All Good Things

When Raishun awoke, he was back in his house. He tried to rise only to collapse back onto the couch he was on as pain wracked his body. Memories of his fight with Castor came rushing back, and he tried to distract himself by looking around. It turned out to be a mistake, as Castor, Yona and Carmila all stood around him. Shame burned painfully in his stomach, and he looked away from them.

"How long-"

"About two hours." Carmila replied in a soft voice, "Castor brought you here, but she wouldn't leave your side even when we told her you'd be alright." She gestured to Morgan, who was sleeping peacefully in a nearby chair.

The presence of the young girl put a smile on his face. He was touched that he'd managed to leave such an impact on her.

"You put up a good fight," Yona said while leaning against her fiance. "It's been a long time since I've last seen him get so fired up during a fight. I don't think he'll forget it any time soon." As if to prove her point, she pressed her palm against his chest, causing the older man to wince and hiss in pain.

"Ouch! Cut it out!" He shimmied away from her touch and looked at his pupil with cold resolve. "Since you're the loser, tradition dictates that I can make my request. I'll spare you the suspense and just make it now if it's all the same to you."

Raishun gulped and forced himself to his feet. Closing his eyes, he prepared himself to receive whatever punishment came to Castor's mind. [Maybe he'll have me take over all the patrols for a week. Or even worse, I might end up having to clean his mess of a storeroom.]

"I want you to leave Dadabarunga."

The words sent Raishun's stomach plummeting to the soles of his feet. With glossy eyes, he looked up at his teacher in disbelief. "What?" He said in a trembly voice.

"CASTOR!"

Yona quickly slapped the older man in his chest hard, causing him to fall to the ground in pain. With an apologetic smile, she patted the young man's back.

"Don't mind him; he's still a little upset you broke him out of his Imperial Form." She sighed and looked at him compassionately, "We do want you to leave, but not for the reasons you think."

She reached down and painfully tugged Castor to his feet by his ear, all without looking away from Raishun.

"We talked it over, and from what you've told us, it sounds like you were never officially expelled from Beacon. We want you to go back, get proper education from people other than Castor. You have an opportunity none of us here in Dadabarunga could even dream of."

"And when you're done-- OWWWAH!!" Castor cried out as he pulled free from Yona's grasp. He reached a hand up to nurse his aching ear before continuing, "When you're done, you can come back home."

He reached forward and tousled Raishun's hair affectionately, a boisterous grin plastered across his face. "Don't think of this as a goodbye. Think of it as going off to college… which is technically what it is, but you get the point! Besides, we got you some gifts to keep you from getting lonely."

Yona stepped forward and handed him a bundle of tightly folded clothing. When Raishun unwrapped it, he discovered it was the capelet he'd worn when he'd first arrived in Remnant. The multiple holes and tears had been stitched back together so cleanly that it was as if they never happened in the first place. The yellow trim had been replaced with a golden colored one, that matched the color of his semblance. In addition to the repairs, strips of silver-coloured leather had been sewn into the shoulders to provide lightweight protection.

"It took a little longer to fix than we thought, but she's better than new. We even added a hidden pocket in the back in case you want to keep something small on hand."

"It's fantastic, Yona. I don't know what to say!" Raishun moved to embrace her, but Castor stepped in between them. He pridefully twirled before presenting him with a bag that seemed to be near bursting with small gold coins.

"I didn't know what to get you, so here's some Lien. A boy needs an allowance… that, and I forgot to pay you for helping with patrols." Castor laughed, much to the chagrin of his fiance, who looked close to hitting him again.

It took Raishun a moment to notice Carmila standing sheepishly in the corner of his vision, doing her best to stay out of the commotion. She was hiding something behind her back and kept shifting her weight from foot to foot nervously.

"You alright, Carmila?" He asked, concerned for his friend.

"I-I'm alright." She sucked in a deep breath, then held out both her hands for him to see. It was a golden ring much too large to fit on a finger, yet about the right size to fit on one's ankle or upper arm. He held it up to the light in wonder and noticed it was similar to what the other three wore around their necks.

"It's beautiful! Did you make this?"

Carmila nodded while playing with her thumbs.

[What's she so nervous about?] He fiddled with it for a moment but couldn't figure out how to put it on. "You mind helping me put it on?"

"Huh!?! Okay!" Taking the ring from him, she circled behind him and closed it around his throat. To his surprise, it didn't feel tight and constricting like his armlet. It was comfortable, roomy almost.

"It's a perfect fit!" He smiled while holding a hand to the golden band. "Now I'm like all of you."

He looked at the trio, first in joy, then in confusion. Castor and Yona stared slack-jawed at him. Castor, in particular, seemed to be experiencing something between rage and joy.

"C-Carmila!?! That's a-..." In a dumbfounded state, he turned to his sister in law, "Does he know what --"

"Shhh!! Don't tell him!" Carmila shushed him by throwing her hands in front of his mouth. She looked at him with more confidence than Raishun had seen her exhibit the entire time he'd known her. "I'll tell him when I'm ready."

The red-haired man scrunched up his face in thought, then let out a confused cry, and hunched over in defeat. "If that's what you want…" When he looked up again, there was a playful glint in his eyes.

Before any of them could react, he pulled them all together closely and gestured towards the far wall. The loud sound of a shutter snapping closed filled the room, and Raishun saw a scroll set up on a high shelf, the camera directed at them.

"Just a little picture so you don't forget all of us here." He walked over, plucking his scroll from the shelf and fiddling around with it. "It's to keep you humble. Just cause you've got an education doesn't mean I'll be any easier to beat you got that?"

Turning to Carmila, he gestured out towards the backyard with a grin.

"Why don't you take Raishun into the Forever Fall. I hear some students are gonna be having a field trip there. It's the perfect place for our little Legion to make his big reappearance!"

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Carmila killed the engine in the middle of the forest. Wherever Raishun looked, swathes of orange leaves seemed to fall in a never-ending rain. It was beautiful in its own way, and he couldn't help but be enraptured by the surroundings.

"We're here," Carmila said with a hint of sadness in her voice.

Raishun reluctantly hopped off the silver motorcycle and shook the fallen leaves off the hood of his capelet.

"Looks like this is goodbye for a bit." He replied with a sad grin, "I'll make sure to let you know when I get settled in. That way, we can plan our little trip to the city."

"You best not forget. Otherwise, I'll never forgive you."

"You can rest easy. I always keep my promises." He said before moving into the forest. He hadn't taken more than ten steps when he heard Carmila call out to him once more.

"Raishun!" She yelled, gesturing for him to return. "You've got dirt on your new cape already! What would Yona say if she saw you treat her gift that way!"

"What? No way! It hasn't rained in weeks, how in the hell…?" He jogged back to her and allowed her to brush him off. "Urgh. I don't know how I'm gonna survive without you looking out for me, Carmila-"

The words caught in his throat as Carmila leaned over and pressed her lips against his cheek. They lingered for a moment before she pulled away, face flushed with embarrassment.

"Car-... I… uh-..." He scrambled to form a sentence. His heart thumped loudly in his chest, and his cheeks felt like they were on fire.

She giggled at his confusion and wiped a tear from her eye. "Now you have a reason to come back home. Don't keep us waiting too long now." She revved the engine and quickly rode off back the way they'd come.

Raishun watched her leave until she was nothing more than a speck on the horizon. Cupping his cheek with one hand, he took a deep breath to steady himself before walking into the forest.