――― The young girl sniffed as her tears had long since ceased, but her throat still burned with her tears over the last several days. She wasn't sure how long she had been walking anymore, but she felt herself stumbling, her vision blurred by the blood that had dried across her right eye and essentially glued it shut, her paws cracking from the rigorous walking. Had it been days, or longer? Her stomach rumbled, absolutely miserable to the core as the young girl's only driving force had been her father's words, his warning. If anything happens, find him. Her breath caught in her throat with another threat of a sob at the thought of him, of her mother, both of whom she was now starkly aware had passed on, whose parting screams were the last thing she heard as she ran away from the house that she had been born and raised in all of her life. They had died to protect her, and it was now her only option that she didn't let them down, that their sacrifices hadn't been for nothing. Buckingham. Her only known living relative. Every town she had stopped so far, most of whom turned away the young scrap of the girl who was too closely connected with them, had only dared to say that the 'spitting image of her father, just younger,' was miles away, that the creature she knew only in name to be her uncle, may not even know of her.

But it was all she had.

Her breath shook with every second that she tried to inhale a deep breath into her chest, the nine-month-old girl's determination began to waver as exhaustion crawled over her body. Through her blurred vision she could smell the borderlines of a new town, a new place, wobbling on her feet as she came to a stop, rubbing her face against her shoulder in an attempt to regain what stability she could, her breath still shaking with the threat of tears as she attempted to get her voice to work, rough and squeaking, even as she tried to force it as loud as her little voice would. "H-hello?" she began, taking in another deep breath as she tried to speak louder, "I-i'm.. I'm looking for... For my uncle. His name is Buckingham Barnes. Is.. Is he here?" Heavens above, please let him be alive. ✾

"I'm looking for my uncle. His name is Buckingham Barnes!"

Any previous thoughts he had on his mind disappeared, the moment he heard those words. He stood dead in his tracks, forgetting the border patrol he's suppose to be on. Someone was looking for him, and they claimed he's their uncle. Something must be wrong here- Bucky is an only child. Bucky was lucky enough to retrieve his memories of his family when he broke away from the brainwashing. He remembers where he grew up, how caring and loving his parents were. His mother was sweet and gentle, his father was strong and caring. They were always there for him in his kithood, and not once was there a third family member. His parents didn't mention another sibling to him either, further convincing Bucky that this child at the border was gravely mistaken. He let out a sigh, as his paws began to move- this time in the direction of the she-cat. He didn't want to think that she might be right somehow- that he did grow up with a sister or brother. And that when his memories of his family came back to him all those months ago, a small, yet extremely important, detail never arose to the surface.

Bucky went on the move, this time heading where the unfamiliar she-cat declared she was looking for him. He wanted to tell her that she's wrong, that Bucky has no relation to her. He quickened his pace, ears drawing back to his skull as he attempted to calm his panicking mind.

The maine coon eventually padded up to the borderline, being lead by Fairylight's scent. His gaze quickly landed on the feline who claimed to be his niece. She thought she was related to him? While she's a domestic feline like him, her appearance looked nothing like him. She's a mostly white, cream tabby with somewhat long fur. She wasn't as big as him, and she looked like she'll be a year old in a few months. When he locked her gaze on her, he noticed she was at the point of tears. And now, when he thought of it, her voice had been rough and squeaky. Well, he's not going to be as harsh as he originally planned, but he has to lay down the truth. He's not related to her- she might have his name, but she's injured. She's not thinking straight!

Momentarily, he glanced over at his close friend, Marina. Marina seemed so calm and accepting regarding the claim, which is the exact opposite of him. He felt panic spiraling in his chest, and wants to fix this mistake before anyone else also assumes he's related to this stranger. "You are mistaken," Bucky spoke up, gaze locking on the near trembling feline again. "I'm an only child, I have no siblings-- there's no way that I am related to you." He didn't miss a beat as he dropped what he believed to be the truth.

