Part Twenty-five: Ryan
"Why would Koenma want you to kill them?" Yoko asks.
"They were hired assassins and made it quite clear that they wanted Koenma dead. My brother and I were newly turned and decided that we would take this case. I don't think I ever had a week where I didn't sleep at all except during that time," Ani answers.
"So they had a son?"
"Yes, yes they did. I couldn't bear the thought of killing him so I told him to run…fast. He took my suggestion and fled like a bat out of hell."
"So, now he wants to punish you for doing that AND he wants to get revenge on Yoko for spurning him and Kuronue for being Yoko's lover? Man, why can't anyone have a decent reason for going on rampages?" Kuwabara grumbles.
"Because that would involve the person in question being decent, which often is NOT the case with demons," Oto responds.
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Koenma sighs as he goes through more stacks of papers. He really hated all this work, but it came with his job. He picks up a bound book hidden under some papers. 'Might as well find out about the man behind the money,' he thinks. He had been putting off looking through Sakyo's personal items but he knew it had to be done incase he had someone else waiting in the wings to try and destroy of the human race. He opens it and begins to read.
Most of it was inane ramblings made by a man who was obviously very twisted, but a passage catches his eyes. He reads it once, twice, and a third time before it finally sinks in just what it is he's reading. 'He already HAD a child?' he thinks in shock, 'What the hell? How could I have missed…he didn't know. Oh dear, this complicates things.' He closes the book and rubs his temples. Ani had a son…a three-year-old half-demon son named Ryan. He had had this child three weeks before the Dark Tournament but hadn't remembered anything…including the fact that Sakyo had gotten him pregnant. The child was now three. Koenma decides he'd better find him before someone else did and did something horrible to him…if they hadn't already.
To his delight, he finds that Ryan is safe in an orphanage. The child obviously takes after his mother as he is very delicate and small with black hair and large almond eyes the same golden as Ani's. The child was undeniably cute. "Botan!" he calls as he continues watching the small boy.
"Yes, Koenma, sir?" the blue-haired reaper chirps as she enters.
"I need you to go to an orphanage and bring me a child," he tells her.
"Is the child dead?"
"No, he's very much alive."
"Then why do you want him?"
"Because he's the son of Sakyo and Ani Toguro!"
"What? I thought Ani was pregnant by Kuwabara."
"Yes, but it seems Sakyo got him pregnant before the Dark Tournament. Ani doesn't know because Sakyo had all his memories of that incident erased."
"Then why do you want the child?"
"Because I want to place Ryan back with his mother."
"Wouldn't that be a recipe for disaster?"
"Botan, just go and get him!"
Botan recognizes the prince's tone and immediately salutes before all but racing out of the door. Koenma sighs and gets a piece of paper and a pen. He was going to have to write a note to Ani to explain this. He isn't too sure if the smaller demon will be able to take the news but that really wasn't his problem.
Botan sighs as she arrives at the orphanage. She is worried about the effects such a revelation will have not only on Ani but on Kuwabara as well. 'I hope you two can get through this,' she thinks, 'I really hope you can work this one out.' Taking a deep breath to compose herself, she heads inside to see if she could easily get Ryan out of there without having to resort to using her oar. The minute she sees the child, though, her heart absolutely melts. 'I'll say this, any child of Ani is going to be cute,' she thinks walking over to where the owner is sitting. "Umm, excuse me, sir, but I was wondering if anyone had spoken for that cute little angel in the corner," she says pointing at Ryan. The man looks at him and then back at her.
"Lady, no one wants to go near that one. He's too small. If you want him, you can take him," he answers in an almost bored tone, "It's no skin off my back."
Botan bristles at his tone but remains courteous. "I do want him," she tells him.
"Then just take him. He's not worth anything." Botan thanks the man though deep down she's imagining all the ways Ani would torture the idiot if he ever heard that. She walks over to Ryan and stoops down beside him.
"Hello, sweetheart," she says. The child looks up at her from where he's playing with a car, his large golden eyes making him look so sweetly innocent.
"Hi," he says shyly with a timid smile.
"I was sent here to get you so that you could be given back to your mommy," she tells him. He looks at her.
"My mommy?" he asks.
"Yes, I am here to take you to a nice young man who is going to take you to your mommy. Would you like that?" Ryan nods and Botan gently picks him up. He was so light and fragile-looking that it wasn't hard to believe that he was Ani's son. She walks out the door with him before summoning her oar in her other hand. "Have you ever wanted to fly, Ryan?" she asks.
