All reviewers/people who follow and/or favorite/readers in general, I am very thankful - it truly means a lot to me - and won't reply individually because I want to get this thing up and running.
In other words: it's an update, guys. I AM BACK. This is officially OFF HIATUS.
(but don't expect another one for a while. Sorry, friends.)
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or the characters. I do, however, own the plot.
After everything had been sorted – that is, everyone was informed of Sapphire being found, repairs had been completed for the day, a fire had been lit and a proper meal with gathered fruits and such had been made – everyone sat down to discuss the next course of action.
Everyone, that is, except Gold and Black. Ruby had never seen an argument so violent, escalating to the point where White said that Black was nearing an 'episode'.
"At some point we'll have to step in," she said offhandedly, talking around the Pecha berry she'd stuffed in her mouth. By 'we' she meant Cheren, Bianca and herself. "But for now, we'll just let 'em do whatever."
"It's been a long day," Bianca agreed gravely, adding with slight amusement, "The frustration has to go somewhere." This earned her wry grins around the fire, though some of the more cantankerous members merely rolled their eyes and ignored the shenanigans proceeding around them.
Cheren snorted. "Don't remind me. You did not want to be on that ship when Gold got pissed earlier today. I barely escaped with my life."
"That's overboard," Red protested with his mouth half-full. The comment earned him dry looks from the sailors who'd been there – Green, namely, but also Blue, Silver, Crystal, Pearl and Emerald – and a rueful shake of the head from Yellow.
More alarmingly, as Red said this, Black let out a bloodcurdling screech and hurled himself at Gold, the words lost in the sheer pitch of the noise. Gold screamed something back, slamming the younger boy away with a well-placed kick to the stomach. Ruby winced in sympathy as the brunet hit the sand hard, but even despite that mule's kick, he sprang to his feet and lunged at his opponent without looking the least bit winded.
After a few minutes of watching the fight progress, right up until one of Black's punches knocked Gold's head to the side and drew blood, White stood up with a sigh. "I got this," she said wearily when Cheren and Bianca made a move to help her. Ruby watched with interest as she walked over, waited for the right moment, and then grabbed both boys by the scuff of their necks and bashed their foreheads together. A collective hiss of sympathy arose from those who were not involve, only increasing in volume when White proceeded to do it once more.
"That's gonna leave a mark in the morning," Sapphire remarked from next to him, and murmurs of agreement went around the fire.
Diamond said quietly, "White can be pretty vicious when she feels like it." Pearl and Platina besides him gave solemn nods, the latter perched delicately on the sand while the former had placed himself near but not too near to his charge.
Cheren rolled his eyes, a move that was becoming increasingly less dramatic the more times Ruby witnessed it, and said snidely, "She still needs to work on her Pokemon battles, though."
Bianca swatted his arm with a gentle frown on her pretty, round face. "Be nice. She didn't have as much practice as us before – you know." Cheren's expression immediately sobered, and he returned his eyes back to the ship log resting on his lap without a word, a pen balanced expertly in his fingers. Ruby longed to ask what had happened to the Unovians, but after hearing the Sinnoh trio's story, he wasn't sure if it was a good idea. Sapphire's crew was very motley indeed.
"What's Black like during an episode?" he instead asked, directing it at the two Unovians.
The other boy shuddered and didn't look up, his writing utensil flashing across the page in front of him. "Personality switch. Trust me, you like quiet, calm calculating Black a whole lot better." Bianca hummed in agreement, biting daintily into the Cheri berry in her hands.
Gold sat down next to Ruby with a grunt, running his fingers across his face as blood oozed from his hairline. Black was forced down by White across the flames, looking dazed and fingering the new lump on his own forehead. "Here," White said, offering a berry to Black as she placed herself elegantly down next to him. The move was so graceful Ruby had to wonder if she had training as a dancer.
In any case the brunet took it and bit down absentmindedly, brown eyes focused onto the fire in front of him. Then abruptly he gagged and started coughing, holding the berry away from his mouth and using his other arm to cover his face. Ruby could hear the mockery in White's voice: "Oops, was that a little spicy? So sorry, Black."
"I'm – going to kill you," the other gasped out, but he was smiling when he tossed the remainder of the berry in the fire and took a Pecha berry instead. He and the rest of the Unovians scooted into a small group and began to murmur amongst themselves, ignoring everyone else around them.
