Fire and Ash

Found Me

Natsuo's Flashback

Fifteen-year-old Natsuo stands on his family's back porch, staring out into the trees. It wasn't something unusual for him to do, but that specific night he noticed something out the window that caught his eye. It was the sight of a pink hoodie flashing through the trees, disappearing as quickly as he saw it. He wanted to play it off as his imagination, but something in his gut told him otherwise. So here he is, staring out where he saw the pink hoodie.

After a while, he's about to give up, until he sees the colour pink again. Looking around to make sure his family isn't around, he takes off in that direction, not caring that his lungs were refusing to fill.

Soon he catches sight of a kid in a pink hoodie, and he uses the last of his energy to tackle her to the ground. He wasn't a big kid but compared to the kid he was. Turning them over, the first thing he notices is her fangs. He jumps a bit but observes the face to see a blonde girl with piercing golden eyes. She looks like a girl younger version of Hawks with fangs, and it was earth-shattering, "Who are you?" he breathes out.

To his surprise, she giggles, "You finally found me."

He's stunned at her reaction, his face crunching up in wonder, "Found you?"

"Toga, where are you?"

All the blood rushes from his face, as he lifts his head to come face to face with a man with black hair and deep purple scars. His first reaction isn't fear, but sudden anger he can't explain. The voice was recognizable, and he wouldn't mistake it for anyone else. It was the voice that belonged to his brother who ran away a year and a half ago.

With his jaw slack, eyes gleaming in shock, Natsuo speaks, "Touya?"

The man jerks back, a breath escaping his mismatched lips. He stares down at the grinning girl, "Toga, what the fuck? I said to stay out of sight if you were going to come with me!"

Natsuo doesn't know how to compute seeing his missing brother with a new appearance and a small girl. The first thing that slips from his mouth is, "Is she Hawks' and your secret love child, or something?"

Touya lets out a raspy laugh, doubling over, "Ha! Jesus, Natsu. Is that seriously the first thing you say to your brother after a year and a half? If she was my kid I would have had her at eight."

Natsuo still doesn't know how to take the whole situation, his mind not catching up with his eyes, "Are you really Touya?"

The man's lips form in a line, his eyes relaxing, "Yeah, Natsu it's me."

"Does Hawks know you're alive?" It was the first thing Natsuo can think to ask, knowing that the man would be so happy that his best friend was alive, "Oh my god, he's gonna kick your ass."

"No, he doesn't. And he's not going to."

Natsuo's face pales, "Why not? He's been searching for you ever since you left. You didn't even wait for him before leaving. He has to know."

"I'm not going to tell him, and neither are you. You can't tell him, Natsu."

Anger swells up inside him, "What do you mean you're not going to tell him? Touya, you left him behind, and now you can't even face him? That's not fair!"

Touya sighs, "He can't know. He's never going to forgive me, and I can't face him. I can't go back, and he can't follow me. He needs to move on and forget about me."

Natsuo picks himself up then helps the girl stand, "Hawks will never be able to move on unless he knows you're alive and you know that."

"He already has moved on, he's becoming a hero isn't he?"