Bound Minds

Chapter 4

I jolted awake in an unfamiliar room with 2 wolves sleeping, one on each side of me. Kana and Ryou......if I hadn't known it was them or felt that sense of familiarity I probably would have screamed. I put my hand lightly on Ryou's fur, not wanting to wake him. The dream was all too realistic, I felt a sense of emptiness and hope that one day it would be reality.

I sat up, and scooted off the bed successfully not waking up Kana and Ryou. I snuck out of the room quietly closing the door behind me. I looked around looking for the bathroom which was easily found as the door had been left ajar, and it was gigantic. I quickly peed, and went to wash my hands. Looking in the mirror I found that I had been changed into pajamas. On the counter there was a pair of slippers with a little piece of paper sticking out of them with my name on it.

Misa,

Here is a pair of slippers for you. I thought you were most likely to go to the washroom when you first woke up so I left them in here. When you are ready, we would like to speak to you downstairs.

Yumiko

I put the slippers on my feet happily, relieved that my feet were now cozy and warm. Grateful that Mrs.Okami had left them for me. I stepped out in to the hallway and looked both ways, helpless in the big house. I sighed a sigh of relief when Aiyu (short for Aiyumi, Kana and Ryou's younger sister)came out of her bedroom.

"Are you looking for my mom?" She asked.

I nodded.

"This way." She said.

She lead me down the stair and to the entrance to a rather large living room where Mr. and Mrs. Okami were sitting on a couch. Mr. Okami looking quite absorbed into completing the crossword he was working on.

"Mom's in there." Aiyu said stating the obvious.

"Thanks Aiyu." I said.

She skipped away, her long black ponytail swinging side to side, looking incredibly happy that she had been able to help. I couldn't help but giggle just a little bit as I entered the living room.

"Look who's awake." Mrs. Okami said. "How are you feeling?"

"A lot better, thank you." I said shyly.

Mrs. Okami beauty seemed to always astonish me. She didn't look like she was much older than us when in fact she was.....actually I didn't know how old she was. Her wavy shoulder length black hair shining in the light, her black rimmed glasses making her golden eyes stand out, yea, I was jealous. The only thing that made her look like a mother of 3 was the fact she wore an apron at almost all times.

"Don't be shy, come sit down with us." She said. "This house is now just as much your home as it is ours."

I moved to sit beside her, when sitting down my necklace came unhidden from my shirt.

"Oh, you have the locket." She said, her eyes darting to it.

I nodded.

"So, you know everything already."She said.

I nodded again, slowly.

"Oh hun, I'm so sorry how everything happened, and how you had to find out." She said putting her arm around me.

I knew she expected me to cry, and I knew that I should be crying but I just couldn't. The memories of yesterday running through my head at the mention of the locket.Thinking back to how Kana and Ryou fought trying to protect me while I sat on the ground....useless. It was then that I thought of what I wanted. I wanted to learn to fight.

"Mrs. Okami...." I started to say.

"Call me Yumiko, please hun, we are family now." Mrs. Okami interrupted.

"Ok....Yumiko.....I want you guys to train me on how to fight." I said quickly.

A puzzled look crossed her face.

"Why would you want that?" She asked. "Especially now of all times...."

"It is because it is now, after everything that has happened." I explained. "I've seen the video,I know what I am but don't know what it means. I know my biological father is somewhere out there, after hurting my two best friends, and he wants me. He will do anything to get me, and I understand this. I understood this when I left everything I knew and loved behind, when I left the only home i ever had behind. If my father comes, I need to be able to defend myself."

Mrs. Okami now had a stunned look on her face. Mr. Okami looked up from his puzzle.

"I can understand that." He said.

"Ken! She is just a young girl!"Mrs. Okami exclaimed.

"Yumiko, she is the same age as Kana.....a 'young' girl of whom has not only been trained to fight but has fought and killed." Mr. Okami said in a calm tone.

"If you do not remember you and I disagreed when it came to the discussion of training our children."Mrs. Okami retorted.

"Mrs. Okami, Yumiko, if I may say something...." I intervened, trying to make her understand why I suddenly needed this. "I have lost everything, I don't what else to do right now. I can't spend my days thinking of everything I lost and not do anything. Please allow me to do this."

She looked at me intently. Her golden eyes staring into mine.

"Alright, I give in." She said."BUT, if you are to do this...you are to train hard, even if you want to give up. You will fight to not get hurt. I already have to see Ryou, Kana, and Aiyu get hurt in this world. It is too much to ask of me to see you get hurt, you who should not be involved in any of this."

"Yumiko, I have already been hurt. I need this so I can deal with this hurt and learn to protect myself from more."

She nodded.

"Then first you need to learn how to hear us." She said.

"I assume you don't mean with my ears." I said. "Because I can hear you just fine with those!"

Everyone in the room erupted with laughter, than the lesson began. I was right though, they did not mean with my ears.