Sora had stared dumbly at the letter in his hand, reading the thing over and over until it set in. Almost immediately, he had packed his things, along with the twins and Nicole, and was swiftly off to see his mother in France. All she had mentioned in her letter that it was urgent that they come, the reason left unsaid. He never thought to question it. When his mother said something was urgent, that was all Sora ever needed to make his mind up. And with his family, he wasn't going to just leave them behind either. A day later found the three staring at their mother's France get-a-way, a scent of something lingering about. It was almost familiar, yet there was something also different about it. Did his mother have company?
It was not odd if she did, however; Sora pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind. Time was of the esscence. There was still no lead on where Shizuka was, and Sora was exhausting everything he had. He wanted to keep searching, however; his mother came first. Once they reached the doors, they were opened for them and the were escorted towards the main hall, causing Sora to stop in his tracks at the sight before him. He rubbed his eyes slightly, confusion written all over his face. There, sitting with his mother, was none other than her: Shizuka. He took a hestiant step towards her, his mouth open like a fish out of water.
"Shizuka?" he spoke softly, almost in a whisper, however; the red-head merely frowned at him. "Am I supposed to know you?" came the curt reply that stabbed at him like a hot knife. There was not a hint of sarcasm, no hint of playfulness. It was spoken with utter truth behind it. Shizuka turned towards Reiko, a confused brow raised before she was ushered out by the maids. "I don't understand," were the only words to escape Sora as he glanced from Nicole, to Hikaru, and finally, his mother.
Reiko sighed softly. She hadn’t meant for them to see Shizuka until she had explained everything. Casting her eyes over the three of them, she took a deep breath. There was hardly any trace visible of her own ordeal, but if one looked very closely, she was wearing concealer underneath each of her eyes, something that she never did, to hide the fact that they were red still from all the tears she’d spilled when he’d left. The last link to the life she’d once had, and a potential she’d never even seen.
But she was not the only one who’d lost someone, and so she’d picked herself up and made ready to welcome her children here. This was ultimately their story, their fate, and their decision to make. She only hoped that they could all come to an accord, though it was not likely to occur right away. “Come with me, please,” she said softly, her voice a little scratchier than usual. Turning, she led the three of them from the foyer, where the servants took their things, and into the library, but not her private study. She couldn’t quite bring herself to go there, yet. The lights were a deep blue, but they shed more than enough illumination to see by.
“Shizuka was taken to a facility,” she explained slowly, folding her hands demurely into her lap. “Her blood was taken for the purpose of creating more beings like her. The one you know as Esaias was created in a similar manner… from the blood of Hikaru’s biological mother and father.” She shot a glance at the son mentioned, but his face was stony and unreadable. She could feel his emotions all the same, a heady cocktail of confusion, anger, hurt, and that self-loathing that tinged everything about him. “When she was there… she was subjected to much, and endured much. I don't have the details, but… someone who cared about her managed to track her down and take her from there.”
She paused, gathering her resolve to speak. “He cast a… spell, is what one should call it. In order to erase the influence of the mark, to make it so that Esaias would never be able to find her or harm her again, her memories were erased. She does not remember any of you. The cost of the spell was the life of the caster, but he warned me that if she was in prolonged contact with you, it may eventually fail, and Shizuka would be faced with a choice: remember, and expose herself again to Esaias, or continue to forget, and be troubled always by the presence of those she once knew. I brought you here because this choice is not mine to make. The three of you matter more to her than anyone else does, and it must be your decision as well. Because you are the ones that will stand between her and Esaias if she does recall everything. I will do everything in my power to help, but I alone will not be sufficient if she remembers. You must decide what you wish to do, and then she must decide what she wants.”
Nicole was stunned. She had no idea what to make of this situation. And when Shizuka made it quite clear she had no idea who any of them were, something in her chest constricted. This was her friend, and she had no idea. A part of Nicole wanted nothing more than to break whatever spell it was, if only to have her friend back, but...it was not solely her decision. She had glanced sideways at Sora, but it was Hikaru she was truly worried about. Shizuka was their friend, but to Hikaru...
There was so much more, so much that Hikaru tried to deny. It broke her heart that now he had a reason to deny it, and she was afraid that he would take it. She had no desire to expose Shizuka to Esaias, she knew what it was like to be controlled against your will, but Nicole's tormentor was gone. Nicole suddenly felt like she was floating, so she threaded her arm through Sora's, grounding her. She didn't know what to do, and that scared her more than anything.
