Chapter 11- It's Just a Little Curse
Same warnings from chapter 9 go for this one as well. Don't tell us we didn't warn you. Or that we're evil. We know this already.
Good luck duckies.
-Stars and Nordic
It was supposed to be a happy day. It was supposed to be a day of celebration and excitement.
Their little choir, the Do-re-mi-oes, had been participating in a small music festival hosted by one of the elite schools in their district: Meiou Academy. They'd been competing against a lot of really good Junior choirs and, as the smallest choir by far, had been facing steep competition.
And they'd won.
Youko had been over the moon. Glowing and happy. It had been infectious, everyone around her felt her joyful mood and in turn become giddy and lighthearted. (Later on, after congratulating and giving them proud smiles, Mahad and Mana tell them that it was Youko's magic that had spread and made others feel her happy emotions).
They decided to celebrate with an impromptu party and sleepover at Tristan's house. Marie went to pick up Amane from skating practice, so she could join them, too. They were all so happy and joyous, things had been going so well.
.
.
.
.
They didn't make it back.
.
.
.
.
A storm had been rolling in that day. Not a typhoon or hurricane, just a really bad storm. It had begun to rain when Marie left to get Ama-nee, and had only gotten worse as time passed. Marie had called them from the rink and told them that she and Amane were going to make their way back.
Her mother had told her she'd be careful. That there was no chance that she and Amane would not make it back to them safely. Amane had shouted her congratulations from the backseat…
Time passed… passed their estimated time of arrival… the pounding rain had turned to a heavy snow fall.
"They're okay. Maybe they just had to stop by the side of the road, because of the weather. They're fine. They're going to come home," she thinks, her mind running in circles, until she can't sit still anymore and starts pacing.
It gets dark out.
.
.
.
An officer shows up at the door.
.
.
.
.
It had been an accident.
For some reason, Marie had crossed a red light - maybe she hadn't been able to see the shift due to the snow, or she'd been otherwise distracted - and the truck hadn't been able to avoid the car.
They'd been dead before the ambulance arrived.
They died instantly. No pain, most likely unaware of what had happened even. There's that small mercy/relief.
She's not allowed to go to the hospital, but Todd and Adam do to identify the bodies. They let her know that Amane had barely had a scratch on her.
She'd just looked like she was asleep.
(It sounds gruesome, to tell a child such a thing, but the words reassure her more than anything else. She tries to not think about how she wasn't told how her mother looked).
Osamu hadn't been home. Of course he hadn't. He never was, anymore.
Oh, Hinata knows that her father is rotten. She's known it ever since she overheard Solomon talking with Adam about his worries for Osamu.
Words such as "fired," "inappropriate behaviour," and "independent writing" had been involved.
That was when she realized why they'd had to cut down on a lot of things, and why he never spoke of his job anymore. Why he mostly remained in his office on the rare days he stayed home.
He didn't have a steady-paying job, anymore.
She wonders how he paid for all of his "trips" and why he was gone so often and for so long. What happened to their money?
No one is able to reach him. He doesn't come back until a few days later.
By that point the medical examiner had done the autopsy on Marie and discovered that she had a tumor in her brain - not only that, but that it was the size of an orange, too. It had been there for years apparently, growing slowly. Slow enough that no one noticed or even realized that she could have one. (Despite the drastic changes in her personality, even if they were slow ones.)
Hinata can't tell if she's relieved or not by this discovery. Some part of her is happy that there was a very good reason for her mother's change in behavior. Another part of her feels awful for her past treatment of the woman and all of her snide thoughts.
Even if she knew it was coming… her mommy and her sister are dead…
(Now she knows how Youko felt. Losing a mother once is painful, unbearable. Losing a mother for a second time? It's just as heartbreaking and agonizing. It's like waking up as an infant all over again, realizing that you've lost your loved ones.)
She screams.
It's not like Youko's wailing, not like how her baby brother wails when he's hungry or can't verbalize his thoughts or wants something.
She just lets out one, lone, mournful scream into the darkness, her little heart breaking apart in a million pieces, only to be put together almost instantly by something cold and dark. And then she passes out, waking up hours later to the sight of Mana leaning over her, crying and holding her close.
"Ah… so that is what awakening the Darkness feels like…" she thinks, staring emptily into space.
(Youko is there, too. She can feel the heat of her body, the familiar call of her soul, resting against her, small hands clutching the fabric of her shirt. The girl says nothing, but she doesn't need to. She feels Mahad's strong and comforting presence as well, feels him standing guard over them all. Lily makes himself comfortable by curling up against her chest and purrs to comfort her.)
