By Amber Michelle K.
myaru@etherealvoid.net

Vagrant Story and its characters are (C) Squaresoft. This is meant for entertainment only.

"Are you tired, boy?"

Joshua shuffled to a stop behind his escort, blinking up at him. He was tired... but no one else seemed to be. And he was hungry, too...

Hardin made a full turn, kneeling and tilting his head until he was eye-level. "We're safe here, for now; do you want food? Would you like to rest?"

"Don't pester the boy, Hardin... he knows how to speak. He'll answer you eventually." Faint, grating scratches whispered over to them, like echos - Sydney was hunched over the floor again, tracing something into the marble.

Ignoring the admonishment, the man pressed again. "Are you hungry? We cannot stay here long, boy - speak up if you want something."

His answer was a quick, eager nod. Of course he was hungry - he couldn't remember the last time he'd eaten anything. Walking around through so many dark halls and streets that didn't quite look right to him... he wished he could be back home, where Nanny would have made him anything he wanted...

"Stay here, then." Hardin rose to his feet, made a motion toward Sydney. "I'll return with something for you to eat."

Joshua nodded again, padding backward until he felt his back press up against something hard - a ledge. He glanced back at it; it was low enough that he could see over the top, barely, but too high to climb. Too high to sit on, too, and it didn't look like there were any lower ones like in other rooms he'd seen while following Hardin, and his brother.

Well, that wasn't fun... he didn't like eating on the floor, and having to lean over every bite, or having to sit with his legs sticking straight out because any other way hurt with his shoe buckles. And it was way too hard to lie down on...

"... There..."

He jumped and spun around, a slight heat warming his face when he realized it was only Sydney speaking. Nothing was wrong.... nothing was scary... He blinked, eyes falling from the other's dark gaze to follow the line of his arm. His brother - he thought - was pointing to... crates. Fat brown ones, with a ledge behind them that was low enough even he could climb it. No torches, though...

The shadows that made Sydney's face so dark moved, and made it look like he was almost smiling a little. "The Dark will not hurt you, boy..." He gestured again toward the crates, metal fingers clinking. "Go. Rest... there is nothing this comfortable at our destination."

Well, that didn't sound so great anymore... But Joshua obeyed the command, moving a little slowly at first before he entered the shadows of that corner of the room he'd been sent to. Nothing attacked him, which he thought was good... But the noises from the other rooms were getting a little louder, or at least it seemed like it. No doors, though... that was good.

It was hard for him to climb onto the ledge, but he eventually pulled himself up over the top as he'd seen the others do when they were climbing other, higher ones. That seemed so unfair to him... he couldn't do anything by himself, in this place. He was too small, or too weak. And even though he tried not to show it too much, he was afraid of all the things he heard moving around in the shadows.

Nanny used to get tired a lot, when she had to carry him places. Was he making Hardin tired? That wouldn't be good at all - he liked Hardin, and he was a nice man. If only he could help a little, and not be such a burden to him...

For once, the wood crates didn't seem so hard - in fact, they were a lot softer than the stone he'd been sitting on all the other times Sydney had made them stop along the way. He just hoped nothing would crawl out of the crate. He had seen that happen along the way too.

Joshua settled down, legs dangling over the edge far above the floor. Much, much better than a cold stone floor to sit on... now if only he had something to eat... Hardin would be back soon, he hoped. Sydney was still watching him; he felt it, somehow, even though he was afraid to look up. No, he wasn't really afraid, but he didn't understand...

He didn't understand this. Sydney was... like home, something he knew well... but very different now. That drawing on his back, like the one on the armor in Father's house, made him dark, and quiet, and just... so different than what he remembered from when he was younger. He felt safer with Hardin, even though Sydney had never done anything to be mean to him. That didn't seem right - wasn't family supposed to be more important? Father always said that to him. Or Nanny did, or someone...

Finally, though, he looked up again. Sydney was looking over at him... He was standing much closer than Joshua remembered, close enough that even the shadows didn't make his face hard to see anymore.

"He always plans things so very carefully, does he not? He must have planned for this too." Voice soft, Sydney's eyes shifted away from him for a moment before moving back, and bringing that feeling with them. "No harm will come to you here, Joshua; soon, you'll even be allowed to go home, if that is what you want. Father has sent someone for you."

Not sure what to do, Joshua nodded, stilling his legs so they wouldn't beat against the empty crate. He wanted to say something... but he didn't know what. It was a little strange, but he almost wanted to stay with them, even though he missed Father terribly. Nothing in this place was easy for him to understand - not even this.

"Do not be afraid..." Sydney leaned forward, pale hair drifting forward into his eyes. "You'll understand, someday..." A pale, pale smile did cross his face, very quickly. "... when you're older. Everything will resolve itself, in time."

There it was again. Everyone loved to say that to him - 'when you're older'. Especially Sydney. He screwed up his face and stuck his tongue out in answer. But the smug smile he got in return - so faint that he didn't even know if he was really seeing it - calmed him down a bit. It was.... so much like he remembered. He didn't recall much, but he knew that. He'd been teased all the time when he was little, by...

Sydney straightened, the small smile fading. With a clink of metal, he tilted his head and pointed back, behind him. "Hardin returns. I would not worry, if I were you, boy... He does not view you as the burden you think you are."

Joshua opened his mouth to respond, but the other had already turned away and begun walking back toward the center of the room. His teeth clicked shut - Nanny would have had a fit if she had seen him with his mouth open like that. She said it made him look like a fish.

He hoped Sydney was right, and not just being nice. He liked Hardin - it wouldn't be nice to cause him any trouble. They were friends, he thought - so maybe Sydney was telling the truth. He seemed to know a lot of things like that anyway, for some reason. But it was sad... he didn't want to be a burden to his brother either, or see anything bad happen... but he felt, for some reason... that he might not get that wish...

As promised, Hardin appeared a moment later, and Joshua shook the feeling off. He hoped that sack Hardin was carrying was something good to eat. Or even something not so good to eat, as long as it was food. He was so hungry...