Rain.

The wonderful pattering of it set a wonderful atmosphere as his grandmother walked him to the stop. Hundreds of people in black umbrellas walked through the urban streets.

Busy.

Busy.

And while they were too, Rod enjoyed just spending time with his grandma. Besides buying him whatever he wanted, she also in the last few days started taking him to places they usually couldn't afford.

Amusement parks, Arcades, shopping malls, and movies. They were usually tight on money and for the past month she had been spoiling him to death. He laughed as he splashed a puddle feeling the hard splash on his dress shoes.

He looked over to his grandmother. Half expecting her to console him for his foolishness. Doing that while being dressed in his fine attire. And he swore she was almost going to, but then stopped herself. Just giving him a soft smile.

Taking his hand into her wrinkled one, they moved together, and Rhodney was happy.

Really happy.

Happy for the first time in a long time. Far away from any trouble that he’d been in. The month he’d spent at her house made him feel so happy and at peace.

He’d give anything to protect her smile.

He didn’t need the gifts or the money. They helped. But he had a much better time on days like this. Walking down the street under their giant umbrella. Hand-in-hand.

“Where are we going grandma?” He asked. This was years ago.

His voice had that slight rasp that he’d only regain after his reincarnation. His grandma made a habit of making him wait for the answer whenever they went places. Liking to surprise him. He’d usually get a ‘Somewhere fun my dear,’ Or a ‘You’ll just have to wait and see.’ But surprisingly today she revealed it instantly. “The orchestra.”

“Orc-est-ra?”

She giggled.

“It’s a place where you listen to music. I haven’t gone to one in a long time and wanted to bring my little partner with me,” She said ruffling his hair. He groaned “Grandma,” But didn’t move away because he didn’t actually mind. At least she had stopped grabbing his cheeks.

“So… Like a concert?” He asked.

“Yes dear, like a concert.” She replied.

Rhodney was excited, and smiled up to his grandmother showing her how excited he was. His childlike face showing his jack-o-lantern face from having teeth pulled. Him wearing his black beanie on his bald head.

She smiled back but this time, Rhodney could tell it was the slightly sad kind.

The kind where she was trying her best not to show it, but the boy always knew.

Rhodney teetered on trying to make her feel better and pretending he hadn’t seen anything. If she was trying to hide it, it was because she didn’t want him to feel bad.

But that made him feel worse.

But showing that would make grandma feel worse.

So… he instead kept up the illusion. Squeezing her hand a little tighter and continuing their walk to their stop.

His grandmother hailed a cab, and they stepped inside. They greeted the driver and sat in silence.

Blue and white street lights blurred into beautiful ink pastels. The glowing streaks were beautiful. Car rides like these were always a highlight as well.

The rain created a nice atmosphere that Rhodney would always treasure.

He sat in the car and was slowly drifting to sleep.

But after about thirty minutes of driving, he heard it.

Skirrt!

He groggily sat up to see the look on the two adults' faces. The world seemed to slow down as he had seen it. One of those trucks he’d always liked to watch drive. Not one of those giant semi’s but the red small ones.

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The kind with the open back and the satisfying shape.

He swore he could hear every drop of rain before the collision.

…

…

…

Fire.

Fire erupted all around them. It writhed like the tentacles of a Kraken, blooming like a monstrous flower of neon yellow and gray smoke. The fire crept slowly towards them after the ear-rending explosion.

The car had flipped over and they laid suspended upside down in the slowly billowing inferno. Rhodney was struggling. His seatbelt was tight against his chest and he feverishly tore at it as he felt it get hotter. No, no, no, no, he was supposed to have more time.

No. No. No.

He looked over to his grandmother as he desperately clawed at his safety net turned traitor. She hung upside down just like him. But she was in much worse condition. Her forehead was bleeding and she groggily mumbled to herself.

His heart hurt looking at her.

He continued to try and tear at the seatbelt. Screaming as he jostled back and forth. “LET ME GO! LET ME GO!” His grandma started to stir and mumble, and turned over to him.

