Remembrance: SD version
Chapter 2
"Let me see my son," Miko said, beginning to recover from her near swoon after her birth. She could not understand her reaction for this birth was the same as all the others and in fact, it was less difficult since the child had been rather small. Yet when the midwife's knife touched the girl beside her, she had felt the pain the poor girl was enduring, as though it was she instead who was being cut.
Somehow, Miko knew that the girl had been alive until the birth of her child just to make sure that her child was alive, then only had she died and very happily, too, for she knew that her child would be well taken care of. The girl was at peace, no longer in the body that had been split into nearly half and she felt no pain. It was Miko who felt the pain.
Her body felt as though it were on fire. She was incoherent with pain, hands on her belly, making sure that it was still one. It felt torn and bleeding, ripped open and slashed. The pain was intolerable and she screamed hysterically as her maids and the midwife searched frantically for its source.
Now, with utter confidence, Miko asked to see her son, for she was sure that God would not be so cruel as to give her another daughter, especially after the pain she'd had to endure.
"Well?" Miko demanded with as much strength as she could manage, for she was still weak. "Where is my son?"
None of Miko's maids wanted to suffer the blast of her wrath when she found out she had yet another daughter but Kimu had no qualms.
"You have a beautiful daughter," Kimu said smilingly. At first, Miko refused to hear what was being said. She could not have had another girl.
"There now, isn't she pretty?" Kimu said. "See how white her skin is, how fine her hair? And such pretty eyes! She will be the most beautiful of her daughters, I can tell."
Dazed from pain and stunned with disappointed, all Miko could se was the big golden-skinned boy next to the insignificant black-haired girl.
"Let me see my son! Let me!" Miko cried out, her hands reaching out to take the boy and completely ignoring the girl.
"No!" Kimu said sharply, drawing back. "The children want to be together."
There was something about what Kimu said that brought Miko back to reality. "I want the boy," she whispered weakly. "He should have been mine." She looked around the room. She wanted to see if she could terrorize them all into secrecy and pretend that the boy was hers.
Kina, who had been with Miko since her marriage, was the first to speak.
"The girl," she whispered, pointing to the dead body of the boy's true mother, "had an old woman here. The instant the boy was born, she went to tell the father."
Miko's head reeled with anger at herself and at everyone for not thinking of switching the babies earlier.
"I will try to catch her," Kina said as she opened the door to run after the herald. But Taki was standing outside the door and beside him was Kozue, red-faced and drunk.
"Let me see my son," Kozue said, his voice as full of love as he could make it sound. He meant to take the child, but he didn't like babies and this one was covered in blood and grease and was unnaturally clinging to the white girl.
"How can this worm of a girl breed a son and you cannot?" Taki said, his voice full of venom. For the next few minutes, Taki told his wife what he thought of her, humiliating her in front of her maids and Kozue, whose eyes gleamed with delight. Through all this, Kimu held on fast to the children, wide awake, still alert and still looking into each other's eyes.
For the first time, Taki seemed fully aware of the children, or rather the boy. He took them and pulled them apart. The moment that happened, the children let out great wails such as never heard before in that castle. They were put together again immediately and then were given to Kimu to be fed.
While they were being fed, Taki and Kozue made an agreement. They would exchange children: the boy would be Taki's son and the girl would be Kozue's daughter. Kozue would also take one of Miko's daughters as a new wife: poor little Tsukino, who was only ten years old! What's more, the Kuro Manor, which rightfully belongs to Miko, was to be given as a dowry! Miko was very angry but wisely did not say a word.
Then Kozue suggested betrothing the two. Miko protested against it once more but Taki agreed. Taki also gave Kozue wine, cattle and lead for his roof and also craftsmen to install the roof. He also gave away six goblets to Taki. Miko was outraged for she had brought the goblets to him on their marriage. It was a family heirloom: it was set with rubies and chased with designs of the lives of saints and her family had used them for generations. She had meant to give them to her eldest son but now they were taken away from her.
She stopped looking at her husband and turned her attention to the children instead. She looked at them in hate for they were the cause of her misery. She looked at the boy. He had already killed his mother today and he may as well kill her too for he had robbed an entire family of rightful inheritance and of its future. And for that reason Miko's mind broke.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AN: Aaahh! It's so nice to have finished another chapter! I cut short a lot of parts but its okay. Sniffle.. Review. ok.. minna? And sLL.. can Kaede be used as a girl's name too? Heehee.. answer, k? byebye!
