She woke slowly, her mind fuzzy.
"Stay still, Arya." Ryusei's voice was strained. "I'm still healing you."
She nodded slowly before the memories rushed back to her. Tears filled her eyes and she tried to sit up.
"Stay still!" Her brother pushed her back. "Unless you want to bleed to death."
"My babies..." she answered weakly.
"We'll get them back, I swear it. But you can't do anything yet. Give me fifteen minutes, alright?"
She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath to try to calm down.
Finally he sat back, Nori supporting him with a look of anger. There was a large bloodstain on Ryusei's shirt and it was widening as he trembled.
Arya looked at him closely and tried to start healing him. Weak pink light flowed out from her hands.
He waved her off. "Don't worry about me. You must rescue the children. It has already been several hours."
Arya continued to heal him and closed up his wounds before moving away. She then headed to the door.
"I'm going with you." Kimito's eyes were red with fury.
She nodded, "Alright." She started outside, "I'm going to kill them."
Kimito snorted behind her. "Not if I get to them first."
Daigo waved them toward the portal. "I opened it at the Colony gates."
"Thanks," she nodded before entering.
A massive stone gate appeared before her topped with razor wire. There was a guard tower beside it and a voice called out "Who wishes entrance?"
"Queen Arya." She answered, barely controlling her anger.
The gate rose, exposing a nightmare.
Groups of emaciated children skittered away from them, most coughing violently. Others lay on the ground, too weak to move. Guards patrolled others bagging bodies for disposal.
There was a richly adorned house in the distance, jarring in the surroundings.
A guard began to approach. "Your Highness. You wish company?"
"I want my damn children back! Guards came and took them away, and I'm going to kill them. So either help me or stay out of my way."
"The escapees are at the house with the Headhunters." The guard retreated quickly as Kimito began breathing smoke.
Arya ran toward the building, needing to stop for a moment when she grew dizzy. She continued to walk even though she was swaying slightly. She sighed, "Not sure if this is from my illness or the bloodloss."
"Just take it easy. Won't be any good to them if you collapse." Kimito steadied her.
"Thank you for coming with me."
"I want a piece of these assholes." Kimito said icily.
They approached the building before Arya threw the door open, her eyes beginning to glow.
Assorted Fae were sitting on couches, children serving them food as they sat on their laps. Soft music played in the background as more children stood, nude, harnessed and bound securely facing a wall. Zal was one of them, his eyes squeezed shut as a man gyrated against him with his pants around his ankles.
Arya took in the scene, her eyes blazing. Vines grew and wrapped around the man, pulling him away from Zal.
"Wait your turn! I paid good money!"
"I'm about to make an announcement to the Court, but the Colony is being disbanded. The children are going to an orphanage where they will be cared for like actual people instead of this," Arya growled. "And if any of you decide to challenge this order, I will kill you."
One of the Fae prostrated himself. "Please, your Highness. We feed and shelter these yamalen so the Kingdom remains pure. You do not understand."
"I will never understand. You are not remaining pure, you are fucking children! It's disgusting. You all are the yamalen here, not them! They deserve love and kindness like any other living being. You on the other hand, deserve to be locked up or killed."
"I vote for death." Smoke was billowing from Kimito as he shifted. Fire danced from his open mouth as his eyes danced over the terrified Fae.
"You..you dare bring a dragon into the Kingdom?" The speaker shrank back.
"He's my friend. My friends are allowed here," she stated plainly. "Now if you don't want to lose your life, leave the Colony and go back to Court."
Before he could answer, an anguished scream was heard from the second story.
Kimito locked furious eyes on her. 'That was Ryon…'
"You take care of things down here. I'm getting my son." She rushed up the stairs.
There was the sound of drunken laughter amid howls of pain.
Arya entered the room, reaching into her pocket for a weapon.
The guard who had injured her was lying on top of a face down and now silent Ryon as his entourage laughed.
One tapped him. "My turn." He handed the man a flask of yellow liquid, waiting for him to move.
No one seemed to notice her in the room.
She quickly took aim with her pistol and shot the one who had injured her in the head. She then began firing at the others.
They reacted too slow, reaching for weapons only to topple to the floor.
When they were down, she pushed the man off of Ryon and pulled her son into her arms tightly. She pushed light into him to take any pain away.
He lay limp in her arms, his eyes staring sightlessly. Blood was coating her legs and pooling on the bed.
She forced as much energy as she could gather into him, healing the wounds up. She began feeling dizzy again but continued, refusing to give up.
He began to shake in terror, a mewling whimper emerging from his lips.
"Shh, baby. You're safe now. I'm so sorry I couldn't protect you better.."
"Mom-mommy?" His hands clutched at her shirt in desperation. "It hurt so much…"
Tears filled her eyes and soon started streaking her cheeks, "I'm sorry, baby. I'm so sorry. I wasn't a good enough protector and you got hurt.."
"You came for me…" He passed out.
She held him tightly for a few more minutes before carrying him down the stairs. She looked around to see if Kimito had killed the Fae yet.
Several smoldering bodies littered the floor as he and Daigo herded children through the portal. He'd reverted, but looked close to collapsing.
She put a hand on him, "Go home and rest." She then looked at Daigo, "Are Yamae, Zal, and the others safe?"
