Upon this wintry evening, just like any other, I walk the barren
streets alone. I have no one to care to, nobody in my life really. You
can say, "What are you talking about? You have plenty of friends." That I
will not deny, but all my friends have lives of their own. "But what about
Yusuke, you have known him for 9 years, right? Or what about that guy you
have known your entire life?" Those two are my best friends yes, but they
each have someone to come home to at night. Both of them are family men
now. That is what any guy needs, me included. What I wouldn't give but to
have a family of my own. "But you have a girlfriend, yes?" True I do,
Mukuro means everything to me, but I need more. Family is what I desire,
and though I love her, she is not family. As I continue with these
thoughts, I turn towards the street to take me back to my lonely apartment.
The streets themselves are as lonely as I. No longer are there cars
hugging the streets, just small patches of snow scrunched up against the
edges of the streets. The quiet icy breeze dusts the pavement with the
snow. As I near the apartment, I spy an old woman scuffle by the entrance.
Suddenly she stops, looks at me with light slowly fading in her eyes. Her
attire seemed inappropriate for such a frozen night as this. All she wears
is a torn blue kimono, and a bonnet to keep the icy breeze off her face.
Her eyes droop and her feet start to give way to the concrete walk beneath
her. I rush over to her just as she collapses into my arms. Out of
courteously for my elders, I lift her into my arms and carry her into the
building.
Into my apartment, I carry the woman. I walk her into my bedroom and lay her upon my bed. Touching her forehead, I notice her temperature to be very warm, as though she was running a fever. She comes to and says, "What a nice young man you are, taking me in like this." Her voice sounds hoarse, constantly being interrupted by her coughing. "Thank you ma'am, but no need to strain yourself." As I walk to the doorway towards the bathroom, I ask her, "Would you like me to draw a hot bath for you?" "If you wouldn't mind." As the water in the tub was heating up, I help her into the bathroom. "Think you can manage from here?" "Yes, thanks." I leave the room and close the door, allowing her to undress in privacy. As I hear her step lightly into the water, she calls out, "You can come in now." As I walk in, I notice closely her blue kimono lying across the seat of the toilet. The color is grayed; probably do to the age of the fabric. The sleeves are worn upon the elbows, with a hole in the left shoulder. The skirt of the kimono is torn and frayed at the bottom hem. Her bonnet lays folded on the top of the tank. The color is a faded pink and it too is torn in places. I turned to the woman in the tub. Her hair was as sea green as Yukina's, her eyes as crimson as mine. "What are you doing out in such a condition on an arctic night such as this?" The woman says nothing at first, just stares into the steeping water. "I am just an old woman looking for her son. I haven't much time left in this world, and I want to spend what I have left with him." I look at her, her body relaxing in the hot water. Her naked skin looks as smooth as if age wasn't affecting it. However her shaky body and her slowed movements do tell me that she is an old woman.
After awhile, she asks me to hand her clothes back. Instead what I do is exit the room, enter the bedroom adjacent, and slide open the closet door. There I find a pink robe for the woman. I reenter the bathroom and hand her the robe. "Thank you, Sir, but I need my clothes. I must continue to look for my son." "I'm sorry ma'am, but I can't have you go back out tonight. You must wait here until morning." "I don't want to be a burden to you." "Nonsense. Look you would be more of a burden for your son if he found out his mother died searching for him. In the meantime, you can stay the night here." "Bless you, child." The woman wraps herself in the robe and follows me back to the bedroom. As we sat on the edge of the bed, I ask her, "Would you mind if I helped you look for your boy?" She smiles at me, "Not at all." "What does he look like?" "He's got black hair and red eyes." "When was the last time you saw him?" Suddenly her face falls into her lap and tears like pearl drops pour out of her eyes. She looks back at me. "I haven't seen him since I gave birth to him." "You abandoned him?" "I couldn't do anything to stop it. At the time, the elders once they saw him forced me to make that awful choice." I feel my voice become silent. My mind could barely think. "What's wrong, Sir?" "That thing happened to me. I too was abandoned when I was a baby. I was tossed out of my home by the elders. They fear me so, because I was different from the rest." "That was the problem with my son. He was different. I hated the elders for years after that, still can't forgive them. What right did they have for taking him away from me? Oh for all I know, he may already be dead. My search will bear no fruit. That is my one fear. But then again he may still be alive, that's what keeps me going." I stand up from the bed, and return to the bathroom to fetch her clothes. Then from the underneath the folds of the bonnet tumble a tiny pearly locket onto the tiled floor. I pick it up and open it. Inside I find the image of a small child. His hair black was thick and in a tiny Mohawk. His body was all balled up tightly, as to keep warm I guess. Somehow to me the image looks familiar, like I had seen it somewhere before. I walk back into the room, looking at the woman. "Is this your kid?" I ask, pointing the picture to her. "Yes he is, that is the only picture I have of him." "You know, my sister has a necklace just like this with the same image in it." "She does? That's weird. How can she have it too?" Suddenly the words coming out of my mouth seem to feel distant, like I couldn't even believe them myself. "What name did you give your child?" At that moment I ask that question, I knew the answer was going to shock me. "I named him from the state of matter he was born in. You see my family is from the Land of Ice. One night though about 250 years ago I bore a son. He however was born of fire." As soon as hear this story, I feel my throat tighten into a ball and my eyes become moistened. "Th-a-at was me. That son you speak of, the one you have been searching for. Mother, I." I feel my body become numb, as I bind my arms around her chest and cling to her like a child. "I have missed you, Son. Hiei, I have never stopped loving you. Never in a million years did I think I would ever see you again." Those words from her lips strike a cord deep in my heart. I can feel the sides of my mouth quivering. I can't speak at this point, the words fail me so. I feel no longer like a grown demon, not a feared being with a mean streak, but rather like a small boy clinging desperately to his mother. My heart feels like a pincushion, pricked all over. My eyes overflow with tears, staining the right shoulder of her robe. I can feel her left hand rubbing the back of head, her fingers combing through my hair. She whispers into my left ear reassuring words, trying to sooth my mind and aching heart. At long last, after all these centuries of being an orphan, I feel so relieved that I have my mother back.