The room is filled with a pale light falling in through the window.
She feels so… cold… why is it so cold?
"Little Moon… please… can you think of something happy for me?" Mana whispers to her.
Happy… how can she possibly think of something happy, when her world has crashed down around her?!
"Hinata, please…" Youko then says, her voice frail, like it's on the verge of breaking. "I know it's difficult, but… you have to control your emotions for now. You need to stop the blizzard."
She blinks. Her voice is hoarse and her throat sore when she speaks.
"What blizzard?"
Youko takes a deep, shuddering breath. "You know how I can sort of influence the emotions of others, if I feel strongly enough?"
Of course she does. It had been just about the coolest thing ever to discover, even if a bit impractical at times. But what does that have to with any-
"Your emotions control the weather."
She chokes on a breath.
The weather?!
"What do you mean my emotions control the weather?!" She manages to get out in-between coughs.
Mahad moves from his position and lifts her from the bed (Youko's bed, she realizes) and carries her to the window, which is almost completely covered in snow. Outside she can see drifts piling high, abandoned cars looking like odd lumps in the sea of white.
Oh...
Oh.
That's…..she did all of that?
It's…..it's….it's all h-
"It is not your fault Hinata." Mahad suddenly says in a stern voice. "You did nothing. This only happened once all of your emotions spiked and you passed out."
Not her-
It's not her-
HOW IS IT NOT HER FAULT?!
The wind howls against the window pane.
"Hinata! You didn't do anything!" Youko suddenly yells. "This all only happened after we found out about the accident!"
"Hinata, please, call down!"
She's not sure she can. She wants to, but so many different emotions run through her mind, much stronger and bigger and she feels like she's drowning, and she just- she just wants-
"I want my mom back!" She wails into Mahad's chest, allowing her pride to fall and to let herself just be a little kid again. "I want the mom who she could've been and the mom she was! I want her back! Why did they have to take her and Ama-nee from me?!"
Mahad's arms are secure around her, like a cradle fitted just for her, and she suddenly thinks she gets why Youko likes being held by him so much. His breaths are steady and secure, a life-line, an anchor, in the middle of the storm her body is caught in.
She rages and squirms and cries until her voice is all but gone and her nose is both stuffed and running. He lets her do it. Lets her dirty him in such a manner, all while keeping his hold on her steady and secure. But it's not he who drags her mind from the dark place, not his voice who cuts through the silence.
It's Mana.
"I don't know Little Moon," she whispers, her hand nice and cool on her swollen cheek. "Sometimes, some things just can't be changed."
"It's not fair," she whimpers, too exhausted to care about much more than the soul-crushing grief that has settled in the middle of her heart. "I've been good, haven't I? We have been good. We haven't done anything to displease them, right? Surely they can't fault us for feeling bitter?"
"I doubt that they really care and wouldn't be so petty to cause such pain this way. But, I do know that Marie and Amane were always destined to die around this time from the car accident."
She sniffles, tries to hold it back.
Another harsh gust of wind batters at the window when she remember's Amane's face. Happy… smiling… alive.
"I know that it's-" Youko starts, stopping as she chokes on her own tears. "that it's hard Hinata. But you still have Ryou, and me, and everyone else though. We're all still your family and are here for you."
She breathes. Tries to, at least. But the air feels thin and she's just so tired…
It's like she's not even connected to her body. Like she is just floating in ice and darkness again. But no… she's awake and still alive, somehow. Youko's sobs as she shares her pain, the feel of Mana's skin against her cheek, the quiet pressure and security of Mahad holding her….
Her breathing evens out.
Ever so slowly, the wind stills.
She is not alone.
She's surprised Osamu even bothers to show up at the funeral. That he was even involved in the brief planning it took, actually.
Snow covers the ground. Not as thickly as it did on the day they - they left - but it's still not gone, yet. In the distance she can hear children laughing, playing.
It's a beautiful, sunny day, even if bitterly cold. (It appears that the stone that has settled deep in the pit of her stomach is at the root of her powers. And right now that stone is made of a calm type of grief - thus the cold).
Everyone is there. Youko is practically fused to her side, she can sense Mana and Mahad hiding off to the side, the other kids surround them followed by the adults. Osamu stands off on his own, opposite the group.
