Disclaimer: NYMN (Nintendo Yes Me No). As for the rest, I'm gonna wonder
about you if you don't know it by now. I'm just tired of typing it each
chapter.
Mild swearing contained herin. You've been warned.
Shadowed Reflections ch. 7 By ZeoViolet ****
*I can't belive this,* Sharie said in quiet awe. *They're perfect. They're all perfect!*
It was no understatement. Her unique green eyes were dancing upon seeing all of Ki's babies for the first time. The sight of all five of them, sleeping in their cribs with not a care in the world, contracted in her own heart and touched some deep inner chords she was not aware she posessed.
*Who are they all? I only know Aaryanna,* Sharie pointed out, unable to tear her gaze from them.
*I can understand that,* answered Ki quietly. *This one,* she stopped by the first crib, *Is Damian. He was our firstborn.*
*Damian. To tame, in the pokemon langauge,* Sharie looked up at Mewtwo. *He looks like you, Mewtwo. Is his personality the same?*
*Most definetly,* answered Mewtwo. He'd never forget the first feelings that had contracted in his chest, when he'd first held his son in his arms. A son. He had a son. His heart had burned with love and pride so strong Mewtwo had not thought such emotions were possible. All encompassing, all- consuming sort of emotions.
Looking at his son now, Mewtwo felt no less. Perhaps, almost more than any of the others Damian was destined to be his father's son.
Sharie's fingers twiched on the edge of the crib, and she looked at Ki inquiringly. *May I? I won't wake him up, I promise. You've warned me how they will react.*
*Go ahead,* Ki sensed nothing asunder, so she gave her consent.
Sharie reached down and lightly stroked the little Mewtwo's cheek. Damian twitches lightly, and one of his little fingers came up and went into his mouth, and he sucked on it a few times, still sound asleep.
Sharie's lips curved in a smile, and an odd light shone in her eyes. *Headstrong, spirited, and forward, I think he will be,* she noted softly.
*I sensed that, too,* admitted Ki with a smile.
Sharie lifted her hand from Damian's cheek and moved on to the next crib. Inside it was a tiny, emerald-green baby Mewtwo. To Sharie, it was a rather brilliant shade.
*You've produced a dazzling little crowd. Few Mews are colors other than pink--but look at what a rainbow you've created! She's almost as green as our eyes, Ki. What's her name?*
*Brianna,* Answered Ki.
*Little Strong One,* Sharie echoed. She reached down and stroked a soft cheek. A tiny hand came up and, in her sleep, Brianna clutched her finger, hard.
*It's appropriate,* Sharie decided, making even Mewtwo smile.
Ki led Sharie to the third crib. She reached down and folded back the blanket, and Sharie's eyes flew wide open in shock.
What a color! Bright blue on his head and upper body, and a white belly and tail!
*Gods!* Sharie exclaimed. *He looks like a cresting wave!*
She suddenly blushed furiously, wondering if that had come out wrong. *You know....blue waves crested with white foam....*
But the astonished looks Ki and Mewtwo were giving her were not from anger.
*Those were the *exact* same thoughts running through both our minds,* she gasped in astonishment. *His name is Morgan.*
Sharie understood at once. *Sea dweller.* Her fingers stroked the baby's forehead. *He reminds me strongly of someone else I know....*
She trailed off, and though Ki and Mewtwo both gave her an odd glance, Sharie did not elaborate.
Only Sharie knew the image dancing in front of her eyes, of another Mew she knew, this exact shade of brilliant blue....
The fourth crib held a baby Mewtwo who seemed a blend of a Mew's pink and Mewtwo's purple. It was a haunting, glowing shade, making this baby appear very delicate. If she was as much like Ki as she sensed, Sharie thought to herself, this appearance would be decieving.
*Annika.* Dimly, the word brought Sharie back to reality. She realized Ki had said the baby's name.
*Beautiful child,* Sharie mused. *The word 'smart' can also be worked into that meaning. She's beautiful, all right.*
Just as the group moved to the fifth crib, Aaryanna yawned and opened her eyes.
****
*Looks like someone is awake,* Ki remarked to her daughter, reaching down and picking up the sleepy baby. *Aaryanna, there's someone here who wants to see you.*
The dimly surprised baby found herself transferring from one familiar pair of arms to another that had become familiar to her only recently. She looked startled for a moment, then the protective way the arms cradled her brought back memories instantly. She looked into eyes that matched her mother's, and a face that was very similar.
Realizing who it was, she gave a happy squeak and nuzzled closer into Sharie's chest.
A telltale flush rose on Sharie's cheeks, and her eyes shimmered. For a moment, they went distant, and Ki saw, for just a fraction of a secont, a flicker of emotion in them, something very surprising in a loner like Sharie--a flicker of longing.
Aaryanna sqeaked happily again, and Sharie's eyes blinked, returning her to the present.
*She's missed you,* Ki admitted. Gently, she tugged Sharie over to the nearby rocking chair. *Sit. They all like to be rocked when they are held.*
Sharie flushed, but obeyed her. She was glad to sit down anyways, for she was far more tired than she cared to admit.
Mewtwo had built the rocking chair to accomodate his and Ki's tall frames, and Sharie found her feet not brushing the floor very much--not when she was so much shorter than Ki.
Even so, she managed to rock the chair gently, and Aaryanna nestled closer to her and closed her eyes again with a contented sigh. Her little body relaxed, and Sharie soon became aware she had dozed off again.
Sharie was so lost in the moment it only barely registered on hers--or anybody's--senses of another presence in the room. Just faintly, it whispered across her thoughts, making her start in surprise.
*Ki was right about one thing. Aaryanna took to you quickly.*
Ki reached down and took Aaryanna quickly from Sharie's arms as the younger girl stood up.
She saw what she had expected to see; a pink mew floating into the room, windmilling her tail and giving this stranger her share of scrutiny.
*Aaryanna took to you, so that's a good sign,* continued the Mew, looking Sharie over critically. Her manner was cool, and cautious--she was acting guarded.
*Mew,* said Mewtwo in a warning tone. But Sharie held up her hand.
*I understand,* she said quietly, and Mew blinked at her telepathy. *This Mew is very protective of you, so who can blame her? Most Mews have a very strong sense of loyalty.*
Mew blinked in surprise, darting around Sharie from every angle. She did not ask yet how Sharie knew this, but she figured she'd ask later. She *sensed* nothing immediately amiss, but appearances could be decieving. Who knew what this golden-haired scientist could be hiding?
Finally Mew stopped, her face just inches from Sharie's. Her blue eyes widened in astonishment; she looked quickly to Ki, back to Sharie, to Ki, and finally Sharie again.
*Well, I'll be damned,* she uttered in a low tone. *Mewtwo did not exxagerate, did he? Even the eyes.....*
She stopped, her bright blue eyes meeting Sharie's for the first time. They locked; and held. Sharie did not flinch, but did not let her guard down.
