any-"
Bruce interrupted him. "Yes it was!" He yelled looking up and his eyes held such pain and guilt there and there were unshed tears glistening in his eyes. "It was! I got them killed! If I didn't beg to go see that movie, if I had only listened and waited to see it later like they wanted they'd still be alive! And then I just stood there as that guy shot my mom and dad. I should have done something! But I didn't do anything; I just stood there like some scared little kid!"
"Bruce I want you to listen to me. No matter what you think right now, it was not your fault. You were only eight years old, of course you were scared. There wasn't anything you could have done. Tell me Bruce, did you know that man was going to be there that night?" Bruce shook his head no. "Did you know he was going to try and rob your parents?" Again, Bruce shook his head no. "Did you know what was going to happen? Were you the one to pull the trigger?"
Bruce's choked answer was, "No."
"You see, it wasn't your fault. You had no way of knowing what was going to happen. There was nothing you could have done. You are a child and your parents were only trying to protect you. They gave their lives to protect you. Imagine how sad they would be if you had died with them or if it was only you that had died and not them. Parents are supposed to protect their children, not the other way around. I know it is hard, I know it is painful but do you really think they are happy watching you suffer like this? Blaming yourself for something you did not do? I don't think they'd like that at all."
"But."
"They love you Bruce, and just because they are not here doesn't mean they are gone forever and that certainly doesn't mean that they stop loving you just because they are gone. They love you still and they only want what is best for you. It's okay to be strong, they'd want that but it is also okay to cry. Crying doesn't make one weak, it only shows strength from another angle. And no buts, there is no point in blaming yourself for something you absolutely did not do."
As Bruce looked at Aré, one rebellious tear broke away and slid down his cheek and then another. Bruce buried his face in Aré's shoulder and began to cry out four years worth of pain. Aré held the boy as he cried. This was what he needed and Aré was more than willing to give him a shoulder to cry on. He didn't expect this to happen often but at least it was happening. Aré placed a light kiss on Bruce's forehead and watched as the rest of the tears began to fall.
