Chapter 38: Who Are You?
{Sakaki Household: July 21st, 2014, 4:00pm}
Gongenzaka glanced to Yuzu as they sat in the living room waiting for Yoko to come back from upstairs. When they had gotten Yuya in the car, the boy had started with an incredibly high fever, his skin pale, cold, and sticky with sweat, leaving him shivering and his breathing raspy. Yuzu had held his hand the entire drive, talking to him soothingly while Gongenzaka sat in the seat just up from her as Yoko drove steadily and swiftly home, having called Niknak and Florence to tell them to have a few things ready for when they arrived. The moment they had come into the door of the house, the gnome and rabbit had gotten to them and told Yoko that they had laid out all the things she would need for a potion while Yuzu and Gongenzaka helped her get Yuya upstairs. After that, they had gotten ushered downstairs to wait until Yoko had the boy changed cleaned up and into dry clothes, from there, she would need their help for preparing a potion Yuya would need. So, here they now sat, in silence, contemplating the events that had unfurled in the span of the last few hours.
"He was nervous to duel Kachidoki..." Gongenzaka glanced to Yuzu.
"Yuya knew he had to fight, and he did... there's no shame in him doing what he had to in order to defend himself against someone who was willing to use such cold tactics," he said.
"We should have known something was wrong though... not to mention... how he acted when all that started..." Yuzu's mind replayed the sight of the Pendulum Summoning becoming black and red, looking sinister and ominous as it spat forth phantom-like mists from a black portal in the sky.
"It wasn't as I expected it to be either. To hear such things..." he mentioned as Yuzu glanced his way.
"Are you okay? He hit you with a few spells, didn't he?" Gongenzaka looked at the faint cut to his palm and then sighed.
"To be on the receiving end of his magic... was a terrifying experience. I knew Yuya was a powerful witch... but for him to attack me as he did... showed me how dangerous he can be if provoked." Yuzu bit her lip.
"He's not dangerous though... he was scared and confused... he didn't understand what was happening," she said.
Gongenzaka understood that as well as Yuzu did; however, that didn't change the fact that the look in his friend's eyes revealed to him an underlying intent to do harm. Yuya was a good person, kindhearted, understanding, compassionate, and gentle, but in those moments, all of those things had been eroded away, revealing a primal instinct that he knew all living things possessed: the need to defend themselves. At that moment, when Yuya had started to attack them, to keep them away from him, he had been genuinely scared and confused about what was happening to him; however, he also had been aware that he was a threat and that they weren't safe around him. The giant of a teenager looked down, hoping that Yuya would understand that they weren't afraid of him, not even now did he or Yuzu feel fear of him, but only for him.
A knock at the door came, and Yuzu opened it quickly, seeing her father present as he came in and removed his shoes before pulling his daughter into his arms. She hadn't realized it until then, but she was trembling, seeming scared, but truthfully in a panic over the state of someone she loved. Seeing Yuya like he had been, looking sickly and hurt, but unwilling to drop his guard, had scared her beyond the point of being able to so much as move. Those wild red eyes, his aggressive stance, the way his body shook with the sheer effort it seemed to take to keep himself standing. It was self-destructive, the way he acted, how he responded while Yuzu could only watch him try and hold himself together long enough to gain control. The pink-haired girl had been scared for him many times this year, but this came in second to the first time she had been terrified for his life, and all she could do, once more was watch him. Yuzu wrapped her arms around her father, returning his embrace as he soothed her, and soon Yoko came down the stairs.
"Mrs. Sakaki?" Yuzu looked to the blonde-haired woman as she sighed.
"He's sleeping right now. But his skin is very cold still... if the three of you could help me with making this potion for him it'll take less time," she said.
"Alright..." Yoko led them into the kitchen, where several herbs and pistils and mortars had been laid out with clear written instructions laid beside them. Yoko took to standing at the front of the table, and Gongenzaka stood furthest down at the end while Shuzo stood to the left, and Yuzu to the right. Yoko looked at the piece of paper where the ingredients had been listed and she looked at the others.
"It's a restoration potion, they're very simplistic, but I need you to follow the directions closely. I'm mixing the yarrow and oils together, Yuzu, I need you to grind the hazel and black kohosh together, Gongenzaka, you have ginger root, and willow bark there, it's kind of tough to ground, but I think you can manage it. Shuzo, you have the honey comb and elderberry. Once we've gotten them made into a paste, we can add the sea salt to them. Niknak and Florence already have a smaller cauldron on the stove heating on low so that we have time to do this properly. Once everything's ground up, we can add the pastes into the water and start mixing it. It'll be done in an hour with your help," Yoko explained.
