Hunted or Busted: A Side Story
Dusted 1: Flash Origin: Come With Me
And here we are. The start of this new project and the hope that I don't screw it up. Don't expect the same long chapters like my other stories because these are gonna be short. Most of them are chapters I can write in a day or two. But I wanted to start things off properly.
This is canon to HoB, and if future chapters or storylines are canon I'll make sure to mark them in the beginning AN.
So here we go.
((((((((Hunted))))))))
He fell back in his seat with a huff and let out a strained exhale in his moment of peace, watching his breath form in the air. His shoulders sagged as the smell of burnt wood and smoke continued to fill his nose. Along with some other odors and stenches he really wish weren't in the air. But it was his duty to be here while waiting for the survivors to be carried to safety. It would be a lot easier if they could spare some more crafts to get them out of the danger zone faster.
And they could finish faster. So he and the other Hunters wouldn't have to stick around and file through the wreckage to find more corpses.
When he finally became a Huntsman, he thought he would get the chance to stop attacks like this from occurring and save people before it was too late. But lately he was beginning to suspect that their job was always to arrive just a little too late to make a difference. More like a cleanup crew than a preventive measure.
They were able to save a lot of lives and do a lot of good by the time they got here. That's what the commander had told them to make them all feel better.
The truth? They didn't make it in time to do any real good. Half a day late at the least. And the lives saved...not enough.
His hand shot up on reflex and caught the bottle aimed for his head. He looked up at the pale man with his face covered in soot and grime. Even despite the drab and dreary atmosphere and the surroundings they found themselves in, the skinny man gave his friend a smile. A weak smile but one of assurance nonetheless, "You look like you could use a drink."
"Not water." The white-haired man countered, twisting the top off the beverage, "I'd probably prefer something a lot stiffer. Something that could knock me on my ass and leave me in the gutter for awhile."
"Well none of that right now. Sorry." The pale man came to sit by his side so he wouldn't be lonely in his despair. He was the only one that could muster a smile in their condition as he patted his partner's back, "When we get back we can drink if you want. It'll be my treat."
"That'll be nice. Definitely get this taste out of my mouth." He downed most of the water in one go before taking it away. He took a deep breath and looked around, "Atlas is so close. I'm pretty sure if we threw a rock hard enough we'd reach the capital. So how the hell could they let something like this happen?"
"It's not just Atlas. This is Mantle. Not everyone here would be so accepting of their help." He got a questioning look and shrugged, "Some people are still sore about Atlas taking everything. People in power in particular."
"Well I hope their pettiness was worth it." He looked out over the shattered remains and homes of the town that had fallen to the Grimm attack, "This gets to be their reward."
"Don't say it like that."
"Well how the fuck else am I supposed to say it?" He answered back in spite before jumping from his seat and motioning to their ruined surroundings, "Look at this shit, Orochimaru! Look at it! All of this happened because some people were pissy and angry at others and couldn't ask for help! And then those people decided to keep what they could to themselves even when these people needed it! I know the old man used to tell us to break a cycle of hatred but it isn't just for Faunus! All these people need some serious attitude adjustment! Because even after this..." He seethed, "I know it isn't going to change shit."
"Jiraiya." The toad Faunus felt a hand on his shoulder and looked back at his snake friend, "This is a tragedy. And you're reeling back from having to deal with it. You need to calm down."
The white-haired man took a deep breath before letting it out in a shake, "How does stuff like this happen? It's not just grudges and people hating each other. How do Grimm still get in here after all this time?"
"It was a gang first." Orochimaru clarified, "They came here expecting things to be easy but were met with a fight. Some of the people here knew how to defend themselves. And by the time they realized the fight was useless it was just too late. They had defenses...but the Grimm found a way. They always find a way."
Jiraiya could only mash his teeth together in rage as he hung his head. Orochimaru's eyes lowered sadly before looking aside at a medical tent. He patted his friend's back, "I'm going to go check on Tsunade. Make sure she isn't getting overwhelmed helping all these people. Maybe you should take a breather."
Jiraiya didn't answer his friend. Orochimaru nodded his head before walking off to check on their teammate. The white-haired man sighed before looking out across the town once more. People rummaging through what remained of their homes. Families weeping for what they lost.
And one boy slowly traversing the town by himself.
Jiraiya watched the young boy drag his feet around what remained of his home. No other families or adults were attempting to reach out to him as he walked so he might have been by himself. And considering the tragedy that just happened...Jiraiya could only think of one reason he was alone now.
The boy was only wearing a jacket to protect himself from the cold weather, but even those clothes had tears and holes in them. The massive mop of gold hair on his head probably did something to help warm him up but it couldn't have been by much. The toad watched the boy walk up to a home that had collapsed on itself during the raid and start digging through it.
The white-haired Huntsman let out a long sigh before making his way over to meet the child. He watched the blond boy rifle through what was left of the home before he approached. The boy didn't seem to notice him before Jiraiya spoke, "Hey."
The blond looked back at him for a moment and saw the child glare at him with nearly empty eyes. He turned away from the Huntsman and continued to dig through the debris. Jiraiya could see the boy's hands start to go black with dirt and soot, "If you need help looking through all that I can-"
The boy stopped digging as his hand reached in and pulled out a three-pronged knife. The boy turned it in his hand in order to inspect it as Jiraiya walked closer, "Is that what you're looking for?"
