The Family Ties That Bind Us ((Rin))

[Iyashii Mitsuko]

Iyashii Apparated in the lobby of St. Mungo’s hospital. It was clean, but he could feel death all around him. It made him cringe a little, but he still smiled. It was a paradox something which everyone looked to for safety and repair still housed the very thing that they feared: death. He laughed, causing the witch at the desk to look up from her paper work. She smiled nervously and Iyashii strode up in fron tof her. “I’m here to see my mother.” The witch smiled and replied, “Her name, dear?” Iyashii gave his mother’s name and the witch told him that she was on the third floor and the rest of his family was already up there. He thanked her and headed for the third floor in silence. In all honesty, he was a bit nervous to face her, the woman who gave him life…and he was taking hers away.

He exited the elevator and stood in the hallway, oppsite his father. He was standing there staring at him, like he knew something Iyashii did not. “I did not think you would come…”
Iyashii rolled his eyes, “Why wouldn’t I?”
Kenichi looked at the ground and smiled, then shook his head; “Your guilt has always driven you away. Go in and see her, she only has the rest of today.”
Iyashii frowned, “You don’t know anything.” How could he know anything? It’s impossible, I was careful! His mind was racing. If his father knew the truth, would the love for Sakaeru cause him to report his own son? Iyashii pushed past his father and entered the hospital room. There he saw her, beautiful as ever. His mother looked at him as if she had not seen him in years. Rin and Kuramu were at her feet as if she were a goddess they were praying to. It was a scene that Iyashii almost could not bear.
“Sweetie, are you alright?” his mother asked, tilting her head worriedly. Iyashii nodded his head, as Rin got to her feet and hugged him tightly.
“I’m glad you made it, Iyashii…” she smiled, as she passed him to leave the room. Kuramu got to his feet and smiled at his brother, he said nothing, but Iyashii felt that he too, was glad Iyashii was there. Auntie said nothing also, but whispered in her sister’s ear that she would be back later. The room was empty and Iyashii felt suffocated.
“Sit down, darling…” Sakaeru replied, patting the bed next to her. “I think we should talk.”

Iyashii did as he was told, watching his mother as if she were going to stab him in the heart at any moment. He was not sure what they had to say to each other…there was nothing to say. He was not going to apologize for what he did, it was a sacrifice that had to be made. Sakaeru reached out and patted his hand, “I love you, Iyashii…you know that, right?” He said nothing and she continued, “When you suggested that we meet for lunch once a month…it warmed my heart. I thought, that maybe, just maybe you would learn to let me in. I wanted to help you.”
“I don’t need your help,” he snapped, narrowing his eyes at her. She smiled, “I know, you’re a big boy who has to make his own decisions…and I know the one you’ve made.”
His eyes widened in fear, Here it comes…
“At first, I could not understand why you would want me dead…but then I realized you didn’t…and that’s why it failed,” she said slowly.
He looked at her angrily, “What do you mean…failed?”

[Torinasu Mitsuko S4]

Rin was happy to see that Iyashii made it. She could feel her mother’s despair at the fact that he was absent. According to Kuramu, she had seen Warau, Ai, and Ikiru the previous day, and Father thought it best to keep the younger girls with their grandparents until the time was right. She knew that time was against them, she was listening to Auntie and Kenichi speak and the words “shortly” and “painless” and “arrangements” came up often. She sighed and sat down on the bench, where Kuramu joined her. He put an arm around her and hugged her tight.

“I’m very proud of you,” he said quietly. “I was wrong to doubt you…and for that I am so sorry.”
Rin sniffed and rubbed her nose, “I didn’t know it would be like this…”
“I know, but at least we’re all here now,” he was speaking slowly, in the tone he used when his mind was racing. His gaze was on the wall, his face placid, but his eyes narrowed. He had something on his mind and Rin wanted to know so much what it was. Her brother did not like to share his thoughts unless they were justified. It made her nervous to see him so serious, and upon seeing her expression he quickly changed his own. “Oh! Don’t worry Rin-chan…your big brother is just being pensive. I’m sure Mother would not want us to be so serious.”
Rin nodded and placed her hands on her lap and smiled a little. Auntie and Kenichi were still talking in hushed whispers, but then ceased their conversation to address the two siblings.
Kenichi’s face was tight, bold, but Rin saw in his eyes, he was deeply sad and tired. When he spoke, she could hear it laced in his voice, “Kuramu, I want you to take your sister to get something to eat. We’ll be here a while and I do not want her to starve herself.”
Rin opened her mouth to protest but thought better of it, she instead nodded and took Kuramu’s offered hand and let him lead her down the hall.
“Is she going to die?” she said quietly once they were out of earshot.
Kuramu looked shocked at the sudden forwardness shown by his sister, “Rin—“
“Is she?”
He sighed, “I don’t think we should talk abo—“
“Just answer the question…” she said turning to face him.
He looked like he had just been slapped in the face, “Most likely.”
“How? Will it be painful?”
“No, Father seems to think she’ll just go to sleep and never wake up. It will be painless.”
Rin nodded and indicated that she understood, “What’s killing her?”
“I don’t know, Father won’t speak of it with me…I’ve asked him countless times if he knew what it was…but he won’t tell me anything.”
Rin stopped walking, “What? He won’t tell you what the reason for our mother dying is? She’s our mother, Kuramu!”
Kuramu nodded, “It’s all very strange…like…they’re hiding something.” His face returned to that serious stoic look, and he frowned, “Whatever it is, they’re covering it up. But I don’t know why.”