After a moment of watching the group huddle, their voices hushed and lost in the slight breeze, Emerald turned to Blue and, probably to break the silence, asked, "Cards?"
The Kanto native grinned and seemingly slipped a whole deck out of her nonexistent sleeve. Ruby raised an eyebrow, impressed; he'd have to ask her how she did that, especially so as she did not have her overcoat on and thus, no sleeve. "Anyone up for poker?"
"She cheats," Green cautioned him almost immediately, green eyes narrowed. The warning earned him an indignant noise from his friend, which he ignored spectacularly, that is, he simply did not give a shit. "She'll swindle all of your money off you if you play."
Ruby had had a deck of cards back home – and he and those 52 slips of paper had had a lot of bonding time during his years growing up. Still, he wasn't willing to bet what little he had earned just yet, so when Blue offered him some cards he shook his head and instead watched Sapphire take the offered hand.
He wondered it if was wrong that his eyes focused on her fingers, rough from work on the ship yet lithe and limber for reasons he did not quite fathom. He also wondered if anyone noticed him staring.
Eventually, Blue had gotten three other members to play: Emerald, Silver, and surprisingly enough, Crystal. Gold probably would've as well, but he was lying flat on the sand and staring distractedly into the distance, so Ruby guessed the head-bonking had subdued the guy's somewhat insane personality. And, as Green had predicted, Blue won most rounds and had a tidy sum until Sapphire distracted her and Silver swiped the money back; Yellow explained to Ruby that this occurred often enough whenever they played, for no one was really willing to let go of the wages they earned.
"Interesting way to go about things," he commented as Blue tried to get her 'well-deserved' money from Silver. The redhead, however, was dodging her outstretched hand with practiced ease, pocketing his share while simultaneously giving the rest to his mates that had been playing.
Yellow shrugged, a graceful and smooth motion that accented the small, charming smile on her face. "When's to say we're not interesting?"
He hummed in agreement and summoned Zuzu over to him with a snap of his fingers. Then, as he did almost every night, the Mudkip settled into his lap and let out something that resembled a purr as his master ran his fingers over its body, searching for traces of dirt and grit. By now most people were used to this and did not look at it as anything out of ordinary; however, a few, such as Sapphire, eyed it with unreadable expressions.
Noticing her gaze, she said slightly defensively, "The Mudkip goes swimming, for Arceus's sake. It doesn't need to be cleaned."
"I disagree with that," Platina interrupted smoothly. She did not even look up from her game of chess with Pearl – while some of the pieces were missing, they made do and created more using twigs and leaves. "My Empoleon always has dirt packed within its wings. Ruby is doing his Pokemon a service."
"At least someone understands," Ruby muttered, his voice as haughty as he could make it. He neatly avoided Sapphire's punch by ducking his head, and he grinned when Pearl and Red snickered. Their captain shot them both a look that could have peeled paint, but while the Sinnoh native cowered the older boy's grin merely widened.
The silence that followed was filled only by the Unovians' quiet conversation and the gentle lap of the ocean against the shore. Finally, Sapphire asked, "When's the Zaffiro going to be ready to sail?"
All heads, even Black and Gold's, turned to Green, as he was the armorer and carpenter. The brunet looked up from the flames, having been staring as he'd leaned over and rested his elbows on his knees, and cleared his throat before speaking. "Well," he said, falling silent for a moment as he thought. Then he told everyone, "Soon."
"How soon is 'soon'?" Blue queried, having been unsuccessful of regaining the money from Silver and consequently given up. The two were leaning against each other, the very picture of siblings who enjoyed each other's company.
Green shrugged at her question, keeping his eyes down. "Depending how much wood we get tomorrow, maybe three days? The hole isn't very big, and the ship is mostly intact."
"What about the mast?" Ruby inquired, curious. As far as he knew, masts were often torn right off the ship during bad storms like the one they'd been in, and they were imperative for a ship to sail. After all, how could one expect a hull of that size to move without a sail?
"We were lucky," Green answered promptly. "It's still attached, though it did split and fall, crushing sections of the railing and part of the deck. With the Pokemon's help it shouldn't be too difficult to fix."
"Thank goodness, I miss civilization," Crystal murmured, to which the others nodded. She pinched a few pieces of hair between her fingers and rubbed them together, frowning at the grit laced within the strands. "Maybe we'll actually get to take a bath later."
"If Arceus wills it," Silver muttered, and the following silence was filled only by the crackling of the fire and the rustle of the wind through the trees' leaves.
