Authors Note: Thanks to my beta for proofing this.

Disclaimer: Halo, Sangheili, Rtas, Thel/Arbiter and other canon characters belong to Bungie Studios/343 Industries. However, Original Characters, like Zeno, belong to me.

Chapter 8: Past Transgressions

Sani shuddered as Zeno recounted his ordeal at Runi's hands, albeit indirectly. Memories started to wash up to the surface, causing him to close his eyes and lean against Zeno comfort. He felt Zeno wrap his arm around him and rub his shoulder, helping to chase away the memories. Only after the memories have faded away did he open his eyes once more to see the reaction of the two hashin.

Henun looked surprised, but sympathetic. Joran on the other hand….

"I find this hard to believe," the elder hashin, sneered. "If this kid is so weak minded to allow such a thing to happen, why, by the gods, did he even join the military to begin with?"

"First off, Sani was forced into the military due to the Schism," Zeno replied, an edge to his voice. "If the Schism had never occurred, he would not have gotten into this situation. Do not judge him as 'weak minded' unless you have been in his situation yourself."

"You seem to forget what being a Sangheili is," Joran growled. "The fittest survive and thrive, while the weak purge themselves out of the gene pool."

Zeno's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Define whom would be considered the 'fittest', Joran," Zeno growled. "Define what is considered weak, for that matter." When Joran did not respond right away, he continued. "Were the Hilvum ancestors weak for being slaves, even though that is all they knew? Is Rtas weak for having been beaten and abused as a child to the point of developing a phobia of females? Am I weak for being rendered sterile from a treatment for an illness that would have killed me? Is Henun weak for losing his arm?"

"I…."

"Individual strength is often not enough for the challenges the gods put before us, Joran," Zeno pressed. "The Hilvum ancestors had the support of sympathizers from other keeps. Rtas had Anko, his sire, then later myself and his mate Ella. The Arbiter had Rtas, with the addition of Vl'asuna Mura and probably other's I do not recall right now. Henun likely would not have adapted so well to the loss of his arm if I had not been there for him, if at all. Myself, I had a long string people that helped me become who I am today. Someone you see as weak has the potential to become one of the strongest if given the support and chances they need. It is my belief that those that try to stand on their own are among the weakest individuals out there."

By this point, Zeno was on his feet, leaning on the table with one hand while the other was pointing directly at Joran. A very intimidating sight. Joran seemed to agree as he was leaning back as far as he could without toppling over in his chair, his hands up in surrender. Seemingly satisfied he had made his point, Zeno sat back down again. "Now, shall we order our meal?" he said, his tone completely changing to a more cheerful one. "The waiter has been standing at the door for the last couple minutes, waiting."

"I do not think any of us have even looked at the menus yet," Sani pointed out.

"Hmm, good point." Zeno turned toward the waiter. "Give us a few moments, please." The man was all too eager to step away for a bit.

"I do not understand any of this…," Joran muttered, looking at the menu.

"I can translate for you, if you want, Joran," Henun offered. "I learned quite a bit of the human tongue while in recon."

"Fine, whatever…."

"Speaking of which, you going to be alright with yours, Sani?" Zeno asked.

"I should be fine, Zeno. I think I understand enough to pass by," Sani replied.

"Alright, let me know if you need any help."

After a few moments the waiter returned and took their orders before quickly leaving again. The table was quiet for a few moments, filling the room with an uneasy silence. The silence was more unnerving to him than the argument that went on before, so Sani decided to break it. "So…uh…what now?" he said softly. "What are we going to do about this bounty on my head?"

"You still deserted your post, kid," Joran replied, though his tone was somewhat guarded and with good reason, with the glare Zeno was giving him. "If I had been in your position, I would have just killed the bastard that hurt you."

"I admit the thought did come to mind," Sani said with a sigh. "But ultimately I could not, because I felt it would have been wrong of me to take the life of a man I had previously saved."

"I do not agree, but whatever…."

"What would it take to remove the bounty on his head?" Zeno asked.

