Been sitting on this update for a rather long time. Finally getting the drive back to make some progress. I can't promise that the chapter after this will follow soon but I'll try to work as fast as my motivation allows.
Nine
It was a dreary Saturday afternoon in Moscow. Mariam sat in the living room of Spencer and co's house waiting for Kai to return from chasing Alkanet as the tot had nicked off with his favourite white scarf. A soft mumble drew her green eyes away from the stairs and onto a sleeping baby nestled in loving arms.
Two years it had been since the twins were left with the Blitzkrieg Boys. Not much had happened since Christmas. Life carried on as normal with the addition of the boys giving their support to various charities that worked to support homeless/neglected children. Mariam still volunteered at the homeless shelter when she wasn't too tired from being a mother to her and Kai's son. He was a handsome boy, his father's twin from head to toe even at the age of one and Mariam adored him. And a spoiled boy he was too, his uncles always buying him presents at every opportunity.
Yasha watched from a few seats away as her aunty's eyes seemed to droop tiredly, deaf to the sound of Kai calling after Alkanet in the distance. Seeing that Mariam needed to lie down, Yasha plodded into the kitchen, finding Spencer at the side washing the dishes. She pulled on his trousers and trotted back into the living room, her father close behind. Spencer gave Yasha a praising pat on the head and shifted Mariam into a lying position, being careful not to disturb the sleeping boy in her arms. With that done he returned to the kitchen. Yasha waddled over to a radiator and tugged a warm blanket off the rack, covering Mariam as best she could with her tiny arms.
Alkanet sped through the room, a streak of white trailing in her wake as she cackled with delight. Kai came tumbling down the stairs soon after, landing in a crumpled heap at the bottom, grumbling curses under his breath. A faint call of Unca from the sofa drew crimson eyes to the speaker. Seeing Mariam soundly asleep caused Kai to melt inside. He stepped quietly over to the couch and planted a soft kiss to Mariam's forehead. A news report interrupted the show Yasha had been watching, the host's words freezing Kai in his tracks.
Mariah Wong had been found dead a few days ago.
Tala strode into the house with Ian beside him clad in winter coats, confused by the sight of Kai standing still as a statue. Just as they peered around him to look at the TV a loud crash came from the kitchen scaring Yasha into screaming in fright. Everything took a moment to sink in but once it had, Tala rushed to where he'd heard something smashing. Spencer was on his knees by the sink, a broken cup mere inches away, his face drained of all colour. Tala pulled the sensitive blonde into his arms hastily, slowly rocking to and fro all while telling him it wasn't his fault, knowing that he'd be blaming himself for not doing enough to help find Mariah. Ian joined the embrace for extra support.
While none of the boys knew Mariah very well it still pained them to hear of her passing. Alkanet plodded into the living room wondering what all the fuss was about, giving Kai the opportunity to snatch his scarf back. He wondered for a moment if the media was pulling a cruel prank, but a message arriving from Kenny proved it real.
Mariam came around from her slumber an hour later, immediately confused by the sight of grieving before her eyes. Kai didn't say much, only that they had to go home and pack some bags for an emergency trip to China. Once they were gone everything fell eerily quiet. Ian went to pack what he'd need first, giving Tala the much needed time to console Spencer.
By early evening everyone was ready to go. Far as Alkanet and Yasha knew, nothing was wrong and the trip was a spur of the moment holiday. Kai had arranged the flight to China and back, giving them enough time to stay for the funeral with a day or so afterward allowing for recovery. Time seemed to pass with painful slowness in Spencer's eyes. He couldn't sleep without being taunted in his dreams for something beyond his control and reading required focus that seemed elusive. Listening to music didn't help matters either. Tala and the others worried for Spencer's mental health with how badly he was taking everything at present. Alkanet and Yasha did their best to comfort their giant of a father, cuddling him lovingly as they slept the journey away.
