"Yoi!" Clancy called as she walked around the downstairs. "Yoi! Come out, we just want to talk!" She searched every hiding place she could think of, from under the stairs to behind the dryer in the laundry room. But Yoi was nowhere to be found.

     "Nothing yet?" Sky's anxious voice came from behind Clancy as she was looking in the cabinets of the bookshelf. She straightened up and glared at him. "Clearly not. I've searched the whole house, she's not inside. You're coming with me to check outside." she snapped, her tone indicating no would not be taken as an answer.

     Sky nodded, and the two of them headed outside, and then split up, both of them calling for Yoi as they searched around the house.

~

     Thud thud thud

     His footsteps thudded against the dry Earth as he continued to sprint toward the house. Toward her.

  Then suddenly, he stopped. The pull of a greater, closer, emotion was coming from the woods to his right. Along with the strong emotion came a sense of... Familiarity. Eyes widening, he realized who it was, and turned, mid-stride, as intent on his new path as the old.

     Only a few minutes later, so fast did he run, he was fast approaching her. He slowed down, and became silent, not wanting to scare the young girl.

     Yoi huddled closer to the tree's base, thick as the entwining roots were, she could still hear someone close by. She clung to the old and faded squid plushie  that she'd placed there so long ago, staying silent in an effort to make whoever was out there go away.

     As he slowly approached the thicket of tangled tree branches, the man could barely make out the small but defined shape of a small girl. One he has not seen since... He shook his head, banishing the memory. "Yoi? Come out, I'm not going to hurt you, I promise. Someone's out looking for you, aren't they?"

     Yoi clung more to her plushie, terrified. "Go a-away!" she yelled, or rather, tried to yell. It came out more of a shriek. "Leave m-me al-alone!"

     The man sat down beside the tree roots, puzzled. Did Yoi not remember him...?

  Then, he had an idea. Softly, he starting humming a lullaby. One he sang to Yoi and another so long ago. After a few minutes, he began singing.

Hush little ones, the sky is asleep
Do not let fall your tears and weep

Great are the shadows,
Gone is the light
Here rest your head,
Do not have fright

You are my angel,
You are my sun
And when day comes again
Together we'll run

Run from here, to anywhere
Maybe climb a tree
And pick some pears
But for now, it's time to sleep

And tomorrow I'll see you again...

Yoi, only a mere toddler at the time, smiled gently, yawned, and started to drift off. "_____?"
     "Yes, my little pet?"
  "You're the best in the world. You and ___. _____ and I couldn't ask for better."

He smiled, and rested on hand on her head. "Thank you, pet. Now you need to join your sister in slumber, I'll see you both tomorrow. Alright?"
She nodded, and closed her eyes obediently, conscious that her sister, who laid beside her, was already fast asleep.

The man stood, and walked to the door, glancing back at the two once more. "Goodnight, pet. Goodnight, star. Sleep well." And with that, he left, the door closing silently behind him.

     Yoi blinked, the memory bringing down her guard so fast it was as if it was never there. "Who a-are you?" she whispered, peering up at the man with the large purple wings.

     "... I can't tell you that. But if you'll come with me, I'll bring you back to Sky. Wouldn't that be fun? Seeing Sky again?" Even just uttering the name brought an ache in his voice. It had been long since he'd seen Sky...

     Yoi shook her head. "No! Sky isn't a g-good pe-person!" She knew she had to go back eventually, but she needed time to think. What Sky had done to her friend... It was a lot to process.

     He frowned, looking at Yoi in confusion. "What do you mean? Sky is a wonderful man." Briefly he considered the idea that he'd lost control of his powers again, but it had been nearly a hundred years since that last happened. It couldn't possibly be the reason...

     Yoi shook her head. "N-no! He di-did something t-to my f-friend... She c-couldn't see m-me. Her f-face... It was c-calm. Se-serene. Ca-cassia nev-never looks lik-like t-that! And then h-he got m-mad at me... I r-ran here, to m-my safe s-spot." Yoi glared at the man, a hint of fire in her eyes. "I-is that w-what you want? T-to do t-that to m-me?"

     The expression of complete and utter shock on the man's face confused Yoi. Was he not here for that? "Yoi... I would never." he said hoarsely. "Not in a million years. What Sky did to your friend," His gut was telling him Yoi didn't know yet, and he knew the consequences of telling her. "wasn't right, and he KNOWS that. Did you let him explain why he did that? Or did you just run off?"

     Yoi looked down, a little ashamed. "H-he hurt m-my fr-friend. He w-was ang-angry with me... I d-didn't w-want to l-listen to him..." She glanced back up at the winged man. "I me-messed up, di-didn't I?"

     He shook his head. "No, Yoi. Sky messed up, not you. Now, if we go together and meet him, I'm sure we can talk some sense into him, alright? He's not an unreasonable man, I promise. There's an explanation for all of this waiting for you with Sky."

     Yoi thought about it a minute, absentmindedly petting the squid plushie. "I g-guess I co-could go back t-to Sky. B-but you h-have to come t-too!" She added, her voice insistent. She didn't want to face Sky alone, and for some reason this ragged and injured stranger brought with him a sense of peace. Of familiarity. Of what, she couldn't even begin to fathom.

     The man nodded, and held out a hand to Yoi. She accepted it, and grabbed his with her free hand. The other hand continued to cling to her stuffed squid. Rough, battle worn, and covered in thin scars, his hand all but concealed hers. But neither minded, and as he helped her from the tangled roots, he couldn't help but see a small smile grace Yoi's face.

~

      Yoi, normally so quiet, was chattering more than usual. She asked the man about everything from his scars to his wings, hardly letting him get out an answer. She wasn't sure why, she knew she had her reasons for staying silent. But this man... He made her feel safe. Almost like returning home after a long journey.

     "Yoi." He spoke, cutting her off in the middle of her asking about the purple glow of his eyes. She fell silent and looked up at him. "We're here, Yoi. Look, there's Sky." He used his free hand to point towards a figure a little ways away, but halted in his tracks where he was. "Do you want to go over there alone, or do you want me to come with you?"

     Yoi glanced between the pacing figure of Sky and the man that gave her a sense of home, considering. "I... I'd l-like it i-if you w-would co-come with m-me. I d-don't want t-to face Sky al-alone." Her grip on his hand tightened, she didn't want him slipping off without her.

     "Alright." He sighed, and glanced back toward the brine, his body language loosening as he realized that this was the moment he had been waiting for. He wondered how Sky would react, they hadn't seen each other in close to 16 years. "Let's go meet Sky."

     And off they set, getting closer and closer. Yoi could feel the man trembling as they approached, and only when they stopped a few feet away from Sky did he speak again.
"Hello, Sky."

     Sky froze, sure he was imagining things. It couldn't be... Slowly, he turned around, and what he saw made him catch his breath.

     "... Ty?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WOO BOY WAS THAT ONE HELL OF A CHAPTER TO WRITE

AND A LONG TIME COMING TO!

For real tho, I really loved writing this chapter. It introduced a character Kiya and I have been talking about for a while, and added some nice feels to boot!

Hope y'all liked it ^-^

~©@$$/@

kawaiiKiya29
ShadeFinder
BeccaWise4

:D