And Silver Tears Fell

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho, obviously.

Italics = memory/thoughts

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Prologue

"Nothing really matters

Anyone can see

Nothing really matters

Nothing really matters

To me…"

            –from Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen

"Mommy! Look at the little birdie! Can I be a birdie too when I'm big?" A little girl flapped her arms like a bird, giggling and running around in the meadow. The wind seemed to gently caress the waves of the ocean, sending soft spray crashing onto the silky sand. A seagull cried out, one lone voice at the deserted beach.

Soft, gentle laughter. "Of course you can, my little angel." The mother wrapped her arms around the child, turning her around to face her. She put a finger on the tiny nose. "You can be anything you want to be."

The child shrieked in delight as a handsome man scooped her up into his arms. "Daddy!"

He planted a kiss on her tiny cheek. "So what's my little angel been up to?"

The little girl giggled again and wrapped her arms around her father's neck. "I'm gonna be a birdie when I grow up, daddy!"

"A birdie, eh?" the tall man said, laughing gently. "Will you grow wings and fly?"

"Yep!" the little girl exclaimed happily.

Flip, flip.

Memories in the form of pictures.

She had always loved photo albums.

She gazed at the lightning flickering across the sky in wonder. "There's a light in the sky!" Thunder rumbled menacingly, but that only caused the little girl's fascination to increase. "And there's a drum too!"

A woman bent down, putting her face next to her daughter's. "The light is called lightning, and the drum is thunder."

A raindrop fell from the sky, landing with a tiny splash on the girl's arm. Another soon followed. Her eyes widened. "Wow! Water is falling from the sky! It's so small!"

"Small now, yes. But combined together, the raindrops create a storm," the father said, looking into the sky, his eyes reticent as if remembering some long lost memory.

"Lightning, thunder, raindrops…a storm…" the little girl whispered in awe, still staring at the horizon as they made their way to shelter, the storm rumbling above their heads.

Yes…pictures.

Capturing a moment within a freeze frame.

But could that moment truly be captured?

"Daddy…" the tiny girl yawned. "I'm sleepy."

The father smiled, a caressing, tender smile. "Then go to sleep, honey. Daddy and Mommy are watching over you. Shhh…go to sleep." He rocked her gently back and forth, such a small bundle in his arms.

The mother laughed softly before her manner became serious. "When will we tell her?"

The man sighed, rocking his daughter as she slept and suddenly seeming much older. "Not yet, not yet. We must give her more time."

The woman smiled sadly. "More time…if only we had that."

Her eyes filled with tears. Her hand trembled as she continued turning the pages of the photo album by the light of the moon and stars.

My fault, my fault…she thought. Don't cry. I don't deserve the right to cry. And I never told them either, never told them anything…

Tomorrow, she told herself, you're transferring to a new school. Try to blend in with everyone. If you need company, cling to your music. It is the only thing that you love now, and it will be the only thing you will ever try to love.

She forced the tears back. Silently, clutching the photo album to her chest as if it were the most precious thing in the world, she leapt off the roof, landing on the large windowsill before climbing back into her room at the orphanage.

Don't try to make friends; you'll only end up hurting them, she told herself. You must try to stay invisible. Be inconspicuous.

If I don't reach out, I won't hurt anyone.

Right?

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Once again, spontaneous writing. Please review and tell me what you think. That's how I'll judge whether to continue or not. And if I do continue, please forgive any mistakes I might make. I haven't finished watching Yu Yu Hakusho yet, and I can't find the second episode on Kazaa! If anyone can help me find all the episodes, I would greatly appreciate it. (And yes, I am already watching the ones on Cartoonnetwork.) And if you feel you must flame, please try to do so civilly.

                                                                                                                                                ~Tears of Eternity~