Well, the reviews were very encouraging and I got the help I wanted. Ken seems to be a sweetie but a little too absorbed in the kiddies and football (soccer to you). Lucky for me that the first few chapters are focused on the kid. A friend (Mistress 13) advised me to rate this fic PG-13 on the site so that more would see it. All I have to do is warn you guys in the summary. I'm going to take her advice for all my fics. The default setting for FFN is annoying as hell but I have the pages saved to favourites so it automatically opens on all ratings.
Now on to the chapter which is gonna be long.
*~Tainted Innocence~*
by: Lilaclight
Chapter Two...
The Shadowed Spectre Always Close
Ikuko gazed down at the urn in her hand. Besides her was the baby that she had found in the alleyway almost a year ago. The little girl was in a flower patterned with periwinkle blue as the background decorated stroller. The two were on a cliff above the ocean awaiting the rise of the sun to signify the dawn.
As the sun silently rose in its soft golden magnificence, tears streamed down Ikuko's eyes. The baby was peacefully sleeping, unaware of what was going on. The urn was decorated in a beautiful scene by a large body of water and was in different shades of blue with green and brown for the plant life. It represented what Kiru held dear in life, the freedom of the water, of the lakes and oceans.
Uncovering the urn, Ikuko whispered a final goodbye before throwing the ashes from the urn off the cliff. A sudden wind rose and grabbed the floating ashes, carrying them far away over the ocean below, carrying them to the freedom that Kiru had craved when she had lived.
Falling to her knees in sorrow, Ikuko hugged the empty urn and cried her heart out. It did not matter that the doctor had been expecting her death. In fact, the last doctor's visit had pronounced an improvement in Kiru's condition; an improvement that had disappeared when she had left with chibi Yumi for a short trip to Sendai.
From the moment Yumi had come to live with them, the baby girl had brightened up both their lives and the constant contact between her and Kiru had lead to a contentment that she had never before seen in her lifelong friend. A few weeks later, a bare improvement appeared in her friends complexion. The sickly pale skin and dull, red eyes began to revert back to its healthy looks before the cancer had gotten serious.
The doctors had been amazed when they had noticed her slow recovery. They had even said that the cancer was receding; cancerous cells were dying and their multiplication had slowed. They had, of course, strutted around saying that it was all thanks to the treatments that they had given her but Ikuko knew different. She sensed that it was Yumi who had truly helped Kiru.
The baby's presence was often like a soothing balm that swept away all problems from her consciousness or made them seem easier than before. Keeping Yumi had been the best thing that could have happened and they had miraculously managed to adopt her. Kiru had felt that peace and it had manifested itself physically in her, in turn healing her.
For that, Ikuko blamed herself. Taking Yumi awake had killed Kiru. So what if the doctors proclaimed that it was not unusual for a patient who seemed to be getting better to relapse. So what if they said that it was not her first. Ikuko knew that it was Yumi's absence that had affected Kiru so negatively and eventually lead to her death.
Picking herself up, Ikuko took the urn and threw it over the cliff with all her might, watching it fly through the air before descending rapidly to splash into the water. The cool breeze of early morning caressed her cheek and dislodged her hair from its bun. With a finality that made her heart cry out in sorrow, she grabbed hold of the stroller and pushed it over the grass back to the waiting car and never turned back.
Blinded by her tears, Ikuko never noticed when the sleeping baby awoke and turned in the stroller to gaze solemnly at the spot in the ocean where the urn had landed. As the young child turned back the wind carried some ash which landed in her open hand. Eyes closed languorously and soon she was asleep again.
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A few years later...
Yumi giggled as her otou-san growled playfully and picked her up from the bed. Kenji Takatori threw his adopted daughter into the air and caught her in his secure grasp. he loved the little girl as if she were his own. When he had met her and her mother, Ikuko, three years ago, he had fallen in love with her immediately. He thanked whatever Kami that had blessed him for their presence in his life.
Ikuko stood in the doorway of her chibi Yumi's room. Watching her husband play with their daughter brought tears to her eyes. She had never thought that she would one day find a man as good and honorable as her Kenji; not to mention hinutsu (handsome). He had accepted her and Yumi so easily and had given her the love that she had craved for so long.
Placing her hand lightly on her stomach, she thought of the surprise that she had for him. He would be ecstatic at the addition to their little family. Moving forward, Ikuko approached the cheerful two with a smile. Yumi saw her okaa-san coming and reached for her, almost managing to wiggle her way out of Kenji's arms.
