Tales of Legendia Fan Fiction
Don't You Dare
Disclaimer: I don't own ToL. Nor do I own NAMCO. Which means, due to the transitive property of algebra, I also don't own Jay the Unseen. Worth a shot...
A/N: Yey! My first interactive Jay x Moses oneshot! I'm so happy I think I might just kill and murder Shirley then bring her back to life to torture her again and again and again! Evil laughter) Yes I'm a Shirley basher. Sorry to all that actually LIKE her. Ugh.
Please read and review! And for the love of all things that can torture Shirley into an oblivion of pain, please dont FLAME! Flaming is for pyromaniacs bent on world domination...or Axel from Kingdom Hearts II.
Enjoy!
WARNINGS: Jayses action. (Sucks doesn't it? I couldn't think of anything else) And to those who haven't finished the game (even after MQ) or haven't gotten that far into the CQ's, please finish it first before reading this. Spoilers are ahead, you have been warned! Also rated for language use.
Jay the Unseen walked back and forth profusely from the confines of his Oresoren home with the said owners watching him. Two maps could be seen atop his desk, a faint light being emitted near it. One map was blank with obvious markings of erasures while the other one was completely filled with locations. Locations in the Legacy.
Poppo and his brothers swayed right to left following Jay's movements. He stopped abruptly and stared intently at his work. Grabbing his trusty pencil, which now stood less than what he had bought it for, he traced an image into the blank map and labeled two points.
One was labeled ENTRANCE and the other END. The brothers looked at each other and walked towards his table. Jay tapped his pencil swiftly and shook his head while erasing the point END.
"Jay, what are you trying to do, ors?" asked Poppo. Jay didn't look from his table and answered, his voice somewhat impatient. "I'm trying to make a map of the Forest of No Return...We get too lost whenever Norma takes--rather forces us to help her treasure hunt. Time is valuable Poppo..."
Which made him think. If time was valuable, then why was he even going with Norma to hunt for something ridiculous anyway? If he didn't then he wouldn't even be making this map in the first place and in the process, he wouldn't tire his brain in figuring out where the exit REALLY is. But then again, Will would pester him to make one so they won't be lost if they were forced too so Jay is once agian stuck on the same page.
A page that really got him frustrated.
"Should we gather information, ors?" asked Quppo. Jay looked at his family and let out one of his rare true smiles. He knelt down to them and replied, his voice this time, more relaxed and caring, something they rarely hear when he's around Senel and co.
"No, that's fine. You'd just tire yourselves getting lost and more so trying to find your way out."
"But Jay...! We're happy to help you, ors ors!"
He shook his head again and touched their shoulders. "I still say no. I know you all mean well but I'd rather endanger myself for this types of things."
Quppo, Pippo and Poppo all looked at each other and sighed. "All right Jay!" said Pippo. "If you want too then, we wont protest, ors!" said Quppo. "But remember, if there's anything you need help with, we're right here, ors!" said Poppo.
Jay quietly nodded and contined his work as the brothers went downstairs to cook a snack for him. Sighing, he wrote notes in his paper.
Maybe...I'm just not thinking in the right direction...he thought to himself.
I can't really remember the paths there...they all look to much alike and it's hard to recall if I had passed it or not.
For two straight hours, Jay had concentrated on the exit point of the map. No matter how long he tried to recall, nothing came up except Moses' bragging and Senel's complaining--
That's it.
His eyes darted directly to the map. Why didn't he think of this earlier? Of course! With a smirk of victory, he erased the END point from his blank map and rolled the papers neatly and tied them with string. Piling them up each other, he switched the lamp off and walked downstairs.
It was that simple. He'll ask, or rather, get Moses (and HOPEFULLY a companion, he wouldn't want to get lost with him of all people in the FOREST OF NO RETURN) to help him gather information and in return, Jay would...would...well it would all depend on his terms.
The victorious smirk on Jay's pale face was soon replaced with a nervous line. What would that idiot bandit want with me? he asked himself. Once he was in their living room, (the brothers gave up on fixing themselves a snack) the three asleep on the rug, he grabbed a blanket from the closet drawer and pulled it over them.
