Whew, this chapter took longer than expected. Sorry about the hold up. I had it ready on Friday and then decided to change a few things. It was really fun to write. I had a longer time editing this one considering the action scenes in it. I knew already when I had written it out before that there were scenes that were definitely going to take some time. Editing is always my longest process. :)

I just booked my hotel for A-Kon in Dallas this year! I'm wicked early for it, but I don't flipping care! Forget you, place of employment! I'm going to nerd out with my friends in June!

-Ahem, just wanted to share my excitement...

I've cooked up the next few chapter for AoRF, but I've set that aside for the time being - again. I really want to get this done before I go back to that monster of a story. Just to let you know. Things are progressing in it. Just give me time. And this story seems like it will be done pretty quickly with the way I'm updating.

Enough of my nerdy rambling.

Read!

Goau was never one for sports. He wasn't a fast runner, a hard hitter, and had never in his life made a three-point shot with a basketball – not that he hadn't tried. The black-haired man would have traded all of his intellect at this one moment for such physical talents.

Of course, he'd never run for his life twice in one day until today.

Life sure did love its nasty ironic surprises.

As he passed through the dense trees at the fastest pace he'd ever pushed himself to go, the black-haired man knew there was no way he could be controlling his weak body anymore. Another invisible being was helping to push him; driving him to keep going. He had a higher purpose to survive.

For Varie. For his sons. For Hitomi.

The heat of midday was unbearable. Every burn he had acquired from that morning scorched like flames. Every bruise throbbed with his racing pulse. His injured hand, which helped to hold Hitomi on his shoulder, created long bloody marks on the once white coat. The brief case, gripped securely by his other hand, was even more dead weight on his weak muscles.

But he had to go on.

He had to see Varie. He wanted to hug and kiss his sons. Even if Van quietly pushed away from him. Even if Folken was angry at him for never being there.

Goau wanted to hold them both and never let go. He wanted to beg for mercy for tearing his family apart. He may never be forgiven, but at least he could try.

He'd hurt his family too much. Ignored too many problems.

Help me, Tsukasa, he pleaded to his friend as he ducked under a tree branch. His knees wobbled and almost buckled with the unexpected pressure on his exhausted muscles. If you can send a message to anyone up there, tell them now would be a good time to intervene.

Another bullet whistled past his head on the left and slammed into a tree. He flinched and instinctively moved away from the shards of bark. More to the right.

Unknowingly closer to the main playground.

Goau realized his mistake as soon as he stepped out of the trees.

The park was full of playing children. Innocent children.

Cursing with what breath he could catch, he stood for a few heartbeats, zipping his panicky eyes left and right. Civilians were at stake now. He had to get the killers away from them. But to his left was a busy street. What should he do?

Crossing it was a horrible gamble and probably one of the worst ideas he'd had in the last few hours, but if he could shake the killers through traffic... He looked briefly at the different fast food chains that lined the street on the other side. He could easily hide there after crossing. Another bullet pierced the wind and swept extremely close to his body. He stopped thinking and acted.

Pumping more strength into his trembling legs, Goau leaped out into the oncoming cars.

He felt the little girl tense on his shoulder and give a squeal as he dodged a honking car. Goau kept moving. His mind was racing with his adrenaline. Waiting for only a second before darting past another lane, he shouted, "Hitomi, do you see who's chasing us? Look behind me!"

"I can't tell," she called back after a few seconds. He felt her small hands grip his shirt as she raised herself off his back to look. "There are people everywhere in the playground!"

Goau gasped and Hitomi screamed as a huge pick-up truck hurled towards them. Instantly, he felt a fierce electrical shock run from his shoulder. The petrifying energy raced through his entire body.

Every organ pulsed with it.

Every hair on his body stood on end.

The truck gave a terrifyingly loud shriek.

His heart pounded in horror. He knew that sound. Balgus' car had made the same noise.

But the old man had stopped the car before the battery…

"It's gonna explode!" The black-haired man shouted and dodged the speeding truck just in time. He held Hitomi tighter and ran for his life passed another lane.

