CROSSOVER FIC! I know, I'm making too many...but I don't care. On with the story!
In Memory Of
Chapter One: A Typical Day
"Should this be our final battle, let us be taken into paradise; should our memories survive, let us meet again and continue to fight alongside each other. To which we say, Amen?"
"Amen."
"Amen!"
"...Amen."
Bright gray eyes opened in an instant; finding themselves staring up at a white ceiling. Their owner let out a heavy sigh; the dream was always the same. The same three people, the same black cloaks, and the same words exchanged. Nothing else. He didn't understand why he had the dream, all he knew was that it felt important to him without knowing why.
"Richy, wake up!"
"Yeah, Richy! Mamma's got breakfast waiting!"
The teenage boy jolted upright; reddish-brown hair swaying and milky skin showing from the lack of a torso. The two girls giggled. "Richy's naked, everybody!" They chanted; rushing out of the boy's room and rushing down the stairs where the rest of the household was bound to be waiting for them.
The boy's face lit up. Technically he was half naked, but the girls always made it embarrassing for him. "Just another morning..." He told himself; stretching a bit before moving to get dressed in a black t-shirt and a pair of white jeans. The teen grabbed a hairbrush; walking up to the mirror in his room and brushing his hair.
He scowled at his reflection; the horrid scar over his left eye was never something he was proud of. "Could be worse." He thought before racing downstairs; ready to devour the feast waiting for him. And it could be; he could have been left to deal with this on his own.
The boy arrived in the room, letting out a light yawn. "Good morning!" He greeted the five people before him.
"Ah! Good morning, Richard!"
"Hello, Richy."
"Hey, Rich."
Richard, as he was called, took as seat at the dining room table; digging into his food and listening as his family conversed with one another. Well...technically they weren't his blood relatives. He didn't know who his real family was, or who he used to be, for that matter. The Levray family found him when he was about twelve; near Christmas time; and it didn't take long for them to bring him to their flat in London. They adopted him shortly afterwords.
He looked on at the group. Wes Levray was the father of the household; the man had scruffy brown hair and light green eyes with a pasty complexion. He was sitting at the table in his standard gray suit, brown dress shoes, and red tie; just as he always would before heading off to the hospital and help save lives. The man had his PhD for surgery, and was fantastic at his job.
His mother, Lunabelle, was sitting beside him; curly blond locks going down her back, bright blue eyes looking on at the group as they continued speaking of all the little things that would come across the table. She was dressed in a pink blouse, black dress pants, and a pair of black high-heels. She was a highly successful lawyer, and ran her own law firm. Many had said that she wouldn't be able to last a few minutes, but she had already proven herself to be one of the best lawyers in Britain.
Next was Thomas. He had spiked, dirty-blond hair, turquoise eyes, and a rather nice tan. He was well built, and was usually wearing something simple like a t-shirt and jeans; just as Richard would. He was nineteen years old, and had applied to several schools outside of the country so he could become a mythologist and teach classes of his own. The thought was exciting to him, of which, Richard could only help but admire.
Finally, there were Katherine and Lisa Levray. The two eight-year-old twins that you could barely tell apart. They always wore the same dress (unless it got cold, then they'd wear pants and a sweater), and enjoyed confusing the people around them. The mischievous pair had curly, light brown hair, bright blue eyes, and rather white skin like their father's. The only way you could tell the two apart was the white bow clip that Lisa would always keep in her hair, and even then, she'd take it out to mess everyone up.
So, here the happy family sat as Richard finished up his mountain of a breakfast (quite too literally). Just as the fifteen turning sixteen year old finished, Thomas spoke up. "I got accepted into Tokyo University on a scholarship! I get to continue studying Japanese Folklore and learn some culture, so I'm hoping to fly out there next month." He told his family.
"Well, that makes things easy for me." Wes commented, a warm smile on his face. "My friend in Karakura Town, Ryuken Ishida, called me up a few nights ago; offering me a job in his hospital. And, after a long discussion with your mother, we've decided that we're going to move out there so I can start working."
Lunabelle smiled. "It gives me the chance to head back to law school and get licensed in Japan; I'll show them how to run a court room!" She stated, a teeth sparkling smile coming at them with the standard wink and thumbs up. Richard snickered as his younger sisters cheered their mother on; such confidence was always inspiring.
