Chapter 6:

Complications

………….. Six years later Britain …………….

"Kai Fox, come here at once!" Mira's voice was loud, echoing throughout the house and partially down the street. Her daughter, who was seated in a chair and playing a game, yelled, bored and tired. She was getting really annoyed of this routine.

"Coming." She stepped into the living room her baggy clothes hanging loose. "WHAT?!"

"DON"T YOU 'WHAT' ME, I got a call from your teacher, she told me you've been skipping school." Mira had her hair up and was seated in a chair.

"AND? So what?" Kai had acquired the bad habit of showing no respect lately. With Steve not being in the house, things got worse, but Mira never raised her hands to her children. Always knowing, that they would feel like she did years ago.

"Cloud. Pst. Cloud...." Kyksae tugged lightly on the boy's shirt to stop him from training, which was a bad idea but she was starting to become troubled by what had been happening around the house. The boy turned, his two different colored eyes flashing at her. "Cloud... They're doing it again... I.." She was at a loss of words. She always was when he was looking at her. Mira felt sad. Her daughter was never like that.

"Mom listen, you never listen, what you are is a curse. My friends think I'm strange cause of my ears. They even say all kinds of stuff about you. I'm tired of this, Mom. I hate all this mess happening." Kai was getting tired of her mother getting on to her about everything, never Cloud, never Cid. Mira stood unsure; she never wanted this to happen. Kyksae, Cloud, and Cid were behind the door listening.

"You're right, I am a curse to you and your father." she looked away. "I told him it was a mistake. I told him I wouldn't make a great mother." Mira felt pain rise inside of her.

"Puh. At least we agree on something." Kai turned and left the room. Mira looked at her daughter, were did she go wrong? She wondered. She fell back into the chair and cried. Cloud sat down beside her and hugged her. She felt so week and after a long time; she wanted Steve home like never before.

After some time Mira couldn't help but clean the house, she left Cloud to his training. What she didn't know was that he didn't go back Cid and Kyksae were sitting on the couch. Cloud called his father.

Kyksae watched as Mira was cleaning. She always wanted to help out, but Cid insisted that Mira do it herself, saying it was a better way for her to get all the frustration out than punch more than a few holes in the wall. Cid was cool. He never once yelled at Kyksae. They were probably the most common around each other. She frowned at the thought that she and Kai were never really that close. She knew Kai was angry, and that Kai would probably get violent if she went to talk to her, but Kyksae just felt as if she had to do something. Steve really needed to be home. It had been far too long he had left her with his family to go to training camp. Kyksae rose quietly, the bored Cid barely noticing she was gone before he heard the door close.

Kai sat on her bed reading a book, not looking at the door thinking it was her mom coming to nag at her about disrespect.

"What?!" She looked up and saw the girl standing. "Oh its you, what is it? My mom send you?" Kai looked up again. 'What in the world does she want?'

"Ah... No.. I..." Kyksae looked to the floor, she wasn't really sure at all what she had wanted to say to Kai. "I just... Wanted to come and see if you were alright..."

"Yeah I'm fine, so why you here? Puh I hope my father will listen to me, maybe we are off better without her. I mean, it's not her busyness to tell me about what I DO IN SCHOOL. It's not her going there."

"Well, I'm sure she only wants you to do better.... I mean... Isn't that what parents are supposed to do?" A painful look washed over Kyksae's green eyes, she looked to the floor and then looked back up trying to smile and cheer Kai up. "Skipping school isn't really a good thing either.. I mean... You're the best one with the grades..."

"AND so what? That's what my parents want me to be perfect.... They don't expect that from cloud, or Cid. You don't know. Puh, my mother is a queen, dammit. She always had it good." Kyksae sighed. She knew she really couldn't face Kai's wrath, but she had to try.