"How long would it take without our help?" the blonde started to add the yarrow into the mortar.
"About four hours, because all the ingredients are in twos and have to be mixed in that certain pattern before being blended together otherwise they don't work," she said.
"We'll help you get it done as fast as possible, Yoko." Shuzo started to crush the honey comb up, finding it difficult, but not minding as Yuzu started to grind the hazel and black kohosh while Gongenzaka began working on his task of turning the willow bark into a paste before adding the ginger root.
"I'm sorry all of you had to see him like that earlier," she mentioned as she kept mincing the yarrow, looking at the bottles of orange, yellow, and red oils near her.
"No, it's alright. We're just worried about him, is he really going to be okay?" Yoko picked up the yellow oil and poured a small amount in, Yuzu noticing the scent of honey and lilies that came from it.
"With this he'll be able to recover his energy. When he lost consciousness, he disbursed a lot of his magic, and because of that he's going to be pretty weak for a few hours, but this will replenish his magic as well as a portion of his energy," she answered as she mixed in the orange oil, the scent matching its color.
Yuzu kept mixing the paste together, blending the black kohosh in finally, noticing it was a bit sticky and wanted to stay on her fingers until she finally got it into the mortar and started to grind it together while Gongenzaka finished the ginger root, having turned it and the willow bark into a fine powder. Shuzo had finished with crushing the honey comb and had begun on the elderberry while Yoko added in the last of the oils to her mixture, and then went over to the cauldron and reached into a cupboard, picking a bottle with a green oil inside it as she poured an amount of it into the boiling water, and the scent of mint came into the room as she grabbed a small glass jar and opened it before adding in the herbs to it as they watched the fumes from it turn a pale silvery-blue shade.
"What was that?" Yoko looked to Yuzu.
"It's mistral, an herb that helps absorb oils. It'll blend instead of separating now, and it has a wonderful soothing aid. I also put in some belladonna, so that it'll help keep him calm... the last thing we need is him losing control again," she said as she put the items away.
"Was... Yuya really possessed by his own magic?" Yoko looked down as she placed a ladle into the pot and with a faint tap it began stirring by itself.
"Yes, he was..." she admitted as the other two stopped.
"How? It doesn't make sense that it would do something like that," Shuzo stated.
"Yuya... has a very rare type of magic... and when I mean rare... his type of magic is something that less than one percent of our entire global population possesses. .." Yuzu felt her eyes grow wide, while her father and Gongenzaka had similar expressions of disbelief at the statement.
"Less than one percent have his kind of magic?" Gongenzaka questioned.
"Yes, it's known as Waking Magic... and is a root magic, something that stems from all forms of magic. It has incredible strength and is considered the dominate type of magic and presides over harmony and discord, darkness and light... serving as a balancing magic that has severe power over other magic. Waking Witches, which is what those who have Waking magic are called... are normally some of the most powerful of our kind... and have been known throughout history as some of the greatest witches or wizards of the age..." Yuzu frowned.
"And Yuya has magic like that at his disposal?" she asked.
"He's still got a lot to learn about how to use his magic, and while he has the fortunance to be able to do whichever kind of magic freely, not having to learn a specific branch of it for his own skill... it also comes with a heavy burden to know how to use what he chooses to... and what the magic's own nature is." Shuzo looked to her.
"The magic's own nature?" he inquired.
"Yes... all magic has it's own nature, and it stems from our very beings, our hearts and souls... but it's a wild force that we must learn to control." Yoko added her ingredients into the cauldron while looking to Gongenzaka who handed her his before she added it, letting the ladle stir before taking Shuzo's, and they Yuzu's, following the way it was designed to go while she watched it boil, turning different colors as the others waited.
"So... what's the nature of Waking Magic?" questioned Gongenzaka as Yoko went to the kitchen table to start cleaning up the pages, with a single motion, she put the pages back into an open book, and it shut, before she started to put the mortars and pistils into the sink, snapping her fingers as they started washing themselves.