"First ones we tossed through. Nori's got them." He swayed, then caught himself. "I want to burn this place to the ground."
"You don't have the strength right now. I'll take care of it, just go rest. If I have any strength when I get home I'll heal you more."
"Don't waste your energy. Take care of the kids." He followed the last of them into the portal and disappeared.
Shouma appeared a moment later. He embraced her tightly.
"Want to help me get to Court to make announcements?"
"Sure you're up to it?"
"It needs to be done whether I am or not." She started toward the door, reaching to open it with a shaky hand.
He steadied her. "Dai, switch the portal, will you?"
The wizard took a look at her and murmured something quickly. "Done."
She gave him a small smile, "Thanks." She glanced at Shouma, "Sorry.."
He gave her a soft smile. "For what?"
"For needing help. For being unsteady and shaky."
"That is nothing to apologize for. Let's piss Court off."
She smiled and chuckled before heading through the portal.
They emerged before her throne, Court members muttering among themselves angrily.
She sat down and stared at them for a minute before speaking. "I know this will bother many of you, but I'm disbanding the Colony. The children will be taken to an orphanage we built where they will be treated with the respect and kindness they deserve. They are not the yamalen here. Those who used and abused them are! I know many of you probably hate me, that is fine. But my parents wanted change. They wanted me to make changes to make the Court a better place. You might be stuck in your old ways, but I am not. I am making decisions to make us a better people as a whole. Feel free to disagree, but if anyone comes after the children I've adopted or those who will be at the orphanage, I will take things into my own hands. And it'll be a death sentence for anyone who decides to ignore my warning." She spoke, wondering what they thought of her as she was coated in both her and Ryon's blood, speaking of changing their whole lives.
They stared at her in shocked silence, the fluttering of wings in the breeze the only sound.
She stood, "I plan to keep calling out injustice when I see it. It started with giving anchis born people rights, and now completely taking down the Colony. I find the way our people treat others disgusting. I think we should be more like other races, kind to others who are different. I know I can't change everyone's minds, but I will continue to try to change what I can so that maybe the next few generations of Fae will be kinder, more friendly people." She paused then added, "Thank you for your time."
Shouma snickered behind her.
She turned to him, "Let's go home."
He nodded and began to speak in Fae when the ground shook violently.
She turned to look to find out where it was coming from.
In the distance, a column of smoke rose from where the Colony had been.
"Good riddance." Shouma finished his incantation and touched her elbow. "Portal's open."
She nodded and looked back at the people one last time with a smile before entering through the portal.
Daigo and Ryusei were calming the children, the wizard putting on a magic show as Ryusei finished ladling soup into bowls.
He looked up at her. "They'll be settled momentarily. Ryon is resting and Zal is hiding in the basement." He frowned. "Hitoshi says the summons was a ruse and is heading to find Toya."
Arya nodded and helped him pass out bowls. When the kids were settled she smiled at them, "Hi, I'm Arya. You are free now. You'll be taken care of and fed for nothing in return. We don't want company or any of the things that had been expected of you. You are free people. Though, you aren't adults yet, so we are going to keep taking care of you until you are old enough. If you ever have a problem, let one of us know and we'll help you out."
A tow headed boy of six asked "You don't want us to feed you?"
"No, sweetie. We don't want you to do anything except learn and be yourselves."
An older girl hushed him and he focused on the soup.
"Does anyone else have questions?" She paused, "Oh, also, you'll all have your own beds and bedrooms to sleep in and we'll be getting you new clothes to wear as well."
The mass of children looked shocked, a few starting to cry.
"I know this is a lot different than what you are used to, but as Queen, I'm making a lot of changes for the Fae and disbanding the Colony was something I had to do. It wasn't right what they were doing to you."
"We don't understand." A sickly looking teen boy said. "We are not Q'tan. We are lucky we are desired for anything."
Arya sat down on an empty table, "Have you heard of humans? I was raised with them. I wasn't raised Q'tan. I disagree with many things they do, which is why I am changing so much. I have ordered that anchis borns are now people with rights. You are Q'tan, no matter what you've been told in the past. When you are older, you'll be allowed to live at Court, just like all the other Q'tan."
"Why would we want to live there?" The older girl from before asked with a sneer.
"Well, I'm hoping by the time you're old enough, the Court will be a better place. But you don't have to live there. You can feel free to live wherever you want."
Haru touched her shoulder. "Found Toya." His voice was grim.
"How bad?"
"He's lucky he's a shifter."
"Take Ryu or Shouma to start healing him. I have to finish things up here then I'll come take over."
The vampire nodded, Shouma accompanying him down the hall.
When the children were finished, Daigo and Ryusei led them out towards the orphanage. Yamae waved at her, but didn't stop as he held Azra's hand and disappeared.
Arya frowned a moment but shook her head. She headed downstairs to find Zal.
He huddled in a corner, tremors running through his body as he forced back tears.
"Hey hun.." she said quietly. "I'm so sorry that I couldn't protect you well enough. But if it helps, the Colony is gone now and Court knows not to mess with any of you..." She sighed, "I'm sorry, Zal. I wish I had learned about all of this sooner so I could have saved you from that life."
"Why are you sorry?" He gave her a puzzled look. "My sole reason for continuing to exist is to provide company. I am not worth anything else." He coughed heavily for a moment, then continued. "I am impure and not sentient. I have no desires outside from what my renter desires for the night. I do not question my place."