"Even Kings and Queens have problems.... And if you really look at it... The commoners have it better..." Kyksae's voice trailed off softly not noticing Cloud standing behind her, and not really understanding fully what Kai meant. "At least... At least the commoners can say they worked hard to get where they are. And that... They learned from hard experiences... Maybe commoners aren't so jealous of Queens and Kings anymore. Maybe it's the other way around, you know?" Her voice was small as it always was. Kyksae was just so weak.

"Wow. Were did you learn all that?" he smiled at her; Kai frowned at both of them.

"Ya know bro, maybe you could take your girlfriend out of my room? Mom better stop bothering me, or I might do something."

"I called father, he is on his way home." Cloud said, changing the subject rather quickly.

"Like he is gonna do something. I hope he leaves her." She was serious.

"You know you don't mean it." he was smart, at least smart enough to out wit her at home. Kyksae blushed at Kai's comment but turned her attention back to Cloud.

"He is coming home?!" Her eyes lit up in happiness, her hyper side coming out. Really, she was so amused at the smallest of things.

"Yeah, he said he'd beat up his trainer just to get out of camp." Cloud winked at her, which only made her want to blush and hide.

"I tell you, dad will do nothing." She winked them off, turning back to her book. Cid came running in,

"Nothing happened? Kyksae you ok?" The green-eyed girl looked back at the reading Kai, sighing, her eyes dropping to the floor, sadness making her want to cry for Kai.

"I'm fine. Thanks Cid." Cloud nodded,

"Come on. I think Mom made cookies." Cloud led the two from Kai's room and closed the door. There were no signs of Mira's brake down, even when she tried to stay tough it was hard.

"Kyksae are you ok?" She took the girl by her arm. "You seem lost." Mira's eyes didn't have the same shine, they were dull, and no life seemed to reflect them. "Did Kai do something wrong?" Now she looked at the other two boys eating cookies.

"I was just worried about her that's all. Are you ok?" Kyksae smiled at Mira, hoping it would make things seem a little bit lighter than everything seemed now. Cloud looked up,

"No, just Kai being as normal as she's gonna get," He replied. Cid nodded.

"I don't see why she doesn't like herself.... " Kyksae took a seat near Cid and asked for a cookie. Cid handed her one and went back to having one in each hand. Mira looked at her and smiled

"Yeah I'm fine...she does have a point." she looked away as she sad down. "I did curse you guys with my blood." Her voice was shaky uneven. Cid looked to Cloud, not knowing what to do. Cloud in turn looked back at him, both speechless. Kyksae slowly set the cookie down and bowed her head. After a moment, she left the table, excusing herself and grasping her jacket before leaving the house.

Darkness had begun to fall before it began to rain. Kyksae pulled tighter on her jacket and kept her pace down the British streets. Lost in thought the whole way.

………………… Meanwhile ……………

Cid and Kai ran down the streets trying to find the green-eyed girl.

"Gosh that girl could be everywhere." Kai yelled out trying to get her breath back.

"Will ya hush? I'm trying to think." Cid replied.

"That's not one of your greatest abilities." She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms in front of her, watching her twin brother look around. The boy kept looking around until her realized something,

"Tell me again why Cloud isn't helping us find Kyksae." Kai rolled her eyes at her twin.

"He's taking care of mother." he lied, but hoped she wouldn't notice, because when they found her and got home their father would be waiting. Kai just looked at him,

"Whatever. You would'a thought he'd want to come along. It being Kyksae lost and everything." She scoffed. "Why is she so special anyway? Why couldn't we be normal?"

"She had to live through something that mom had to live through." Cid replied. "Mom never told me what it was." Kai was running after her brother in the rain,

"So? It couldn't have been that bad. I mean we've been through worse. And besides, just 'cause she always acts nice, I think she's hiding something." Kai stopped and crossed her arms again, before watching her brother stop too. Cid looked at her and frowned.

"We can see her when we get home, 'til then would you concentrate on helping me find her?"

"Whatever." The two sixteen year olds disappeared in the rain a few moments later.