A SONG OF SILENCE AND BLOOD
Chapter 2: A Song of Birthrights and Love
"Big Sis? We're here, y'know."
"Um… yeah, I know."
"Then why are we still sitting in the car?"
"B-Because… I need a minute."
A week had passed since my birthday, and finding out the name and address of my birth mother. I hadn't seen Aqua since that day, and every time I tried texting her, I chickened out. Silas kept on teasing me about the 'mystery girl' I had told my friends about. Only Charlotte seemed to be understanding… which was a first.
But right now… I was sitting in a car parked out in front of the Hoshido mansion. Why, you ask? Because this was the address given to me. This was the address of the place my birth mother lived. Mikoto Valla was now known as Mikoto Hoshido, the wife of Sumeragi Hoshido. My birth mother was married to the rival of my adoptive family. What a coincidence, right?
I was so nervous about this, I had asked Elise to come with me. I hadn't told anyone else what we were doing… so we used the excuse that I was going to help Elise practice her driving. And I was regretting that one hundred percent right now. She had scared me so many times on the way here, I needed a moment to breathe.
Elise puffed out her cheeks. "My driving wasn't that bad, was it?"
...How could I answer that without being mean?
"Uh… well… it was…" I scrambled for the right word. "...Memorable."
That, of course, made her pout. "Just admit it! I was terrible!"
I fought the urge to groan. "Look, Elise… don't feel bad. Everyone sucks at driving first. Even me."
"Even you?" she asked skeptically.
"Yep." I nodded. "The first time I went driving, Camilla was with me. She told me to brake… but guess what I did? I hit the gas pedal. I've never heard Camilla ever raise her voice that loud at anyone ever, before or after that."
Her eyes widened. "Whoa, really? Heehee, that's funny! Good thing I haven't done that."
"This isn't even your first drive, silly," I snorted, before looking out the window at the house. "...Okay. I'm ready to do this."
We both got out of the car, and slowly made our way down the sidewalk that led up to the front steps and the door. The mansion was elaborate in a different way than ours. It was just one floor, spread out like a ranch, but was designed in a Japanese architectural style. It was painted white, with a red roof with gold accents. But as we stopped in front of the door… I was hit by another wave of anxiety.
In a few moments, I would meet my blood related mother. In a few moments, all of my questions would be answered.
I took a deep breath to calm myself, and lifted my hand to ring the doorbell. Maybe a minute later, the door opened, revealing a teenage boy.
"...Can I help you?"
The boy had to be around Leo's age, making him seventeen or so, but he was slightly shorter. He had light grayish brown hair pulled back in a high ponytail that was much longer than I expected to see on a guy, and brown eyes. He was wearing what looked like the clothes I had seen kids in archery club wearing in anime. But this boy… he had to be a Hoshido.
"Um, yes," I said. "I'm looking for Mikoto Hoshido."
The boy narrowed his eyes, like he was getting suspicious. "Who should I say is here to see her?"
"Um… Kamui."
He didn't say anything else. He just disappeared back into the house. And as soon as he was gone, my little sister turned to me.
"Wow, he's really cute!" she exclaimed cheerfully.
I fought the urge to slap my forehead. "Elise… He's a Hoshido."
"So? The rivalry is so stupid!"
...Well, she did have a point there.
But then, the door opened… and out stepped a woman. I had been preparing for this moment, but as soon as I saw her, it was like the world froze.
Mikoto… my birth mother… was beautiful. She had long, pure black hair pulled back in a slightly messy high ponytail, with her bangs flipping up at the edges, and warm brown eyes. She appeared to be in her late thirties, early forties, much younger than I expected. She was wearing a loose white peasant top, and a pair of mom jeans, and seemed to be slightly plump.
"Kamui?"
"Um… yes." I was still in shock, struggling to get the words to come out. "I'm sorry, but I don't think there's any other way to say this… I'm… I'm your daughter."
Mikoto smiled softly. "I know. There is only one Kamui that would come looking for me. I am so happy to see you… You've grown into such a beautiful young woman."
"Wow, you're really nice!" Elise exclaimed brightly. "And so pretty! Yep, you're definitely Kamui's mama!"
Mikoto chuckled. "Why, thank you. Who is this, Kamui?"
"Elise, one of my adoptive siblings," I introduced. "I asked her to come with me to see you. I hope you don't mind."
"Not at all," she reassured me. "Now, why don't you come inside? There is so much I need to tell you."
She gestured for us to step inside, and we did. She shut the door behind us, before taking the lead. The Hoshido mansion was so different from home. It was more like… a regular house. There were decorations on the walls—scrolls depicting dragons and tigers, traditional Japanese paintings, and so on. We stepped into a large circular room that I guessed was the living room, decked out in simple white modern furniture. There was a sunroof, and a glass doors leading out to a vast backyard. I could see a pool from here.
"Mom? What's going on?"
The boy was in here, and so was a girl around Elise's age. She had light reddish pink hair in an angled bob, and her eyes were the same color. She was taller, and not as scrawny as my sister, though. She was wearing a short sleeved white and red mini dress, white thigh high socks, and red flats.
