This is being done with only limited knowledge of Tales of Destiny II, (mutters) baka translators. (normal) I don't know exact years of such things as when Loni left the orphanage, so he isn't going to be shown. I did, however read the Story FAQ on GameFAQs and IGN so I know a bit more about the characters. This centers around Kyle at the age of ten, when he wants to do something nice for his mother on Mother's Day.

Mother's Day Surprise

Ten-year-old Kyle Dunamis was in a real bind. No, he hadn't done anything wrong, it was what he hadn't done that would get him in trouble. He'd forgotten to get his mother anything for Mother's Day, which, as luck would have it, happened to be tomorrow. Kyle wanted to just kick himself for forgetting something like that, his mother was the most important person in the world to him. After all, she'd raised him as a single parent for the past five years, since that fateful day where the mysterious stranger had murdered his father for reasons no one could quite figure out. Not that Kyle remembered it at all; he had simply told himself that his father went on an adventure, something Rutee was willing to let him believe because she felt it would be better for him.

Kyle sat on the cement gate outside the Dunamis Orphanage that his mother ran. He was deep in thought over what he could do. Rutee had done everything she could to make sure her son was safe and secure, even still she carried a sword at her side just in case the maniac came back once again. The boy knew little about why she was so paranoid; it had to be something to do with the fact that his mother had apparently lost her own family by violent means, and feared that it was a curse of some sort that would take all she loved. Or that she just had really bad luck when it came to death.

"I've got it!" he exclaimed after sitting on the wall for about an hour, "The perfect gift to give her. I'll help my mother out in the house, cook her breakfast, clean up, all that stuff. Let tomorrow be the one day that Mom gets time to rest. She's always on her feet all day, and deserves some RNR."

Kyle went inside and set his alarm for five thirty in the morning. Knowing well that Rutee was not a late sleeper like her husband, Stahn, he would have to get everything done before she woke up. Even if it meant going to bed early in order to get up before she did; his sleeping habits mirrored his father's very closely. That was why he went to bed when it was only about seven o'clock at night, much to the amazement of his mother. The boy only hoped she didn't believe he was sick or something, and work herself even harder before he could do something to ease the load on her back. Soon after he lay down, Kyle had drifted off to sleep.

S...S

The alarm buzzed in his ears when it went off the next morning. Kyle turned it off before anyone else woke up. He then went into the kitchen to begin making it look nice for his mother's special breakfast. First, he swept up the floor, and brought the garbage outside. He could separate it into the items that could be used as fertilizer and the items that were reusable later on.

Next, came setting the table. For that, Kyle would need a flower. He had run over to the florist yesterday, and brought five plants. The flowers on them were his mother's favorite, a purple rose-like plant that was much taller than the average rose called Amethyst Memories. It was the same one that he saw in her bouquet when he looked at pictures of his parents' wedding day. Kyle didn't know what had attracted Rutee to that particular flower, he'd always just assumed that it was because the color matched her eyes exactly. He'd never thought to ask her directly.

Kyle brought the flowers, vase and all, with him out of his room. They were set in the center of the table on a violet colored tablecloth that Rutee only used for special occasions. A second tablecloth was taken out to place the breakfast on. Rutee's favorite dish and cup were placed in the proper places on the cloth, and then Kyle added the silverware. Now, all he had to do was make breakfast.

Kyle looked at the clock. It was only about six, meaning he had a half-hour before his mother got out of bed. So, he decided to go outside and sort out that garbage he'd taken out there, but when he arrived, it wasn't where he'd left it. Some of the fertilizer items such as apple cores and banana peels had been thrown against the side of the orphanage, perhaps by some pranksters who had thought it would be funny to get on the nerves of the orphanage's headmistress, as they liked to do. The bottles were all lying against the side of the shed, holes drilled in them rendering them useless to hold anything in if Rutee needed to fill them up. Such as if she wanted a bottle of water or a place to hold some fruit juice when she and Kyle took a walk in the woods on a hot summers day.

He took it all in stride though, they could always just get new bottles. But the walls were another matter; he would have to clean them. So Kyle took a bucket of water, some soap, and a sponge outside with him. Then, the youth began to wet the walls with the soapy water, washing off the grime. Next it came time to rinse the soap off. Kyle filled another bucket of water, and threw it at the wall.

Now, Kyle didn't account for the open kitchen window. Nor did he imagine that he'd miss his mark. But that's what happened. The water ended up flying right through said window, and landing in the kitchen. Kyle could only hope that none of his mother's surprise had been hit.

Luck was with him, the table was untouched. But the counter and floor, however, weren't. Kyle went to the closet, and got out the mop. He then proceeded to clean up the mess. Soon, it was as dry as it had been before he'd thrown the water. But some of the food had been ruined.

"Just my luck. Now how am I going to explain where all the food went to mom? She'll probably think I've been hiding a pet in my room or something, and stole food to feed it. Or she'll yell at me to save some food for the other children in the orphanage as well," the boy muttered.

He couldn't worry about that now, he had to start making breakfast. Kyle cut a few slices of bread and proceeded to toast them over the fire. Then, he also added some hot oatmeal to the mix, knowing well that Rutee liked her oatmeal in the morning. A glass of fruit juice would come later, right before his mother woke up. But just then, he heard a noise. Thinking that she might awaken at any moment, and ruin his surprise, Kyle went to her door to listen in, leaving the breakfast cooking on the hearth.