"I'm sorry for so many reasons. I'm sorry I can't seem to get you to see you are more than that. I'm sorry I can't get you to see you are a person who is worth love and kindness. I'm sorry I didn't find the Fae sooner, so I could have saved you and so many others from that terrible life. I'm sorry I don't have the words to explain why you should be treated with kindness other than it's the right thing to do. And finally, I'm most sorry you and your siblings got taken again. I tried to protect you all, but I wasn't strong enough." She turned away, "I don't know what else to say. I just want you to be free and live a life that makes you actually happy. I want you to heal from the trauma of the life that you've had. I want to help you, but I don't know how, and I'm so sorry for that."
He gave her a sad smile. "You are an angel. You've answered my prayer to keep my siblings safe. I think I would have enjoyed being here."
She turned back with a confused look, "You are allowed to stay.. why are you talking like you aren't?"
"My punishment was more severe.." He paled, and his breathing became labored. "Would..you stay? I don't ...want to be alone."
She nodded and approached, holding her hands out to him, pink light scanning him over.
The same poison she'd been attacked with had almost completely spread through his body.
His eyes started closing as he fell onto his side.
Arya moved so she was cradling him, starting to dissolve the poison. She forced her energy into it as fast as she could, dissolving it quicker. She struggled as she was already weak from having been injured and healing others earlier, but she continued, intent on saving him.
He twitched weakly as his breathing slowed. "At least there is no pain." He blinked slowly at her. "You will take care of them?"
"Of course," she said softly as she continued to work.
"I'm going to sleep now."
"Stay with me, Zal. Please." She begged as she grew weaker by the second. The poison wasn't dissolving as fast as she hoped but she was making a decent dent in it.
He gave a tiny chuckle. "I..want to, but I'm so tired." His eyes struggled to stay focused on her.
"I know, hun. I'm trying to help.."
"Arya?" Ryusei's voice came from upstairs. "Is everything alright?"
"He was poisoned.." she said as loud as she could.
Ryusei flew down to them. "With what?" His eyes were worried.
"The stuff Tomoki poisoned us with."
"That bastard!" Ryusei hissed under his breath before searching his hip bag. He quickly injected a silver liquid into the boy. "Was I in time?"
Arya used the rest of her energy to help speed up the antidote. She nodded tiredly, "I think so.." She closed her eyes, "Need to rest.."
He nodded. "Wait here. I'll be back." The Fae took Zal from her and hurried up the stairs.
Five minutes later, he scooped her into his arms and carried her up and into her room, laying her down beside a bandaged and unconscious Tomoya. "Sleep, Sister."
She nodded weakly, passing out in seconds.
When she finally woke, she looked over at Tomoya.
He was moaning softly, his eyelids fluttering rapidly. A bandage was wrapped around his head, more wrapped around his ribs and one shoulder. Blood started spotting the shoulder as he began to fight an invisible opponent. "I'll kill you if you touch any of them…"
She began pouring energy into him before shaking his uninjured shoulder, "Toya? Everything is alright. You're safe."
He jerked, almost falling off the bed. "Arya? Where are the kids?"
"They're safe now. Don't worry."
"It was a trick. They're going to try to steal them. You have to stop them." The words were desperate, his eyes wild.
Her eyes filled with tears. "They're safe now. No one will be after them again."
He relaxed against her for a moment, then hissed in pain. One hand disappeared under the blanket, then he gasped sharply.
She continued to work on healing him, taking the pain away.
"I tried to warn you.. But there were too many of them." He dropped his eyes. "I'm sorry I couldn't stop them."
"I'm sorry too. I tried so hard to protect them but they were taken.. We saved them afterward though, but they were in their hands for several hours.."
He grimaced. "They're alright though? Please say they're alright.." He began to panic again, pushing himself to sit up.
The blanket slipped down to reveal a thick bandage around his abdomen stained with blood.
Arya continued to heal him as she answered, "Zal was poisoned but he should be alright now. Ryon is physically alright now, he's resting. I have to talk to him when he wakes to see how he is doing mentally."
"Will you hate me if I machine gun your Court?" He asked with a small smile.
"I have dibs on that if anyone comes after the kids again," she answered. "We took out the ones that did it though." She sighed as she noticed her hand trembling again.
"You alright, Princess?" He watched her hand with concern. "You should stop if you're that weak."
She shook her head, "I.. I'm sick. I have a nervous system disease. It's like MS but for Fae.." She took a deep breath. "I'm going to get worse, more things trembling, more issues with balance and dizziness.. Eventually I'll have to quit work because of it. I'll probably get to a point I won't be able to do much by myself.." She looked down, "I understand if you don't want to be with me anymore."
"Why would you think that?" He took her hand and kissed it, then looked into her eyes. "Princess, you're stuck with me until this stubborn heart stops beating."
She gave him a small smile, "Are you sure? I don't want to put you through watching me get worse and then having to care for me.."
"Even if I end up changing diapers and feeding you baby food, I'm not going anywhere."
She smiled, "I love you."
"Love you more." He sagged onto the pillows. "Hate being this weak."
"I know. Just rest," she said as she finished healing his wounds. She was quiet for a moment before giving him a small smirk, "This morning, Azra called me mommy.."