Yoko picked up the extra herbs, roots, and plants before they were put neatly back into their wrapping, and sent into the spice cabinet nearby before it closed. She moved over to the stove, and they watched as a series of four mugs with tea bags were presented to the table, and a tea pot came flying by, putting hot water into the mugs as a spoon and sugar bowl showed up soon after, putting some into each of their mugs as well, the spoons coming off the table to stir them as Yoko sat a cutting block down with some bread on it, and proceeded to the fridge where she sent several packages of meat and vegetables to be laid out on the table. The three watched as she continued and four plates appeared on the table a second later before Yoko shut the fridge and washed her hands before taking a seat.
"Whoa..." she looked to Yuzu.
"My skills and the nature of my magic allows me to use it for household help, and in fortunes. I'm a Fortuna Witch who was taught how to use household magic. The thing is, every witch can learn any kind of magic they want, but each witch, has a skill they are exceptional at... Shay Obsidian is a Risulian Witch, meaning he's gifted in combative magic, and in strategic or defensive magic while Sora is a Dyren Witch, skilled in information and using defensive magic with touches of combative or technological magic," she explained.
"Then what about Yuya's magic? Can he do those kinds of things?" Yoko nodded.
"And much more, but as you saw today... Waking Magic has a draw back or two that the host of it needs to be wary of from time to time," she stated.
"Possession is one of it's drawbacks?" Yoko nodded solemnly.
"Unfortunately, it is. Waking magic is a possessive aggressive magic... if the host feels highly threatened, or is forced into a corner, it will become protective over the witch who has it, and possesses them, leaving them mostly aware, but giving them a bit of a high, similar to a drift to keep them from fighting it entirely. It then proceeds to draw out the natural instincts of the witch who has it, pushing it outwards and letting them fight without much fear," she said this in explanation and Shuzo stared at her much like Gongenzaka did while Yuzu glanced down.
"So... it drugged him and used his body to fight..." Yoko looked to Yuzu.
"No, it's not like that sweetheart. Waking magic only allows the host of it to fight as they would if they had the desire to do so. Waking Witches are inherently very benevolent, and aren't fond of violence. However, if they're threatened, or someone they care for is even... their magic triggers the instinct to protect themselves or those around them. It's aggressive when someone's inflicting the situation to the host," Yoko tried to explain this, but it seemed to not make sense to the three.
"There's not much known about Waking magic, is there?" the blonde-haired woman looked to Gongenzaka.
"Enough to know that when a Waking Witch is forced into conflict, they will fight. But as I said, their not fond of violence and are very benevolent and pure Witches... but the moment they are pushed into a situation that could be deemed life threatening... they fight. It can cause intense aggression, like what you saw earlier with him in the hallway." Yuzu bit her lip.
"Can Yuya learn to keep it from possessing him?" she asked.
"In time, yes, he can. Waking magic is powerful, and if he can learn to let it support him when and if he needs to fight as oppose to it possessing him, then he'll become a very capable witch who knows how to use the nature of his magic to help himself, and potentially others." Shuzo sighed.
"Seeing what I did... that behavior... it was like a wild animal... is that how it'll be until he starts to become more aware of it?" he inquired.
"Unfortunately, it will be... in time though, he'll learn how to use it to his advantage and wield it even if it were to possess him." Gongenzaka looked to the woman.
"But he seemed terribly confused earlier, to the point that he was scared to let us near him. Why is that?" he probed as Yoko took a sip of her tea.
"I never told him..." they looked to her in shock.
"You never... what do you mean you never told him?!" Shuzo questioned.
"Yuya doesn't know that he has Waking magic. He's aware that his magic is different... but in truth... I've been worried about telling him what it really is. Now, I see my mistake in not doing so when he turned fourteen... so... what happened with him today... is entirely my own doing." Yuzu looked down.
"Are you going to tell him?" she asked.
"I have to now. This whole time... I had hoped that I could hold off on it, but then... Yuya invented Pendulum Summoning, his magic started to become stronger... he began advancing in his magic lessons and growing to branch out into other fields of it, mastering some of it even... he even taught himself one of the Seven Sacred Prayers without any of my assistance..." Yuzu looked her over.
"Seven Sacred Prayers... wait... you mean like Sacred Frame?" Yoko nodded.
"Yes." Gongenzaka frowned.
"He stated that you taught him that," he mentioned.
"No, Yuya taught himself, but more than likely said otherwise to keep people from wondering how strong he really is. He's an entertainer, but he hates the spotlight on him when he's not trying to make people happy." the three glanced down at their tea mugs and then sighed.
