Disclaimer : Hana's MINE!!!! Bwahahahahaha-- *choke* *choke* -- hahahaha!! .... nah! just kidding...
Title : The Sakuragi Cousins
---------------------------------------
CHAPTER 5 : Reminiscing....
It's her.
It's actually her; no doubt about it. Hanamichi's heart was filled with undefined excitement. The moment she turned to him-- a soft smile flitting across her delicate features-- he felt himself transported back to his puerile days when he used to trail the steps to his mother's chamber, seeking asylum from the weary environs of the estate.
"Madame Remedios, Hanamichi-sama, I shall now leave you both in peace," the old man curtsied at the both of them, departing from their presence.
Till then, the only sound was the soft breeze and the gentle fluttering of the curtains. Hanamichi could not stir himself from his initial spot, staring silently at the equally silent apparition, who, in turn, continued to regard him tenderly.
She giggled cheerily. "My dear, it's ok to sit down. Or would you like to give your mother a hug first, that is if you want to," she spoke very softly and warily, a tinge of hesitation edging her tone.
He jolted back to present, focusing immediately at the person opposite to him that was his mother. Her figure, as he recalled, was amazingly the same; though time had marked her face; the marks were retarded immensely, letting beauty live longer to its fullest. Bloody red was her hair, just like his, only naturally smooth and silky. She has the most benevolent pair of honey brown eyes framed by long eyelashes; a fair and flawless skin, almost creamy white and pampered, a whit different from Hanamichi's perfectly tanned one; an oval shaped face, astonishingly perfected in measures by a master artist; and a serene yet collective self-bearing of high-profiled and amicable elegance.
It took him sometime to think it through; then assessing his words, he briefly replied, "I'll just take a seat," and did so on an armchair opposite to her where the view of the sea was soothing. All of a sudden, words fled his mouth and his volume greatly diminished to a soft baritone.
They took a long while scrutinizing each others build, not knowing when or how to start their conversation. The silence was comforting; but some questions are not answered concretely by silence. Some are meant to be affirmed audibly; and this does not exclude Hanamichi and his mother's situation. Problem is: how to start, when to start, where to start and what are the words to start with?
She breathed in, assuming a conversational stance; and in a cool voice, she commenced, "How have you been?"
"I think you know already," Hanamichi prompted in an equally cool and formal tone.
She smiled meekly to herself. He knew then that she had been watching him all this time, that she had been given constant information of him. "Do you hate me then?"
"No. Angry, probably; but not hate."
"Are you angry at me then?"
"In the past. As of now, anger is irrelevant."
"I am happy to hear that."
He nodded, fixing a deep eye contact until he averted his gaze and grazed over the balcony.
The loud breeze threatened to break their soft toned discourse; yet in vain, for however low their voices could be, the coolness and potency of the words can not be dissolve by any external factors applied. Hanamichi's hand reached out to his face to support his chin and cradled the half of his features, therefore, giving him that solemn form of a thinker in deep contemplation. His lightly gelled hair was wildly played by the salty wind, cascading silkily to his line of vision. He could not describe what he felt that moment. Emotions flooded and mixed in him indistinguishable from each other. Whichever would dominate was yet unsettled; though his facial cast did only show a severity which he usually express in a tough game of basketball. After some seconds of ground-breaking silence, Hanamichi heaved up a resolute sigh, putting thoughts to their places and stabilizing emotions to calm.
He looked at the ethereal face of his mother, an inevitable task that he had to face, the face which he had not seen for more than seven years; plus add the days and months during his stay with her as a child where he would see her in the most minimal circumstances possible. But he knew it was not something of her own accord; given the time, he knew she would be more than willing to spend it with him. Remedios, together with the rest of the relatives, is a family-centered individual who follows that everything must be done, obeyed and upheld according to the good of the whole kin. The Sakuragi clan, though their fame is covered secretly in the backgrounds of Japanese society, had been for about five hundred years one of the most influential family in the whole nation that until now had been kept hidden in the dark. As time goes by, the clan's influence had extended across the seas of foreign lands and intermarriages were welcomed so long as it retains the family's secret powers and wealth. The tradition of the family became a mixture of East and West and for centuries they had succeeded in keeping their power as invincible and strong as ever.