He looks a mess. Unkempt and scruffy looking. He didn't even bother to look his best. He hadn't even looked surprised when he got back and heard the news. Just stared at her with empty eyes before leaving. (She knows he blames her, knows that he expected something bad to happen. His only real reaction was not when he heard his wife had died or that she had a tumor, but that his oldest daughter had died with her. She could see him mentally blaming Marie for that along with her.)
(His frequent mutters of Yuki-Onna are as unsurprising as they are terrifying).
She starts taking measures to be alone with her father as little as possible. Suzuki, Sally and Anzu start taking turns staying in her home a few days to care for Ryou. Over-night, too. And Mahad and Mana are never far away, either. (Even Panther-Lily stays. Youko insisted that he stay to help protect Hinata and Ryou.)
It's like they know, these mothers. Even without influence from her spirit guardians they hover around her like lionesses with their cubs.
November comes and goes very slowly. It's duller and colder each passing day. Nothing changes. The adults try to coax Osamu into sorting through things, but weeks later everything is still the same. Like a living shrine.
They enter December. There is no talk of the coming holidays, no decorations or baking, in the Bakura house. Marie loved Christmas. A good, old fashioned Christmas had been one of the things she loved the most.
There is no love in their house anymore. Only the frail bond between her and Ryou.
(She'd give anything to have the old love back. As suffocating as it was, it was warm and comforting. She misses it. Misses them.)
Osamu grows darker and more broken each day. Barely sleeps, barely eats, barely home at all. Doesn't bathe, doesn't shave, barely even speaks five words to other people each day. Glowers at her and Ryou… just glowers in general, but mostly at them.
He thinks her a demon… but when she looks upon him, she can only see darkness.
A grieving, broken man consumed by darkness and despair and hate. A demon more real than what he thinks her.
Money grows sparse. He goes out and returns with bags filled to the brim, but barely any food. Bills pile up. Everyone comments on it, but he just snaps at them to mind their own fucking business.
She fears what could happen.
Nothing can last forever. Something had to give.
It all culminates just a few days into the holiday season.
Hinata is half asleep, dreams uneasy, curled around Ryou, when Mana suddenly appears.
Hinata is up in an instant because the look on Mana's face scares her. She's serious and stern, eyes hard, though she keeps a small smile on her face.
"Pack up your overnight bag, Little Moon," she whispers quickly, picking up Ryou from the bed. "Hurry now. You're going to Youko's house, okay? Pack things for the baby, too".
Hinata doesn't say anything just nods. As she packs the few basic things they'll need, she sees Lily slink into the room from the corner of her eye. She jumps and turns to fully look at him when she sees a huge shadow, only, she sees nothing but him and his tiny body.
Odd…
The cat is next to her as she leaves her room to enter the hallway to find her father by the door and little Ryou already packed up neatly in his baby carrier (she wonders how Mana did it so quickly, but decides it doesn't matter). His eyes are oddly blank, more than usual, like he isn't there…
Someone is hypnotizing him, she realizes. Keeping him calm, unaware of what's really going on.
Something's wrong. Very wrong. Or rather… it must have been going wrong, or Mana wouldn't have acted with such urgency.
She has a hunch as to what is about to happen, but remains silent. It won't matter, anyways. Fate and canon can't be escaped, and there is one last thing that has yet to happen in her life.
"It's time isn't it?" She asks softly as they load up into the car.
The darkness moves around her and she hears Mahad whisper: "He would have hurt you, child. Action must be taken".
…...that really doesn't make it hurt less that she's going to be abandoned by the one biological parent, no matter how horrible, she's got left.
"What's going to happen to him?"
The car starts moving. Everything is quiet until they pull up by the Mutou home.
"He shall never return, Daughter of the Moon. Of that you have my word".
That doesn't answer her question.
She wants to make demands. But…
She doesn't want to know.
She's just so tired.
Before she knows it, she's laying on a couch with Ryou by her side, covered by a blanket, staring at the digital clock under the TV.
It's 4:30 in the morning. She hears Osamu and Solomon talk over by the door. There's a click. Then Solomon is there, looking at her like he knows… but that can't be true. It must be something else.
It's not much time later that sleep claims her again.
Adam normally prides himself on being a calm sort of person. Someone who knows how to keep his cool, even in the most insane situations.
But there's got to be a line somewhere, because he has never experienced anything like this in his work as a lawyer. No, in his life! First Yakumo… and now Osamu?!
What the hell is going on?!
At least Yakumo only left. (As bad is that is)
But this…..this is just wrong. Osamu has gone off the deep end.
