Resistance

Vows and Resolve

Morning light steadily brightened a gray sky, filtering through parted clouds over a little brick home.

A seeming epitome of calm, yet the air within that little home was as heavy as could be, silent even...And the home would remain silent even as the sun rose higher and higher within the sky...Perhaps too silent. Rather, the household seemed to have lost it's light, it's warmth, it's comforting air...And all with good reason.

Syrus laid unconscious in his bed, surrounded by those who were close to him as they watched on worriedly.

Out of everyone within that household...Only he was the one in terrible condition.

During the fire, Aaron and his brother, Rei, had managed to escape successfully before it had intensified, despite Syrus not having been able to see them within the crowd...Perhaps because of his panic at the time.

Miraculously...They had been able to make their way back inside to look for him within the burning building. However, when they did find him, he was unconscious, trapped and unconscious on the second floor. Having recieved harsh burns from the heat and inhaling smoke, it was anyone's guess as to whether he would recover or not. Proper healthcare wasn't a luxury they were capable of having.

All they could do, was simply watch over him and pray for his recovery...And unsurprisingly, none of them were taking things very well.

Perhaps out of all of them, Aaron had taken things the hardest. He felt heavily responsible for the way things had turned out...For the way Syrus had turned out.

"...This is the second time his life has been in danger because of me." He spoke up tonelessly, his usually bright, royal blue eyes dulled. His entire body seemed to droop in defeat and self loathing. "...Aren't you going to agree with me? You said if something were to happen again, you wouldn't let it slide."

Cai, who had been leaning against the wall, arms crossed, cast Aaron an expressionless gaze.

"...Did you want me to feel angry with you?" Despite the question, there wasn't any sense of hostility coming from him. "You can beat yourself up about it all you want, but these circumstances weren't under your control this time around." He continued, turning his amber gaze to the side. "If anything, it was Syrus' own fault for rushing in without actually checking if you were even trapped inside or not...Not that I intend to put any of the blame on him, but if *anyone had to take the fall for this, it would be him." He closed his eyes. "...Of course, it's just like Syrus to rush in, disregarding his own safety if it meant saving one of his companions. Hell, even a stranger."

"..." Aaron would have shown his surprise more openly, given the fact that Cai was actually siding with him for once...But he still felt miserable about all of this. "...I sort of understand Taharo's fear of letting him continue like this...Maybe it would be better if-"

"Say anymore of that, and I really will throw one at you." Cai interjected sharply before Aaron could finish, casting him a hard glance. "Don't make Syrus' efforts go to waste merely because of your own concern. He already decided that this would be the path he'd take a long time ago...And I'm sure more than anyone, he understood the risks that came with that very decision." His gaze drifted over to Syrus, his expression softening to one some might even consider compassion. "The only thing we can do for him is be by his side and do our best to protect him...Isn't that what we agreed on?"

It was then, that Aaron finally lifted his gaze, looking up at Cai.

It wasn't as though he'd forgotten that important promise to Cai...But the reminder certainly did him some good. Perhaps it was even something he needed right now.

That important promise...More than anything, he wanted to uphold it.

"...Right...That's all we can do, isn't it?" Aaron muttered quietly, more so to himself as he gave a little nod, resolve flickering back into those royal blue eyes of his.

Protecting him...Was the most important role the three of them had.

Protecting Syrus...Their sun. Their Hope.

That was their fervent wish.

As though that wish had been answered, it was just then, that Syrus finally began to stir.

He felt like he had been dreaming that whole time...A very long, deep dream, before his eyes eventually flickered open.

A familiar ceiling came into his line of sight as his vision began to clear ever so steadily.

Understandably, he was in a bit of a daze, his thoughts muddled and scattered, as though a muddy torrent of water had overshadowed them.

Was he...Back home in his room? That would appear to be the case as he glanced around, barely recognizing the familiar surroundings.

The small desk in one corner of the room, the bookshelf near his bed...Somehow, it had felt as though it'd been a terribly long time since he'd seen these familiar surroundings.

As he sat up, he felt a pain that spread like a fever throughout his body, his ears twitching at the sound of a familiar voice.

"Syrus! You're awake!!" Aaron's voice reached his ears, but it took him a moment to process it, his ears ringing, his head pounding...He couldn't seem to recall anything at the moment, but soon enough, it came back to him...And vividly. As if reliving a horror film, he recalled it all...The fire, the terror he felt, the memories he recalled, and...Aaron.

That's right, Aaron.

"You're...Alright???" He questioned, finally making out his figure, and feeling relief wash over him.

Aaron knitted his brows in response. Syrus was the one injured, and yet, he was still worrying about others...Yet he gave him a nod regardless.

"...Yeah. My brother and I managed to escape before the fire got worse." He explained, checking Syrus over to get a feel for how his injuries were healing over. "It was an electrical fire...Not surprising, considering how poorly managed everything is around here." He added in, catching onto that questioning look in Syrus' eyes, and he answered him before Syrus bombarded him with questions. "You're honestly the only one who got hurt, and badly...Try to take it easy, alright?"