"What took ya so long to get up, Richard?" His father suddenly asked out of the blue. The red-brunette froze up; having been caught off guard by the question.
Thomas shook his head. "The dream again, Rich?" He questioned. Of course his younger brother spoke up about it; he had been having the same dream running through his mind for years. It'd stop at certain points in time, but then-without warning-the dream would keep coming back for nights to come by, and God only knew when it'd stop.
Richard nodded, hesitantly. He didn't understand it anymore than his family did, all he knew was that it meant something to him. What it was, he had absolutely no idea. "Don't worry about it," he told his family, giving them a warm smile. "It'll pass on its own; besides, I'm more concerned about how we'll settle into a new country." He stated; it wasn't like he was lying, he didn't know how people would take him in a different country. But the dream was also a huge concern of his.
"But, of course!" His father voiced, moving along with the conversation.
Out towards the east, a middle class Chinese family lives together in solitude, on a farm in Hong Kong. It was a quaint little place, with very few distractions from the outside, other than when the farm owner's children come home from school. Yik Yin along with his wife Mei, their son Bo, and their daughter Rei worked on the morning routine; getting breakfast ready while waiting for a certain someone to wake up and to make the coffee.
Yik, a man with short black hair and black eyes, looked down at his little girl, who shared in his appearance. "Rei, go wake up Midori, would you?"
The five-year-old nodded; rushing down the hall and making it into her sister's room. "She probably had that dream, Father. You know how slow Midori can be on nights like that." Bo commented. He had black hair that just barely rested on his shoulders, and dark brown eyes to match his mother's. Bo Yin was a man just turned twenty, heading off on an intern job in Japan in a few days in hopes of getting permanent employment and getting his family citizenship in the country.
Yik sighed. "I know, son. But, she still has a wake up time like the rest of the household. I can sympathize with her, but that doesn't mean I'm going to leave her in her room to wallow up in her worries. That's even worse." He told the young adult beside him.
Mei nodded. "He's right, Bo." Mei Yin was your regular working mother; she worked the garden and did the cooking in the household with help from her boys while the girls kept the house clean. She had long black hair, dark brown eyes, and was always seen in a smock or apron of some kind.
Rei stopped in front of her sister's door; knocking once before walking in to see her sister. Midori Yin, a girl with long green hair and dark eyes sat in front of a mirror in her sleeping attire; brushing the knots out of hair so she could rid herself of a bed head. "Big Sister!" Rei called.
Midori turned her head. "Oh, good morning Rei!" She told her sister, smiling. Well, they weren't related, but Midori lived in the house since she was seven, so it made no difference to her. The Yin family had treated her like their own, and when Rei came into the world, she upheld her role in the family so she could be a good influence on Rei. "Dad's waiting for me I take it?" She questioned. Rei nodded. "Alright then!" Midori said, passing a nervous smile her sister's way.
Rei didn't head back to her father like she normally would; instead, the girl ran up to her sister; climbing into her lap and hugging her sister, and speaking to her, concerned. "Did you have that dream again, Big Sister?" The younger female asked; her innocent voice adding to the cute expression that pleaded with her sister to tell her the truth.
Midori sighed; there was no hiding that from her. "Yeah, I did." She admitted, a bit bothered by the fact.
"Why?" She asked, confused on why her sister was troubled by it.
The green-head shook her head. "I don't know" she admitted, "it feels like I'm supposed to hold onto it; like it relates to me in some way." She told her sister, holding her in a strong embrace. "And it troubles me that I can't figure out why." Midori muttered, a sense of helplessness ringing through her voice.
In the hot Arizona sun, the Taylor family are just making it to the end of their bike race; Risa Taylor followed by her daughter Karen, her husband Nico, then tied for last was their daughter Mary and their adopted son, Kori. It was typical for their early morning start, after a hearty breakfast that followed a series of pranks set off by said adopted son; from painting his sister's faces to braiding the long hair his father was proud to deem "manly."
They walked inside, removing their and shaking out their sweat-matted hair. "Shower first, called it!" Mary yelled; her wrist-guarded hand raised in the air. Mary had light brown hair with bright green eyes, and tanned skin. She had on a red tank-top and a pair of black shorts with her black cleats on her feet.
