Unsevered Ties

5. A New Pack

A/N: From here on , once again, Cerise and Naki are 18, Cerise just turned 18, Naki will be 19 soon. Any reference to "underage" is in reference to Shashiva seeing 19 as the year of adulthood. This story is hurt/comfort/ angst/ and then *jazz hands* Romance! The plot is not all rainbow and flowers! Please take this as a fair warning.

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Chapter 5: A New Pack

Rafeo stared at the boy, he hadn't seen those vivid eyes in a very long time—so long that he'd wondered if they would ever open again or if all their efforts had been in vain. How long had it been? A season? Two? The young child had grown, even though most nutrition came from tubes and wires. Enough time passed that he wondered if they should just give up hope. Rafeo visited Naki almost every day. He sat with him in the never-ending silence, brooded over his past, and made vows about his future. Somehow the horrid event had brought a bit of good with its terrible bad. The chain of events caused him to grow up, grow wiser, and change his ways. He could not be a man, a leader, or anyone worth anything if he only let emotions and foolish resentment run his every choice.

Drowsy eyes watched him, and although they looked a bit bleak, even blank, somehow they were still clear and vivid. Rafeo shifted in his chair, the dark gray vest crinkling against the soft, dark blue shirt beneath it as he leaned forward. His mouth opened, preparing to work in the right motions to form words, but in his head, there were no words to form. His brain supplied him with no words, although he had so much to say. A long stretch of silence took up an expanse of time, with each person staring at the other with different expressions, but neither expression spoke any more than the lack of words.

Finally, the silence broke, a shifting against blankets, the soft swish of hair brushing against the fabric as the young boy cocked his head in confusion. "Who are you," Naki asked softly and curiously.

Rafeo blinked, that was certainly not what he expected to hear. He planned for a lot: anger, sadness, and yes, even confusion... But not this kind of confusion. "You don't know who I am," he echoed in a half-sitting pose as he paused midway in his transition to rise. A shake of a silvery head was his answer, and he frowned, completely taken aback. "Do you know who you are?"

"Yes. I'm Naki... Do you know who you are?"

Rafeo almost smirked, it seemed the other had a spark of spunk in him. "Yes, I know who I am. Can I ask you who else you may know?"

"I know my momma and our staff. Are you new staff?" Naki glanced around, the room looked strange. A beeping machine connected to a string of some sort, which went down to a bandage plastered to his arm. He raised his arm, but it took some effort, as if his muscles had fallen asleep and needed some life put back into them. "Where am I? Where is my mom?"

Rafeo grimaced. If there was anyone Rafeo wished Naki didn't remember other than himself, it would be his mother. He didn't want to be the bearer of bad news if the boy had ever awoken from his coma, but neither could it be avoided. That night, almost a year ago... Too many tragedies filled it; even he did not want to remember. He came closer to Naki, sitting in the chair nearer to the bed so he could be closer. "Is there anything else you can remember? Anything at all?"

Naki glanced up at the handsome man with confused eyes. What else was there to remember? It was always just him and his mother. They lived in their quaint little home, and he played all day while his mother tended to the lovely garden they had. But all those days, he was so small... He glanced down at his hands and arms; this wasn't his tiny little body. He frowned. "I'm very confused right now..."

Rafeo placed a gentle hand over Naki's. Naki glanced up at the stranger, he had a nice smile and warm eyes. "I know you are Naki... There is a lot we need to talk about, but it's going to take a lot of time and a lot of information. I don't want to load you with too much. My name's Rafeo, though, and I'm your... brother..."