Enjoy the chapter.


Cover art by: Notgustiarp

Chapter 18


"—Sun, help!"

Hot, burning sand flaked at his exposed skin as screams and bullets streaked through the air. His breath came out in harsh rasps like glass shards through his throat as his muscles screamed as he ran for his life.

Yet It was the ruthless laughter that followed far too close for comfort, that stained his mind to where his dreams were always followed just as closely—impossibly so.

"—Get back here! Don't run from your duty, brother!"

By the gods, how he tried.

/-/

"So, if you're okay with me asking. What happened to him?" Waiting respectfully as Sun retreated mentally inwards.

He was silent at first till Jaune forced them to lock tear-pricked eye to eye, yet it was the fear he'd sensed earlier that actually met him. All that progress in getting him to open up was seemingly made away with as Sun reburied his head and was once again swarmed with negative emotions.

"Kidnapped."

Ah, and wasn't that a coincidence, he thought idly, his body going slack.

"…Kidnapped?" He mumbled back out in hoarse disbelief.

It was only when his back hit the chilled wall that he realized his legs had given out. Sliding down from his panicked retreat, he let the tingling surprise slowly subside from his body like raindrops off his skin. It was such a shock that his reaction even caught the eyes of the huddled boy, a curious air shining through before it was snubbed out.

"L-Like I said, you never asked why I was here. That same family that took me in lost others who were precious—ones who I have to find. You're here looking for your friend, too then?" He had to be. Why else come all the way to Vale from Vacou?

Yet his silence made him start to consider what those other options could be when a deep remorse pang through their connection.

"…Sun?"

He just kept staring off into the distance, red eyes gazing at the distant skyline.

"I knew it…" Sun mumbled, "I knew you were strong."

"W-What? How am I—"

He was cut off by the intensity of the stare Sun gave and the emotions traveling through. How?

How can you feel so in awe of someone like me…

He just kept staring. Even when Jaune broke eye contact, he could still tell Sun was staring at him—not to mention the awe felt washing over him.

"Because you're here. Because you chose to be here." Emphasizing the difference between them, "You said so yourself that you're trying to make up for something you did, right? Yeah, you're definitely strong."

"N-No, like I said I'm probably just running away." The possibility is just way too high to ignore. "No matter what I think all I'm probably doing is using them as an excuse. You have no idea how terrified I am that I'm using this as…as a way to run away."

"…But you are here. That has to count for something, right? Just cause you might be a little selfish in your reasoning doesn't mean the good you're trying to do is meaningless."

Jaune didn't answer him—and that was probably for the best. This was a question only he could truly answer himself.

But there was one question they could answer now.

"If choosing to fight means I'm strong…then I know you can be strong to Sun. And all you have to do is choose to take my hand." He said, reaching out for his friend.

He'd never seen such apprehension before. With the Faunus boy staring at his outstretched hand like it might deck him.

They'd both been stalling.

"…They need us, Sun. They need you. There's someone out there that we can save right here and now." He didn't bother to look back as he stood and turned letting his hand drop when it was clear he wouldn't take it. For now at least. Marching to the edge had the wind nip at his cheeks and tug at his billowing cloak out to the city beyond. It was like it was calling for him.

"You're right that I chose to be here. Whether because people needed my help or because I was scared to stay where I was doesn't matter right now. People are calling out for help, a-and I won't resist that call—and I know you won't either!"

Not once did he look back from the city where he was needed. He could feel Sun's depression but also a hint at something so much more. If only he didn't hold himself back...

"Just cause I might be running from my mistakes doesn't mean I'll ever stand by and let myself make them again if I can help it. No one should suffer like me!" Like they did, is what he hoped the other boy picked up.

With that, he didn't wait for a response and leaped before his own nerves took the wind out of his sails. He needed a white-knuckle vice grip on his jeans to stop his legs from trembling so hard.

Why was pushing forward always so scary?

/-/

They deserved this.

The sound of a blood-soaked hand slapping wetly against rough brickwork echoed through the filthy alleyway that the darkly cloaked figure found themselves in.

The mission had gone awry.

Though that had become a consistent feature in their life in recent times, hadn't it? Alone and always outnumbered, it was a divine miracle they'd survived this long. Yet they weren't allowed to lay down and die. Never allowed to rest or even catch their breath.

Because how could prey ever truly rest when they were hunted so fiercely?

Instead, they shoved harshly off the wall and trudged deeper away from the setting sun and deeper into the clutches of the growing shadows where their only hope of escape lay. The scent of salty air hit their enhanced senses guiding them as they stuck to the back ways where their pursuers held the advantage.

Too bad the open was no longer a place they could venture.

Yet in the haze of blood loss, the fangs of the beasts lying in wait didn't faze them as harshly as the ridicule of their allies when they returned beaten and bloody—again, needing aid.

"But better the enemy known than one cast from dice…."

