The Neko's Tail - 35. The First Days

Artemis sat beside Elias, his mind still in shock. Reinard was dead, his body already being prepared for burial. They wouldn’t be there the burial. Ceirel had banished them from the Artego house, and Artemis couldn’t say he blamed the Faro. The tiger had caused the death of both his kites. The Alliance had been quick to step in and sentence Neistar to death after it was discovered he had been part of the plot to rekindle the war.

He wasn’t the only plotter. General Aro was revealed to be the mastermind, influenced by money from the Empire. Reinard’s death had been the catalyst for blowing the whole plot open.

But that was no comfort.

And so they sat in silence as Eigal drove them to the base, where their ship waited. Iason and Geiro sat with them, another vehicle behind them bringing the Xanar who had accompanied the group. Artemis could see Geiro’s mind whirling away, but the tiger couldn’t bring himself to care. He felt empty inside, and as bad as he felt, he knew Elias felt worse. And he had no idea how to help either of them.

The cars pulled up to the base and Geiro and Iason stepped out of the car. Artemis started to follow them but was stopped by Eigal.

“I’m sorry Captain,” the black Faro said quietly. “You are a good person and Ceirel knows that. He is in a lot of pain.”

“I know. Take care of him,” Artemis said.

Eigal nodded. He couldn’t understand the tiger that well but the tone was unmistakable.

Artemis helped Elias out of the vehicle, the neko pulling away as soon as he had his balance. He had been silent since they left Ceirel, and Artemis was concerned for him.

He made sure the neko stayed close to him as they walked toward their ship, Geiro and Iason bringing up the rear. Their job was complete as soon as he was on the ship. It was a moment that couldn’t come soon enough.

They got several stares as they passed through the base. Both still bore the marks of death on them. Elias’ arms and clothes were soaked in Reinard’s lifeblood and he wore a haunted look Artemis knew was not going to fade easily. It was worse than when he killed the person on his planet, so much worse, and Artemis prayed to anyone who might listen that the neko would recover.

The ship came into sight and Artemis picked up his pace, hurrying toward the vessel. His hand hit the lock, the ramp sliding down. Artemis made sure Elias got on the ship, turning to face his guards.

“Thank you,” he said.

They nodded.

“Stay safe Captain,” Iason said quietly.

Artemis followed Elias up the ramp, finding the neko staring at a wall blankly. The tiger raised the ramp, locking the ship, and placed a hand on Elias’ shoulder.

Elias flinched away, pushing past Artemis and into the main body of the ship. The tiger heard a door open and close.

“Okay Artemis. You need to take off,” he said out loud, trying to find the motivation to leave.

But now that he was on his own, Artemis didn’t want to do anything. He pushed himself, walking to the cockpit. If they didn’t leave, someone still could attack them. At the moment Artemis realized he didn’t care. Let someone try to attack the ship. They’d find a pissed-off tiger with nothing to lose.

Elias sat against his dresser, eyes glazed over. Again and again, he heard the thump of the weapon firing, Reinard falling to the ground.

The neko pulled at his shirt, flecks of dried blood falling off the fabric. Panicking, Elias ripped his shirt trying to peel it off his skin. The fabric fell away as the neko started kicking his pants off. A rattling sob broke from his lips as the pants flew across the small room. He felt filthy, the blood covering his arms a reminder of Reinard’s dying moments.

Curling up in a ball, Elias screamed his sorrow, the noise travelling through the ship. He had been forced to keep his grief silent as dozens of Xanar and Faro questioned him and Artemis, an emotional block that lasted through the ride to the ship, but now he was finally alone and he was falling apart.

Strong arms wrapped around Elias as he wailed, a body holding him firmly. Artemis slowly rocked the neko back and forth, letting him vent out his emotions. It seemed to take forever but finally the tears dried, leaving Elias shivering. Artemis gently helped the neko up, holding his hand.

“Come on, let’s get you cleaned up,” he said quietly.

Elias stumbled as he followed the tiger into the bathroom. He was tired, exhausted, and just wanted to sleep, but at this point, he didn’t care what happened to him. The shower started, Artemis removing his own clothes before drawing Elias into the water. He grabbed the soap and began washing Elias, the water becoming red as it slid off the neko’s body.

