key:

Kiana's thoughts

'Jaiden's thoughts'

"talking"

memories

Chapter 4: memories and meetings

"You stay here with Kiana and I'm gonna go to school. Ok? Be good and don't leave." Jaiden said. "But I wanna go! I don't wanna wait around inside!" Kyra said. "No, Kyra. Stay here with Kiana. I'll be back later." Jaiden said. He closed the door behind him. "I don't wanna stay!" Kyra whined at the closed door.

Jaiden was glad Satoshi wasn't in the hallway. He sighed and went down the stairs. "He's getting too close and she's an annoyance." he muttered. "Who's getting too close to what?" Jaiden looked up at Satoshi. "Uh...Uh...W-what are you talking about?" Jaiden asked, nervously. He Tried to get by without incident. "Who were you talking about? Someone getting to close? Someone being an annoyance?" Satoshi asked. "I don't know what you're talking about. Leave me alone." Jaiden said.

He walked by Satoshi and hurried down the stairs. Wasn't Satoshi usually at school about now? As soon as he got to the street, Jaiden shifted his bag on his shoulder and checked to make sure Satoshi wouldn't come out of nowhere and tackle him. He started for school, keeping the thought in his head that if he talked to himself, somebody would hear, that he didn't want to hear. Almost to school property, he heard the bell ring. He stopped for a minute before he relized it was the last bell. He ran for class.

He got to class the same time Daisuke did. Without hesitating, he opened the door and walked through the class to his seat. Daisuke, however, hesitated.

Jaiden paid absolutly no attention to what the teacher was saying. He had no idea what she said about anything up to lunch, when he heard her say it was time for lunch. He brought his lunch up to the roof so he would be alone for a bit and talk to himself with no interference. "He's more annoying than she is." he mumbled. "Who is?" Someone asked behind him. Jaiden choked on the rice he just put in his mouth.

"Why do you always pop up when I don't want you around?" Jaiden asked. He put more rice in his mouth so he couldn't answer any questions. "Why do you always avoid me?" Satoshi asked. He was blocking the door and Jaiden didn't feel like jumping off the roof of the school building and falling down 3 stories splating on the ground below in a messy red puddle, becasue that wouldn't help his situation, It would just end his being. He swallowed the rice.

"What do you want?" Jaiden asked. "I want you to give me Kiana. She's dangerous, as are you, for assisting her." Satoshi said. "I don't speak Commander. Try saying it in terms I understand." Jaiden said. The bell rang. Jaiden finished his lunch real quick and hurried past Satoshi who had stepped closer to him and away from the door. He found the door locked and he couldn't open it. Jaiden paled.

"You locked it." He mumbled. "Didn't want to give you a chance to avoid me again. I want answers and I want them now." Satoshi said. "So you locked me on the roof?" He banged on the door. Satoshi just watched. Jaiden passed him again and went to the railing. He looked down at the ground. "What are the chances I die, jumping off this roof?" Jaiden asked.

He stood behind the police line. The other man wasn't moving. He was broke in pieces and red and looked squishy and liquidy. "What's wrong with him?" the 7 year old boy asked. The closest police officer turned to look at him. It was a woman. Light brown hair and green eyes.

"You shouldn't see this. Where's your mother?" She asked. "No. I don't want mommy. I wanna know what happend." He said. "Where's your mother, little boy? " she asked. "I don't want her. She's not good to me. What happen here?" He repeated. "Come on. Let's go find your mother." the police woman said. She reached out to him, but he slapped her hand away.

Only then did she notice the smear of red on his sleeve and forehead. "What happend? You have blood on you." She said, shocked. "When he fell. Why isn't he moving? He hit the ground and i got blood on me, but I don't know how." Jaiden said. The woman called out to her partner. Jaiden got scared now. They said something about taking him to a station.

"No. No no no. Open the door." Jaiden said. He backed away from the rail and started for the door again. Satoshi caught his arm and spun him to face him. "Answer me. Where's Kiana?" Satoshi demanded. "I don't know. I don't know who Kiana is. Let me go. Open the door." Jaiden said. His eyes were wild. He sat by the door and waited. "Tell me where Kiana is and I'll open the door." SAtoshi said. "I don't know. Why don't you belive me? I just wanna go home." Jaiden said.