To Mew, they were like mirrors, reflecting her own image back to her and revealing little of Sharie's inner soul. Only those shadows that Ki, Mewtwo, and Nurse Joy had described.
But there was something....something else. An echo in the bottomless green depths, something--just a flicker....something that called to Mew, something she'd learned to recognize in only one other, Ki.
Mew had no word for what she could see, but how astonishing--that this stranger, this Ki lookalike, how strange that she could also see it in Sharie's depths as well.....
*How old are you?* Mew found herself asking.
It was the first time she had deliberately spoken to Sharie for anything. Her tone was suddenly less condemning.
*Seventeen, almost two weeks ago,* Sharie answered her with a level stare.
Mew stared at her for several more seconds, and her thoughts could not be read by anybody. She looked quickly at Ki once more, then to Sharie once more, before sighing and dropping her intense scrutiny.
The thought that had flickered across her soul, in a form too tangible for words....Mew knew it was impossible, the odds far too great....but Fate had it's own language....and what a coincidence this was....
****
Ki saw the look of disturbed thoughtfulness in Mew's eyes, as the pink pokemon gave Sharie one more glance. Her blue eyes darkened imperceptibly as she wavered, then just as suddenly lighened--probably with some decision. Ki only hoped it was the right one.
*I cannot see into you,* the telepathic words were deliberately slow and full of meaning. *It's hard to see for myself what I want to see. But you did save Ki and Mewtwo's lives. Aaryanna, even, can obviously see what others cannot. She's never taken to a total stranger before. And--* Mew trailed off for a moment, rather sharply as she considered her words. *-- and there is something about you that isn't quite.....of the norm.*
The silence following her comment was suddenly very heavy.
A minute, miniscule flash could be seen in Sharie's eyes for a brief second at the comment.
*Who has *not* told me this already?* Sharie muttered, more to herself than to Mew. A flush had risen on her cheeks and her eyes lowered.
Mew smacked her head; how had those words come out so *totally* wrong?
*Mew!* Mewtwo roared.
Mew looked ashamed of herself. What a fix she'd gotten herself into this tme....
The guilty flush had risen on her cheeks when she laid a small hand on Sharie's shoulder. She shook it slightly, getting Sharie's reluctant eyes to meet hers. When they did, the only emotion Mew could see in them was resignation--probably from being told that too many times in her life already.
*I'm sorry,* said Mew honestly. *That came out wrong. I did not mean it like that. Honest.*
Sharie only shook her head. *It is true enough, that is all.*
*No.* Mew looked insistently into her eyes now. *I mean I saw something....something in your eyes. It has nothing to do with the gifts you were born with. I can't describe what I saw, for I have no words for it. I tried...and I failed miserably and ended up sticking my foot in my mouth. I'm sorry.*
To her surprise, Sharie suddenly smiled slightly, though her eyes remained shadowed.
*It is forgotten,* was all she said about it. Sharie saw no reason to tell Mew that she was used to such a reaction, and while such words had never been forgettable by her, they were forgivable, as it was something neither she nor they could change. *But....what did you see?*
*It is....not important,* Mew dismissed it with a sigh. *Maybe my eyes playing tricks on me is all.*
Sharie's eyebrows rose for a moment and then lowered again. She did not repeat the question.
She was not really upset at Mew; her behaivor, though very forward, was only a side of her loyal and protective nature. The fact that she seemed too quick with her words was probably only a personaity trait, nothing more.
Mew made a personal vow from then on to be more careful. She was aware that this was her worst habit; one she could not really change but she'd try harder to curb it a little just the same.
Besides, for all she had trouble reading this stranger, she sensed no malice. No hidden purpose. The little of the soul she'd seen *seemed* to be an honest one--surprising, considering her background and family, but who said that *all* apples from a particular tree had to be rotten? No one, Mew realized. She deserved a chance.
*I truly am sorry,* Mew put forth, holding out a tiny hand. *Can we begin again?*
Sharie smiled and gently took Mew's tiny pokemon hand into her own relatively small human hand. *I did say it was forgotten. That was a bad start, I'll grant you that. This one is much better.*
Mew giggled at this, glad to see a faint sparkle of humor momentarily appear in Sharie's shadowed eyes before it faded.
*I think I am going to like you,* she remarked for all to hear.
*And I you,* Sharie responded honestly. *Any family, especially this, could not ask for a better protector than a sharp-tongued Mew.*
****
A small gurgle from a nearby crib caught Mewtwo's attention just a moment later. The father in Mewtwo responded at once; he went over and lifted a tiny Mewtwo from his crib, the one that was himself in miniature all over.
*Hey, little guy,* he whispered soothingly to his son, who was just waking up. *So you finally decided to greet us this morning, haven't you?*
He cradled the tiny, 4 1/2 pound newborn carefully in his arms. Damian gave a small sound of content before settling against his father with a sigh.
From her own vintage point, Sharie could see the little Mewtwo's eye color for the first time, as well--the little boy definetly was his father in miniature, from his skin color and personality--and now, even the eye color.
And the sight of Mewtwo, holding his son tenderly and with such joy in his eyes-- looking as if both belonged that way....it struck a cord deep within her, how absolutely right this all was.
Anybody who said otherwise, after being confronted with such evidence, was a damn fool. Most would anyways because of certain taboos held deeply in both pokemon and human society, but she knew that some things happen for their own reason, and no rhyme or rhythm can explain it.
Ki noticed that Sharie could not help staring at Mewtwo, and saw the entranced look in her eyes.
*Would you like to hold him?* she asked. *They all may as well get used to you.*
The faint flash of eagerness could be seen in Sharie's eyes before she was able to hide it. *I'd hate for this peaceful room to become a crying madhouse, because he is bound to cry if a stranger holds him.*
*With most, maybe,* Ki conceded. *With you, however, they may accept you more quickly, at least, I hope so. Seems to me you are more like me than not.*
*They'd still know the difference,* Sharie pointed out.
Ki smiled. *Sit in the rocking chair, Sharie.*
*Then do not blame me when this place turns into a madhouse and we all lose our hearing,* Sharie remarked, but obligingly sat.
Mewtwo's eyes glittered with the humor, but he knew she was right. However, he did not say so, he just quickly came over and laid Damian in Sharie's arms before the boy realized what was happening.
Within two seconds, though, as Sharie predicted, he started to wail, his protesting, crying squeaks filling the room. He had seen the golden curls of the woman holding him, and this lone detail stood out in his baby mind. This wasn't his mother!
Even Sharie momentarily winced at his lungs, for his high-pitched squeaks were astonishingly sharp with his anger.
Ki and Mewtwo, though having been warned, both winced. Usually the babies were deep sleepers, but too much of this could wake them up very shortly, and then they'd have a ruckus to contend with.
Sharie's indecisiveness only lasted a moment. Instinct took over, and she cradled him carefully in one arm as her other arm started rubbing his back in a soothing motion. She started humming quietly, gently rocking the chair and silently willing the little Mewtwo to absorb her presence.
