TITLE: Harsh Hope
BY: Mandy Sinclaire
Disclaimer: Fic is mine. Please don't take it without permission. Everything else is Card-sama's, and boy, does he rock. PLEASE DON'T SUE!! Fanfiction is a tribute!!!!
====
Thanks to everyone who reviewed. The reviewes were very nice. I squeed.:)
And thanks to everyone who put up with my random insecurities about this part, minor-beta-ed it, and all around just helped. ((P-Chan, Caro, Fernie, Rin)). You guys rock.
BTW: OK, I know that some things about this fic are confusing. This is to be expected, because it's an AU, but I feel I haven't made a few things clear enough.I love the books. I want to do valid tribute to them. I can assure you I wouldn't do a fanfiction like this without valid explainations for everything I do. Caro suggested an explaination for all this, and I think it fits best (It's not her exact words, but along the same lines):
If anything here seems odd, don't worry. It will all be explained in due time.
You'll just have to trust me.
Thank you.
And if anyone's wondering why exactly certain characters are in Rotterdam, once again, you'll have to trust me. You'll find out when Bean does. There is a very valid reason, and know that I do not put anything in this fanfic without developing it out first.
===
Chapter One: Falling into Reality
======
When Bean woke up, everything was different.
Well, almost everything. The pain was still there, but that _was_ to be expected, really. You couldn't be beaten to an inch of your life and not suddenly wake up feeling healthy.
But everything else...
For starters, he was in a clean room.
Not only that, but he was on a _clean bed_.
Not lying on a street, or on some dirty makeshift cot made out of scraps. But a real bed, one made out of some kind of soft material he'd never have imagined possible. He had never even experienced anything close to this...
...too bad he wasn't really capable of _enjoying_ it.
At times like these, he almost damned his curious mind. Always working, always trying to find out the 'whys'... Never resting enough to enjoy the unexpected comforts of life.
No. Even though this experience was enjoyable, and would be filed in the back of his mind to be replayed during a horrible moment, he couldn't let himself rest and appreciate it.
He HAD to find out why he was here, and who had taken the care to wrap his wounds.
No one ever did that on the street. To do so was a sign of weakness. (A thought nagged in the back of his head that Poke helped people like that, but he pushed it away because it was too painful.) So obviously this was someone else... One of the workers? They always hung around and tried to get the children's 'society' working right.
But they had a blind spot. An ego, if you will. Constantly reassuring themselves that their work actually did _good_, they failed to see the constant battles and murders on the street. It was likely maybe one of them had dropped their blind spot, but not too likely.
So no.
It had to be a visitor. Someone uneducated on the streets, someone used to things like clean water and normal food. Someone so utterly appalled by everything going on that they didn't even bother to change things -- someone so appalled, they were clear of the blind spot and tried to save a near dead urchin.
And suddenly he remembered.
A child had found him.
"...Are you awake?"
The voice scared him, jolted him out of his thoughts. It was almost as if the moment he remembered, it was a cue for this person to speak.
If Bean followed his basic, animal instincts, he would have immediately jumped under the bed and hid from both this appearance of _unfamiliar people_ and the unfamiliar surroundings. But he had long learned to control those basic instincts, and to wait on them untill he was quite sure he was right. That could take anywhere from a minute to a day.... and even if there was danger here, he was willing to risk it.
He'd been expecting to die earlier, anyway.
He didn't answer, only slowly looked to the direction the voice came from(speed partially for show, partially because he really _couldn't_ move that fast.). The voice had been that of a male child, and so he fully expected to find the face from earlier.
He was surprised, however, to find another face. A face, while similiar, was obviously a completely different child -- related, maybe? Younger, sharing a few of the same features.
The other kid smiled.
"Hi."
Bean's mouth worked for a moment, while his brain tried to calculate an answer. But unfortunately, his mouth didn't _wait_ for his brain to provide one, and jumped ahead of him, words spilling out of his mouth.