Blinding sunlight greeted the group when they vacated the jet in Beijing the following morning. Looking around the airport, Tala couldn't see any other teams arriving, wondering for a moment if they were the first ones to touch down. His suspicion was confirmed when Kai explained that he'd got them there before anybody else so that Spencer could get closure. Tala couldn't think what his boyfriend could need closure for until he remembered the possibility of Alkanet and Yasha being Mariah's daughters. Mariam still didn't know why they were in China let alone for an emergency trip out of Russia. Kai had purposefully kept her in the dark, not wanting the fuss of his entire family grieving until it was time.
A guide took them out of the city suburbs and into the vast Asian wilderness. The reason for their visit was temporarily pushed aside by the sheer beauty of rolling hills and paddy fields. Ian got a few pictures of the landscape both on its own and with the others in view, hoping that he could keep Spencer distracted. So far the green eyed blonde appeared calm, but for how long? By a stroke of luck, a farmer from White Tiger Hills was heading back to the village after selling their stock in town, offering the outsiders to ride in his cart. With transport secured, Kai dismissed the guide, a fair sum of money in their hand. Alkanet and Yasha happily pointed out various wildlife as the cart trundled along the dirt path.
As they crested a hill, the village came into view. Tala, Spencer and Ian had no idea what to expect but a village devoid of technology wasn't it. People bustled about the muddy streets going about their daily lives. While her husband and brothers unloaded their luggage, Mariam thanked the farmer for giving them a lift. He tipped his hat in response and spurred the oxen attached to the cart forward once it was empty. Tugging Mariam close to his waist, Kai wondered where they'd start looking for Ray, not knowing if his former teammate would be working the fields or training to be the next elder.
Tala and Spencer kept a firm grip on the twins so they didn't run off and cause mischief. The search for a familiar face didn't take long as Ray strode out of a building carrying a bag full of what looked to be groceries. He hadn't seen the group so Kai punished him for it by clearing his throat loudly. Ray's reaction had the girls cackling. "KYAAA! What are you doing here?!"
Ian couldn't stop himself from sniggering until Tala made him eat dirt causing Mariam to roll her eyes. Alkanet being the little sadist she was found it hilarious. Ray however was quite concerned for Ian's life…until the midget gave him the thumbs up to say he was fine. Ray was taken a few steps away and the situation explained so not to upset Spencer ahead of time. While the giant needing closure confounded Kai's former teammate he agreed to let Spencer see the body, leading them all to where Mariah's corpse waited to be buried. Ray peered inside, spying Lee snoozing at the far end. Spencer didn't know what to expect as he slipped through the door, eyes locking onto a shock of pink hair to the left.
Ray stood close by, keeping a watchful eye on his teammate in case he woke up. Mariah looked so peaceful with her eyes closed softly, giving off the appearance of sleeping. But when Spencer touched her cheek she was ice cold and for a moment it frightened him. He whispered quietly to her in Russian leaving Ray to wonder what was being said but felt it impolite to ask. Ray's heart leapt into his mouth when Spencer spoke to him but kept his voice low.
"How did she die? Has a cause of death been determined?"
Ray swallowed hard as he nodded, gold eyes showing pain. "The coroner has ruled it as murder. Whoever kidnapped Mariah tortured her viciously. But that's not even the worst of it. Mariah was pregnant when her life ended, about four months. Lee doesn't know this but Mariah's body shows sign of childbirth but we've been unable to figure out where the child might be or how old they are."
That final sentence drove everything home in Spencer's mind, his legs almost buckling under him. Lee shuffling in the background urged Ray to kindly push Spencer out the door. Alkanet latched straight onto Spencer's neck when he crashed to the floor at Tala's feet. Ray gestured for Kai to follow him, his facial expression portraying concern. While they were off muttering, Tala confronted Spencer about what he'd learned. Hearing that Mariah had bore a child before her death was certainly concerning.