"So, you will be telling him the truth? About what kind of magic he has?" Shuzo asked.
"I will. He's not going to be happy with me, but he'll have to learn to deal with it."
"Yuya will be fine, he's stronger than that..." Yoko nodded.
"Right, now let's eat something, being out in that rain on an empty stomach isn't good for any of us," she said, unknowing that in the stairwell, Yuya was sitting silently, having listened to the conversation as he kept his head down, knowing that there were answers owed to him now, and he intended to get them.
{Sakaki Household: July 22nd, 2014, 9:45am}
Yoko had gotten off the phone with Shuzo, stating that Yuzu had her last duel before the finals, and that once the qualifiers were over, they would all be over to see how Yuya was faring. It had been a bit of a worrisome thing, knowing that Yuya wouldn't wake up yesterday for anything, and had merely continued to sleep throughout the night. She had intended on going to get him up this morning, and had hoped that he was feeling better, but would still ask him to take the potion she and the others had made: but things went south as soon as she opened his door. Yuya was sitting on the bed, dressed and keeping his gaze down as she came into the room, seeing that he appeared to be feeling better after a full night's rest.
"Yuya, how are you feeling?" the boy tensed.
"I'm fine... I guess..." his voice was stiff, his form shaking visibly as she looked him over.
"Are you sure? Your still shaking," Yoko came towards him and he bared his teeth, grinding them together as he fisted his pants legs.
"Why didn't you tell me? About my magic?" he asked, causing her to pause.
"Yuya... what did you -" he shot to his feet, settling an intense glare on her.
"Why didn't you tell me that my magic was Waking magic of all things! Dammit mom! I could have killed Kachidoki yesterday! And I wouldn't have given a fuck! I know how dangerous that magic is! And so do you!" he growled out.
"Yuya! I -" he cut her off.
"Half of the shit you told them was just to make them feel better! The truth is that Waking magic is possessive and aggressive so that the host is protected because it's an ancient, and powerful magic that is the core of other magic types, and the ones who have it can do some pretty terrifying shit when they're provoked! So why didn't you tell me the truth?! Why did you hide it from me?!" he snarled, bearing his teeth to her as he kept his glare settled upon her form.
"I'm sorry... your right to be angry at me. I should have said something sooner, instead... you ended up suffering because I was so scared to tell you." Yuya looked down.
"You were scared? How do you think I felt yesterday when I realized what I'd done?! Yes, I won the duel, but what the fuck does that matter if I ended up killing my opponent? Do you know what he called me?" Yoko stared at him.
"Yuya... calm down..." she said.
"He called me a demon! A monster! To him, I was some kind of evil creature! Do you realize how terrified I was? Because I barely remembered what I had done to him to deserve being called that! And you were worried about telling me something that could have helped me!" he remained tense, head bowed as she watched him.
"Take a deep breath, and listen to me. I wanted to tell you... I was supposed to when you turned fourteen... but when that accident happened and -" he growled at her.
"Cut the bullshit mom! You know it wasn't an accident! I tried to kill myself! So stop treating it like I had a small accident! If Yuzu hadn't found me, I wouldn't be here! So, let's stop kidding ourselves," he snapped as he looked to his mother.
There was so much anger in his eyes, fear, confusion, doubt, and a plethora of other emotions that Yoko knew she didn't have the time to name. The boy before her shook, his hands clenched to the point that his knuckles were white, his eyes shining with tears as he watched her, and she only could take in a deep breath before stepping forward to wrap her arms around him. He jolted, almost as though he hadn't been expecting it as she held the boy close to her, knowing that she needed to clam him down before they talked. Yoko put her hand atop his head, running her fingers through his hair due to the fact that he wasn't wearing his goggles right then as she took in a deep breath.
"Its time for me to tell him the truth... no matter how much it hurts."
"Your right, I'm sorry for doing what I did. Yuya, you had the right to know what your magic is, and you had the right too be taught how to better control it. I just never expected you to lose control like you did yesterday... but I shouldn't have left it up to chance, and I did... I'm sorry." the boy flinched once more, and Yoko closed her eyes, feeling tears fall down her face.
"I just wish you would have... told me who I was. It's going to be harder... now that it's woken up fully... for me to get my magic under control..." Yoko nodded at his statement.
"I know... but I'll do what I can to help you. Please forgive me Yuya, I'm so sorry," she muttered into his hair as he slowly wrapped his arms around her waist.
