Swallowing the Sun
4th Sunrise: Two Peas in a Pod (Part III)
Dark, cold and utterly depressing.
Why does it have to come to this?
Ayana took deep breaths, trying not to let panic consume her. Close to her small body was Haruno, clutching her as closely as he can, sniffles coming from him but not a single tear in his eyes. Trying to show no weakness to her, that he's fine, that he's not distressed. That he was not afraid by the dirty, dark walls surrounding them and that the smell of piss, shit and blood was not bothering him.
But still, the way he was holding her was already a great tell, his clammy hands and his rapid heartbeat was a dead giveaway.
She hugs him back just as hard, fisting his clothes with her tiny hands and humming.
The wavering figure of Madonna appeared for just a second before dissipating with a dim glow, it was only brief, but Ayana saw the frown on the apparition's face. A wave of nausea came over her for attempting to summon Madonna again. Usually, she doesn't even need to will her to appear, seeing that the ghostly woman is very much sentient and her own being. But after her last stunt, it caused a backlash on Ayana that both of them didn't anticipate.
Why is it always the stepdads that always ruin my life?
"Don't worry Haru, we'll find a way to get out of here." Ayana whispered quietly to him, her wide turquoise eyes darting around the dreary room, making sure that no one had heard her. Her cheeks were flushed in an unhealthy way, her vision blurry and sometimes going double.
Haruno just clung to her even tighter, his cold nose burrowing to her neck. She could feel his hot breath on her neck, their close proximity helping to ward off the cold that she feels.
"I promise."
They were three now.
Nothing much had changed except for that they can walk now and speak with only a light lisp. All things considered, Ayana is very proud of her brother's intelligence and capability to learn new things. For a pair of toddlers, they are quite advance, able to grasp complex concepts beyond children their years.
Ayana, because she is a cheater, a reincarnated soul. And for Haruno, because his environment forced him to adapt, the guidance and his admiration for his sister was only a plus.
(Ayana taught him how to count, speak different languages that only the three of them – Madonna counts because she's sentient enough to be counted as a different person – would understand, he has a great knack in Italian and English and he's on his way to being fluent. She taught him how to read with the few romance novels their mother has. Of course, she had checked if it was not on the risky side before giving it to him. Ayana is a responsible sister, thank you very much.)
(And if he were to ask on the following years why she have such knowledge when she was only a toddler, she would willingly answer truthfully. She's her other half, her family, who is she to deny a part of her when they've been together since conception.)
Since the both of them can make their way around the apartment, they don't need Madonna to carry them all the time, the only time that they need her was when they need something from high up or when they need someone to cook or put them in the ofuro (Japanese tub), otherwise they were both self-sufficient toddlers.
Miya was still the same, though sometimes she would talk to them, much to the silent elation of Haruno.
It just breaks Ayana's heart to see her brother not having the motherly love he deserves. Madonna is a different question, because it had already been explained to him that Madonna is essentially just an extension of her despite having her own thoughts, so even if they both shower him with love and affection, it could never really compare to a true mother's love.
"Kaa-san, what are you doing?" Haruno asked, cute lisp present, eyes openly curious.
The woman stops in her mad rummaging, a couple of dresses on a heap to her right while a pile of Ayana's and Haruno's clothes on the other, an open travel bag and suitcase in front of her.
"Well sweetie, Kaa-san has found you a new Papa and we're moving in with him at Italy. Isn't that exciting? A new Papa and a new home?" She grinned, perfectly painted red lips quirking upwards, her teal gray eyes containing a faraway look.
Ayana could guess as much. She's heard the phone calls the woman had been making, the tickets and the passports that she had neglected sometime at the table.
Ayana doesn't have a great feeling about this.
"A Papa? Like a father?" The painful hope in his voice made Ayana's insides curl. The shining hope in those eyes clear with just the thought of having parental love, it makes her want to smother him with more love and affection that the boy could ever imagine.
And it just tells how much the woman lacks in becoming a Mother.
She may call them with affectionate names or give them kind smiles, Miya still lacks the vital aspects of being a mother. Warmth, care, selflessness and love. To be honest, she just treats them like the cute little animals she owns (not a pet, because pets can be considered as family) that she can play with sometimes and leave them when it's convenient for her.
