Precocious (Jing Theme #30 - Dry Your Tears)
Community: 50_themes
Characters: Jing + Kir (friendship category)
Fandom: King of Bandits Jing
Full list of themes can be found HERE. X-posted to 50_themes, ankhutenshi, kingofbandit
*
Title: Precocious
Theme: #30 - Dry Your Tears
Notes: 738 words, finished Nov 11/06
They'd taken his coat and his boots, the bastards, and locked them in a cabinet where he couldn't reach. The young boy hadn't listened to their explanations, their stern warnings and false sympathies. He knew only this: that they'd told him he couldn't go back home, and when he'd run back to the only other place he'd known they'd come after him. You can't stay there anymore. There's no one there to take care of you now.
Seven times in three days he'd escaped their clutches and bolted for the forest, only to be dragged back, kicking and fighting. One day, I'll be so fast they'll never catch me. I'll go wherever I want, and I won't let anybody lock me up.
From his hiding place behind the woodshed, a soft noise captured his attention. He raised ashen eyes to glare sullenly at one of the adults, surely come to collect him once more, but instead there was a heart-shaped face peeking around the corner at him. Long strands of blonde hair escaped the worn baseball cap, and turquoise eyes peered curiously at him.
He scowled. "What do you want?"
"You're the one making all the trouble, aren't you?" The voice, although female, was accusatory. "The Aunties are very mad at you."
"I don't care if any of those stupid adults are mad! They don't know anything! I'm not supposed to be here!"
"You shouldn't yell." The girl approached him, a wooden bat nearly as tall as she slung over one shoulder. "If you're here it's because you don't have a home, that's all."
"I do have a home!" In a split second, ash had turned to steel in the boy's eyes. "You don't know anything either!"
"What's your name?" The blonde asked, sitting down next to him; he glared at her, obviously not welcoming the company. Couldn't she take a hint? She drew her knees up to her chest to match his position. "And what's wrong with your hand?"
"Nothing," He shot at her, too quickly. She blinked sea green eyes and waited, and he muttered, "...It don't work, that's all. Never has."
"Let me see," She said, tugging his elbow. Hoping she'd be frightened, he allowed her to see the half-closed fist. It was almost colorless, and chilled to the touch. "It's cold," She said in surprise, and before he could stop her, felt the length of his arm. "But just the hand..."
"Who are you?" He exclaimed, annoyed; he pulled his hand back and set it in his lap. He missed his coat, which had an inner pocket he could rest the limb in so it was neither so obvious nor tiring to support. "Just... go away!"
"My name's Cassis," She answered. "What's yours?"
"Jing, now get lost!" Without warning, a sharp pain across the back of his head caused him to yell; the bat had left her shoulder and connected with his skull. "OW! What was that for?!"
"You shouldn't be so mean!" Cassis glared stoutly at him. "You're supposed to be nice when someone's nice to you, especially a girl, got it?"
Jing stared. She brandished the bat warningly, but he wasn't looking at that. Instead, he was focused on the hopefulness hidden behind determination in her eyes. They really were pretty eyes, faceted almost like a bright gem --
"Onee-chan?" A voice much smaller than his own interrupted his train of thought, and he jerked around to see three younger faces. Cassis got to her feet and went to the boys, taking their hands. "Who's this?"
"This is Jing," Cassis said, smiling, his earlier yelling incident already forgiven and forgotten.
One of the boys -- he'd learn later, of course, that it had been Clove -- approached him with a shy expression, and Jing found that despite his current wish to be left alone, he couldn't snap at the other child. Clove looked up at him with the same hopefulness that Cassis had, and asked, "Aniki?"
Aniki...?
And Jing realized that unlike the adults, they could understand what was important, and that made all the difference. He couldn't trust them, at least not right away, but they wouldn't try and keep him from what still remained most dear to his heart.
"Aniki?"
"Yeah." Jing scrubbed at the traitorous moisture that had formed in the corner of his eyes and got to his feet. "Hey... you guys wanna help me get some stuff back?"