Something must have been getting through. The rocking and rubbing motions, both familiar, caught Damian's attenion, even through his loud protest. The humming, of another Mew ballad rooted deeply in Mew history, called to his senses though he did not know why. The soothing stimulation began to relax his senses just a little, and his crying was not so loud.
Then he became aware of this stranger's scent. A sweet, refreshing smell. Lilacs, Sharie's favorite flower--with maybe just a hint of lavendar and roses.
He had smelled that smell before. It was his mother's other smell, when she did not smell the same as his father, like musk. He had only smelled it a couple of times before, but he remembered it. This stranger had the same flowery scent. And the way she was holding him was the same way his mother often held him. The confusing familiarity made him open his eyes and his crying to further ease.
Their eyes locked, bottomless amethyst meeting unique, glowing green.
His mother's eyes!
But framed with platinum-blonde, ringlet-curly bangs!
Damian stopped crying suddenly as he scanned the rest of her face. In response Sharie smiled at him, and it almost seemed as if his mother was suddenly there. His mother's face. His mother's eyes. Her other scent. Only the hair and the soul in her eyes, which he could see, were different. But this stranger had the same soothing familiarity as his parents.
Damian suddnely closed his eyes for a moment, and gave a contented sigh. Her famliarity was too reassuring to him, once he had noticed it. He snuggled against Sharie and opened them again, giving the astonished girl a tiny baby smile.
"Mew," he squeaked. "Mew."
Sharie's face took on a look of surprise, and then a delighted smile lit her features.. Damian smiled again, his eyes telling her what he found difficult to say--what he had seen, and what he had sensed.
The other inhabitants of the room watched this in shocked amazement.
*I'll be damned,* said Mewtwo, low. *Even I did not expect....*
*....him to take to her so fast?* finished Ki for him, Mewtwo having trailed off.
*It's my scent that really got his attention,* said Sharie unexpectly, only barely hearing the exchange, for she was so absorbed in Damian at the moment. *Early in life babies are often guided by sense of touch and smell more than any other sense. I've been told I smell of flowers, mostly lilacs, my favorite. Damian must have smelled them before.* She continued to rock a now-happy Damian as she spoke.
Ki looked surprised. *They are mine, too,* she admitted, then blushed scarlet. Her other scent, she knew, was such a flowery smell, mostly lilacs. She often used lilac-scented soaps and shampoo. Mewtwo, however, loved trapping his own scent in her hair and body right after she bathed, so more often than not the babies identified them both by the same scent, a sweet musky smell. Even she had identified that smell as her own scent, her smell had essetially become his, and that was fine with her.
But to have something so private so blatanly stated! That was a private ritual between her and Mewtwo, very intimate and generally not to be shared with another,and the thought made her blush.
Sharie, however, only raised her eyebrows at Ki's blush and said nothing, which Ki was grateful for.
However, she was aware enough of Sharie's personality by now that, even if Sharie said nothing, she was sensetive enough that she'd tune into this fact sooner than later. Maybe she'd already guessed and was not saying anything. Ki wasn't sure.
Indeed, Sharie said nothing about it except, *I'm glad that he finds me so familiar and not a threat. He's a sweet little boy. Just beautiful.*
Ki smiled, so did Mewtwo, and Mew.
A few minutes later, the other babies began waking up. One by one Ki carried them to Sharie and let her get aquainted with them. To everyone's infinite astonishment, the rest hardly cried at all. It was as if, somehow, they knew. Maybe they did. Maybe they even sensed things the others were blind to.
Ki spread out a blanket on the floor, and laid each baby on it. She needed to feed them soon, and then bathe them. This reminded Sharie of something.
*I almost forgot,* she said thoughtfully, getting up from the rocking chair and reaching for her pack. *I mentioned to Mewtwo that I had brought something for them. I am sure you did not exactly have a baby shower, Ki, but if you had, this would have been my gift.*
Ki looked surprised, and then delighted at Sharie's thoughtfulness.
Sharie reached into her pack and pulled out something wrapped in a lacy handkerchief. She held it carefully in the palm of her hand while unwrapping it with the other, until it was exposed.
Nobody had ever seen anything quite like it before.
Three wooden Mews were held in suspension, by small posts, over a painted meadow on a small wooden pedastal. Two were painted the color of Mew herself, one of them with Mew's own blue eyes. The other had deep green eyes. The third Mew, though, was very different.
It was painted a brilliant shade of blue, the exact deep blue Morgan was on his upper body. The eyes of this Mew were also green.
A small wooden peg attached the wooden base of the sculpture to a small electronic stand with a few buttons on it.
Sharie pressed one; no one could believe their ears at the melody that poured forth from it.
Ki recognized it as the same Mew ballad she had heard Sharie singing to Aaryanna just days before. The sweet, delicate melody wove it's way around the room and caught the attenion of each and every baby Mewtwo, who craned their heads in wonder.
The wooden Mews almost magically started to gently turn on their own posts, as if dancing or playing over a lovely wooden meadow to the tune. Even though they were wooden and they could do little more than turn, it seemed as if they still came alive, as if touched by magic.
Ki was amazed. *Where did you get this?* she inquired, awed.
*I made it.*
Ki stared at her. *You?*
*Sort of. When I stopped in Saffron City and stayed at the Institute for a few weeks I carved two of those. I was only going to carve one, but Sabrina, who's been very unhappy, brightened at seeing it. She'd become a friend of mine by then, and I never asked her why she was always so sad. But I did not like to see her unhappy. So I gave it to her.*
At this, Ki looked pained for a moment, but said nothing. Sharie had already told her she'd never questioned Sabrina on why she'd ever been so sad.
*I then made and painted a second. One of the other psychics there, I believe his name was Christaphel, had a side career at making electronic stuff. He's the one who made the base. I did not have the time to make the electronic base myself.*
Sharie smiled, her eyes going a bit dreamy with memory. *I thought of Aaryanna a lot since the events of the other day, and yesterday, because of her, I programmed it to play that song. Until then I had not chosen one. It is my gift for you and the babies.*
Ki's eyes glimmered. *I can't believe you made that on your own,* she managed. *It's wonderful. Thank you!*
Sharie was smiling, genuinely happy her gift had brought about such a reaction; it was more than she expected.
Mew finally seemed to get over her own surprise long enough to reach over and lay a tiny paw at the top of the musical set. She stared at it in wonder.
*Even the song....* she mused. *Sharie? Why Mews? This is just an idle question but.....why Mews, when most of us prefer to be as rare and obscure to humans as possible?*
Sharie pressed the button again, letting the music start again. Her gaze had darkened slightly in memory, and turned thoughtful.
*I know you've wondered why I've mentioned Mew behaivor and things about Mews few know about,* she said slowly. *I'm willing to be you're one of the few of your kind who's bothered to really enter the human world of your own accord.* At this Mew nodded.
Sharie gave her another thoughtful glance, and seemed to struggle with something internally, something she did not want to say, before giving in. *I have a good reason why I've avoided telling this to anybody, what I am about to tell you. Nobody but my immediate family has ever believed me; and I don't want to give cruel people another reason to call me crazy for what I know is real.*
*What?* asked Mew, curious.