"Who _are_ you?" Bean demanded, provoking a startled look from the strange child.
Bean watched as he hesitated for a moment. "I.. I better go..." The words sent panic through Bean. No, not now!! Not when he was going to find out...why!!
"No!" Bean said quickly, a little more desperation showing than he should have allowed. A bandaged hand reached and grabbed the corner of the stranger's shirt. Held tight.
"Please..." And for one of the few times in his life, Bean let all his emotions show. And waited, with caught breath...
The child first looked down at Bean's hand. Staring at the grip on his shirt for a moment, then bringing his gaze up... strong brown eyes meeting Bean's own.
And for the first time in his entire life, Bean was struck dumb.
The eyes...
How could someone's eyes hold such a powerful shade of great innocence, and yet give you the feeling that they provided the gate to a soul that knew very many things.... and was capable of even looking deep inside _you_?
After studying him again, and looking deep into his eyes, the boy smiled once again. The doubt and shock and hesitation all seemed to melt away... and left only the look of a sweet child.
"My name's Andrew Wiggin. What's yours?"
-----
Andrew knew he had just made a big mistake.
But one mistake earned another. His family had made a great mistake, risking saving a strange child. Let alone bringing him to their _rooms_.
But that could be explained off. The kid prolly wouldn't even tell on them, so grateful from them saving him from utter death. Not that he could anyway -- not without knowing who they were.
But that's where Andrew's mistake came in.
For the first time in his family's new life, he had told their name.
Not their cover name. But their secret name, one held close and not even spoken within their family.
Their _real name_.
Wiggin.
It was a powerful word, and now this strange kid held a power over them. Few people held that power. When they chose who got it and who didn't, they chose carefully, and always discussed it for hours.
Not blurted it on on a whim, just because you looked into some kid's eyes and thought you saw something you could trust.
But Andrew had a good feeling about this... and good feelings were always to be followed...
Right?
That, or he was just extremely dumb.((Which, according to Peter, was the grim reality.))
But no matter how idiotic he was, one fact was cemented in stone.
He couldn't let anyone find out untill he knew for sure the consequences.
"Bean." The strange kid -- Bean -- answered him. Andrew couldn't help laughing at the name, which only earned him a pertrubed look from the smaller boy.
"My name is not funny." Said in the true voice of a young child -- hurt a little, but covering it with stubborn anger. Andrew could only grin at that -- even though this... Bean... seemed to be extremely smart (you could tell just by looking at him. Those eyes! So full of logic.), he was still a kid underneath like Andrew.
That thought encouraged him to go on.
"No, it's not. I'm sorry." He shook his head slowly, playing the adult peacemaker. "It's not fun to have anyone laugh at your name."
His parents would laugh at this -- 'How cute! Little Andrew trying to play big' -- but it worked well usually. [1] Only Bean's reaction would say if it worked well here or not.
"It's ok." Bean nodded. Andrew was guessing the kid was probably still trying to figure out whether Andrew was for real or not -- but at least he was talking to him.
"Andrew!"
Of course. The inevitable interruption. His mother, wondering where he was. What would she do if she found him talking to the "stranger"?
He wasn't going to stick around to find out.
"Go to sleep. Now!" He whispered hurriedly. Bean's hand, once forgotten about, dropped from the shirt when Andrew made it clear he didn't want to hurt him(but didn't want to stick around either). Released from this hold, Andrew gave Bean one more look, before running out of the room.
"Yes, mom?!?!"
"Oh, there you are." She gave him a worried look. "What were you doing?"
Andrew smiled to himself, forming a quick lie in his head. If there was nothing else Peter had taught him, it was how to lie to their parents.
"I was playing with a magic bean!!" Playing the part of an imaginative child.
Which he was, of course.
If only they knew how imaginative...
Then maybe they'd have a clue as to what he was going to do next.
