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The cavern around him is burning. Junjie sees it all, hears the screams of the humans and slugs and all the creatures that live there, and knows that he caused every second of their pain. Against his will, another wave of his hand sends his Infernus in a circle of destruction, as the creature controlling his every motion perches on his shoulder and pours sickening encouragement in his ear, and the voice of the slug is somehow the voice of the Emperor.
As Junjie sees his friends’ agonized faces charred by the flames, the creature’s laughter becomes his own, and the heat becomes unbearable…
He opens his eyes. He’s lying on his bedroll, and the heat truly does come from the slug circling his head, not burning him, just giving off enough heat to pull him from sleep.
Eli Shane stands over him, arms folded. “The Goon Doc show up in your dreams again?”
Junjie sits up. “Unfortunately so. Sometimes old wounds reopen.” Especially when their bearer has come face to face, in every sense, not only with the source of those injuries but also with far greater ones, some of which he himself has inflicted. “Thank you for waking me.”
“Thank Joo-Joo,” Eli says with a grin. “He’s the one who came to let me know little Timmy was trapped in the well.” Junjie stares at him blankly, as the slug in question chirps affectionately. “Never mind.”
“Now that we’re awake, I was wondering if you’d join me for a sparring session?”
“I thought you’d never ask,” Eli says, and goes off to find his blaster.
-
After Junjie has helped Eli to his feet, the two of them grab saddlebags and leave their sleeping place in search of breakfast. Junjie points out which leaves are edible, but it is Eli who notices the dropped husks from a familiar tree. “Can you eat those?” he asks, prodding one with his toe.
“We can. If my memory serves me, they are delicious.” Junjie’s memory does not serve him as well as he might like, but - and perhaps he can credit the residual energy from their duel - he is feeling reasonably at peace right now, and does not wish to disrupt it by following that line of thought. When Eli grabs a low bough and hoists himself up, Junjie remarks, “I assumed that you were going to ask your slugs to knock down some of the fruit.”
“Yeah, but it’s more fun to climb.” Eli glances down at him. “Oh, wait, I forgot - you don’t know what ‘fun’ is.”
“It appears that we still both have much to learn,” Junjie says, and pulls himself onto the nearest branch.
-
On their way back, Junjie says, “You know a great deal more about my home than I know about yours.”
“I grew up a long way from here,” Eli says after a pause. “Nowhere you’ve visited, probably. And after a while, it didn’t feel much like home without my dad.”
“You may well see him again.” Junjie stops walking and places a hand on Eli’s shoulder. “I won’t allow us to stop hoping.”
Eli nods his thanks. “I’m trying.”
“I am sorry that I brought such loss and pain down upon both of you.”
“What?” Eli shakes his head. “Junjie, no. The Goon was using you, just like he used us.” Before Junjie has the chance to point out that he could have fought back, Eli continues, “And your people will forgive you, too, sooner or later.”
“I appreciate your kind words,” Junjie says, “but I’m not sure that I require or even want forgiveness. I only want to make things right.”
“I guess I understand that,” Eli agrees. “For now, my home is with the rest of the Shane Gang. That includes you, if you want.”
Junjie inclines his head. “That honor, I will readily accept.”
Another grin slides across Eli’s face. “C’mon, let’s find out if these fruits are up to Pronto’s standards.”
As Junjie follows, he realizes that he’s smiling, too.