Hello again! This chapter is quite short because if I make it longer it would seem disconnected chapter-wise so please excuse that. Thanks for reviewing, Lightning-Dono (it has been awhile, hasn't it?). And without any further hold up, here is chapter eleven.

Chapter Eleven-A Promise for Popuri

Kai's disturbing warning echoed throughout the hills and precipices of Danny's young mind. The horrific few sentences only piled up an even larger quantity of questions upon the already gigantic load.

But the warning also triggered much curiosity about his mother, Popuri. Now that he thought about it, it occurred to Danny that he'd never thought about her very much at all. His only mental image of her had been slowly pieced together from rare comments that the family had unknowingly divulged and the information in the notebook his uncle had so cautiously given to him. What was she like? Did she ever ponder about the diminutive baby she'd left behind? More questions, Danny thought.

That night at dinner, Danny, branching off in the "around the table" discussion, was determined to squeeze out every last drop of information about his mysterious mother from his family's "sponge." He cleverly decided to first take the passive approach just to get their attention.

"So," Rick began with a swift swig of orange juice, "how was your day, Danny?"

"It was alright," Danny quietly replied.

"Nikki said that she saw you enter the clinic."

"Yeah…"

"Okay, out with it!" Jackpot, Danny configured in his mind with an unpleasantly familiar smirk painted across his face.

"I…I, uhhh…"

"Yes?"

"I want to know about my…m-mother." A piercing gasp occupied everyone besides Danny, who was impatiently eyeing everyone for answers. "It's true! I deserve to know about her! I need to know!"

"Danny, what happened? You seem very tense," Karen inquired. "Your fists are clenched so firmly." He stared down at his tiny fists and realized that his aunt was correct. Oh no, Danny screamed inside, I'm turning into my father!

"K-Kai…"

"What did he tell you?"

"He told me that…my mother's fate was in my hands…" Mind racing with confusion and fear, Danny helplessly fell back and relied only on the chair to support his trembling body. Karen instantly rushed to him, and took her nephew in her arms as his gaunt body frame racked with sobs.

"Look what Kai's done to him! This has to stop!"

"Tell me about her," Danny forced between choking sobs. "Tell me about my mother."

"Danny…she left you."

"Why? I didn't do anything! I was only a baby! What kind of mother leaves her baby, her own flesh and blood?" His heart-wrenching cries only deepened his seething emotions as well as everyone else's. "I wish I knew."

"Oh…Rick?" But Rick was already giving his wife an assuring leave-it-to-me nod as he approached his weeping nephew.

"Danny," he kindly began, "come with me." Despite his lonely tears, Danny managed to make it to his uncle's room upstairs. "Here Danny." Rick gently placed a nicely framed photo of his beautiful sister into Danny's quavering grasp. Eyes dilating rapidly, Danny meticulously examined every last detail of the momentous piece of photography. His trembling fingers lovingly entraced the outline of the all too familiar pink hair that she'd given him, and her deep almond eyes, which were identical to his, seemed to penetrate his weary soul.

"Wow," he calmly expressed as his sobbing ceased. "I look just like her."

"You certainly do."

"I don't see any reason for Kai to abandon or mistreat her…but then again he does that to me and I…" Then at that moment, Danny turned to be face-to-face with Rick with a hopeful look teeming in his eyes. "Uncle Rick, I have to find her." Danny's strong comment caught Rick off guard.

"What?"

"I said, 'I have to find her.' And I will. I promise I will."

"How?"

"I don't know…but I have to. Kai has to know where she is."

Rick solemnly nodded and then exited the room while Danny knelt on the floor and promised in a very demure tone, "I promise to find you, Mother...Popuri."

Again, sorry it's so short, but it was neccesary. Thanks for reading and see you later.