(A/N) WARNING! SIGNS OF SUICIDE THOUGHTS
For the next year, Yuma spent his time running from Afto. It was harder than he thought, with all of the allied nations that they had.
Of course, some of the nations were an exception. One of them being Feu, the fire nation. He was told pretty bad things, but the people he beat the shit out of said there might be people there.
So he was off.
Its not like he had anything to lose anyways.
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As soon as Yuma set foot on the new nation, he knew this was going to be miserable.
The first thing he was met with was the smell of burning flesh and rotting animals. Even with his trion body, he might actually die if he didn't block the smell at least a little bit.
Yuma threw his bag on the ground and dug threw it, desperately looking for something to help block out that god awful smell. Snatching a scarf, Yuma immediately tied it around his mouth and nose.
Sighing in relief, Yuma took in his surroundings. Other than the smell, of course.
True to its name, Feu was literally on fire. It was nothing but burning rocks, dead animals, and- is that a burning river?
Yuma bit back a sigh. He had heard that people had lived here, but that looked highly unlikely now that he was here.
Gripping his temporary face mask, Yuma looked for any signs of life. He was already here, so he might as well try. All he needed was a place to start.
Yuma flicked his eyes back to the river.
It might be on fire, but.....
Yuma sagged. When did his life become such a mess?
Still sulking, Yuma made his way down the burning river. Unless he was able to gather the trion to move to his next destination, Medein, Yuma would be stuck here.
And what was the best way to do that?
Stealing. Of course, he can't actually do that without people to seal from.
Yuma didn't mind if he died, but he would rather not have it be on a lonely dump, thank you vary much. (Yourfaultyourfaultyourfault)
As he moved down the river, Yuma fought the urge to take off some layers.
Sadly, this place could be toxic and he didn't know how his body would take to it without a trigger.
Even though he was walking trion. (Monsterfreakkiller)
Yuma kept his eyes on the river. It was kinda cool that it was on fire. It would make for some really good tourism. Except for all of the dead stuff.
Yuma halted his thoughts as he looked at the otherside river. There was a small object in the form of a small person, just sitting there. A toy perhaps?
Well, it was something. And Yuma would take anything at this point.
Yuma took a couple of steps back, before getting a running start to the river. Yuma then jumped, narrowly avoiding any flames.
Behind his mask, Yuma sighed in relief. That would have hurt. (Youdeserveit)
Lightly landing on his feet, Yuma reached down and picked up the object. It was, in fact, a doll.
The doll had brown hair made out of twigs and cloth wrapped around its face and stick body. It was hardly burned as well.
Behind his make-shift mask, Yuma gave a small smile. So someone was just here.
Stuffing the doll in a pocket, Yuma reassessed his surroundings. Looking at things head level, nothing has changed. Yuma frowned in confusion. "Then how did this....?" Yuma tailed off.
His eyes slowly drifted to the ground beneath him.
Yuma reached down and grabbed some of the charred dirt. "It's unsettled. Someone was trying to hide they were here. " Yuma spoke out loud, keeping his voice quiet. (Runningfromyou)
Yuma stood up straight once more. Well, if they won't come out, Yuma will find them.
Yuma raised his hand, palm up. "Echo."
Yumas' trigger buzzed as waves of silent sound were sent out. Yuma closed his eyes, visualizing the landscape as information came back.
'Rocks, dead animals, dead plants..' Yuma lists off in his head.
Yuma snapped his eyes open with a smile. 'A tree with leaves.'
Yuma took off in a run towards the tree, not even second guessing it. This was the Neighborhood after all, its usually better not to question it.
Jumping over dead animals and avoiding the fire, Yuma made his way over to the tree. Maybe there was some fruit on it?
That would be nice, he hasn't had anything other than fish and bread for a while.
He came to a halt, though, when the smell of the air changed. It wasn't very noticeable with his scarf on, and for a normal person impossible to catch.
Unfortunately, Yuma was not normal. (Murderer)
Grabbing the bottom of his mask, Yuma slowly made a small airway to smell what it was.
Yuma recognized the scent to be similar to what some parents used to calm their child down, except several times stronger.
Yuma hummed, putting back down his mask. Sleeping gas, huh?
Yuma closed his eyes once more. "Where are they hiding?"
"Yuma." His father called him. Yuma, who was currently on the ground after getting an ass-whooping during training, looked up to his dad.