Remedios is almost one-half of a Brazilian, one-fourth Swedish, and another one-fourth Japanese (which then makes Hanamichi a product of multicultural relationship... weird, neh?). This might have serve to explain why Hanamichi's hair is red; that is because he's half breed. But the fact is, Remedios got her hair color from her mother; her mother got it from her own mother, and the mother before that and so on; all of which came from the Sakuragi clan. Meaning to say that the hair color is already a trademark of the clan, a revered crown actually. Centuries had passed, the number of red head offspring had alarmingly diminished and it came to an extent where for every generation, only one infant would grow to have those prestige hair. As for Hanamichi, he got them; but whether they're a sign of prestige or not, none could state rightly so. For him, his hair is more like a curse than an honor.
After moments of deliberation, Hanamichi decided to speak.
One word.
"Why?"
He listlessly bit on his left thumb, his eyes looking intently at his mother.
"Why... What 'why'?" she asked, almost obviously feigning innocence. Hanamichi somewhat knew and resolved to be specific.
"Why did you call me back? Why now..?" he unconsciously bit on his thumb harder. "Why now when everything's quiet, when everything's in its place, when no one's going to... die.." The usually loud booming voice dropped down to an incredible murmur coated with an emotion that was alien to familiar ears of recent seven years acquaintance.
"Hana..." she attempted to start. "I know it's hard to remember things back. Even I don't want to recall it either. Your grandmother ordered for your return--"
"Yes, of course, the Mistress. Who else would order to call me back?"
"Now, please, don't call your grandmother as if she's not related to you."
"As if she considers me related to her."
"My dear--"
"What does she want? Another blood bath, I presume?"
Remedios sighed exasperatedly; she saw that their conversation was getting futile by the minute. Hanamichi continued to bite on his fingers, meanwhile tracing aimlessly the full of his lower lip. His new grown hair, wildly played by the wind, was now brought to his face, serving as a curtain to his eyes which were conveying strong messages of skepticism, confusion, and utter pain. How could someone possibly forget a past so horrid and traumatic and be evicted of pain? And how could someone feel no pain after remembering that past which had claimed so much life and blood unnecessarily? How could he, Hanamichi, be expelled of the total guilt and be not the least distraught? He who reasons to be the cause of such a relentless event?
Jeanteul had told her that Hanamichi had finally recalled his memory back after some years. After his father's death, it came to him. Remedios shivered in fear; she had known the consequence of regained memories. She knew very well the suffering that his beloved son is feeling; and she berated herself for not being able to cease it to come, for not being there, at least. Weakness and fear had stopped her from doing what her heart had always wanted to do. And she hated herself because of her weakness.
It never occurred to her that one simple decision could make her son's life a living hell. Just because she wasn't there at his son's second birthday... but then, was it that her son was already doomed from the moment she had given birth to him?
[Flashback]
March, 31 -- 9:00 P.M. A port somewhere south in Okinawa.
"Hanamichi-sama! Please, be still. You might get yourself thrown overboard," a young maiden, somewhere in her twenties, called out below the deck to a very young child who clearly looks not of his age because of his height.
The child, upon giving his nanny a jeering glance, proceeded to move on, not heeding her warning. Hanamichi pranced around the upper deck; it was his first time on a ship and he was thrilled to celebrate his second birthday in it. The night breeze came to further excite the young boy. His hands reached up to take off the cap that has been forcefully placed there by Naomi when another pair of hands prevented him from behind to do so.
"How many times do I have to tell? If you want to take that off, then let us go to your room. Pronto!" Naomi grabbed the young boy by the hand then lead him down the deck. "You're mother will be very angry with you if you continue your misbehavior."
They peacefully entered the cabin area of the ship; the VIP part, that is. The halls of Floresca were one of the most enchantingly beautiful one since the artistry on the walls and statues were highly regarded masterpieces. It gives you a sense that you are walking on one of the pathways of an enchanted palace, brightly colored and serenely magnificent. The hallways were clearly lighted, not too glaringly bright yet not too dim; the carpets gave off a cheerful, yet not too intense, background; the chandeliers on one waiting room were exquisite, yet not too superfluously decorated; while the davenports were simply comfortable, both in sight and touch.
They reached their room quickly for Hanamichi, tugging at Naomi incessantly, compelled them to move faster. Upon seeing their destination some few meters away, the young redhead finally stopped his assault on Naomi's skirt and gleefully ran to the door. He opened the door and lunged himself to the person he knew would be there. His giggles were muffled when he clung to his mother's legs.
