Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho... Damn it...
Part one
The realization that I knew nothing about my parents came to me on my twenty first birthday. It finally dawned on me. I had my sister, great friends, a cute girlfriend who was also that shrimp's sister (it has been made known by Kurama's slip up), I'm actually passing school and in college, what more could I want? I never began to think about them until I got that letter. It was addressed to me when I turned 18 but apparently missed it's due date...
"Hey! Kuwabara!!" Yuusuke yelled
from the living room. The mail had come and an envelope was delivered
to our door. Hiei and Kurama were sitting on the couch in the
living room with Kurama ogling over Hiei... They'd been doing
it for weeks now, so they didn't get to see the shocked look on
my face when I read the address on it.
I opened it up to find a letter. It was
supposed to have arrived three years ago but apparently it was
lost in mail. I read a bit of it and dropped the letter. Shizuru
gave me a worried look and so did everyone else.
"Excuse me," I left the room
and ran upstairs towards the attic. My sister had everyone stay
downstairs after she read the letter and ran up to find me. She
saw me looking for a photo album, I didn't know why I was in such
a panic to find one though. She sat next to me and pulled a worn
out book that looked like a diary. She handed it to me.
"What is this?" I asked curiously.
"It was mine as a teenager. Open
it to the first page," Shizuru told me. I did so and found
a picture. A tall man with brown hair and knitted eyebrows stood
next to a woman with my color hair and a nice smile. A little
girl about fourteen with brown hair smiled in front of them. All
wore formal outfits, probably a family portrait.
"Shizuru," I began but she cut
me off.
"They left when I was twenty, leaving
you with me only at age five. They weren't around much for you
to remember anyway. I didn't think they'd try and contact you.
I didn't think you'd ever need to know about them..." Shizuru's
voice faded away. I looked at the picture.I looked at her. Why
did my sister become the quiet girl she was now instead of that
smiling girl in the picture he saw?
"Should I try to contact them?"
I needed approval from my sister. She had a reason for keeping
me from knowing about them, but something I wanted to know why
she did.
"You can try, maybe they changed
from who they used to be," she said softly and left the attic.
"Your diary!" I cried after
her.
"Keep it. It may be interesting for you to read," she smiled back at me. I smiled at her. "Happy Birthday, little bro."
I didn't understand it then, and I don't understand why I'm here waiting for my parents to show up. Their flight was delayed a bit from a fuel tank setup, but they would be here in due time. I could wait, I wasn't all too, too thrilled, but I still wanted to meet them. And know why they left.
Here comes their plane. Shizuru sits next
to me, I can feel her hand grip mine. Tight. I can understand,
too. I squeeze back. I wait for the passengers to come out and
wait. About the fifth or sixth persons who exit, I see them. They
look around expectantly until their eyes land on my sister. My
mother smiles widely while my father looks like his face with
shatter if he breaks his stone set emotionless face.
Shizuru smiles and runs up to her mother. My sister seemed to
be acting a little different around mother, but I guess not seeing
her for sixteen years will do that to you. She straightens up
at the sight of my father though. Her eyes hold anger in them
at him. I don't know why.
"So, where's our son?" my mother asked anxiously, her brown eyes darting every which way.
"Kazuma!" Shizuru calls over to me. I walk over and my mother's eyes open wide.
"Wow, oh, wow," her eyes betray her tone of voice. I guess I wasn't all that she expected. She walked up to me, walked a little circle around me (while I gave a dumbfounded look at Shizuru, whom just shrugged), and turned to face me.
"Mom?" I barely got out. She looked at me and smiled. I think noticed my sister's look at my father now. He had a dignified attitude about him, like a general almost. He seemed so strict with his knitted brow, serious face, and unemotional eyes. It was a wonder they attempted to see me now.
"You've grown so much," I could see tears in my mother's eyes. She made a haste move and hugged my tall figure. I could tell the tall gene came from my father. He was a good inch or so above me.
"Mom? Your scaring him," Shizuru remarked. She noticed I didn't know what to do.
"I guess your right. I didn't think he'd know what to do when we arrived anyway!" her voice was like mine, but with a nicer ring and not so raspy. I mean it was a high voice.
"Son," finally the old man spoke.