"...Really?" Syrus muttered in response, relief washing over him even more, leaving him feeling strangely exhausted, even though he had just woken up. "...How long have I been out??"

"About a week. Considering you're covered head to toe in burns, I'd say it's amazing it wasn't longer." Aaron answered, gently pushing Syrus back down, urging him to rest before he could try and protest. "Rest."

Syrus...Didn't protest for once, even if he might have wanted to. He could barely lift so much as a finger as he was now, and he was still trying to process everything.

The fire...Wasn't caused by what he had thought. He had needlessly rushed in unnecessarily, and gotten himself hurt in the process.

Then there was...Those memories he had recalled from a decade ago...The death of his parents, and that silver eyed man.

Why had he forgotten? Why did the Diou even attack?? Was it really just to take control over the country...?

His gaze trailed over to the window, feeling as though the more he recalled, the less he understood...It was a frustrating feeling.

Somehow...He was seized with the feeling that there was something more to it...A bigger part of the picture was missing...But what??

He was trying to wrap his mind around it before happening to catch sight of his reflection in the window just beside his bed...And he had to do a double take at the image he saw there.

...Was it just his imagination? He could only assume that to be the case as he looked upon his reflection, his eyes usually a deep, emerald green...But in that moment, his right one was suddenly a vibrant, fiery red.

He wasn't sure if he believed what he was seeing, strangely transfixed on the spot. He couldn't tear his gaze away...And as the second ticked by, a strange, burning sensation began to well up within it, growing stronger by the moment...Until his right eye just downright burned. He felt as though it could have been melting right out of his socket. The pain eventually grew so intense, that he had to reach up and cover it...And just as soon as he had done so, the pain just...Stopped.

Like the pain, the color just...Vanished.

As though it were never there to begin with.

He had begun to wonder if he was just tired. His eyes really were just playing tricks on him.

"Are you alright?" Cai's voice sounded off from not too far away, still leaning against the wall even after Aaron took his temporary leave. "Does anything hurt??" He questioned in concern, making his way over to inspect Syrus carefully. Perhaps his injuries were causing him some discomfort??

It was a surreal sight for Syrus, if he had to be honest. That look of worry somehow didn't suit Cai, but perhaps that was also because Syrus was more accustomed to that usually aloof expression of his...One that seemed to be missing entirely from the Cai standing just beside him. There was a somehow gentle, soft look in his eyes.

"...No. I'm alright." Syrus finally answered, reassuring him with a smile before turning back onto his side.

He decided to just try and rest, not really being able to do much even if he wanted to, given his condition.

And the rest of the day would just tick away just like that. He would eventually be greeted by the others, and scolded by Taharo, expectedly.

Normal, peaceful moments that made what happened before seem like it might have just been one, terribly nightmare...

But Syrus knew deep down that just simply wasn't the case.

Once nightfall had hit, Syrus felt well enough to make it downstairs and spend the evening around the others. He just couldn't stay cooped up in his room any longer, and he listened on as they spoke amongst themselves.

Kiara eventually went home some time later, whereas Cai remained, as well as Aaron, and his brother Rei, who was speaking with Taharo.

Looking between the two, the resemblance Rei shared with Aaron was uncanny. The two could almost be mistaken as twins, aside from some minor differences.

While Aaron's hair was a deep, jet black, Rei's was more of a dark gray. His eyes as well, unlike Aaron's, were a lighter blue.

He alone was Aaron's sole guardian and family after the duo lost their parents to the invasion.

"...If neither of you have anywhere to go, you could always stick with us. We have a spare bedroom." Syrus chimed in mindlessly after listening to Rei speak about his concerns on where they would go. The two essentially lost everything to the fire that claimed their home.

"We couldn't possibly-" Rei began, but Syrus interjected.

"It's fine really. It's just the two of us, so I don't really see a problem with it, so long as the old man is alright with that."

Taharo didn't turn down the idea, but he looked...Rather surprised, and for good reason. One might even say he looked at Syrus as though to ascertain that he was really fine with the suggestion...And when that seemed to be the case, he spoke up.

"Syrus is right, considering your predicament. You boys are friends of the family, so I see no problems with that suggestion." He nodded in agreement.

Rei still looked a little unsure, but he eventually caved in, especially since he was more worried about Aaron over himself.

"Well...If you two insist, who am I to refuse??" He finally replied with a small laugh, feeling incredibly grateful for the offer.

"That being the case, allow me to show you to the room-" Taharo began, about to stand up and show them off, before Syrus held up his hand.

"Why don't you two keep talking?? I'll just show Aaron to it and you can come up later." He suggested with a smile, waiting for a confirmation before gesturing for Aaron to follow him up to the second floor.

The room in question was the farthest room from the stairs.

Inside was extremely minimalistic, despite being quite large. There was only an empty nightstand, a shelf, and a single bed along the wall to the right of the door.