Once Kai had been debriefed, Ray took everyone to his house, saying they could use the bunk beds in the spare room. Mathilda wasn't home, leaving him to wonder where she'd gone having left her in the comfort of a roomy kitchen. Despite Kai's mild protest, Mariam insisted she help in Mathilda's stead making Ray go a cute shade of pink. This of course meant Kai had no choice but to hold his year old son with Ian, Tala and Spencer busy getting some sleep. Ray returned after packing the groceries into their rightful places, confused as to why his former captain held the infant as far away from his face as possible but the look on Kai's face was plenty funny. An hour passed and there was still no sign of Mathilda.
Worried, Ray took to the streets, Spencer and co hot on his heels. Just in case they'd forgotten what she looked like, Spencer, Tala and Ian were shown a picture of Mathilda. Alkanet and Yasha plodded up the streets wide eyed to the sight of unfamiliar foods and items. Ian being the loving uncle he was promised to get the girls something from the market another time. Striking up a conversation with Ray proved impossible as all his attention was focussed on finding his missing missus.
Just as a mop of baby pink hair came into view, Alkanet started screaming and trying to climb Spencer's leg. Thinking the tot was hurt, Spencer crouched down and scooped her into his arms all while muttering soothing words in his native tongue. Ray grew concerned when four pairs of eyebrows dipped into angry frowns to Alkanet's sobbed reply. No amount of kisses and back rubs could calm her down. Ray meekly stepped forward until sharp lavender eyes locked onto him. Seeing it was only a friend, Tala calmed down a little.
"I don't mean to intrude, Tala, but what's going on? Is your daughter hurt?"
Glancing briefly to Spencer, Tala received a nod, giving him permission to explain why Alkanet was so distressed. "Two years ago, shortly before Christmas, somebody broke into our house and tried to kidnap Alkanet. Possibly Yasha as well. Unfortunately neither Bryan nor our local police force were able to find the swine and the hunt was called off. Alkanet caught wind of his scent somewhere up the road and now she's terrified."
"Poor thing. Rest assured she'll be safe here. I won't let anybody touch even a hair on her head or Yasha's if I don't recognise them."
It comforted Tala to have Ray's support, turning his eyes back to the street, relief washing over him at the sight of Bryan heading their way with Max and Charlotte tagging along. Soon as her feet touched the ground, Alkanet sped towards her lavender haired uncle. Bryan leaping onto his back caused Max to stagger and almost drop the bags he was holding, Charlotte cackling to the look of surprise on her brother's face. Bryan abandoned his perch when it became clear Alkanet wasn't going to torment him, hefting the pinkette into his muscular arms for the comfort she craved from him.
"What's all this about, eh? Uncle Ian being a bully again?"
Said midget puffed up at the accusation, Spencer coming to his defence. Bryan certainly wasn't amused to hear that the kidnapper could be close by. Yasha wanted to be cuddled too, mildly upset by her sister's distress. Seeing the look of curiosity in Ray's eyes, Ian muttered to him that Bryan had moved to America so he could be with his boyfriend more often causing the Neko-Jin to pale slightly.
Bryan being gay wasn't really much of a surprise but hearing that Max was the falcon master's boyfriend was more than a little shocking. But if they were happy it wasn't Ray's place to interfere. Everyone looked to the White Tiger captain when he leapt for the heavens shrieking in fright, Mathilda chuckling behind him.
"Sorry honey I thought you'd hear me coming."
Ray heaved a weary sigh, shoulders sagging. "You guys can't keep scaring me like that. It's not funny. Anyway, where'd you run off to so suddenly? I was worried upon finding the house empty."
There was a look of guilt in Mathilda's eyes as she huddled closer to Ray, relaxing to the feel of his arms around her.
"I didn't plan on being gone so long. Mei needed some help calming her little one down and nobody else was available."
Pulling away from Ray, Mathilda saw the others, knowing right away why they'd appeared unannounced. Kai had mentioned that Mariam didn't know what was going so Ray made sure his pretty little wife didn't say anything by drawing attention to the white bundle in her arms.
Noticing eyes on her, Mathilda's cheeks turned rosy pink just like her hair. Spencer had to admit, the petite pinkette was incredibly adorable when she blushed. Mumbling told everyone the infant cradled in Mathilda's loving arms had just been roused from its nap. As Ray scooped the disgruntled child into his arms, the blanket slipped, revealing a mop of rosy pink hair and slightly reddened cheeks.
