Stripped
Chapter Two: Beloved Strangers
Disclaimer: I don't own No. 6.
Author's Note: First of all thanks to Anano for your wonderful review! You rock! Secondly...the story!
Since the body had to be processed and combed over for particulates, DNA and other physical evidence by the forensics crew before Shion could have it, he turned his com on and sent a message to his underling, Ryuichi, at the morgue with strict instructions to call him as soon as they were given the all clear to perform the autopsy.
He walked back to where he'd parked his car and stowed his field kit carefully. Shion then shrugged out of his jacket and tossed his cap into the front seat. With a sigh he shook his head, letting his white hair tumble back down around his face and neck, slipping the tie around his wrist since he'd need it later and putting the car in gear, he drove the few blocks west into Lost Town to visit his mother Karan at her bakery.
The bakery was bigger than it had been four years ago when the Purge had ripped through No. 6, or so Karan said anyway, Shion didn't remember. She'd hired a hand to help her with the heavy lifting, Kou, about a year ago and the two of them had struck up a flirtation that had quickly evolved into a full blown romance.
In any case his mother's business was booming and the delicious aroma of fresh baked bread and treats filled the air. Shion smiled as before he even made it all the way up the front steps he was mobbed by a veritable horde of children.
"Shion!"
"Big brother!"
"Shion is here!" they cried happily hugging onto his legs and waist.
The oldest at fourteen was Little Karan, who they called Kari to avoid confusion, then Rico, Karan's brother, and Lili who were nine and finally his namesake, Shion or more often just Shi, who was four.
"Kids, let your brother through," Karan ordered obediently they released him and scurried off, scattering to the four winds, all but Shi who Shion swung up into his arms as he moved into the doorway, "This is a nice surprise,"
"I was in the neighbourhood," Shion said kissing her on the cheek and accepting a fierce hug in return.
"I saw the news, that poor girl," Karan said shaking her head, her eyes bright with worry.
"Don't worry, Mom, we'll get the S-O-B, just let everyone know to go out in pairs after dusk, just to be safe,"
"Y'know, Shion, we grew up in West Block, we do know how to swear, better than you I'll bet," Kari pointed out trying to lighten the mood.
"You wish, shorty, I know words you can't even pronounce,"
"Getting all science-y when you're trying to cuss someone out is not cool, Shion," she snorted.
"Yeah, well, neither is swearing with a four year old in your arms. Where's Kou?" Shion added, slipping off his shoes and moving further into the large open kitchen-dining room that took up most of the first floor of the house.
"Next door, minding the storefront while I get the troops fed and off to school," Karan said fondly ruffling Shi's hair.
Though Shion was her only biological child Karan loved all of her brood equally.
"Mama made nutcakes," Shi informed him wriggling out of his arms and racing back to his seat to display the mangled pile of crumbs that no longer even remotely resembled a cake.
"Did any of that cake make it into your mouth, namesake?" laughed Shion.
"Nope," Kari said, popping her p derisively.
She drained a glass of orange juice in one gulp and returned to distributing packed lunches to various school bags, humming along to some song that was playing on the radio.
"Have you eaten yet?" Karan asked him pouring him a cup of the coffee she only made for him and Kou.
Shion savoured the scent of the bitter liquid. It wasn't like he didn't have coffee at home and it wasn't like he didn't drink the stuff by the litre at work, because god knows he did, but his mother's coffee was actually warm and fresh and delicious. More like liquid comfort than just a poor substitute for a night of actual sleep.
"Shion?"
"Hmm?"
"Have you eaten, dear?" she asked again patiently, stifling a giggle.
"If I say yes can I still have a nutcake?"
"Of course, I made some cherry cakes as well; you'll have to take one when you go, I know how much you like them,"
Shion felt his wide smile wobble a bit and bit into a nutcake to hide it. By the time he'd finished chewing he was able to say that he would love that and mean it.
He loved his mother; really he did, but sometimes the weight of the person she expected him to be, the reactions she expected him to have, was just too much. He wasn't the same Shion he'd been two years ago, and it wasn't fair that every time she baked him a cherry cake or watched him read to Lili and Rico or caught him petting the little white mouse that hung around the bakery, that she was looking at him with sad eyes, watching for something that just wasn't there.
"Mrs. K!" shouted Rico from the middle of the staircase jolting Shion from his musings.
"You don't need to yell, dearling, I'm right here,"
"Can I wear the purple sweater today?" he asked, brown eyes pleading.
The sadness lurking in the back of Karan's eyes came to the forefront as the ghosts of things that Shion couldn't remember flitted through her mind. Shion's hands tightened on his cup of coffee but he bit down on the annoyance. It never helped anyone, and he never felt better after snapping at Karan for things she couldn't help.