Despite being obviously well kept, it was apparent that this room hadn't been in use for quite some time.

"Wow, I had no idea you had a third bedroom in the house." Aaron spoke up, looking around the room.

"...It used to be my parents." Syrus admitted, but quickly gaze Aaron a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about it though. I thought it was about time the room was put to use...It'd be sad if it was just kept empty forever." He looked around the room, not having stepped inside since he was very little...And given his limited memories of his early childhood, and the fact that the room had been rearranged since then, not a bit of it seemed familiar to him.

Aaron of course, was a bit hesitant upon hearing this, but Syrus seemed so sure of his decision...So eventually, he caved in...But then, a question surfaced within his mind.

"...Your parents...What were they like??" He questioned, albeit hesitantly, wondering if the question he was asking might have been too personal. If he might have been overstepping his boundaries...He hoped it wasn't insensitive of him.

He hadn't known Syrus back then, having met him after the invasion...And Syrus never spoke of his parents, much less of himself in general.

He supposed he just really wanted to know more about him.

"My parents??" Syrus echoed, his expression void of any particular emotion as he thought it over. "...Truthfully...I don't really remember much about them." He admitted, trying to recall. The memories were so faraway, maybe even nonexistent...Or rather, as though they were shrouded behind a dense fog, but... "...My mom...She was very gentle and kind. I remember her voice was always so soothing..." He closed his eyes, trying to fish around for those memories, despite however faraway they might have seemed. "My dad was always smiling, and..." He reached up absently, lightly brushing his own hand against the top of his head before a soft smile appeared along his lips. "...I remember his hand was warm."

Yes...If he dug deep, he could recall some of them. The warmer, happier moments. Bits and pieces...Precious memories that he could only just barely recall...And alongside these recollections, the vivid memory of their deaths revived within his mind, along with his doubts.

He thought for certain he could push them away earlier, chalking them up as merely nothing but the outcomes of his tired thoughts...But as time ticked by, those doubts continued to resurface.

He couldn't ignore them any longer.

"...Anyhow, why don't you settle in? I should probably go rest. These injuries won't heal themselves, right??" He smiled, turning around to leave the room...And the moment he did, his smiled faded.

He knew better than anyone that when his gut nagged at him like this, it was best to follow that feeling...But how??

The reality was that he knew nothing. He didn't know a damn thing about the Diou. Not their origins, nor their intentions...He could barely even remember his own life before their invasion.

There were too many things he realized he knew nothing about, and somehow, he felt like those missing pieces were the key to unlocking all of it.

The biggest question was...Why this country? Why this city? What had they hoped to gain from it? There hadn't been anything particularly amazing about it. Resources were average, location was average...So what was there?

Or was it something in particular about this city itself? Was there something he didn't know about?? He wasn't aware of the history revolving around it...About anything really. Anything that told of such things were kept under tight lock and key within the castle...

Syrus' thoughts stopped right there.

The castle.

If there was any place to learn more about this country...This city, it would be there, at the heart of it all. He was certain there was a library within it, or so he vaguely recalled hearing such a rumor from somewhere.

But...Even thinking about trying to waltz right into the castle was hard to imagine.

Walking right into the Queen Bee's nest, figuratively speaking.

Getting in would be difficult, but manageable somehow...However, getting out was another story entirely, not to mention navigating throughout it and somehow stumbling upon that very library.

Syrus was never fond of the word, but that seemed like it just might be downright impossible.

Still...With risk, came progress, as the saying went. Syrus had to take risks, or he would get nowhere. He wouldn't get to the bottom of this without taking a leap.

With that thought, his mind was made up.

"What's with that look on your face?"

The sudden voice as he turned around the corner nearly had Syrus jumping right out of his own fur.

Leaning against the wall, closest to the stairs was Cai, casting Syrus a quizzical glance.

"I know that look. What are you up to?"

...Sharp, wasn't he? It took all of Syrus' willpower to not flick his ears back in response. He didn't want to give any further indication that he was brewing something not so savory.

"I was just worrying about some things...A lot has happened recently, huh?" He smiled innocently, maintaining eye contact. "I was just planning on heading to bed in the hopes of getting my mind off of things." He added in. "Do you mind letting my old man know? It's kinda hard walking up and down the stairs right now."

Silence. Syrus found himself unintentionally holding his breath without realizing it, wondering if Cai was going to buy it.

"...Alright then. Get good rest." Cai finally replied as he pushed himself off of the wall and headed downstairs without another word.

And Syrus let out that breath he hadn't known he was holding, relief flooding him. He had to count his blessings this time around, though he did feel a prickle of guilt stab at his chest.

I'm sorry. He apologized mentally, feeling bad about lying, but...He just couldn't involve the others in this. This was for him to figure out. Him, and him alone. He'd already come to his decision, and he didn't want to drag them down with him yet again.

When it was later in the night, he would sneak out of the house.

Then, he would get his answers.