"All right, then, people," Sapphire said, clapping her hands once, sharply, to get everyone's attention. She paused until she was sure all were listening, and then she told them, "Sleep in the ship for extra safety. Watches will be three hours long, two people per. Get enough rest because tomorrow we'll be working out asses off." She gave everyone a severe look, meeting everyone's eyes for at least two seconds, including Ruby's, before asking, "Who wants first watch?"
"How about you and Ruby take it?" Blue suggested, then proceeded to snicker. Most of the other girls minus Crystal joined her, covering smiles with their hands, while Red and Green exchanged glances and Cheren and others merely rolled their eyes.
His captain was about to say no, most likely vehemently – Ruby could tell – so he shrugged and said, before she got the refusal out, "Fine with me."
"Givin' up on subtle, eh, Ruby?" Gold commented with what could be described as a leer from his position on the ground. Crystal leaned down and elbowed him in the ribs, hard enough that he flinched to the side and let out a mewling whimper, though it was obviously exaggerated for effect. Sapphire looked downright furious as Ruby simply grinned lazily and flapped a hand, and Gold proceeded to snicker, and then Emerald began crooning the most sultry love song he knew and the girl captain snapped.
"Git," Sapphire snarled, blue eyes flashing dangerously, and obligingly everyone else stood up, collected the equipment and ropes that had been half-built, and languidly made their way to the Zaffiro. They were laughing and talking as they went; it was nice to see that even in a time of crisis, everyone was still happy and making the best of it. Ruby had never seen such optimism anywhere until he'd joined them.
There was silence for a while as Ruby stared at the fire, stroking the Mudkip on his lap, and Sapphire fidgeted uncomfortably. Toro was in the ship with the rest of the Pokemon, and while Ruby encouraged Zuzu to make friends, the water-type shied away from the company of the others due to their sheer size. He always wondered if his Mudkip was lonely, as he ran his fingers over his Pokemon's head and felt the little creature vibrate with the adorable purr-growl of his.
Then, her voice cut through the night: "What happened after I was caught?"
The question came out of nowhere, but Ruby knew exactly what she was talking about, his fingers stilling for a moment before continuing to stroke Zuzu. "After the pirates got you, I just ran for home," he said simply, tracing the fin on the top of his Mudkip's head. "Dad came back some time later bruised and bloody, and then he locked me up and disappeared and I never went outside again."
She watched him carefully for a moment, noting how he kept his head down and his eyes focused on the little Pokemon on his lap. He started when she stood up suddenly, walked over to him, and plopped herself down next to him and leaned into his shoulder. After a moment's hesitation, he rested his head on her own, breathing in her scent and closing his eyes to slits. Arceus, he loved her, this was not some sort of childish crush, he couldn't bear to lose her again…
"I thought about you a lot when I was running," she said quietly. Her blue eyes were focused on Zuzu, and she raised a hand and outstretched her fingers. The Mudkip gave it a sleepy sniff and then yawned, showing off tiny teeth, as her hand ran over the blue skin, her fingers bumping against Ruby's. He felt the each contact as a tiny bolt of electricity.
"I thought about you all the time," he murmured in response, noting how her hair, now loose from the blue bandana that had once held it, was rough but smooth against his face. His voice was barely audible when he told her, "I thought you were dead."
"I would've been if I hadn't met Emerald." She didn't speak for a while after that, her hand dropping from the Pokemon to lay limply on her leg. Ruby carefully transferred Zuzu to the sand by his knee – the Mudkip was fast asleep and was beginning to drool on his trousers – and then, after another moment's hesitation, found her hand and laced his fingers with hers.
Once he had, she spoke again. "He saved me from feeling sorry for myself, you know. He's so short, but his heart and his dreams are so big." She exhaled softly through her nose, and he could see a small smile playing upon her lips. "He convinced me to do something with my life; to get revenge, or to make sure what happened to me – us – never happened again."
He opened his mouth, hesitated, and then went forth anyhow, his voice low and hushed, "How did you get the ship?" It was a quiet, private moment, with the only other sounds being the crackling of the fire and the leaves rustling in the breeze. It was also getting cold, rapidly; he was grateful for Sapphire's warmth pressed against him.