"Oh no way! You use up all the hot water before anyone else can get it." Karen complained, turquoise eyes practically burning holes into her younger sister's skull; dark brown hair resting at her hips. She had on a tight purple shit, white yoga pants, and a pair of white tennis shoes.
"Dad! Help me out here!" Mary yelled.
Nico, a man with long black hair and green eyes, shook his head solemnly. "I think neither of you should get it first; your shower habits take up after your mother's." He stated, placing his hands into the pockets of his baggy gray shorts; his sweat stained white top sticking to his skin.
Risa looked at her husband; bright blue eyes holding in shock and anger while her light brown hair stuck in its ponytail. She had on yoga pants just as her eldest daughter did, however stuck with a pink sports bra in order to show off her muscularly tanned skin. "Excuse me? You don't exactly take five minutes Mr. Macho Hair." She nearly yelled at him; getting a snort from her son.
"Yeah, Dad. We at least have good reason to take our time." Karen added, knowing how much her father cared about his hair looking good.
"Um, actually..." A voice broke in, causing four heads to turn towards Kori. Kori Taylor was a paler boy with hair blazing red, and his green eyes dazzling bright than his older sister's. He was wearing a pale yellow shirt with white short and black cleats as well. "I was hoping I could get it first this time; I'm not exactly feeling awake this morning." He openly admitted.
His family took that as sign that, once again, their boy had the same old strange dream. They brought him to a doctor about it, but it did him no good; the dream kept coming back constantly. This was most evident when he'd nearly lose a race where he'd normally come second to his mother. The call to shower first only confirmed the suspicions, since he used the time to recollect himself.
"Sure thing, Kori." Mary said, giving her little brother a warm hug. The boy never liked talking much about it, he just told them it happened. Regardless of the lack of detail, it was evident it bothered him greatly; ever since he was brought into the family, he hid a lot of his true emotions, although they never understood why.
The boy smiled, glad that they didn't ask him anything. Nothing changed since when it started, so their wasn't a point in asking. That and the fact he just didn't like talking about it in general; he didn't know why he was holding a dream so close to home, but it bothered him nonetheless. The dream had been bothering him for years, and it seemed personal to him, although he had no idea why.
Kori ran up the stairs, listening to his family discuss together as he got his shower ready. "Maybe we should bring him to Japan; his mood's not changing here, and you know he likes new challenges. I mean, he's got a pen pal there; maybe the change will get his mind off it." Mary commented.
He smirked as he heard the girl getting hit. "Be quiet! He'll hear!" Karen seethed.
"Well, it's true! We're not doing him any favors here, Karen, and God knows that his friend might help him better than we are." She stated.
He could hear his mother's sigh. "I know it bothers you that he won't say anything to us, but your brother wanted space on the matter, Mary; there's not much we can do about that." Risa told the young woman.
The middle child sighed. "I know, Mom...I'm just getting tired of sitting back and watching helplessly as my brother holds in all his mixed signals. He deserves to be happy, but he's told us nothing to relieve the pressure he's under; I just think a change in pace might...you know, lift his spirits a bit." She admitted.
Nico sighed. "We'll see; but for now, let your brother clear his head." And with that comment, Kori hopped into the shower.
The sun had just started rising in a mountainous region of Japan; leaving a small trail of light into the boy's room. Sitting up, dark blue eyes shot towards the wall clock. "Five to four; time to get up, Hoshimaru."
The teenage boy left the comfort of the mat and got dressed into a black hakama with a white sash tied around his waist, black clothed boots on his feet, and a tight purple tank top on his torso along with black armbands. The tall teen stepped into the bathroom, beginning to brush his long black hair before putting it into its usual high ponytail. And then, strapping his bokken to his waist, he left his room.
He stepped into the hall; turning his head in both directions. At realizing their was no one else there, the male quietly stalked down the southern hall of the traditional Japanese home; senses sharp in case he heard someone else near by. As he did so, Hoshimaru couldn't help but think about his dream. It was the only one he had ever had. If it weren't some stupid nightmare, then his sleep was normally dreamless. But this one dream was strange to him. He felt like he should hold onto it; as if he should know more about the people their with him and what was going on.