*These three Mews are painted replicas of three real Mews I've more or less encountered all my life, wild Mews.*
*Huh?!* asked Mew, flabbergasted. **Wild* Mews?*
Sharie ignored Mew's obvious shock. She gently reache down and stroked the small figurines with her fingers. *Ive never known why,* she began. *They've always been there. Especially when I was small. They're like....guardian angels, Mew. Every time I've been in danger, they've been there, guarding and protecting me. They'd even play with me for a few minutes at odd times, and then *whist*, they'd be gone again. But they'd never reveal anything about themselves to me. I don't even know their names.*
Sharie's fingers idly traced the blue wooden Mew. *As I've grown older, I don't see them as much, maybe because I'm more careful and can take care of myself, but they do appear at odd moments, usually all three.*
*It sounds strange,* mused Mew. *Almost unbelievable. Why would three strange Mews guard an obscure human girl?*
Mew suddenly groaned and slapped her hand to her forehead. *I'm sorry! I did not mean it like that....*
Sharie, however, only gave her a wan smile. *I know what you mean, this time. Don't worry, Mew. I have no idea why, either. I don't even tell anybody because who'd believe me? Only my cousin Amber, before she died, also saw them occassionally if she was with me. The Mews preferred to appear only when I was alone. Da's seen them once or twice that I can remember, too, and even Uncle Fuji. They do know I'm not seeing things. But no one else. It'd be another reason for me to be called crazy.*
*Amazing,* said Mew, quietly. Sharie's eyes had gone distant, and Mew suddenly understood that Sharie could not have formulated such a tale. The images dancing in front of her eyes, unseen by anybody else, were *memories*, not some ghostly figments of her imagination.
*If they are that real to you,* said Mew quietly, *Then it is impossible to be any more real, is it?*
Sharie knew that Mew's comment was an honest one, and for someone like Mew, she was glad she was approved. *Thank you, Mew. I appreciate that.*
Mew smiled.
Sharie's gaze returned to the wooden mews on the pedastal. *They're like guardian angels, I suppose,* she repeated, *But they're not phantoms.,* here she unknowingly voiced Mew's own thoughts. *They're real. They can be very serious, but they also act like typical Mews. Carefree, giggly, and tail-chasing.*
*That sounds like wild Mews,* Mew agreed. *I am different in some ways because I left the wild behind and did what few of my kind ever do....I decided my place was among humanity, and the civilized world. Most Mews will never seek out human contact unless the human is worthy. I think that says a lot in your favor right there.*
Sharie felt her cheeks grow hot with a furious blush. *I wish they'd stay around more than a couple of minutes at a time, but they never hang around long enough for me to get to really know them,* she confessed.
*Maybe someday, when they feel you are ready, then they will talk to you,* said Mew.
*They talk to me, each time,* Sharie responded. *I can talk to pokemon as if I were one of them. The Mew language is no different and it was they who taught me those Mew songs. But....I'd like to *really* talk to them sometime.*
This sudden revelation had startled Mew to no end. She suddenly knew that Ki and Mewtwo had not exaggerated Sharie's abilities.
The knowledge that Sharie could talk to other pokemon, without using psychic ability, convinced Mew, finally, that Sharie was more than just a trained Psychic, like others or those of her family that Nurse Joy had mentioned. She had inbred powers of pokemon origin, because even humans born with regular psychic powers were limited in ways no pokemon ever was.
Except this human.
And with her similarity to Ki and her abilities, it was eeriest of all to know that there was no *possible* way they could be related. The coincedences were staggering, and Sharie and Ki could have been sisters, even--but it was still impossible. It left Mew mentally scratching her head at the wonder of it all.
****
Mew went downstairs to prepare breakfast, still quietly mulling over what she had learned and failing to piece the puzzle together in her head. Except for the fact that Sharie's family history seemed pretty darned clear, Mew would have been utterly convinced she'd found Ki's family.
Still, they seemed linked somehow, at least by destiny, and Mew was convinced there was a big hole in this picture she was missing.
They couldn't be sisters, or that closely related. What sort of father would abandon his child and lovingly raise the other? But then, how many humans regularly had affairs with pokemon? And Sharie discinctly knew both her parents were human. Ki had no idea, and Mew doubted Ki was the result of a science experiment. It was too unlikely she'd have been abandoned in the manner she had been if this were the case.
Could a parent, guilty over a so-called 'perverted' affair have decided to dump Ki to 'get rid of the evidence' without hurting her? Mew doubted this also. Ki had been found on the doorstep of the insitute, alone, but lovingly wrapped in warm blankets, a special teddy bear tucked in closely to keep her from being alone. Someone had been lovingly caring for her until she was suddenly there. Someone had cared. Someone had loved her, of that Mew was certain. Deep down, Mew, something she'd never told Ki before, was that she also sensed that those same someones had never intended for her to be taken from them. Something must have happened.
Mew fixed breakfast, with all this still whirling around in her head. There was so much she did not understand! The thought of Ki's being abandoned was Ki's most private pain, the thought that nobody had wanted her. Finding out she was half pokemon seemed further proof to her. She was content in her love for Mewtwo and her family, and privately had sworn up and down she was not going to be a repeat of her genetic parentage. Never!
And then came along Sharie, with her damning family history connecting her to Mewtwo and her shocking similarity to Ki in more than just looks and powers. It was enough to whirl maddeningly in Mew's mind until she shook her head hard and forced it from her thoughts, lest she go insane. This was one puzzle she'd likely never solve, and she was probably obsessing over nothing more than the most incredible coincidence she'd ever heard of.
****
Sharie sensed clearly when the babies began to get hungry. Automatically Ki sat down in one of the rocking chairs, Aaryanna in her arms. Mewtwo set about helping her by picking up Damian and handing him to her, too.
Sharie took it upon herself to leave at this point. *I'll go downstairs and see if Mew needs any help,* she volunteered. *You are busy now, Ki.*
*You do not have to go,* protested Ki. *I don't mind of you stay.*
Sharie smiled at her knowingly. *I am flattered, but,* her eyes took on a look of deeper understanding, *This, I believe, is one of your more cherished rituals. If often is with new parents, and is best shared between you alone. I will be downstairs.*
Quietly, she stood up and went out of the room, the two adult occupants of the room staring after her in surprise, but also wondering how she was able to see into them so deeply. Neither would have really minded, of course, but Ki knew she cherished this time with her little ones, Mewtwo by her side, and somehow, Sharie sensed this before they even did, before she could chance somehow getting in the way. Out of consideration for them both, she had left.
*Friends like her or Maxi are one in a million,* Mewtwo remarked, watching his son and daughter nurse hungrily.
*Yes,* Ki responded with a soft smile, leaning down and kissing Aaryanna's forehead. *They are.*
To soothe the other hungry babies until their turn came, Mewtwo reached over and pressed the button on the music set he had placed on a nearby low shelf. The Mew love ballad swept them all away, peacefully, up into the clouds and away from reality.