"Why don't you belive me? I wanna go home." Jaiden said. He was fighting against his mother. Her blonde hair fell in soft waves to her shoulders. "Come on, Jaiden. Be good or I'll hit you. You don't want me to hit you, do you?" his mother asked. "No. Don't hurt me." Jaiden said. "Then tell me what happend. Why'd you hit him?" His mother asked. She kneeled down infront of him and grabbed his shoulders. "I didn't. Why don't you belive me, mommy? I didn't do anything to him." Jaiden said. "Why do I even bother? Come on." His mother said. She jerked on his arm. "Ow. You're hurting me, mommy." He said. She pulled him along.

"Open the door. I don't like it up here." Jaiden said. He tried to focus, but couldn't. The lock clicked and the door opened. "Then go, but I'll catch you and Kiana." Satoshi said. Jaiden went down the stairs. Satoshi pushed him in the nurses office when they were passing it. "I don't like nurses. Let me go to class." Jaiden said. "Stay here and Rest." Satoshi said. He left him.

"How are you today, Jaiden?" the nurse asked. "I wanna go home. I don't like it here." Jaiden muttered. He was looking out the window with his good eye. "You have to wait, Jaiden. You aren't well enough to go home yet. Why don't you rest for a bit. Your mother is coming to visit you today." the nurse siad. His eye widened. "No. I don't wanna see her. Don't let her come." he said. "But she wants to see you. Don't you miss your mom?" the nurse asked. "No. I don't wanna see her. Don't let her in. I don't wanna see her." Jaiden said. He was shaking his head. "Relax. We won't let her in. We won't let her come." the nurse said. She pushed Jaiden back so he was laying down. He struggled against her. The nurse called for assistance. She held him down while the second nurse injected a clear liquid into the iv that ran fluids into his left arm.

"How may I help you?" the school nurse asked. "You can't. I wanna go home. I don't feel well." Jaiden said. She checked his temperature first, then decided it was too high. "Alright. Get your stuff." the nurse said. Jaiden went to get his stuff.

He walked through the door to his apartment. "Jaiden! You're home early. What happend? You look terrible." Kiana said. "Leave me alone." Jaiden said. He shoved his bag at her and shut himself in his room. Kyra was napping on the couch. Jaiden plopped down on his bed and closed his eyes.

"Wake up, you lazy child!" His mother said. She pulled him off his bed then grabbed his hair, pulling him up off the floor. "You have chores to do." She said. She pulled him out of the room.

"Jaiden get back here! You ungrateful brat." She yelled after him. He just kept running.

"I found you. Would you like to be given away like a broken toy? Do you want to go to a dump where they lock you in a cage and serve you rotten apples all day?"

"Jaiden, don't you walk away from me when I'm talking to you."

"Nobody will ever care what happens to you. You are so ungrateful. I let you live under my roof and I feed you, and watch over you, and what do you do? You run away and break things and cry about every little thing. You don't care about all that i've given for you. We have no money. All because of you. If you had never been born maybe we would have more to live off of. Instead, you come and you ask for everything."

"I'm sorry, mommy! I'm sorry! Just leave me alone." He said. He buried his face in his pillow and tried to shut out the memories. He fell asleep with his mother's voice tormenting him and his father's trying to calm her down then he spoke softly to him.

A knock at his bedroom door. "Jaiden. Are you okay?" Kiana asked. "Go away." His voice was chocked and forced.She came in anyway. "What's wrong?"Kiana asked. "You wouldn't understand." Jaiden said. "I've got dinner cooked. Are you hungry?" Kiana asked. "No." Jaiden said. "What's wrong?" Kiana asked again. "Just leave me alone. You wouldn't understand." Jaiden said.

