Hello folks! We're back, I have Internet again!
Yay! Thank you so much for all of your reviews and follows and favorites!
Remember when I said I was thinking who to introduce next? Yeah, I planned ahead and now have a chronological list as to how I should do it.
Now being Betaed by: KonekoNoRenkinjutsushi
So onwards to my reviews!
KonekoNoRenkinjutsushi - "Could it be that, to answer your question at the beginning of this chapter, uhm, all the characters are related to numbers or letters? If so, then what you were pointing out would be that Natsushi is 724."
- " (...) his name is Na(7)tsu(2)shi(4)... And his birthday is 7/24... "
My response: You are indeed correct! All of my OC's have that common trait. And like how Tsuna's group numbers turn into a special reference when summed together, so do mine.
And what a coincidence that was!
MrArmor(Guest) - "I like this a lot and look forward to reading more."
My response: Thank you! I hope you continue enjoying reading it!
BleachedShadow - "(...)Have you got any specific pairings in mind for Natsushi? Guy or girl?"
My response: I do not. I have options to both genders as I am greatly interested in yaoi and romance in general. But do know that Natsu will be ELEVEN by the start of canon, and I do not do shota, so any romance or fluff of that kind would probably only happen to TYL Natsushi.
And he only appears down on the third part of this story. (I'm not finished with the first part yet even!)
But let's compromise. When I do finally introduce all of my characters I will open a poll with six characters total (three male and three female) and I'll let you influence my choice.
Can't say that the winner will be chosen but it would be nice to know your opinion.
"Calm down. What's the worst that could happen?"
Huh... By experience... You should really never say that.
The door opened and the daylight outside shined through the paper wall thingy that stood in front of the door, separating the entrance from the restaurant.
I could hear my father's voice as he greeted someone. I could only see the silhouettes of their forms so I was probably frowning (I do not pout!) as I tried to see them.
Takeshi had ran up to our father so I could hear his little laughter. Part of me, that was childish, regretted that he had left me behind and was having fun without me. Not that I could play with him even if I wanted. I couldn't even sit up yet.
Mother had walked up to me and picked me up but she did not go closer to the door. Instead she started to fuss with the blanket I always had wrapped around me and thinking of ways to make the top of my hair lie flat.
You can try, mother. But even I don't know how I do it...
Her heartbeat was so fast it was like being right next to one of those old trains. Even as I thought that a small nostalgia hit me, while a faint sounding noise echoed inside my head.
Those were frequent, especially at night when I couldn't sleep.
But right now that was not important. I wanted to meet my grandparents!
I hear father's voice call for my mother.
A last shiver ran up her spine as she started trying to walk over to the door. Her hold on my tightens. Time seems to slow down as we got closer and closer to the door. Mother took one intake of breath before she took the final step.
Light is the first thing that greets me, that and the fact that Takeshi is being held by a tall and white haired man. I blinked.
The man was tall, as tall as my father and maybe a finger or two taller, his back was straight and his hair was neatly brushed. His face was not extremely wrinkled as I had pictured it and there was a smile on his face as he looked at my mother.
Which disappeared lightning fast as he then looked at me.
Really? Was I that similar to whoever 'Niki' was?
Because I'm starting to get scared by his reaction...
His face pales and his eyes widen. Takeshi is loosely held in his arms, as if the tall and strong and healthy man suddenly lost all of his strength. An old woman comes from beside my father and runs to the old man in order to take Takeshi before the young boy fell.
The old woman looked just like my mother. Except her hair was turning gray and that it was tied in a tight bun on top of her hair.
Her eyes were greyish-blue like my mother's and a faint look of pain flickered in her eyes as she gazed at me.
Mother's grip on my turned even tighter and shivers ran up her arms.
I just couldn't take it. I hate loud noises but I swear that I just don't know what is up with me sometimes. Two things happened between one second to the next.
There was this wave of heavy and suffocating feelings of pain, grief and sadness that out of nowhere hit me with the subtlety of a sledgehammer.
And I blanked out.
Mom... Are you alright? Did I do something wrong?
A-... Why are you wearing that?
What do you mean? This dress? Grandma gave it to me, why?
Oh, nothing... I just remembered something that's all. Did you say thank you to your grandma?
Of course! Strange on how you looked the same when I put it on... She said something, but it was weird so I didn't really get it...
What was it, A-...?
Oh, it was...
...It was that it belonged to her eldest daughter.
I took in a lungful of air before I started to shriek in pain.
My head! It felt as if it was being split open. The air felt cold and unforgiving as I desperately tried to breathe.
It was heavy. There was just so much sadness that I couldn't stand the ambient energy around me.
My cries were pleas of mercy as I just begged in my own small way of communication to take me away from this.
Mother immediately tried to stop my cries but once again she was unsuccessful. Father picked me up from her arms and slowly rocked me but the pain just wouldn't go away.
Grandmother held Takeshi who had tears in his eyes. Unshed but still there. He was frightened, just as he had been the night mother started to cry.
Grandfather had still not moved. His knees and arms had regained their strength but he was still just staring at me.
His eyes were clouded. I had presumed wrong...
He was not staring at me. He was facing the shadows of a past I did not know of. I could not know of.
I had no idea that at that moment something I had inside of me, a sliver so small it was undetectable, awoke for a moment. Awoke and allowed me to feel the pain of another.
But I did not know this and as such, the foreign pain that assaulted me was enough to bring me to misery. I felt like I was being torn to shreds from the inside out. Pain was all I knew. And every time I tried to think of something nice, another feeling was thrown at me like a baseball.
Sorrow...
So much sorrow...