****
Mild swearing contained herin. You've been warned.
Shadowed Reflections ch. 7 By ZeoViolet ****
*I can't belive this,* Sharie said in quiet awe. *They're perfect. They're all perfect!*
It was no understatement. Her unique green eyes were dancing upon seeing all of Ki's babies for the first time. The sight of all five of them, sleeping in their cribs with not a care in the world, contracted in her own heart and touched some deep inner chords she was not aware she posessed.
*Who are they all? I only know Aaryanna,* Sharie pointed out, unable to tear her gaze from them.
*I can understand that,* answered Ki quietly. *This one,* she stopped by the first crib, *Is Damian. He was our firstborn.*
*Damian. To tame, in the pokemon langauge,* Sharie looked up at Mewtwo. *He looks like you, Mewtwo. Is his personality the same?*
*Most definetly,* answered Mewtwo. He'd never forget the first feelings that had contracted in his chest, when he'd first held his son in his arms. A son. He had a son. His heart had burned with love and pride so strong Mewtwo had not thought such emotions were possible. All encompassing, all- consuming sort of emotions.
Looking at his son now, Mewtwo felt no less. Perhaps, almost more than any of the others Damian was destined to be his father's son.
Sharie's fingers twiched on the edge of the crib, and she looked at Ki inquiringly. *May I? I won't wake him up, I promise. You've warned me how they will react.*
*Go ahead,* Ki sensed nothing asunder, so she gave her consent.
Sharie reached down and lightly stroked the little Mewtwo's cheek. Damian twitches lightly, and one of his little fingers came up and went into his mouth, and he sucked on it a few times, still sound asleep.
Sharie's lips curved in a smile, and an odd light shone in her eyes. *Headstrong, spirited, and forward, I think he will be,* she noted softly.
*I sensed that, too,* admitted Ki with a smile.
Sharie lifted her hand from Damian's cheek and moved on to the next crib. Inside it was a tiny, emerald-green baby Mewtwo. To Sharie, it was a rather brilliant shade.
*You've produced a dazzling little crowd. Few Mews are colors other than pink--but look at what a rainbow you've created! She's almost as green as our eyes, Ki. What's her name?*
*Brianna,* Answered Ki.
*Little Strong One,* Sharie echoed. She reached down and stroked a soft cheek. A tiny hand came up and, in her sleep, Brianna clutched her finger, hard.
*It's appropriate,* Sharie decided, making even Mewtwo smile.
Ki led Sharie to the third crib. She reached down and folded back the blanket, and Sharie's eyes flew wide open in shock.
What a color! Bright blue on his head and upper body, and a white belly and tail!
*Gods!* Sharie exclaimed. *He looks like a cresting wave!*
She suddenly blushed furiously, wondering if that had come out wrong. *You know....blue waves crested with white foam....*
But the astonished looks Ki and Mewtwo were giving her were not from anger.
*Those were the *exact* same thoughts running through both our minds,* she gasped in astonishment. *His name is Morgan.*
Sharie understood at once. *Sea dweller.* Her fingers stroked the baby's forehead. *He reminds me strongly of someone else I know....*
She trailed off, and though Ki and Mewtwo both gave her an odd glance, Sharie did not elaborate.
Only Sharie knew the image dancing in front of her eyes, of another Mew she knew, this exact shade of brilliant blue....
The fourth crib held a baby Mewtwo who seemed a blend of a Mew's pink and Mewtwo's purple. It was a haunting, glowing shade, making this baby appear very delicate. If she was as much like Ki as she sensed, Sharie thought to herself, this appearance would be decieving.
*Annika.* Dimly, the word brought Sharie back to reality. She realized Ki had said the baby's name.
*Beautiful child,* Sharie mused. *The word 'smart' can also be worked into that meaning. She's beautiful, all right.*
Just as the group moved to the fifth crib, Aaryanna yawned and opened her eyes.
****
*Looks like someone is awake,* Ki remarked to her daughter, reaching down and picking up the sleepy baby. *Aaryanna, there's someone here who wants to see you.*
The dimly surprised baby found herself transferring from one familiar pair of arms to another that had become familiar to her only recently. She looked startled for a moment, then the protective way the arms cradled her brought back memories instantly. She looked into eyes that matched her mother's, and a face that was very similar.
Realizing who it was, she gave a happy squeak and nuzzled closer into Sharie's chest.
A telltale flush rose on Sharie's cheeks, and her eyes shimmered. For a moment, they went distant, and Ki saw, for just a fraction of a secont, a flicker of emotion in them, something very surprising in a loner like Sharie--a flicker of longing.
Aaryanna sqeaked happily again, and Sharie's eyes blinked, returning her to the present.
*She's missed you,* Ki admitted. Gently, she tugged Sharie over to the nearby rocking chair. *Sit. They all like to be rocked when they are held.*
Sharie flushed, but obeyed her. She was glad to sit down anyways, for she was far more tired than she cared to admit.
Mewtwo had built the rocking chair to accomodate his and Ki's tall frames, and Sharie found her feet not brushing the floor very much--not when she was so much shorter than Ki.
Even so, she managed to rock the chair gently, and Aaryanna nestled closer to her and closed her eyes again with a contented sigh. Her little body relaxed, and Sharie soon became aware she had dozed off again.
Sharie was so lost in the moment it only barely registered on hers--or anybody's--senses of another presence in the room. Just faintly, it whispered across her thoughts, making her start in surprise.
*Ki was right about one thing. Aaryanna took to you quickly.*
Ki reached down and took Aaryanna quickly from Sharie's arms as the younger girl stood up.
She saw what she had expected to see; a pink mew floating into the room, windmilling her tail and giving this stranger her share of scrutiny.
*Aaryanna took to you, so that's a good sign,* continued the Mew, looking Sharie over critically. Her manner was cool, and cautious--she was acting guarded.
*Mew,* said Mewtwo in a warning tone. But Sharie held up her hand.
*I understand,* she said quietly, and Mew blinked at her telepathy. *This Mew is very protective of you, so who can blame her? Most Mews have a very strong sense of loyalty.*
Mew blinked in surprise, darting around Sharie from every angle. She did not ask yet how Sharie knew this, but she figured she'd ask later. She *sensed* nothing immediately amiss, but appearances could be decieving. Who knew what this golden-haired scientist could be hiding?
Finally Mew stopped, her face just inches from Sharie's. Her blue eyes widened in astonishment; she looked quickly to Ki, back to Sharie, to Ki, and finally Sharie again.
*Well, I'll be damned,* she uttered in a low tone. *Mewtwo did not exxagerate, did he? Even the eyes.....*
She stopped, her bright blue eyes meeting Sharie's for the first time. They locked; and held. Sharie did not flinch, but did not let her guard down.
To Mew, they were like mirrors, reflecting her own image back to her and revealing little of Sharie's inner soul. Only those shadows that Ki, Mewtwo, and Nurse Joy had described.