"Just... don't lie to me... please..." Yoko took in a shaky breath, tears falling down her face.
"Okay, I will... now, come down stairs with me, I need to show you something," she said.
She let him go and slowly grabbed his hand, leading him downstairs as she prepared herself to do something that she had put off long enough. Florence and Niknak had vacated the house for the time being, and had helped her get the things she needed out again while Yuya sat down at the table and she put two mugs of tea on the table, pushing them a bit out of the way as she sat a photo album down and took in a deep breath while looking at the boy who sat there, dressed in a pair of clothes similar to the ones he wore yesterday, but missing his goggles, and wrist bands. She smiled, reaching out to place a hand on the photo album, thinking about what he would see there soon as she steadied her racing heart, knowing that the time had come for her to tell the boy the truth.
It had been a long time coming, this day that at one point had seemed so far away. A small laugh echoed in Yoko's mind, a jovial, bright laughter that she hadn't heard in fourteen years as she recalled the person it belonged to, and their beautiful smile, how happy they always were even when things were at their worst. It had been this person, who had shown her how to be strong when she hurt the worst, even when they had left her side, and become nothing more than a memory of the past. Sighing, Yoko reached into her shirt, pulling out the silver locket that she always kept tucked under it, causing Yuya to look at it as she removed it from over her head and placed it on the table.
"Yuya, I need to tell you something important," she said.
"What?" he rose an eyebrow, looking confused.
"This photo album is very special, its one of the last things I have that belonged to someone very important to me," she told him as Yuya moved his chair closer.
"I've never seen it before." she nodded.
"I know, but it's time you did," Yoko said as she opened the album to a picture of her and several other girls present.
They were all around the same age, in their late teens to early twenties. The girl on the far left had dark blue hair and magenta eyes, a brilliant smile on her face, she was dressed in a dark purple cotton dress, much like the other girls were. Next to her, was a blue-purple haired girl with turquoise eyes, wearing a blue dress while on the other side was a girl with extremely long wavy pale green hair and amber eyes, she wore a pink hair pin to hold her bangs back, and wore a pink over-shirt that had no sleeves, a white shirt that was frilled and showed her mid-drift and a white skirt with a brown belt. The next girl had dark red two-toned hair with greenish purple eyes and wore a blue and purple dress with sleeves, her hair in pigtails and a strand falling down to her shoulder. The last three, at the center, was Yoko, her hair down, and wearing a green dress, and a girl with long pink hair and periwinkle eyes with a simple pale gray dress on. The final girl had gray eyes and long lavender hair, a sweet smile on her face.
"Who are these people?" Yoko smiled.
"They were my best friends. Aiko is the girl with green hair, Lira has the magenta eyes, you know Sakura, she was Yuzu's mom, and Rei is the girl with the dark red hair. The girl with the lavender hair is Naomi. It was one of our last days together before we all moved away... Aiko had just gotten married, and Lira had been married and was moving soon... Rei was getting ready to leave on a long trip, and Sakura was going to come with me. I was dating Yusho at the time and we were coming here to meet Shuzo," she explained.
"So, where are they now?" Yoko shook her head.
"I don't know much about Aiko or the others except that they all had children, some of them are close to your age by now. But that isn't who I wanted you to see," she said.
Yuya watched as his mother showed him a few single shots of the other girls, pointing out to each of them, and including a girl with blonde hair that had a paler tone to it than her own and was cut short in a slight side-swept style. He noted the photos each and everyone, liking to see his mother in her earlier years until she got to the last page before she was about to flip it and it showed her and his father standing together. Yoko hesitated, and he looked to her, scarlet eyes taking in her worry as she glanced his way.
"Mom?" Yoko took in a deep breath.
"This was the person behind the camera that day, I want you to take a good look at her picture," she said.
"Okay..." he sounded heistant, only because she seemed so worried.
"It's fine, Yuya... its time you knew," she told him as she flipped the page and he looked at the image.
It was a young, beautiful girl in a white sundress with a hat in her hands. Her hair fell to her hips, a bright smile was upon her face, and her eyes shining with joy. It was a beautiful picture of the girl, but it confused him. Her eyes were a slightly brighter shade, but they were almost the exact same color of scarlet as his own, her hair had the same coloring as his as well, and her smile was similar to his. Confused, Yuya looked the image over, and saw something that was distinctly familiar to him, a pale blue almost clear crystal wrapped in silver angel wings on a white chord. Yuya felt his eyes widen as he looked at the picture of the beautiful young woman with a cheerful smile on her face to his mother and felt confusion overthrow him.