"Well the obvious one is for him to turn himself in," Joran said.

"Not happening," Sani said quickly.

"Yeah, yeah I get that. Another is for the individual that put the bounty on you in the first place to remove it."

"Something Second Master Ruro is not likely to do," Zeno grumbled. "Unless…."

"What are you thinking, Zeno?" Henun asked.

"Since Ruro is only in charge of the ship until Rtas returns to duty, can Rtas remove it?"

"If Rtas feels the bounty is unwarranted, yes," Joran replied. "But when is he going to return to duty?'

"I am not sure," Zeno admitted. "The amount of time he has been on leave already, it seems more like he is under semi-retirement."

"Which does not help at all," Henun said. "And Joran and I cannot simply drop the job, as that would leave the job open to other hashin."

"Yeah, hashin that are likely a lot bigger assholes than me," Joran muttered.

Zeno was silent for a couple of moments. "What if, Sani was transferred to here?"

"A transfer? How would that help?" Joran asked, looking confused.

"The reason for the bounty is because Sani deserted his post, correct?" A nod. "If Sani is transferred here, then he could no longer be considered a deserter as his post would now be here, rather than his old post."

"I do not know, Zeno," Henun said, shaking his head. "That is stretching the rules a bit, not to mention the problem that you would have to get authorization from the appropriate authorities, including Ruro. Plus the justification for the transfer in the first place."

"Rtas already admitted to me that he was considering having Sani transferred to get him away from Runi," Zeno pointed out. "Plus, if I am not mistaken, bounties are usually done 'under the table' so to speak. As in, the one putting the bounty on someone does not want it to be public knowledge due to the shame."

"Generally, yes," Joran confirmed. "Most bounties could fall under that category, though it would depend upon the circumstances around it."

"I slipped out during the night cycle, just before the ship was to leave the supply station," Sani explained. "Ruro was active at the time: I remember hearing his voice as I made my escape."

"Oooh, Ruro would consider that embarrassing," Zeno said, licking a mandible. "And Rtas told me I was the first to inform him of Sani's disappearance."

"Which means Ruro does not want to admit openly that Sani slipped out from right under his nose," Henun said, scratching a mandible. "Getting him to agree with transferring Sani will be the hard part though."

Zeno had a smirk on his face. "I think I know how. It would put my experience dealing with politicians to good use."

"You are going to trick him…."

"Bastard like him deserves it. I will contact Rtas to get his support first though, to cover my rear."

"Good idea. I am certain Rtas would want to know about this development anyway."

"Indeed."

The plan seemed sound to Sani, though he had little knowledge or experience in politics or logistics. Regardless, he was grateful Zeno was able to get the two hashin to basically agree to not take him in. "What will you two do now?" Sani asked. "Since this job is pretty much bust for you…."

"Well, until Zeno pulls his stunt, we cannot risk dropping the job," Henun said. "That would likely cause unneeded complications should other hashin show up to collect."

"Thus you will have to stick around for a few days at least," Zeno said. "Plenty of time to go looking at art museums, eh Henun? I can give you list of places to go: I hear Florence, Italy has some lovely artwork."

Henun's eyes lit up, while Joran's expression was one of horror. "Dear gods no!" Joran said. "I will not be dragged through rooms full of nothing but weird pictures and statues!"

"That is OK, Joran. You can stay in the hotel room bored out of your skull," Henun said mischievously.

"Now I am trying to decide on which is the lesser of two evils…."

Sani joined in the chuckling at that remark, grateful the tension was completely gone now.

Their meal came a few moments later and the party ate in silence. The food was good, so Zeno definitely wanted to come back here another time: hopefully without the sudden company of additional guests. He wasn't sure why, but he preferred to be with Sani alone. Was it that he enjoyed his company? Or something else? It was yet another thing he had to figure out.

After the meal was done, the two parties went their separate ways. Zeno and Sani went straight back home, neither wanting to deal with any more drama after today. It was time to wash up and relax for a bit before going to bed. At least that was what Zeno was hoping for. When he stepped out of the shower he was shocked to see Henun setting on the edge of his bed.