The explosion from the truck's heavily overcharged battery was immense. Goau felt the heat searing his back and legs. He stumbled slightly, but was able to stay on his feet. The five-year-old on his shoulder screamed again as more cars pelted towards them. The electrical wave washed through him once more and the cars around him began making the same horrible, ear-splitting sounds.

He was past five lanes. Only three more to go.

"Hitomi, calm down!" Goau called desperately through the roar. Behind him, another explosion burst in the street, raining fire and metal. He staggered and almost fell; stopping short from running head first into another shrieking car. His ears rang. His heart hammered. Racing around the vehicle on shaking legs, the man took only several more steps before the car behind him blasted apart. The intensity of the eruption scorched his back with heat and flung him the rest of the way off the road. Letting go of the briefcase, Goau grabbed Hitomi with both hands and held her to his chest as he soared in the air.

His burnt back landed on the concrete sidewalk with a resounding thud. Head hitting the sharp ground, Fanel saw stars winking at him. His body immediately went into restart mode.

Breathing: check

Seeing: a bit fuzzy, but check

Smelling: the horrible smell of burnt metal and hair, I guess that's a check

Tasting: ashy…gross. Check

Feeling: I wish the concrete was a taxi seat. Check

Hearing:…. Oh, crap.

Blinking the darkness out of his eyes, the face of a small girl swam into his vision. He squinted at the bright fire behind her. She was saying something, but he couldn't make it out. She grabbed his shoulders and tried to get him to sit up. Goau groaned as nausea hit his stomach. The pain in his back was practically unbearable.

The sound of the raging fire was only an inaudible rumble. He heard the little voice of the girl, but her words were completely undecipherable. Placing his bleeding hand on his head, he tried to stop the shaking world. The girl – Hitomi, his brain supplied – ran from him and grabbed the handle of a briefcase…

The briefcase he'd just dug up. Wait… Tsukasa's briefcase full of money!

Blinking to clear the clouds in his brain, Goau struggled to his feet. He fell halfway on his knees. Suddenly, he felt the small hands of the little girl on his back and he howled with pain. She moved to grab his arm instead to help him stand. Another rocking explosion resounded from the now blazing streets and he felt the amazing heat from it wash over him again. With a cry of pain, the dark-haired man's face was racing with uncontrolled tears. Coupled with the urging tugs of Hitomi, he began crawling on his hands and knees as fast as he could. His vision was completely blocked with the fogginess of his head and his tears. He put all of his trust the little hand that pulled him along. It felt like hours, but it was probably only ten minutes or so. Suddenly, the guiding hand pushed gently on his shoulders and he leaned the side of his head against a rough brick wall. He closed his eyes against the powerful ringing in his ears, the throbs of agony in his back, and the waves of violent nausea that kept spinning his vision.

"What happened?" he asked gruffly. He felt a small hand wipe the tears from his face. He heard a stifled reply from the little girl, but nothing more.

"What?" He swallowed down the ashy taste of fire and opened his eyes to try focusing on her small face. "I can't hear you."

He through his foggy vision he saw her shake her head at him and put the briefcase she had carried right beside him. He unthinkingly laid it on its side and clicked it open. The money was a bit disturbed, but it had survived. Shutting the case closed with a soundless thump, Goau put it beside him. Leaning to the left, his nausea hit him like a tidal wave and he dry heaved on the trash covered concrete.

It was almost an hour before he was able to stop gagging. By then, the ringing had subsided only slightly. He was able to better understand what Hitomi was trying to say, which was a plus. From what he could gather – judging from the pounding ring that continued to resonate shrilly in his head - he'd probably have hearing problems for the rest of his life.

"Are you okay, Hitomi? Are you hurt?" he asked weakly holding his empty stomach. He focused his gaze on her face and read her lips as best he could. He was startled to see tears running down her cheeks.

"I hurt my elbow on the ground. My skin hurts from the fire. My head is ringing a little."