"Adam, dear," Anzu says a little nervously. "Please, calm down a bit? You'll make yourself dizzy if you keep pacing like that".
Bless his wife. She's so sweet and considerate… he wishes he could listen to her advice.
"That crazy son of a-!" He spits. "Sorry, love, but I can't let this go. If you'd seen his office when Solomon, Todd and I went over there… the lair of a madman I tell you. Like straight out of a thriller or something. It was horrible… and we let Hinata and Ryouichi live with him for weeks!"
Articles on the supernatural…
Ancient legends and tales of youkai and demons…
Purification rituals and exorcisms-! An unfinished e-mail, still opened on the computer, requesting for a goddamn priest to come and "save" his "beloved daughter" from the "vicious Yuki-Onna" possessing her?!
He thanks whatever gods exist that something decent still remained in the man. Enough, at least, to end the insanity and take her to responsible people.
And when he looks at the bank-account Osamu also gave him access to…
"They've got nothing left, Anzu," he whispers, finally stopping in his tracks, hands clenched at his sides. "Almost all their money… gone, spent on equipment for some insane ritual to "save" Hinata. Bills haven't been paid in who knows how long and from what I understand, they would've lost the house soon. So I'm sorry, but I can't calm down, because I want to go hunt him down and take him to court for this".
"It's awful. I can't….how could all of this have happened?" Anzu whispers in horrified sadness. "Please tell me you can get custody of the children or something."
Adam's eyes take on a steely look, and in a mere moment's notice the husband is gone and the lawyer has taken the stage. "Working on it as we speak. Solomon has already agreed to take them in - Bakura left them with him before coming here. Don't worry, dear, they're in good hands now. They're safe".
Anzu breathes a sigh of relief. Something he wished he could do as well, but he knows won't happen until every last document is signed and approved. Until justice has been done.
Days pass.
Youko can't do anything but watch as the adults come and go in a steady stream, rushing to and fro in a chaotic mess of paperwork, lawyers, police and anyone else who have to do with the safety of children.
It's nothing less than what she and Hinata had expected, but… it still stings. And she's not even the victim of abandonment this time.
Hinata, bless her heart, takes everything in stride. She lets the adults think she's a confused, mourning child - like she doesn't know exactly what's happened to her and Ryou. But Youko knows the truth, knows Hina almost better than she knows herself.
Where the adults see fear and confusion, Youko sees only one emotion.
Anger.
It's easy enough to see, for Youko at least. She feels the same thing whenever she thinks about Yakumo leaving, what the gods want from her and Hinata, and now also when she thinks of Osamu.
What is it with fathers in shounen manga always being so terrible? Or the mothers dying?
Solomon takes the time to sit all the kids down and talk about what happened, speaking to them as equals and intelligent individuals.
Their little group of friends is nice. They may still be a bit young to fully understand all that has happened, but they get the gist of it. It's comforting to have them, they all make an effort to be with the girls more, to cheer them up the best they can.
Joey offers to egg Osamu's car. Then they learn that the car had to be sold to pay off some of the ridiculously high bills. Same with the house.
Tristan offers to kick him in the shin when he sees him again. But the last clue of Osamu even still being alive is the arrival of the documents that make Solomon the permanent guardian of Hinata and Ryou.
Tea, in one of her rare vindictive moods, declares she will kick Osamu between his legs as hard as she can if she ever sees him again. That gets a small smile from Hinata and laughs from the others, the adults weakly scold Tea, though their amusement is very plain to see.
Youko thinks her own offer is the best though. Especially because it finally gets a nice smile and small laugh out of Hinata.
They're sitting around the kotatsu when she offers it.
"Do you want me to curse him? Because I'm pretty sure I could do it. Just say the word and it'll be done".
"...maybe." Is Hinata's contemplative response as she gives Ryou back the toy he dropped.
Youko grins and pulls Yugi closer to her to keep him warm. She loves holding and cuddling with her baby brother just as much as Hinata does with Ryou. "Mahad is positive I cursed Yakumo when he left so it's an option." She says breezily, "just saying."
Mahad is immediately in front of them, looking like the textbook definition of suffering. "You're not going to curse anyone, Young Mistress. I forbid it".
Mana takes that moment to add in her own opinion, already red in the face with anger and indignation. "But he deserves it!"
Youko grins widely, "See! We all think it! So I'll curse him!" She chirps happily and gestures for Mahad to come sit with her.