A slow smile spread over his face. "She's a cute little pixie, ain't she?"
"I'd like to adopt her, but I don't want to separate her from her siblings. Not that the orphanage is far though.."
"Just admit you want to adopt all of them." He gave a soft laugh.
"I've really only spent time with Zal and Azra. I don't know much about Taren or Kenji."
"The only things you knew about the boys were they were sick, abused and Ryon had a personal attachment to that knife of his. At least neither of these have threatened to put a hole in you."
She nodded, "You make a good point."
He chuckled tiredly.
"I guess I'll go talk to them. Are you sure about this though? That'll be six kids we're caring for."
"The more the merrier." He kissed her. "It's up to you. If it's going to be too difficult, don't do it."
She kissed his cheek, "Alright. I'm going to talk to them. Just rest some more." She pushed herself out of bed and headed out to find Zal and the others.
They were curled up with Shouma, watching Frozen. The children were transfixed, their eyes shining in the television light.
She watched them with a soft smile, waiting until the movie was over so she didn't disturb them.
Finally the credits finished rolling and Shouma got up. He gave her a smile as he slipped out.
Arya went and sat down on the floor in front of them.
"How did you like the movie?"
"It was amazing.." Taren and Kenji had matching awed expressions. Azra crawled into her lap as Zal didn't answer.
Arya hugged Azra before looking at the boys, "I want to ask you guys something." She paused a moment before continuing. "I don't know anything about your parents and what they were like, and I'm sure we could never replace them, but would you allow Toya and I to adopt you? I understand if you don't want to, you'd still be taken care of at the orphanage, but if you do want to, you'd stay here with us, Ryon, and Yamae."
"What are parents?" Kenji frowned as the older boys exchanged shocked looks at her question.
"Parents take care of you. Kind of like your brother Zal was doing, but normally they give birth to you. Adopted parents don't give birth to you, but still take care of you and love you. Does that make any sense?"
"Oh." He shrugged. "You're nice."
Taren spoke. "They don't remember our parents. But I'd like that."
Azra giggled. "Mommy."
Arya smiled down at her before looking up at Zal, "I have an illness. I'm not dying, but I know I'm going to have some struggles. But I swear Toya and I will do our absolute best to take care of you guys if you allow it."
"My siblings have already accepted. I appreciate it." Zal said quietly.
"You guys can keep the rooms you've been staying in. We can go shopping and get you more clothes and even some toys if you want them."
"They would like that. I don't need anything." He stood. "I am weary still. May I go sleep?"
"Of course, hun. Sleep well."
He bowed, then disappeared down the hall.
"Dammit, KK! Fine, be that way!" Haru was shoved out of Kimito's room, turning and kicking the door angrily before leaving the opposite way.
"Why don't I put on another movie for you, then when it's over I'll take you shopping?" Arya said quietly before standing and slipping another disc in.
She then headed to the hall, gently knocking on Kimito's door.
"Get lost, Haru. Not in the mood."
"It's not Haru," she answered.
The door opened slowly. "Sorry."
"It's alright. Are you okay?"
He gave her a fleeting smile. "Define okay."
She sighed, "Let me heal you for a bit?"
"Waste of time." He winced slightly and moved back to the bed where a small gym bag lay half packed. "Gonna get out of your hair."
"Hun, I've healed wasting disease, which is impossible. I've brought others back from the dead, which was also impossible. I won't make promises, but I'd like it if you'd stay and let me try to heal you. It could at least prolong things and give you more time."
He sighed. "I don't regret what I did. Just regret the results." He turned to her, "It's not fair to make you fight a losing battle on two fronts."
"I don't care, I want to try to help."
"You can't anymore."
She quietly scanned him over with her pink light.
The white patch had spread over his entire chest, hardening to the point it was starting to squeeze his diaphragm dangerously.
"It sped up because I shifted. I have maybe hours left now." He took a short breath as he resumed packing. "I don't want to traumatize anyone."
"I'm not going to just let you die alone," she said softly. "But I still want to try to help you."
"Toya is a lucky man. You're so loyal, even when it risks yourself. But I won't be responsible for making your situation worse." He zipped the bag, then sat down wearily. "I'm nothing special. A treasure hunter who sometimes fights for those he holds dear. You lived a long time before knowing me, you'll live a long time after I.." He looked up at her. "Wouldn't mind being thought of occasionally, though. I don't have a blood family after all."
"You're a friend, almost like a brother to me. I refuse to just let you go without a fight." She then took a deep breath, "Lay down, I'm going to try to heal you."
He gave her a confused look, then placed the bag on the floor and laid down. His breathing eased slightly, his eyes wanting to close.
She knelt beside him, beginning to pour energy into him. Ever so slowly, the white patch began creeping back.
He exhaled softly. "Stubborn."
She chuckled slightly as she continued. She knelt there for what felt like hours, slowly chipping away at the white patch.
Finally, he could stand it no longer and grabbed her hands. "Please stop. Don't waste your energy.. Just stay with me?"
"I've already gotten a lot of it to go away.." she said quietly.
"It won't stay gone." His eyes were resigned. "And the damage is done." He bit back a cry as his heart spasmed, gripping her hand tight.
"If I just try harder.." she replied, going back to pushing energy. She closed her eyes and focused a large blast of it into him at once.
