Gem Warriors SS1 -- #2: The Gem Kidnappings
Snatches heard on the radio...
In national news, we recount the tragic story of the young baby girl, Kyrachi Deceemerio, daughter of Stan and Alyssa Deceemerio, who was kidnapped from her own cradle. Mr. and Mrs. Deceemerio had just set the child down to sleep when they heard her cry, and went upstairs to investigate...
Articles in the newspaper, briefly noticed...
...no one could imagine the terror that the Deceemerio's faced, as they went to their daughter's room, and saw not the young baby that they had expected, but a large Sapphire gem...
Magazine snitches, after looking through them...
...The Gem Kidnapping, they're calling it, after the Sapphire was found in Kyra's cradle. Was the person who kidnapped this young girl trying to pay the parents off', in a way, for taking the child? Or was there another reason...?
Flipping through the channels on the television set...
...but really, how can we accept this to happen, in out society? Isn't this a crude and immediate show that we, as a people, are becoming more deceptive? Whoever it was who kidnapped this girl, this little baby, snuck past the security system, and kidnapped a child who was sleeping on a second floor bedroom. How can this be?
Junsa Izumi had briefly heard of this kidnapping- after all, it was national news. But, at the time, she had other things to worry about. For instance, her son. Recently, to the Izumi's sorrow, one of their distant relatives had been killed in a car accident, and their son was left behind. Junsa had immediately agreed to take care of the little boy, and her hands were full, leaving relatively no time to listen to the news...
Besides... there was no way that it would happen to her...
*****
Five years later...
Junsa smiled at the young child in front of her, who was grabbing her skirt in an attempt to get her to pay attention to him. Looking down at him, Junsa asked, What do you want, Koushiro?
Koushiro smiled, but it was a small smile that had only one meaning- he was hungry. Koushiro wasn't really a big speaker, for some odd reason, but Junsa had learned his different expressions and smiles well. The only times when Koushiro did speak was when he was curious or excited about something... but that was it.
Junsa smiled back at Koushiro, saying, Do you want a cracker, Koushiro?
Koushiro shook his head, showing that he didn't want that food.
A celery stick?
Again, the red-haired boy shook his head.
An apple?
This time, there was a nod and a grin, showing that it was an apple that he wanted.
Junsa patted her child on the head, laughing, and she reached into the fruit bowl to pull out an apple from the assortment of fruits. It was a small apple, so Junsa wasn't very worried about him choking on it, or not being able to eat it, and she handed the apple to Koushiro, who instantly took a big bite of the reddish fruit.
the small boy in front of her said, through bites of the juicy pulp.
Swallow first, dear. Junsa replied, picking up a stack of freshly picked carrots from a pile on the counter, and began to run water over them, hoping to cleanse the vegetables enough for consumption. There was a pause as Koushiro finished his bite of food, swallowing it, before the young boy began to speak.
Thank you, Mama. Koushiro said, in his nearly inaudible voice, which, as Junsa had learned, was his most sincere. I wuv you. At those words, Koushiro smiled and bowed slightly, a surprisingly serene action for a six-year-old, and the auburn-haired boy left the room quietly.
Junsa watched the doorway from which Koushiro had left for quite some time after that, her hand over her heart. She didn't know why... but those words had touched her deeply... as if... as if it wasn't just a thank you, but that it was, quite possibly...
A goodbye...
*****
A sudden crash from outside jerked Junsa from her sleep, although her husband, Omasu, slept right through it. Clutching the sheets of the bed to her chest, Junsa trembled as she heard yet another explosion, and her eyes widened as she saw the bridge crumbled to the ground, from the window in her room.
Remembering her family, Junsa realized that if she were scared by the explosions and loud noises, that Koushiro (who, of course, was only six) must be as well. Grabbing her robe from where it was hanging up beside her bed, Junsa proceeded to leave the room, heading down the hall to where Koushiro was sleeping.
Seeing the door to Koushiro's room slightly ajar, Junsa frowned, knowing that Koushiro always slept with the door closed. Pushing the only slightly closed door opened, Junsa made her way into the room, becoming increasingly worried as she did. Looking at the small bed that was placed in the room, Junsa was made aware that Koushiro wasn't in his bed.
Koushiro's curious about everything.' Junsa realized. He's probably outside.' Turning back, she began to walk towards the door that led out to the balcony, when suddenly... Junsa realized that the explosions had all stopped, and a chilling silence had covered the entire area.
The silence only made Junsa walk faster, and she quickly walked over to the balcony door. As she had expected, the door was slightly open as well, and Junsa opened it further to make room for herself to get through. Stepping onto the balcony, Junsa looked out into the moonlit shapes.
At first, she couldn't see anything. It wasn't really a thing that Junsa was looking for, actually, it was mainly just movement. When she couldn't see anything, or her Koushiro, to be exact, on the balcony, Junsa's eyes began to focus on the details of the area.
It was then that she saw it for the first time. Sitting there, on the flat rail of the balcony, seemingly harmless. Junsa first saw it when the moonlight coincidentally collided with it, making the object shimmer with impossible magnificence. The color, a breathtaking forest green, came off with the beauty as well, as Junsa saw the object.