"Oh my!" Remedios exclaimed, seemingly surprised. "And where did my baby go to, hmm? Where have you been, you naughty boy?" She lifted him up for a kiss and laughed joyfully with him.
Naomi, who was standing right behind the door, gently smiled at them. "I found him running around the upper deck. Good thing I could track him down or else he might have gone into trouble."
Remedios turned to her amused. "Really?" She started to tickle the young lad playfully. "My cute birthday boy is so naughty today, isn't he, ha? You've made Naomi and me worry about you. Hahaha! My, my, you should say sorry to Naomi or she'll get angry. C'mon, why don't you give Naomi a kiss," she leaned Hanamichi to Naomi so he can give her a kiss. After that, Hanamichi kissed her mother.
They were having the time of their own when the door suddenly opened and in came a tall brunette with a pair of piercing honey brown eyes. She sagged in unspeakable relief upon having the sight of the two redheads.
"Thank God he's safe! I was looking all over for him."
"Need not worry, my dear. It's a good thing Naomi found him quickly. Are the guest already here?"
"Yes. The servants are escorting them to the main hall." She advanced towards young Hanamichi. "I was then more worried about my brother; but luckily, none of them had laid eyes on him yet. They were at the dock when this little one escaped." A teasing finger ran down across the soft smooth cheek of the child. "Better that you start preparing yourself and Hana tonight before somebody starts snooping around this part of the ship."
"And you, young lady, should start accommodating and facing people with a smile tonight since more than half of them are not even of our slightest propinquity, I reckon; and most probably are not even aware of who we are. So I suggest that you stop worrying about your brother and let your dear mother take care of him, shall we?" Remedios snatched Hanamichi from the young teenager's reach and delivered him to Naomi who stood not too far from behind.
"Well, I guess you're right, Reme. I better prepare the banquet. Cheerio." She lightly saluted in goodbye.
But before she could step out of the door, her mother called her. "Hannah, do you mind calling your grandmother?"
Hannah gave a tired sigh. "What's the use?"
"We might as well try."
She did not reply anymore to her mother; instead, she scowled, presuming an impossibility on the outcome of their preordained attempt.
The room was left in a seeming silence after the brunette exited. Remedios had never liked the tone of hostility in her daughter's mien whenever consulted with something related to their own kin. On the other hand, she never did like the malevolence implied by her dearest relatives regarding her son, Hanamichi. It's a colossal genealogical irony though: Remedios was greatly favored by the clan because of her intellect, kindness, and the family legacy; and Hannah was also favored by the clan because of her outstanding intellect and strength, add the resemblance she expressed in her eyes of an old ancestor deeply recognized by the family ; but the clan disliked Hanamichi because they consider him as some sort of mutation and curse. Despite the clan, Hannah had loved her younger brother reverently and this incurred her to abhor the Sakuragi family. Somewhere in between, Remedios is caught, entangled in a game of tug-of-war played by people she both love dearly. Though sometimes, the rebellion of her own daughter seemed increasingly tempting.
Even so, Hanamichi grew up to be a very impressive boy. And alarmingly to the clan, he displayed certain characteristics that might have earned him the fondness of the family if he wasn't disapproved by them in the very first time of birth. His astonishingly fiery head and piercing honey brown eyes should have won him his rights, both these attributes associated with the family's predecessors who were, according to oral declarations handed down through generations, in line with the lineage of the goddess Amaterasu.
Remedios did a recollection as he watch his beloved son being taken cared off by Naomi with saddening ardor. It wasn't a known story actually. Only it is reserved to be heard by the closest kin of the Sakuragi; very few outsiders must have heard of it and even if they did hear of such, it is always considered as a myth, which in the viewpoint of a relative was not. Eventually, to the family's advantage, the story dissolved mysteriously in fame and was never, if not very rarely, heard before.
***
The ancestral story started off when two of the goddess's daughter descended to earth some five hundred years ago, as they say. The wonders of spring had attracted them to come down and play underneath their mother's brilliance on earth. Not heeding of time, they continued to play all day, until they realized that the sun had came down, leaving them trapped in the mortal land.
The sun was the only thing that could get them back home. They stayed in earth overnight; but some minutes before the nearing of dawn, a noise awakened the older sister. She became curious and decided to find out the source of the sound, unwittingly leaving her other sister behind. Finding the source, she was delighted to see that it was the sun itself, peeping out from the horizon. Self sphere influence must have been her guide to unmindfully disregard her sibling in an attempt to provide her own satisfaction. Not that her character is of much importance to provide analysis.