"Shenanigans," she said with a smirk, her fingers tightening over his for a moment before she continued in a lower voice, "Basically I disguised myself as a boy, signed onto a ship, helped Emerald sneak on, then threw everyone out onto the port and sailed away." She adjusted her positioning so her cheek was pressed against his shoulder. "It was stupid and it was hard and we should be dead by all rights – but then we picked up the four and things started to look up a bit."
Ruby lifted his head and looked over at the Zaffiro. He could make out silhouettes standing or leaning on the railing, though they disappeared after a few seconds; he'd have to ask his mates about spying later. "You and Emerald managed to work that thing by yourselves?" he asked, incredulous, even as she nodded while hissing "it's a she, Ruby," and he asked, skeptical, "How did you do it?"
"We have our Pokemon, remember," she pointed out, bumping her shoulder against his. "I mean, Toro wasn't fully evolved by then, but between use and her and Emerald's Sceptile, we made things work. It was much easier when Green and Red and Blue and Yellow came along, though; with their Pokemon we had eight extra pairs of hands. Well," she paused, "Seven, because Chuchu couldn't do much."
Ruby saw Yellow's Pikachu so infrequently he often forgot it even existed – which made him feel bad, and he wondered if Zuzu had ever met the Electric-type. "How did you find everyone else?"
"We just picked them up." He chuckled and she said, sitting up slightly and her tone defiant, "No, I'm serious. Gold kind of invited himself on board and Crystal and Silver had nowhere to go, plus Silver knew Blue from ways back, then we found the Sinnoh trio, and then the Unovian four. And then," here she lifted her head and looked at him, deep cerulean eyes piercing his, "Gold kidnapped you, and here you are."
"Mm." He found himself staring without really meaning to. She didn't seem to mind, though, probably because she was doing the same thing, and then he said, going out on a limb, "You're very pretty."
The look she gave him was priceless – horror, uncertainty, fear, hope, embarrassment flickered past in a manner of seconds, passing clouds on her face, and then she was scoffing and saying, "No, I'm not."
"You totally are."
"No, I'm not!"
"Yes, you are."
"I'm not!" He paused in his immediately rebuttal, because she sounded so put-out, so totally sure that was the case, that he knew no matter how many times he said otherwise it would have no affect.
So he amended his words, and he told her, "You are to me," and the reaction was nigh instantaneous. Her cheeks flushed a brilliant red and she grumbled into his shoulder but didn't say anything else: mission accomplished. Then she pulled away and he looked over to her in confusion, and her eyes immediately flitted upwards and so did her hand; her fingers traced the scar tissue across his hairline, and he shivered involuntarily at her touch. He would never have thought anything like this would be happening, ever, in his life, and it was amazing.
She whispered, "Do they still hurt you?"
"Only my pride," he responded just as quietly, automatically almost, and then realized the truth in those words. He hadn't been able to rescue Sapphire that day, or days after, and he had paid the price with his father's hellish treatment and with scars as constant reminders of his failure. His pride, his dignity, the only thing that kept him going – it was dampened by many other things, but most especially the scar tissue slashed on his forehead.
She merely nodded at him, though, her hand dropping down again and linking fingers with him once more before snuggling closer with a contented little sigh. Arceus she was adorable when she wasn't being badass, he thought privately, pressing himself against her without a word on his part.
They didn't say anything else for a long while, simply drinking in each other's presence and keeping the fire going as necessary. It was only when Sapphire sat back down and intertwined her fingers with Ruby's again, after adding more wood to the flames, that he spoke.
"I really like you, you know." I love you so much it hurts.
There was a long lull in the conversation, and he wondered if he had made a mistake. But then he heard her whisper back, "I really like you, too," and he felt his heart flip. Nothing else was said for the remainder of the watch, as they leaned into each other and kept an eye out, with a little Mudkip snoozing at his knee.
"Did you have quality time together?" White asked him cheerfully. It was the next day and everyone was hard at work, with Ruby, Cheren, Emerald, Yellow, and White working on braiding more ropes that would do as replacements until actual ones could be acquired.
In any case, Ruby nodded but didn't elaborate, even as the brunette, along with Yellow, began to gush over the cuteness of it all. "So it's, like, official?" Emerald wanted to know over the cooing of the girls, and Ruby couldn't restrain a smile at that. For all of his childishness, he now knew what kind of person the short boy was, and he would never forget it. Still, it was good to know that even with that steely interior, he acted like the boy he was on the outside. "I can tease her about it now?"