"That's not too bad for what we just went through." He said gently. Even his own voice was muffled to his ears. "Let me see your elbow."

She closed the gap between them and he lifted his good hand to inspect the elbow. He patted her small arm sympathetically.

"Doesn't it hurt?" she asked, her bottom lip still trembling.

"What hurt?"

"You've got a lot of blood on your face and your hair is burnt. Your shirt is ripped on your back. Your skin looks so red. You were throwing up. It sounded gross. Are you going to be okay, Mr. Fanel?" Her worried words were a muffled jumble, but he could make out most of what she said. The green-eyed girl lifted her small hand and brushed it against his cheeks again. "You were crying. I was so scared."

"I still can't hear very well, but don't you worry yourself about me, Hitomi." Goau answered faintly. "I'll pull through. You just make sure you're okay. Do you still have the Energist?"

"This thing?" she pulled the fossil out of the coat's pocket.

"Make sure it's safe, okay? Promise me you'll take care of it."

She nodded her head, but the worry hadn't left. He needed to distract her. He glanced around them.

"Where are we? Are we in an alleyway?"

"We are in between two buildings. That's a dumpster right next to us. It smells really bad." She answered, crinkling her nose through her tears.

"Thank God there doesn't seem to be any electronics in it." Goau muttered so the girl couldn't hear. Turning to Hitomi he smiled, "Good, girl. That was quick thinking. I owe you one."

"There were a lot of loud noises for a while. I checked outside and there's a bunch of flashing lights. What happened? Why did they blow up like that? Was that because of me?"

Goau was at a loss for words. He couldn't possibly tell her that this was her fault, could he? She was five. Mostly it was his fault for running into the street like a lunatic to begin with. He was in such a panic from the killers that he didn't realize the danger he placed her in. He'd almost killed them both. Ultimately, he probably resulted in the death of plenty other innocent people in his place. From the way everything blew apart around them, they were lucky to be in one piece now and not sprawled on the highway in tiny bits. She didn't need that kind of burden on her young shoulders. Especially now.

A thumping throb of pain shot from his forehead to the back of his neck. He decided to worry about it later.

"I don't know," he evaded and shifted to his knees on the dirty ground. Using the wall and the dumpster to brace himself, he stood on violently trembling legs. His back roared with fire, and he gritted his teeth to ignore the scarp pain.

The little girl grabbed the briefcase once again and handed it to him. As he took it, he reached out with his bloody hand and tried to wipe the tears off her face.

"At least something good came out of all this."

"Good?" she asked, letting him rub her cheeks dry. She gave a sniffle.

"We can easily get to safety with this." He said trying to sound encouraging with the optimism he didn't feel. The black-haired man held up the briefcase.

"I need a Band-Aid," she answered.

Glancing down at himself, Goau grimaced at his blood-stained, torn, burnt clothes.

"I think I need one, too."

Crying Gray stood at the edge of the street, his eyes squinting against the bright flames in front of him. The raging fire's heat pounded on the stoic features of his face. Tucking his assault pistol in the holder behind his back, he backed away as civilians from the park tried to help those stuck in flaming vehicles.

This isn't possible…this entire thing is ridiculous. He escaped me… by exploding vehicles. The thought swiveled in his mind. He narrowed his eyes with his quiet rage. Just how did you do that, father?

He couldn't explain it. He couldn't answer any of his questions. He wasn't in control of this situation anymore. What just happened was something that was beyond anyone's understanding. Maybe the fossil…? His brain supplied. He tucked that thought away as the number one possibility. Does the fossil really have that kind of power? Dornkirk said it was the bringer of destruction. Is this a display of the destruction it can do?

His mahogany eyes swept the burning streets. The multiple cries and screams penetrated his usual stoic features. His heart beat sped up a little as another explosion shook the ground he was standing on. He heard the agony of those trapped in the flaming cars. The rage and heat of the fire ignited his anger.

