2 An Unexpected Delivery

Lost in the chaos of the raging battle, Kron called upon the power of his ancestors, unleashing a mighty force, blasting away all the enemies around him. He spotted his arch-nemesis, Zeren, amongst the enemy soldiers, slashing through the men left and right. Kron approached him menacingly, power radiating in his eyes. Zeren was forced to the ground by Kron's pressure, bringing him to his knees. Recognizing his defeat, Zeren clasped his hands together, begging for his life to be spared.

"Please... Kron... spare me."

Kron looked straight into his old enemy's deep purple eyes. Those eyes were not the eyes of a man begging for mercy, they were the eyes of a killer, hoping to live and fight another day. The warrior's eyes narrowed in disgust, as he unsheathed his sword.

"You did not spare my friends when they begged for mercy. You did not spare my family when they knelt at your feet. You did not spare me when I pleaded for their lives. Thus, in your moment of judgment, I will not spare you."

Raising his sword above his head, Zeren relaxed his muscles, ready for the finishing blow, but as the sword came slicing down-

"KAI! ARE YOU STILL HIDING IN YOUR ROOM? COME HELP ME MAKE DINNER!"

The voice of Kai's father boomed through the silence of the house, disrupting his reading, and scaring him off his bed. He was hoping to at least finish the chapter before he was called down.

"Ugh... of all the times to call me-" Kai grumbled, as he put his book away and walked downstairs. Peeking into the kitchen, he saw his father in a bright pink apron, happily chopping away at the carrots in his hands. Noticing his son peeping around the corner, Kai's father, Haru turned around and crossed his arms teasingly.

"What are you staring at, son? Come help me clean those vegetables, they're not going to clean themselves."

Rolling his eyes, Kai walks over to the sink filled with cucumbers and brightly colored peppers. Sighing, he turns on the tap and begins washing the vegetables reluctantly.

"Why are you wearing that ridiculous thing?" He mumbled to his father.

Haru stepped back, with an exaggerated gasp of surprise. "Why, this? This is my prized possession. Your mother would have died of laughter if she saw me wearing her apron."

"She would have died of laughter, huh?"

Kai could feel the cool water run through his fingers, as he rubbed the dirt off the vegetables. Lowering his voice, he said,

"Mother's not here anymore. Wearing that only acts as a reminder of her absence."

It's true. Kai was left alone with Haru after his mother had passed away a year ago from an illness affecting her brain. She'd been sick for a while, however, nobody would have thought that she'd suddenly pass away in her sleep. After all, she'd seemed like she was recovering well and regaining her strength day by day... yet nonetheless, she was taken from them; her life ripped away.

Since her death, Kai had never been the same. He'd close himself off, refusing to make friends or interact with others. Even his father, Haru, had a hard time getting past his wall. To this day, Kai is still affected by his mother's sudden passing, however, it's become more of a dull sadness in the back of his head, rather than overpowering grief.

When Kai was younger, his mother had played a big part in his life; cradling him in her arms whenever he climbed up her leg, spending time with him constantly, because he had no other siblings to play with, and telling him wonderful stories of faraway lands and mystical creatures before he went to sleep.

Some of the fondest memories Kai has of his childhood were the memories of his mother, yet of course, she had slipped out of his grasp. Now, seeing his father wear the apron of the person he once loved the most, was almost like a sick joke.

"Whatever." Kai turned away from his father; continuing to wash the vegetables in his hands once again.

The sound of chopping stopped, and Haru's voice gently spoke,

"She's not gone, Kai. She's still with us... just not physically anymore. Preserving her memory is the only thing keeping her alive now."

At that, Kai whipped around to face his father, dropping the vegetables back into the sink. He couldn't stand this hopeful 'oh-but-she's-still-here' kind of talk. "Why can't you see that she's gone? She's dead. It doesn't matter if we remember her or not; it's not like she's coming back. The faster you realize that the less you'll suffer."

Haru lowered his head sadly, the bright pink apron seemed to glare a little too harshly under the overhanging light.

"Who's the one suffering here? Me, or you?"

Kai narrowed his eyes at his father, stepping away from the sink. Haru still had his head bowed, his hands holding the carrots in place. After what seemed like an eternity of silence, the sound of chopping continued, and Haru raised his head; a humorous smile back on his face. Kai was still standing near the sink, staring down his father through cold eyes.

"The vegetables are clean." He announced blankly.

Brushing past his father, Kai slipped back into the shadows of his lonely home, consumed with a cold sort of numbness. Haru was actually not his blood-related father, he was his step-father, a replacement for the man who had left Kai and his mother when he was born.