"Henun!" Zeno said, subconsciously making sure his towel was wrapped right. "What are you…how did you…?"

The other male turned toward him, a slight smile on his face. "First, Sani let me in," he said. "Second, I was recon like you: finding out where you lived was easy."

"Why then?"

Henun's usually smiling face turned serious and Zeno got a bad feeling he knew what this was about. "I wanted to take the opportunity to talk to you in private."

"About…?"

"Us."

Zeno felt his throat tighten. The guilt of what he did that day coming back in full force. However, he knew there would be no running away from it this time. He had to face it. "Alright," Zeno said softly, hanging his head. "Let me get dressed, first. Met me on the balcony."

Henun nodded and left his room, allowing him the chance to make himself decent. When he stepped out he noticed Sani giving him a look of concern. "Is something wrong, Zeno?" he asked.

"No, Sani, just…," Zeno sighed, not too sure what to say to him. "I have some personal things I need to straighten out."

"I see…," Sani replied, looking like he understood. "I…um…good luck?"

Zeno couldn't help but chuckle and he patted Sani on the shoulder. "Thanks, I will probably need it."

He stepped out on the balcony, where Henun was waiting. Henun didn't turn toward him when he joined him at the railing, just continued to stare out down unto the planet below. A moment of silence went between them before he finally spoke. "A beautiful planet," Henun said softly. "Not like Sanghelios, but beautiful in its own way. I can see why you wanted to stay here."

"Indeed," Zeno agreed.

"And yet it is just a convenient excuse, was it not?"

"What do you…"

"Do not play ignorance with me, Zeno," Henun said harshly. "I looked at your file: you came here to try to escape the ghosts of your past."

Zeno said nothing. What could he say? It was the truth. Another moment of silence passed before Henun spoke again. "Those black marks on your body. A memorial to Miko?"

"Aye."

"Did it help?"

"…not really…"

"You never did open up to me about your grief for his loss."

"I know."

"Why not?"

"I…do not know."

Henun sighed once more. "Do you know, Zeno, how much you hurt me when you ran out that day?" he asked softly.

This time Zeno turned his head away, the guilt heavy in his hearts. "Yes," he replied. "I regret what I did."

"And yet you did not even so much as call to apologize."

"I know I should have, but I never could bring myself to do so."

Zeno felt Henun's hand gently grab his head and turn it toward him once more. "Why?" Henun asked.

"I…," Zeno tried to turn his head away again, but Henun's grip was firm. "I was not ready…I was…afraid…."

"Afraid?" Henun looked confused. "Of what?"

"That I would be betraying Miko if I did anything with you."

Henun's hand finally left his face, Henun himself looked mildly disgusted. "The only way you could betray him, Zeno, is if you had taken an oath to remain single for the rest of your life. Did you make such an oath?"

"No…He just told me to live."

"Then I see no reason why you cannot take another lover, Zeno."

"I am not ready!"

"It has been four years, Zeno: most people would have moved on by now."

"I am not most people."

"That is true…," Henun sighed. "Though it seems you do not even know yourself, Zeno."

"What are you talking about?"

"Sani. I have noticed how you act around him. You are fond of him, are you not?"

The question came as a bit of a shock to him. "I think you are reading too much into my actions, Henun. Sani is someone that needs help, help most of our people would not give him."

"And yet, you have him staying here in your own quarters, rather than set him up with his own place…."

"A precautionary measure to keep other Sangheili residents from harassing him."

"Which is no longer needed, considering said Sangheili would know he is under your protection by now. Still, he remains as a roommate, literally, considering your bedroom has two beds."

"Unmarried Hilvums sleep in communal beds, Henun. I simply made an arrangement to accommodate that within my comfort zone. It has nothing to do with perceived intimacy between us."

"The body language between you two says otherwise."

"Again, you are reading too much into my actions. Just what are you getting at with this third degree treatment, Henun?"

