Chapter 1 - Perspective and Memory

By TsukiRiver

In the earliest stages of life memory is a strange thing.

It is fickle and fleeting while at the same time long lasting and capable of shaping who we are, and who we shall become. We might not be able to recall the events - but the consequences, what comes from those early memories - those stick with us. Both the good and the bad.

It might be for the best that we do not, cannot, remember that which shapes us in our earliest years. If we could, if we knew the reasons behind why we are the way we are, there is no telling what we might become.

~-/-~

She was cold.

Physically, mentally, emotionally.

Cold and exhausted.

How many times had she gone through this now? She didn't really care to count, but certainly far more than any normal human being should. She laughed at herself, she had stopped being normal long ago.

From the moment she was reborn into a world she once believed was fictional, a world she thought only existed on TV and in manga, she ceased being anything remotely resembling normal. She might have been, if not for the fact that she could remember... She could remember the life... no, lives that came before.

Her memories may have faded with time, but she still remembered. She recalled every single life she had ever lived, as far as she was aware at least. It was for this reason she was tired. Once again she had been reborn. Once again she had been thrust into a new life with a new face, a new name, a new family.

A family that she had already failed.

She looked to her left to the empty space where her brother, her twin, once kept her warm.

She had felt them as they came down the hall. Not only their chakra, weak as it was, but their emotions as well.

The anticipation, the greed, and from one, a sickening concoction of emotions that seemed to overwhelm all others around them. Desperation, guilt and self-loathing swirling together with a righteous anger that burned her even as an unholy greed threatened to drown her.

It was too much, even for her old soul.

So naturally, she took it all on.

She shielded her brother from the onslaught of emotions, all the anger and fear, all she could handle and then some. Too much, far too much for her to handle, all on her own.

But she kept a tight grip on the tidal wave of emotion and the hand of the one she was protecting. The little whisper of worry that came from his young mind resonated with her and she couldn't help but respond with a sweep of calm.

It didn't matter what was going on around her - the shouting of men, her mother running from the room, the looming presence of someone.

None of it mattered to her, until her brother was removed from their shared crib by the looming man with the too many emotions.

In that moment she finally realized what was going on and knew that it was too late to stop it.

So she didn't.

Instead she sent one last emotion to her twin. She sent him every last bit of affection she had within her being. Desperately trying to make sure he knew that he was loved.

She thinks, (hopesprayswishes) that he understood. In that final moment when their eyes met one last time. Because, in that one single moment, she felt the same from him, and it made hers grow all the more.

She was cold, but her determination burned with the Will of Fire as she swore to find him, someday, no matter the cost. He was her brother, her twin, and there was nothing, in this world or any other, that would keep her from getting back to him.

~-/-~

He knew it was wrong. He knew, and it filled him with a sense of guilt, but he also knew it had to be done.

He had Cameron take him and a couple others over to the seedy motel where he'd last seen the woman he had met, and more importantly her children. One of which could be the child that was the key to saving The Thieves Guild, the child with the Devil's eyes.

As he made his way up the stairs he could feel his anticipation grow with every step, and with it his self-loathing.

What kind of man was he to be excited about taking a child from its mother? About taking a Mother from her child?

He tried to remind himself, that he was only going to take one. A feeble attempt to make himself feel less guilty about what he was about to do. It only served to remind him of the fact that he would also be separating two siblings, twins.

Before his thoughts could turn against him they came upon the room they were searching for. He had no need to say anything, the door to the room was opened with no effort at all. It was almost laughable how simple it was to get into rooms in places like this.

He had assumed that, being members of the Thieves Guild, the men he had brought with him would know when to use stealth rather than force. He was proven wrong when one slammed open the door, effectively abandoning any pretence of discretion. The entire situation was made worse by the mother screaming and running from the room as if the devil were on her heels.

He glared at the thieves responsible for making this more difficult than was absolutely necessary, willing them to feel his ire. He felt a vindictive sort of satisfaction as one of them shuddered.

Making his way into the room he gave it a once over, it seemed like just about every other motel room he had seen. Bare and on the verge of breaking down, the only notable difference in this room was the cheap crib by the bed.

As he walked toward the crib he could feel his irritation at his subordinates turn to anger.

How did it come to this?

He was a thief, yes, but this was different. What he was about to do, it wasn't like taking something from a vault to be sold or coveted.

He was about to steal a child from their mother.

He was going to steal a life.

He paused as that thought turned to another. He was going to steal a life, just like his father had stolen Clemente's. He was about to rob a child of their sibling, all for the sake of some prophecy that may not be true.

But what if it was?

What if this truly was the only way to save the Thieves Guild from ruin? He couldn't take that risk...

The children were young enough that they probably wouldn't remember each other, and it wasn't as if he was going to treat the child poorly. Such a thing was unthinkable within the Guild.

