Hello, all. My last piece before my hiatus is a drabble for Aj_leo, who wanted my take on how Sun unlocked his Aura. It also ended up being about how he got his Semblance.
Enjoy!
When stealing in Vacuo, a young thief needs to put all of his effort into getting away as quickly as possible. Once he got away, he was golden. The vendors, following an unwritten code, didn't hold a grudge, at least not in the form of an arrest, if a person managed to escape.
That person could theoretically walk right past the same stand the following day without consequence. They might get a glare or two, and they'd be stupid to try stealing from there again, but they were safe, safe to find another stand, another sucker, and try again.
Sun was good at stealing. Most of the time, he was good at running away.
He had been caught a few times, receiving a severe beating for his troubles each time, along with an empty stomach. Since he was still a kid, he didn't have to worry about prison. Yet.
He was good, but he was in no way a master thief. His legs were too short to run faster than the guards in a fair race. His tail got in the way more often than it helped. When people closed in on him, he became short of breath, making it even harder to run fast.
When he couldn't run, he climbed.
There were few buildings he couldn't scale, few trees he couldn't totally disappear into. Many times, a well-placed handhold had been the difference between whether or not he got his supper.
He had to rely on that again one day. His dad, as he often did, was trying to pawn various wares in town. If he made money, they would eat. If not, they wouldn't. Unless Sun and his mother managed to find something.
Unfortunately, Sun's mom was sick. She kept sitting up, insisting that it was just a cold, but Sun pushed her down. Her human vision gave her problems in certain alleyways, and she didn't need to try stealing food with her nose stuffed up as well.
"I got this, Mom," he said with an easy grin. "You know me."
His mom touched his cheek, smiling gently. "I certainly do. Don't take any unnecessary risks."
Once he was in town, he immediately went against his mom's advice and made one of the better fruit stands his primary target. It was a terrible idea, but he wanted to get his mom some oranges. He had heard that those were good for making sick people better, and his mom needed to get better!
It seemed like an easy enough grab. The owner's back was turned. The only customer was totally occupying his time. Sun moved with the crowd, looking as casual as he could in his ragged clothes. Then, as he walked by, he snatched an orange.
He could have walked away, but two oranges would surely be better for his mom than one. So, he made a second pass. Again, he was lucky. Surely, his luck would hold thrice.
A guard shouted in his direction, and Sun immediately took off. He felt a hand grab at his tail, and tripped forward, smashing one of the oranges in his pocket. He gritted his teeth and kept running, hoping the fruit would still taste okay by the time he got home.
He rounded a corner and kept going. The guard was still coming.
That's what you get for stealing from one of the classy stands! he scolded himself.
Still, he ran. He had to get those oranges home to his mom!
His arm scraped against a nearby building, but he barely felt it. Actually, after a moment, the pain totally vanished. He became aware of a golden glow surrounding him, but didn't have time to wonder about it.
He ducked into a roofed alleyway, hoping that his superior vision would grant him the edge he needed. It would have, if the alley didn't come to a dead end.
Crap! Sun lunged at a nearby wall, gritting his teeth as he slipped right back down, one of his fingernails ripping halfway off on the rough stone. He bit back a whimper. Blood dripped onto the ground as he tried to think of another escape. The only place he could go was back down the alley.
There they were!
Sun saw the clubs. He imagined going home to his mom, empty-handed and bruised. His mom would try to fuss over him, even though she was in no condition to do so. She would smell the pulp on his clothes and realize what he had been trying to steal.
She would blame herself, as she often did, for her son's misfortune. She would lament that he hadn't been born to a richer family, a better family.
Sun would not let his mom feel like that! He would go home to her, she would eat the fruit, and everything would be okay again!
He needed to get past the guards. He needed to fight them off. If only there was more of him.
More of him…
As that idea solidified in his mind, he found himself thinking very intently about it. His body tingled again, and that golden light became visible once more. He wished for someone to save him, for strong, capable people to be flanking him, protecting him from danger.
Then, there were two golden forms, one on each side. They got into a fighting stance and bared their fists menacingly. They looked almost exactly like him!
The guards stopped short. They hadn't expected this urchin to have a Semblance. Still, he was only a kid, so one of them stepped forward.
The first clone shot forward faster than light, striking the guard with a very solid blow. The other started circling the rest of the guards rapidly, creating a shining blur that made the men scream in agony, covering their eyes.
Sun did what he was supposed to do. He ran.
He ran out the alley, past the stands, to the rooftops, and finally to his home. His face was nearly split with a grin as he entered the shabby house. "Mom!" he called. "Mom, guess what?"
The two sat together, waiting for Sun's father to return. Sun ate one orange, at his mom's insistence, while she at the other (the non-bruised one, at Sun's insistence).
"Your Semblance," she mused softly with a smile. "I'm so proud."
"This means I can get into an academy, right?" Sun asked. He had always dreamed of becoming a Huntsman. If anything could save his family from poverty, that was it.
"Someday," his mom said, doubt and hope warring in her voice. "But not here. Shade is too dangerous."
"Maybe Haven?"
Sun's mom smiled. "We'll see, love. Eat your orange."
He obeyed, trying at one point to sneak half of his fruit to his mom. She caught on immediately, of course, and insisted that he eat all of his share. A future Huntsman had to be strong and healthy, after all.
Well, that's all there is. I'll be seeing you guys when I come back with "Wings of Dust." Otherwise, look for me in other fandoms in the future. I plan on doing some branching out while working on my original pieces.
Peace out!