Her eyes looked groggy, but she managed to bring focus to her eyes as she tried to figure out a way out for both of them. She failed.

Then... she gave him a heartbroken look of love and lost hope that he would never forget. No. That he could never forget.

And like a switch he felt it buzzing.

“LET! ME! GO!” He saw green and felt his hands start to bleed.

He couldn’t stop.

He wouldn’t stop.

He felt his hands break through the final ribbon as he dropped onto his back..

His hands were in horrible condition, long lines of torn skin and blood from his outburst.

But he almost couldn’t feel it. Rhodney crawled desperately to his grandmother. He couldn’t let this be the end. It wouldn’t be the end. He reached deep to that desperation.

He pulled at that feeling and felt his hands start to bleed feverishly again. New strength flooded through his body. The child grabbed at her seat belt and in a scream, yanked the traps off of his grandmother.

He dragged her body out of the burning car, completely ignoring their car's driver. He firmly put his grandmother's life over the stranger, and couldn't waste time trying to save both when it could simply lead to everyone dying. The car could explode at any moment. He couldn’t waste time trying to save someone he didn’t know.

Tears fell from his face as he opened the car door. Dragging his limp grandmother. Onlookers watched in shock and horror as the injured child dragged his grandmother to the curb.

He heard the sirens in the background.

Help would be coming.

But as he saw his grandmother's eyes dim he slowly started to panic.

“Grandma! Grandma!” He shook her body and watched as she grew more and more unresponsive. He felt her life slowly start to leave her body and tears started to come.

“No! Don’t leave me! Please!!” He screamed at her. It was selfish. Those shouldn’t be the last words she hears. But Rhodney didn’t care. He didn’t want her to leave.

He needed her to stay.

“Don’t leave!!!” He slammed her chest and suddenly, light.

Green light glowed through the city street and around his grandmother. An aura of green light that reflected off the falling rain and made the rain look like liquid jade.

Rhodney’s eyes opened wide as he saw the cuts on his grandmother's head start to mold back together. The dull look in her eyes slowly started to dissipate as her chest began to slowly rise and fall.

He felt her hand, slowly starting to wrap around his.

“...Don’t worry… I’m… Still here…”

He hugged his grandmother tight and held her as hard as he could.

He almost didn’t let her go when the ambulance arrived.

…

Rhodney’s face streaked with tears as he reached down. That blessing made all his memories too vivid, he chuckled a little.

Thanks, Guardian.

The Imp he reached down to was one of the bigger ones. One of the imps in Flames posse that had been hit with the club and slammed into the ground. Almost immediately. He lacked horns and had a long spiked tail that seemed to lay bedside him.

The little boy groaned in pain, his arm was bent at a terrible angle.

Rhodney reached down and pulled the power from the memory. A green aura bubble formed around the two of them. Rhodney was disgusted as he watched his miracle twist the boy’s arm back to normal.

Crack. Pop, Pop. CRACK CRACK CRACK! Schlick.

New life was found in the boy and his eyes opened slowly. Rhodney was about to explain the situation but found himself suddenly on the ground as the boy had pushed him out the way.

“That was cheap!” The boy didn’t even acknowledge him. Fire was in his eyes.

“Prick…” Rhodney suddenly clapped his mouth, he hadn’t meant to swear. But then realized that that wasn’t really an issue anymore, was it?

He smiled a little as the boy charged into the battle.

He then made his way around the scattered camp and started to pick up the unconscious people. Most barely acknowledged him, but the few who did bowed in respect and thanks. And in a short time he looked at the berserker's shocked face.

Rhodney’s face dripped with sweat as he watched the berserker.

His face widening with shock as Rhodney ran around the battlefield resing imps left and right. With them charging into battle, completely forgetting how he stomped them and wanting to prove they weren’t weaklings. Sweat beat down the goat man's face as he looked down.

As not only was he fighting Navy, Flame, and the tail guy, but he was fighting almost seven more. What surprised Rhodney was even Smokey had run in while he was healing. Smokey’s eyes were full of inspiration and new courage by seeing all the charging imps.