"Father," I didn't know what else to say. My eyes conveyed everything I was feeling and I couldn't help but allow one tear to slip. My father saw this and spoke, "Shall we go, or stand here all day?"
"Gomen nassai," I bowed, the only thing I thought was appropriate and helped mother with one of her many bags. She had like, three! (AN: Even I only have one take on bag... -_-;; Fits her character though! *coughsnobbycough*)
By the time we made it to the car my I could tell my father already disapproved of me. I wasn't that son he was planning on seeing, nor was I my mother's ideal either. It worried me that they wouldn't except me, and it made me wonder about my friends. I didn't want them to disappoint them any further, but I also wanted my parents not to insult them either. Especially, Hiei. He's been through enough already. Don't think that I wouldn't jump at the chance to insult him, most of the time it's play. I wonder if he knows that. Probably does because whenever he retorts back and I retort back, he seems to get that amusing glint in his eye as when he's delivering the final blow to an annoying opponent.
"So, how's your life been, Kazuma-chan?"
My mother already started with the "-chan" .
"Okay so far. You?" I tried being polite but my father's
mask of stone didn't budge at all.
"Fine! You have some pretty good manners for your age.
Your eighteen now, right?" she inquired after the 'compliment'
(was delivered with a hint of sarcasm).
"Actually, 21. I didn't get your letter
until yesterday," I clarified.
"21? But I though you'd be 18. We left when you were two,
didn't we?" she asked curiously.
"Uh... no... I was five," my heart felt like it had been pulled down by weights. She didn't even know when she abandoned me?
"Oops, sorry," my mother laughed it away. As if it were nothing...
"Where are we going? This doesn't look like a neighborhood," my father's gruff calm voice came from the back. He sounded like he was barking orders to soldiers.
"We have to stop by and pick someone up!" I smiled. We drove for a few more minutes in awkward silence until I pulled up into an elementary school parking lot. School had been let out thirty minutes ago and the small child was easy to find.
"When did he have children?" my mother asked when I stepped out of the car. I saw Shizuru starting to explain and felt kinda weird when my mother and father's eyes widened a bit.
Yuusuke and I walked through the door. It was freezing outside. I held the bundle close as to keep her from becoming an icicle. We had found the three year old on the streets a few blocks from the Hospital. Yuusuke opened the door for us and we walked in.
"Another cat, Kazuma?" Shizuru made a snide remark. Yuusuke and I gave her a serious look and she frowned. She came over to us and I revealed to her and small, raven hair girl turning blue from the cold. She nearly panicked. Running into this closet and that trying to find blankets and pillows.
"She going to be okay?" I asked worriedly as she laid the third blanket on top of the three year old sleeping in my bed now.
"I hope so," Shizuru spoke softly. Yuusuke helped out for a couple of days until we knew she'd be fine.
"Daddy!!" a violet-eyed, raven
haired child came running up to me. I picked her up and smiled.
Her mother died of cancer and she didn't know her father. No relatives
claimed her so I decided to adopt her. She was cute and sweet
and I figured I'd do a better job. Better than my parents. That's
when it hit me, I was uncomfortable around my parents for that
reason alone...
"Who's in the car with Shizuru?" she looked up at me
oddly.
"Your grandparents," I smiled at her. Her eyes glowed and she smiled back.
"Cool! I get to meet my grand-mere and grand-pere!!" I did mention she was born a native frenchie right? Her father was Japanese but apparently her mother was French... Weird I know... Mother spoke French and a little English to her. I had to teach her Japanese and learn French at the same time... Hard few months... Young ones learn easier though.
"Oui!" not that I knew much, but enough. She smiled and climbed into the back seat. She was five now, so I'd had her for two years so far.
"Kazuma, I didn't think you'd have children so soon," my mother was still in a little shock but I shrugged it off. The others were a little surprised when I said I was adopting her, too.
"Why'd you do that?" my father asked of me.
"I'll tell you later," he gave me a cross look and my sister glared at him in the side door mirror. What was up with her?
Home. We walked into my apartment and
sat down in the living room. My daughter went and ran to her room
to get something. When she came out she had a kitten that looked
like Aichii with her.
"Lar-Lar!" she held the cat up to my mother who took
the kitten briskly.