[ ninja'd twice omg ]

――― //Sorry for the late reply guys, I was at school!
There was only a small pang of relief that found Fairylights' chest at the sound of friendly voices approaching, many of whom spoke softly and carefully, not doting over her, but getting straight to the point. At the present moment, the girl could appreciate that, her head lifting slightly to try and survey the form that was Marina, a little bleary through her one-covered eye, but minding her manners quickly enough as she bowed her head low. Wait- he was here? He was here! The realization dawned on her all at once as the leader's words replayed in her head, a fact she missed before as she instead clung to the woman's name, almost feeling as though she could sob in relief as she sniffed bravely, trying to straighten up and make herself look as presentable as she could, her paws a little tender as she gingerly replaced them on the ground so she could sink into a sitting position. "Blessings to you, misses Marina. I am Fairylights- Fairy. People call me Fairy." she spoke gently, her voice suddenly whisper-soft as a gentle smile touched her face, even now, in this circumstance. It was one of the things her mother had impressed upon her above all.

Her ears flicked at the other figure that said they would send for someone called 'Venus,' the form disappearing back over the muddy territory before she had a chance to acknowledge but acknowledging them all the same as she swallowed gently. Now that she was here, that she had found him, the next terrifying act would be to have to explain how he was indeed an uncle when he likely had not heard from his brother in some long time. Her father had said that their grandparents were since gone, that the visit he had repaid to their house some years ago had been left unoccupied, and that his brother had disappeared with him; though he was very much alive. How was she to know that she could trust her father's memory of a brother he had not seen for himself in so long? How could she trust these people? Quite simply, she didn't have a choice. Her parents could prepare her for many things, but nothing could prepare her for the man with a metal arm that approached, her eyes going wide as she almost shrunk beneath his steely gaze.

You are mistaken. No! No, she couldn't be! I'm an only child. She felt the tears welling in her eyes again, her voice catching in a squeak as her maw opened with the idle attempt at words, her gaze briefly turning to Marina as if she could somehow help, her chest twisting into such a tight knot she felt as though the very air had been sucked from her lungs and left her gasping. "N-no! Y-you're the only one, you have to be! There's no other option!" she asserted desperately, her voice barely raising as it shook. Maybe.... Maybe he thought his brother had been gone a long while? Maybe Bucky disowned him? Maybe something had happened? Please, please. She forced herself in to suck in a breath, to try and calm her shaking voice as much as possible, to speak calmly, to think level-headed, as much as her mind screamed in anguish. "My father's name... Is Loxley Barnes. My mother was Aurelia Barnes... My grandparents; my father's parents are..." she swallowed, trying to recall the names, trying not to let herself fall into despair as much as it clung to her paws and threatened to drag her down and collapse against the muddy ground. "...Kensington and... Sanda. Sandra Barnes. My father said... If anything happened to them... I had to find you. T-that you were my only living relative. Please... Please tell me it's you, or else I don't know where to go anymore," she begged, though it was hardly something anyone could beg for; she was either right, or she was wrong, a fact which made tears slip down her cheeks, sucking in a deep breath simply to keep from sobbing further. 


✾

It didn't take very long for Fairylights to react to Bucky's (false) correction. He could see tears swelling up in her eyes, close to rolling down her cheeks. For a moment, Bucky regretted speaking the way he did, but what else was he supposed to do? He couldn't just agree Fairylights is his niece, especially when he has no siblings! As Fairylights began to lay out the facts, insist that he is the cat she's looking for, the maine coon took a step back.

"My father's name... is Loxley Barnes! My mother is Aurelia Barnes!"

"Those names are foreign to me," He tried to argue back, tearing his gaze away from Fairylights. He couldn't bare to look at her face-- he didn't want to see her body tremble with tears. Even though he only told her the truth, the news seemed to shock her far more than he expected. "You're the only one! There's no other option!" "Bucky, you've upset her..." He stared at the muddy ground, metal claws digging deeply into it. "I haven't heard of them before-" He began to continue with his reasoning, before his voice trailed off as his ears pricked up again.

"My father's parents are Kensington Barnes and Sandara Barnes!"

Bucky's head was beginning to pound.

"Oh fuck," The male breathed out, taking one more step back, his tail lowered to the ground. Those are his parents. He can't deny that- he was born and raised by Sandara and Kensington. They loved him unconditionally, and spent the last months of their lives taking care of him. But, how did she get those names? Bucky never told anyone who his parents were- no one from his old homes, not even Marina. Bucky kept his family a secret- he was too ashamed to share their names, after what he accidentally did to them. He killed them, and ran away afterwards. If he had a sibling, wouldn't he have informed them of his parents death? He would have lived with his sibling until he was old enough to travel! He wouldn't have ended up in his first home, which eventually lead to his brainwashing!