Sora glanced down at Nicole when she wrapped her arm around his before allowing his eyes to glance back to his mother. Erased? Her memories were erased? That explained why she didn't know them, however; something stung at the back of Sora's mind. Shizuka was his friend though, and to have her forget them, him, it was as if he were being stabbed multiple times with no release of death. His arm tightened subconsciously against Nicole's as he thought about the situation. They had taken her to a facility, taken her blood to create more like her, so what did that entail for them? Did they succeed in creating more like Shizuka? More like Esaias?
What if they did? What could they possibly be planning? More importantly, who were they? He shook those thoughts, placing them in a corner of his mind to be asked later. For now, their main priority was Shizuka. To keep her safe from Esaias, her memories were erased. For her to be safe, her memories must not return but...He couldn't let her live that way. If she ever found out, she would be furious with them all. He knew Shizuka, knew how she was and that was what was killing him on the inside. He had been friends with her since their second year in Cross Academy. She wasn't one to run from anything, and had always overcome any challenge she came to. Even when it came to Hikaru...he paused in his thoughts, glancing at his brother.
"Did this person mention how to remove the spell? We...we can't let her stay like this. She would hate us," he stated, emphasizing the last word while keeping his gaze on his brother. He knew the possibilities of her memories coming back, the danger she would be put in, but that was why they were here. Were they not friends? Were they not family?
“Truly, just being around the people who mattered to her may well bring the memories back,” Reiko replied sadly. Whether she was sorrowful for the choice that now lay before them or for what she foresaw the result to be was hard to say. Her eyes fell to her lap for a moment, then she looked back up at them. “But I do not know exactly how it will work. Perhaps she will be given the choice to remember or not, perhaps it shall simply come upon her, like the breaking of a dam. This is why you must carefully consider your actions. I will support you no matter what you do, but the three of you know her better than anyone.”
Hikaru, who had been eerily silent throughout the entire discussion thus far, stood abruptly. There was a tic in his jaw muscle from how hard he was clenching it, but his eyes still bore the familiar emptiness of the past months. “Then we should not be here,” he said stonily. “It is not for us to risk her life from sentimentality.” He crossed the room, and departed it without another word.
Reiko sighed. She’d honestly expected something like this, but not so soon. Turning to the other two, she regarded them with concern and maternal affection. “It is not an easy choice, and any path carries risk. Take as much time as you need, but I pray it is not too long—else the choice may make itself.”
It was not odd if she did, however; Sora pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind. Time was of the esscence. There was still no lead on where Shizuka was, and Sora was exhausting everything he had. He wanted to keep searching, however; his mother came first. Once they reached the doors, they were opened for them and the were escorted towards the main hall, causing Sora to stop in his tracks at the sight before him. He rubbed his eyes slightly, confusion written all over his face. There, sitting with his mother, was none other than her: Shizuka. He took a hestiant step towards her, his mouth open like a fish out of water.
"Shizuka?" he spoke softly, almost in a whisper, however; the red-head merely frowned at him. "Am I supposed to know you?" came the curt reply that stabbed at him like a hot knife. There was not a hint of sarcasm, no hint of playfulness. It was spoken with utter truth behind it. Shizuka turned towards Reiko, a confused brow raised before she was ushered out by the maids. "I don't understand," were the only words to escape Sora as he glanced from Nicole, to Hikaru, and finally, his mother.
Reiko sighed softly. She hadn’t meant for them to see Shizuka until she had explained everything. Casting her eyes over the three of them, she took a deep breath. There was hardly any trace visible of her own ordeal, but if one looked very closely, she was wearing concealer underneath each of her eyes, something that she never did, to hide the fact that they were red still from all the tears she’d spilled when he’d left. The last link to the life she’d once had, and a potential she’d never even seen.
But she was not the only one who’d lost someone, and so she’d picked herself up and made ready to welcome her children here. This was ultimately their story, their fate, and their decision to make. She only hoped that they could all come to an accord, though it was not likely to occur right away. “Come with me, please,” she said softly, her voice a little scratchier than usual. Turning, she led the three of them from the foyer, where the servants took their things, and into the library, but not her private study. She couldn’t quite bring herself to go there, yet. The lights were a deep blue, but they shed more than enough illumination to see by.