With a last look, he went outside. He paced back and forth again. Why was he so nervous with the thought of Moses, in the Forest of No Return? Sighing, he decided to calm down and sit near the dock of their home. What would he ask in return? I hope it's nothing...embarrassing like last time...he thought again.
Wincing at the memory (Moses dared Jay to swim across the lake in front of their used-to-be camp alone for a few miles while they followed him in a boat and to his dismay he almost drowned if not for Moses carrying him, actually tying him down and gagging him until they reached the pier where he claimed to have saved his "ass") Jay waded his feet in the cool waters.
"What comes, comes I guess." he said to himself. He saw his reflection in the water. How he had changed ever since Solon took him in...
"I wonder...if..." he said. "People can really change." Bowing his head so he could see his eyes closer, he tried to touch the surface of the water but hesitated.
"Have...I changed?"
The following morning...
Moses Sandor stretched his limbs and did a few pushups before walking outside the center of Werites Beacon. It had taken him time to get used to not hearing Giet's all too familiar barks in the mornings and more so his daily routine walks and jogs with his best friend. He sighed and put on his smile, the goofiest he could conjure up.
"No point on wanderin' over the past righ'?" he told himself. After a moment of adoring the sun's rays that hit directly over his camp (he was lucky! He got the best place in the entire town, the one that could see the sun rise exactly as it hit the horizon), he decided to jog a few laps to get ready for the day.
"Yeehaw! This is gonna be another swell day!" he shouted, ignoring Csaba's protests to "shut the heck up".
He started to run and soon, his legs were like lightning. Every turn he switched too, it seemed like he went faster and faster. But as soon as he turned to the corner of "The Dreamer's Inn" he bumped into something, rather, someone.
"Watch where you're going you stupid bandit!"
Moses knew that voice anywhere. "Jay! Whatcha doin' here so early?" he asked. Jay stood up from the ground and dusted himself up. He wanted to answer, "What would you care?" like he wanted too but he couldn't. If he did, then he might not answer the answer he wanted to hear.
"I...well you see...I...needed to...talk with you." Jay said sternly. He felt a hot blush creep on his cheeks. He never expected that one day, he would actually ask a favor from the red-haired bandit cheif.
Moses blinked a few times then smirked. "Oh! So whatcha want bro?" he asked. Jay gulped silently and wondered if Moses could see his nervous exterior. After all, he bet not even he could have comprehended this. Heck, he bet he couldn't comprehend anything at all!
"Well...you see..." he started. "You know about the Forest of No Return right?" Moses crossed his arms and nodded. "And of course you must be aware of how Norma drags us along on her excavations correct?" Moses sighed and rubbed his head. "How can I forget?"
Jay nodded in agreement and continued. "Do you want to avoid getting lost?" Moses shot up and shouted, "HECK YEAH!" Jay covered one of his ears with his finger and continued. "Then he-help me draw a map of specific points of the Forest of No Return. That way, we won't keep getting lost."
Moses almost agreed. ALMOST. The problem was that Jay underestimated Moses' capability to think of plotting. There he made the mistake.
"So we leave at about noo--"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hey there little bro! You're goin' a little bit too far here! I haven' even said yes yet!" said Moses. Jay didn't like the looks of this...
"Well would you like to get lost in there again?" snapped Jay. That...that didn't help. He mentally slapped himself.
"Well if you're gonna be touchy abou' it then maybe I wont take yah!" replied Moses, his voice in a faux hurt accent. Jay sighed.
"Fine. I'm sorry. There. Happy?" he said, his monotonous yet irritable voice beckoning. Moses grinned and nodded. "There! That wasn't so bad now was it?" Jay shook his head and carried his maps towards the inn. "I'll be lodging here for a while. Call me if you're ready to leave." he said.
Moses' eyes widened. "Can I stay with yah?" he exclaimed excitedly. Jay rubbed his temples and walked over to the inn. "I'm not staying with Grune!"
Moses blinked and laughed. "Right!" Moses stoped in his tracks and faced Jay. "WAIT!" he shouted. Jay sighed and without looking back, responded. "What...is it now?" he answered, trying his best not to let his voice rise too high.
Moses grinned. "I haven't told you my part of the deal yet!"