Securing his grasp on his musume, Kenji turned to his itooshi wife with a smile and kissed her chastely on the lips when she was close enough. (what did you expect? Some tongue? Hello, there's a kid present.) Ikuko returned her husband's bright smile and took Yumi from him.
"Well Chibi Hoshi, it's bedtime." she said softly.
Yumi shook her head vigorously. "Yumi not sleepy. Yumi wan' stay with Jiggles."
"Now, now Chibi Hoshi. You know the rules. You stay up no later than eight." Kenji reprimanded gently while shaking his index finger.
"Demo, you can have Jiggles sleep with you just this once." he relented.
"Yaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" shrieked the excited child.
Kenji and Ikuko watched fondly as their musume jumped up and down on her bed excitedly. Her large amounts of energy had never ceased to amaze them.
"We better stop her before she destroys the springs on that bed." Ikuko whispered to her husband.
Kenji nodded his agreement and grabbed hold of Yumi on one of her flights upward.
"Chi-chi!!" she cried out with a joyful laugh and hugged her otou-san. Placing a wet kiss on his cheek, she looked into his eyes expectantly, her wide with hope.
"Guess this is my sign to get Jiggles now." he sighed in mock sorrow. "You just kissed me to get me to go get you your pet faster."
Yumi giggled again and nodded with fervor.
Handing Yumi over to Ikuko's waiting embrace, he went to stand by the door and whistled for their pet dog. Jiggles, as they had named the furry mongrel, had gotten his name because of how his silky long hair jiggled when he moved. The clip of nails moving swiftly across the hardwood floor alerted them to Jiggles approach.
The black dog burst into sight and ran straight to Ikuko. Sitting immediately, he gazed soulfully up into his chibi mistress' eyes. Yumi squealed in delight and wriggled violently until her okaa-san put her down. Standing on her own, the little girl was shorter than the dog which went to show just how short she was for a four year old.
Hugging Jiggles, Yumi began to babble nonsense to her pet. Kenji let out a short laugh as he kept an eye on the two while commenting on their behaviour with his wife.
"The ungrateful mutt. I'm the one who called but who does he run to? A midget of a girl."
"Look at them. They're so kawaii together. Oh honey, go get the camera quick." Ikuko urged.
"Don't we have enough pictures? We've no more albums to put what we already have in." groaned Kenji in reluctance.
"We'll buy. Now skiddadle and don't come back without it." ordered Ikuko while shooing her husband out of the room.
Kenji returned minutes later to find Yumi settled into bed and Ikuko seated at the bedside reading from a book of ancient tales. Yumi's lids were slowly falling shut but he could see that his chibi senshi was fighting it. Smiling tenderly, he walked closer and completed the picture of a perfect family. He petted the head of Jiggles who had settled comfortably at the foot of the bed on Yumi's clean sheets.
Yumi turned her sleepy gaze onto her otou-san and smiled softly. She raised her arms toward him and he knew what she wanted. Picking her up, he held her like a precious object and began to sing in his heavenly baritone an old lullaby that his okaa-san had sung to him and his siblings.
Soon Yumi was fast asleep on her otou-san's shoulder and Kenji placed her back in her bed and tucked her in. Both he and Ikuko kissed her forehead and whispered goodnight before silently exiting the room and putting off the light. Ikuko had left the night light on in case Yumi awoke and panicked.
Months passed and the family was happy. The expecting mother was treated like a porcelain doll, much to her annoyance but she understood where her husband was coming from. Kenji had lost his okaa-san during a miscarriage when he was only seven. He only wanted her to survive the pregnancy.
The two had been afraid that Yumi might resent the idea of another child in the family but their fears were needless. Yumi was overjoyed that she might be getting an otouto or imouto to take care of and play with. Secretly the little girl was hoping for an otouto.
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@n Lilac: Don't ask me why. I have no idea.
Crawford * raised brow and a look of disgust *: And you're supposed to be the author.
Lilac * sticks tongue out * : Shut up you overworked baka!! I have the power here not you.
Crawford snorts rudely and walks away.
Lilac turns red in anger, *mutters* : The hoity ass, I'm killing him the first chance I get.