But there was something....something else. An echo in the bottomless green depths, something--just a flicker....something that called to Mew, something she'd learned to recognize in only one other, Ki.
Mew had no word for what she could see, but how astonishing--that this stranger, this Ki lookalike, how strange that she could also see it in Sharie's depths as well.....
*How old are you?* Mew found herself asking.
It was the first time she had deliberately spoken to Sharie for anything. Her tone was suddenly less condemning.
*Seventeen, almost two weeks ago,* Sharie answered her with a level stare.
Mew stared at her for several more seconds, and her thoughts could not be read by anybody. She looked quickly at Ki once more, then to Sharie once more, before sighing and dropping her intense scrutiny.
The thought that had flickered across her soul, in a form too tangible for words....Mew knew it was impossible, the odds far too great....but Fate had it's own language....and what a coincidence this was....
****
Ki saw the look of disturbed thoughtfulness in Mew's eyes, as the pink pokemon gave Sharie one more glance. Her blue eyes darkened imperceptibly as she wavered, then just as suddenly lighened--probably with some decision. Ki only hoped it was the right one.
*I cannot see into you,* the telepathic words were deliberately slow and full of meaning. *It's hard to see for myself what I want to see. But you did save Ki and Mewtwo's lives. Aaryanna, even, can obviously see what others cannot. She's never taken to a total stranger before. And--* Mew trailed off for a moment, rather sharply as she considered her words. *-- and there is something about you that isn't quite.....of the norm.*
The silence following her comment was suddenly very heavy.
A minute, miniscule flash could be seen in Sharie's eyes for a brief second at the comment.
*Who has *not* told me this already?* Sharie muttered, more to herself than to Mew. A flush had risen on her cheeks and her eyes lowered.
Mew smacked her head; how had those words come out so *totally* wrong?
*Mew!* Mewtwo roared.
Mew looked ashamed of herself. What a fix she'd gotten herself into this tme....
The guilty flush had risen on her cheeks when she laid a small hand on Sharie's shoulder. She shook it slightly, getting Sharie's reluctant eyes to meet hers. When they did, the only emotion Mew could see in them was resignation--probably from being told that too many times in her life already.
*I'm sorry,* said Mew honestly. *That came out wrong. I did not mean it like that. Honest.*
Sharie only shook her head. *It is true enough, that is all.*
*No.* Mew looked insistently into her eyes now. *I mean I saw something....something in your eyes. It has nothing to do with the gifts you were born with. I can't describe what I saw, for I have no words for it. I tried...and I failed miserably and ended up sticking my foot in my mouth. I'm sorry.*
To her surprise, Sharie suddenly smiled slightly, though her eyes remained shadowed.
*It is forgotten,* was all she said about it. Sharie saw no reason to tell Mew that she was used to such a reaction, and while such words had never been forgettable by her, they were forgivable, as it was something neither she nor they could change. *But....what did you see?*
*It is....not important,* Mew dismissed it with a sigh. *Maybe my eyes playing tricks on me is all.*
Sharie's eyebrows rose for a moment and then lowered again. She did not repeat the question.
She was not really upset at Mew; her behaivor, though very forward, was only a side of her loyal and protective nature. The fact that she seemed too quick with her words was probably only a personaity trait, nothing more.
Mew made a personal vow from then on to be more careful. She was aware that this was her worst habit; one she could not really change but she'd try harder to curb it a little just the same.
Besides, for all she had trouble reading this stranger, she sensed no malice. No hidden purpose. The little of the soul she'd seen *seemed* to be an honest one--surprising, considering her background and family, but who said that *all* apples from a particular tree had to be rotten? No one, Mew realized. She deserved a chance.
*I truly am sorry,* Mew put forth, holding out a tiny hand. *Can we begin again?*
Sharie smiled and gently took Mew's tiny pokemon hand into her own relatively small human hand. *I did say it was forgotten. That was a bad start, I'll grant you that. This one is much better.*
Mew giggled at this, glad to see a faint sparkle of humor momentarily appear in Sharie's shadowed eyes before it faded.
*I think I am going to like you,* she remarked for all to hear.
*And I you,* Sharie responded honestly. *Any family, especially this, could not ask for a better protector than a sharp-tongued Mew.*
****
A small gurgle from a nearby crib caught Mewtwo's attention just a moment later. The father in Mewtwo responded at once; he went over and lifted a tiny Mewtwo from his crib, the one that was himself in miniature all over.
*Hey, little guy,* he whispered soothingly to his son, who was just waking up. *So you finally decided to greet us this morning, haven't you?*
He cradled the tiny, 4 1/2 pound newborn carefully in his arms. Damian gave a small sound of content before settling against his father with a sigh.
From her own vintage point, Sharie could see the little Mewtwo's eye color for the first time, as well--the little boy definetly was his father in miniature, from his skin color and personality--and now, even the eye color.
And the sight of Mewtwo, holding his son tenderly and with such joy in his eyes-- looking as if both belonged that way....it struck a cord deep within her, how absolutely right this all was.
Anybody who said otherwise, after being confronted with such evidence, was a damn fool. Most would anyways because of certain taboos held deeply in both pokemon and human society, but she knew that some things happen for their own reason, and no rhyme or rhythm can explain it.
Ki noticed that Sharie could not help staring at Mewtwo, and saw the entranced look in her eyes.
*Would you like to hold him?* she asked. *They all may as well get used to you.*
The faint flash of eagerness could be seen in Sharie's eyes before she was able to hide it. *I'd hate for this peaceful room to become a crying madhouse, because he is bound to cry if a stranger holds him.*
*With most, maybe,* Ki conceded. *With you, however, they may accept you more quickly, at least, I hope so. Seems to me you are more like me than not.*
*They'd still know the difference,* Sharie pointed out.
Ki smiled. *Sit in the rocking chair, Sharie.*
*Then do not blame me when this place turns into a madhouse and we all lose our hearing,* Sharie remarked, but obligingly sat.
Mewtwo's eyes glittered with the humor, but he knew she was right. However, he did not say so, he just quickly came over and laid Damian in Sharie's arms before the boy realized what was happening.
Within two seconds, though, as Sharie predicted, he started to wail, his protesting, crying squeaks filling the room. He had seen the golden curls of the woman holding him, and this lone detail stood out in his baby mind. This wasn't his mother!
Even Sharie momentarily winced at his lungs, for his high-pitched squeaks were astonishingly sharp with his anger.
Ki and Mewtwo, though having been warned, both winced. Usually the babies were deep sleepers, but too much of this could wake them up very shortly, and then they'd have a ruckus to contend with.
Sharie's indecisiveness only lasted a moment. Instinct took over, and she cradled him carefully in one arm as her other arm started rubbing his back in a soothing motion. She started humming quietly, gently rocking the chair and silently willing the little Mewtwo to absorb her presence.
Something must have been getting through. The rocking and rubbing motions, both familiar, caught Damian's attenion, even through his loud protest. The humming, of another Mew ballad rooted deeply in Mew history, called to his senses though he did not know why. The soothing stimulation began to relax his senses just a little, and his crying was not so loud.