=============End Chapter 1====
[1] = Yes, I know, they treat their kids like geniuses. But I also see them teasing them. ^^
BY: Mandy Sinclaire
Disclaimer: Fic is mine. Please don't take it without permission. Everything else is Card-sama's, and boy, does he rock. PLEASE DON'T SUE!! Fanfiction is a tribute!!!!
====
Thanks to everyone who reviewed. The reviewes were very nice. I squeed.:)
And thanks to everyone who put up with my random insecurities about this part, minor-beta-ed it, and all around just helped. ((P-Chan, Caro, Fernie, Rin)). You guys rock.
BTW: OK, I know that some things about this fic are confusing. This is to be expected, because it's an AU, but I feel I haven't made a few things clear enough.I love the books. I want to do valid tribute to them. I can assure you I wouldn't do a fanfiction like this without valid explainations for everything I do. Caro suggested an explaination for all this, and I think it fits best (It's not her exact words, but along the same lines):
If anything here seems odd, don't worry. It will all be explained in due time.
You'll just have to trust me.
Thank you.
And if anyone's wondering why exactly certain characters are in Rotterdam, once again, you'll have to trust me. You'll find out when Bean does. There is a very valid reason, and know that I do not put anything in this fanfic without developing it out first.
===
Chapter One: Falling into Reality
======
When Bean woke up, everything was different.
Well, almost everything. The pain was still there, but that _was_ to be expected, really. You couldn't be beaten to an inch of your life and not suddenly wake up feeling healthy.
But everything else...
For starters, he was in a clean room.
Not only that, but he was on a _clean bed_.
Not lying on a street, or on some dirty makeshift cot made out of scraps. But a real bed, one made out of some kind of soft material he'd never have imagined possible. He had never even experienced anything close to this...
...too bad he wasn't really capable of _enjoying_ it.
At times like these, he almost damned his curious mind. Always working, always trying to find out the 'whys'... Never resting enough to enjoy the unexpected comforts of life.
No. Even though this experience was enjoyable, and would be filed in the back of his mind to be replayed during a horrible moment, he couldn't let himself rest and appreciate it.
He HAD to find out why he was here, and who had taken the care to wrap his wounds.
No one ever did that on the street. To do so was a sign of weakness. (A thought nagged in the back of his head that Poke helped people like that, but he pushed it away because it was too painful.) So obviously this was someone else... One of the workers? They always hung around and tried to get the children's 'society' working right.
But they had a blind spot. An ego, if you will. Constantly reassuring themselves that their work actually did _good_, they failed to see the constant battles and murders on the street. It was likely maybe one of them had dropped their blind spot, but not too likely.
So no.
It had to be a visitor. Someone uneducated on the streets, someone used to things like clean water and normal food. Someone so utterly appalled by everything going on that they didn't even bother to change things -- someone so appalled, they were clear of the blind spot and tried to save a near dead urchin.
And suddenly he remembered.
A child had found him.
"...Are you awake?"
The voice scared him, jolted him out of his thoughts. It was almost as if the moment he remembered, it was a cue for this person to speak.
If Bean followed his basic, animal instincts, he would have immediately jumped under the bed and hid from both this appearance of _unfamiliar people_ and the unfamiliar surroundings. But he had long learned to control those basic instincts, and to wait on them untill he was quite sure he was right. That could take anywhere from a minute to a day.... and even if there was danger here, he was willing to risk it.
He'd been expecting to die earlier, anyway.
He didn't answer, only slowly looked to the direction the voice came from(speed partially for show, partially because he really _couldn't_ move that fast.). The voice had been that of a male child, and so he fully expected to find the face from earlier.
He was surprised, however, to find another face. A face, while similiar, was obviously a completely different child -- related, maybe? Younger, sharing a few of the same features.
The other kid smiled.
"Hi."
Bean's mouth worked for a moment, while his brain tried to calculate an answer. But unfortunately, his mouth didn't _wait_ for his brain to provide one, and jumped ahead of him, words spilling out of his mouth.