"Don't rely on your trigger. There will be situations that your trigger will do you no good." The elder man advised.
Yuma made a duck face. "Ehhh? What should I do then?" Yuma's dad laughed. "Your alive, aren't you? You have five senses, use 'em!"
'If echo wont work...' Yuma thought, zoning out. '....Then my ear's will do.'
The world around him went blank, the only thing he could hear was the sound of the burning fires.
Then 'it' kicked in.
An image of Replica and his father appeared in his head. Yuma grit his teeth.
'Now is not the time to let that shit get to me. Someone wants to knock me out, god damn it!'
In his head, a being took the form of his injured body. It smiled. (Monster) (Killer) (Should have listened) (Failure-)
Then there was a snap. Yuma froze.
How many twigs would be left in this dump?
Ignoring the being that has been residing in his head, Yuma paid attention.
He wasn't able to pinpoint the sound, but he did confirm that someone was there.
Yuma opened his eyes, dismay heavy in his red eyes.
"I can believe I'm going to do this." Yuma sighed.
But, the best way to get what you want is to give what others expect.
Yuma made his eyes look heavy, zooming them in and out. Lightly swinging his body back and forth, Yuma willed himself to portray someone on the brink of consciousness.
Eyes rolling back, Yuma fell to the floor with a flop, face buried in the dirt.
Yuma winced. His nose.
But he kept still. And as he did, light footsteps approached. They stopped just by his head.
Not a good spot for Yuma, but he can still grab them if he-
"Ah ha!" A small voice spoke. "Once again, the great Braise has won!" Sounds of a child's laugh followed.
Face still in the dirt, Yuma paused. A kid? Yeah, he found the doll, but what was a kid doing out here alone?
Yuma felt a poking at his arm as the child continued to giggle. "They sure are small! I wonder if they have anything valuable?" The child continued to themselves.
Yuma twitched, and pushed himself up. He glared at the child. "Don't touch my earings." He warned.
The child stood there in shock for a few moments, allowing Yuma to get a good look at it.
It seemed like the child was a female. She had fiery red hair put up in messy ponytails. Her eyes were ocean blue, and her canine teeth were slightly more pointy than average. For clothing, she wore mere rags.
Snapping out of her shock, the girl- Braise- made a run for it. Unfortunately for her, Yuma's reflexes were trained. (-Likeakiller.)
Snatching the collar of her shirt, Yuma held her in place. "Where would a child get sleeping gas?" Yuma asked.
The little girl glared up at him. "I'm not a child! I'm 8, jackass!"
"Still a child." Yuma claimed.
Braise flipped him off.
Yuma sighed, he seemed to have been doing that a lot lately.
He should take her trion, and force some answer out of her, but...
He didn't have the will to do that to a child.
"Here's the deal. I let you go and you don't run." Braise frowned. "Why would I do that?"
Yuma raised his hand, showing off his ring. "Do you really want to get into a fight with a trigger user?"
Braise's eyes widened. "You have a trigger? Gimme!"
Yuma shook his head. "Yeah, no." Braise pouted. "Fine, if you let me go I won't run."
Feeling no lie's from the younger, Yuma released Braise.
Braise turned around and crossed her arms. "So, what's a trigger user doing in this dump?"
"I could ask the same to you, kid." Yuma replied.
Braise held her head up high. "I live here, stupid. I was just looking for something I lost when you showed up."
Yuma tilted his head.. Something she lost?
Yuma's face lit up in realization. "Ah! Do you mean this?" Reaching into his pocket, Yuma pulled out the doll he found earlier.
The girl practically glowed. "Jessica!"
Handing the doll to Braise, Yuma made a face. What type of name was that?
"So, who else is here? In Feu, I mean?" Yuma asked.
"Tons of people! You just need to know where to look!" Braise said with a bright smile. Yuma's side effect went off.
"So you're alone." Yuma stated. Baise looked at Yuma in shock. "Wha-"
Yuma gave a smile. "You make up the stupidest lies." Braise flinched.
"How did you know? No one can get past my acting!" Braise demanded "Side effect." Yuma stated.
Braise gaped. "You have a trigger and a side effect?!" Yuma nodded. (Thief)
Braised stared at him. She looked conflicted.
"Um, you ok?" Yuma asked, seeing as Braise wasn't even blinking.
