Lost Souls (Riin/Delerie - NC-17)

[Riin]

The forest was quiet save for the wind rustling the leaves and the rain pelting rippeled surface of the lake. Riin stood on the water's edge, quietly watching the rain make thousands of splashes in the water. He'd been standing like that for hours, ever since he had run out of the house after the officer had delivered the news: Irin was dead.

{Flashback} (Riin came downstairs as a knock sounded on the front door. Seeing that his mother was already answering it, he made a beeline for the kitchen instead. Quickly making a cup of tea, he hissed as he gulped down the scalding contents, waving his hands at his mouth to cool it off. His sister sneered at him from her seat at the counter. "You can be a total dumbass, you know? " she taunted. He just glared at her, opening his mouth to retort, but their father chose that moment to enter the room. Grinning smugly at Riin, Niri left the room, leaving her brother wishing he could bore holes in her head with his eyes.

Snagging an apple of the table, Riin left the room too, but came to a stop when he saw his mother in a heap on the living room floor. He could tell she was crying by the way her shoulders were shaking and by the shaky gasps coming from her mouth. Though Riin didn't care too much for his parents, he wasn't completely heartless. Tentatively stepping forward, he kneeled down next to her. "Mom?" he asked gently. "What's wrong?"

Niri and Mr. Connelly entered the room, both instantly moving to console the woman on the floor. Finally, she stifled her sobs enough to lift her face and wail, "My son is dead!" {End Flashback}

The memory of that life-altering sentence repeated in Riin's mind over and over again. His brother had been walking home from work when a drunk driver had taken a turn to sharply and struck Irin. The EMTs said he had died on impact. Riin had bolted from the house as fast as he could. He didn't want to believe it, but his brother was gone. His blind running finally brought hime to he and Irin's favorite fishing spot.

It had started raining shortly after he left the house, but he didn't care, it suited his mood perfectly and it hid the tears that fought their way down his face.
His clothes were completely soaked through, and he was freezing even though he was wearing three layers of shirts, a long-sleeve tee, a band shirt and short-sleeved zip-up over that. His cut-off black denim shorts were mud-splattered from his many stumbles while running through the trees. He clenched his eyes closed and felt the hot tears burning behind them. Reopening them, he looked down at the apple he still held in his hand. Suddenly, all of his pain and anguish welled up inside him, coming out in an enraged cry as he flung the fruit as hard as he could into the lake.

"Why?" he screamed. He repeated it again and again to himslef as he collapsed on the rock beneath him, his tears finally spilling freely down his cheeks, mingling with raindrops already there. "I have nothing left to live for." he thought miserably.

[delerie]

The ship was more quiet than he wanted it to be. There were little shifts, or a squeaking every now and then, but that was the normal settling that always went along with a night aboard his tiny little ship. He’d entered the strange atmosphere only that evening, and even if he’d felt the usual excitement to start a new journey, the zercan hadn’t ventured out on his own just yet. It was supposed to get light and pretty on this planet. He wanted to see it in all of its glory, its splendor. Besides, according to the Ai onboard, the water splattering against his ship was rain. Delarie had never really liked the rain. Sure, when he was a kit he used to play in it, or run around half naked to chase his older brothers, but now….now the rain was just depressing.

He sighed and paced the cockpit of the hunk of metal, twisting silver hair between his fingers. That was it…he couldn’t take this. He was a cat, and he had been cooped up in the limited space for way to long. Earth sounded pretty neat-backwater planet that it was-and he was eager to see it. The Zercan gathered up a raincoat and boots. The latter were hide from an animal on Zerca and zippered up sides. His shorts were old-strings hanging down from where he’d cut them to shorten their length. Delarie secured his hair back in a short ponytail and sighed. Well..time to go out.