Moses was going to enjoy this. He'd been waiting weeks to get revenge on that particular incident...
FLASHBACK...
Moses struggled and screamed while trying to break free from the net set out for him. Scallops, squid and other underwater edible creatures lay below him as his spears tried to cut through the ropes.
"JAY!" he screamed. "I'M GONNA GET YOU FOR THIS!"
Jay merely smiled (a most evil one at that) and continued to face the 'audience' the Oresoren brothers gathered for him. "Why, whatever do you mean Moses?" he answered, his voice clearly speaking for himself.
"It wasn't my fault some idiot like you stepped on the net Poppo and the others layed out. I just informed Will and the others about it so they could...help you get out."
"I...cant...believe it! JJ you are a TOTAL GENIUS!" screamed Norma as she laughed and pointed at the said bandit. Will, Shirley, Senel and Chloe stared. "S-Sandor...what..?" Chloe managed to make out. Senel was almost bursting with laughter, if not for Will's nudging.
"Hey dad, what's going on here?" Harriet said. She saw the sight before her and burst into a fit of laughter with Norma, who was pumping the floor with her fist. "NOW THAT'S A SIGHT!" she said.
"IS THIS ABOUT THAT LITTLE PRANK I PULLED WITH YOUR PAJAMA--PANTS?!" shouted Moses desperately trying to pry free from the net. "JAY! COME ON! YOU DONT TREAT FAMILY LIKE THIS! AND IT'S STARTING TO SMELL FUNNY!"
But no matter how hard he tried to break loose, the more he sunk at the bottom of the seafood. Jay even started to sell tickets to random people in Werites Beacon.
"Isn't this a little too harsh Jay?" asked Shirley, trying to surpress her own laughter. Jay shook his head. "Why, ofcourse it isn't. Like I said, it wasn't my fault he got himself into this mess. I'm just manipulating the situation, that's all." he responded with a smirk.
"JAY! JAY!"
END FLASHBACK...
"Manipulation huh?" thought Moses.
"D-Deal?" stammered Jay. He didn't actually think he'd make a deal. Oh, what would happen if Moses remembered the 'Fish-out-of-water" prank he helped pull...Dear Nerifes help him then...Knowing Moses, I'm sure he was out to get revenge.
He was a one-track mind person. It wasn't hard to guess what comes up next...
"Yeah. A deal!" said Moses. "I help you make tha' map of yours and in return..." he continued. Jay's heart pounded.
"W-What?" he asked, his voice cracking up.
Moses grinned wider. "Well..."
Moments Later...
"I'm hating you with a passion (more than usual) right now..." whispered Jay. He walked close to Moses who used his spear to point the way.
They were inside the Forest of No Return and to Jay's misery, Moses refused to tell Jay his end of the deal until Jay's deal was done. Jay wanted to knock the daylights and torture it out of him but he'd loose all chances he'd have of asking Moses a favor so he kept it at the back of his mind. Sighing, he marked the first point as the main entrance and drew lines to show their progress.
"Well where'd ya wanna go now bro?" asked Moses as he wiped the sweat off of his forehead. Jay sighed and looked at his map.
"We have to find the right route for the exit." Jay said. Moses nodded and rubbed his head. "Uh...right! Where was tha' again?" he said. Jay slapped his forehead and turned to his red-head companion.
"Please don't tell me you FORGOT THE WAY." he said with emphasis on "forgot the way." Moses shook his head and grabbed the map and pencil from Jay. "Don' worry! I've got everythin' under control!" Jay sighed again.
"I don't know why...but that didn't sound so reinforcing..."
After 10 minutes...
"THERE! THE EXIT!" screamed Moses. A light shone brightly from a distance and they hurredly ran towards it.
Jay looked around. "Moses..." he started. "Are you 100 percent sure this is the right way?"
Moses grinned without turning back and continued to draw on the map as he ran towards the light. "THERE--"
Jay cocked an eyebrow. "I don't like where this is going Moses..." he said. When he caught up to Moses, his eyebrow was twitching and he laughed nervously.
Jay saw the map and his eyes widened to the point where they could have jumped from his eye sockets and danced. What he saw...