He jerked, his eyes going wide before slipping closed.
She continued to try to help him, slowly healing his heart and dissolving the white patch away.
He lay unconscious, but no longer in danger.
She finished making sure he was alright before moving into a sitting position. She leaned her head against the side of the bed and closed her eyes, resting slightly.
"Arya?" Tomoya's soft voice came from the door. "Everything okay?"
"Should be now," she replied, working on slowly standing.
He leaned his head in and eyed them. "You need to rest."
"I'm supposed to take the kids shopping.."
He sighed. "You don't know how to take it easy, do you? What are you doing in here anyway?"
"He just needed a little bit of healing," Arya answered quietly.
"He sick?"
She frowned, "Not anymore. You can talk to him about it if you want more information."
Tomoya rolled his eyes. "In other words, he tried to be macho and hide shit. Typical. Just don't push yourself past your limits, Princess."
"Want to help me take the kids shopping?" She frowned again, "We need a van now with all of them.."
He chuckled. "Give Haru an hour and we'll have one. And are you sure I won't be a hindrance?"
"Why would you be?"
"Because I get distracted watching you." He reached out and pulled her close, nipping at her neck.
She chuckled softly, moving to kiss him. "You talk to Haru, I'll check on the kids, then meet me in our room?" She winked.
"Absolutely." He kissed her back, then disappeared from sight.
Arya went to make sure all of the kids were alright, even glancing in to see if Zal was still sleeping.
He was curled under the blankets. His frame shook as he coughed quietly.
She went to him, pouring pink light out into him to try to help.
He froze, body tense as he realized someone was near him. "Who?"
"Shh, it's just me. I was just trying to help you out a bit," she said quietly.
He gave a tiny nod, relaxing somewhat. "You don't have to."
"It's alright, I'm here to take care of you."
"That's for my siblings. I am used to dealing with things alone." He sighed and rolled over to face her. "I still don't understand why no one wants anything. Is there something wrong with me now?"
"You're not alone anymore. And there's nothing wrong with you. I wish the Fae were more like the good humans, just kind and nice because they are, not because they want something. I hope someday, future generations of Fae will be like that so no one has to feel like you do."
He cocked his head. "While I thank you for saving my siblings, you should have left me at the Colony. I am not good for anything else than company."
"You can learn new things. You were taught how to be good at being company, you can be taught new skills. The only thing now is, you deciding what you want to do with your life. The Colony is gone, you can't go back even if you wanted to.. You're going to have to start making your own decisions. I don't know what kind of jobs Fae's do, but you can learn one of them? Or you could help Daigo and the rest of us take care of the kids at the orphanage. You're really good with kids. You deserve happiness. You deserve to be able to make your own choices."
"The Q'tan either serve at court or they have stalls in the market. Food or clothing and trinkets. But anchis born are not allowed. We live at the Colony until we are too sick and then we live in one of the abandoned tunnels until we die and are disposed of." He sat up and looked at her.
"Well, with anchis born having rights now, they're allowed to have stalls or serve at Court. But like one of the girls mentioned, I'm sure a lot of you don't want to go back there. Which is why I think you'd be good at helping with the orphans." She sighed. "It's just.. You can't go back to what you were doing before, so you're going to have to find something else to do." She continued pushing pink light into him, trying to help heal any damage from the wasting disease.
"Why?" He blinked sleepily at her. "Is it wrong to be company?"
Arya took a deep breath and tried to figure out how to explain things to him. "Being company, having sex, whatever you decide to call it, should be between two consenting adults. Children should never be used for company. People shouldn't pay for company either." She paused. "Unless the person who is company wants to be company. If that makes sense. It needs to be consenting. If it's not consenting, it's just rape, which is bad. Even the kids who were just feeding the others were being made to do it. No one should be made to do anything they don't want to." She sighed, "I don't know if I'm explaining things right.."
He shrugged. "I do not know either. I have never been anything but company. I will try to find a way to be useful now."
"I'm not even asking you to be useful. I'm just wanting you to be happy." She sighed, "I feel like I'm terrible at explaining human things to the Fae. It's just something I grew up with, like you grew up being company. I just don't know how to explain why you growing up as company was so wrong. Maybe Ryu can explain better, he better understands Fae life, he might be able to phrase things differently. But overall, I just want you to be happy with your life. You being company doesn't seem to make you happy, you just do it because you know how."
"Happy? What is happy?"
She finally dropped her hands, the light disappearing. "Happiness is.. It's an emotion. It means feeling content. Feeling joy. Feeling good about what you are doing."
"Oh. Emotions are not permitted. We do what we are told and if we perform well, we eat. If we do not, we are punished." He looked down at the blanket.
"Part of anchis born people having rights, means being able to have emotions. You are allowed to feel what you feel. Like when you cried, that was allowed. You can cry, you can be angry, you can be happy, you can love." She looked down, "I wish I found you sooner, so the Fae wouldn't have had as much time with you. Then maybe you'd better understand how I feel and how much I just want to help you."
"It's alright. I can see how much you care." He reached out and hugged her quickly, then drew back.
She gave him a small smile, "I'm going to buy you new clothes whether you go with us or not, so would you like to come pick out your own or do you just want me to pick some?"