"Please do," Ruby replied with a smirk, to which even Cheren couldn't hide his amusement and the dark-haired boy snorted. His fingers were unused to labor such as this, as he was always writing, but he was braiding almost as quickly as Ruby due to his experience with a quill.
"I heard that," Sapphire said, passing by with what appeared to be part of a tree's trunk over her shoulder. Her Blaziken held the other half, and Ruby ducked but failed to avoid Sapphire's fist to his head. The five watched her make her way to the ship, and when her Blaziken quite literally threw the wood onto the deck, Black and White's Emboars caught them and disappeared out of view.
"Least she hasn't changed any," White commented, and the people around her chuckled.
Bianca and Dia then appeared from the jungle, toting berries of all kinds in baskets that had been made earlier in the morning by Ruby. They came over and he stood, temporarily abandoning his work in order to help them prepare breakfast, which was essentially a salad of berries. Some had to be peeled, though, and others Ruby occasionally had to throw out, because while both his mates were fantastic cooks he out of all of them was the only one who had ever laid eyes on a cookbook.
They had just settled themselves onto the sand and withdrew daggers and knives, picking through which berries would go with what, when Black trotted towards them. His black overcoat was folded neatly over his arm, and his skin was coated in a thin layer of sweat; he was also barefoot, and Ruby guessed his boots were back on the ship.
"Hey, Black!" White said with a smile, waving a hand. The boy didn't respond to her call, instead walking over and dropping besides her with a sigh, placing his head in his hands. The brunette's eyes widened in concern and she dropped her braid, scooting closer to him until her side was pressed against his.
"Something wrong?" Ruby asked him, lifting his eyes from the berry that he was peeling and stilling his blade; cutting his hands to ribbons was not something he wanted to do and would be far from practical at the moment.
"Since when is something not," Cheren said dryly, to which Emerald hummed agreement. Still, Ruby could tell he was concerned when the he, too, set down the braid he was working on and moved over to Black, leaning forward and eyeing him carefully. "What's up?"
"You have no idea," Black grumbled, his overcoat dropping from his hands into the sand. Ruby winced and immediately went to fetch it, shaking out the granules of sand and lying it flat over one of the logs they were using as seats. He repeated under his breath, gnashing and gritting his teeth, "You have absolutely no idea."
"Aw, come on, Black, it can't be that bad," White said teasingly, draping herself all over him like he was a pillow. Ruby could clearly see how close the two were, possibly closer friends than Cheren was to Black and Bianca was to White. "Tell us."
"Yes, tell us, was it Gold again?" Bianca echoed with a smile, looking up briefly from the berry she was peeling. Emerald muttered something no one heard and took off, taking his braid and some leaves with him; Ruby wondered vaguely if the proceeding noise would be emotionally draining, in which case he found that he wanted to skedaddle as well. Emerald's instincts were often spot-on, as he was discovering as of late.
"The dreams are coming back," Black said hoarsely, and everyone abruptly fell silent. Even Dia, whose hands had been a blur as they peeled berries, came to a standstill, and Ruby quickly followed suit, wondering what was up, at the lengthy pause that followed.
"Did you see anything… bad?" White asked in a hushed tone after a moment, withdrawing herself from his back and instead reaching around the brunet with an arm. Ruby watched as her fingers laced themselves with his, not a romantic gesture but more of a very good friend to another; he would call it a reassuring move more than anything.
"Death is in the future." The statement was uttered so quietly Ruby had a hard time hearing it; nevertheless, they sent a chill up his spine as Black intoned, almost monotonously, "Someone is going to die, and there will be nothing we can do to stop it."
"White," Bianca said warningly, and the girl nodded, her mouth set in a thin line. Some unspoken communication passed between her and Cheren and Bianca; then White tightened her grip on him as her friend stood, and she tried to pull him back down to no avail.
Both Cheren and Bianca stood at the same time and came closer as Black's brown eyes met Ruby's squarely, and he was walking over to him as White continued to try to hold him back. His hands fell onto the boy's shoulder and he leaned in close to Ruby's face, hissing, "You will be responsible."
"I – what?" Both White and Cheren attempted to pull their friend away from him, as Bianca dropped her knife and rushed over and Ruby's eyes searched the boatswain's desperately for any sort of friendliness he always remembered. "I don't understand, what – ?"