Was a circle. From the point ENTRANCE was a red line tracing a circle back to it, not even touching the point EXIT.
"You mean to tell me..." said Jay, slowly grabbing the map from his hands, his fists shaking. "WE CIRCLED THE ENTIRE AREA...FOR 10 DAMN MINUTES?!" he shouted. Moses covered his ears and blew steam.
"Calm down bro! I-I can get us outta this mess!" he said, rubbing the back of his head. Jay had enough. His patience had a limit too.
"I can't take this anymore Moses. I'm doing it alone. Good bye." he remarked. He sighed and counted to 20 and walked in the opposite direction, leaving Moses behind.
"W-Wait..! Jay!" he shouted. "You shouldn't go in there alone! It's too dangerous!" he continued. Jay ignored his protests and continued his way to find the right exit route. "I don't need Moses to do this." he said. He erased the red lines Moses clumsly drew and replaced it with a clean sheet.
"I can do it. Of course I can." he said as he wandered off, leaving a worried yet grinning Moses.
"Be careful Jay..." he said to himself.
After an hour...
Jay rubbed his head. He should have found his way out by now and yet he still ended up in the same spot. He didn't encounter any monsters so far and he was wondering if something was up.
His clean sheet was replaced by obvious erasures and his patience was almost wearing off. "Ugh..." he said as he sat down. "Maybe I need a break..." he said.
Or maybe you need help.
"What?" he shot up. "Who...?"
You know who this is.
"Tsk..." he said. "Leave me alone."
You shouldn't say that to your sub-conscious you know..
"I don't need Moses' help." he said to himself.
I wasn't saying you did. I just said...
"Shut up would you?" he realized he was losing to his own mind. Ever since his experience with the black mist, he had developed this...sub-conscious mind. More like a conscience.
You know you need his help Jay. Admit it.
"No I dont!" he said, quite childishly. He crossed his knees together and hugged them tightly. "I dont..."
You're like this aren't you? Whenever you're with people, you try and act like you can glue everything perfectly...But when you need the help...you just keep thinking you've got everything under control...Reminds you of someone who tried to help you doesn't it?
"Shut up!" he shouted. He was really losing. "Why would I need his help? He's just as clueless as me!"
There. You admitted it finally! But the point is that he knows more than you do. Why dont you just accept the fact that sometimes Moses can be better than you?
"And how am I going to get his help back? It's not like he's willing to help me after that display I showed him!" he shouted, standing up.
I thought you were smart Jay. Apologize!
"No way. I don't even know what's in store for me when I DO get his help! I don't grovel!" he answered.
It's as simple as a "I'm Sorry, You were Right" Jay. Don't waste your chance.
"I'll get even more lost trying to find him. Besides...he...probably went home already." Jay sighed. He didn't want to admit it, but he DID need Moses' help. No matter how much he tried to fight himself, he just came to the conclusion that he needs help on this.
"What do you want me to say to him? That I'm wrong? And that I can't do this alone? And that I'm weak and defenseless and I need him? Is that what you want me to say?" he shouted to the air. He closed his eyes and lowered his head.
"Actually...The part where you can't do it alone and that your sorry is good enough!"
His eyes shot open and he almost dropped his map and pencil with surprise. He slowly turned his head, focusing on what he would see.
"M-Moses?" he whimpered slightly. Moses smirked and had his hands on his hips. "Ready to get outta here bro?" he said in his cocky tone.
"B-But...how?" he said. He took a step forward and coughed before he spoke. "Didn't you go home after..."
"After you stormed off and made a complete idiot of yourself? Nope." he answered. He jumped from the ledge he stood on and made his way to Jay's embarrassed face. "I don't abandon family Jay."
Jay lowered his head and gripped his map tighter. "D-Dont think I'll thank you for this or anything!" he said as he faced his still grinning friend. Moses shrugged. "Don't need too bro! The fact that you owe me big time is good enough! YAHOO!" he shouted. Jay smiled.
"W-Whatever." he said. "Can we please jus--wait a minute...Y-you followed me didn't you?" he continued, his face full of shock. (Man I would have loved to see that in person. It's not every day you see Jay the Unseen in shock people)
Moses grinned again. "Of course I did! I knew all along tha' you would storm off and leave me behind!" Jay gaped.