...But that is strange isn't it Mom?
Grandma said her eldest daughter but she only has you and uncle!
I looked like who?
Who was 'Niki'? Why are you all reacting like this?
What did I do?!
I was suddenly forced out of my father's grip and tossed into the air.
My cries stopped as soon as I felt the air around me shift. My crying eyes faced the clear blue sky above my face as I was thrown into it.
It looked so peaceful.
I was caught by the same strong pair of hands. The same pair that moments ago had held Takeshi.
His eyes held strength unseen by many. A smile bloomed from his face and laughter followed it shortly after.
I guess I forgot to cry in my momentarily confusion.
Just what was happening? What... What is going on with me?
I hiccuped but before I could start crying again, I was already being thrown up in the air again.
Pain had completely abandoned me.
The sky was so inviting. Comforting. The white clouds that drifted by seemed to gaze back at me. Judging my every move.
Yet they didn't seem disappointed... They seemed to understand. To know.
I was caught again by the same pair of hands and my eyes looked at the man that had been uncomprehendingly saddened by my appearance. His eyes were completely clear this time. A silver gray color like steel. A glint of hope in them too.
Such a confusing family I had.
"How could you even do that! He's not even a year old yet!? You could have hurt him!" Mother's horrified voice told the man.
"I wouldn't have dropped him, Mariko. What? You don't trust your old man anymore?"
Grandfather told her in a careless tone of voice.
"It's not the problem whether I trust you or not! Natsushi is too young for those kind of actions! He could have been hurt!" She told him.
Indeed I could have. But I wasn't hurt (except my head, which had a splitting headache, jeez...), and I totally preferred being tossed in the air than to suffer that pain again.
Which reminded me... What had been those voi-
I blinked.
What was I going to say again?
I remember starting to cry from pain. What pain? I felt fine...
No, I'm sure that something was hurting me.
Then what was? I started to cry after Grandfather looked at me with those saddened expression.
I blinked again. Mentally cursing my baby brain.
I had forgotten something very important. A key, if I had to guess, about what was going on. And I just had to forget it!
Admittedly, I should have pondered that forgetting something mid-sentence was not normal. But at that time, I hadn't even thought about it.
Not for a while would I look back on everything that had happened 'till that point in particular. And even when I did... I often chose to not visit such memories.
Mother's face appeared above me as she quickly took me back into her arms. She wasn't shaking anymore and there was that fierce gleam in her eyes that made me want to scoot further into my blanket.
She looked really angry right now, and I was not certain if I wanted to be around that murderous aura.
I actually pitied the fool that that anger was directed at. Oh wait...
My eyes flickered to the old man. His smile strained a bit and there was a bit of sweat on his forehead.
So... Bye-Bye Grandpa?
I flickered my eyes to my father and my grandmother who held Takeshi. He had this goofy smile on his face and was whispering something to Takeshi that made the young boy smother his laughter. Grandmother gave father a look very close to my mother's glare. Except hers held a lot more anger than exasperation.
"So his name is Natsushi?" My grandfather asked.
The fragile balance seemed to shake at that question.
"Yes," was my mother's answer. Nothing more, nothing less.
"He looks a lot like him... Is that why you named him Natsushi?" Grandfather asked.
"I had decided the name before he was even born. I didn't even know of his resemblance until I saw him again when I wasn't completely tired..."
"Maybe it's a sign..."
"Don't even! Natsushi is just Natsushi! He is not Natsume!" Mother yelled.
Both of the elderly couple seemed to flinch at that name. Father also seemed faintly startled.
Takeshi frowned in confusion at their reactions.
"Yes, I'm sorry. Can I hold him again or are you going to send me away?" Grandfather asked with a sad smile.
Mother sighed and handed me back, stroked my cheek and went back to my father's side. Grandfather held me closer to his face, in a way that made me very self conscious, and slowly whispered to me.
"Those sea-green eyes of yours... may they hold the same resolve his did... the eyes of a Temporale."
Something inside me shifted and turn in it's deep sleep. Almost like a crack had appeared in the seal that kept it from storming out into the world unprepared. No, not a seal. It was really more like a gentle hand that only wanted it's safety.
And while that gentle hand was still there, then it would continue sleeping.
The rest of the day passed in a blur, in all honesty.
I fell asleep halfway through a story grandma was telling, then I woke up in my crib around the middle of the night.
Sleep did not claim me and I just laid there think over and over what had happened that day.
I resembled someone named 'Natsume'.
So who was 'Niki'? Was he the same person?
Grandfather said something about... Eyes of a Temporale, whatever that was...
And resolve? What was going on!
Couldn't anything be simple and clear for once? I felt tired but I couldn't sleep.
Even so I closed my eyes.
The darkness engulfed me (how I hate the dark), and the voices that seemed so distant yet close came to speak a last time that night.
No, A-... Grandma is right. It did belong to her eldest daughter.
Then where is she?
She passed away a long time ago, long before either you or your brother were born.
Then why did Grandma give her dress to me?
Because you look so much like her... Maybe she thought that for a moment the emptiness would leave...
Why would she feel emptiness?
Because she was her daughter and she is gone.
Finished!
Okay, not my best chapter but I needed to get this out of the way.
Several plot points have been given! I will not say what 'Temporale' means as to not give away more information than necessary, but feel free to search it's meaning.
Once again I thank all of my followers and reviewers, they mean a lot!
Oh, and yes, Natsu's subconscious is refusing to be completely blocked out. Not that it would ever happen (both A and Natsu's personalities are too strong to be erased).
But ending this chapter, I hoped you liked it. Please follow, review and favorite!