Chapter Text
If Grian had to pick a point where he believes that his life began, he would say the day after his parents had abandoned him and his younger brother in Japan when they were found by a man wearing some kind of armour with a purple visor instead of a clear one, he took note of this because he could actually see it, and adopted them.
***
Grian didn’t know why his parents had abandoned him and Jimmy in Japan, especially considering he was five and Jimmy was three, but he had a feeling it was because they wanted them dead. He knew that his parents hated them, if the lack of food and near constant yelling was anything to go off of, but he hadn’t expected them to deposit them on the streets of Japan, a place known for being run by the Yakuza, with only one bottle of water to be split between the two siblings.
Grian had spent the first day trying to find someplace safe to say, but no one took any notice of the two children wandering the streets with lost looks on their faces. By the time night was falling, Grian had managed to find a semi covered alleyway that would hopefully be safe enough to stay in for the night, no food, and only half a bottle of water left. By his calculations, which probably were severely incorrect, he estimated that they only had a week before they were going to die. Clutching his younger brother tightly to his chest, he covered the with his tiny wings in an attempt to keep them warm; his wings were covered in small, soft, grey down feathers so they were at least somewhat warm, the only problems as they had only just come in recently so they were tiny and barely covered them.
The next day, Grian was back on the hunt for food or a place to stay, Jimmy perched on his hip. Based on how yesterday went, Grian had little hope that they would actually be able to find something, and he would have to resort to either stealing or dumpster diving, and while he didn’t like either option, he would do it if it kept him and Jimmy alive. So far, he had found nothing, and the only people who took notice of the two kids wandering the streets have rolled their eyes or just flat out ignored them when Grian tried to ask for help. His trust in adults was already broken by what his parents had done, and now it was getting closer to shattering as more and more people openly ignored how badly they needed help.
That was the main reason why he was so shocked when the man that had caught his eye, his armour was weird to him, made his way over and asked if they needed help. Grian just stared at him, the man having knelt down so he was closer to his height, trying to figure out what he wanted from them, but this was the first person who had actually offered him help, and he needed to get Jimmy somewhere safe. While he probably shouldn’t be talking to a stranger in a place run by the Yakuza, especially considering that his wings were as puffed out as they were capable of being at the moment, he hesitantly whispered that they needed help.
Almost immediately after he had admitted that they needed help, his stomach growled, reminding him that it had been a day and a half since he had had something that wasn’t water. An embarrassed blush covered his face while the man chuckled quietly.
“I know you have no reason to trust me right now, but how about we head to one of the local ramen places and get you two something to eat. We can talk more there if you want.” He offered.
Grian hesitated. It was a tempting offer, but he had yet to learn anything about this man.
“What’s your name?” He asked in lue of an answer. If he got an answer, he would deem the man safe enough to go and get something to eat with him, but if he didn’t then he would try to get as far away from him as he could while keeping his brother as tight to his body as he was capable of.
“My name is Xisuma, Xisuma Void, but you can just call me X or Suma as it is easier to say than Xisuma.” Xisuma answered, still kneeling in front of Grian; he was glad that they weren’t in the middle of the path while they were talking.
Nodding just a bit, Grian shifted Jimmy so he could wrap his arms and legs tighter around him. X took this as an agreement to the offered food, and stood up, knees popping, before leading them onto the path and down the street to one of the ramen places that Grian had yet to pass in his quest to find someone to help him and his brother.
Once inside, Xisuma led him over to one of the tables and sat down, motioning for Grian to do the same once he had put Jimmy down. From there, they ordered what they wanted and Xisuma started up a conversation, wanting to know why there were two kids wandering the streets of Japan as they had a bit of time to kill before their food would arrive.
“As you both know, my name is Xisuma. I am 18 years old and I am a Voidwalker. This is my first time in the Overworld and it is the reason I wear the armour I currently am. What about you two? You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.” X said, fiddling with his helmet so he would be able to eat without having to take it off and be forced to breathe the thin air of the Overworld.
Grian hesitated once again. This person was nice, and they were buying them food, but he still didn’t know what he wanted with them.
“What do you want with us?” he asked, wanting to end the internal conflict that the Voidwalker would hurt them.