"Please, tell me. I may not understand, but maybe i can help you." Kiana said. "Yeah, I'm sure you could. Like you helpped me get away from her." Jaiden said. "So tell me." Kiana said. "No. It's my problem, I'll deal with it. What time is it?" Jaiden asked. "Almost 7 now." Kiana said. "I'm going down to get my mail. Keep an eye on Kyra." Jaiden said. He swung his feet over the edge of the bed and stood up. He fell asleep with his boots on and even if he hadn't he probably wouldn't have taken the time to stop and put them on.

"Here you are Mr. Anderson." the clerk said. He handed him his mail and Offered a bright smile. "Thanks." Jaiden said. He left the lobby right when a blonde,wavy-haired, woman walked into the lobby. He set the mail on the table except for a leter from his father. He went in the kitchen to get some tea. He tore the top of the envolope off while the water was warming up. He read the short note

Jaiden,

Hope this is enough. I'm sorry I've been sending less and less, but Your mother is getting suspicious.

I hope you're doing okay. I'll try sending a little bit more next time. Have fun.

Lots of love,

Micheal

At least someone still cared. He thought his father forgot to send the check this time. There was a knock on the door. Jaiden looked up forgetting the check in his hand momentarily. He folded the letter and put it and the check back in the envolope. He folded it in half and stuck it in his back pocket. another knocked at the door. "I'm coming." Jaiden yelled. "I can get it." Kiana said. "Go make sure my water doesn't spill." Jaiden said. He walked to the door. Without thinking to look through the peep-hole, he opened the door and a pair of arms found their way around him. He didn't reconize the blonde woman.

"Oh, Jaiden! It's so good to see you again!" she said. "Who are you?" JAiden asked. He could swear he was turning purple. "Jaiden! You don't remember me! How could you not remember your own mother?" she asked. Jaiden pushed her away. "I don't have a mother." he said.

"Jaiden. I knew it! I knew you would still be as ungrateful as you were as a child. I wasted all that money to come see you and you don't even ask how I've been! I've been so worried about you! You just vanished! My god, you were only 8. You disappeared with no trace. I put up flyers and posters and i even put a reward out for you. I finally got a call from a flight attendant saying she saw you on a plane by yourself. She said you refused water or any kind of drink and you refused so many things. You have no idea how long it took me to track you down." she said.

"Only so you could turtour me again. You only wanted me back so you wouldn't have to pick on your precious angel." Jaiden said. "Jaiden. Who are they?" Kyra asked from the tiny living room. "My God, you have a child." His mother said. "She's not mine. I found her on the street and decided to help someone who deserved it." Jaiden said. He left the door open and went to pick her up.

"You're not going to invite us in?" his mother asked. "No. I didn't want you here in the first place, but the door is open. Don't get comfortable." Jaiden said. He disappeared around the corner into the living room. He set Kyra on the couch and walked for his room, grabbing the mail off the table as he went.

"Jaiden, do you-oh you have visitors? Should I make them something to eat?" Kiana asked. "I don't care. Whatever they want." Jaiden said. He set the rest of his mail on the nightstand then went back out to the living room. "Are you hungry, Jaiden?" Kiana called from the kitchen. "Uh...Can you make norimaki?" Jaiden asked. "Sushi? Yeah." Kiana said. "Good. At least someone can." Jaiden said.

"Norimaki? What is that?" Jaiden's mother asked. "It's sushi. Sushi rice, seafood, and other stuff, rolled in dried seaweed sheets. It's actually really good. If you don't think about the fact that it's seaweed and fish." Jaiden said. "Do you have normal food?" his mother asked. "Kiana. Can you make american food?" Jaiden asked, peeking his head into the kicthen.

"Uh...No. I'm not sure I can. Have to choose something else." Kiana said. "Make them some Gunkanzushi. See if they like it." Jaiden said. "Alright." Kiana said.

A/N: Okay. I got those two foods from something I found on the internet and it seemed good. Gunkanzushi is a small cup made of sushi rice and dried seaweed filled with seafood, etc. The other one was already explained. Micheal Is his dad's name, just an fyi.Anyway, thank you to:

maple the wacky tree and angstluver for reveiwing.

Thanks

Xan