Big gold eyes stared at their surroundings…until Bryan came into view. Every head within several feet snapped toward the screaming tot as Ray tried to calm them down. Bryan however grumbled and rubbed his aching head, ignoring Yasha tugging on his fingertips.
"I know I'm jetlagged but surely I can't look that terrifying."
"Then go find a mirror, Bryan."
If looks could kill Ian would be dead with the glare directed at him. Luckily for the bluenette midget, Max was able to keep Bryan from killing him.
"Come on now." Max chimed, keeping a secure hold of Bryan's hand all while hoping nobody would notice. "Let's all act our age shall we? And Bryan, you should know by now that 90% of the infants we meet scream blue murder upon seeing your face. Kids just don't like you, it's that simple."
Bryan grumbled something under his breath about the feeling being mutual, earning him a clout from Spencer. Charlotte hugged her foreign uncles lovingly, though Kai was obviously not amused to be near yet another child. She hadn't yet met Kai and Mariam's son, squealing at the very sight of his chubby, rosy cheeks.
Mathilda hadn't noticed the little boy in Mariam's arms until Charlotte made a fuss of him, relieved to have another mother in the village who wasn't native. She never really voiced it to Ray, but Mathilda always felt somewhat isolated among the local women due to not being born in the village despite how welcoming they were of her. Ray took Charlotte's reaction to Kai Jr as the go sign to properly introduce his daughter.
"Well guys." He started, shifting the baby girl so she could get a bit more comfortable. "This pretty little Princess is our daughter, Rin. I don't believe I've been introduced to your little Prince yet, Mariam."
It was Mariam's turn to blush, hiding her face in Kai's coat, earning her a soothing back rub from him. The rest of the family chuckled light heartedly at Mariam's embarrassment.
Rather than hold the street up, Ray took everyone back to his cottage where Mathilda entered autopilot with Rin nestled in a sling across her chest. It wasn't long before Spencer and co had cups of tea and the children some refreshing fruit juice. Ray stirred up the nearby fire a little as it was a smudge cold in the room despite the sun being high. Mariam would've finally introduced her and Kai's little boy once Mathilda returned but he just had to go and start wailing.
The volume and pitch sent Kai half way across the room fearing for his eardrums. Ray had to admit, the little tyke had some lungs on him. Rin's cries were nowhere near as loud unless she was really desperate for something. Mathilda read the panicked expression on Mariam's face, taking her out of the room without a word leaving the men speechless. Mariam was led to what she assumed was the main bedroom of the cottage. She felt strangely relaxed there regardless of it clearly being another man's domain.
"Don't worry Mariam. Ray knows I only leave his side for two reasons when he's home. That's if Rin needs changing or feeding. And your little stud looks hungry from where I'm standing. Don't be shy, we're both big girls."
Mathilda's coaxing had been kind but it did little to ease Mariam's nervousness. Thinking it might help the taller bluenette to relax, Mathilda locked the bedroom door so nobody could get in. The room being secured certainly seemed to help as Mariam shrugged her shirt aside. Why was she so nervous? It wasn't uncommon for Mariam to openly nurse in front of her brothers. Was it due to not knowing Ray too well? Being in a foreign country perhaps? Mathilda could tell Mariam was starting to over-think things, reaching out her spare hand to give Mariam's shoulder a reassuring squeeze.
"Deep breaths girl. Nobody is gonna judge you for nursing for more than 6 months here. Most mothers in the village tend to nurse their children until they're 3 years old from what I've seen. It's better for both mom and baby that way."
Mariam smiled, relieved to hear she wouldn't be as isolated as she originally thought, stroking her son's cheek lovingly as he sucked away in his own little world.
At Mathilda's insistence, everyone went for a tour of the village. So that the twins didn't try running off to cause trouble, they were in a double seated stroller driven by Tala so Spencer could actually enjoy some time out. Ray got called away shortly into the trip by Kevin for some urgent matter or another. While Kai didn't remember Kevin too well, he had to admit the kid sure did grow up.