And still father runs. Scampering like the coward he is. He will pay.

Gray breathed deeply to calm his rising fury. His brain immediately switched to another other issue at hand.

Who is this little girl? Why would he have her in the first place? Where did she come from?

Intuition rang in his head like bells. He had her when he met with Balgus. She must have come from the lab. If that's the case…

Turning away from the horrific, blazing scene in front of him, he began walking back with his new ideas quickly forming in his mind.

Father will likely go to mother now. As for the little girl, I'll have to figure out her situation in all of this. She's important to him. Seems like its high time I watch Dilandau's Operation RED video.

The bus wasn't as comfortable as the taxi seats, but Goau was not one to complain. Shoving their two suitcases into the small holder above his head, he unthinkingly stretched his newly bandaged hand before gently easing himself on the aisle seat next to the little girl. His burnt back felt like his skin was crackling against the ointment he'd splattered on it. The pounding in his head had subsided somewhat, but he still had a strange cloud on the left side of his vision. His 'new' clothes itched in strange places. He just chalked it up to not being able to wash properly. A thrift store bathroom wasn't the most private of places after all.

Still, it was a relief to be safe and somewhat clean. After sneaking out of the alleyway and discovering he could walk without the help of the wall, the black-haired man hobbled several yards to a pharmacy store. From the looks of the other shoppers and employees, he knew immediately he and Hitomi must look like they escaped from some asylum. He strolled in with what he hoped was a confident expression –as if being bloody, filthy, and burnt was the most normal thing in the world. Grabbing a shopping cart, he'd plopped the case of money and Hitomi in the basket and grabbed several small bottles of soap, shampoo, heaps of burn ointments, medicine, bandages, solar power flashlights, four large water bottles, and boxes of easily opened, pre-made food.

At the odd stare from the clerk during checkout, Goau smiled uneasily and lifted the briefcase out of the basket. Opening it, he placed three crisp one-hundred bills on the counter.

"I'm buying the shopping cart as well. Keep the change," he said awkwardly, shutting the case. As the clerk's disbelieving gaze traveled down to the equally filthy little girl riding in the cart with his items, the black-haired man nodded his head in farewell. Rolling the cart and non-scanned items to the exit, the alarm at the sliding doors went off with a piercing sound.

He ran for it.

With cars backed up from the wreckage, they easily weaved through the bumper to bumper traffic to a spotted thrift store. Inside, he'd pushed the cart to a tattered dressing room and slid to the floor to relieve his growing panic. He had another nauseated gagging attack that lasted for a few minutes. Hitomi kept watch through the curtain.

After an hour, Goau realized all the police were probably with the traffic jam he'd created earlier. For the first time that day, he allowed himself to feel something he'd scarce hoped to feel again: safe.

Shopping at the second-hand store was easier than the pharmacy. People avoided his dirty face and blood stained clothes and hardly blinked at the shopping cart he wheeled around. Goau didn't know if it was because he blended so well with the people around him or they really weren't that observant. He picked out several pairs of clothes for the two if them and two large suitcases for their supplies. He paid for his items with the case.

Thank God for Tsukasa, he had thought with relief as he handed yet another one-hundred bill.

And he thanked God for the thrift store bathroom. That was where he spent the most glorious hour of his life: washing, bandaging, eating and changing.

He wasn't able to escape the weirded-out looks that were shot his way from men using the toilet.

But none of that mattered once he saw happy expression on the little girl's face. He helped her wash her hair and she actually sighed with relief and comfort. Covering her small cuts with Band-Aids and rubbing in the relieving ointment, she dried herself with rough paper towels from the sink.

After she was done, he let her dig in to some of the food he'd bought while he washed. The back of his head had a bad knot from where he'd hit the concrete from the explosion. He touched the raised spot tenderly. Washing his body was difficult with his bad hand, but he managed. His injured palm was a raw bloody mess. He disinfected the deep cut as best he could and wrapped it gently with long bandages. He flexed his fingers worriedly. They still worked so hopefully not very many tendons were damaged. Taking off his shirt, he got Hitomi to cover his burns with the ointment while he drank the most delicious water he'd ever tasted.