"Mana, stop encouraging the Young Mistress," he sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. "This kind of behaviour is unacceptable".
"It's Youko, Mahad, Youko. I'll curse you if you don't stop calling me young mistress or any form of it." She mutters darkly with a pout.
In that moment, another person decides to join in on the conversation.
"I don't know about unacceptable, but she's definitely too young to deliberately mess around with such dark magic, honorable Mage".
Hinata's cup of water freezes into solid ice and Youko isn't quite sure how she got into Mahad's arms while still holding Yugi, but somehow that's where she ended up. The spirit in question raises his staff in warning and Mana crouches over Ryou and Hinata.
Grandpa is standing in the doorway with a knowing smile and a twinkle in his eyes. He's holding a basket of laundry in his hands.
It's deathly silent.
"I- ahwa… how- how did…" Youko's brain short-circuits and she feels her ability to speak slip away from her as her grandfather just calmly walks through the room and sits down on the couch.
"You know, little ones, if you want to be sneaky about this, you really ought to have your meetings in private," he tells them, calmly beginning to fold the clothes.
What. The. Hell?!
"How… you mean you can see them?!" Hinata manages to get out on a choked breath. "How is this possible?"
Solomon just nods. "Sure can. Saw 'em for the first time years ago when I found that puzzle you've been working on".
Youko is speechless. So is Hinata for that matter. Mahad and Mana just share a strange look she can't quite decipher, before they relax and Youko is once again on the ground.
She stares at her Grandpa for several moments before sighing. "Really, in hindsight, it should have been obvious," she mutters to Hinata.
Hinata looks from her frozen water to Youko to Grandpa, who is just smiling at them calmly. Then she shrugs.
It's silent for a few moments, and then-
"...so can I curse him?"
"No."
"I wanna curse him though!"
"You can curse him when you're older my little sun"
"Mr. Mouto, please…."
"That's Grandpa to you young man."
A/N:
*Endless screaming and frantic typing away at BA-project*
Thanks for reading.
Nordic
A/N:
Hey Duckies. Sorry for the long wait. Unfortunately life happens to us all.
Poor Nordic has been working almost nonstop on her University classes plus working on her 20+ page Bachelor's paper that's due soon. (Among other things going on in her life.)
I myself work 2 jobs and have had several family emergencies and issues going on. So writing has been hard for us. Mainly in finding time and energy to write. (We also got sucked into a new fandom that has us planning a fic and such along with our lovely Beta.)
We do both apologize for the long wait, but hope that it was worth it. (Also, there are no plans whatsoever to abandon CitG, delays and short hiatus, yes, but never abandon.)
Anyways, on to the chapter.
Time passing and some happy moments for the gang. Then more sadness and pain. (Unfortunately, that's life sometimes.) The gang's day to day activities are somewhat explored, magic and powers start to manifest more, and the crazy is revealed.
Also, you can tell where Youko gets some of her sass and snark from. Grandpa is the best and we love him. Especially when he's a trolling little shit too. XD
Shoutout to all of the people who viewed and all of our current followers and faves and our new followers and favorites (voljin2, Luziefers nightmare, The Tinfoil Cat, MikoWhiteFang, snik25, YumikoChan151, Wowza48, Keiolsha, The Otaku Lady Priya, FlamingStar1, White Wolf Writers, DarkFireCat5241999, SanguineOwl, tomboy-otaku98, TheQueen'sknight, and TheSuperMario) And thanks to everyone who left Kudos!
And EXTRA thank yous and love to Flaremage, Lightsbane1905, SanguineOwl, TheSuperMario, and Guest for the reviews/comments!
Please, PLEASE leave us comments and reviews, especially if you have any questions or are confused! We love them so very much! We get so motivated to write when we get reviews!
Thanks again to the amazingly talented and lovely Moirei for Beta-ing for us, as always :)
We do hope to have more time to write once Nordic (and Moirei) are done with their papers and schooling and are on break. But it may be limited too since the Holidays are coming up and it'll be family time then.
Another note, things will be picking up in the next few chapters. We're getting closer to canon. We just wanted to establish their life outside of it and give them grounding and stronger bonds.
Also, don't forget about our Caught in the Game Tumblr blog! We post links to the chapters there and will post other content as well as time goes on. So please follow us on tumblr! (caughtinthegame . tumblr . com)
That's it for now, thanks again for reading my duckies, and we'll see you all next time on Caught in the Game!
-C. C. Stars
Edited/Beta by Moirei
Finished & Published November 21, 2017