Unlikely Heroes

Chapter 29

Everyone that was standing around, including Simon, continued their track back to the small base outside the city. The two soldiers gently picked Rufioh up and carried him to the small medical tent in the base.

The doctor they had with them quickly worked on Rufioh's leg. Rufioh had already lost so much blood he passed out. He looked over at the door and saw Sollux standing there, that was the last thing he saw before everything went black.

Rufioh woke up the next day with Simon, Ajax, and Sollux around him. He quickly sat up and looked around. "What happened??"

"You blacked out." Ajax explained. "Glad to see you're awake now, kid."

"Is everyone okay?" Rufioh asked.

"Yeah, we got most of the hostages to safe cities. There are only two left to bring anywhere. Does he have a home?" Ajax pointed to Sollux, who was staring at the ground blankly.

"sont Terezi et Latula toujours à la recherche après que vous? Où sont-elles? (Are Terezi and Latula still looking after you? Where are they?)" Rufioh asked to Sollux, after poking him.

"ils sont encore. seulement Psiiya a été capturé et tué dans la ville. ils ne sont pas là à l'époque. (They are still. Only Psiiya was caught and killed in the city. They were not around at the time." Sollux explained, taking Rufioh's hand that was missing a finger.

"Okay..." Rufioh nodded. "He has someone to stay with in a town near the base. I can take him there." He tried to get up, but both Simon and Ajax jumped up and made him sit back down. "What?"

"You shouldn't get up. Just stay in bed. Have you seen your foot??" Simon soundly slightly annoyed.

"No...? Why?" Rufioh looked down at his bandaged leg and foot. He noticed his foot was about half the size of the other.

"You're lucky it didn't blow your whole leg off. Only the top part of your foot." Simon crossed his arms.

"I at least saved your life!" Rufioh argued.

"I realize that, Rufioh! You saved it twice!" Simon put a hand on Rufioh's head. He noticed the hand that Sollux was holding. "What happened to your finger?"

"Oh..." Rufioh looked down at his hand, it was being clutched tightly by Sollux. He noticed that Sollux was rubbing his missing finger. "I got caught by the gestapo and was...uh...tortured...th-they uh, cut it off...." Rufioh stuttered more and more as he spoke. It was his and tavros' nervous tic.

"It's alright, Rufioh..." Simon sat down beside his son and pulled him into a hug.

"I-I know..." Rufioh kept stuttering, looking down at Sollux.

"You don't. You're stuttering." Simon pointed out.

"They d-did the same thing! They, uh, tied my hand above my head! I th-thought they were going t-to do the same thing!" Rufioh squeezed sollux's hand.

"vous blesser ma main!!(you're hurting my hand)" Sollux exclaimed, freeing his hand.

"So- Pardon!" Rufioh let go of sollux's hand.

"You aren't going to go back! You're fine." Simon said quietly.

"I-I was scared!"

"I know you were! You're fine now!"

Rufioh let out a large sigh and looked over at Simon. "Espero que te das cuenta de que todo esto fue causado por usted..(I hope you realize that all of this was caused by you)"

"You know it wasn't! Don't try to pin that on me! How was I suppose to know?" Simon argued.

"Me ven obligados a inscribirse.(you forced me to sign up)" Rufioh glared at Simon.