"Oh, Sakura… and Takumi, too. I didn't realize you were still in here." She smiled at them. "I have someone I need to introduce you to." She gestured to me. "This is my daughter, Kamui, and her adoptive sister Elise."
"Hello," I said, still feeling very nervous.
"Hi!" Elise exclaimed, chipper as ever.
"Kamui, these are two of my stepchildren," Mikoto continued, looking towards me. "Takumi and Sakura."
"Oh!" A smile lit up Sakura's face. "It's, um, nice to meet you. I've always wondered if we'd ever get the chance to meet each other…"
Takumi, however, didn't seem too pleased, with that scowl on his face. "Hmph. You look like a Nohr to me."
Elise puffed out her cheeks. "That's 'cause we are Nohrs!"
Again, I fought the urge to slap my forehead. Dammit, Elise, it was going so well until you had to say that we were members of the rival family…
"Oh?" Mikoto seemed mildly surprised. "I knew the Nohrs had adopted children, but I never considered one of them could have been you… Ah, well, perhaps this is a good opportunity to get that ridiculous rivalry to end."
"Ridiculous? Mom, they're the enemy!" Takumi protested.
Elise pouted. "You're making it sound like we're at war."
"We might as well be at war," he stated adamantly, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Takumi…" Sakura took a step closer to him, and promptly smacked him on the arm. "S-Stop being so rude…!"
"Yeah, Takumi, stop being so rude!" Elise huffed, also crossing her arms over her chest.
"Ugh! Girls!" And without another word, he stormed out of the room, disappearing down a hallway.
"Um… I apologize for my brother," Sakura said, shifting awkwardly. "He can be really hot blooded."
Mikoto chuckled. "He's at that age… Sakura, would you mind taking Elise somewhere for a bit? I need to speak to Kamui in private."
"Oh, um, of course," she said, nodding.
"Oooh, can I have a tour?" Elise asked. "Your house is so cool!"
Sakura smiled shyly. "S-Sure."
I watched the two of them disappear down the hallway as well, before returning my attention to my mother. She smiled at me again, and gestured for us to sit down on one of the couches. I followed her over, and sat down next to her. I still felt pretty overwhelmed, and couldn't really find my voice.
"...I know you have a lot of questions," Mikoto said quietly, breaking the silence. "And the biggest one is… why did I give you up?"
Yeah… that had been bothering me for the past two years of my life.
Mikoto sighed heavily, closing her eyes. "I didn't want to do it. Words cannot describe how much I wanted to keep you, my precious baby girl. But… I could not raise you."
"...What do you mean?" I asked in confusion.
She reopened her eyes, but her gaze landed on her hands resting on her lap. "I… was in a bad situation. It wasn't safe for me… much less a child. I would never be able to live with myself if I kept you, because it would put you in danger. I wanted you to grow up safe and happy."
I… was still pretty confused. What exactly was that supposed to mean? She was in a dangerous situation? Was it… because of my father? His name wasn't on my birth certificate… I had a feeling I didn't want to know.
"There were times I regretted my choice once I was free of that situation," she sighed. "But my living conditions were not stable for a while, and that is also not a good life for a child. I regret not be able to get to know you, but not the decision I made for your well being. I hope you can understand… and not hate me for it."
"Mikoto, I—I mean, Mo…"
She smiled sadly. "Kamui, you don't have to call me Mother if it makes you uncomfortable. I understand."
Ugh… She was just so… nice. It made me feel bad for being unable to call her what she was. I felt that she deserved it, yet… I couldn't say it. And her stepchildren even called her their mom… Some daughter I was.
"Okay…" I fought the urge to sigh. "I was going to say… I could never hate you."
Mikoto's smile warmed. "It makes me so happy to hear that."
But before anything else could be said, someone else entered the room. It was a man probably around my adoptive father's age, placing him in his mid fifties or so. He had long dark brown hair streaked with white, along his temples, tanned skin, dark eyes, and a thin mustache and short, pointed beard also streaked with white. He was dressed in a sleek black business suit, with a red tie.
"Honey, I'm ho—oh, I didn't know we had a guest."
Mikoto slowly heaved herself up from the couch. "You have perfect timing, dear. My daughter, Kamui, has come back to me." She turned to look at me. "Kamui, this is my husband, Sumeragi."
"Um, hello, sir," I said, feeling very, very, very nervous as I stood up as well.
For a moment, Sumeragi didn't say anything. He was silent, like the wheels inside his brain were turning. And that didn't make me feel any better. What if he didn't like me? I mean, not including the whole I-was-adopted-by-Nohrs thing, I was the child of another man… I was proof that Mikoto loved someone else before him (or at least I assumed that was how I came to be).
But then a big grin split across his face, and he held out his arms. "Welcome to my abode, Kamui! I am honored to finally meet you! C'mere, gimme a big hug!"
I froze, my eyes widening in shock. Wh-What?
But Hoshido wasn't taking an answer, and stepped up to me before enveloping me in a bear hug. Feeling incredibly awkward, but relieved nonetheless, I returned the embrace, not sure what else to do.