Changing in the bathroom stall, he'd munched on some bread and drained another entire water bottle filled from the sink.

By the end of their cleaning session, she had a comfortable thrift store sundress with bunnies on the front and Goau was the happy owner of tan shorts and his first Hawaiian t-shirt. Packing the case full of money, the Energist, and the rest of their supplies into the two fat suitcases, they walked out of the thrift store.

They'd left their dirty clothes for the store attendant to find.

Goau glanced at the small girl as she watched the passing stores and cars through the dirty window of the bus. He sighed quietly and joined her stares. Without looking at each other, they reached out and clasped hands; his large fingers cradling her small palm.

"Mr. Fanel?" He read her lips more than heard her. "Where are we going?"

"I've got to get you to safety. The only place I can think of is where my wife hopefully is."

"How far is that?"

Goau was silent for a moment. "It'll take a couple of hours to get there by bus. Then it's a bit of a hike."

"I can climb." She announced bravely.

He nudged her small shoulder good-naturedly and let a tired smile fall on his lips. "Good, you can carry me then."

She blinked. Slowly her face changed into the familiar eye-crinkling grin.

The lake was reflecting the afternoon sun. It practically made the entire area a vibrant shade of gold. Somewhere in the lake a fish jumped out and danced in the glittering light. Several light chirps from various birds could be heard all around the area. The surrounded trees danced with a cold, sweeping breeze that caused shivers to run up and down Varie's arms. She never remembered it being this cold back in the day. That's probably because she hadn't been so alone.

Sitting with her back resting on a familiar large oak, she breathed deeply and tilted her head back to catch the streaming light through the green leaves.

It had been here. Right here where she'd first met that stupid man. Her life had been a roller coaster ever since that fateful day.

I try to get away from him and he STILL makes me an emotional wreck. She thought with a sigh. If I see him, I'll slap him!

She visibly winced at using the word if. She didn't want it to be if she saw him. It should be when she saw him. He was Goau, genius extraordinaire. He could pull through anything, right?

She'd see him again. She had to.

It'd been two days since she'd arrived at Jajuka's Camping and Motor Houses. Driving the hill to the secluded log cabin with Van in the back seat, her mind wandered with nostalgia. The camp had been her safe-haven during her parent's divorce. Though Jajuka owned the land, he kept the small cabin for Varie's family's personal use. He was always such a nice man.

Owned a lot of dogs, but still really nice.

Varie had pulled into the front of the cabin. Van followed her out of the car and up the front steps to the porch.

"Why are we here, mom?" he had asked, his mahogany eyes dancing all around the building.

"Because this is a place that is both safe and hidden." She explained vaguely. "This is also were Goau might find us."

Van's youthful face lit up slightly. "Dad's coming?"

"We will have to wait and see." Varie said the words smoothly, but inside her stomach churned with worry. "I'm going to the lake. Try to see what supplies we have. The food we brought should last us for a while, and there is plenty of game here. It's about time you learned to hunt." She said seriously.

"I'm going to hunt?" the boy's beautiful mahogany eyes brightened even more at the thought.

"If you're the man of the house, then I think it's a given."

Van had done an excellent job of being the 'man of the house'. After she showed him how to properly use an axe, he took over chopping the wood for their ancient stove. He even began taking care of washing their clothes in the basin and using the rusted hammer to fix fallen boards. He's started to clear a small garden with the broken handled shovel and replant blackberries he'd found a little ways in the forest.

He'd such a good kid, she thought her heart giving a painful twist. You'd be proud of him, Goau.

A small bright light floated near her face and she lifted her head to look back at the lake. Dusk was fast approaching. Pushing herself to stand, she sighed at the growing beauty. More and more fireflies filled the lake as the minutes passed by.

Here was where she first met Goau.

And here was where she was hoping to see him again.