(Deep down it hurts Ayana too but not on a larger scale. Miya is always away for her to actually form some kind of bond with. Just the thought of having the person who birthed you and gave your life rejecting you still hurts. It makes you think that there's something wrong with you, that you're not good enough.)
Manicured fingers threaded the boy's hair and Haruno leans into the touch like an affectionate kitten.
"That's right Haru-kun, a new father! You and Aya-chan are going to have a father!"
A smile bloomed in little Haruno's face and Ayana just stood behind him watching them.
She really has a bad feeling about this.
Napoli, Italy
June 23, 1987
Italy is a beautiful country.
Seeing it in this life feels like she's seeing it for the first time once again. Beside her is Haruno, who she is sure to have the same awed face she is making.
It's decidedly different from their cramped apartment. It's like walking into a painting, the sky here is bluer, the sun brighter with little to no clouds to be seen, aged establishments with flat red rooves all around and the yellowed pavements made it all the more endearing. The singsongy words of the common tongue around them was a little disorienting, a complete deviation to the rapid fire of words of the Japanese.
They were at some central park that the taxi had dropped them off, near a small church with angels sculpted on its walls like guardians that overlook the ones who enters and passes by the house of God, fittingly enough, they're here to meet up with someone.
"Aya-nee, this place is beautiful."
Squeezing her brother's hand, Ayana smiled. "Yeah. It's a lot different from Tokyo isn't it?"
"Un." Haruno nods energetically, his dark hair bouncing with the motion while he smiled at the wonders around him.
Before Haruno give into the urge to take a step towards something that fascinated him, a large hand settled on both of their heads. "Now, now, you two. We can all sight see later, but first, we all need to go and get all your things settled at my place before we do that." The Italian man spoke to them in accented Japanese, a benign smile on his face.
Ayana doesn't trust it one bit, yet she smiles innocently like her brother. She had played this game before; she knows how it goes.
She won't let her guard down at this man no matter how he acts kindly to them. That's how the other man (filth, useless filth) had acted towards her Mom before he showed himself fully in his glory. Miya might not have been a Mother to them, but she's still blood, the one who carried them for nine months and gave them life. There is also the fact that Haruno would still be heartbroken if something was to happen to her.
Ayana doesn't really know how to feel about her if something did happen.
The man was large, with a beer belly (not a good sign) and in Ayana's opinion, pretty plain compared to their mother. He is tanned with a head full of plain brown hair that was slicked back, equally plain brown eyes and a pig nose.
Very plain indeed.
(And base of one of their mother's drunken rants, the twin's father was a very handsome, no, a very beautiful man with rich golden hair and white alabaster skin. Miya had praised him as something akin to a God of Beauty with his sinful unearthly exquisiteness. The stars on their backs that were also present in the man is the only connection that she had concluded that they were children of this 'DIO'.)
(Now that Ayana thinks about it, she wonders how Gideon would react that someone has the same nickname as him was her father now. Probably straight up disgust that someone would dare refer themselves as 'Dio' other than himself, and then do that irritating smirk of his, saying something about calling him her 'daddy' or another, then try to convince her to be his girl which she'll eventually turn down with a call of his full name.)
(She's slowly coming to the conclusion that this DIO, might even be that (lovable) asshole's counterpart in this world.)
He must be rich if Miya would even be willing to live with him.
Actually, that conclusion might not be far off because Ayana had seen her with a lot of men, and with each one of them she has either a new dress, shoes or a new set of jewelry. On rare occasions, she would even buy them something and change their dinner into something other than yakitori. Seriously, whenever Miya remembers (or bothers when she's home early) to cook for dinner, it was always the same food, always yakitori.
And there was this one incident with Haruno with the particular skewered chickens, let it be known that the boy has now an aversion with anything poultry related.
Miya stepped towards the man, hugging him by his side, a coy smile playing in her red lips. "Thank you for waiting for us Maurizio and I'm glad that you're getting along with my little angels."
Maurizio snaked his arm around the woman's waist. "Why of course love, Haruno and Ayana both seem like good children. It will be easy to get along with these two." The man said with a laugh that grated on Ayana in the wrong way.
He's bad news.
"Come on kids, let's go to your new home!"
For Haruno's sake, Ayana dearly hopes that her assumptions about this man is wrong. Otherwise, she would have to take it upon her own hands to protect both of them. To protect Haruno's innocent smile.
Madonna materializes herself for a few seconds beside her, placing a reassuring hand on Ayana's hair while giving her a smile. A sign that her spiritual self would be with her all the way.