"I will come to watch Kenji. He has a tendency to wander off." He shook his head. "I require nothing more than what you have already given."
"Well, I'm giving more whether you require it or not." She smiled softly. "And Ryon and I can help teach you more about human life while we're at it."
He bowed his head as there was a tap on the door.
"Come in."
Tomoya opened the door. "The van will be here in fifteen minutes. Everything alright?"
"I think so," she stood and went to his side, kissing his cheek.
He grinned at her for a moment. "So everyone ready?"
"Yeah, the other kids are watching another movie right now. I'll go get them." She looked back at Zal with a smile, "Come on, everything will be alright."
He nodded, climbing out of bed and following her out.
Tomoya leaned in and whispered "Ryon's door is either locked or he's jammed it. I don't know if he's awake or not."
Arya nodded and went to Ryon's door. She knocked, "Baby? Are you alright in there?"
"Go away." His voice sounded weak and pained.
"Honey, please let me in. I want to make sure you're alright."
"It doesn't matter.." The door lock snicked.
She slowly opened the door, "Baby, of course it matters. I love you."
He sat on the bed, his back to her. He was completely focused on something and she was about to close it when she saw the smashed mirror on the floor. There was a wide piece of glass missing.
"Ryon.. please talk to me. What's wrong?"
He was trembling as he answered. "I swore I would never go back. And I'm ashamed you saw me." He hissed and jerked slightly at whatever he was doing.
She slowly moved closer, "It's not your fault. It's mine. I couldn't protect you well enough." Tears filled her eyes. "It's my job as your parent to protect you and I failed. I don't deserve to be your mom."
"He shot you. He slashed you. He almost stabbed you. You're brave and I wish I had killed him. But I wasn't strong enough to freeze him..I am not worthy.."
She reached him, gently putting a hand on his shoulder. "You just got your powers. Plus it's not your job to protect me, it's the other way around. I could have been stronger, but you and all the others got taken away. I don't blame you or think less of you for anything that happened or anything I saw. I just wish I could have protected you from it."
He flinched, and there was a flash of red before he hid his hands in his lap.
"Show me your hands."
He shook his head and hunched over.
"Show me your hands, Ryon."
He slowly raised them, revealing deep slashes pulsing blood on one wrist, a small cut on the other and cuts on both hands.
She gently took his hands and began pouring pink light into them, slowly closing up the wounds. "Baby, this isn't a good way to deal with things. I'm sorry you had to go through what you did, but there's other ways we can deal with it, like talking things out. If you don't want to talk to me, there's others who you can talk to."
He began to cry. "I thought you were dead. I gave up hope and now I'm ashamed."
She sighed and sat down beside him, still healing his hands and wrists. "It's alright. And it's alright that you gave up." She looked down, "The night my adoptive parents died, I was taken by the Otas. I was tortured and raped for over a month. I gave up hope soon after arriving. When you go through trauma, sometimes it's impossible to keep up the hope. But what's important is, there's always someone else out there keeping the hope for you. For me, it was my Aniki, who ended up rescuing me. For you, it's all of us, not just me. Toya loves you. Yamae loves you. All our brothers love you. Even if something happens to me, they will come after you and help you. They're here for you too. You have absolutely nothing to be ashamed about."
He leaned against her, sniffling. "I feel weird now."
"What do you mean, baby?"
"My body feels heavy, like when I eat a whole pizza alone. And I feel constantly cold now." He snuggled closer into her. "It feels like I'm trapped in ice."
"I'm sorry, hun. The cold thing might have to do with your powers though. We can talk to Ryu about that part. But hopefully soon you'll be feeling back to normal. I'll be right here for you though, no matter what." She kissed his head. "I hope you and Yamae don't mind, but Toya and I are adopting Zal and his siblings. They'll be your adopted siblings now too. But don't worry, we both still love you exactly the same as we always have."
"You mean we get a family?" His green eyes shone with tears.
"Were we not a family before?" She chuckled softly.
"I didn't mean it like that!" He took a deep breath. "I didn't say anything, but we had siblings once. I don't remember real well, but something happened and afterwards our parents were always sad." He frowned and opened his mouth again, then jerked violently against her.
"Honey, what's wrong?" She said worriedly, holding him close.
He turned terrified eyes to her as ice began to form over his skin. He began to convulse uncontrollably, his skin turning a deep blue.
She poured her energy into him to try to warm him up as she picked him up and carried him from the room. She quickly looked for Ryusei or Shouma, hoping they'd be able to help more.
Ryusei ran to her side, his eyes wide. "What's going on?"
"When they were taken, his powers unlocked. It seems he's good with ice.. But it's taking over him." She continued to try to warm him by holding him tight and continuing to coat him in pink light.
"What?" Her brother looked shocked. "We don't develop powers until we hit adulthood. Children are powerless."
"Well, he was trying to fight back using ice, and it had been working a bit until he passed out. I don't know what happened, but he has some kind of powers. Help me keep him warm."
Silver light covered the boy, melding with the pink. Ryusei focused, the silver sinking through the skin until it became pink and warm again. He stumbled for a moment, then recovered. "Is it possible when you revived him..?"
She shrugged, "I don't know.. Should we try asking Keisuke if he knows anything about it?"
He nodded. "I will inquire." The silver light passed over Ryon again. "His temperature is now stable. I will stay with him if he needs help again. You have duties."