Sighing, the teen turned left and stopped four doors down the hall; peering inside before entering and gently shutting the door behind him as he crept over to the sleeping form in the room. He knelt down beside the person; a gentle hand latching onto her shoulder. And then, with a smirk plastered on his face; he roughly began to shake the form until such time he heard a coherent response. An annoying response, yet one that proved success: "Yorutenshi, will you quit it!" The girl yelled at him; glaring at the teen through her mangled bed-head.
The ebony only smirked. "Funny, I thought you wanted another lesson this morning before Kaa-san woke up; but, I could come back later when she's awake to baby you, Hotaru." Yorutenshi teased the preteen.
Hotaru Hoshimaru was a twelve-year-old girl with pale white skin, bright lavender eyes, and shaggy, shoulder-length light-green hair. She was well-toned and was starting to grow a chest of her own that came with this coming of age. Here she was only wearing a pink nightgown that her mother made her wear (much to her distaste), and her half-awake eyes burned with annoyance at hearing the threat.
Quickly though, she pouted a bit before saying: "You wouldn't do that to me, would you, Yoru-nii?" She asked in as cute a voice as she could muster. If her brother was in a good mood, then he wouldn't make her speed things up so she could get ready at a respectable pace. However...
Today was not one of those rare moments.
Yorutenshi rolled his eyes; his smirk still molded on his features. "Depends; how fast can you get ready, Imouto?" He asked her, playfully; knowing full well the girl wouldn't dare deny the opportunity of training without their mother looking over their shoulders. Such things slowed them down immensely, so he settled for giving her lessons by the time he woke up. It was either that, or he'd force her to endure their mother; a fate neither of them would enjoy.
With a sigh of defeat, Hotaru pushed her brother out of her room so she could get changed. She came out about ten minutes later with her hair brushed, and dressed in an outfit similar to her brother's. The difference was that her shirt was red, as was the sash that held up her hakama.
Pleased with the results, Yorutenshi began to creep down the halls along with his little sister; careful not to wake their parents or any of the servants. Such a thing would result in nothing but pestering and an endless array of questions. That was something he couldn't tolerate in the morning, even if it only happened a couple times. The only one who didn't give them trouble was their father. Hibiki thought their actions were reasonable, so if he were up, he'd make the two tea for once they finished.
They made it to the training field and began sword training. Naturally (since he was doing the teaching), Yorutenshi proved himself victorious in each of their matches. However, not how he usually would...at least on Hotaru's account. She knew her older brother like the back of her hand, and she knew that if she could get in hits where Yorutenshi could block them with ease, he was distracted by something. It was becoming more frequent with him, but the elder sibling refused to tell her or anyone.
As the pair finished, they spotted a tray of tea where a note was left by their father. Hotaru got to it first, and read it aloud in a confused manner: " 'Don't get frustrated, Yorutenshi; your dreams are trying to tell you something.' " It was nothing abnormal to Yorutenshi; his father had a tendency to find out things about him, regardless if he told the man or not. Thankfully though, Hibiki wasn't the type of man to pry further on a topic, so long as the privacy was asked for. Granted that didn't stop him from bringing it up in private and asking Yorutenshi if he wanted to about it, but he didn't try any further whenever his son shook his head...
Unlike his doting mother, thankfully.
"Yorutenshi, what's Tou-san talking about?" The ebony didn't answer her, nor did he turn to meet her gaze. He just closed his eyes; grabbing one of the cups, and taking a sip of the green tea. "Yorutenshi, are you listening?" She practically screamed. He grunted to say that he was, but still didn't face his sister. He sat down; no sound made other for when he took to take a drink. "Nii-tan...?"
Yorutenshi's eyes snapped open this time. Hotaru never called him that often, but whenever she did, she was either extremely happy or extremely worried; no doubt by her tone, this situation was the latter. He turned towards her, seeing her hands clenched tightly into fists and tears rolling down her pink flushed cheeks.
Wordlessly, Yorutenshi held his sister in a gentle embrace; stroking her hair soothingly. "Now what did I tell you?" He questioned her, a small smile on his face. "You look ugly when you cry. Your smile looks a lot better." He heard her muffled giggle, but Hotaru didn't move, still rattled by her brother's behavior and the secrets he's been keeping from her. Yorutenshi let her stay their until she was done feeling frustrated. All the while, his thoughts went back to the note his father left him and to that dream. "What does this mean?"