Artemis was gentle with Elias, repeating his strokes until all the blood was cleaned from Elias’ arms and face. He washed the rest of the neko tenderly, knowing Elias was worn out.

Through it all, Elias stood against the wall, his weight supported. His eyes were open, though the water stung them. If he closed them, he would see Reinard again, and he couldn’t bear to do that. Not now.

As Artemis released him, Elias slid against the wall, sitting under the water. His ears flicked repeatedly, trying to keep the water out of his ears, but the neko just gave up. If the water clogged up his ears, who cared?

The water shut off, Artemis sitting next to Elias. He held the neko silently, offering his own support should Elias want it.

But Elias didn’t. Slowly he realised Reinard had been innocent. If it wasn’t for Artemis, the fox would still be alive.

He pulled away from the Egaro, crawling into the back corner of the shower. His eyes closing, Elias leaned his head into the corner as the tears started again. And all Artemis could do was watch helplessly.

They stayed on the planet that night. Maybe it was stupid for them to do that, but in the morning they were still safe. Artemis made his way to Elias’ room, finding the neko curled up on the floor. His eyes were bloodshot, and he winced at the sound of the door opening.

“We’re taking off. You need to be in the cockpit,” Artemis said.

Silently Elias stood. He followed the tiger into the cockpit, sitting in the right chair. The ship powered up, rising swiftly into the air with Artemis at the controls. They cut through the atmosphere quickly, soon reaching planetary orbit.

Artemis set a course for Egaro, starting up the portal as he increased their speed. The ship was fully stocked and they wouldn’t have to stop for a week. Until then, they could be alone with their thoughts, though that might be worse than being among other beings.

The tiger dragged Elias into the kitchen, making a small plate of food for the neko. He knew Elias didn’t want to eat, but he needed to.

The neko picked at the food, one of his favourite dishes from the tiger’s people. He had no appetite but he knew Artemis wouldn’t let up until he got some food in him. He didn’t want Artemis around, but deep down he was grateful for the tiger’s presence

“I love you kitten,” Artemis said hoarsely, tears threatening to fall from his eyes. “I know this is probably too soon, but if you need me, my bed is always open to you.”

He hated the tiger. Artemis had killed Reinard as surely as if he had fired the weapon into the Faro’s heart.

Standing, the neko dumped his untouched food into the device Artemis called a recycler, placing the plate in the dishes to be washed at some point. He didn’t care when. Nothing held any meaning.

Elias retreated back to his room, curling up in his bed. Briefly, he wondered if the bed could crush him into the ceiling, but dismissed the thought. With his luck, Artemis would probably find a way to stop him.

He didn’t even believe in an afterlife. Elias just didn’t want to live in a universe without the Faro in it.

Elias was thankful when Artemis didn’t follow him into the room. He just wanted to be alone. The neko couldn’t cry anymore; it felt like all the tears had been driven out of him. It was a relief, but at the same time, it tore at his heart. Reinard was dead and he couldn’t even cry for the fox. And that broke him even more.

Artemis walked in the rec room, watching the screen beside him create a rocky mountain. He couldn’t say it was amazing technology, the technology itself had been around for years. But having something like this on his ship was great. He had lost his tablet in the Dalmar hotel and having the rec room was a blessing. It would keep him relatively sane for the next few weeks.

He thought about Elias, the neko a victim of the senseless fight in Oyhaf. It pissed him off, that he had been drawn into that mess, for no reason other than Artemis delivered some water. He was even more pissed by the fact that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t seem to keep the neko safe.

He loved Elias. There was no doubt, he wanted to spend the rest of his days with the cat. His heart ached at Elias’ pain and he didn’t know how to help.

Stepping off the treadmill with a sigh, Artemis left the room. He knocked on Elias’ door, but there was no answer.

Entering the room, he saw Elias curled up around his pillow, legs twitching gently in sleep.

The tiger smiled slightly. Elias needed sleep. Reaching out, his hand gently stroked the neko’s head. Elias’ eyes flew open suddenly.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you,” Artemis said quietly.

He turned to leave, stopping when Elias’ hand touched his shoulder.

“I don’t really hate you,” Elias croaked, his voice stiff with emotion.

“I know,” Artemis whispered, his hand over the neko’s.

Elias slid out of his den, his arms wrapping around the Egaro. Artemis returned the hug, his eyes misting over.

“I love you,” he said, holding the neko close.