Much like Kenny, the shortest member of the White Tigers was now the same height as his teammates not to mention handsome. As they walked, Mathilda filled the guys and Mariam in on what they'd missed. After all, Ray kept in better touch with his friends than a certain crimson eyed scrooge. She even jabbed fun at him for it but understood that Kai was just a busy man what with having a multi billion enterprise to run.
"Hey guys!"
Everyone turned away from a stall they'd stopped to ogle at, seeing Ray merrily striding over to them with a broad wave but he wasn't alone. At Ray's side was a mysterious fellow donning a Brooklyn type of smile. The newcomer was easy on the eyes and stood at about 5'04" tall. Naturally wavy peach-cream hair flowed to his mid back, copper bronze eyes speaking of entrancing untold tales. Besides his eyes, the first thing most noticed about him was his strong chin and slim build. Yet the sparse freckles upon his sun-kissed cheeks gave him a "boy next door" look.
"This is Nuham Luang." Ray provided while also gesturing with a flat open hand. "He's an old family friend. Master Tao's oldest great grandson."
Nahum gave a partial wave that flowed seamlessly into a graceful bow. "Nice to meet you all. I'm truly honoured to meet you in particular, Mr. Hiwatari."
While everyone else took to Nahum like they'd known him for years, Kai and Bryan both took a step back…only to be urged forward by Spencer. "Play nice." Grumbled the jet-lagged giant, not wanting any bad vibes to upset the twins. Reluctantly, Bryan offered his hand to Nahum, squeezing hard when their palms touched. He hastily returned to Max's side afterward.
Kai's reaction was no better. He didn't give Nahum chance to get a good grip before he recoiled and slinked off to his usual spot at the rear of the group. Mariam gave her shaken husband a supportive one-armed hug and kissed his cheek while nobody looked, earning her one in return.
"You dress like Tao, too. Oranges, whites and beiges. They suit you."
Max chimed, being the last to shake Nahum's hand. Bryan kept close but still maintained a comfortable distance from the new guy. Kai wasn't blind to the subtle smirk upon Nahum's lips when his coppery eyes wandered onto Alkanet and Yasha. Tala seemed to read Kai's thoughts, stepping purposefully in front of his daughters to protect them.
"Oh Nahuuuuum!"
The coloured drained from called man's face moments before he bounced forward with a shriek of surprise, a hand hastily moving to his buttock where'd he'd apparently just been slapped. Turning around, Nahum saw his lecherous child of a great grandfather grinning like a Cheshire cat. Ray snuck behind Spencer, hoping his hyperactive mentor hadn't spotted him.
"Grandfather Tao, what in the world are you doing out here?"
Nahum inquired, secretly wanting to throw the tiny old man into the nearby lake to sleep with the fishes.
"I've come to ask you why there are women's clothes in your closet." Tao proclaimed, not missing a beat as he continued to bounce on the spot before the small crowd.
Nahum's face went bright scarlet, stammering as he tried to come up with a believable excuse. "W-w-well…uh…I…"
"Don't be so shy m'boy." Tao roared. "So you like to cross dress. We still love you all the same."
Copper brown orbs darted frantically at each person in the group, dreading what they must all be thinking. "Um…y-yes that's exactly it." Nahum hissed out between clenched teeth. He gave Tao a grin, wanting now to launch him off a sheer cliff. "You've found me out grandfather. I was just too terrified to tell you all."
Nahum made himself scarce after that, leaving nary a trace that he'd even moved. Tao thought nothing of his grandson's eccentricities, musing that the young adult really was just like him in his youth. Seeing that it was almost dinner time, Tao escorted Kai and co back to Ray's home while the Driger wielder hung back with Tala.
"I know you might not want to hear this Ray, and I'm sorry. But my instinct is telling me that Nahum had something to do with Mariah going M.I.A."