"It's too warm for a sweater, Rico, it's still only September," Shion pointed out.
"I don't care," Rico insisted stubbornly, "That sweater is special and I need it for luck today,"
"What's so special about it?" asked Shion curiously, for an item that was so important to his little brother he thought it was a little strange that this was the first time he was hearing about it.
"It's because that was the sweater—"
Rico's explanation was cut off by a scowling Kari who forced a blue t-shirt over her brother's head roughly.
"Hey!" Rico protested.
"You don't need that old thing, besides there's no such thing as luck, you do your best and you get what you get, in the end all you can do is try your hardest," she said sharply.
"But—"
"Come on, we need to get to school!" she shouted drowning out whatever Rico was going to say, "Lili! Get your shoes on!"
"I'm coming!" Lili shouted back brightly her pigtails bouncing as she skipped downstairs pulling on one pink shoe, then the other.
"Kari, don't holler like that indoors, Lili, no fooling on the stairs," Karan ordered sternly as she wiped nutcake crumbs off the front of Shi's shirt and helped him into his shoes and jacket.
"Mama!" Shi protested, "I don't wanna go, I wanna show big brother my coloring!"
"Some other time when you're not late for school,"
"Mama!"
"Come on, Shion!" Lili said taking the youngest boy's hand and dragging him out the door after Rico, "Bye Mrs. K, see you after school!" she waved.
"Make sure they get there safely?" Karan asked Kari as the taller girl pulled on her boots.
"You worry too much, Mrs. K," said Kari giving Karan a quick peck on the cheek and grabbing a few bags off the floor before dashing out into the street after her siblings.
"They're all growing up so fast," sighed Karan.
"They couldn't stay children forever," Shion pointed out.
"I know but it still makes me just a little bit sad, every day they grow and change is just also another day closer to the day they leave and start their own lives. It's a bitter sweetness," she looked up from the door and smiled slightly, "You'll know what I mean when you have children of your own,"
Shion snorted into his coffee.
"I'm not likely to know that anytime soon then,"
"I really wish you would go out more, Shion, meet a girl your own age,"
"I know plenty of people my own age,"
"Someone not elbow deep in murders, dear," suggested Karan.
The silence that filled the room in the wake of that comment is awkward and stretched on without shouting children to break in at convenient moments. Since it couldn't possibly get any more uncomfortable Shion gathered his courage, reminded himself not to lose his temper and asked the question niggling at the back of his mind.
"Why is the purple sweater so important?"
Karan started at the question flicking her eyes first to his and then down at the table and beginning to clear the breakfast dishes away.
"It was the sweater Karan was wearing when we found her and Rico, after the Purge," she answered evasively.
"But that's not why it's important," Shion sighed, "It's important because of something else, something about me, something I can't remember, why don't you just tell me?"
Karan shook her head vehemently.
"No!" she snapped, then more softly, "No, Shion. If you don't remember on your own it cheapens the meaning of the memory when you pretend to understand," she said quietly sporting that sad smile he hates.
Shion watched as she puttered around the small kitchen making herself busy. He sighed softly to himself, taking another pull of coffee, the bitter flavour lying thickly on his tongue.
He always felt guilty when they had conversations like this because it was just as hard on his mother as it was on him, looking at her son and sometimes seeing only a stranger or, even worse, a fleeting shadow of the boy he'd been. It had been two years since the accident, when was she going to accept that he wasn't going to get his lost memories back? Would she ever accept it?
Shion started in surprise as his pocket buzzed. Taking out his com he let out a surprised noise. He would have to thank Lin later. She'd apparently pestered the Captain and he had tagged the case high enough priority that the crime lab was able to gather their evidence in record time and the body was now officially his.
"Mom," he said hesitantly, "I have to go to work, I'm sorry,"
Karan nodded looking up from her dishes.
"It's alright, I understand," and Shion understood she wasn't just forgiving him for having to dash off at the drop of a hat, "Don't forget your cherry cake," she added quickly pulling a box out of the fridge and handing it to him.
"Thanks Mom,"
Before he could turn to leave Karan wrapped her long arms, taught and muscular from long days of labouring over large trays of bread, around him careful not to squash the cake. She smelled of flour and spices and clean laundry and Shion couldn't stop himself from breathing it in and letting the comfort wash through him. Memory and scent were closely linked, Shion often thought fancifully that in these moments where his Mom had her arms wrapped around him that he could recall similar hugs from all throughout his childhood. But that was nothing more than wishful thinking.
"No matter what, you know I love you, right?"
"I know and I love you too, Mom. No matter what,"
AN: There is chapter two. Since we never really hear what happened to Lili's mom, Renka, or Karan and Rico's parents I'm just saying that they are all dead.
Please review and let me know what you think!