Then he became aware of this stranger's scent. A sweet, refreshing smell. Lilacs, Sharie's favorite flower--with maybe just a hint of lavendar and roses.
He had smelled that smell before. It was his mother's other smell, when she did not smell the same as his father, like musk. He had only smelled it a couple of times before, but he remembered it. This stranger had the same flowery scent. And the way she was holding him was the same way his mother often held him. The confusing familiarity made him open his eyes and his crying to further ease.
Their eyes locked, bottomless amethyst meeting unique, glowing green.
His mother's eyes!
But framed with platinum-blonde, ringlet-curly bangs!
Damian stopped crying suddenly as he scanned the rest of her face. In response Sharie smiled at him, and it almost seemed as if his mother was suddenly there. His mother's face. His mother's eyes. Her other scent. Only the hair and the soul in her eyes, which he could see, were different. But this stranger had the same soothing familiarity as his parents.
Damian suddnely closed his eyes for a moment, and gave a contented sigh. Her famliarity was too reassuring to him, once he had noticed it. He snuggled against Sharie and opened them again, giving the astonished girl a tiny baby smile.
"Mew," he squeaked. "Mew."
Sharie's face took on a look of surprise, and then a delighted smile lit her features.. Damian smiled again, his eyes telling her what he found difficult to say--what he had seen, and what he had sensed.
The other inhabitants of the room watched this in shocked amazement.
*I'll be damned,* said Mewtwo, low. *Even I did not expect....*
*....him to take to her so fast?* finished Ki for him, Mewtwo having trailed off.
*It's my scent that really got his attention,* said Sharie unexpectly, only barely hearing the exchange, for she was so absorbed in Damian at the moment. *Early in life babies are often guided by sense of touch and smell more than any other sense. I've been told I smell of flowers, mostly lilacs, my favorite. Damian must have smelled them before.* She continued to rock a now-happy Damian as she spoke.
Ki looked surprised. *They are mine, too,* she admitted, then blushed scarlet. Her other scent, she knew, was such a flowery smell, mostly lilacs. She often used lilac-scented soaps and shampoo. Mewtwo, however, loved trapping his own scent in her hair and body right after she bathed, so more often than not the babies identified them both by the same scent, a sweet musky smell. Even she had identified that smell as her own scent, her smell had essetially become his, and that was fine with her.
But to have something so private so blatanly stated! That was a private ritual between her and Mewtwo, very intimate and generally not to be shared with another,and the thought made her blush.
Sharie, however, only raised her eyebrows at Ki's blush and said nothing, which Ki was grateful for.
However, she was aware enough of Sharie's personality by now that, even if Sharie said nothing, she was sensetive enough that she'd tune into this fact sooner than later. Maybe she'd already guessed and was not saying anything. Ki wasn't sure.
Indeed, Sharie said nothing about it except, *I'm glad that he finds me so familiar and not a threat. He's a sweet little boy. Just beautiful.*
Ki smiled, so did Mewtwo, and Mew.
A few minutes later, the other babies began waking up. One by one Ki carried them to Sharie and let her get aquainted with them. To everyone's infinite astonishment, the rest hardly cried at all. It was as if, somehow, they knew. Maybe they did. Maybe they even sensed things the others were blind to.
Ki spread out a blanket on the floor, and laid each baby on it. She needed to feed them soon, and then bathe them. This reminded Sharie of something.
*I almost forgot,* she said thoughtfully, getting up from the rocking chair and reaching for her pack. *I mentioned to Mewtwo that I had brought something for them. I am sure you did not exactly have a baby shower, Ki, but if you had, this would have been my gift.*
Ki looked surprised, and then delighted at Sharie's thoughtfulness.
Sharie reached into her pack and pulled out something wrapped in a lacy handkerchief. She held it carefully in the palm of her hand while unwrapping it with the other, until it was exposed.
Nobody had ever seen anything quite like it before.
Three wooden Mews were held in suspension, by small posts, over a painted meadow on a small wooden pedastal. Two were painted the color of Mew herself, one of them with Mew's own blue eyes. The other had deep green eyes. The third Mew, though, was very different.
It was painted a brilliant shade of blue, the exact deep blue Morgan was on his upper body. The eyes of this Mew were also green.
A small wooden peg attached the wooden base of the sculpture to a small electronic stand with a few buttons on it.
Sharie pressed one; no one could believe their ears at the melody that poured forth from it.
Ki recognized it as the same Mew ballad she had heard Sharie singing to Aaryanna just days before. The sweet, delicate melody wove it's way around the room and caught the attenion of each and every baby Mewtwo, who craned their heads in wonder.
The wooden Mews almost magically started to gently turn on their own posts, as if dancing or playing over a lovely wooden meadow to the tune. Even though they were wooden and they could do little more than turn, it seemed as if they still came alive, as if touched by magic.
Ki was amazed. *Where did you get this?* she inquired, awed.
*I made it.*
Ki stared at her. *You?*
*Sort of. When I stopped in Saffron City and stayed at the Institute for a few weeks I carved two of those. I was only going to carve one, but Sabrina, who's been very unhappy, brightened at seeing it. She'd become a friend of mine by then, and I never asked her why she was always so sad. But I did not like to see her unhappy. So I gave it to her.*
At this, Ki looked pained for a moment, but said nothing. Sharie had already told her she'd never questioned Sabrina on why she'd ever been so sad.
*I then made and painted a second. One of the other psychics there, I believe his name was Christaphel, had a side career at making electronic stuff. He's the one who made the base. I did not have the time to make the electronic base myself.*
Sharie smiled, her eyes going a bit dreamy with memory. *I thought of Aaryanna a lot since the events of the other day, and yesterday, because of her, I programmed it to play that song. Until then I had not chosen one. It is my gift for you and the babies.*
Ki's eyes glimmered. *I can't believe you made that on your own,* she managed. *It's wonderful. Thank you!*
Sharie was smiling, genuinely happy her gift had brought about such a reaction; it was more than she expected.
Mew finally seemed to get over her own surprise long enough to reach over and lay a tiny paw at the top of the musical set. She stared at it in wonder.
*Even the song....* she mused. *Sharie? Why Mews? This is just an idle question but.....why Mews, when most of us prefer to be as rare and obscure to humans as possible?*
Sharie pressed the button again, letting the music start again. Her gaze had darkened slightly in memory, and turned thoughtful.
*I know you've wondered why I've mentioned Mew behaivor and things about Mews few know about,* she said slowly. *I'm willing to be you're one of the few of your kind who's bothered to really enter the human world of your own accord.* At this Mew nodded.
Sharie gave her another thoughtful glance, and seemed to struggle with something internally, something she did not want to say, before giving in. *I have a good reason why I've avoided telling this to anybody, what I am about to tell you. Nobody but my immediate family has ever believed me; and I don't want to give cruel people another reason to call me crazy for what I know is real.*
*What?* asked Mew, curious.