“Shizuka was taken to a facility,” she explained slowly, folding her hands demurely into her lap. “Her blood was taken for the purpose of creating more beings like her. The one you know as Esaias was created in a similar manner… from the blood of Hikaru’s biological mother and father.” She shot a glance at the son mentioned, but his face was stony and unreadable. She could feel his emotions all the same, a heady cocktail of confusion, anger, hurt, and that self-loathing that tinged everything about him. “When she was there… she was subjected to much, and endured much. I don't have the details, but… someone who cared about her managed to track her down and take her from there.”
She paused, gathering her resolve to speak. “He cast a… spell, is what one should call it. In order to erase the influence of the mark, to make it so that Esaias would never be able to find her or harm her again, her memories were erased. She does not remember any of you. The cost of the spell was the life of the caster, but he warned me that if she was in prolonged contact with you, it may eventually fail, and Shizuka would be faced with a choice: remember, and expose herself again to Esaias, or continue to forget, and be troubled always by the presence of those she once knew. I brought you here because this choice is not mine to make. The three of you matter more to her than anyone else does, and it must be your decision as well. Because you are the ones that will stand between her and Esaias if she does recall everything. I will do everything in my power to help, but I alone will not be sufficient if she remembers. You must decide what you wish to do, and then she must decide what she wants.”
Nicole was stunned. She had no idea what to make of this situation. And when Shizuka made it quite clear she had no idea who any of them were, something in her chest constricted. This was her friend, and she had no idea. A part of Nicole wanted nothing more than to break whatever spell it was, if only to have her friend back, but...it was not solely her decision. She had glanced sideways at Sora, but it was Hikaru she was truly worried about. Shizuka was their friend, but to Hikaru...
There was so much more, so much that Hikaru tried to deny. It broke her heart that now he had a reason to deny it, and she was afraid that he would take it. She had no desire to expose Shizuka to Esaias, she knew what it was like to be controlled against your will, but Nicole's tormentor was gone. Nicole suddenly felt like she was floating, so she threaded her arm through Sora's, grounding her. She didn't know what to do, and that scared her more than anything.
Sora glanced down at Nicole when she wrapped her arm around his before allowing his eyes to glance back to his mother. Erased? Her memories were erased? That explained why she didn't know them, however; something stung at the back of Sora's mind. Shizuka was his friend though, and to have her forget them, him, it was as if he were being stabbed multiple times with no release of death. His arm tightened subconsciously against Nicole's as he thought about the situation. They had taken her to a facility, taken her blood to create more like her, so what did that entail for them? Did they succeed in creating more like Shizuka? More like Esaias?
What if they did? What could they possibly be planning? More importantly, who were they? He shook those thoughts, placing them in a corner of his mind to be asked later. For now, their main priority was Shizuka. To keep her safe from Esaias, her memories were erased. For her to be safe, her memories must not return but...He couldn't let her live that way. If she ever found out, she would be furious with them all. He knew Shizuka, knew how she was and that was what was killing him on the inside. He had been friends with her since their second year in Cross Academy. She wasn't one to run from anything, and had always overcome any challenge she came to. Even when it came to Hikaru...he paused in his thoughts, glancing at his brother.
"Did this person mention how to remove the spell? We...we can't let her stay like this. She would hate us," he stated, emphasizing the last word while keeping his gaze on his brother. He knew the possibilities of her memories coming back, the danger she would be put in, but that was why they were here. Were they not friends? Were they not family?
“Truly, just being around the people who mattered to her may well bring the memories back,” Reiko replied sadly. Whether she was sorrowful for the choice that now lay before them or for what she foresaw the result to be was hard to say. Her eyes fell to her lap for a moment, then she looked back up at them. “But I do not know exactly how it will work. Perhaps she will be given the choice to remember or not, perhaps it shall simply come upon her, like the breaking of a dam. This is why you must carefully consider your actions. I will support you no matter what you do, but the three of you know her better than anyone.”
Hikaru, who had been eerily silent throughout the entire discussion thus far, stood abruptly. There was a tic in his jaw muscle from how hard he was clenching it, but his eyes still bore the familiar emptiness of the past months. “Then we should not be here,” he said stonily. “It is not for us to risk her life from sentimentality.” He crossed the room, and departed it without another word.
Reiko sighed. She’d honestly expected something like this, but not so soon. Turning to the other two, she regarded them with concern and maternal affection. “It is not an easy choice, and any path carries risk. Take as much time as you need, but I pray it is not too long—else the choice may make itself.”