He hadn’t expected the wet leaves of stifling trees, nor the forest his ship had landed in. He wanted people and…someone who knew where he was and where he should go! The Zercan ended up getting himself lost, with no way to know which way was back in this darkness. It was like the darkness on Jeskara. Deep and unyielding. The Zercan didn’t see the dip in the land coming up, nor were his boots very stable to be worn in wet weather. He went down as soon as the ground disappeared from under he feet. He let out a cry, grabbing for something, only to miss. Delarie rolled head over heels down the hill, landing in a puddle of mud and grime. He coughed and winced, feeling over his side. Just great….that would bruise… A stick had snagged his jacket, tearing a large hole in the side, and his hood had fallen off. The rain was enough that by the time he pulled the hood back up, his silver hair was soaked and curling behind his ears.

Why him? Why??? He should’ve brought that watch that he always kept onboard!! It would’ve been able to help him! The short, slight Zercan pushed himself to his feet and angrily tried swiping clumps of mud off, all in vain, of course. He ended up walking, looking around, more lost and scared than he’d ever been in his life, though he wouldn’t admit it. “Hello,” he yelled, wiping water from his eyes. Maybe he’d gotten it wrong…maybe Earth was all plants and no inhabitants…but then..no, that was wrong. Plenty of Zercans and other species had mates from Earth so….

He whimpered pitifully and stomped through the brush, crying out when he sunk into water up to just above his waist. N..now where was he??? All he could see in the darkness was black water on either side of him.

[Riin]

Riin sat on the hard ground, uncaring about the rain pouring down. His tears had ceased to fall some time ago, and now he just sat quietly, enjoying the peace around him. Sighing, he looked around and noticed how dark it had become.

"I guess I'd better get home before they start to worry. Ha, like that would ever happen," he thought ruefully. He stood up and started his long trek home. Riin pushed his way through the trees and brush, carefully skirting around the many pools that surrounded the lake. While many of them were shallow, he didn't want to chance falling into a deep one.

Ten minutes later he was still forcing his way through the forest. "Geez, why did I have to run so far in this weather?" Riin stumbled and got his shirt caught on a branch. "Great," he mumbled. Pulling himself free, he was about continue on when he heard a sharp cry not too far away. He paused and listened for the sound again, thinking it could have been an animal. After several moments, he turned to where the sound came from."That definitely sounded like a person!" he decided. Making his way in the direction of the cry, he peered into the darkness, trying to see anything besides trees, but the rain and the darkness hindered his vision.

"Hello?" he shouted. "Is anyone there?" He stopped his search and waited for an answer. "If there is someone out here, I hope I'm not too late," he thought.

[delerie]

Delarie began to struggle. The mud on the bottom had sucked his boots down, adhering the slight Zercan to the bottom of the lake. He splashed around, miserable and half crying, before he gave up, beating the surface of the water with his fists, sobbing. The Zercan froze…was that..? It was, wasn’t it? Someone was calling out, an earthling! The Zercan opened his mouth to scream, to cry out for help again. Instead, something cold and scaly slithered up against him.

He paused, fear crawling into his belly, and let out a horrified, disgusted scream of agony. “Help, oh Zerca! It’s going to eat me, I’m going to die! Help, Help, please!!!” He struggled even more, clawing at his rain jacket, splashing to get the creature away.

[Riin]

Riin didn't have to wait long for an answer. He soon heard a strangled scream and frantic splashing not too far away. "Hold on I'm coming!" he shouted. He hurried through the trees, and soon enough he came upon a figure waist deep in a murky pool, flailing in the water with panic written all over his face.

Not finding anything nearby that he could throw to the person in distress, Riin gripped the base of a tree trunk and slid into the pool. He discovered what was causing the stranger so much panic: a large snake. Probably investigating the foreign object splashing in its territory. It was perfectly harmless, but the other obviously wasn't aware of that fact.

"Calm down! It's okay, I've got you," he reassured the the other boy. Encircling his chest with his arm, Riin pulled the boy out of the water, feeling the suction of the muddy bottom on the other's shoes. Once Riin had him safely out of the water, he gently set him down on solid ground. "Are you okay?" he asked.