Braise grinned and put her hand on her hips. "I've decided!" She yelled. Yuma raised his eyebrows. "Huh?"
Braise pointed at Yuma's face, radiating confidence. "You're going to train me!"
There was a beat of silence. Yuma looked at Braise in disbelief. "I-what?"
"You're going to train me!" She declared again, this time several times louder.
Yuma shook his head. "Sorry, but I don't think so."
"Geh- why not!" She asked.
"Because then you would become my responsibility." Yuma stated. "Why do you need training anyways? No-one is here."
Braise puffed up in pride. "So I can steal your trigger and leave."
Yuma bonked her on top of her head. "You don't just tell people that!"
"See? You're showing me great life skills already!" "I just hit you-"
Braise smiled. "You know, you seem cold, but you really are just a mess of a person!" She laughed.
Yuma blinked. He was cold?
"Good! Now let's go Mr....?" She looked at Yuma.
Yuma sighed. How did he get roped into this? "Yuma."
She grinned, and grabbed his hand. "I'm Braise! Now let go!!!!!" She cheered, dragging the reluctant Yuma.
Little did Yuma know that this would be one of the best and worst things to ever happen to him.
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As it turns out, the tree from earlier was actually really important.
It was an inferno tree, anything on it was poisonous, but it was chocked full of trion!
Braise, still dragging him, noticed his eyes on the tree. She gave him a grin. "Cool, right? This is how I can live!"
...Anddd there goes Yuma's way out of here. He may be a trion thief, but he wasn't cruel.
.......
Ok, he was, but he also had a soft spot for children.
Yuma looked down at the younger. "So, where do you live?"
Braise came to a halt and let go of Yuma's hand. She trotted up to the tree and raised her fist.
Yuma watched with interest. What was she going to do? Punch it?
Braise puffed up her cheeks, and with a grunt, punched the middle of the tree.
"Eh?" Well, Yuma wasn't expecting her to actually punch it. Or what came next.
Just beside Yuma, the ground slowly dissolved. It slowly created a hole that only a small person could fit in.
Yuma looked towards Braise. "Is this supposed to happen, or..?"
Braise gave a bright smile. "Of course! Now let's move it!"
Braise ran over to Yuma's position and grabbed his hand once more.
"Hey-" Yuma couldn't even ask what she meant before, still dragging Yuma, Braise jumped into the hole.
Yuma stiffens, falling through with the girl.
The hole wasn't so deep, the bottom came pretty quickly. No, the real problem was the fact that the top was closing.
Hitting the ground with a roll, Yumas head whipped up to the entrance. Only, he was too late.
Yuma pulled down his scarf. Then blinked.
The smell was gone.
Next to him, Braise laughed. "You should have seen your face!"
Yuma didn't dignify that with a response. Because really, what?
"Well, what do you think of my home?" She asked.
"Your.. home?" Yuma questioned getting up from his landing position. Braise nodded eagerly.
Yuma, now off the ground, got a better look at the surroundings he fell into.
It was kind of cozy, to Yuma's surprise.
It was only one room, but it was a good size. Old animal skins covered the ground, with a small pile of thicker skins off to the side. There seemed to be a corner of the room dedicated to food as well.
But the most interesting part was a make-shift shelf built into the room. It held lots of items that Yuma recognized from other countries.
He smiled. A collector, huh? Wonder how many people she robbed for that stuff.
"You did well with it." Yuma commented, unknowingly making the girl glow. "But how do you get all of this food? And what do you do for water?"
Braise puffed up, clearly proud of something. "Over here!"
Curious, Yuma followed Braise as she practically skipped over to the stack of thicker fur's.
Pushing them off to the side, Braise revealed a trap door. Yuma raised his eyebrows.
She pulled open the door, and pointed to a ladder. "We'll take that down."
Not waiting for Yuma's response, Braise started on her climb down.
Yuma looked down at Braise's retreating figure. "How deep does this thing go?" Yuma muttered.
Yuma, seeing nothing better to do, jumped down the new hole, not even bothering to use the latter. As he whizzed down, he heard a shriek.
Yuma smiled. That must have been Braise.
Yuma hit the ground, leaning forward and was going to use his hands to spring him up. But he froze and toppled over as soon as his hands touched the ground.
Ignoring the pain his limbs were in now, Yumas eyes flicked to the ground. Grass.
The soft sound of running water reached Yuma's ears.