He looked once more down at the children in the crib, this time really looking at them.

His eyes were first drawn to the one in the shockingly pink clothes. That was certainly a lot of frills to fit on such a small body. Chuckling silently he shifted his attention toward the other child, the boy. He was wearing a worn out pair of navy overalls that looked a few sizes too large over a blue and white striped shirt with a little anchor stitched on it.

The sight of it got a small grin out of him, and then the boy opened his eyes and he knew for certain which child he would be taking. He was already favouring the boy as he had no idea how to care for a girl, and no doubt it would be much more difficult to teach a woman the things he hoped to teach the child.

Yes, the boy was the better choice.

He would leave the girl to her mother and he would have his heir in the boy with the devils eyes and the hair like hellfire.

Carefully he reached down into the crib and extracted the boy's hand from the girl's and picked him up. Bringing him to his chest he tried to ignore his foolish subordinates, whose argument had escalated to a full on shouting match.

Finally having enough of their stupidity he turned to face them with a snarl, "ENOUGH!"

The entire room seems to freeze for a moment before one of the men he had brought with him, slowly turned to face him, his entire body full of tension and his face contorted with irritation. Throwing his arm as if a mere hand gesture wasn't enough to express the levels of his exasperation.

"Boss, Really? You can't... You Have to be Kidding!"

Jean-Luc raised an eyebrow, "Do you have a problem with what we're doing, Bill?"

Vincent clenched his fists, bringing his arms down to his side, "Yeah I do! Joking about my name doesn't change the fact that THIS IS KIDNAPPING! We are thieves. We steal money and art. Things! NOT CHILDREN!"

He spun around to face the others in the room. "This is a whole different kind of illegal! Can't you see how insane this is?"

Jean-Luc could see Cameron trying to meld into the corner, and pretend he wasn't there. The man he had been arguing with before, John looked ready to throttle his fellow thief. He took a glance at his second in command, Oliver Lehane, who was a blond pillar of calm in this entire mess.

"Insane?" Jean-Luc's voice was low and soft, a dangerous sign. Every spine in the room straightened and Vincent could feel the hairs on his arms raise. He lifted his chin and squared his shoulders.

"You really think anyone else believes in that prophecy shit?"

Everyone was silent, watching the two men volley back and forth.

And something in Jean-Luc snapped.

He turned to Bill with a deceptive smile and gestured broadly with one of his hands.

"You know what, mon ami? You're right! There's the door."

Vincent's eyes widened and his Adam's apple bobbed. Jean-Luc's grin widened further, showing a row of straight, white teeth.

"I- I-"

"In fact," Jean-Luc turned to the room at large, "Anyone can leave. Right now. No questions asked."

No one moved. Jean-Luc met Bill's eyes, held it with a hard glare.

Bill broke first, looking at the floor miserably.

"No?" Jean-Luc's smile dropped into a thunderous scowl. "Good. Because I want to make one thing clear, right here, right now. This child is coming with me. Anyone who stands in my way will be dealt with. Permanently."

Silence reigned.

Jean-Luc turned without another word and walked slowly out the door.

As he turned into the hall, the child, Remy, his son, began to cry.

If he'd looked back, he'd see the silent promise in the girl's eyes, and the cold fury that did not belong on a child's features.

Jean-Luc turned without another word and walked slowly out the door.

He knew it was wrong, but so long as it kept his family safe. He could honestly care less.

~-/-~

He's in a room, large, dark, silent, and empty...

Nothing happens for a long time, it feels like he is stuck for an eternity, unable to move or speak. It is cold, he feels the chill grip his body. There is an odd warmth at his back, comforting in the cold and the quiet.

Suddenly everything is moving, the door slams open and dark imposing figures pour out from the blinding light. A scream, loud and terrified, shakes his very soul as the cold that surrounds him turns inward and it grips his heart and instead of being frozen he is falling, falling, falling...

The world is spinning around him and he can't tell which way is up, he feels sick and terrified because everything is as black as his eyes and then it isn't and he is on a plane of white with a shadowy figure looming before him.

As it moved closer and closer he began to look around frantically for something, anything to protect him. He looked behind him he saw his shadow, not at his feet but standing upright with rims of green where eyes should be, and for a moment, he felt safe, like nothing bad could happen. He could almost see it smile as it reached out to him, almost touching him before the great figure he had turned his back to grabbed him and lifted him up high, high off the ground as it tightened its grip until he couldn't breath and his ribs were about to snap. Then…

Remy woke up with a gasp, shivering and covered in sweat, tears welling in his eyes.

It happened again, another nightmare.

He just wanted them to stop!

