NEVER

In the aftermath of the battle with Psyschopathor, Ashfall enters the scene to save the day and enrage Ortega. Cyrus walks away, still shocked by Ortega’s kiss.

——————————

“What are you doing?” you manage to ask for some sort of explanation to this.

“What does it look like I’m doing?
Words have always abandoned you every time someone decided they wanted to learn what your lips tasted like and today is not the exception.

Why does this keep happening? You know perfectly well what happened the last time a human kissed you, and yet you’re not pulling back, because some stupid part of you wants this, ever since he ‘taught you how to smoke’ properly in that alley…

Stupid and careless, tossing caution into the wind.

It won’t end well now, you know that, but…

…but he saved you. Psychopathor was about to kill you and he saved you… and this kiss is different. Delicate? Gentle? Something you’ve never felt.

Are you deluding yourself? Is this how humans kiss each other?

He’s holding you in his arms, and you feel yourself drift away. Your arm holds onto his shoulder, pulling closer to him while it lasts, even when you know it has to stop.

“Are you really ok?” he asks, worried “For a moment I thought I had fucked up and that you…”

“I’m alright, It’s nothing. It’s not even broken…” You interrupt, gasping as you receive a wave of despair from the victims around your crushes your shields. “The landslide! There are people trapped, we have to help them!”

“Mierda!” he is startled, and let’s go without warning, making you scramble not to hit your head against the rubble. “I don’t see them, how are we going to find them?” he asks, trying to pierce through the dust cloud and devastation that surrounds you.

“Leave that to me,” you say, pulling down your mask quickly.

“Can you even walk?”

“I’ll have to” you answer, standing up with his help and taking a few steps just to see if you can. The pain is about what you expected, but you can still do it, which means there’s work to be done, so you pull your mask back down.

“There! A woman!” you point to a nearby spot, and he immediately sets to work on it, digging with both hands, pushing heavy pieces or rubble and wreckage away.

“Where is he?” Steel barges in, ready for combat, armor smoking but somehow reactivated. “The Psycho is out” You explain, “We need to help the survivors!”

A single nod and he immediately starts helping the Marshal. Between the two of them, they manage to dig her out, still alive.

“There’s more” you mumble, trying to focus.

“How many? Where?”

“Everywhere! A lot of them a lot”

Victims in every direction… which one do you help first?

“Someone’s coming” you blink, noticing the new presence as you scan. “There!”

“Once again the Marshal bites more than he can chew!” the newcomer says, hopping down next to you. “Look at the mess you’ve made, Charge!”

“Who are you?” you ask, confused.

“Yopu can call me Ashfall” he winks “I’m here to take down the old monster and all that jazz. So if you gents would point me towards him, I’ll do what the Marshal keeps failing to and…oh, shit” His speech is interrupted as he notices Psychopathor, passed out, his armor still smoking on the ground.

“Psychopathor ya está jodido.” Charge yells. “Stop being a pendejo and help us rescue the victims already!”

“Victims? Did you ruin everything again, Ricardo?” Ashfall asks taking a second look around.

“Enough. People are buried. If you are going to help it needs to happen now.” Steel interrupts their showdown.

“Alright alright! I’ll do it… geez. Where are they? I can’t just…”

“There’s one right there” you point at the nearest one.

“Eh? And how does he know?”

“He just knows,” Steel says in a tone that leaves no room for questions. “So do your thing already.”

“Fiiine… I’ll do my ‘thing’ since you ask so nicely.” he says, mumbling some curses against the rangers.

He raises his hand… and the mud and ash on the ground trembles, becoming almost liquid and running to the sides, freeing an injured PharmaCore Soldier underneath.

“My ‘thing’ he calls it.” Ashfall scoffs as Charge and Steel pull the man out, making sure he’s still breathing

“Another one there… and there.” you start pointing them out, and he nods, using his power (power over dirt? Ash? Mud?) to free each and every one. Steel and Charge take turns to take them to safety, joined by the soldiers and locals alike, suddenly joining forces. You’re already freeing the tenth victim when you hear the ambulances approaching in the distance.