Lilac storms off to her room to plot a suitable death for the baka.
end @n
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Accidents happen and in Ikuko's seventh month of pregnancy two occurred. The first was terrible but not as terrible as the second. In fact it paled in comparison and was forgotten by all except one.
Yumi had been in the kitchen with Ikuko who was cooking dinner. She had been playing on the floor with Jiggles as usual and Ikuko had left the room for only a minute. Upon hearing a shrill cry, the panicked okaa-san ran into the room to find her musume crying loudly and holding her badly burnt hand.
Gathering up the child in her embrace, Ikuko racked her memory for the first aid lessons that she had received when younger. Opening the tap over the sink, she thrust the weeping child's arm under the flowing cold water while speaking words of comfort to her.
Nothing she said could calm Yumi and after a few minutes of holding her and keeping her arm under the water flow, Ikuko began to feel weary. Blinking rapidly, she tried to clear her hazy vision and looked down at Yumi's injured arm. Frowning sleepily, she stared in disbelief as the burn seemed start healing before her very eyes. Dismissing the sight as a result of her exhaustion, she closed the tap and moved away from the sink.
Although her movements were getting more sluggish by the moment, Ikuko was determined to get Yumi to her room and to call the family doctor. Trudging slowly, she took one look at the stairs and changed her mind. It looked to be a long way up, a very long way. Opting for setting Yumi down on the couch instead, Ikuko headed for the TV room.
Finally reaching the couch after what seemed to her as hours of walking, Ikuko place the now unconscious Yumi to lie on the flower patterned comfy couch. Settling her head on one of the soft heart shaped, decorative cushions, Ikuko stepped away from Yumi and swayed unsteadily on her feet. Resting her hand on the back of the couch, Ikuko gathered her energy and made a move for the phone. She only made three steps before she collapsed.
That was how Kenji found them when he arrived home from work. A heart crushing fear filled him and he rushed to her side and checked her pulse. Noting that it was very faint but steady, he looked up and spotted Jiggles whimpering softly near the couch. Curious as to why the dog was there and wondering where Yumi was, he approached the couch cautiously and saw to his shock that Yumi too was unconscious.
He reached down and checked her pulse and never noticed as the final signs of her extensive burn disappeared as if it had never been. To his surprise, Yumi's pulse was stronger than Ikuko's and beating steadily. Kenji dropped her arm and frowned harshly as he tried to figure out what exactly had happened.
Moving towards the phone, he unwittingly completed the action that Ikuko had been trying to do before she had collapsed. Pressing the speed dial, he listened to the busy tone on the other line and growled in frustration. The damn doctor's line was busy! Impatient and scared, he picked up his wife and carried her to the car and placed her in the front seat and then reclined it to a more comfortable position for her.
Going back inside, Kenji went to get his musume and picked her up. Jiggles whimpered pitifully and pawed at the hardwood floor. Ignoring the dog's antics, Kenji locked the front door and pushed it shut as hard as he could while carrying Yumi, unfortunately not bothering to activate all the locks or the alarm. Settling her in the back seat to lie horizontally, Kenji rushed to the driver's seat and fumbled with the car keys.
After his third try, Kenji managed to start the car and was on his way to the hospital. Once he was stopped by a for speeding by a police officer who, once the situation was explained to him, escorted him to the hospital. The kind officer also carried Yumi inside for him and helped him get medical attention for the two right away.
An hour later the doctor, Dr. Paseiju, announced that there was nothing wrong with Yumi. He explained in obnoxious tones that the child was in no need of medical assistance, the implication of her being the waste of time clear. Ikuko, however, was another matter altogether. The doctor watched him in disdain as he asked what he had done to his wife to make her so tired.
Getting angrier by the sentence, Kenji got control of his temper and counted from one to ten to twenty to... Well he counted until he was a semblance of calm. The doctors attitude did absolutely nothing good for his temperament. Taking a deep breath to increase his tranquility, Kenji asked the most important question.
"How's the baby?"
"I'm sorry to say Mr. Takatori demo the child did not survive. The fetus died in her womb. The mother's energy levels were too low to support the both of them. She was given a drug to cause premature labor and the dead fetus was expelled from her body. Had it stayed any longer the mother would have died." the doctor said in the most unsympathetic voice in medical history.
"We're going to keep your wife here for observation. The child can go home with you. Just check with the nurse at the nurse's station."