She nodded and set Ryon down carefully, kissing his forehead before going to meet Tomoya and the rest of the kids.
Tomoya was finishing getting the kids loaded into a large red van. He looked up as she approached. "Is Ryon coming or is he being antisocial again?"
"He.. wasn't feeling well. Ryu is watching him and is going to talk to Keisuke about it."
"Sorry to hear that. Hope he feels better." He finished snapping Azra into a carseat, then climbed into the driver's chair. "Ready to break the credit cards?"
She chuckled, "Good thing Aniki still pays them..."
"Kind of surprising to me." He started the van and pulled onto the street.
She quietly stared out the window, hoping Ryon would be alright.
Tomoya pulled into the mall lot and parked. "So, how do we want to do this? Split up or attack in force?"
She laughed, "Let's all stick together. We'll get clothes for them to try on, then one of us will help them if needed while the other keeps an eye on the rest."
"Roger." He saluted with a smile, then got the kids out of the van. He picked up Azra, kissing her cheek before taking Kenji's hand.
She took Yamae's hand and made sure Taren and Zal were beside her before heading toward the building.
The teens stopped in shock as they entered, their eyes comically wide.
"Think we broke them?" Tomoya whispered with a laugh.
She chuckled softly, giving the teens a minute before saying, "Come on." She led them to a shop and began glancing through the clothes.
They examined several items, exchanging glances at prices. Both boys shook their heads and stayed silent. They made no attempt to pick anything, staying close to Arya.
She noticed them, picking out things for them and placing them in a cart. When they got to the fitting rooms, she handed them each a pile. "Go try these on."
They nodded, slowly taking them and entering the rooms.
Tomoya came up with Azra and a light blue dress. "I think this is perfect for our tiny Elsa, don't you?"
Arya smiled softly, "It is. She'll look so cute in it."
He grinned, then looked down as Kenji tugged on his shirt. "What's up, little man?"
Kenji thrust a dinosaur themed outfit out. "Can I?"
"Of course, honey," Arya smiled.
He beamed as the fitting rooms opened. Both boys handed the clothing back neatly folded.
"What of this stuff fits you? I'm buying you something, so you better make sure it fits."
"All of them fit, but we can not accept such expensive gifts." Taren answered as Zal avoided her eyes.
"You need clothes. I'm getting them for you, alright? Don't worry about the money, that's my job."
Taren nodded quietly. "Then I wish the green shirt and brown pants."
"Alright, but you need more than one outfit, so if you like the rest of the stuff, I'm buying it for you as well. You might have had to live with one set of robes before, but you don't have to now."
"I thank you for your generosity."
Tomoya bit back a curse at the formal language.
"You're welcome, but you don't have to be so formal around us," Arya smiled. "I know this is a lot different than what you're used to, but we're all learning here. So give us some time to get used to your quirks, and we'll give you time to get used to things changing."
He gave her a smile. "Alright."
"Where's Zal?" Tomoya suddenly asked.
Arya let out a small curse, "Can you watch the others? I'll go find him." She handed him her credit card before going to search for Zal.
She found him in the food court, sitting beside an older man. They were kissing and the man had his hand under Zal's shirt.
She took a deep breath before approaching, "Zal? What are you doing?"
He broke apart from the man. "He wishes company."
She stared at him, a mix of rage and tears in her eyes. She took a deep breath to try to calm herself, but instead just started crying. She shook her head and turned, starting back toward the shop.
He bowed to the man, then ran after her. "Do you not wish me to return with you? Are you discarding me?"
"No I'm not discarding you! I love you like a son! Which is why I feel like such a failure. I can't seem to help you understand things like that you shouldn't just give company to random strangers, or that you aren't an adult yet, so you shouldn't be giving company to anyone in the first place. I don't know what more I can do to help you. I don't deserve to be your parent if I can't even teach you and take care of you right." Tears streaked her face. "I just want you to be truly happy."
He stopped following her, his head hanging. His shoulders began to shake, then he whispered. "I am sorry to be such a disappointment. I am sorry that this is all I have ever known and that it hurts you. I am not worthy of your love. I shall depart so I do not bring more shame to you." He turned away, forcing himself to straighten.
Suddenly, her arms were around him, "You're not a disappointment and you could never bring shame to me. I love you no matter what, I'm just trying to help you. If being company is what really does make you happy, then go for it. But there are so many other things you could be doing to be happy if you'd just give us the opportunity to show you."
He looked puzzled. "Company is what I am. It makes me neither happy nor unhappy. I feel whatever is requested."
"You can be so much more than that. You are Zal. You are you and you're free to make choices. You can be whatever you want to be.." She shook her head. "But I can't seem to get through to you. I'll love you no matter what you decide to be."
He pondered her statement for a moment. "I am sorry I made you cry. If you will allow it, I would like to return to the shop. I have no wish to be company when I am with you."
She nodded and wiped at her eyes. "It's alright. I'm sorry I was crying." She pulled away from him. "Let's go. I think Toya was finishing things up, so we might be done at the shop and heading home. Maybe we'll stop and get ice cream on the way home. I know at least Yamae would be happy with that."
He dipped his head, following her in silence.
"No matter what I say, if I get upset or start crying, no matter what, I still love you, alright?" She said softly before they entered the store.
