A/N: Thanks to everybody again for reviewing my story!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Summary: Tala is adopted into a loving home, starting a new life but he had to his friends behind. It's not quite often blessings come in disguises but in this case, it's more than a blessing; it's a gift.

Chapter 6: Yuri Ivanov

How… humiliating. I ran a hand through my hair, locking eyes with my reflection, scanning up and down my lanky body frame. Underneath my eyes were hideous half circles. It didn't help when all night, I cried like a lost toddler in the department store. Ugh. How embarrassing to reveal my softer side to Inessa. Ahem, my tough image was now ruined. Clearing my throat, I caught a good sized puddle from the running tap, splashing it onto my face several times as to wash away my sins. I looked like hell and there was no way I'm going to allow to rest of my family to see me in my pathetic condition. Truth be told, I was still a bit depressed but I had to place a lid on my feelings for now; I didn't want to expose anything more troubling them.

I arrived in the living room as my blue eyes met up with Gregori's green ones. He shifted his glasses motioning me to sit. He scanned me from head to toe questioning if I was alright. I smiled weakly reassuring I was okay; slightly shaken but okay nonetheless. Inessa probably told him everything.

"You're up late," Gregori said.

I rubbed the back of my head, "Y-Yeah. Sorry I missed breakfast… dad."

Gregori shook his head, "It's fine. Inessa told me everything. Are you feeling okay?"

"Better." I wasn't going to tell him I still felt like crap. I couldn't help but notice Gregori held some important documents. Curiously I asked, "What are those?"

"Ah," he moved his eyes to them. "Documents from the adoption agency."

"Oh, I thought those papers were done."

"That's what I thought but the agency is nitpicky about small little things," Gregori sighed, removing his glasses, cleaning them with his sleeve. "All we wanted was a son but instead we got papers."

I couldn't help but laugh. Who knew? "Are there any documents that I should sign in the stack of questionable doom?"

Gregori smiled and nodded, "Indeed." He scanned through the sheets carefully until one caught his eye. Quite confused he said, "I didn't know you had another name: Yuri."

Sudden chills slid down my spine. Just the mere mention of 'Yuri' sent me down bad memory lane. I quickly shook my head. Without thinking, I snatched the document away. I ran out the hall, stormed upstairs and slammed my room shut. With the door securely sealed behind me, I walked to the window with eyes scanning the document.

"Yuri…" I said aloud my eyes fixed onto the cursed name. "Yuri…"

I've got a confession to make; my first name was Yuri. I was Yuri Ivanov. It was my father who named me. My father was once a kind soul, the man I looked up to and the man I wanted to become. I always thought I had the perfect family, y'know, with loving parents who cherished me more than treasure. I closed my eyes briefly walking down memory lane. Ah yes, I remember the sound of footsteps at the front door. When the door opened, I ran slamming into my father as he picked me up, ruffling my hair with his hand. My mother exited from the kitchen with a pot in her arm smiling at both of us. She couldn't be happier.

"Yuri! Do you have good news for me?"

"Yeah!" I replied. "I got first in class again!"

The corner of my mouth slightly tweaked into a weak smile.

"That's great, Yuri! That's my boy!"

He'd always say that. He was so proud of me and I was really blessed to have a father such as him. Everything was picture perfect. I wonder what went wrong. I opened my eyes. I remember now.

I stood there in my old house looking around the living room. My eyes moved to the large grandfather clock in the corner of the room; it was close to midnight.

Any moment now…

The door exploded with the body of my father stumbling through spilling beer onto the wooden floor. He leaned dangerously to the right with his hand pushing my great-grandmother's antique vase. He went drinking with his friends… again. I turned my head away. I remembered he began drinking right after he was dismissed from the military. Night after night he came home drunk to the core, smelling like garbage. How repulsive, I thought with narrowed eyes.

The sound of running footsteps caught my attention. I turned my head toward the wooden stairs hidden behind the corner. My mother, my beautiful mother ran down screaming at the top of her lungs, "You! You have the nerve to come home drunk again!" Of course my father at the time couldn't care less what my mother said. Instead he raised his fist against her beautifully sculpted face and—

"Bastard…" I clutched my fists tightly, digging my nails into the palm of my hand. "You had everything and you threw it all away!"

"Who threw what away?"

I snapped my head to the door; Calina peeked around the doorframe with a large rabbit plush in her arm. I immediately softened my death glare, quickly massaging the bridge of my nose and crouched down, getting to her level. The little girl squealed, quickly rushing to me with arms wrapped around my neck. I couldn't help but to smile whenever Calina was around; she was a little bundle of sunshine.

"And what is little Calina doing here?" I asked changing the subject.

"Calina wants to know what Tala is up to!" she said brightly.

I hid the documents in my back pocket, "Tala is staring into space. Not so exciting, huh?"

Calina looked at me with her gorgeous maroon orbs, "Tala lies! Tala was looking at something and Calina wants to know!"

Busted. I sighed. I'll make note to remove some details as I didn't want to corrupt her innocent mind.

"Come,"

I lead her to my bed, picking her up and placed her next to me. I wonder if it was a good idea to tell her about—

"So why is Tala sad?"

She caught me by surprise. Okay, how was I going to respond to this? I cleared my throat, shaking my head. I hate, I mean, I hate it when people figure out my emotions. Thinking of the right words to use for a six year old, Calina tilted her head, awaiting my response.

"Tala… I thought if you have something on your mind, you should speak your mind."

Okay, maybe she's not as simple as I thought.

"I'm sad because things from my past hurt me,"

"Why?"

I stared deep into her eyes and sighed, "I knew some people in the past that made my life miserable."

Calina's brows furrowed, scrunching her noses. "Mean people!"

"Indeed."

I watched Calina shuffle closer to me, "Do they still hurt you?"

