Flashback-
// Rin walked down the street, his chest feeling light and full at the same time. He reached up and put a hand over his heart.
'It's such a warm feeling, their laughter.' He smiled as he recalled the antics of him and his friends. 'It doesn't matter that no one else thinks it's funny, as long as we enjoy it.' He thought to himself. His step was light as he entered his house.
"Kaa san! Tadaima!" He called down the hallway.
"Okairi Rin-chan!" His mother called from the other room. "Just go upstairs for now, I have a visitor." Rin nodded and finished removing his shoes before springing up the stairs. It wasn't often his mother had visitors, but when she did it was usually important. When they were there he would go up into his room and try his best not to eavesdrop. It wasn't always easy, sometimes the people were angry or sad, and he had to try hard not to listen. Today it was bad; the woman downstairs was totally distraught. Something to do with home…a friend…no…more than that. Rin quickly clamped down when he realized what he was doing. He wasn't quick enough. He could feel his mother notice him, and knew she would have a "talk" with him later. Sure enough, after the woman was ushered out the door, feeling much better, Rin could hear his mother's footsteps coming up the stairs.
"Rinjuu! What have I told you about listening in on private conversations?" Rin smiled guiltily, he knew his mother wasn't really mad at him.
"She was upset." Rin looked up through his bangs, giving his mother his best "puppy" impression. His mother sighed in defeat and plopped down on the bed next to him.
"What a nosey second grader." She ruffled his shiny silver hair. "Yes, I found the poor dear trying to walk home, crying her eyes out. I offered her a cup of tea. As it turns out she fell in love with a married man. He chose to stay with his wife and son, but after he got her pregnant." Rin nodded, sympathetic.
"So what are you going to do Kaa san?" Rin's mother gave him a sharp look.
"What is our first lesson with people's feelings?" Rin looked at his knees.
"Never ever interfere." His mother nodded.
"That's right, I know it can be hard sometimes not to help but people need to learn to get through things on their own. If you try to help EVERYBODY you'll just wear yourself out. And besides," She brought a finger under Rin's chin and tilted his head up, tweaking his nose with her other hand. "You would be amazed at how much just listening helps." Rin made a face.
"Kaa san…doesn't it hurt when you watch them suffer like that?" His mother smoothed his bangs down over his forehead.
"Yes it hurts, but I try not to get too attached. It will hurt more if I take all their responsibilities on my shoulders. It's important to look after yourself too you know."
// end flashback //
Hisoka gave Rin an icy glare.
"So what has this got to do with anything?" Hisoka was back in the bed, with Rin sitting on the end of it. There was now duct tape on the broken window, and all the shards of glass had been swept from the floor. The boy's face was covered by his shock of silver and black hair.
"The woman came back fairly often. I knew that against her will, my mother was beginning to become attached. Time passed, my mother was pregnant, I had a sister. Then HE came."
// flashback //
"Kaa san! Tadaima!" Rin looked around in confusion. The house was dark, his mother didn't answer. Rin stiffened as he felt something wrong. The "something" was oozing out of the room where his mother often saw visitors. It was black and roiling; Rin's emphatic senses screamed at him that if it touched him he could very well go mad.
"Kaa san! Kaa san! Where are you!?" Rin tried to ignore the sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach. He extended his senses trying to find his mother. Suddenly the pit of his stomach dropped out all together and Rin fell to his knees, vomiting on the floor. 'That can't be her. That is NOT her!' He quickly pulled his senses back into himself. But not before he felt her notice them. A shadow fell across Rin. He looked up. His mother stood in the doorway. The black ooze was pouring out of her nose, eyes, ears, and mouth. In her arms she held his baby sister. Her eyes were open and staring blankly and her head lolled at a wrong angle on his mother's arm.
"There there..." she crooned, "Don't be afraid baby…mama's got you." Rin pushed back his tears and stood up.
"Let me take her mother." Rin's mother looked up sharply and hissed.
"No you can't have her. Go away." Rin swallowed and said coaxingly.
"It's alright mama…let me take her. I'll take good care of her." Rin held out his arms for the dead child. Rin's mother screeched. She whirled around and grabbed hold of the first thing she could find. Pain erupted in the boy's head as his mother struck him with all of her strength. A silver candlestick stained crimson clattered to the ground next to him. A cold laugh echoed through the house. Blood ran into Rin's eyes as he looked up. His hazy vision could make out a second figure emerging from the living room. The figure held a long knife in his hand. It was stained with blood.
"Why, what is this!" Rin winced at the jarring note of mockery. "The madam has a son as well! How nice that she took care of you for me." A boy knelt down by Rin and touched his head, smearing the blood on his fingers. Rin's body convulsed. The boy's touch felt as sick and roiling as the black ooze. He looked around desperately for his mother. He finally managed to turn his head and was met with the sight of her prone on the floor. Her eyes were open and as sightless as his sister's. The blackness was no longer flowing but had pooled on the floor under her head. Rin's eyes finally came into focus. The boy was younger than him perhaps about eleven. He had slate gray hair and eyes. The eyes were cold and calculating, but Rin could sense twisted mockery hiding in their character.
"Who are you?" Rin gasped out. It was hard to talk. His head felt like it was going to split in half.
"There is not much point in talking to a corpse. That's what you are you know. The blow has crushed your head. You're only alive through sheer willpower. It's impressive but not enough."
Rin couldn't focus, his vision was swimming. "Why?" he choked out. The boy smiled maliciously.
"Your family is the friends of my dear departed mother. I wanted to meet you all, the people who comforted and harbored that slut. Do you know my real father wants to take me in now? Hah! Apparently I have a brother too. Won't that be fun? We'll be such a perfect family." He laughed again. "Well I had better get going. Goodnight now. Sweet dreams." Rin grasped at his pant let, but the younger boy shook him off. Rin lay gasping on the floor next to his dead mother and sister. He felt the last of his strength give out. Blackness descended like a hammer.
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