"Who _are_ you?" Bean demanded, provoking a startled look from the strange child.
Bean watched as he hesitated for a moment. "I.. I better go..." The words sent panic through Bean. No, not now!! Not when he was going to find out...why!!
"No!" Bean said quickly, a little more desperation showing than he should have allowed. A bandaged hand reached and grabbed the corner of the stranger's shirt. Held tight.
"Please..." And for one of the few times in his life, Bean let all his emotions show. And waited, with caught breath...
The child first looked down at Bean's hand. Staring at the grip on his shirt for a moment, then bringing his gaze up... strong brown eyes meeting Bean's own.
And for the first time in his entire life, Bean was struck dumb.
The eyes...
How could someone's eyes hold such a powerful shade of great innocence, and yet give you the feeling that they provided the gate to a soul that knew very many things.... and was capable of even looking deep inside _you_?
After studying him again, and looking deep into his eyes, the boy smiled once again. The doubt and shock and hesitation all seemed to melt away... and left only the look of a sweet child.
"My name's Andrew Wiggin. What's yours?"
-----
Andrew knew he had just made a big mistake.
But one mistake earned another. His family had made a great mistake, risking saving a strange child. Let alone bringing him to their _rooms_.
But that could be explained off. The kid prolly wouldn't even tell on them, so grateful from them saving him from utter death. Not that he could anyway -- not without knowing who they were.
But that's where Andrew's mistake came in.
For the first time in his family's new life, he had told their name.
Not their cover name. But their secret name, one held close and not even spoken within their family.
Their _real name_.
Wiggin.
It was a powerful word, and now this strange kid held a power over them. Few people held that power. When they chose who got it and who didn't, they chose carefully, and always discussed it for hours.
Not blurted it on on a whim, just because you looked into some kid's eyes and thought you saw something you could trust.
But Andrew had a good feeling about this... and good feelings were always to be followed...
Right?
That, or he was just extremely dumb.((Which, according to Peter, was the grim reality.))
But no matter how idiotic he was, one fact was cemented in stone.
He couldn't let anyone find out untill he knew for sure the consequences.
"Bean." The strange kid -- Bean -- answered him. Andrew couldn't help laughing at the name, which only earned him a pertrubed look from the smaller boy.
"My name is not funny." Said in the true voice of a young child -- hurt a little, but covering it with stubborn anger. Andrew could only grin at that -- even though this... Bean... seemed to be extremely smart (you could tell just by looking at him. Those eyes! So full of logic.), he was still a kid underneath like Andrew.
That thought encouraged him to go on.
"No, it's not. I'm sorry." He shook his head slowly, playing the adult peacemaker. "It's not fun to have anyone laugh at your name."
His parents would laugh at this -- 'How cute! Little Andrew trying to play big' -- but it worked well usually. [1] Only Bean's reaction would say if it worked well here or not.
"It's ok." Bean nodded. Andrew was guessing the kid was probably still trying to figure out whether Andrew was for real or not -- but at least he was talking to him.
"Andrew!"
Of course. The inevitable interruption. His mother, wondering where he was. What would she do if she found him talking to the "stranger"?
He wasn't going to stick around to find out.
"Go to sleep. Now!" He whispered hurriedly. Bean's hand, once forgotten about, dropped from the shirt when Andrew made it clear he didn't want to hurt him(but didn't want to stick around either). Released from this hold, Andrew gave Bean one more look, before running out of the room.
"Yes, mom?!?!"
"Oh, there you are." She gave him a worried look. "What were you doing?"
Andrew smiled to himself, forming a quick lie in his head. If there was nothing else Peter had taught him, it was how to lie to their parents.
"I was playing with a magic bean!!" Playing the part of an imaginative child.
Which he was, of course.
If only they knew how imaginative...
Then maybe they'd have a clue as to what he was going to do next.
=============End Chapter 1====
[1] = Yes, I know, they treat their kids like geniuses. But I also see them teasing them. ^^