His family was a mystery from everyone he knew. Which caused more panic to swirl in his chest, as Fairylight's facts began to seem more and more right. Fairylights didn't get into his head before she insisted her relation to him. He would have felt the presence in his head. Which means, she didn't make those names up. She wasn't trying to get to him in a bad way either. She's not his enemy-- she didn't learn about Kensington and Sandara through other people that could lead her to him. Which means, she is his niece. Loxley is real, and no matter how far he searches into his head, he can't find any trace of him.

The horrible truth slowly began to sink deeply into Bucky's skin.

Back when Bucky remembered who he was, Loxley never rose to the surface. Never once did he believe he was missing an important detail. He didn't feel an emptiness in him- the memories that he remembered played out well. In the memories he received, his parents never mentioned his brother's name either. Nothing seemed wrong at the time, he believed he was an only child. It made sense to him, up until now.

"Those are my parents," The male said in a horrified tone, shocked at his own ignorance. "I've never mentioned my family to anyone, so there's no way that you could be lying about your father," He continued, shuddering a bit when he mentioned his brother- a brother that he lost memory to. A brother that he thought never existed for a majority of his life. A brother that he knows nothing about.

"I apologize if this is complicated, you are my niece. You knowing my parents proves it... I have no memory of Loxley..., or your mother." He gave in, pulling his gaze off of the ground, and back onto Fairylights.

――― Fairy felt like she was going to be sick, the more and more that Bucky continued to deny any relation to her father, or to her, the more her head was swimming. She wanted to drop off her paws and just hide in a hole somewhere, to find her parents again, to just go back in time to when they were still with her, to get away from this place - as far away as she could be. Dizzy. It was all so dizzying! How could there be two Buckingham Barnes? It was the most logical explanation that her mind could jump to. If she was wrong, there had to be another. If it wasn't him, if it really wasn't him, then there had to be someone else. There had to be someone. Someone to take care of her. Someone who knew of them. But then there was a change, a chance she could see through her tear-blurred vision as Bucky seemed to shrink back on himself, a curse leaving his mouth that made Fairy both hopeful and terrified.

Her gaze for a moment turned to Venus, swallowing heavily as she acknowledged the medic only briefly through a flicker of her gaze, her gray eyes, or rather the eye that could presently open, crackling like a storm with the glisten of tears and the stress and exhaustion of this situation. But her gaze turned back to Bucky, every muscle of her body tensing as she hoped, prayed, prayed to every god and goddess and diety her mother had ever mentioned, to every spirit her father had ever spoken about in a storybook. He was beginning to relent, but the more he spoke the more his words only confused her. I have no memory of your father. The words finally made her sink back onto her haunches, a paw lifting to scrub at her eyes to try and clear them, numbly nodding as her gaze turned back to the softly-spoken Venus, and yet even despite admitting he had no memory, he would go so far to say that she was correct? That he was really her uncle? That she wasn't wrong?

"Yes please, miss Venus," she instead spoke softly, the words barely making it past her lips as she processed everything, or at the very least tried to. But to explain how she got these cuts? To explain what had happened? Her heart had long ago shattered, yet she could have sworn she felt it shattering all again, the mere thought of having to confess what had occurred to her parents making tears fill back in her eyes as her chest heaved with the threat of a sob, one she very well tried to contain, to try and pull herself back together. She swallowed heavily, her gaze uneasily turning back to Bucky for a moment. Perhaps they already knew the answer to why she was here. It was written across her face, wasn't it? Both literally and figurateively, and yet despite having no memory of it, she would still have to explain to the unwilling Bucky that the brother he didn't even know he had was now dead.

"I... I don't know how long. I-it's.. It's been a long time now," she paused, forcing herself to take in another breath, to try and enunciate as her mother always reminded her. "At least.. A few days, I think.. I think longer. My family was... We were attacked..." She left it at that for a moment, trying not to disturb any of Venus' work as her gaze shifted back to Bucky gingerly. "Sir.." she began briefly. Related or not, or at least indeed assuming they were both related, Fairy had very well gotten the message the man really wanted little to do with her. Yet, somewhere amidst her grief and pain, she understood. How would one be expected to react to not only learn you had a niece but a brother you had forgotten about? "They're dead, sir. My father said to look for you, but... I know I can't ask you to make me your responsibility but..." her pleading gaze searched for Marina next. "Ma'am...If I could stay. I don't want to be alone. Please."