It fills her with confidence and determination, something she truly needs for the upcoming events in the near future.
Ayana is acting a bit strange.
Haruno picks up the behavior easily despite his twin trying to hide this fact from him. He knows his sister very well, like he knows that the sun will always be warm and that the grass is green. He knows that there is something bothering her and he knows for a fact that it is about Maurizio.
The man who would become their father soon.
The date wasn't decided yet, but their mother is insisting the man to become a part of their family as soon as possible. Whether it was because she longs to have someone by her side again or have someone to stand us their father figure.
Well now, Haruno knows that what their mother wants is anything but that.
Two nights before their designated flight, he had heard his mother talking to the phone with her friend Kano-san – Haruno knows that it's bad to eavesdrop, Madonna told him so, but he didn't do it on purpose – on accident. That night, he had heard his mother talking about marrying the man for his money. How she intends to use them for 'pity points' and for a 'tragic backstory' so that the man would agree to marry her. That she will use the man's religion, appeal to him to convince him if necessary.
What he heard only slightly surprised him. He really shouldn't have expected anything more. It was surprisingly painful to Haruno. His gentle hope of having maternal love snuff out in one blow.
They were never meant to have a semblance of maternal love from the woman. Maybe he should start calling her Miya when referring to her like his sister does. The woman would probably not care much even if he slipped and called her that.
That night, Haruno went to their shared bed crying. As expected, Ayana had asked him why he was crying with a small frown in her face, giving him a comforting hug while Madonna reappeared to cuddle them in her lap. At that time, he was tempted to say it, yet he stopped himself from doing so.
Haruno doesn't want to trouble his kind sister.
It had always been her who comforts him. Despite being at the same age, Ayana had always seemed much older, reliable. Haruno is really blessed to have her as a sister.
Compared to Miya who birthed them, Ayana acts more like a mother to him than Miya ever would. Madonna is an extension of his sister, her spiritual will giving form to such a maternal being.
Truth be told, Haruno sometimes imagine Madonna as his mother. He imagines that being cared for by the entity is how a mother would care for her own children.
(The gentle touches, the soft kisses, sweet words and the warm smiles, Madonna gives it all to him and more. Haruno is never short on maternal love, Madonna makes sure to take care of that.)
There's no doubt in Haruno's mind that Ayana would do anything to make him happy, to ensure he's safety even above her own.
He still remembers it, a man that Miya brought tried to hit him because Haruno accidentally made him trip over his feet. He remembers trembling at the face of the man's fury, remembers the man's harsh bellows and vulgar drunken rant. And Ayana stood there, taking the blame for him with a placid look on her face while squeezing his hand in reassurance. Haruno was too scared to say a single word out, trembling with tears in his eyes as he stood still while the man took his anger towards his sister with a punch. Haruno still recalls the way his sister's small body collided to the wall while blood ran down her face. He hears her lets out a gasp but never once did she cry. Then Miya came flying to the living room to see the commotion, registering the situation, the woman's face contorts to something similar to the man and angrily demands him to leave their house while demanding him to pay for what he did to Ayana.
It was the first time that the woman acted like a mother towards them. Oddly enough, when he was about to hit Miya as well, he started tripping over his own feet while yelling that for a moment he felt like his feet were melting.
After that, the man never came back and Haruno is glad that he didn't.
During that time, Ayana acted strangely around the man their mother brought home too. Like right now, his blonde haired sister is always observing Maurizio in a subtle way and asking the man with some innocent questions.
"Nee, nee, Maurizio-san, do you have any friends?"
"Of course I do! I have lots of friends!"
"Then, can you tell us what they're like?"
At first the questions didn't make sense to Haruno. But as the day goes on, he realizes that Ayana was looking into what kind of person Maurizio truly is. Trying to piece together the man with the people he associates with, his hobbies and his work, etcetera, etcetera.
And as soon as Haruno discovers this, the boy starts to pay attention more to what the man would do and say while pretending to be an innocent child.
Because as it stands, maybe Maurizio was the same as the other guy. Kind at first but would turn out to be someone terrible in the end and Haruno refuses to let his sister to get hurt once again.
Haruno might not have any loving parent on his side but he has his sister who had always been with him and loved him from the very beginning. And the last thing he would want is to see her getting hurt by a man that he doesn't even know or really care about.