"How much further, Mr. Fanel?" Hitomi groaned climbing the steep upward slope. "It's getting dark and I can't see very good."

"We are nearly there," Goau panted heaving the suitcases up the path. His head was swimming with exhaustion. He was positive he had a rising fever. His back burned more than ever. The ringing was thankfully softer than before, but it still spiked from time to time with his swirling vision. Swallowing his grunts of pain, he tried to keep his mind clear of the black cloud that slowly covered the right corner of his eye.

"You said that a long time ago!" she complained. "I need to sit down."

"We really are almost there, I promise. Just keep going."

She pouted, but kept climbing.

Night fell further when they finally reached the top of the hill. Goau breathed in relief, but forced himself to keep going. He couldn't afford to stop. If he stopped now, he wouldn't get back up. He heard Hitomi give a frustrated sigh behind him and her small feet quickly ran to catch up to him.

"I thought you said we could rest!"

"We need to keep going, Hitomi," he answered almost monotone. He blinked to clear the closing blackness. The dark had moved to the bottom part of his sight as well. Just keep going, Goau concentrated. I've got to make it to Varie.

"There are just trees here. How are we going to find the fireflies?" she panted to him.

"They are on a lake through these trees." Just keep going.

"How do you know that?"

"I used to hike in these woods long ago."

"For fun?" she looked at him incredulously.

"Not for fun. I was an assistant in a science lab for about a year when I was a young man. The lab used to be on the outskirts of this camp. They'd send me to get biological samples of the water. It wasn't my field of study, but I got paid well and I learned a lot about fireflies. This was before I met your father."

"So, the fireflies live at the lake?"

"You'll see." The black-haired man shot her a weak smile. His body trembled slightly from the weight of the cases and his pulsing fever. It was colder than he expected outside. He shivered with the chill. "It should be just through the trees. You'll like it. It's beautiful at night."

The black crept over his eyes. There was only a small speck of light left.

"Mr. Fanel? Are you okay?" the short-haired girl asked worriedly. Goau knew his steps were staggering. Don't fall!

"I'm… fine… don't worry about-"

The ground rushed to meet him as he knew he'd lost his battle with oblivion.

Varie blinked at the unexpected sound.

What was that? She thought in alarm. A scream?

"Van?" she called out, anxiety and fear mixing in her stomach. "Van, are you out there?"

"Help! Someone help him!"

The voice was too high to be Van's. The long-haired woman knew that could only mean-

"Goau!" she cried, taking off from her spot under the oak tree. "Goau, are you there?"

"Help us!" the voice shouted again.

Brushing past the trees and foliage, she gasped as she almost ran into a small figure.

A little girl?

The tiny girl grabbed her arm with surprising strength. Varie looked the child over with shock. She had peeling Band-Aids all over her arms, legs, and face. Her small sundress was dirty from the obvious hike up the mountains. Her bright green-eyes sparkled brightly and the long-haired woman felt a strange static shock wash through her from where she gripped her.

"He's this way! He needs help!"

"Lead me to him!" she commanded the girl.

Following through the tall trees, Varie's mind spun with curiosity, fear, and relief.

He's come! He's come! He's alive! Her brain soared with the relief.

But who's this little girl? His love-child? The curiosity murmured.

Why did she say he needed help? The fear whispered, and she felt shivers run down her spine.

It was only a few more yards till she saw the man in who had caused all her troubles. She felt her breath catch at the look of him. His entire body laid sprawled on the dirty ground. He was dressed in a horrible Hawaiian t-shirt and- she gazed down at his exposed legs and gasped. He had at least second degree burns on the back of his legs! Kneeling down, she immediately reached to brush the messy black hair off of his still face.

"Oh, my God, "she breathed. "Goau, what happened to you?"

"We were climbing… and he fell… I don't know what to do…" the little girl answered through forming tears. "Please, help him!"

"I'll do my best, but first, we've got to get him back to the cabin." She roughly pulled on his shoulders and the man gave a cry of pain.