"Yeah, lotsa times but I can't."
"Well, you can now. Hold on tightly to me," she says as she sits on her oar. The minute it starts rising Ryan starts giggling and enjoying himself immensely. Botan smiles. 'You deserve the best, little one,' she thinks, 'and somehow I know that the best includes your biological mother.'
Botan arrives with the giggling child and brings him to Koenma. "Here you go, one sweet little Toguro," she announces. Koenma, who is in his teenage form, looks at him. He can't help the soft smile when he sees him. 'Well, I can say this for Ani, his kids are going to be cute,' he thinks.
"Thank you, Botan. You didn't have much trouble getting him out, did you?"
"No, I actually got him without doing anything at all. Seems no one wanted to deal with such a fragile-looking child. Their loss."
"Well, maybe not. He is half-demon. When he grows up he'll have abilities that normal people won't be able to handle," Koenma tells her.
"Huh?" Ryan asks looking sweetly confused.
"Don't worry about it, little-one, your mother will tell you when you're older," Koenma tells him. He picks up an envelope from his desk before walking over and taking Ryan. "Speaking of your, mom, let's go surprise him."
"Him?" Now Ryan is even more confused.
"Yes, him. Your mom is a male," Koenma answers.
"Oh," Ryan says taking it in stride.
"Obviously, he takes after Ani well," Botan remarks. Koenma nods.
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When the doorbell rings, it startles everyone. "I'll get it," Oto says
recovering almost instantly. He heads to the foyer rather confident that it wasn't their enemy because if the demon was intelligent, which it seemed he was, he wouldn't ring the doorbell. He opens the door to find…Koenma. "What do you want?" he asks before seeing the small child in the prince's arms. Even he can guess as to part of his parentage and his brown eyes widen.
"Oto, meet your nephew Ryan. Ryan, this is your uncle Oto. Your mom is his brother," Koenma says.
"Hi," Ryan greets smiling sweetly at him.
"Hello," Oto says faintly looking from him to Koenma and back.
"The note should answer all Ani's questions. If not then have Kuwabara call me," the prince says before gently depositing Ryan in his arms, handing him the note, and disappearing without another word or waiting for him to speak. Oto looks down at the small child in his arms.
"Well, let's go and talk to your…mother," he says after a moment of looking like a fish out of water. Ryan giggles. 'This isn't good…why would my brother have had a child and not tell me about it? Who's the father of this one?' he wonders as he heads back into the living room.
"Brother who was at the do…" Ani stops mid-sentence as he sees the young boy cradled in the crook of one of his brother's arms.
"I am hoping that you can explain to me why it is that you had a child and never said a word," Oto says making an effort to stay calm.
"But I haven't," Ani answers looking honestly confused. Oto hands him the letter and looks at him. Wondering what the hell is going on, he opens it to read the note.
Ani,
This will probably be a very big shock for you but the child I have sent is yours. Three weeks before the Dark Tournament you gave birth to a son who was christened Ryan. The father, however, erased all your memories of these events as well as the encounter that lead to your pregnancy. The father of the child is the late Sakyo. I discovered this when I read his journal. I don't know whatelse to tell you but I sincerely hope that you take in your son.
Koenma
Ani's eyes widen to the size of saucers as he reads it. "Oh. My. God," he breathes, "How could he have…oh gods!"
"Brother?" Oto asks worriedly.
"He's my son because of Sakyo. He was born a few weeks prior to the Dark Tournament," Ani says softly, "He then erased my memories of all of this."
"Wait, so you're telling me that you don't remember getting pregnant by Sakyo?" Oto asks.
"Yes, yes I am…how could this have happened…I don't understand."
"Well, you can worry about that later. Right now, let's deal with what we are going to do about Ryan," Oto says. Ani nods before walking up to him. Oto gently deposits Ryan into his arms.
"Hello, Ryan," Ani says softly. The child smiles.
"Are you my mommy?" he asks.
"Yes, I am your mother," the demon answers, "and you are extremely cute." Ryan giggles at this and Ani can't help but smile. Then he turns to see Kuwabara standing there looking at him and suddenly worries about the carrot-top's reaction.
"Well, welcome to the family, Ryan," he says. Ryan looks at him curiously. "I'm your mom's…boyfriend." Ani feels relief flood through him as he realizes that the carrot-top was making an attempt to accept this.