Henun sighed and looked away for a moment before placing his hand on Zeno's shoulder. "It is obvious you have not woken up to the possibility yet, Zeno, likely due to demons of your past blocking it from your mind. I ask these things, because I want to be sure you are alright…And for my own closure. Before I drop this subject though, I have one question I need to ask you…."

"What is that, Henun?"

"Do you feel anything for me, Zeno? Back then…or now?"

Zeno's breath hitched in his throat briefly as he closed his eyes and thought over his answer carefully. "Back then…I do not know what I was feeling, but now…I feel only the bond of friendship toward you, Henun and the guilt for the pain I caused you."

There was a heavy sigh. "I figured as much." He heard Henun say as Zeno opened his eyes once more. "Though you should not be the one to bare all the guilt, Zeno: I am to blame as well."

"What?" Zeno blinked, confused. "No, Henun…I…."

"Please, Zeno…I was only thinking of myself that day. The thought that you were not ready to move on did not even cross my mind when I said what I did." This time it was Henun whom turned his head away. "I was desperate for a real relationship and I read too much into your acts of kindness toward me. I realized my selfishness, and my error, the moment you ran out my door, but it was too late to take back what I said, even though I meant it at the time."

"But love is not supposed to be a selfish emotion…."

"It can be," Henun countered, turning back to face him. "If you try to force it upon someone that does not love you back, which is what I attempted to do. I know now that any relationship beyond friendship between us was never meant to be, besides…my heart is for another now…."

Zeno was about to ask who, but then he remembered how Henun reacted when Zeno found out Joran was after Sani. "Joran?" Henun turned his head away slightly, a faint smile and a hint of a blush on his face. "Thought so. What do you see in him, Henun? He is kind of an ass…."

"Not sure, to be honest," Henun said softly, still blushing. "What I do know is that I liked the fact that he did not judge me based solely on lack of my arm, nor on my status as a painter then. Well, that I helped him take down a particularly strong Mark likely helped on the 'respect' department as well."

"So that is how you ended up working with him…."

"I was not hired right then and there, but sometime later. Turned out while he was on that job, his previous partner got himself killed by crossing lines that should never be crossed."

"So he needed a new partner…and helping him with a previous job convinced him to try you out?"

"That and the fact that I mentioned I was formerly Special Operations Reconnaissance," Henun said with a smirk. That smirked faded, his expression turned to one of worry. "The problem though, is that I am not sure if he actually likes me the way I like him...He is a big womanizer, with no indication he leans my way."

"Appears to be as straight as they come, as the humans would say."

"Yeah…."

"Seems you have had bad luck in this department so far."

Henun snorted. "Tell me about it. Still, a part of me feels he does like me…."

"I have not been around him long enough, let alone got to know him to be able to help you determine for certain. If he does, however, it could be that he is confused and uncertain what to do, especially if he has only been attracted to females until now. Does he know you are sebo?"

"Not sure. I did tell him that you and I had a falling out, but that can be taken in different ways."

Zeno licked a mandible as he mulled over what to say next. "Do you know how he feels about semos or sebos?" Henun shook his head. "I would suggest finding out first, before admitting your feelings for him, Henun."

"Good idea. It would really be bad if Joran turned out to be a Juwi in that department…."

"Indeed. If it turns out he does not mind people like us, then you can explore further. Just do not try to do what you did to me…."

"Do not worry, I learned my lesson last time." After a brief moment, Henun said. "Thank you, Zeno. This discussion helped ease a weight off my shoulders."

"Same here," Zeno admitted. "Good luck with Joran, Henun. I hope he is the one for you."

"Likewise with you and Sani."

"Henun, I told you…."

Henun put a finger to his snout, silencing him. "Do not close yourself off to the possibility so quickly, Zeno," Henun said softly, concern in his eyes. "Otherwise, you will only hurt yourself, and likely Sani, in the process." Zeno said nothing when Henun removed his finger. "I hope I gave you something to think about, Zeno. I know I do."

As Henun turned and left the balcony, Zeno leaned on the railing and stared out into the blackness of space.

He did indeed have a lot to think about….