Ok, first off I'd like to say thank you my friend Kaori and Silent Sage who reviewed my story! Go me! Someone actually read this. Anyways, I know it's been a while since I've
updated and I'm sorry but my holiday season sucked! I had to go to the hospital and my grandpa died but everything's cool now so enjoy! BTW, if you liked my other story then read it b/c I just updated it as well. Thanks!
Chapter 3: Remembering
The small dark room was filled with screams as tiny lungs were filled with air for the first time. Dru looked down at the tiny bundle between her legs. She had just given birth to her tenth child and at that moment, it was the most beautiful one she had ever seen. She reached down and pulled the child to her breast to let it eat its first meal. It quieted immediately and she simply watched it, enjoying the feeling she got from holding her child.
Suddenly she realized that they weren't alone. There was a dark figure on the other side of the room, one who had watched her give birth just for this moment, just so he could revel in the feeling of ending it. The figure strode forward and reached for the newborn. Dru clung to it, pulling it closer as if somehow it would prevent the inevitable. A pale white hand wrapped around the child's head and pulled at it, trying to separate mother and offspring. She held on for a moment and then released her hold in fear of causing harm to the fragile life.
The baby began to cry anew as she was separated from her meal and her screams echoed throughout the tiny space. The grip around her head tightened and her screams intensified. "NO! Please don't do this! She's your daughter! Show some mercy, please!" Dru cried in a feudal attempt to save the infants life.
The figure of her capturer chuckled darkly and suddenly snapped the crying child's neck with a flick of his wrist. He tossed the body at Dru and left the room. She sat there unmoving for a moment, just staring at the small form lying on her side in front of her. "Mika…" she whispered, her Mika… Tentatively, she reached forward and brushed one small cheek. It was cold, already having lost life's warmth in the few seconds she had been dead. The now childless mother pulled the small form to her chest once again, and cried her heart out over the latest of her children to loose their life after only a few moments of it at the hands of their evil and merciless father.
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Dru sat up in bed, sweat dotting her brow. She held her head in her hands commanding the memories to disappear. Willing herself not to cry and to breath normally, she made to stand up when she felt a hand on her shoulder. To her surprise, it belonged to her eldest, Taiki. She was surprised to see him up and about but happy all the same. "You should be in bed." She said.
"Yes, but I'm here now and I don't plan on leaving so it doesn't really matter were I should be now does it?" His mother just smiled at him and scooted over on the mattress so he could sit with her. She smiled at him again when he sat but he could tell it was forced. He sighed, wishing she would just tell him what was wrong instead of pretending everything was fine. She had done this for as long as he could remember and while it may have worked when he was a child, it didn't have the same effect now. "Why wont you just tell me what's wrong? You don't have to try and hide it."
"I'm sorry, I'm just so used to having to keep it bottled up I guess. It's nothing really, just a bad dream is all." Again that smile! It was beginning to grate on his nerves.
"Mother, I'm not some stupid child. I know it's more than that. Why wont you just tell me these things. I can handle it," the teen pleaded with his mother.
"I was dreaming about Mika," she said in defeat, all hints of a smile fading.
"Why?"
"Because," she said, drawing in a breath to steady herself for the news she was about to unfold, "the twins… the twins are dead."
"I know," Taiki said after a few moments of silence. "Shinta told me and Niiro this morning." He had tried to grieve for his beloved siblings, but was used to loosing loved ones and instead of feeling angry or upset, all he felt was numbness.
They both sat in silence until there was a knock at the door. It slid open to reveal a tall human boy with short, slicked back black hair and big brown eyes. He looked uncertain for a moment but then said, "Um… we were wondering if you two would like something to eat?"
Dru turned to her son with a questioning look. He shook is head 'no'. "You and your brothers should eat." Taiki nodded and stood up, offering his good and unbroken arm to his mother. She accepted it and was hauled up. They both unsteadily followed the unknown boy down the hall and into a living area with two large couches and an unusual black box containing moving pictures and lots of sound. Shinta was currently seated in front of it, shoveling spoonfuls of some unknown food into his mouth while staring at the strange box. Next to him was a large human boy, much larger than the one they were currently following, with bright orange hair who was staring at it with equal enthusiasm. Every once in a while he would burst out laughing at something that happened on the screen.
Dru walked towards them and bent down behind her son, kissing the top of his head. "Good morning dear. What is this?" she asked indicating the glowing box.