[delerie]

Delarie dug his feet into the muddy ground, half sobbing, half trying not to eat the hair hanging down by his mouth now. “N…no!” He cried, scrubbing at his face-in vain, of course. With the way the rain was still coming down, it didn’t matter if he had been crying or not, no one could see. “It…it touched me. What was it?? Oh Zerca, it felt horrible and it was cold, a-a…and I’m lost, I wa…w…wanna go home.” He hiccupped pitifully, feeling like a small child all over again. This human must think him terribly stupid.

After a second of standing perfectly still, his clothes half coming off because of the water they’d soaked up, he calmed. He took deep breaths, the tears no longer coming. Delarie noticed one of his boots had come off. His foot was bare and muddy, his toes aching from the cold water. “I’m…I’m fine, thanks. For saving me…” He sighed and pushed back silver hair that had turned a deep, dull gray.

[Riin]

Riin blinked, surprised at the sudden change in composure of the other boy. "Poor guy, he must be in shock," Riin thought. He looked at the stranger sympethetically, offering him a little smile. "It was a water snake," he said, answering the other's question. "They're harmless. It was probably just curious about the intruder in its home."

Taking in the boy's appearance, he noticed the small frame, icy blue eyes, and strange silvery-gray hair. "I don't think I've ever seen him before. He must not be from around here," Riin thought. "I haven't seen you around before, you must be new here. Do you need someone to show you around? I'm Riin , by the way," he said, offering his hand to the silver-haired boy.

[delerie]

Delerie raised his eyes, staring at the humans hand. He was zercan, more superior to the other. This….boy was a mere earthling, from the backwater planet no less. But…..he’d just saved him so…”I just got here, and I…I would like someone to show me around. My name is Delerie,” he murmured, still looking at the hand. After a second he lifted his own, pressing his fingers to the others.

“Why do you stick your hand out? I have nothing to repay you for saving my life..” The zercan was confused, curious…He studied the others hand, the strong lines of his lean fingers and the palms. ’Some Earthling custom perhaps?’ He was puzzled and intrigued all at the same time. Delarie forgot about the rain, even the slight shivering that overtook his body from the cold.

[Riin]

Riin was about to laugh, but the genuine puzzlement on the other's face told him he wasn't kidding. "Is he for real?" "Oh, uhhh...it's called a hand shake. It's a gesture of friendliness or respect when you meet someone," Riin explained awkwardly. Dropping his hand, he stuffed them both in his pockets. "Hmmmm...you say you just got here, Delerie? Do have anyplace to go or to stay?" He looked down at Delerie's soaking clothes and shoe. "Or a change of clothing? You're welcome to come to my house if you want."

Riin wasn't sure why, but he liked this strange boy. It was like he felt a connection to him. "But how is that possible? I just met him!"He looked at Delerie expectantly, waiting for an answer. Suddenly remebering something Delerie had said, he asked, "Uh, if you don't mind my asking, what's a 'zerca'?" he looked at Delerie curiously.

[delerie]

Delerie looked at his own soaked clothes and shrugged. What harm could come from going to this boys house? “Alright..I suppose I could stay until I know what I’m doing.” He was still mystified by the handshaking. On zerca, a handshake was the sign of a bond-the finding of ones mate. Delerie could not clasp hands with some stranger if he were not his mate.

“A..a Zerca? Oh…Zerca is my home plan….um, town. It’s where I come from.” Planet??? Ha! Like he was going to spill that information to an earthling. He’d heard the stories of studies they preformed on other beings. He wasn’t going there, no way. But if he didn’t get dry soon , he was going to shift, and that in itself would give him away. “C..can we go now? It’s cold..” He held his ruined raincoat to his body, trying n vain to keep water out.

[Riin]

"Yeah, let's go. Follow me." Riin led the way out of the maze of a forest, and finally got them to the main road that headed for town. "Zerca, hmmmm. Never heard of it. Must in a different country or something," Riin thought. Shrugging it off, he started them off at a fast pace so as to get home quickly. He glanced over at Delerie and frowned when he found him shivering and shaking. There wasn't much he could do though, he didn't grab a jacket when he ran from the house.

