A New Beginning {Sequel to Mysterious}

Chapter 56: Cherishing These Moments

"Mom..." I couldn't believe my eyes as my own mother stood before me, in the flesh. "I'm so happy to see you, Nue." She said with a smile. "No way..." Karin said in disbelief. "This whole time... this woman was your mother?" Megumi asked.

I quickly ran over to my mother and hugged her. "I missed you... so much." I said as tears threatened to escape my eyes. "I've missed you, too. You've grown so much." She said. I sniffled as I hugged her tighter.

"Nue, don't cry. It's okay now." My mother said as she gently stroked my hair. "I can't help it. I'm just... so happy to see you." I said as I began to cry. It felt so wonderful to be in my mother's arms again.

This overwhelming feeling of happiness... There's no way I'm dreaming. This is for real. My mother is alive and well. "Ah, Karin. It's nice to see you, too. My, you've grown quite a lot. It feels like it was just yesterday when you were just a child. Where did the time go?" Mother said.

"It's good to see you again, Hotaru." Karin greeted. "It's good to see you again, Karin," Mom smiled before looking at Megumi. "You're the young girl who gave Nue her doll, correct? What was your name again?" She asked.

"My name is Megumi, ma'am." Megumi answered, politely. "Well, Megumi-chan. Thank you so much for looking after my daughter." Mom thanked. "Oh, you know. It was nothing." Megumi boasted. "This whole time... you've been living here?" Karin asked.

"That's right. This cabin is hidden safely in the woods. No human has ever come here." Mom explained.

"How come?"

"Because she used the same technique the elder used in order to hide the Houjuu Clan." I answered. "So, it's just you living here?" Megumi asked. As Mom was about to answer, the door opened. "Hotaru, we're back with the stuff you asked for!"

"Suigetsu?!" Karin and Megumi yelled at the same time. "And Jugo?!" I joined them. What surprised me even more, was that Jugo wasn't a child anymore! He was back to his tall height! My mom giggled at our reaction.

"Thank you for running the errand, boys. Just set them on the counter there." Mom instructed with a kind smile. "What are they doing here?!" Karin asked. "Well, Kyo brought them here." Mom answered. "Kyo?!" I repeated.

"Mm-hm. He explained to me about these gentlemen you saved, so I agreed to let them stay here." She explained. "Ah, so you guys are here, too, huh?" Suigetsu grinned. "I told Kyo to take them someplace safe!" I said.

"And he did. This place is safer than I imagined. None of the ninjas from the Summit are looking for us." Suigetsu said, still grinning. "And it's hidden far in the woods, so it's hard to spot from a distance." Jugo added. I'm gonna have to have a long talk with Kyo later.

"Come, let's chat." Mom suggested. The six of us sat in the living room as Suigetsu sat in a chair, Jugo sat on the couch with my mom, and Karin, Megumi, and I sat on the couch across from them, Suigetsu sitting in between us.

"Tell me everything, Nue. How have you been during these years?" Mom asked. "Well... Where do you want me to start?" I asked.

"Hmm... Well, why don't you start from the beginning? I've heard some stories from Suigetsu and Jugo, but I want to hear your story now." She said.

"Uh... okay. Well, I was adopted by a nice woman and grew up with her daughter, I went to the village for my safety, befriended a few humans, Orochimaru bit me and gave me a curse mark, the woman who took me in was killed by him, along with her maids, I got most of my memories back, died in the Leaf Village, I joined Akatsuki, I got my sword back from Kenshin, I fell in love, I fought Megumi, I killed my adoptive sister, lost my lover, found Karin, lost another person dear to me, got abused a lot, befriended Megumi, went to the Kage Summit, saved Suigetsu and Jugo, nearly died again, took Karin away, formed an alliance, trained in the Archives Room, sang a few songs, and now here I am." I explained.