The bond that ties us [ Shaxx x Reader x Cayde-6 ]

in the shadows, secrets lie

Shaxx stood in the moonlit courtyard of the tower, nothing but ambient noise filled the air.
The titan looked out over the glowing lit city that laid below, his mind wandered to before the days of the tower, the times where everyone came together to make a safer place, a place to call home as Zavala would put it.

Home?

The titan huffed to himself under his helmet at those words.

The only time he felt as if he was truly home, was either distracting himself in the hellbent chaos that was the crucible, the fury of battle is what the warlord thought he ever needed to keep pushing forward, but deep down he admitted that ever since Y/N had returned all he yearned for was to have the huntess by his side once again.

After all this time, was she the one that ignited his distraction for the crucible? This blue eyed angel with a healing touch, protector on the battlefield and a deadly force in battle.

For the first time, the titan placed a heavy hand upon his chest, his heart was racing but this wasn't some adrenaline for the thrill of the battle, no this was a warlord who understood the cost of his mistake.

"Still out here I see?" A callous tone cuts through to him like a hot knife.

Shaxx turns his head to the side, noticing the shadowed outline of someone stood not too far from him, but far enough to not stand into the open light.

"What do you want, rat?" Shaxx's reply is equally as harsh, the one horned titan already recognised the voice that was speaking from the shadows.

A deep chuckle echoes from the darkness, "whoa, whoa, no need to be rude." The figure takes a step forward. "I just happened to notice an angel has appeared." The drifter grinned mischievously.

Shaxx wasn't in the mood for playing games, those words alone where enough to urk the titan as he took a few heavy steps towards the Drifter, towering over him.

"Easy big guy, wouldn't want to get into any trouble now would ya?" The drifter held his hands up in the air as his lips curled into a grin.
"I only came here to warn ya."

Shaxx leaned down towards the drifter, his tone meanacing, "and why should I trust anything that comes out of your mouth?"

The drifter motioned one of his hands and from in-between his gloved fingers appeared a piece of paper as he flicked it in Shaxx's direction.

The titan was quick to catch the paper and opened it up, the paper was old, delicate and fragile, like it had been around for a very long time.
As the titan opened the paper it was a sketch of Y/N in her warlord armour but she didn't look the same, there was something about her that was darker than before, the paper in his hands felt cursed, like they'd been soaked in the darkness and some words skribbled at the bottom.

The nine's heart of the traveller.

"How did you get this? And what does this mean?" Shaxx sharply responded as he clentched the paper in his hand, his breathing was unsteady.

"Seems the nine have a very special interest in the towers new favourite guardian." The drifter responded as he took one step back from the titan, slowly allowing the shadows to conceal him but before he could fully sneak off Shaxx quickly jerked his arm and grabbed hold of the cloth around the drifters neck pulling him up and directly Infront of him.
"If you or any of the nine go near her, I will see it personally that you never see the light again."

"Ey! Ey! Easy you one horned idiot!" The drifter clentched his hands around Shaxx's armour plated arm as he struggled against the Titan's grip. "Why do you care so much anyways thought you where with queen witch." He grunted.

Those words only irritated the titan more as he lifted the drifter higher off the ground with ease, "That, is none of your concern."

The drifter couldn't help but let a malice laughter escape his throat.
"If I was you, I'd be more worried about the big guy calling Y/N a traitor or better yet you all lose her to the darkness pal."

Shaxx dropped him from his grip, those words shook him to his very core but he refrained  himself, not allowing the drifter to pick up on this.
"What do you mean the darkness?"

The drifter steadied himself on his feet, and mimicked a slit being cut across his throat.
"Do you really think any guardian could survive that and have all that power and not be noticed by the nine?" He shook his head in dissaproval.
"You are all truly blind and if you want to save her, you'll just have to trust me." He whispered darkly as he swiftly vanished into the darkness of the shadows.
"But then again your guardian angel probably doesn't remember a thing since you all let her sacrifice herself." The drifter gives the titan one last glance, "Let's face it the big guy was scared of her enough that after she was healed by that ghost of hers he exiled her from the vanguard just as he did with that old man."
His words lingered in the air as he vanished.

Shaxx was full of rage, the titan clentched his hands in his fists as he tried to calm his emotions down, hearing the rustle of the paper in his hands he glanced down to his open palm, "Y/N I'm not going to lose you again, not to the darkness and not to the nine, if they want a fight..they will be met with a battle." He muttered to himself.

Shaxx wasn't one for believing in the darkness, or to have a true fear of it, the warlord had a very different belief system than most guardians, after all he himself believed that you can overcome anything if you're strong willed enough, he was there through the dark ages had fought in countless battles and even challenged Felwinter to fight him more times than he can remember.
But Y/N, as much as the warlord liked to boast about how well he knew her, right now everything he thought he knew about the huntess was unravelling before him.

Are you the woman I know, or are you my enemy Y/N, who truly are you?

Shaxx knew the only way to find out the truth was to go to those who had the means of finding out the hidden secrets of the past, but the titan knew anything he found out must be kept quiet from the commander, at least for now.

The one horned titan walked towards the hangar, the area was dimly lit except from the haunting glow of candles not to far from him and the sillouette of Saint-14 reached the Titan's view, he could be seen feeding a small flock of pigeons who gathered at his feet.
Shaxx walked up towards the exo who had already acknowledged the warlords presence.
"Ah my friend, what a pleasant surprise" Saint calmly said as he continued to look down at the birds below him.
Shaxx didn't even respond to the famous Titan's comment but simply tossed the piece of paper he had held onto the ground infront of Saint.
"What is this?" Saint reached down and picked up the paper before the birds could continue to peck at it inquisitively, he stood and unraveled the paper.
"Shaxx we must--"
"I know." The one horned titan butted in before Saint could finish his sentence, Saint glanced up at him and shook his head sighing deeply.
"She is my dearest friend Shaxx, she is the one who saved me and if it wasn't for her I wouldn't be who I am today."
Saint remembered how Y/N had inspired him and continues to be the spark to his determination, not everyone knew of the huntess or her famous accomplishments but Saint had always spread the word of his friend, the Dark Angel to anyone and everyone he met.

"The only one who can help us with this..is Osiris, Shaxx we must find out the truth before anything happens to her." Saint turned his body and glanced up the stairway of his ship.

You saved us all Y/N, now it's our turn to protect you.

"I'm not letting anything take her away from me." Shaxx growled deeply as he thought about the huntress.

Travellers light, I swear by it.