*These three Mews are painted replicas of three real Mews I've more or less encountered all my life, wild Mews.*
*Huh?!* asked Mew, flabbergasted. **Wild* Mews?*
Sharie ignored Mew's obvious shock. She gently reache down and stroked the small figurines with her fingers. *Ive never known why,* she began. *They've always been there. Especially when I was small. They're like....guardian angels, Mew. Every time I've been in danger, they've been there, guarding and protecting me. They'd even play with me for a few minutes at odd times, and then *whist*, they'd be gone again. But they'd never reveal anything about themselves to me. I don't even know their names.*
Sharie's fingers idly traced the blue wooden Mew. *As I've grown older, I don't see them as much, maybe because I'm more careful and can take care of myself, but they do appear at odd moments, usually all three.*
*It sounds strange,* mused Mew. *Almost unbelievable. Why would three strange Mews guard an obscure human girl?*
Mew suddenly groaned and slapped her hand to her forehead. *I'm sorry! I did not mean it like that....*
Sharie, however, only gave her a wan smile. *I know what you mean, this time. Don't worry, Mew. I have no idea why, either. I don't even tell anybody because who'd believe me? Only my cousin Amber, before she died, also saw them occassionally if she was with me. The Mews preferred to appear only when I was alone. Da's seen them once or twice that I can remember, too, and even Uncle Fuji. They do know I'm not seeing things. But no one else. It'd be another reason for me to be called crazy.*
*Amazing,* said Mew, quietly. Sharie's eyes had gone distant, and Mew suddenly understood that Sharie could not have formulated such a tale. The images dancing in front of her eyes, unseen by anybody else, were *memories*, not some ghostly figments of her imagination.
*If they are that real to you,* said Mew quietly, *Then it is impossible to be any more real, is it?*
Sharie knew that Mew's comment was an honest one, and for someone like Mew, she was glad she was approved. *Thank you, Mew. I appreciate that.*
Mew smiled.
Sharie's gaze returned to the wooden mews on the pedastal. *They're like guardian angels, I suppose,* she repeated, *But they're not phantoms.,* here she unknowingly voiced Mew's own thoughts. *They're real. They can be very serious, but they also act like typical Mews. Carefree, giggly, and tail-chasing.*
*That sounds like wild Mews,* Mew agreed. *I am different in some ways because I left the wild behind and did what few of my kind ever do....I decided my place was among humanity, and the civilized world. Most Mews will never seek out human contact unless the human is worthy. I think that says a lot in your favor right there.*
Sharie felt her cheeks grow hot with a furious blush. *I wish they'd stay around more than a couple of minutes at a time, but they never hang around long enough for me to get to really know them,* she confessed.
*Maybe someday, when they feel you are ready, then they will talk to you,* said Mew.
*They talk to me, each time,* Sharie responded. *I can talk to pokemon as if I were one of them. The Mew language is no different and it was they who taught me those Mew songs. But....I'd like to *really* talk to them sometime.*
This sudden revelation had startled Mew to no end. She suddenly knew that Ki and Mewtwo had not exaggerated Sharie's abilities.
The knowledge that Sharie could talk to other pokemon, without using psychic ability, convinced Mew, finally, that Sharie was more than just a trained Psychic, like others or those of her family that Nurse Joy had mentioned. She had inbred powers of pokemon origin, because even humans born with regular psychic powers were limited in ways no pokemon ever was.
Except this human.
And with her similarity to Ki and her abilities, it was eeriest of all to know that there was no *possible* way they could be related. The coincedences were staggering, and Sharie and Ki could have been sisters, even--but it was still impossible. It left Mew mentally scratching her head at the wonder of it all.
****
Mew went downstairs to prepare breakfast, still quietly mulling over what she had learned and failing to piece the puzzle together in her head. Except for the fact that Sharie's family history seemed pretty darned clear, Mew would have been utterly convinced she'd found Ki's family.
Still, they seemed linked somehow, at least by destiny, and Mew was convinced there was a big hole in this picture she was missing.
They couldn't be sisters, or that closely related. What sort of father would abandon his child and lovingly raise the other? But then, how many humans regularly had affairs with pokemon? And Sharie discinctly knew both her parents were human. Ki had no idea, and Mew doubted Ki was the result of a science experiment. It was too unlikely she'd have been abandoned in the manner she had been if this were the case.
Could a parent, guilty over a so-called 'perverted' affair have decided to dump Ki to 'get rid of the evidence' without hurting her? Mew doubted this also. Ki had been found on the doorstep of the insitute, alone, but lovingly wrapped in warm blankets, a special teddy bear tucked in closely to keep her from being alone. Someone had been lovingly caring for her until she was suddenly there. Someone had cared. Someone had loved her, of that Mew was certain. Deep down, Mew, something she'd never told Ki before, was that she also sensed that those same someones had never intended for her to be taken from them. Something must have happened.
Mew fixed breakfast, with all this still whirling around in her head. There was so much she did not understand! The thought of Ki's being abandoned was Ki's most private pain, the thought that nobody had wanted her. Finding out she was half pokemon seemed further proof to her. She was content in her love for Mewtwo and her family, and privately had sworn up and down she was not going to be a repeat of her genetic parentage. Never!
And then came along Sharie, with her damning family history connecting her to Mewtwo and her shocking similarity to Ki in more than just looks and powers. It was enough to whirl maddeningly in Mew's mind until she shook her head hard and forced it from her thoughts, lest she go insane. This was one puzzle she'd likely never solve, and she was probably obsessing over nothing more than the most incredible coincidence she'd ever heard of.
****
Sharie sensed clearly when the babies began to get hungry. Automatically Ki sat down in one of the rocking chairs, Aaryanna in her arms. Mewtwo set about helping her by picking up Damian and handing him to her, too.
Sharie took it upon herself to leave at this point. *I'll go downstairs and see if Mew needs any help,* she volunteered. *You are busy now, Ki.*
*You do not have to go,* protested Ki. *I don't mind of you stay.*
Sharie smiled at her knowingly. *I am flattered, but,* her eyes took on a look of deeper understanding, *This, I believe, is one of your more cherished rituals. If often is with new parents, and is best shared between you alone. I will be downstairs.*
Quietly, she stood up and went out of the room, the two adult occupants of the room staring after her in surprise, but also wondering how she was able to see into them so deeply. Neither would have really minded, of course, but Ki knew she cherished this time with her little ones, Mewtwo by her side, and somehow, Sharie sensed this before they even did, before she could chance somehow getting in the way. Out of consideration for them both, she had left.
*Friends like her or Maxi are one in a million,* Mewtwo remarked, watching his son and daughter nurse hungrily.
*Yes,* Ki responded with a soft smile, leaning down and kissing Aaryanna's forehead. *They are.*
To soothe the other hungry babies until their turn came, Mewtwo reached over and pressed the button on the music set he had placed on a nearby low shelf. The Mew love ballad swept them all away, peacefully, up into the clouds and away from reality.
****