“You are both very young, too young to be on your own in a place this dangerous. No one was helping you, and you both deserve to be safe and happy.” X said with no hesitation. This was something that Xisuma had learned growing up in the Void, kids were something precious and should be protected so they can grow up safe and happy. That was mostly because the Voidwalkers were a dying species, but X believed that all kids should be safe, so when he saw Grian carrying Jimmy looking lost and scared, he knew he had to step in so that they could be safe.
Grian stared at Xisuma, tears gathering in his eyes no matter how much he tried to fight them back. He may be young, but he had been forced to mature faster than he should due to his parents abuse and neglect, and the fact that he had to protect Jimmy. His instincts, however undeveloped they were since he had only just gotten his wings, seemed to trust the man sitting in front of him, and it had been his instincts streaming at him that the man wanted something from him and his brother, who he could tell was also a bird hybrid of some kind, so he had hope that he would be able to trust him.
“I’m Grian, and this is my younger brother Jimmy. I’m five, and he’s three. Our parents didn’t want us for some reason. They would yell at each other a lot and then they decided to get rid of us and dropped us off here with just a bottle of water.” Grian said, curling his wings around him as best as he could.
X’s heart dropped when he heard that Grian and Jimmy’s parents had abandoned them. He had a feeling that since they had been abandoned in the territory of the Yakuza, at least that is what he thinks the group is called, their parents had wanted them dead. He had heard what happened to those who got on the bad side of the Yakuza through rumours that were floating around and he had overheard while walking on the street. He knew he was practically a complete stranger to these kids, but he wasn’t about to let them go back out onto the streets without at least offering them a safe place to stay, and if they refused, well if Grian refused since he was older and was probably going to refuse, he would give them some supplies and his number just in case they needed it.
“I know you just met me and have little to no reason to trust me, but if you need a place to stay, I have a few spare rooms in my place on my server that you could stay in. You can say no, but the streets are no place for kids to stay, especially ones as young as yourselves.” He said, hoping that Grian would agree so he and his brother were no longer on the streets. While he had never planned to have kids, especially considering the fact that he was 18, he had no plans of abandoning these kids without giving them an option of safety. He sighed internally, his friends and twin brother had always said he was soft and the mom friend, and now he had to admit that they were correct.
Grian was conflicted by the offer. On one hand it would keep Jimmy safe and get them both off of the dangerous streets, but on the other hand, he had only just met Xisuma, and while his instincts may like him, he was still a stranger. He was now playing a dangerous game, and one he didn’t know how to win. Thankfully, before he had to decide or think more on the topic, their food came out and Grian was able to mull it over while he ate his fill and helped Jimmy eat what he wanted.
Despite not wanting to think about what he would say, he couldn’t help but continue thinking over the offer. He had bought them food, and hadn’t asked anything of them yet other than the reason why they were on the streets. He hadn’t asked any insensitive questions about his wings, and while he could be a hybrid hunter, he did say that he was a Voidwalker so the chances of him being a hybrid hunter were low. He had offered them help when everyone else had just ignored them, and didn’t force them to actually go with him when he offered to get them food. This could be his chance to get Jimmy somewhere safe, honestly anywhere was safer than the streets, and he would be safe as well.
Taking a deep breath, he pushed his bowl away from him, made sure that Jimmy was finished as well, before turning his attention back to Xisuma.
“We’ll be able to leave if we want to?” He asked hesitantly.
“Of course. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to, and if you don’t want to stay then you don’t have to.” Xisuma replied, keeping his voice quiet as he noticed Jimmy’s eyes beginning to droop.
“What will you be doing while we are there?” Grian asked, wanting to know as much as he could before actually agreeing.
“Mostly working around the house, but I wish to become an Admin and open my own server eventually, so I’ll be working on that as well.”
Grian went silent while he processed this. If he wanted to be an Admin then he had to be a kind person as Admins were in charge of entire groups of people and had to go through extensive screening to actually become an Admin mostly to make sure that they wouldn’t become mad with power.
Noticing that his younger brother was mostly asleep now, Grian made up his mind. “We’ll come with you.” He said. It was a risky choice, but it was the best option that he had at the moment.
Xisuma smiled, holding out his hand for Grian to take. Grian picked his brother up instead, holding him close before looking up at X, waiting for Xisuma to lead the way. Thankfully, X took the hint, paid for the meal, and led the way to the world portals and over to the private server section where the portal to Xisuma’s world was located.
Leading them through the portal, Xisuma brought them to his world where he was determined to keep them safe.