The doctor turned and strode away haughtily, leaving behind and teeth grinding, fist clenching Kenji. The impact of the doctor's words hit him suddenly and he moved to sit. Ikuko had lost the baby, she had almost died herself. It was all his fault, he should have known better than to leave her alone in the house. He could have asked for some leave time but it was too late now. Their baby was dead before even being born.
Letting out a low moan that sounded more like a wild animal in pain, Kenji Takatori cried for the third time in his life. Everyone within hearing range froze when they heard the sound and shot the weeping man sympathetic glances.
Gathering his composure, Kenji stood and went to the nurse's station to sign the necessary documents needed to release Yumi. That done, he visited his unconscious wife and stared down at her stark white face for a long time. After an unknown amount of time, a nurse came and chased him from the room, telling him to return the next day because visiting hours for the ward was over.
Recollecting himself, the haggard Kenji went to get Yumi and left the hospital as quickly as he could. On the drive back, his mind kept returning to his itooshi Ikuko and how fragile she had looked with the IV stuck in her hand and the monitors hooked up to her. A complete opposite to her normal vivacious self. A shiver went through him and the premonition that things would never be the same flashed through his mind.
Arriving home, Kenji pulled into the driveway and a feeling of foreboding swept through him. Shaking it off, he opened his door and went to the back door to open it and retrieve the sleeping Yumi who was out like the dead. Carrying her princess style, Kenji came to the front door and was about to push the key in the lock when the door opened a little. Frowning darkly, Kenji's eyes narrowed with suspicion.
He pushed open the door slowly, careful not to hit Yumi's head against it, and quietly. As the door opened wider, it revealed to the already heart weary Kenji the mess that was now his home, illuminated by the nearby street lamp. The heavy scent of iron slammed into his sense of smell and the sight on the blood covered walls of the stairs and the foyer sickened him. The source of the blood was the sweet, loyal Jiggles was lying on the floor before him in pieces.
The view of the living room and dining room that his position allotted him displayed the broken, overturned furniture, slashed cushions and dark liquid splattered on the walls and floor which he surmised was more blood. The urge to retch was strong and he gagged on the rising bile as he struggled to swallow it.
The stirring of the sleeping child did not register as he continued to gaze, eyes wide in horror and disgust, at the sight that he could not take his eyes nor his attention from. Yumi opened her eyes to see her otou-san staring at something. Shifting in his arms a bit, she raised her head to follow his gaze and her eyes widened in disbelief and horror and she let out a terror filled scream.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!"
That's all for now folks. I hope that it's to your satisfaction. I know I had some fun writing it. I'm sure that most of you can figure out who the shadowed spectre is. If not then ask and I'll tell. Thank you for your support:
kaoru: thanks for the little details on the operation of Kritiker.
Lady Light: Thank you for reading my other fics and reviewing my summary as well as the first chapter. Your name is no stranger to me.
Nikki Smith2000: Thank you for the accurate info on Omi's parentage. Sorry about not emailing you but when it comes to checking my mail and remembering to send emails, well, I'm hopeless.
nonie77: Thank you for reviewing again and for the info on Ken and Omi's personalities. I greatly appreciate it. (The rest of you, I appreciate you guys too)
Sailor Purgatory: Thank you for your supportive and complimentary review and supporting the info nonie77 gave me about Ken.
Lala: Thank you for your review. And I definitely agree that Ken is great to look at. They all are and that includes Schwarz.
MistressCoCoLoVeR: Jade is not Beryl. I don't even think that they have the same eye colour. I just felt like making her mother a redhead. I have no idea why but I can understand why you mistook Jade for Beryl. Thank you for the complimentary review. I expect to see more from you. (I want to see more from all of you)
That's all the reviews I got for my first chapter. They're all greatly appreciated though and that's what counts the most. Anyways, the next chapter will be posted after I type it up. Just cross your fingers and pray that it's soon. You never know, your prayers just might work.
Now for the mini dictionary:
Itooshi-beloved
Chibi Hoshi- Little Star. (isn't it a kawaii nickname?)
Kawaii-cute.
Otou-san/Okaa-san- Someone's Father/Mother
Chi-chi - your father.
Ha-ha - your mother
Imouto/Otouto- younger sister/brother
That's all for now. I can't remember the rest, if there is any. If you see a word in there that you don't know, don't hesitate to ask the meaning in your review. Okay? Now I'm a little brain-dead from typing this out off the top of my head, so I'll just shut up now.
Ja ne.