|Goodbye Again| kazuscara

十二

"Do you mind if I ask for your name?" he chuckled. Interacting with a kid made Scara feel alive again like he was human himself, and if only for a moment, made him forget about the heavy amount of guilt that was approaching once they arrived at their destination.

The boy jumped up and down in excitement, his fluffy orange hair poking out from underneath his hat. The assuring smile and tone of voice from Scara were working on him well. "My name is Teucer! What about you? And you too?" he said as he looked between Scara and Kazuha with interest. Teucer had never seen an Inazuman before, especially one that carried a katana or wore beautiful clothing.

Scara giggled at the boys' response, forgetting how energetic kids could be. He placed his right hand where a heart should be, sharing the smile. "Pleasure to meet you Teucer. My name is Scara."

"My name is Kaedehara Kazuha, a wanderer," Kazuha responded as he began to take in the boy's enthusiasm, like a small puppy excited to meet visitors.

"Let's get going to find your brother then, shall we?" he said as he held his hand out for Teucer to hold. Scara wasn't fond of physical touch, but he wanted to make the child feel safe around him.

Teucer shared the same smile as he took hold of Scara's hand. The boy was taught from a young age to be welcoming of others and to choose whom to trust wisely. He thought back to the large pouch of mora in his bag and then decided to trust the two Inazumans. They reminded him of a real knight and prince from a faraway land, and who knows, what if they were. It would only add to his imagination of true fantasies since Snezhnaya's queen forbade any other to succeed her throne.

Turning his head over to the samurai, Scara didn't avoid looking Kazuha in the eyes this time. "Ready to go, Kazuha?" he asked with the same warm smile he gave the young boy. This must have been the first time he smiled like this, but he still felt a sort of emptiness in his chest with the anxiety of the inevitable ending to come.

When Scara gave a particular smile towards Kazuha, he felt his heart beat faster. He couldn't understand why, but he decided to accept it. "Ready as I'll ever be." He could get used to this side of Scara.

Farther down the road led to plains of tall yellow wheat, still somehow growing in the cold weather of Snezhnaya. They had left the village and began to progress further towards the looming castle of the Tsaritsa, though Teucer aimed for somewhere different. "What does your name mean, Mister Scara?" he asked as he peered up to said adult. The boy was curious to see what Scara looked like as much as if not more than, Kazuha.

Kazuha was curious about the name as well, though he kept silent and continued to walk alongside Teucer. He didn't have much experience with how to particularly speak with children, aside from the common knowledge of being gentle and caring.

Scara had his mind on the cold gothic castle that was straying further from his sight before Teucer stole that attention. He thought for a moment; he owned his name and knew it well, but he decided to answer differently from the truth.

"Well, if you use my full name, it would mean 'Little Skirmisher'; however, if you're referring to my nickname, Scara, I, myself, don't know. There might not be a meaning behind it."

As much as the prince felt compelled to explain his real name, or at least the first name that had been given to him, Kunikuzushi, it would mean 'Country Destroyer'. However, he didn't feel it was right to reveal the truth to Kazuha just yet, especially with a young boy with them.

"That's so cool! I wish I had a cool name like that too, but my name only means 'an archer'. I don't even know how to use a bow yet, but my brother does! He's really good with hunting and he always shows me how to use it when he comes home after a trip but I always forget so I end up having to learn again..." Teucer kept talking about his older brother. It seemed that his brother was a seasoned hunter from the stories Teucer explained and a good one at that