An Emerald gem...
All over the Heighton View Terrace area, Junsa's scream could be heard...
*****
One Year Later...
It had been one year ago, to the date.
And anniversary, to be exact. But this wasn't anything to celebrate... not at all...
Junsa turned on the television set as she opened her third box of Kleenex for the day. Crying... it seemed like it was the only thing that could satisfy her... her baby... her son... He was gone. Koushiro. Koushiro was gone. He had disappeared that night... that night on the balcony...
Why do I have to lose two children?' Junsa thought, weeping bitterly. Her first son... Ukeito... he had died in the hospital, because he was premature. And then it was Koushiro... her six-year-old little boy... gone like the wind. He had vanished into thin air...
Looking back, Junsa remembered all that had happened afterwards. After the discovery of the Emerald gem, Junsa had literally freaked out, and screamed until her husband woke up, and rushed out to the balcony to see what had happened... and Junsa wasn't able to tell him... she had collapsed in her own agony...
Once she had been able to tell what had happened, the authorities nearly screamed as well. They had heard of the mysterious Gem Kidnapping' as well, and it scared them to think that this mysterious kidnapper was back... taking yet, more children... traumatizing another family...
Junsa flipped the channel, and suddenly heard the words Koushiro Izumi. Hearing the name, Junsa stopped, and continued to watch the program. It was a news report, it seemed, and the newscast had two pictures on the screen- a picture of a baby girl with reddish hair, and a picture of a smiling six-year-old boy with just barely darker hair than the girl's own...
Isn't it strange? the man said, the pictures moving so that they were behind him on the screen. Two seemingly unrelated children, with good family life, no divorces... no suspects... these two children were abducted from their would-be life, and taken away. Where were they taken? No one knows...
But what we do know is this. After they were kidnapped, that little boy- Koushiro Izumi, and that baby girl- Kyrachi Deceemerio... after they were kidnapped, a certain object was left behind. A gem. For Kyrachi, it was a sapphire. For Koushiro, it was an emerald. Was the kidnapper trying to pay the parents of these children off? We don't know...
What connection is there between these two children, anyway? The connections they share, if any, are slim and few. For instance, they both have auburn hair, and their names begin with the letter K'. But how is that a connection? Many children have red hair, with a K' name... why were these two kidnapped? And what is the significance to the gems?
We don't know. And, quite possibly, unless the kidnapper shows him or herself, we never will. But it leads you to wonder...
Is life as we know it really all that is there?
*****
Two years later...
It was unbelievable. But it was true.
Five more of the mysterious Gem Kidnappings' had occurred since the time when Koushiro had disappeared, leaving only an Emerald gem behind... Junsa wiped a tear away from her eye as she thought of the articles that she had read regarding the new children that were taken...
A seven year old girl, Laura Alcotta, middle child of a family of nine. The young girl had been staying at home, watching her two younger sisters, when the doorbell had rung. Laura went to get the door, but she had never returned. It was only when one of her sisters had gone looking for her, when they saw was left behind...
A Ruby gem.
A eight year old Hispanic child, Maria Latinez, had been waiting outside her mother's photography shop for the time when her mother would be finished. There was a bench where the young girl always waited, but when her mother came out of the store, Maria wasn't there. All that was left was a singular object.
A Beryl gem.
A boy of eight, Jason Curtis, was the only child of a successful used car salesman. His mother was a housewife, and she had sent Jason upstairs to do his homework for school after he had eaten his snack. But, later that night, when the boy's father had gone up there to tell Jason that dinner was ready, he was greeted by a startling item.
A Jasper gem.
Andri Williams, as she was named on her birth certificate, was eight years old when she had stayed behind after school to play on the swings at her school. It was only a little while afterwards, when her friend from school had come up to the swingset, looking for the brown-haired girl... only to see something that surprised her greatly.
A Jacinth gem.
And the last of the reports... an eight year old boy, Derek Elmoi, was caught in a house fire with his younger sister. His parents had lost track of the two children, and were astonished when they found their daughter outside the house. But the rest of the house had burned to a crisp, except for one area, on a bed. It appeared to not even be touched by the fire, but most importantly, a certain object was lying atop the bed.
A Topaz gem.
The Gem Kidnappings.
Junsa stood up from her spot on the couch, and walked over to the counter, where a picture frame was sitting. On there, a small boy, with auburn hair, was sitting on his mothers lap, smiling softly. Her Koushiro. Junsa looked at the picture, a tear falling down her face, and she thought, Koushiro... where ever you are...'
I love you, too.'
A/N: *sad smile* This was a side-story for Krissy Izumi's Make me cry' contest, and also the second side-story for Gem Warriors : Saga 1. Remember the differences! Saga 1 has Kyra crying when she was taken, and it has Koushiro being kidnapped. ^^;
I hope you enjoyed this story, and if you have no clue what is going on, chances are you haven't read Gem Warriors'. Please do. Also, arigatou for reading and please review! Ja ne! Kyra-chan