"Who is she? And why does she..." Yoko smiled.
"Look so much like you?" she asked softly.
"Y-Yea... I'm... confused..." Yoko nodded.
"Something told me you would be..." she flipped another page, showing a taller man standing next to the girl he'd seen in the other picture. He was smiling almost lazily, wearing comfortable clothes and had dark hair and amber eyes like his father's own, but his skin was fairer than Yusho's. Yuya looked to the image in confusion and Yoko sighed.
"Who are they? I don't understand..." Yoko smiled to him.
"This is my little sister and her husband Ira. Yusho's younger brother and my little sister started dating, and she insisted on me going on a date with them, because I wasn't sure if I liked Ira or not... she told me he had an older brother that was dying to meet me, and... I went in a whim... that was how I met Yusho, and we started dating. A year later, Yaya, and Ira got married, and this day came... Yusho and I had been dating for almost two years by that point... and a week later, I was engaged," she explained.
"So... that's your little sister and her husband, and the two of them are the reason that you and dad ended up together... because your younger siblings got you together?" Yoko smiled to him.
"They did, and I've never been so grateful for my little sister being stubborn. But, after I got engaged, I was told by Yaya... that she was expecting a baby," she said.
"Really?" she nodded once.
"Yuya... that baby was you," she told him. He looked to her in confusion, his eyes showing disbelief and slight fear at her statement.
"W-What? That's impossible! Your my..." Yoko shook her head.
"No, Yuya... I'm not your biological mother. I raised you for my sister," she said.
"W-Why? I don't understand... did she..." Yuya felt a strange sensation overtake him at the statement.
It was confusing, to hear such a thing come from the person who had raised you all of your life to suddenly admit that they weren't your mother. His mind raced, trying to pinpoint whether or not this was true as he glanced to the image of the woman and felt his body slump back his chair. He had always noticed it, he favored neither of his parents even a fraction. His complexion, his hair, and eyes, none of it fit Yoko or Yusho even the slightest. Yuya had always assumed that he just took after someone else in the family, like his grandmother whom he recalled having a faded greenish red hue to her hair, but her eyes had been green like Yoko's own. Sighing, his hands over his face, preparing himself to learn what had happened to bring it to the point where he had been living with his aunt and uncle for his entire life.
"Did they... not want me?" his voice shook violently, and Yoko felt tears well in her eyes.
"No! Oh, Yuya... no sweetheart. They loved you beyond words! Yaya and Ira loved you to the ends of the universe... but... when my sister was pregnant with you, she became very sick. The doctors gave her all the help they could without harming you... but she had a blood disorder, and it flared up during the pregnancy because she was having to supply blood to you in the womb. They suggested an abortion, but she refused," Yoko stated as she reached out and touched the boy's cheek.
"Then how did I end up with you?" the woman smiled to him.
"When she was seven months into her pregnancy, she took a bad turn, so they had to induce her labor... and you were born early... almost to early. For a while, we were worried you wouldn't make it, and Yaya was very ill... but, you both pulled through, and she and Ira took you home... they lived nearby us, and we saw you every day... I wish I could show you how much they loved you... holding you in her arms, made my sister the happiest person in the world. But... six months after you were born, your father was in an accident, and he didn't make it..." the boy looked down.
"So my biological father... passed away when I was a baby... wait what about my mom?" Yoko moved her seat forward some, reaching out to place her hand on Yuya's own.
"She tried to do everything on her own, taking care of you as best she could, but she grieved for your father relentlessly. Eventually, she got sick again, and we tried everything, but Yaya couldn't get better. I was asked alongside Yusho to raise you, and we agreed to. When you were eight months old, she passed away, and you've been in our care ever since, and we've loved you and raised you as if you were ours," Yoko explained as she watched him,
"I... I..."
Yoko watched as tears slipped down his cheeks, and before he could help it, he'd started crying. The woman moved, sliding out of her chair as she pulled his small form into her arms, holding him close as he shook, seeming to not be able to contain himself as he eventually slid from the chair and before either knew it, they were on the floor, Yoko holding onto the boy as she ran her fingers through his hair. She remembered the day he was born, how tiny he had been, fragile, and how he had only cried a little bit before he stopped as Yaya had reached for him, pleading to hold him. The doctors had relented, holding that tiny baby in her arms as she whispered to him, uttering the name she gave him as her sweat drenched bangs hung in her eyes and she gently rubbed his cheeks, and he looked to her, locking eyes with his mother as she spoke to him.