The younger sibling, on the other hand, found herself alone and it was tough luck for her since it was almost high noon. The sun was way far for her to reach; so she resolve to wander off the woods, contemplating on her predicament. Out of fear of her mother and the possibilities of adventure in the mortal world, she, being the younger and unabashed sister, decided not to come back. She tried to live among humans; but it was definitely hard for her. Her hair that was as red and aggressive as the sun gave her out. A freak, a monster, a goddess she was to them. Anyway it was confusing. One moment she was treated like a queen; the next she was greeted with fear. It somehow pissed her off. But, they say, her only consolation was her adventures.
She was more of an aggressive type; and heavenly beautifully she was, her manners were martial at its most unfeminine description at that era. She was as young as she was naive; intelligent as she was strong; and powerful as she was beautiful. Marriage seemed repulsive of her; though a lot of young men were attracted to her. Her superiority greatly scared them away but she didn't mind. Until a young simple man made her fall in love and with him, she had a child, a daughter. After the birth of her daughter, the child of the sun goddess mysteriously disappeared.
The young man's relationship with the daughter of the sun was unknown for they must have met in one of the princess's solitary adventures wherein the location was in some desolated area. It was said that the infant grew up to be very much like her mother with red flowing hair and piercing brown eyes which cast a deadly stare. To hide this off, the father had to always put a wide hat over the child and hide her from any disaster she could attract. But the child had this very attractive and manipulating aura; a power, they say, that was in need at feudal times. The child then, as she grew up, used this to get what she wanted. Time runs fast and as descendants after descendants lived, having partially the goddess's traits, they took influences and talents at their utmost disposal in order to attain their position. Thus they say was the story of the Sakuragi clan. The story never said much; it is because of the secrets that are intended to be kept hidden. The Sakuragi's knew they were not that normal and somehow it shows.
***
March 31-- 10:54 P.M. Off in the East China Sea
The night was perfect and the breeze was soothing. Little stars adorned the sky delicately while a dark auburn haired child was watching them with utter fondness. He saw Polaris and the Big Dipper ever gracing the Northern Hemisphere. Not that he was clearly knowledgeable of the constellations but since his mother had so kindly pointed them up some almost two hours ago, at approximately 9 p.m., he had kept track of them somehow. And if he thus marked it entirely so, then the probability of precision would be high, if not completely correct.
But it was 9 o'clock then and it had been nearly two hours since, the usual March sky display were fading consistently. Too bad no one would assist him in using the telescope somewhere at the upper deck, positioned near the nose of the ship, nor did he have binoculars to aid him. Nevertheless, the naked eyes of a child provide as much as the imagination could conceive and it was enough for him. He thought he saw Antlia's ill-defined structure; up till now, he could not understand why it's called the Air Pump. It never looked like one to him and it's stars were out of place. At least, that was what he saw in the books he had read. The Crater was there: an almost square figure with the triangular Alkes stuck inside. Adjacent was Hydra, the water serpent. He had read about the serpent of Lerna, the one they call Hydra, who was a beast with a hound's body and a hundred serpentine heads. And if that wasn't bad enough, it also got a poisonous breath and a Medusa like attributes. Hercules had killed the hideous beast yet the young boy was the least amazed by it, as other boys might have been attracted to the image of the Greek hero. Instead the young boy wondered of the constellation's larger area scope. He had read that Crater (the cup), Sextans (the sextant) and Corvus (the crow) had been once part of the now reduced Hydra; but still ,it is the largest constellation in the sky, with Virgo close behind it and somewhere above it (or below it, depending on how you look at it). The moment he saw Crater up there, he knew that Hydra is somewhere very close. His sister told him that Hydra guards that cup of water (probably Crater) from Corvus, the crow, forever denying him a drink of water. There was also this thing about Babylonian mythology about Hydra seen in the pages of Gilgamesh.