After all these years, Kai had still never quite accepted Haru into the family. Everything felt... fake. It felt like artificial happiness. Haru was just an excuse for Kai to feel as if he had someone who cared about him when in reality, he was alone. He'd lost his mother, he'd lost his father, and now he was left with fake feelings of comfort. Disgusting.

Sliding back into his bed, he stared up at the grey ceiling above him. He could hear the birds outside, chirping faintly as the sun went down.

"I wonder what it's like to be a bird... to be free, roaming the skies as I please." He thought to himself.

Turning onto his side, Kai almost laughed. It was ironic. His last name is "Tsuru" meaning crane, and yet he felt as if he were stuck in a cage, trapped in his own head.

"Did my father feel the same way, I wonder? Is that why he left us?" The thought flitted across his mind, disappearing as quickly as it came. It didn't matter how his father felt. He had left his mother to care for Kai alone, in this cramped little wooden house.

With a sigh, Kai closed his eyes. It felt as if he'd never escape this cage, that he'd always be left with a faint memory of his mother; destined to haunt him until he died.

"Happy. I want to be happy..." Kai whispered, curling into a ball, pulling the sheets over his head. However, happiness was impossible. His mother had been the only thing that had made Kai happy, and his mother was gone. He didn't have any more family, nor did he have any friends. He was alone. He was alone. He was alone. The thought echoed in his mind over and over again, until he drifted off into sleep.

He was awoken by the faint sound of hushed talking, downstairs.

"What time is it?" Kai thought to himself, rubbing his eyes. The sky outside was completely dark; the village was quiet. Glancing at the little clock beside his bed, he saw that it was 4:32 am. What in the world?

Curious, Kai crept to the door of his room, trying to identify the voices downstairs. He could recognize the sound of Haru's voice, muttering something in agreement, and... a second voice- so quiet, he could barely hear it.

He couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman, but all he could tell by the hushed tone that something important was happening.

"it's 4 am... what could possibly be so important that some stranger has to come to our home?"

As Kai made his way down the stairs, he could hear the stranger mutter something quickly, concluding the conversation. Hearing the door lightly close, he could tell that the stranger was gone, disappearing back into the night.

Who was Haru talking to? What were they talking about?

Kai's curiosity overtook him, as he lightly crept down the stairs. He could hear Haru whispering to himself quickly, but he couldn't make out what he was saying. Peering through the darkness at Haru, he could see that he had some kind of package beside him. It was large and circular, unlike anything he had ever seen before. "What could be inside...?" Kai wanted answers, and there was only one way to get them.

Stepping out of the shadows, he walked towards Haru. At the sight of Kai, Haru's eyes widened in surprise, and he quickly stood up, straightening his back.

"Kai! I didn't hear you... why are you up so early?"

"Cut the crap, who were you talking to?" Kai interrupted.

Haru looked uncomfortable, scratching the back of his head. "Well... it's complicated."

Kai was about to snatch the package and see what was inside, but as his hand reached towards it, Haru caught his wrist, holding it tightly. Kai winced.

"Haru-"

"Kai. There's someone I want you to meet."

Letting go of his wrist, Haru smiled reassuringly at him. He turned towards the package, still resting comfortably on the ground, and turned it around so that it was facing Kai. He stepped back cautiously; it wasn't a package or a box of some sort, it was a basket. Haru took the opening of the basket and gently pulled it apart, revealing a small figure, covered in blankets. Kai's eyes widened as he realized what was happening.

"Haru, what-"

Taking the little figure out of the basket, Haru held it in his arms, cradling it gently. Lifting the blanket covering the figure's face, Kai saw that the package was in fact a little girl. Her skin was as pale as winter, with tiny rosy cheeks and a pink-tipped nose. He was dumbstruck, unsure what to do in this situation.

He stepped towards the baby, inspecting her. She had little bits of snot running down her nose and a chubby face. Yeah, Kai didn't exactly fare too well with children or babies for that matter.

'Is Haru trying to replace mother with a new member of the family?'

Kai glanced up at Haru's eyes, which were staring lovingly at the newborn. Warmth and tenderness were radiating in his smile.

Meeting Kai's gaze, Haru held the baby towards him, shifting the little child in his arms. This caused her to let out a little cry of protest, as she shuffled around in her blankets.

Opening her eyes, Kai was shocked by how big they were. Brilliant green pools of color stared back at him, with the edges speckled in all sorts of colors. Blue, gold, hazel... honestly any color you could imagine, was shimmering in the baby's eyes. The two stared at each other curiously for a moment, until Haru recaptured their attention. Chuckling, he turned his head to face Kai.

"Kai, say hello to your new little sister."