"He burned his back! He's really hurt!" the girl announced.

"What in the world has he been doing?"

"That's a long story, Varie," she heard his weak voice come out with a groan. She gasped.

"Goau, you're awake!"

"Barely," he answered with the same strained voice. "I think I'm about to…" the man trailed off. Varie watched as he passed out once more. Feeling his forehead, she grimaced at his high fever.

"You are going to tell me everything later or I swear I'll feed to you Jajuka's dogs, you idiot!" She shouted at his silent face. Turning him with more gentle hands, the little girl helped brace his weight on her back. She grunted as she pushed up from the ground. "You're too thin. What kind of man can ride piggy back on his own wife?"

"What do I do about these?" The little girl piped up, trying to pick up the heavy suitcases. Her small arms trembled with the weight.

"Don't worry about those right now. Van can help get them when we arrive at the cabin."

The wood split with a satisfying crunch at his newly sharpened axe. He'd found the grinding stone in the back of the shed as well as several other treasures. Thinking about the small wooden boat he'd dragged out that morning, Van felt a glimmer of pride in his heart. He'd be able to fish with the old poles and boat. He'd have to dig in his garden tomorrow for worms to bait the hook, but once that was covered, they'd have fresh fish for a while.

He knew why his mom stayed out all day at the lake today. He knew why she would go back again tomorrow, and probably the day after. According to her, his father was coming. Van swallowed and set up another block to chop.

The youngest boy had only been four when he last saw his father's face. Thinking back on the man who was supposed to be his closest kin, Van couldn't produce memories of what he looked like. Folken never spoke about dad and got angry anytime Van asked. Folken had been thirteen then. Van was sure he remembered, but wanted to keep it all to himself.

When Van would ask his mom, her eyes would always tense with some unknown emotion and she would change the subject. The black-haired boy had quickly learned that asking about father was a trigger to his mom's slight depression. So he kept his curiosity to himself. But that didn't keep him from wondering.

Van knew he was a scientist, but the only scientists he knew were from television. They always had glasses, pocket protectors, and talked with nasally voices.

He didn't really want a nerd for a dad.

In his mind, his father was a strong, tall man with arm muscles and fierce fighting skills. He was smart like a scientist, but never used his mind for evil. He was the hero that figured out the problems and used his skills to protect the world.

He was a hero. And through him, Van would be a hero, too.

Shaking his head to clear his dream, the young boy raised the axe and swung down again. The head of the blade pushed into the squeaking wood. It was a silly dream. Van knew he was stupid for this fantasy.

No man who could leave his family is a hero.

A crunch on the ground outside the clearing caused him to glance up startled.

"Mom?" he called out. "Mom, are you back?"

"Van!" his mother's strained voice answered him. "Come! Your father needs help!"

"Dad is…?" he whispered, feeling his heart beat nervously. Was it really him? Dropping the axe in the grass, he ran to the trees just as his mother stepped out. A man with thick black hair was collapsed on her shoulders. With a pang of disappointment, Van's eyes glanced over the man's limp arms and dangling legs.

What hero would be carried by a woman?

"Open the door, Van. He needs to get inside."

"What happened?" the black-haired boy asked curiously, racing back to open the cabin's screen door.

Turning back to make sure the door was wide enough, his eyes fell on the small figure following his mother.

I didn't want to leave it here! I'm so sorry!

I had to though! I couldn't keep the scene properly going and not write another ten pages. I'm trying to keep these chapters moderately long. I feel as though I'm doing a pretty good job. If you see any mistakes in the chapter, please PM me and I'll fix them. I don't have a Beta reader and it's been irritating trying to catch all my mistakes.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter! The story has finally progressed to the part I've been wanting to write! Be excited for the next chapter! It'll be good!

Thanks so much for reading. If you enjoyed it, you can tell me. Reviews only make me write even faster (even though I'm already writing like a beast. Four updates in two weeks? Sheesh!)

Have a good weekend and I'll see ya next time! :)

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