"Somewhat,"

Calina looked at me trying to read my thoughts. She scrunched her nose again and this time, she shoved her large rabbit plush to me.

"You know, when I feel sad I always talk to Mr. Rabbit about it," she inched closer picking up my hands to hug the toy. "Go on."

I met eye to eye with Mr. Rabbit. Calina watched me intently. What was I supposed to say with Calina around let alone, me talking to an inanimate object? Ugh, this was not working; I felt like going through therapy sessions all over again.

I breathed, "Long time ago, I was known as someone else. I was known as Yuri Ivanov. I was like every other child: happy, living in a loving home and having the perfect life…"

I stopped. Perfect. Nothing was perfect. I didn't want to continue. I didn't want Calina to hear anything more. I was afraid. I was afraid things that were locked behind steel locks would explode out into the open. I wasn't willing to let that happen. I smiled weakly, returning the toy to Calina, pushing myself off the bed heading toward the window. I immediately pressed my forehead up against the cold, clear window and breathed. Deep within me I was struggling to contain my emotions. On one hand, one side of me told me to speak my mind while the other told me to keep things behind lock and key. All these memories mean nothing! I never realized as I balled my fists so tight, my nails broke skin. A trail of red liquid seeped through the cracks on my palm making their way down onto the carpet which was once mixed with crimson wine.

"Memories…"

Why do they suddenly hurt so much? Why does the past seem to hold on to me, as if trying to suffocate me? Flashes of my past erupted one by one sending me spiraling out of control into oblivion. There, in the far distance I saw an image of my father brutally disfiguring my mother's beautiful face. The screams pierced the darkness followed by laughter only a maniac could produce from the darkness of his heart. Red liquid spilled across the cold, black marbled floor…

"Goodbye… Yuri. Mommy loves you… Stay strong. Never give… up."

Another flash of light blinded me. With my eyes once again opened I was in my previous self back when I was fourteen. I was a monster. I was nothing more than a machine, programmed to destroy. I did what I was told without question until that faithful day…

"Friends…?"

Memories flooded my mind taking me back to the most recent memory: my departure. I remember it was clear as day walking into the light leaving my friends behind. I knew it wasn't the end. I knew it wasn't goodbye; I said it myself. But… the feelings inside me were about to burst. My memories took me back to when my friends told me one of them was going next? Who? Who was it?

"W-Why is everything coming to me now?" I screamed aloud clutching my hair tightly, shaking my head hoping to regain some sense. "All these memories mean nothing!"

"YURI!"

My eyes snapped open. Around me was darkness with snow falling from the sky. Where was I?

"Hello Yuri."

"M-Mom?"

I knew it was my mom. It wasn't Inessa; it was my mom. Turning to the left, a spotlight lit up. Beneath the warm, golden glow of the spotlight was my mother, my beautiful mother. Her blue eyes stared into my soul, reading my every thought and emotion. She stepped forward with arms extended and wrapped around me. So…warm. It felt oddly familiar.

"Through dark times, you can't allow memories of your past to consume you," she spoke quietly stroking my back.

I couldn't move; I was frozen to the spot. My arms refused to lift themselves to embrace my dear mother. I never realized how much I've missed her…

"You've been through so much, my son."

"You have no idea."

She pushed me an arm's length away holding me firmly by my arms. She stared into my blue eyes. "But you kept on going forward even though at times you wanted to give up."

"…"

"So," she said to me with a smile, stroking my cheek with her warm fingers. "I think it's time for me to go now. Your family is waiting for you. But always remember Yuri, I'll always be watching over you."

My eyes snapped open. My eyes met with Gregori and Calina's eyes, both fixed onto mine. A hand suddenly grazed my forehead.

"Welcome back," it was Inessa's soft voice. I slowly pushed myself up into a sitting position facing my family. "How are you feeling? We rushed here the moment Calina told us you collapsed!"

"Are you sick?" Gregori asked placing a hand on my forehead to determine whether I was ill.

Removing his hand I responded, shaking my head. "I'm fine."

Calina immediately threw herself into my arms burying her face into my chest. I heard sniffling. "Calina was scared! I thought something happened to you and you wouldn't wake up!"

Now I feel terrible. Not only did these kind folks were nice enough to adopt me and in return I gave them problems. Some son I was. I stroked my fingers through Calina's brown hair reassuring her I was fine. She looked up with tear stained cheeks. I smiled weakly wiping away tears from the corner of her eyes. I looked to Inessa and Gregori.

"Sorry."

"Hey, it's alright." Gregori ruffled my hair. "As long as you're okay, we're okay. Although you did give us a big scare!"

"I thought you bumped your head against the window when you collapsed!" Inessa quickly pulled me into a hug with her hands cradling my face. She turned my head left, right, up and down examining for bumps. "Thank goodness you're alright!"

"Yes mom, I'm fine." I muttered with my face buried in her bosom. "I can't breathe."

"Oh!" she immediately released me.

All of us sat there in silence for at least ten minutes until Calina broke the silence by shoving Mr. Rabbit into my arms. Now there was no excuse; she demanded I tell Mr. Rabbit my troubles. I caved in; I picked up the toy. I stared into its black beady eyes and in defeat, I spoke.

"This is how everything begun…"

Later that evening, no Murin was down in the dining room at six o'clock. The dining room remained vacant with the sound of the fireplace crackling in its place, flames danced alongside shadows on the red brick wall. The Christmas tree to the right glowed brightly contending with any star in the sky with colors of blue, red, green and yellow alternating in small light crystals. Melodic hums filled the room as notes escaped through the gaps of the large door, up the staircases toward the last room on left. Inside the room lay four individuals huddled together, sleeping in pure silence with Mr. Rabbit centered in the arms of their son and daughter.