They stood in shock, each one in turn letting their eyes fill with tears.
Travis watched the mountain of black rubbish burn and watched the sickening stench flow towards the heavens. He looked to his sides as he watched the few boys tremble or break down completly. Miguel could only fall to his knees, his eyes wide with shock not sound. His hands were shaking so badly. The redhead looked forward again to see Kai standing in front of the smolder. His back was to him however Travis knew this effected him.
Travis didn't understand it very well. He watched the boys yell and weep, he examined their shivers and tears. Yet as he looked again, Travis could only feel a twinge of loss. A small one at that. Perhaps he was too young to realize what he'd just lost?
A small whimper filled his ears and he looked to the side. Miguel was squeezing his eyes shut, tears flowing out quietly as his hands gripped his pant legs. He didn't scream, he didn't cry out. He wasn't shaking entirelly and he refused to wipe away his tears.
Why had something like this happened? All their comrades; dead. Travis looked at his hands, expecting a responce. His pale fingers were covered in dirt and his gloved one seemed to be far from life-like. Were they being punished? But why? What had they ever done?
Deciding that since he had far more questions then answers, he flowed through the group to comfort each boy individually. A shoulder to cry on for a moment. Many of them had lost their friends, some even family. Others moaned on about treasures from loved ones or pricless heirlooms. Some were just stiff with fright and were constantly shifting about, thinking they were next. Finally Travis got back to comfort Miguel who was in the same state he'd left him. With the exception that his blue eyes were now wide and flowing.
The younger boy reached out his hand and gripped the olders as Mathilda slide down his arm and hopped onto the blond's shoulder. Travis lifted the shaking hand inbetween his and held it calmly. Resting it against his forhead, he was speachless but his ears were wide open. He expected Miguel to blurt out everything he was thinking but the boy kept to himself.
"Migu- Oh!" Travis started paitently but was snagged and thrown into the boys arms. Miguel wrapped his arms around him with his tear filled eyes draining down Travis's back.
"Mama. B-Brother. I'm here. Don't worry. I made it. I'm safe. Don't cry. Don't pray. I'm here. I'm safe." His voice was in perfect little whispers.
Mathilda's eyes filled with grief for the boy. So he wasn't crying over lose. He was crying over joy. He was rejoicing. The relief that he may still be able to go home and be with his family. He's crying that it was others and not him in that pit. That they were safe and still had life on their shoulders. That they'd been spared.
"No, I mean it. Travis is really lucky to have you around. And I'm glad I've gotten to meet you as well. Everytime I miss Mama, I just talk to you and it's like she is r-right here...with me."
Her small head rested close to Miguel's ear and she closed her own eyes.
"Mathilda's here, Miguel. Your mama is smiling at you right now. She wants you to know that she's smiling for you. She's looking out a window right now, watching the sky and wondering when you'll come home. Y-your brother would be right beside her, wouldn't he? Asking where his brother has gone and whining on why he couldn't come with you."
Mathilda wasn't finished her scenario but the way he hugged the confused Travis tighter and sucked in heavy breaths, she guessed it was either confirming his thoughts or calming him down. She was hoping she was getting close. He didn't show any sign of wanting her to stop so she continued her chatter, with Travis listening in. In his final attempt to comfort his friend, Travis laid his head against his chest and wept for Miguel's family.
The thoughts of home seeming further away then ever.
.:VwV:.
Kai didn't know what to do. It had taken him almost an hour to find the torched corpse known as Bryan. The only sign that it was him was he was the largest body; completly burnt to the bone, leaving the skin to become ashes. Now staring down at his friend with anger and regret, Kai knew he had to go back. He'd bring the boys with him. He'd find some way on convincing King Max to let them stay. These boys didn't deserve to see this. If it caused war to be thrown on their doorstep, so be it.
Home.
Home.
Home.
They couldn't go home. Soldiers weren't meant to retreat unless they had orders. Kai's head was spinning. And the gut-retching smell wasn't helping either.
'But these boys aren't soldiers. They're kids, for Sun's sake.' Kai cursed and didn't care that he'd used a God's name in such a manner. The situation for him was much larger then any God could ever be. This was a child's innocence he was dealing with. You couldn't even put a comparison to that.
So what do the vulnerable do in a war? What do they do when they have no backup plan?
Run.
Hide.
Cower.
It took Kai to carry Brooklyn and rest another boy on his hip to get the group going. They had to leave. The chances that the enemy may come back was still dangerously high.
But where else could they go but back?
.:VwV:.
It truely was a couple days before they reached land. Tala had collapsed the moment he had pulled the boat under the shade of the only tree on the beach. Anko awoke to watching the waves for another full day before Tala even showed sign of life.
Which was his sudden twitch when he rolled over and fell into the water.
Anko could barely laugh due to the light headed feeling and yet somehow managed to pull it through. Tala slowly rose to the surface, wiping the water from his still droopy eyes. The redhead yawned and streghed, pulling back one arm as he let the air fill him.
"Some nap that turned out to be. You feeling better?" Tala motioned to her as he climbed back onto the bank.
"Much." Anko smiled. "My head still hurts though and everything is fuzzy."
"Doesn't sound like your better at all." He replied as he ran his pale fingers through matted red hair. The water flipped from its threads and pours down his face and back. "Just sounds like you managed to get out of the heat."
"True enough. So now that we reached land, what are we supposed to do?"
"Well I'm hungry and I feel obligated to quench my thrist with something not covered in liquid-salt. Care to join me?"
Anko nodded eargerly with a faint smile. As Tala gathered up what food they had left and prepared it in some fashion, Anko was left to ponder on what to do next. However, her mind kept travelling backward to home. To Jason.
"What do you think he's doing right now?
Tala looked up at her having no clue what she was muttering about this time.
"Jason. What do you think he's doing? Do you think he's being looked after well? Are they feeding him? Do ... do you think he misses me?" Anko rested her chin on her knees as he watched Tala cook.
"How should I know? I only met him for a bit. Your his mother, you should know. Besides, no matter what he's doing I'm sure he misses you. Any child would miss their parents if they went away."
"But ... he didn't look sad. He was smiling and waving at me. Safe travel, remember?"
Tala put on a blank expression. "I may not know much about children but I can tell you that he was doing that because he knew you wouldn't stay. He was smiling because he wanted to, waving because he could and telling you to have a safe travel so that you could return again."
Anko didn't really take that as a responce. Sure, she understood what Tala was getting at but she just felt utterly empty without waking up to have Jason jumping at her side. Instead, she had Tala to jump down her throat every five seconds. Her little boy was at home with a monster and her demon child. She'd put all her faith into Pa to keep Jason safe and ... sane while she was gone.
Thinking about Pa and then Jason caused Anko to clench her fists. The main reason she'd wanted to join Tala was to find out something that she'd been riding on for years with a blindfold. She wanted to know who Jason's father was. Who had cared about her enough, at some point, to have a child with her.
Or who didn't care at all.
.:VWV:.
AN: I wanted to write more, however I thought I'd kept thsi chapter too long.
I actually have some excuses this time XP I had a mountain of homework, were going into exam month as it is comnig up on June and I just granted myself grounding fro mteh computer until 'furthur notice'. Yes, this authoress is a genius!
R&R AND THANKS TO ALL THSOE WHO REVIEW MY STORY! Your questions and comments mean so much more then you could ever imagine.