[Iyashii Mitsuko]

Iyashii stood up and grabbed her by the shoulders, tightly, but not enough to hurt her, “What do you mean, Mother?! You’re here! You’re supposed to die! Do you understand that if you don’t---they will kill me!? Do you know what you’ve done! They will kill me, because of your stubbornness!”
Sakaeru looked up at her son calmly, and took his hands, “I am going to die, koibito*…do not worry.” Iyashii knelt down and laid his head on her lap, breathing deeply. Sakaeru looked at him sadly, and stroked his hair. “The poison you were using…it was not strong enough, a minor inconvenience for the most part. I knew you would have a lapse of judgement and make a mistake…but…then I thought about it. You never make a mistake in your measurements with Potions, you are so talented…so I knew…”
Iyashii was breathing hard, shaking and Sakaeru could feel dampness on her lap, “No…I didn’t…I couldn’t…lies…I didn’t…”
“Iyashii…” Sakaeru sighed, “I know you had to do it…your father…he told me what these people are capable of. He told me what they would do to you, if I lived. And I knew what I had to do…” He was silent and she continued, “Your father was gifted in Potions himself, he saw the flaw in your concoction, and rectified it. You will not die by their hand, I promise you that.”
He looked up at her angrily, the calming in her voice sending anger through his body like surge of electricity. His eyes were bloodshot and he was breathing heavily. “He…poisoned you?” Sakaeru nodded and he continued, “To protect me?”
Sakaeru nodded, “He said you have a destiny that can not be stopped. Sacrifices have to be made…” She looked down and her hands and sighed. “I love you, Iyashii. I am happy to give my life to save yours.”
He got up, looked at her coldly, “It was not supposed to be this way…you were to die by my own hand…MY OWN! And now…and NOW…” he paced and grabbed at his hair, wondering what he was to do. Meanwhile, Sakaeru watched her hands as if she expected them to take her by the throat and end her suffering.
“I was so happy…” she started, and Iyashii stopped and stared at her, “…when you asked to see me alone. To talk…you sounded so…desparate. I never thought you could use my compassion for your suffering against me…how did you do it?”
He raised an eyebrow, “It was easy, the way you looked at me, I knew you pitied me. ‘Father loves Kuramu over me’ and ‘I don’t know how long I can survive these visions’…how pathetic do you think I am? My visions are a gift, you said so yourself, remember?” Sakaeru nodded and he laughed, “I put it in your tea…orange chamomile, so predictable…you never even noticed. And when you wrote me saying you felt sick all the time…I knew it was working. I knew I had done it. I had signed you over to Death.”
“But you didn’t…” she said with a smile, “You couldn’t do it…I know…”
“You know nothing!” he was pointing his wand at her now, “I could kill you easily, right now…just like Neku and Shikyo did. It would be like blasting through tissue paper.”
“Neku and Shikyo…Nekura Vega and Shikyo Katana…yes, I’ve read about them. So those are your friends, I see.”
“Do you hear yourself?! I have my wand at your heart and you’re thinking about the friends I’ve made?!”
”So do it.”
“What?!”
“Kill me if you think it would be so easy…”
“You know I can’t,” he said angrily, “I have to stay undercover and you KNOW that. I’m sure your husband has told you THAT.”
She smiled, “Of course.”
He lowered his wand and they stared at eachother for a moment, before he spoke again, “I’m leaving…I’ve had enough of you mothering me. I don’t need your protection anymore…and your naivety and compassion has been your death.”
He turned on his heel and stalked out of the room where Kenichi was waiting for him. Kuramu, Rin, and Auntie were no where to be found. Iyashii spat angrilly, “What are you looking at?”
“Did she tell you…?” Kenichi asked, folding his arms. Iyashii nodded, and Kenichi coughed, “After the funeral, they’ll arrest me for killing her. And you…” he looked up, “…will carry on our mission.”
Iyashii’s eyes opened in shock, “Wha—our mis—“
Kenichi laughed, a cold, harsh laugh, “Do you really think you’re the only one working for The Leader?” Iyashii’s eyes glowed a dangerous shade of red, then returned to normal. Kenichi looked up calmly at his son, “I had to do it. They would have killed you. You’re still so young…The Leader holds you to high…expects so much of you, but you can’t even…regardless, I did what I did to save you. But the next time, you are on your own. I will be in Azkaban and I won’t be able to clean up your mess. While I’m in there, you are to protect your sisters, especially Rin. She will need you to get her through this…” Iyashii nodded and replied, “Very well.”

((*koibito - sweetheart))