Into my apartment, I carry the woman. I walk her into my bedroom and lay her upon my bed. Touching her forehead, I notice her temperature to be very warm, as though she was running a fever. She comes to and says, "What a nice young man you are, taking me in like this." Her voice sounds hoarse, constantly being interrupted by her coughing. "Thank you ma'am, but no need to strain yourself." As I walk to the doorway towards the bathroom, I ask her, "Would you like me to draw a hot bath for you?" "If you wouldn't mind." As the water in the tub was heating up, I help her into the bathroom. "Think you can manage from here?" "Yes, thanks." I leave the room and close the door, allowing her to undress in privacy. As I hear her step lightly into the water, she calls out, "You can come in now." As I walk in, I notice closely her blue kimono lying across the seat of the toilet. The color is grayed; probably do to the age of the fabric. The sleeves are worn upon the elbows, with a hole in the left shoulder. The skirt of the kimono is torn and frayed at the bottom hem. Her bonnet lays folded on the top of the tank. The color is a faded pink and it too is torn in places. I turned to the woman in the tub. Her hair was as sea green as Yukina's, her eyes as crimson as mine. "What are you doing out in such a condition on an arctic night such as this?" The woman says nothing at first, just stares into the steeping water. "I am just an old woman looking for her son. I haven't much time left in this world, and I want to spend what I have left with him." I look at her, her body relaxing in the hot water. Her naked skin looks as smooth as if age wasn't affecting it. However her shaky body and her slowed movements do tell me that she is an old woman.
After awhile, she asks me to hand her clothes back. Instead what I do is exit the room, enter the bedroom adjacent, and slide open the closet door. There I find a pink robe for the woman. I reenter the bathroom and hand her the robe. "Thank you, Sir, but I need my clothes. I must continue to look for my son." "I'm sorry ma'am, but I can't have you go back out tonight. You must wait here until morning." "I don't want to be a burden to you." "Nonsense. Look you would be more of a burden for your son if he found out his mother died searching for him. In the meantime, you can stay the night here." "Bless you, child." The woman wraps herself in the robe and follows me back to the bedroom. As we sat on the edge of the bed, I ask her, "Would you mind if I helped you look for your boy?" She smiles at me, "Not at all." "What does he look like?" "He's got black hair and red eyes." "When was the last time you saw him?" Suddenly her face falls into her lap and tears like pearl drops pour out of her eyes. She looks back at me. "I haven't seen him since I gave birth to him." "You abandoned him?" "I couldn't do anything to stop it. At the time, the elders once they saw him forced me to make that awful choice." I feel my voice become silent. My mind could barely think. "What's wrong, Sir?" "That thing happened to me. I too was abandoned when I was a baby. I was tossed out of my home by the elders. They fear me so, because I was different from the rest." "That was the problem with my son. He was different. I hated the elders for years after that, still can't forgive them. What right did they have for taking him away from me? Oh for all I know, he may already be dead. My search will bear no fruit. That is my one fear. But then again he may still be alive, that's what keeps me going." I stand up from the bed, and return to the bathroom to fetch her clothes. Then from the underneath the folds of the bonnet tumble a tiny pearly locket onto the tiled floor. I pick it up and open it. Inside I find the image of a small child. His hair black was thick and in a tiny Mohawk. His body was all balled up tightly, as to keep warm I guess. Somehow to me the image looks familiar, like I had seen it somewhere before. I walk back into the room, looking at the woman. "Is this your kid?" I ask, pointing the picture to her. "Yes he is, that is the only picture I have of him." "You know, my sister has a necklace just like this with the same image in it." "She does? That's weird. How can she have it too?" Suddenly the words coming out of my mouth seem to feel distant, like I couldn't even believe them myself. "What name did you give your child?" At that moment I ask that question, I knew the answer was going to shock me. "I named him from the state of matter he was born in. You see my family is from the Land of Ice. One night though about 250 years ago I bore a son. He however was born of fire." As soon as hear this story, I feel my throat tighten into a ball and my eyes become moistened. "Th-a-at was me. That son you speak of, the one you have been searching for. Mother, I." I feel my body become numb, as I bind my arms around her chest and cling to her like a child. "I have missed you, Son. Hiei, I have never stopped loving you. Never in a million years did I think I would ever see you again." Those words from her lips strike a cord deep in my heart. I can feel the sides of my mouth quivering. I can't speak at this point, the words fail me so. I feel no longer like a grown demon, not a feared being with a mean streak, but rather like a small boy clinging desperately to his mother. My heart feels like a pincushion, pricked all over. My eyes overflow with tears, staining the right shoulder of her robe. I can feel her left hand rubbing the back of head, her fingers combing through my hair. She whispers into my left ear reassuring words, trying to sooth my mind and aching heart. At long last, after all these centuries of being an orphan, I feel so relieved that I have my mother back.