"It's a T.V.," he mumbled between mouthfuls.
"Alright," she said and left her entranced child alone. Taiki and the strange boy were nowhere in sight but she heard Nirro's voice coming from another room and decided to follow it. The next room appeared to be a kitchen and it was filled with many different people whom she didn't recognize. One who she did recognize however was Kurama who was currently having a conversation with her two eldest. When she moved to go to them, a young girl with blue hair and pink eyes suddenly appeared from nowhere asking if she wanted anything to eat. "No thank you," she stammered, surprised by the girl's peppy attitude.
"Botan, leave her alone. Not everyone is as happy as you are this early in the morning," grumbled the boy she had met earlier.
"Well excuse me for being concerned for her health Yusuke!" yelled Botan as she swung the frying pan she had been cleaning at Yusuke's head and proceeded to chase him around the small room with it.
Dru rushed over to Kurama not knowing what was going on. He laughed at the spectacle before them and then laughed at the confused look his lover shot him. This was turning out to be a pretty good morning after all. Laughter broke out throughout the room as Botan succeeded in breaking the pan over Yusuke's head and even Dru could not help but the laugh as well. She would remember not to anger the girl in the future.
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Later that week…"Where are we going again?" Niiro asked from the backseat of the van. Everyone had packed up in this weird contraption early that morning and had been traveling for hours. He was cramped in his seat next to his brother and wanted to get out and walk. He also wanted to get away from Taishi who was purposely doing things to annoy him. No matter what they had gone through, they would always be brothers and therefore would annoy the crap out of each other.
"We're going to the mall." Kurama said from in front of him.
"What's that?"
"It's a building with lots of different stores inside where people shop. We need to get you and your mother some clothes and there's a bigger selection here than most places."
"How long until we get there?" Taishi asked. He was bored with annoying his younger sibling and wanted out just as bad.
"We're here!" Kuwabara shouted from the driver's seat. He looked over at his friend next to him and smirked. "Told ya I could drive good."
"Shut up!" Yusuke responded as he sulked in his seat. It pissed him off that Kuwabara could get his license but he couldn't and to top it off, Kuwabara was a better driver than he was.
Everyone got out of the van and stretched. It was a three-hour drive and with no breaks it seemed even longer. They waited ten minutes for Shizuru to pull her car into the parking spot next to theirs and then headed inside.
Dru and her children were a little intimidated by the large building. It was huge and crawling with more people than they had ever thought possible. Groups of humans walked this way and that, going about their business as if there were no other people there. The four of them stared wide-eyed at the sights all around them.
"Alright," Botan said in her usual happy voice, "We'll take Dru and get her shopping done. You three help the boys out." Everyone agreed and set off in opposite directions.
Botan, Keiko, and Shizuru pushed Dru into the first clothing store they could find. It was rather small but had nice clothing and reasonable prices. They ended up buying a total of eight pairs of pants (five jeans and three slacks), five t-shirts, two dress shirts, some underwear, a jacket, and a small purse. Everything was on sale that day so they had plenty left over to go to the shoe store.
There they bought a pair of tennis shoes, flip-flops, a slightly heeled boot, and some comfortable black slip-ons with no heel. Dru and the other girls walked out of the store carrying two bags apiece. Bored with little money left, they all decided to seek out the boys and get some lunch.
They all met at the food court, the men having been finished thirty minutes ago, and picked out a table to eat at. When everyone had their various foods, Dru's boys trying cheeseburgers and fries for the first time, everyone relaxed and talked about random things.
"Did you have fun today?" Dru asked her children. They all nodded and continued eating. She smiled and looked at Kurama. He smiled back. She was sooo happy right now.
"Kurama, what's that?" Shinta asked pointing at a store off to the right. There were lots of children playing with each other and these small objects he couldn't identify.
"That's a toy store. They sell toys for children there. Would you like to go?" Shinta nodded his head vigorously then grabbed Kurama's hand and proceeded to drag the startled kitsune with him to the store. Said kitsune turned to Dru with a pleading look in his eyes. 'Help me!' he screamed mentally. Smiling at their antics, she rose and followed the two into the store.
Shinta let go of the scared teen's hand when something shiny caught his attention. He ran off after it, leaving the other two alone. Dru wrapped her arm around the redhead's and rested her head on his shoulder as they walked around the store in a vain attempt to find the excited five-year-old. "I could get used to this," she murmured.