"Th-Thank you, Mr. Hoshido."
He let me go, taking a step back. "Please, call me Sumeragi! There's no need to be so formal. You're just as much a part of the family as Mikoto is."
Wow… I really hadn't been expecting him to be that friendly. What a relief.
Mikoto chuckled warmly. "She came with her adoptive sister Elise, who is currently with Sakura."
"Elise?" Familiarity flickered in his eyes. "Isn't that the name of Garon's little girl?"
"Um, yes…" Time for more anxiety. "Garon and Katerina Nohr are my adoptive parents."
"Ah… Ah, I see! That makes a lot of sense, actually." Sumeragi still kept that jolly grin on his face. "Regardless, you are always welcome here—your siblings included, if you wish to bring them."
"Daddy, you're home!"
We were interrupted by a Sakura blur darting across the room to give her father a big hug. And at that same moment, Elise materialized at my side, still looking bright and happy. To further support that, she gave me a smile and playfully poked me in the side.
Sumeragi chuckled, giving his youngest daughter a squeeze. "And how is my little blossom today?"
Sakura pulled back to give him a smile. "Wonderful! I've made a new friend in Elise. Did you know that she plays the violin? We were talking about music earlier."
Elise giggled. "I think it's really neat that you play the koto, too!"
"...Ugh. You're seriously getting all chummy with a Nohr?"
I looked over to see that Takumi had come out of hiding. He was now dressed in regular clothes—a blue button up shirt and jeans. I noted Elise's face lighting up when she saw him, only to sour due to his comment.
"Hey, that's not nice!" she huffed, putting her hands on her hips. "My feelings are seriously hurt! You owe me a biiiiig apology, Takumi!"
Mikoto sighed in exasperation. "Takumi, dear, you take this rivalry business way too seriously…"
"Now Son," Sumeragi began sternly, "this is a rivalry between businesses, not countries, like in those war strategy video games of yours."
"I know! I'm not stupid." Takumi crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm just saying… I wouldn't put it past Garon Nohr to take advantage of this to spy on us."
Sakura let out a nervous laugh. "Please don't mind Takumi… he's just worn out from all the archery practice he does."
That seemed to make Sumeragi's face light up. "My boy here is a master archer! He's been practicing since he was a little toddler!"
Takumi's eyes widened with horror. "Dad, no. Not in front of them!"
"We have a whole room full of his trophies," Sumeragi continued, clearly not about to be stopped. "He's beaten records—too many to even list. You should see him at target practice! Takumi just gets in the zone! There's no stopping him!"
"DAD!" Takumi shouted, desperately trying to hide his distress.
"Really?" I asked, purposefully sounding impressed. "You sound pretty cool, Takumi."
"Pretty amazing!" Elise added with a giggle.
But our comments made Takumi's cheeks flush and he pressed his hand to his face, like he was trying to hide it. "S-Shut up… I don't care what you think!"
Huh… It sure sounded like he cared. Maybe Takumi wasn't so bad after all. Maybe he was just a big softie under the tough act he was trying to pull. I hoped so, at least for Elise's sake, because she already seemed to be crushing on him pretty hard.
Suddenly, my phone went off, prompting me to pull it out of my purse. It was an alarm reminding me that I still had to proofread and revise a paper that was due tonight at midnight. I fought the urge to groan, and looked back up at everyone.
"I'm sorry, but we have to go-"
"We do?!" Elise demanded with distress.
I winced. "Yes… I still have to finish up something for one of my classes."
"Awwww…" She pouted. "Okay…"
"Before you go, I have a proposal," Sumeragi said, drawing our attention back to him. "Next weekend, we're throwing a ball of sorts at the Jinya Center. You and your family should come. It would be a good opportunity for us all to get together, despite our… differences."
"A ball?" Elise gasped, eyes wide with interest. "I'm gonna call Daddy right now!"
My eyes widened. "Elise, no, he might be-"
But it was too late. She had already dialed the number and was waiting for him to answer. I swear to the gods, that girl was going to be the death of me… She was lucky she was the baby of the family. She got away with so much. She wasn't a bad kid at all, but still.
"Hi, Daddy, it's Elise! I have a question to ask you~"
I steeled myself for Father's reaction to this. Regardless whether it was pretty or not, it was going to be huge. Dusk Dragon help me…
"Okay, so Kamui's birth mom is married to Sumeragi Hoshido and we got invited to go to the ball they're hosting this weekend! Can we go? Pretty please with sugar on top?"
I literally could hear his response over the phone. "WHAT?!"
...I was not going to hear the end of this…
A short chapter, but it was expected as I'm still setting things up for the plot.
Regarding the portrayal of the parents- I am only writing them in my interpretation of their personalities, seeing as we don't get much information in the games. And Garon may seem different because, well, he's not possessed like in the games. The Garon we have in the games isn't the real Garon (and how he really was is discussed in Leo and Elise's support).
But anyways, thank you everyone for your support and I hope you continue to enjoy the story!