Characters: Jing + Kir (friendship category)
Fandom: King of Bandits Jing
Full list of themes can be found HERE. X-posted to 50_themes, ankhutenshi, kingofbandit
*
Title: Precocious
Theme: #30 - Dry Your Tears
Notes: 738 words, finished Nov 11/06
They'd taken his coat and his boots, the bastards, and locked them in a cabinet where he couldn't reach. The young boy hadn't listened to their explanations, their stern warnings and false sympathies. He knew only this: that they'd told him he couldn't go back home, and when he'd run back to the only other place he'd known they'd come after him. You can't stay there anymore. There's no one there to take care of you now.
Seven times in three days he'd escaped their clutches and bolted for the forest, only to be dragged back, kicking and fighting. One day, I'll be so fast they'll never catch me. I'll go wherever I want, and I won't let anybody lock me up.
From his hiding place behind the woodshed, a soft noise captured his attention. He raised ashen eyes to glare sullenly at one of the adults, surely come to collect him once more, but instead there was a heart-shaped face peeking around the corner at him. Long strands of blonde hair escaped the worn baseball cap, and turquoise eyes peered curiously at him.
He scowled. "What do you want?"
"You're the one making all the trouble, aren't you?" The voice, although female, was accusatory. "The Aunties are very mad at you."
"I don't care if any of those stupid adults are mad! They don't know anything! I'm not supposed to be here!"
"You shouldn't yell." The girl approached him, a wooden bat nearly as tall as she slung over one shoulder. "If you're here it's because you don't have a home, that's all."
"I do have a home!" In a split second, ash had turned to steel in the boy's eyes. "You don't know anything either!"
"What's your name?" The blonde asked, sitting down next to him; he glared at her, obviously not welcoming the company. Couldn't she take a hint? She drew her knees up to her chest to match his position. "And what's wrong with your hand?"
"Nothing," He shot at her, too quickly. She blinked sea green eyes and waited, and he muttered, "...It don't work, that's all. Never has."
"Let me see," She said, tugging his elbow. Hoping she'd be frightened, he allowed her to see the half-closed fist. It was almost colorless, and chilled to the touch. "It's cold," She said in surprise, and before he could stop her, felt the length of his arm. "But just the hand..."
"Who are you?" He exclaimed, annoyed; he pulled his hand back and set it in his lap. He missed his coat, which had an inner pocket he could rest the limb in so it was neither so obvious nor tiring to support. "Just... go away!"
"My name's Cassis," She answered. "What's yours?"
"Jing, now get lost!" Without warning, a sharp pain across the back of his head caused him to yell; the bat had left her shoulder and connected with his skull. "OW! What was that for?!"
"You shouldn't be so mean!" Cassis glared stoutly at him. "You're supposed to be nice when someone's nice to you, especially a girl, got it?"
Jing stared. She brandished the bat warningly, but he wasn't looking at that. Instead, he was focused on the hopefulness hidden behind determination in her eyes. They really were pretty eyes, faceted almost like a bright gem --
"Onee-chan?" A voice much smaller than his own interrupted his train of thought, and he jerked around to see three younger faces. Cassis got to her feet and went to the boys, taking their hands. "Who's this?"
"This is Jing," Cassis said, smiling, his earlier yelling incident already forgiven and forgotten.
One of the boys -- he'd learn later, of course, that it had been Clove -- approached him with a shy expression, and Jing found that despite his current wish to be left alone, he couldn't snap at the other child. Clove looked up at him with the same hopefulness that Cassis had, and asked, "Aniki?"
Aniki...?
And Jing realized that unlike the adults, they could understand what was important, and that made all the difference. He couldn't trust them, at least not right away, but they wouldn't try and keep him from what still remained most dear to his heart.
"Aniki?"
"Yeah." Jing scrubbed at the traitorous moisture that had formed in the corner of his eyes and got to his feet. "Hey... you guys wanna help me get some stuff back?"