Chapter 2
"Let me see my son," Miko said, beginning to recover from her near swoon after her birth. She could not understand her reaction for this birth was the same as all the others and in fact, it was less difficult since the child had been rather small. Yet when the midwife's knife touched the girl beside her, she had felt the pain the poor girl was enduring, as though it was she instead who was being cut.
Somehow, Miko knew that the girl had been alive until the birth of her child just to make sure that her child was alive, then only had she died and very happily, too, for she knew that her child would be well taken care of. The girl was at peace, no longer in the body that had been split into nearly half and she felt no pain. It was Miko who felt the pain.
Her body felt as though it were on fire. She was incoherent with pain, hands on her belly, making sure that it was still one. It felt torn and bleeding, ripped open and slashed. The pain was intolerable and she screamed hysterically as her maids and the midwife searched frantically for its source.
Now, with utter confidence, Miko asked to see her son, for she was sure that God would not be so cruel as to give her another daughter, especially after the pain she'd had to endure.
"Well?" Miko demanded with as much strength as she could manage, for she was still weak. "Where is my son?"
None of Miko's maids wanted to suffer the blast of her wrath when she found out she had yet another daughter but Kimu had no qualms.
"You have a beautiful daughter," Kimu said smilingly. At first, Miko refused to hear what was being said. She could not have had another girl.
"There now, isn't she pretty?" Kimu said. "See how white her skin is, how fine her hair? And such pretty eyes! She will be the most beautiful of her daughters, I can tell."
Dazed from pain and stunned with disappointed, all Miko could se was the big golden-skinned boy next to the insignificant black-haired girl.
"Let me see my son! Let me!" Miko cried out, her hands reaching out to take the boy and completely ignoring the girl.
"No!" Kimu said sharply, drawing back. "The children want to be together."
There was something about what Kimu said that brought Miko back to reality. "I want the boy," she whispered weakly. "He should have been mine." She looked around the room. She wanted to see if she could terrorize them all into secrecy and pretend that the boy was hers.
Kina, who had been with Miko since her marriage, was the first to speak.
"The girl," she whispered, pointing to the dead body of the boy's true mother, "had an old woman here. The instant the boy was born, she went to tell the father."
Miko's head reeled with anger at herself and at everyone for not thinking of switching the babies earlier.
"I will try to catch her," Kina said as she opened the door to run after the herald. But Taki was standing outside the door and beside him was Kozue, red-faced and drunk.
"Let me see my son," Kozue said, his voice as full of love as he could make it sound. He meant to take the child, but he didn't like babies and this one was covered in blood and grease and was unnaturally clinging to the white girl.
"How can this worm of a girl breed a son and you cannot?" Taki said, his voice full of venom. For the next few minutes, Taki told his wife what he thought of her, humiliating her in front of her maids and Kozue, whose eyes gleamed with delight. Through all this, Kimu held on fast to the children, wide awake, still alert and still looking into each other's eyes.
For the first time, Taki seemed fully aware of the children, or rather the boy. He took them and pulled them apart. The moment that happened, the children let out great wails such as never heard before in that castle. They were put together again immediately and then were given to Kimu to be fed.
While they were being fed, Taki and Kozue made an agreement. They would exchange children: the boy would be Taki's son and the girl would be Kozue's daughter. Kozue would also take one of Miko's daughters as a new wife: poor little Tsukino, who was only ten years old! What's more, the Kuro Manor, which rightfully belongs to Miko, was to be given as a dowry! Miko was very angry but wisely did not say a word.
Then Kozue suggested betrothing the two. Miko protested against it once more but Taki agreed. Taki also gave Kozue wine, cattle and lead for his roof and also craftsmen to install the roof. He also gave away six goblets to Taki. Miko was outraged for she had brought the goblets to him on their marriage. It was a family heirloom: it was set with rubies and chased with designs of the lives of saints and her family had used them for generations. She had meant to give them to her eldest son but now they were taken away from her.
She stopped looking at her husband and turned her attention to the children instead. She looked at them in hate for they were the cause of her misery. She looked at the boy. He had already killed his mother today and he may as well kill her too for he had robbed an entire family of rightful inheritance and of its future. And for that reason Miko's mind broke.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AN: Aaahh! It's so nice to have finished another chapter! I cut short a lot of parts but its okay. Sniffle.. Review. ok.. minna? And sLL.. can Kaede be used as a girl's name too? Heehee.. answer, k? byebye!