/-/

Again, having no leads sucked majorly. At least with the search for Ruby and Yang, he had at least one place to mark off—Vale. And a place to vaguely head to—Vacou.

Here though?

He wandered the streets with only a general direction from X-ray to follow. Heading off, still sad about losing the friend he'd only just made, he realized how attached he'd gotten. Pushing alone was indeed scary, so maybe that was why he latched onto the idea of having a companion, not even realizing that he wouldn't be with him for the rest of his journey.

It had been selfish to assume that Sun would follow after two people he'd never met. Heck, he'd never met them either, but this was his mission. Not anyone else's.

"Mine and mine alone, huh?"

His nose was being tickled.

"Huh, then maybe I should go…"

Flipping around he yelped in surprise at the fuzzy yellow tail that swooped around and swatted at his nose.

"Wah?"

"Well, if you're cool with being alone…" shyly spoken through pink lips framed by familiar spiky golden hair, causing his breath to catch. "Then I can go."

"N-No wait, stay!" he hurriedly shouted, startling both boys and the passersby's around them. Red crawled up both their necks as they refused to glance at each other with awkwardness only two preteens could possess.

"T-Then if you'll have a coward like me…then I'd love to make pushing forward a little less scary."

He was glad only he could sense emotions cause the way the other boy's smile lifted his spirits was way too embarrassing. Speaking of embarrassing…

"Oof!" Knocking the wind out of the Faunus, he instantly wrapped both arms around Sun's broader shoulders. Burying headfirst into the crook of their neck, he held there. Waiting for his awkwardness to wash over him.

"Y-Yeah, I'd like that," he mumbled out.

Gone was all that bravado and grandstanding he'd made earlier, only serving to make him redder-faced with himself.

But Sun returned it, even if sheepishly. The guy's arms wrapped around him with equal strength till they broke away seconds later. Hand rubbing nervously at the back of his head, the shorter monkey Faunus smiled.

"Besides I think you'd get lost without me~"

Squawking a bit he sputtered, "What do you mean? I think I'm making good progress…"

"Yeah, in the wrong direction," the Faunus giggled, causing more heat to rush to his considerably paler face.

"Y-You mean you knew where they were going this whole time?!"

"Well, not exactly. But I can make a pretty good guess!" Arms folded behind his head, he turned the exact opposite way Jaune had been heading.

"And besides, so what if I'm wrong? It's a better idea than just going whatever way a car was last seen heading off to in a big city—pfft. That thing could've made a million turns the second it rounded the corner from X-ray's point of view. Why would anyone take that suggestion as anything worth following?"

He didn't complain outright, but he definitely sulked a bit as he trudged behind his companion.

"Heck even a single U-turn would've made that whole effort pointless—"

"Alright, I get it! Mind telling me where we're going then, mister junior detective?"

"Heh, detective? That has a nice ring to it! Think I can swipe a badge off one?"

He sighed, "With my luck, I'd get pinned for it once they mention blonde in the description."

"Maybe. Only if they don't catch sight of this luscious tail, though. Here, wanna feel?" Sun asked all but shoving it in his hooded face.

"Ack. It got in my mouth!"

"Lucky you. You know I used to chew on this thing when I was teething before the matrons at the orphanage made me stop? Jealous, all of 'em!"

"Or grossed out…"

"What was that, bud?" Sun asked with dripping innocence.

"Nothing! Just uh, where are we going again?"

"Well, if I were a napper of kids, I'd wait till the cover of night to whisk them out of the city. Way too many potential witnesses if I sold them exactly where I caught 'em."

Huh, that actually made a lot of sense.

They could be hiding in the agriculture district on the outskirts of the city or maybe a secluded warehouse in the harbor district.

"Now there's way too many places to check when they're trying their best to hide from the cops. So we'll have to try to catch them before they leave the city limits. Again, probably in the dead of night, I'd say."

That'd be the worst-case scenario. If they made it out of the walls, they'd be home free since the frontier or even just other kingdoms would be enough distance to where the Vale police would probably give up.

If they even knew they were being trafficked in the first place. Or even cared a more Summer-influenced part of his head whispered darkly.

"So where are we headed to then?" Staking out one of the gates leading out of the city made the most sense since they'd have to move them in the near open then. But they were headed away from the nearest—no, from every gate he knew.

"Uh, Sun?"

He just kept smiling nonchalantly, arms behind his head, without a care in the world or urgency in his steps. What did he have cooked up in that head of his he wondered.

"Easy," like he'd read Jaune's mind. "The gates are way too secure to move what's probably a bunch of kids through."

Multiple? Ah, that made sense. No way was the cost of hiding or smuggling kids paid off either from just a single haul, and it was probably a better idea to move them all at once to limit the chances of being caught.

"So again, were to?"

"Easy! The one gate where it's easiest to cross unnoticed in the dead of night," he said, pointing lazily off to the distance. "The sea."