It seems impossible, but no one dies. Thanks to Ashfall, all you need to do is scan, point, and a human is saved. Almost too easy.

“We make a good team” he smiles, releasing one of the guardians. “Want to come work with me? You’d be more than second fiddle with me, unlike with that guy”. Ashfall says pointing at Ortega with his thumb.

“Thanks, but I like where I am right now…” you say, trying not to get distracted and not miss anyone that needs help.

“Really? I’ve seen your work, you’re too good to be in his shadow all your life!”

“Don’t you even think about stealing my Sidekick!” Charge says as he carries a furious Aegis towards the ambulances.

“What makes him YOURS?” Ashfall asks. “Besides, you let him get his leg messed up.”

“I’m warning you!” He replies, infuriated.

“Seriously, thanks, but I’m not looking to jump ship,” you say

“Really? Pisses me off… you’re too good to be working with these losers.”

You manage to untangle yourself from Ashfall with an excuse, helping one of the victims come back to his senses because he’s asking too many questions.

Reporters have gathered already, taking pictures of the three of you working along with first responders, civilians, and the Pharmacore forces. The Guardians are utterly furious as the pictures have Ashfall and Charge digging their whole team out off the ground. Looking into their minds, it’s clear they’re, humiliated at having their rivals save them from Psychopathor’s plot.

The Guardians walk towards one of the standing buildings, out of sight as the reporters ask them if the mayor sent them to help kick people out of their homes for PharmaCore instead of fighting Psychopathor.

Charge approaches you as the reporters move back towards you, now that the last survivor is rescued.

“Hey, I think this is all going to end well… we just need to have a small press conference to explain what happened, so you have to leave. Slip through the back while I talk to them” Ortega says, pulling you to the side.

“I knew it! You know, you’re real scum, Charge! I won’t stand here and let you steal Sidestep’s cover, you ass! You want all the fame while he walks away with a fucked up leg?” Ashfall jumps in front of you.

“Get off my face, right now!” Charge threatens.

“It’s ok” you smile weakly. “I don’t like interviews anyways”.

“Shit, you can’t let his scumbag get away with this!” Ashfall protests. “You helped take down the villain as much as he did, you don’t owe him shit!”

“Seriously, It’s better this way!” you say, starting to walk away as Ashfall keeps arguing with Ortega.

Reporters flock towards Charge and Ashfall like a pack of Vultures, but you’re a good distance away by then, enough for your stealth aura to keep you from being focused on.

Without all the enemies and danger in front of you, it’s only a few moments for you to walk away and head back to your…

Oh.

You don’t have a home anymore… the landslide washed the building away like a house of cards, along with several others.

Looking back, the damage is catastrophic. Even if they were humiliated, PharmaCore or someone like them will likely take the neighborhood anyways since many blocks have become unlivable now. You fought everyone and everything, but that didn’t prevent the damage…

Did you make any difference at all?

Yes.

Yes, you did.

“No one died” you try to convince yourself. “That’s got to count for something”

Still, a lot of people are homeless.

Just like you.

You’re not sure where you’re going, so you just keep walking. As you pass through an electronic’s store, you notice several people standing next to an electronics shop, watching the  TV sets showing the Marshal is giving his version of the events on the live news.

You can’t help running the tip of your finger over your lips, before shaking your head and walking away into the night.

This can’t happen ever again.

———
My Fanfiction:https://chaniters.tumblr.com/post/181692759294/my-fanfiction-for-fallen-heroDISCLAIMER: This is a work of fan fiction using characters and the setting of the Fallen Hero: Rebirth and upcoming Fallen Hero: Retribution games written by Malin Riden. I do not claim ownership of any characters from the Fallen Hero world. These stories are a work of my imagination, and I do not ascribe them to the official story canon. These works are intended for entertainment outside the official storyline owned by the author. I am not profiting financially from the creation of these stories, and thank the author for his wonderful game/s, without which these works would not exist.