"Then why didn't you stop me?!" he said, his voice reaching higher heights.
"Oh so NOW you want me too?" remarked Moses, an eyebrow cocked arrogantly. Jay realized what he said and shook his head, mentally slapping himself. "N-Nevermind!" he shouted. "The point is, you knew the way I was going, and you didn't tell me I was going the wrong way?"
"If I did, then you would have never admitted that you DO need help gettin' tha' map of yours finished!" he answered. Jay slapped himself. "So...could...you..." he started.
Moses smiled at him and pointed. "Go forward, right than take a turn to the left and go down." (NOTE: Not exact location of real Forest of No Return exit) Jay smiled and blushed. "T-Thanks. Moses..." he said and hurridly ran off following his exact directions.
Moses ran after him, his face lightened with joy. "Don't forget the deal!"
Back at Werites Beacon...
"Wow Red...this is...really nice of you!" remarked Norma.
"Yeah Moses...didn't expect you to do this..." added Senel.
"Are you sure you werent in any trouble?" asked Will. Shirely nodded and examined the finished map of the Forest of No Return with Will and Chloe.
"But come one Red..." started Norma.
"Isn't this a little too...harshfor Jay?" asked Chloe. "Indeed...and quite...disturbing..." added Will.
"All.of.you.shut.up." gritted Jay through his teeth. Moses sat back casually and propped his feet up another chair. "Nah! For all we've been through, this is enough!"
"He's so CUTE!" shouted Harriet, her voice thinning like a 3 year old who received cookies from Santa. Jay's eyes twitched as he served Moses a glass of lemonade.
Chloe and Senel exchanged worried looks, as did Will and Shirley. Norma merely threw the map on the table and examined...Jay's eccentric outfit.
To think that Jay agreed to this...this...degrading activity...
"Aww! Don't look so sad Jay! I think you're cute as a button!" cooed Harriet who leaned down and blushed at Jay. "He's adorable! Don't you think Norma?"
Norma laughed out loud and patted Jay on the head. "Wow JJ! I didn't know you had it in you...!"
Jay wanted to die.
"Jaaayyy! More lemonade here!" shouted Moses, a look of victory written on his face. Jay grit his teeth and dragged himself to Moses' glass as he carried a pitcher and a feather duster along with a tray. "I.hate.you."
"Aww! I love yah too bro!" mocked Moses. Norma laughed more and Harriet practically glomped him.
"Dad! Can we keep him?" begged Harriet. Will rubbed his temples and sighed. "NO."
"Don't look so glum there Jay!" said Moses taking a drink from his 'well-deserved' lemonade, a happy grin all over his face. Jay lost the will to live.
"It's not my fault YOU agreed..." he said.
"Kill.me." whispered Jay.
"To be my slave and maid for the day!" continued Moses while letting out a boisterous laugh.
True to his word, Jay sighed. "Was it really worth it...?" he asked himself desperately. How could he go outside now? He was wearing a maid's uniform and was serving Moses...MOSES...lemonade and...and...
Oh Nerifes if he asks him to rub his feet...
"18 hours.and.30.minutes.to.go..." he sighed.
His guess was right.
People definelty change. He had changed. He admitted that he needed help. From MOSES. But had Moses changed?
Of course he did. Just not the way he expected him too.
Dragging his heels and his black and white maid's uniform towards the side of the table next to Moses, he sat down and sighed.
"Whoa! Who said we're through?" said Moses. Jay's eyes shot wide open. "You gotta show the boys you're new outfit!" he continued.
"Plus you've gotta help me shop for supplies!"
"AND we've gotta go back to the Oresoren village and...well...do stuff!"
Jay stood and up and his entire body shook. With enraged eyes that show defeat, he sighed with a sheepishly goofy bandit in front of him. "Well...?" he said.
"You win this round."
FIN
Sucked? Loved it? Tell me by reviewing! Thanks and hope you enjoyed! I might draw a pic of Jay and Moses at that scene...Might. I'm thinking...It's torture for Jay but hey! Jay's cute. READ AND REVIEW!