"It was my dad's." The blond child finally answered in a quiet voice before holding the weapon close to his chest, "He's the reason this whole place isn't one big graveyard. And this is all that's left."
The boy simply turned around and walked past Jiraiya before the older man could say anything. The toad watched the orphaned boy make his way through the town again before he vanished from sight.
Jiraiya watched the unfortunate boy walk away to live whatever the rest of his life entitled. He'd probably get picked up by the rest of the Atlas forces and become a refugee with the other survivors. If he was lucky he'd be put up for adoption or entered into a foster system. And he'd live the rest of his life with strangers while always remembering this terrible event that would define his life forever.
That was life. That was their life. He remembered growing up without parents or a family or home. He only was saved from that life because Sarutobi took pity on him. This boy would have to suffer the same fate.
Or...
The toad groaned, "Oh that's a terrible idea."
((((((((Hunted))))))))
"That's not just a terrible idea! That's the worst idea I've ever heard!" The blond medic reprimanded her teammate as he stared at her blankly, "I mean is your brain even working!"
"Of course it is. How do you think I came up with this idea?" Jiraiya knocked on his scalp for emphasis.
"Slam your head into a wall until something resembling a thought occurred?!"
"Look, you're a medic. You have some pull with these people. You could be able to convince them, or at least make it a little easier." Jiraiya shrugged, "I'll sign some papers or whatever else I need to do if I have to."
"It's not just the technical side of this you dumbass." Tsunade rubbed the bridge of her nose, "I'm not going along with this because you're one of the most immature, underdeveloped, lackadaisical, and irreverent people I've ever met! Plus you'd be a terrible influence to younger people!"
"Hey you don't know that! That'll only be proven true once you agree to this."
"I'M NOT-"
"Tsunade. Tsunade. Take a breath." The slug Faunus was advised by her friend to calm herself before she got lost in her rage. The medic took a deep breath and closed her mouth before she could start yelling again. Orochimaru turned to Jiraiya and spoke evenly, "This is a huge decision. One you can't make lightly. You've never had experience in something like this before. It's uncharted territory for you." The toad seemed pensive as the pale-skinned Huntsman faced him, "I know you're feeling guilty about not getting here in time and stopping this from happening, but this is going too far. You're trying to course correct and do something good, but helping these people evacuate and trying to build new lives for them are two very different things. You can't just take in an orphan-"
"Yeah. I know. I know all of this. It's a stupid idea and I shouldn't have even brought it up."
...
Orochimaru rolled his eyes and Tsunade sighed, "But?"
"But I'm doing it anyway."
((((((((Hunted))))))))
The blond boy watched people start filling up the Airships and Bullheads that had finally come to their aid. Off to take them to refugee camps or halfway homes. Anywhere they could afford to keep them.
He clutched the three-pronged blade tightly to his chest. If they tried to take this away from him they would be met with a serious fight. He'd bite them if he had to.
While he thought about that, he spotted the white-haired man from yesterday making his way over. He didn't face or talk to him but felt the older man take the spot beside him to sit down.
"Do you know where you'll be going?"
"..."
"Neither do I. You might find a good home. Or you might get passed from one home to another. I'm not even sure you'll get anything remotely like that." He sure wasn't good on giving uplifting speeches, "I remember being about your age and no one wanted me. They'd pass me on and on in the hopes someone would finally crack and learn to live with me. I think I was more used to living in the streets than I was in an actual home. And the life you might lead going through that same process...it's hell." The boy said nothing but clutched his knife a little tighter, "So you can take a chance with that...or take a different chance instead."
He looked up at the man, "Terrible things like this...they happen all the time. As much as we hate it, that's an undeniable fact. People have to suffer these injustices every day. This horrible thing that's happened to you...that terrible feeling inside of you...so many people live through it. We all have to suffer through it. But do you want to keep feeling this way?"
The toad stood up and faced the young blond before offering his hand, "Come with me. Follow in your father's footsteps. Fight for a good cause. Fight so that someday we can stop awful things like this from ever happening anymore. Come with me...and I'll help you fight."
...
Jiraiya smiled as the boy's eyes softened and he released one hand from clutching the knife to his chest. He reached out and took his hand as the Huntsman smiled, "I'm Jiraiya."
"Minato."
"It's nice to meet you, Minato."
((((((((Hunted))))))))
Done
So like I said in the main story, these chapters will be short and focus on things outside of the main narrative. Things I never got to put in. Stories I always wanted to tell but never had a chance to add. They might get more ambitious as this goes on, but for now they're short and easy things to write and follow.
The chapters that are updated might follow a different storyline than the prior one, depending on what I've written up and how quickly I put them out. You can tell which story is being picked up by its title. For example this one is called Flash Origins and will follow Minato's start in his new life. After that there might be a new story, or I might just update with some silly between chapter for fun. I already have an idea for some anthologies, a story called Weight of a Soul, and a chapter where the students just play a game.
If there are any fun ideas or concepts you want to see, just leave a review or PM me what you're thinking. I really hope this works out and is as fun for you as it is for me.
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Thank You and Bye
