"Why did you out of all the damn bounty hunters around have to be the one to go after me!?" Shouted a most wanted man that was encased in a thick, restrictive cushion.

Courtesy of the famous Sol Badguy.

"Cause the rest of those guys are amateurs compared to me."

Whatever fight the sleazy criminal had left was crushed by the infamous Sol glare. It would be wise to remain quiet until the two reached the nearest settlement.

"Sol!" A youthful voice called out to the bounty hunter.

The intimidating aura of Sol's exterior slightly diminished when he turned to face his young partner, currently donning his striking pink armor, approach him.

"Hey kid." He greeted, the left corner of his usually frowning lips slightly curved upwards. "Done taking care of the idiots that were sneaking on us?"

Shun nodded as he sent the gruff man a small smile. "I did. Though I wasn't expecting to face a small army and a couple of above average magic users."

"But you didn't break a sweat, right?" Sol inquired.

"You wouldn't have brought me here if I did." The Knight of Andromeda answered with proud confidence as his lips formed an unusual smirk.

The snarky remark of the young Saint made Sol release a small yet audible chuckle. "Good point." He jerked his head back, silently commanding Shun to follow him. "Come on, our prize is waiting for us."

A nod was the young Saint's response as he complied with his partner's order.

The captured bounty raised an amused eyebrow the second his bruised eyes laid on the green haired teen.

"And here I thought I would see that pretty lady of yours."

Sol's intimidating glare returned, directing it to the bounty that has decided to start opening his mouth.

"You mind repeating that?" Sol commanded.

"Tch, it's a damn shame that I couldn't get some eye candy. Though, she probably had enough of your grumpy, moody bullshit and chose to leave your sorry ass!" The bounty answered, ending his insult with an obnoxious laugh.

The famed bounty hunter wanted to tear the snarky bastard a new asshole right then and there.

But his killing intent would get subdued by the unexpected comeback of the Andromeda Knight.

"It's either that, or she didn't want to see you."

Both men turned to face the young man. Sol's brown eyes held a curious glint, wondering what the kid was going for.

"The hell was that you brat?" The offended criminal asked.

"No offense sir, but your face isn't… the most appealing sight anybody would want to see."

The delivery of Shun's insult was about as innocent as a child's, but the meaning was the exact opposite.

And that combination made the blood of the sleazy criminal boil.

Though it was only going to get better from there. For Sol, of course.

"Oh, so you think you're big just because I'm tied down you little brat!?"

Shun sent the criminal a pout that Sol, a man whom was extremely secluded about his emotions, had to begrudgingly admit was downright adorable. "Sir, I'm just merely stating the fact that if any woman were to see you, they'd immediately start running away thinking that their nightmares have to come to life."

"G-Go to hell you stupid brat!!! You and that ugly dog right there!!"

"With all due respect sir, that 'ugly dog' managed to claim himself a beautiful woman. That fact alone should say whose the better man here."

The sleazy criminal opened and closed his mouth repeatedly, trying to form the best comeback to use against the green haired teen. But he couldn't, the young man won using truth and he couldn't do anything but accept it.

A growl and a glare was the final response of the criminal… before he had his face stomped by one of Sol's boots.

"Sol!"

"What? The guy was going to keep on running his mouth." The famed bounty hunter nonchalantly shrugged off Shun's concerns for the well-being of the wanted criminal.

"That is not a good excuse for you to kill him!"

"I wasn't going to."

Shun's eyebrows lowered as he crossed his arms at the famed bounty hunter. "That isn't what you said the last time, or the previous time, or the one before-"

"Alright, alright you proved your point, kid." Sol conceded with a roll of his eyes.

…

The trip to the nearby town was uneventful for Sol and Shun.

Midway through the trip, they busied themselves by talking about how life has been treating them recently, though the conversation carried on for a mere few minutes.

Shun wasn't entirely bothered by the silence that hung between him and his grumpy faced companion. He wasn't like Seiya, constantly disturbing people with whatever ran through that thick skull of his.

The main, essential reason why the nature of Sol Badguy didn't constantly get under the skin of the Andromeda Knight was simple: the man shared far too many traits with his older brother, the Phoenix Knight, whom he cherished deeply.

"What's got you smiling now kid?"

Shun did not realize that his awareness turned off due to the various fond memories of his older brother popping into his mind.

"I'm just thinking about my older brother, that's all."

"You mean that asshat?"

Shun sent the man another adorable pout. "Can you please not call my brother that?"

Sol shrugged his shoulders in defense. "What? It's not like I'm wrong."

The Andromeda Knight sighed, having to deal with the rivalry that ignited between the two god-like fire users. "Sol, I know Ikki isn't… the nicest guy around. But he does have a good side."

A scoff was the older man's response. "That 'good side' of his only applies to you. Whenever you're around, he goes from an asshole to a teddy bear within a jiffy. I swear, it's like the guy doesn't want to be around anybody that isn't you."

"Ikki does get along with other people that AREN'T me." Shun countered with slightly narrowed eyes.

"Tch, well I sure as hell don't see 'em."

Knowing that continuing the argument wouldn't yield the desired results, Shun turned to face the vast road ahead, refraining himself from expressing his other counter points to let Sol earn his victory.

The silence that hung between them was tense. The calm mood no longer eligible to be around.

"I'm sorry, Sol. I… shouldn't have mentioned Ikki if it would get you upset."

A sigh that was a mix of tiredness and remorse was the older man's response. "It's alright, kid. He's your family, and you have every single right to show how happy he makes you. I shouldn't ruin that simply because he's an asshole."

"Sol…"

Sol sighed, unleashing a little bit of annoyance to his young partner. "Fine, he's a jerk. Happy now?"

Shun did not say anything as his soft eyes and angelic face were affected by apprehension. He was debating whether he should say what was on his mind, or to just end the conversation there.

But his courage and optimism eliminated the worry that held him back.

"I just hope that you and Ikki would try and get along one of these days."

Sol let out a deep, long breath through his nose. "I doubt it'll work out."

A soft hand gently laying on his forearm brought the older man's focus to the Andromeda Knight, gifting him a smile that could easily bring warmth to the coldest regions of the world.

"Then I'll help you two."

"I don't think you'll be enough to-"

"I don't want to hear it, Sol. You two may like dealing with the world's problems on your own, but that isn't going to stop me from involving myself with this."

The motorcycle of Sol has all but stopped it's movement.

The usually frowning lips of Sol Badguy were slightly open along with his eyes.

No matter how harsh Sol was to the young man, the optimistic aura he always brought was far too powerful and infectious. Even for someone like Sol.

("Sometimes I wonder how you're even related to someone like Ikki…")

Another deep breath was the older man's indication that he would accept Shun's aid. "If you insist, kid. But if all goes haywire with him, I will not try this again. Understood?"

The Andromeda Knight's wide smile grew in size. The older man couldn't prevent his lips from going up as he felt pretty relieved that his young partner was happy with his answer.