It had been a situation that no one quite could understand. Yuya had been born two months early, his mother had been sick with a blood disorder throughout her entire pregnancy; however, Yuya and Yaya had surprised everyone, recovering quickly and Yoko held the child in her arms now, her little sister's miracle that she had held closely to her always. Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at the boy as he took in unsteady breaths, and she reached to him, cupping his face as she brushed his tears away and looked into his beautiful eyes while tears slid down her face as she brushed his bangs from his face, staring at the child her sister had loved more than life itself, and she gave a broken laugh as she smiled at the boy.
"Yuya, they cherished you as though you were the greatest treasure in existence. They adored you and would have done anything for you. Yaya loved you until her last breath, and the only thing she regretted, was not being able to watch you grow up," she told him.
"They knew you'd take care of me though..." Yoko smiled as the boy glanced to her and she brushed her thumb under his eye.
"All these years I've watched you grow, I saw my little sister more and more. You look so much like your mother... and you act like her too. You have her sweet natured smile, her stubbornness, her warmth, and her humor and wit. All of her light and kindness, but I also see your father's strength, his compassion, and his understanding of others. I see the courage they both possessed and their candor... you have so much of your parents in you..." she said.
"Am... I really... like them?" he seemed hesitant to ask, and Yoko only assured him, carting her fingers through his soft hair as she stared into his eyes.
"In every way, Yuya. Your mother and father would be so proud of the person you've become. Your so much like your mother though, when I look at you I see my beautiful little sister, and I realize that the old wives tale that says boys look like their mothers is completely true. And even though there not here, they still love you, and I cherish you just as they did you too, your our precious little one, and you always will be," she told him as she pulled him close, and he slowly returned the embrace, closing his eyes.
"Thank you... for... telling me about them." Yoko smiled as she glanced at the table top, and grabbed her locket opening the picture to show Yuya.
"Take a look at this," she said as Yuya glanced down at the image.
The picture was of his mother and father, on a warm sunny day as they stood in front of a house that had a lush garden around it. In his mother's arm, was himself, only a few months old possibly, and contently staring at the camera as she held him close in her arms. He laughed a little, though it sounded choked due to his earlier crying episode while Yoko pulled the photo album down and looked at the pictures with him, telling him the stories she had longed to let him know of as she explained about the past, and the things his mother would get up too. The house wasn't quiet anymore, it was filled with the echos of tearful cries or angry shouts, instead, it resounded with laughter and jovial voices, easing the tensions present that Yoko knew was granting a much needed levity before any more chaos chose to come upon them while she continued to hold the boy close, watching a warm glow appear in his eyes as she told him all the stories she could, wishing this moment could stand still in time just a bit longer, but cherishing it while it lasted all the same.
{…...}
I feel it in my veins, its not going away...
{…...}
Author's Note: Yes, in these versions of events, Yoko and Yusho aren't Yuya's biological parents. It was actually Yoko's younger sister - remember the one you've heard of off and on during this story? - who is Yuya's mother, and goodness does he look like her. I'm actually adopted myself, in a manner similar to this as it was my grandparents who adopted me from their youngest daughter, my biological mother, and raised me. So, I understand that for some who aren't made aware of these events, it can be a little upsetting and confusing, I just hope I did it justice and everyone likes this. Tell me what you guys think, and I'll look for your reviews.
Sincerely,
ShadowDragon94.
Trivia:
Yaya means: High Priestess. It's where Yuya's name is derived from.
Yaya's name is pronounced: Ya-Eye-Ah
Those other girls have some parts to play later on, so just keep them in mind.
Waking Magic is a possessive, aggressive magic that is a core magic, one of three kinds like this that allows the host of it to use any form of magic that they chose, and they aren't given the title of a Skill to mark them as a type of witch. Waking Witches, can learn how to use different magical forms, and not be contained by a specific type of skill, in addition, they have massive magical auras, and are able to use massive amounts of magic at great lengths of time. But again, they do have to learn how to use it, and over time it gets easier to do it... remember, everything takes practice.
The plants, roots, and berries used in the potion, are actually good for your health and healing.