He thought of the lengthy walk ahead of them, it would take at least fifteen minutes to get to his house. Knowing he wouldn't be able to stand the silence between them for that long, he decided to ask Delerie some questions to break the ice, and to keep their minds off the cold. "So, Delerie, are you here by yourself, or did you come with anyone? Are you on a family vacation or something?" Riin asked as he pushed his sopping hair out of his eyes.

[delerie]

Delarie shook his head, hair flying. “I…I’m alone,” he murmured. He reached up, feeling through his hair. When had he lost the ponytail for his hair? Must’ve been when he rolled the hill…..Stupid hill..He could feel scratches stinging in the water on his bare legs. Why had he worn such shorts? They clung to his body, the wet denim heavy and slipping. He had to hold them to his thin hips, wanting to curse out loud at their uncooperative incompetence. Which would’ve been stupid since they were inanimate objects.

“My…my parents and brothers are back on…um, in Zerca. They sent me here for…f..for um, studying!” Yeah, that was it. He was studying the species of each planet he went, trying to pick out one that his parents would be proud to have as family. Of course….Delarie was just so darn stubborn, that he doubted he’d get there. Still, he held hopes-very hidden hopes. “What about you? Do you live alone, or with your family?” Most Zercan kits left home when they came of age, either to find a mate or pursue a job. Was it the same on Earth? He wasn’t sure and blinked in the rain, glad the cat-like slits of his pupils were hidden by the darkness of the night.

[Riin]

Riin sighed. "I live with my family, if you could even call them that. My parents don't give a damn about me and my younger sister is a whiney little brat who looks down on me like I'm some inferior being to her. The only one who ever cared is...I mean, was, my older brother Irin." His voice trailed off as he thought about his brother. "But now he's gone," Riin said quietly.

Riin walked in sullen silence beside Delerie after that. "Was it really only a few hours ago that I heard of Irin's...death?" He thought sadly, still not wanting to believe what he had thought would be impossible. He felt the tears prickling at the back of his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. Granted, the rain would hide them from the boy beside him, but it would still be embarrassing to start crying in front of a virtual stranger.

Regaining control of his emotions, Riin peered into the darkness and could finally make out the outline of his house. Sighing in relief, he turned to his companion. "We're finally here!"

[delerie]

Delarie looked at him, feeling…sad somehow. So this human had recently lost a family member? He was quiet for the longest time and the zercan didn’t know what to say. Finally, the boy turned to him, looking slightly happier.

“We are? Good,” he sighed in relief, wiggling his bare toes. “We can go in now, right? I’m cold….” He turned his face to the house, finding it welcoming if not strange. It was like no Zercan house he was used to.

((Sorry it's short >_< I'll do better next time, swear!!))

[Riin]

Nodding, Riin led Delerie up the driveway while fumbling in his soaking pockets for his key. With some difficulty, he pulled it out and unlocked the door to the garage. "Hmmm, the car is gone," he thought. Then he remembered, they went to the hospital to see... Shaking his head to wipe the image of Irin's dead body from his mind, he grasped the handle of the inner door, and opened it for Delerie.

"Home sweet home," Riin muttered sarcastically. He shut the door behind them and began turning on lights in the house. Grabbing a towel from the linen closet, he tossed it to Delerie. "Here, you can dry off in the bathroom with this, it's just down that hall, second door to the left. I'll put the kettle on for tea while I see if I can find some pajamas that will fit you."

With that, Riin headed for the kitchen and began boiling water on the stove. When that was all set, he wandered to the laundry room and pawed through a basket of clean pajamas. Pulling out a nice, warm pair, he inspected their size and compared them to Delerie. "No doubt they'll be big on him, but the pants have a drawsting, so that's ok. Not much I can do about the shirt..." Shrugging, he grabbed them and a pair of socks and made his way back to the other boy.

((It's okies, lol ^-^))