Pushing himself up from the ground, Yuma took in his surroundings. Or at least he tried to, it wasn't easy with this sight.
It was a grove.
Animals were everywhere, a clear river providing for huge fruit trees. But the most shocking part was the lighting. No sun in sight, the area was lit up just like any other place with suns.
As Yuma stood there in amazement, Braise landed behind him. "There was a latter for a reason!" She yelled.
Yuma shrugged, not taking his eyes off of what was in front of him. "Braise." Yuma started. "What is all of this?"
Braise gave a grin. "My life- area- thing!"
"It's called a grove." Yuma corrected, sitting down in the grass. "How did you find it?"
Braise flopped down next to him. "The inferno tree. I found the animals and seeds for plants from travelers, and the tree made it so they could grow. It's hard, though."
"What do you mean?" Yuma asked.
"I don't actually know what I'm doing, soo..." She trailed off sheepishly.
Yuma continued to look out at the field. Here, he could slowly gather trion. But in the meantime...
Yuma's eyes flicked over to Braise. He let out a reluctant sigh. Maybe he was going soft.
Braise snapped her head to him.
"Fine, I'll train you-" Yuma started.
Braise loudly began to cheer.
"-BUT!" Yuma cut in. "You have to listen to me. If I say you aren't ready for something, you. Are. Not. Ready." Yuma warned.
"Whoa, Yuma! You're so scary!" Braise laughed, unphased.
"I'm serious, Braise!"
So absorbed in his interaction, Yuma never noticed the absents of the voice.
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Living with Braise was peaceful, in its own way. Soon after agreeing to train Braise, the two fell into a kinda routine.
First, they would go out on petrol. Braise thought it was stupid at first, but she promply shut up when she was remained of Yuma's presence. He was a trigger user after all, he could have harmed her.
Then, Yuma would try to show Braise what little he knew about gardening. It was always a mess. The first time Yuma saw Braise gardening skills, she threw a seed on the ground and left. So, using metal he could find from the ground and taking advantage of all the fire, Yuma made shovels.
Which Braise nearly broke his nose with.
But anyways, after doing the essentials, like chores and the such, Yuma then would train Braise.
Or, in other people's eyes, beat the shit out of her and let her reflect.
Yuma actually felt kinda bad about it, but there wasn't much more he could do. This was how he was trained, therefore this was the only way he could train Braise.
She was getting better at hand- to- hand, though.
Yuma would usually do training at the end of the day, so Braise would be passed out the moment she went to bed.
Lastly, Yuma would go out and look for any signs of Afto. Like right now.
"It's calmer tonight." Yuma noticed, perched on a high rock.
Like always, the land was a fiery waste. Yet, for some reason it felt more cozy than anything.
Yuma sighed through his mask, looking up at the smoke filled sky. "It's already been two months. Medein will be approaching soon."
Yuma found himself frowning at the thought. He really didn't feel much love for Feu, if he was to be honest. But the problem was the girl on it.
He, as much as he hated it, got attached to Braise. Maybe he was just caught at a bad time in his life, or maybe he felt pity for the girl. Being alone sucks after all.
Lately he had been thinking about bringing her with to Medein. It would be hard, and dangerous. But some part of him felt that leaving her behind would be just as bad.
Yuma looked down at his hands. Braise still has no idea about Afto, about his body, about those he lost and those he killed. But, at the same time, he could tell that there was a lot Braise wasn't telling him too.
Yuma shook his head. He would do something about all of this when Braise woke up, but for now...
Yuma stood up, eyes scanning the area.
.."I need to make sure they'll leave me alone long enough to do so."
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EXTRA
Hyuse was beginning to get annoyed.
About two months ago, Hyuse was given a squad and a task to find the new chosen guardian. Apparently, the last few attempts have been unsuccessful. So, now it was Hyuse's responsibility.
Hooray.
Hyuse glared at the screen in front of him, displaying Kuga Yuma's location. Based on the data that has been gathered of his movements for the last year, Kuga's goal is Medein.
Under normal circumstances, this wouldn't be a problem. So what if he has a goal? They were Afto, no one would oppose them.
Except, Medein would. Though it was small, they have shown rebellion before.
In conclusion, it would be best to nab the guardian beforehand.
His mind made up, Hyuse reached up to his ear, activating the comms.
"It's Hyuse. Get the weapons ready. We will move in three days."
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(A/N) Yall are not ready