Following his finger, he felt nothing but worry at the thought of the endless expanse of the ocean they were approaching. Him and his big mouth...

"L-Lead the way then."

Pushing forward was definitely scary. But maybe it wasn't so bad when you weren't alone?


Author's Note's:

My stats are fixed. Yippee.

Only took 'em like five months...

Eh, I'm just glad they're back. Anyway, we're making good headway into leaving Vale, thus ending this part of the story and off to the glob-trotting adventure I promised at the very beginning. And hey, a mysterious new POV? Wonder who that could be...

See ya next chapter.


Short Story


"No, you'll distract me."

"B-But Summer!"

He kissed the door as she slammed it with a speed he couldn't hope to anticipate. Trying to catch her before she left in the morning for training was a dud of a strategy, earning him nothing but a welt on his forehead for the effort.

At least his depressed sigh didn't go completely unnoticed.

"She's a tough nut to crack. Again, don't take it personally."

He didn't respond more than a nod. He just shuffled to the couch and began to sulk at being shooed away. Again. He'd tried yesterday and the day before that but to no avail. All it did was seem to aggravate her and confuse Tai on why he suddenly was trying so hard to spend time with someone who so obviously was avoiding him.

He was beginning to wonder why he bothered either.

"Come on, bud. How about I make you some hot chocolate? That always used to cheer me up…" Mumbling out the last bit, he watched as the tired adult shuffled over to the kitchen. It made him think back to that mystical old man.

"What does cheer you up now, though…" he mumbled, switching targets from Summer to Tai in her absence.

He hadn't expected him to hear let alone answer.

"Not much to be honest. But lately…" the older man trailed off, bopping a warm mug on his messy hair. "Lately I've found someone that puts a little pep in my step."

He blushed a little at that staring at the chocolate like it was brown gold.

H-He probably means I give him something to take his mind off.

Either way, he resolved himself to work even harder to make the man's days a little brighter—not just because he promised either.

Thanking the man he took his seat next to Tai and drank in both the warm chocolate and the warmer atmosphere the man brought without even knowing it.

They talked the day away after that. Small things here and there, mainly about their day and what they enjoyed, till the talk drifted inevitably over to Summer. He'd even promised to give Jaune advice on how to get through to her, even if he was at a loss as to why he was so interested.

He didn't ask about their past though, and for good reason. Every time either of them accidentally broached the subject, his emotional sense warned him of the man's mood souring over the topic. He was grateful for the ability and even thought back to the headmaster. Did he know more than he let on? It was dismissed abruptly with a scolding hot touch of chocolate to the tongue, drawing out another rare chuckle from Tai.

"Heh. But like I said, you'll need to give her time. She has to wanna talk. Stuff like this can't be forced." He slacked at that, knowing he'd have to play the long con to get her to even talk to him.

"A-Although I'm sure if you catch her when she's a bit tired from training then maybe you can warm yourself up to her a bit. Just uh, don't hold your breath on that one."

"So, there's hope..." He mumbled in awe.

"W-Well, I did say don't hold your breath—"

He stopped listening, "Tonight! As soon as she gets back, I'll ask if I can, like I-I don't know…make her dinner?"

"…Jaune you couldn't even turn the sink on. And that sounds more like a date than a way to break the ice—"

"P-Pizza then!"

Maybe It was his desperation or just a bit of pity, but Tai seemed to lose the will to argue almost instantly against his puppy eyes.

"Take-out it is…" already reaching for the home scroll.

Yippee! Man, it's gonna suck when these bad boy's hit their expiration date. But for now, he'd gladly make use of every tool in his admittedly limited arsenal.

"Why don't you head back to the room and change over while I order. It's getting late anyways—not that a certain someone ever seems to care…" he got quiet after that, gazing a bit at the mantel where a plain digital clock hung.

"Yes sir. Can I uh, ask something?"

"Like I said, Jaune. No need to be so formal, shoot."

"Uh, okay! If she doesn't make it by my bedtime, can you wake me up?" It was likely she wouldn't show up till late into the night.

"Heh. Of course, now off you go."

Downing his cup, he leaped off the couch and bounded to go change over into his pj's—which was just one of Mr. Xiao Long's old shirts, which almost dragged along the ground. But the cast kinda got in the way of anything too tight fitting.

In his hurry, he didn't put much thought into how Mr. Xiao-Long's focus lingered on the mantle nor, more importantly, the calendar propped on top of it. Each crossed-out day was sporadic and messy, seemingly more so from forgetting to keep it up to date than intent.

Yet this week was different.

Clean and up to date the past few days were crossed out with genuine care and apparent attention. Tai's eyes lingered on a specific day, one rapidly approaching, only a week away. If he'd paid attention to his emotional sense for even a moment, he'd have been caught off guard by the intensity of each rolling off in waves. Anticipation, dread, self-loathing, and fear all mixed into one cacophony, yet another would've stood out amongst the rest.

Resolution.


Date Published: 2024/01/15