"How adorable!! Where'd you get her?" she asked smiling
at my daughter but I could tell she had no idea what to do by
the sweat drop over her head... (AN: One of my favorite anime
poses!! Face faults and giant sweat drops!! So funny...)
"The animal shelter! Daddy let me pick her out! I got one that looks just like Aichii!!" my father turned to my mother and took the car from her, examining it like it was dinner.
"Animal shelter? Why not get one at a pet store?" he asked in his low voice.
"Daddy says it's good to help animals, so we adopted one from there!" his eyes hardened a bit more at her hyperness and the small little voice she spoke in. Must not like kids, I presumed.
"Who's 'Aichii'?" he then asked.
"Oh! Where is she? Aichii!" I called out. Soon a larger version of my kitten came running from my room. "This is! I've had her since junior high."
My father scrutinized even more at the cat(s) and dropped Lar-Lar on the floor in front of him. I looked at him with a slight glare, but he didn't notice.
"Lar-Lar!" my daughter ran up to her kitten and picked her up. "Your not supposed to drop them! It's not good for them!"
"She landed on her feet," my father replied emotionlessly.
"So..."
"Robin," I said softly. She looked at me with her green eyes, "Why don't you go play in your room for a while, okay? Onegai?"
"Okay," she sauntered off with a pout on her face and looked at her kitten worriedly.
"Brat," I heard my father mumble.
"She's just protective of her cat, doesn't give you the right to call her a brat when you barely even acknowledge her being there, ya know," I retorted to the comment. His eyes narrowed and he looked straight at me. If I wasn't a spirit detective, what his eyes held might have scared the shit out of me.
"What did you say?" my mother rested a hand on his arm and Shizuru stood up and walked over to me. I looked up at her oddly but only saw a glare set in stone in her eyes. It had never left her face since the car ride. My father sat back down.
"Your not that intimidating," I blurted out. This caused him to jump up in rage. He walked over to me and I stood up, as well.
"Don't you EVER talk to me that way, do you understand?!?" his voice boomed.
"Don't insult my daughter!" I yelled back. His eyes grew even angrier, but his face didn't change.
"You never talk to your parents that way! Do you understand?!?" his voice got even louder.
"Parents?!? You left me alone when I was five and don't have the decency to remember my age when you left! Right now, your not exactly someone to respect!" my sister's eyes widened when I said this. Mine did, too. His eyes grew so wide that it looked like they were going to pop out. They narrowed as quickly as they widened.
"I fought in the army! I am a general! Show some respect!"
"So that's why you left? For respect at being a general, or the military? Wow... I thought it was important!" I couldn't believe what I was saying. Shizuru was gaping like I always did when Yuusuke went off like this and I tried to say something.
"Listen you--"
"No! You listen! I don't care if you fought in Vietnam! You look that old to begin with! When your here, you do not treat my daughter like shit!" I wasn't aware of how protective I was of her, but the car ride kind of added to it.
"Your my grand-pere?" Robin asked curiously.
"Why do you ask, child?" he said in an annoyed voice.
"Just to make sure," she smiled back.
"If you knew who I was, then you didn't need to ask! It's redundant!" he boomed in an even more annoyed voice.
"Sorry," Robin downcast her eyes and I glared at him from the rearview mirror.
"Best be! Show some respect to your elders....."
That would kind of make you mad too, wouldn't it? My father looked at me and raised his arm up as if ready to strike. When he did try and hit me, I was able to move out of the way. He looked in awe at me.
"Growing up as a punk has given me plenty of fighting experience. Some things I learned even a general wouldn't know. Watch it," I warned in a low voice to match my father's. He just looked at me, lowered his arm, and sat back down.
"Seems I have misplaced my position as your father then," he told me. I heard Shizuru sigh and everyone sat back down. I heard Robin open the door to her room and peep around the corner to make sure it was okay. I just ignored her, knowing she did want me to know she was there.
"Something to drink anyone before we go to my place?" my sister tried to lighten the mood. My mother nodded slowly and looked at Aichii who was hiding in a corner of the small living room. Sorry, Aichii, Robin, I knew I scared them, but I didn't mean too... It all slipped out. Hatred for my parents had peeked at that moment but slowly started to boil down...