He was about to hunt for the Ursa Major and Leo -- both he fancied due to their interesting shapes, especially Leo which his mother said she saw the night of his birth -- when something gently touched his head. Turning around, honey brown eyes were held captivated by two silvery orbs curtained with velvety silver strands. A young man, a teenager to be precise, kneeling before him was caressing his hair. He was an odd man, sporting stark white clothes from head to toe, matching his hair and his eyes. The only evident contrast to his apparel was the pair of dangling bloody red earrings trying vainly to hide behind the long silvery strands that where probably up to his waist. And if it wasn't for the strange way he suddenly appeared and started to touch him like that, Hanamichi would have thought of him as an angel. There was also this look in him somewhat akin to fascination.
"What does a lovely boy like you doing here?" His voice was as soft has his hair. Hanamichi stared innocently at him. Not that he didn't understand him, it's just that... he couldn't answer him. It was then when the stranger's pale hands left his hair to touch his cheeks.
"What's your.. name?" This time the boy was enclosing one of Hanamichi's small hands to his own. Hanamichi attempted to open his mouth, noting very well in his young mind that he couldn't answer for himself. His nearly two years old brain might not have registered speech as something necessary and that it would have been better to not mingle with the adult world of talk, talk, talk. Thus nearly two years old and may have been considered a child much sensible for his age, he never as much as spoke one tangible syllable word, be it foreign or what. Sure he could scream and say hahaha! but then that's just about it.
He opened his mouth, leaving it hanging there for some good seconds, then closed it. The silver haired, angel guy showed a bit of disappointment; but it was soon replaced by a frown, his nose imperceptibly twitching, sensing something. Suddenly, he leaned forward to sniff on Hanamichi's hair.
"Dyed..?" He just whispered behind his ears. It didn't take a scientist for little Hanamichi to figure out what the hell this weirdo's talking about. It almost stopped his little heart from beating; but why would he be scared? So the guy figured out that his hair was dyed, would he know that it was normally red? But then, the guy was intelligent enough to smell newly dyed hair. Should he consider an applause for this stranger's--
"Or did mama bring his little boy to the parlor, didn't she?"
What was it about the stranger's what?? He could only sweatdrop.
Hanamichi flashed one of his very naive smiles at him. At any circumstances he would have graced the young man with more than a just smile but there was something about the guy that irked him. He seemed kind and at any angle, can be regarded as angelic. The silver haired boy smiled at him warmly, vanishing all malicious thought of him. He looked nice, probably he is.
"It's cold in here. Why don't we--"
"Kurosaki-san!!" A faint yet fairly audible shout came from behind him, somewhere within a hundred meter radius or probably even less. The man turned a bit, scowling irately before dismissing the call.
"You haven't answered any of my questions. Guess you're taking the no-talking-to-strangers motto severely," he chuckled to himself rather cutely. "Don't worry. I'm not going to hurt you or anything." He was quite convincing though.
"Kurosaki-san!! Where are you?!" Once again. The call was getting louder and undoubtedly getting closer.
The stranger stood up, a totally piqued expression shattering his angelic features. Second later, he resumed a half-hearted jovial face. "Hey, would you come with me inside?" He crouched back and stared at the startled face of the child. "Ok, maybe not but-- Mind telling me your name, kid?" He seemed a bit persistent at that. At some point, Hanamichi was about to think that he's an FDA; besides this guy almost figured that he went for a peroxide plunge. Maybe he knows he's got his brows covered up with heavy p-phenylenediamine, probably with lead sulfide and stuff like that but he really didn't know. The ladies were careful enough to apply the goo on and other than that he still got his eyesight pretty good, thank goodness!
"Kurosaki-san!" At last the sound came dangerously near, approximately three meters out of sight before it, or he, comes to view. The older boy stood up to greet --with evident restraints of rage -- the person who had unwittingly offended for some reason this seemingly ethereal figure.
A finely looking young man, though not as nicely presentable as the former man, suddenly popped in from a turn. "Oh, there you are, Kurosaki-san! I've been searching all over for you. The banquet has already started and just what are you doing here?"
"I was wondering around the hall when I came across--" He turned to Hanamichi but the child was out of sight.
"Came across what?" the intruder asked impatiently.
"Uh.. nothing. Forget about it. Let's go."
-_-;; TBC
------------------------------------------------------------------
(~_~) hell! what was that??? damn! my fics turning weirder by the second! what the hell's wrong with me!!!???... neway, i'm afraid i have to continue this in the next chap.... it seems i'm leaving a lot of mysteries behind unanswered... hehehe... the Ameterasu story i just made up, obviously... i hope its not too crappy or something... r&r... onegai!!!(#_#)