They were scary and the shadow with the green eyes was showing up to save him less and less. He just wanted his Père. Remy crawled out of his bed and grabbed one of his blankets and made his way to his Père's room as quietly as he could.

When he got there he carefully opened the door and stuck his head inside.

"Père?" He asks quietly.

When he didn't get an answer he moved further into the room and tried again, "Père?"

Once again Remy didn't get an answer and so he moved right by the bed and tugged on the sheets. "Père, are you up? Père? Wake up..."

Finally he was answered by a quiet groan and a gruff, "I'm up, I'm up."

Remy bit his lip and looked at the floor, "It happened again Père... Can I stay with you?"

Remy's Père slowly sat up and looked his way with a soft smile. "Of course you can, cheré."

Remy smiled back and crawled into the bed, cuddling up to his Père. He tried to go back to sleep but he didn't feel tired any more. He wiggled a bit, trying to get comfortable but he was too awake.

His Père grunted and nudged him gently, "Cheré, go couche-couche."

Remy yawned and scooted closer to his Père.

"Okay," he mumbled as he once more began to sleep, this time in the safety of his Père's presence.

When Remy woke up the next morning his Père was already out of bed, so he crawled out bed and checked bubba's room to see if he was awake yet. Etienne was really bad at waking up early and so Remy usually had to wake him up.

It was really fun because he got to wake him up any way he wanted!

When he checked inside the room nobody was inside and everything was all put away. Remy was confused until he remembered that Etienne was on a trip with Uncle Oliver.

After that he made his way to the dining hall, saying hi to everyone he passed. Once he got there he asked one of his uncles to help him make a plate for his Père because he always forgot to eat in the morning unless someone reminded him.

Once he got the plate all filled up with his Père's favourite things he walked to his Père's office trying really hard not to spill anything. It was hard, but he was getting a lot better! Once he got to the big office doors he frowned and looked at his full hands.

He couldn't push open the door with his hands full because if he tried he would make a mess, but he couldn't set everything down because then he wouldn't be able to pick everything back up.

He tries all kinds of ways to open the door, with his back, his elbow, his head, and even his feet!

Until finally the door opens, but not because of Remy, but because his Père had finally opened the door for him. When it opened Remy almost dropped the food because suddenly the door wasn't there anymore and he was leaning into nothing. Remy caught himself just in time and looked up at his Père with a grin, "I brought you breakfast!"

His Père snorts, "I can see that."

Remy bounces up and down excitedly, "I made sure to get ALL of your favourites! I didn't even drop a little bit!"

"Really now? Not even a crumb?"

Remy shakes his head, "Not even a crumb!"

He smiles and ruffles Remy's hair, "Good job Cheré, I'm proud of you," opening the door a bit more so Remy could get in without bumping into the door.

Remy comes in and very carefully places everything down on the table as his Père looked on with an amused grin. After everything was on his desk and everything important was removed from the spill zone the two of them sat down together and began to eat.

"Ca c'est bon! You chose perfectly, cheré."

Remy's smile was bright enough to light up the room.

They continued to eat, sometimes talking, but for the most part simply enjoying the food.

When they had finished Remy looked up at his Père and asked, "Père... Sometimes when I have a nightmare I see a shadow and it looks like me and has eyes just like mine, but they're green and I don't know why but when I see it I feel safe and loved and... Père... Why would the shadow have green eyes? Sometimes I think it might be my mom but it looks like me, and it isn't big like you so it can't be, right? It feels more like bubba, but his eyes are that pretty brown and green and they're white like yours. Père, do you know the shadow person?"

Remy's Père was quiet for a moment, "Why do you ask me cheré?"

"Because you know EVERYONE Père!"

He looked at Remy, and everything was quiet for a long time, "Well Remy, I'm sorry, but I don't know who your shadow might be. When I found you as a baby you had been abandoned. Left for dead by people who were scared of you because of your eyes. They left you, but Père found you, and I'll never stop loving you, cheré."

~-/-~

Memory is a funny thing, it comes and goes as it pleases and no one memory is set in stone.

Memory also has an odd habit of changing when something you think you remember, is said to be wrong by someone you trust. It is so easy to come to the conclusion that you were and they are right because it is much easier to believe someone then it is to trust in yourself.

Nothing is set in stone and everything can be questioned, even the existence of your own family.

~~~-/-~~~

Words From This Chapter:

"Mon ami" = Literally translated, it means "my friend".

"Père" = Father.

"Cheré" = Literally translates as "dear". In proper French, it is pronounced "share". In Cajun French it is pronounced "shaa".

"Couche-couche" = A Cajun term meaning "fall asleep". Many young Cajun parents tell their fussy babies "Go couche-couche, cheré". It is pronounced "koosh koosh".

"Ca c'est bon" = Literally translated, it means "It is good". Something you might say when something pleases you.