Tala was right about one thing. Ray didn't want reminding of the pain he'd suffered for 3 years. But did the wolf master have a point? Nahum had been a good friend to Ray growing up. There was simply no way he could've done something to jeopardise the once arranged betrothal of Mariah to Driger's master.
Identifying that Ray had no desire to indulge his gut instinct, Tala gave the twin seated stroller an urging shove. To try and divert his mind from the pain, Ray gave Tala a brief run down of the edible and inedible items that could be found within the village on the off chance he and the others wandered off on their own. He couldn't baby them every day after all. Arriving back at the house, Ray made a bee line for the kitchen to start preparing dinner once he made sure everybody was fine with a stir fry. Had Alkanet not distracted him with a hug, Spencer would've insisted he help to cook.
Mathilda, identifying that something had pushed Ray's buttons regarding a certain someone, delivered a pointed look towards Tala making the redhead squirm a little.
"And just what have you done to my husband? Did I not warn you how sensitive the situation is?"
"All I did was highlight a possible suspect, nothing more. Regardless of whether your man wants to hear it or not. I get that Nahum is Ray's friend, one he's had since childhood I'd imagine. But he didn't see the way Nahum looked at my daughters. Like a wounded animal had just been placed in front of him, ripe for the taking. It was brief, but I saw him stare at Rin the same way."
Mathilda paled at how Tala spoke of Nahum, suddenly feeling a little sick. To think that somebody she knew, and in some capacity, trusted, looked at her daughter the way Tala described was unbearable. Add to that the suspicion of Nahum having a hand in Mariah's disappearance, murder and possibly rape made Mathilda's blood run cold. For now, she convinced herself that maybe Tala was just being paranoid as the village was new to him.
Give the wolf a few days to settle and perhaps he'd feel different. Mathilda was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't notice somebody spying on her from the bushes outside, their metallic coloured eyes devouring every inch of her petite figure. Ray coming into view drove them away, his gold orbs lashed with concern for his family.
For the rest of the day things were a little tense in the cottage. When forced not only by Ray, but Spencer as well, Tala apologised half heartedly for what he'd said. But his gut instinct was rarely ever wrong about something.
In the dark of night, Tala couldn't sleep on the bunk situated above Spencer's. Truly, it sucked not being able to share a bed with the man he loved. Blissful slumber just would not come no matter how Tala tried. He was worried about that look he'd seen in Nahum's eyes, the smirk on his face when staring at the sisters. Tala thought to rouse Bryan and ask him if the kidnapper from two years ago looked like Nahum but decided against it. Disturbing the falcon master's sleep was hazardous to one's health and overall life expectancy. There had to be some way of proving or disproving Nahum's connection to Mariah's situation. If he didn't have a hand in any of it then they were back at square one.
Ray also found it difficult to sleep for the same reason. If he really thought about it, Nahum had acted somewhat strange around the time Mariah went missing. He was never in the village much after her disappearance according to many of the locals. And prior to her vanishing, Nahum seemed to always have his eyes on Mariah. Venturing back to his youth, Ray recalled that he and Nahum were both in competition for Mariah's affections. It was just a game though as they'd been mere children at the time.
But what if Nahum had taken it seriously? Was jealous or even angry that she was ordained to marry his childhood friend and not him? Rather than try to force himself to sleep, Ray went to make some chamomile tea. Upon hearing the sounds of somebody else struggling to drift off, he poured a second cup and sweetened it with some honey. Tala was confused by the offer but didn't refuse it.
Out in the woods, a hooded figure was busy digging a deep hole. Nearby sat an open box just big enough for a small child to have shuffling room. It wouldn't be long now, they mused. Soon he would have the very thing that had been denied. Once the hole was dug they vanished into the trees, following a trail down to the village.
And with that dark little cliff hanger, I'll leave ya'll to speculate who the cloaked figure is. It may or may not be obvious I dunno. I've tried to make it not obvious but meh. I'm easy to see through. Anywho, these updates won't write themselves.
Might have another new title uploaded in the near future along with updates to other works in progress.