At the door, he only heard the sounds of her mother talking in her sleep. She seemed troubled, so he listened longer. Kyle heard Rutee scream out, "No, please don't die! Mother! Father! Brother! Stahn! Don't leave me all alone again!" Apparently, she was having a nightmare.

Kyle felt sorry for his mother, she was severely tortured by her past. 'If only she'd tell me what exactly happened to her. All I know was that her entire family lived by the sword, and died in bloody combat. I bet that Daddy used to be the solace she needed in her times of fear and pain before he left. With him gone, whatever happened in the past must hurt her even more, as now she lost the one who would comfort her as well. If only mom wasn't so stubborn all the time, then maybe she could let me help. For Atamoni's sake, I'm her son, and I love her with all my heart and soul.'

Suddenly, while thinking of his mother and the pain she felt, he remembered her breakfast was left cooking on the fire. Kyle rapidly ran back towards the hearth, and saw that the entire meal had burnt. Under normal circumstances, he could have just made more. But shopping day was today, and the market wouldn't be open for another hour. He'd planned to go later, so Rutee wouldn't have to, but there was no way he could get more food in only a few minutes time. So Kyle ran around and managed to find some fruit and dry cereal. Cutting the strawberries and bananas up into pieces, he tossed them into the cereal. At least that was something he could give to his mother when she woke up.

Suddenly, the boy heard the sound of his mother stirring. He knew that he'd have to more fast in order to ensure that she'd find her meal already there and waiting for her. Kyle began to hurry up with the setting of the table, but that's where things went wrong once more. For as he was placing the bowl of cereal on the tablecloth, he'd accidentally knocked over the vase. As luck would have it that was the very last gift his father had given her, just days before he had been killed.

"I am in so much trouble," stated Kyle, "When Mom finds out what happened, she's going to kill me. Better try to make an excuse, but I don't think that ever worked for dad if what Loni was telling me about his mishaps is true." He cleaned up the flowers and glass, and prayed Rutee wouldn't know. Kyle could tell her about the vase tomorrow, when Mother's Day was behind them.

When Rutee entered the room, she was surprised at what she saw. A whole breakfast consisting of cereal with fruit slices, an apple, and some orange juice was laid out on the table. Kyle stood there, holding the bouquet of flowers. A smile crossed the boy's face, and a tear filled his mother's eyes.

"Happy Mother's Day, Mom. I made you breakfast, and picked up these flowers at the store just for you. I also took out the garbage, and will run to the market later on so you don't have to. Whatever you want, don't hesitate to ask; I'm at your beck and call today," the boy told her.

But Rutee was used to people trying to cover things up. After all, it always shone on the person's face, whether he or she liked it or not. She couldn't, however, know exactly what was going on with said person. Else she would have known the exact reason Leon was keeping secrets from the rest of the party, as well as her true identity, long before the incident at Libra IV. Would all of the bloodshed she'd seen have been avoided if she could do that? Could she have prevented the deaths of her father and brother if she knew what exactly Berselius had done to Hugo?

That wasn't the issue at the moment; it was what exactly Kyle was hiding from her. Rutee said, "It's so beautiful Kyle. But why do I get the feeling there's something that you're not telling me? Some little secret that you're keeping, perhaps an incident that occurred while you made this for me? I'm not mad at you or anything. I just hate it when people are not honest with me." She was, of course, thinking of what had happened with Leon, but Kyle had no way of knowing that.

Kyle hung his head down. Rutee worried that she had offended her son in any way, and began to apologize; something uncommon for her, unless the boy was concerned. But Kyle decided it was best to just come clean. "I ruined some of the food with water I was using to clean the outside walls, which had garbage thrown at them, when I accidentally threw it through an open window. Then, I burnt the last of the bread and oatmeal, and broke your favorite vase when I wasn't paying attention."

"It's okay, Kyle," Rutee told him, "You did it all out of the goodness of your heart. I can always get some more food, or a new vase. But I can never get another son like you. Promise me, whatever happens in the future, you'll always be careful. I'd hate for something to happen to you, you're all I've got left. Now, how about you make yourself some breakfast, and we eat together, just the two of us."

Kyle beamed, and ran to pour himself a glass of orange juice, a bowl of cereal, and to slice up some more strawberries and bananas. Then, the boy sat down next to his mother, happy to have made her happy in any way. There was nothing she could do about things she didn't want to tell him; every person had the right to secrets. Maybe when he was older, she'd share some of the burden with him.

Rutee stared at her son, taking in the kindness he had shown her. 'He gets more like Stahn every day. I don't know if that's a good thing, or a bad thing. It hurts to remember him, just as it hurts to remember Father, Emilio, or the mother I barely knew. This time of the year always makes me feel like I have nothing, I never had a mother to do this for that I can remember. But Kyle has done much to heal those wounds, even though he doesn't know it yet. At least, when I look back at the wasted Mother's Days I've had in the past, I can see this one as well, and smile once more.'

- - - -

Much thanks to Kaiousei for acting as a betareader for this fic; a second pair of eyes always helps because it removes the emotional attachment a writer has for their piece.