"Understood." He answered back just as softly.
"Everything okay?" Tomoya glanced between them in concern.
"Yeah, everything is fine," she gave him a small smile. "We ready to go?"
He nodded, his hands full of bags. "What now?"
"Ice cream?" She suggested.
Azra and Yamae's eyes lit up.
"Alright. Let's go."
She followed him, keeping an eye on the kids. She then let out a small hiss as she stumbled, her ankle twisting as she fell to the ground.
Tomoya was at her side in an instant, Zal immediately taking Azra from him. "Hey, take it easy. Let me look at it." He probed her ankle gently. "Don't think it's broken. Can you stand?"
She stood and attempted to walk, "Don't worry about me, I'm fine."
He wrapped an arm around her. "I'm going to do what you always do to me. I may not be able to heal, but I can still take care of you. Just lean on me and we'll go slow."
She nodded and glanced at the kids, "Sorry. We'll still get you ice cream, but maybe through the drive thru instead?"
All of them nodded quietly, Zal's eyes swirling.
They got to the car and she sat down, sighing heavily.
"Mommy hurt?" Azra asked quietly as Tomoya strapped her in.
"I'll be alright, sweetie," Arya answered with a soft smile back toward her.
"Okay."
Tomoya finished, then started the van and headed for the ice cream parlor.
Arya laid her head back and closed her eyes, trying to calm her worries over Zal and Ryon.
They ordered from the drive thru, handing the cones back.
Tomoya shot her a glance. "Penny for your thoughts."
"I'll tell you when we get home," she said quietly.
He frowned, but didn't press.
Once home, he sent the kids in with instructions to Zal to get them ready for bed. The teen nodded and ushered everyone inside the house.
When they were alone, he gently rubbed circles on her hand. "Bad day?"
She nodded, "I can't get through to Zal well enough and then I made him feel bad when I started crying. Ryon has powers now, which Fae aren't supposed to have until adulthood. Ryu suggested something happened when I revived him. But the powers are making him sick, so I feel like that's my fault too. And then I knew I'd have struggles with falling and stuff, but I didn't even think about the consequences like twisted ankles. I'm doing well enough with the stuff Keisuke gave me, but I know I'm getting worse. I just hope the kids are grown by the time I can't take care of myself."
He sighed. "Ryon's strong. Are you regretting reviving him?"
"Not at all," she shook her head quickly, "I just feel bad that maybe I fucked it up somehow and screwed him up."
"Don't jump to conclusions. Let Keisuke figure things out. Now, what happened with Zal?"
"How much do you know about his situation? I know I've told you a little bit, but I don't think you know everything."
"Kimito said it was like a pedophile's dream. I was hoping he was exaggerating, because I can't believe your people are that messed up."
"Basically, he, and the other children, were raised to be used for sex. Being "company" is all Zal knows how to do. I can't seem to explain to him why that is so fucked up and why he should be free to do other things and make his own choices.."
Tomoya forced down the rage, keeping his voice calm. "That's obscene. And be patient, Arya. He's seventeen. I don't know what Fae puberty is like, but he's got to be torn. He's only known abuse all his life. His body is no doubt telling him one thing while his mind tells him something else. Where did he go when he disappeared?"
"The food court.. making out with an older man."
Tomoya made a strangled noise, horror in his eyes. "He propositioned a random stranger?"
"Seemed like."
"And the guy didn't run away? Sick fucker."
"Yeah.. so that's what I was dealing with."
"I'm sorry, Princess. I can't imagine your reaction was good."
"I basically asked what he was doing then I was angry, but then I just started crying."
"Amazed you didn't fry the guy. And I guess Zal was clueless?"
"Yeah, pretty much."
"Damn."
"She has the events wrong." Zal spoke quietly as he appeared beside the van. "I did not ask him. He asked me."
"That still doesn't make it right for you to have agreed.. and it just makes that ass even worse of a person."
"I apologize. I did not know it was frowned upon here." He shook his head. "It is confusing."
"I'm sorry things are confusing," she answered softly. "Like I said, that kind of thing is for consenting adults. You aren't an adult yet so you can't consent to it." She sighed, "But I did tell you to make your own decisions, so I guess I'm giving mixed signals as well."
He thought for a moment. "You are trying your best. It is I who am not understanding fully. I apologize again. The children are in bed. I shall leave you alone." He headed for the house without another word.
"Zal?" She called after him. "Thank you for taking care of the kids. Why don't you talk to Ryu if he's free and have him try to explain what I've been saying. Maybe there are Fae words that can help make more sense?"
He nodded before disappearing inside.
"I want to hug him. But he might take it the wrong way." Tomoya hung his head. "Are we wrong for trying to dictate our beliefs?"
"Well, the problem is, he can't go back to the Colony, because I shut it down and it got destroyed. And I outlawed using anyone like that. It's complicated because I'm dictating my beliefs onto a whole group of people, not just him. I just want to make them a better people overall. Zal is just in a bad situation, because he's not like the younger ones, he's set in his ways, but unlike the Court, I can't exactly order him around.."
He nodded. "We just have to be patient. How's the ankle?"
She moved it slightly. "A bit better."
"Ready to head inside?"
She nodded and headed in, checking on Ryon before going to bed for the night.