Come Back Gabe.

I was in a stadium; very large, and very empty. Empty, that is, except for one person. He was a bounty hunter, and I was his bounty. He growled and wiped sweat from his face.
"You are coming back with me!" He shouted.
"On your life!" I yelled back.
He laughed at that, "On my life? We'll see about that"
And he pounced.

I shook my head a bit, as if doing that would clear the memories. I touched the scars on my face, nine scars, nine times escaping from prison. This would be my tenth, execution no doubt this time. I stood up abruptly, no; they weren't going to catch me again, I was going to board the ship and go back home. I was going to forget about the war on this planet, I was going to forget about... Him. He chose his path, he knew the consequences.

I walked through the crowd, into the security area, and stopped short. He was there, waiting. I caught my breath for a second before continuing. I focused and started chanting "Not seen, not heard, not seen, not heard," My mouse ears glowed blue with ethereal energies, then, vanished. With the rest of me quickly following suit. I continued to mutter my enchantment, if I stopped, I would be seen. Walking through the area, I couldn't resist saying one final goodbye to my old friend. My hand brushed against his nose, causing him to sneeze, and that was all the invitation he needed.

He seized my hand out of midair and dragged me outside before the enchantment wore off, when I turned, he was there, grinning evilly at me.
"You've been locked up for a long time, haven't you, Gabe?"
I tried to still my heart, knowing he could hear it,"
He continued, "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight... Nine."
As he counted, each of the scars flashed bright with a red light.
"Looks like this time's your tenth, huh, Gabe?"
He turned more serious, "You probably want me to let you go, now, don't you?"
I nodded
"Well... I could," He said, seeming to consider, "If you were to renounce you're little rebellion, all would be forgiven," His eyes turned desperate, "Please, Gabe, reconsider," He said, "I don't want to take you in, but I won't have a choice!"
My heart slowed down and I smiled.
"But you do have a choice, Kyle," I said, "Come with me"
He sniffed, had he been crying? "Where though?" He said, "Where could you run that this war wasn't here?"
"Home," I said.
And kicked him into the trash bin. He slumped over, coughing, eyes staring daggers at me. I gave him one last look, and ran, murmuring, "Swift feet, swift feet."

It broke my heart to do that to Kyle, but I had to get home. I wove my way through the crowd again, ducking against the wall as some guards strolled by. As I slipped into the cargo hold of my designated ship, I didn't see as Kyle boarded the front. The doors slid closed, trapping me inside. I'd have plenty of time to think, here, as long as i didn't think about Kyle.

It wasn't long before someone came snooping back here, a little bunny, his little nose twitching. he jumped up to where I was hiding and looked at me curiously.
"Hi! I'm Tommy! What's your name?" He said.
Smiling, despite myself, I said, "Gabe."
He jumped up and down, "Nice to meet you Gabe!"
We spent a bit talking, him telling me all about how he was going home to his grandparents for the summer, me encouraging him, partially enjoying the company, partially hoping he would get bored and leave, when Kyle walked in on us.

He narrowed his gaze and looked at the boy.
"What are you doing here?" He said.
Tommy smiled without a trace of fear and said, "I'm talking to my new friend here!" He turned around to find me invisible again. A look of shock ran over his face.
"He really was here! I'm not making it up!"
Kyle smiled, "It's alright, I believe you, but I think you might want to get back up to the front, we're just about to rearrange the cargo, and we don't want you to get hurt." He grinned wolfishly at this.

Tommy jumped up and said "Oh, OK!" And left.
Kyle turned back around to find me standing there, a hand on the emergency airlock release.
"Now kyle, you know the rules about fighting on a passenger ship," I taunted him.
He growled, baring his teeth, but backed out back through the door.

As soon as he left, I collapsed, chest heaving. To fight with Kyle would mean the death of both of us. Not to mention every other person on this ship. I couldn't, in good conscience, do something like that. I sat back down in my spot and waited, Tommy came back in a few times, always to find me gone. I couldn't afford to distract myself like that again, lest Kyle forget and charge in again.

As the ship landed, people came back to claim their parcels and other luggage, but by then I was already gone. I pulled out my old ethereal crystal, I wouldn't need this to cast anymore, now that I had a more pure one. I walked up to tommy, waiting for someone, and sat down next to him. He turned and looked at me, smiling once more.
"Where did you go?" he asked.
"Away."
"Where away?"
"Not that far," I reached over and handed him the crystal before he could ask again. He stared at it, then to me.
"What's this?"
I smiled, "It's my old... magic rock." I said "It'll help you if you want it"
He looked at it, "I do!" with a burst of sparks from the crystal that caused us both to jump.
Maybe giving it to him wasn't the best idea after all, but I couldn't go back now, so I smiled, "I think it likes you" I said, standing up and leaving just as what I can assume were Tommy's parents came and escorted him away.

Outside the port, Kyle was once again standing near the security lines, looking everyone over scrupulously. This time, I walked right up to him, unafraid.
"There is no war here, Kyle," I said, "There's no need to look for me anymore."
He looked down, then back up to me, "Perhaps you're right," he said "but I still have a duty to do."

I felt my wrists wrenched around behind me and cuffed before I could react. I looked at Kyle, grinning from ear to ear. How could I have been so stupid! Not even he was above trickery, yet I had let myself trust him. I twisted around and shoved the chains of the manacles against the other officer's face, stunning him for a second, and I ran again. Kyle was right after me, jumping over stalls and people, crashing through debris and taking the more direct route. As I ran I shot back a few tripping jinxes that he easily dodged. I leaped up and onto the lowest building, wrestling with the cuffs all the while. I skittered to the end and jumped across, missing, and landing on a stall awning. I crashed right through it and, after some hurried apologies to the owner, I raced off, leaving Kyle yelling after me.

Kyle stood on the building yelling, "Come back Gabe!" He sat down, crying and calling his name. This had been the breaking point, all those years after Gabe had defaulted, Kyle had questioned the wisdom of what he had been doing, but to see Gabe's face as he had seen the betrayal, had sent him over the edge, he got up, pulled out his badge, throwing it on the ground and smashing it underfoot.
"If you're not going to come back," He said, "I'm coming to you"