"It is your fault," Black repeated, unmoving, and the yells of the others faded away until his voice was all Ruby could hear. The world had narrowed to the face in front of him, set and determined and fearful and frustrated and desperate. "But when the time comes – when it truly matters – you will be forced to stand aside and watch, and because of a single mistake you made. And nothing – " here the other withdrew and Ruby watched, breathless – "you try to do will stop it."
Nothing moved for what seemed like hours; it almost seemed like no one dared to breathe. His ears were ringing like a bell was clanging in his mind, and the words flipped over and around in his brain, mistake stand aside watch nothing will stop it death is in the future, until they were muddled and unclear. And then the world came into sharp focus as Black clutched his head with his hands and began to scream something, over and over, and then Ruby processed the words:
"Make the dreams stop, make them stop, make the dreams stop," and White was hugging him and crying and both Cheren and Bianca were staring and holding their breath, and Dia had his hand on Ruby's shoulder, eyes narrowed yet emotionless, a silent assurance and supporter at his side.
As suddenly as it had begun, Black collapsed and his full weight fell forward, and White swayed slightly to support his weight, wrapping a hand around him to rest on his head. Both Cheren and Bianca steadied the two as she padded a few steps behind her and then plopped down onto the log their mates had thoughtfully brought to serve as seats, cradling Black's head in her lap.
No one spoke for a few, very long moments.
"Did I do something wrong?" Ruby asked at last, voice hushed, staring at the Unovians. They were all gathered around their fallen friend, and they hardly glanced up at the sound of his voice.
In fact, it was Dia who answered him. "No," the Sinnoh native whispered, continued to peel the berries in his hand – distractedly, but not overly so that he cut himself, it seemed. "Something about you triggered the dreams again, and when they come Black has a hard time controlling them, ever since his Munna – died."
The last word was so quiet Ruby almost missed it, and he bowed his head and returned to his work, trying to focus on both it and not hurting himself. It was hard, for he was able to hear Black's shuddering breaths besides him and whispers of encouragement and reassurance from White. He hadn't known that one of his mates was something of a seer…
And nothing you try to do will stop it –
He hissed when he sliced his fingers and blood, as red as his namesake, came forth.
"It is unacceptable that we failed to take his life away."
Giovanni's voice was a deep rumble across the deck of his boat. His numerous crew members were silent as a grave, standing stone still in rows on the worn wood, while his subordinates were closer, arranged in a semi-circle around a kneeling man.
"We have managed to destroy all of the esteemed professors and Leaders of the world – and yet, this man survived.
How is this possible?"
All eyes turned onto two of the five figures up front, one dressed in cerulean blue colors and the other dressed in a rich, deep red. They didn't look at each other, despite being both from Hoenn and therefore seemingly working together; indeed, one could say they were bitter rivals from the steely ignorance they displayed so prominently for the other.
"It doesn't matter, not when he is right here," the one clad in blue finally ventures, after a lengthy pause in which only the light lapping of the waves against the ship's hull could be heard.
"We will kill him now, and the task will be complete," the other added, hands folded primly behind him, face expressionless and smooth.
Giovanni surveyed them both, large and intimidating, a Persian curling around his legs with a throaty purr. No words were said for what seemed to be hours; no one was sure if those hours were minutes or even seconds, so tense was the atmosphere.
"You are to be rewarded for discovering his existence, Archie, Maxie" the captain said at last, and both of the subordinates bowed their heads slightly in thanks. However, the captain continued with icy coldness, "You are responsible for his death. Should you fail once again, I am afraid I will have to fall upon drastic measures."
Silence, a prolonged one in which all were afeard to fill. In this time of no sound, however, a faint whispering could be heard; all heads turned to view the prisoner, on his knees and breathing in, out, something, so quietly it would be almost impossible to detect, a word, a single word, a name, a name.
"Ruby," Norman murmured under his breath, and Giovanni stepped closer and seized by the neck. Still the uttering continued, quiet-like, nearabout silent, a girl's name for a boy, over and over, and then – an evil grin spread upon the captain's face.
"The boy," he said, and all but one of his subordinates' eyes lit up in comprehension – all but the youngest member, the newest one, with bushy lime-green hair and deep but emotionless eyes, staring blanking at his leader.
"We can use this man to lure the boy."
And still Norman continued to whisper, a hope, a beacon, his last. Ruby. A gem, a jewel, more precious to him and to his heart than any money could ever buy. Ruby. The beginning, the end, shattering his reality, opening his eyes to his own failings. Ruby.
His son.