He lost his memories and soon woke up on a banished Prince's ship without a clue in the world. But this boy somehow reawakens something in the Prince's heart, trust. He feels like he can finally rely on someone else other than himself and his Uncle...
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鬼
She giggled softly, gently pulling a strand of her son's loose hair and holding it back with a butterfly pin.
"You're a beautiful boy, aren't you? My beautiful boy."
His lips formed a wide smile. Slowly letting his eyelids fall shut, it was time for bed after all. And he was extremely tired.
But when he reopened them, his mother was nowhere to be seen, and he was engulfed by the overwhelming darkness of nothing.
A sudden and stern grip took hold of his shoulders, startling him. "I love you, my sweet boy." It was the voice of his mother, but when he turned around to face her, all he saw was the angered face of a man. It was his father who held tightly onto him so he wouldn't squirm out of his hold.
His mother's whispers continued, her shaky voice barely audible over his muffled protest, "I love you. I will always love you." He struggled, thrashing out, but it was no use. Never did he have the urge to scream at the top of his lungs until now, just to get his father to stop and explain what was going on.
The setting now took place in a dark alley, no more were they in the comfort of his palace. His father's hooded figure blended in with the shadows, "Shh, it's all right, my love" His mother shushed him, sounding so far away despite her being inches from him, "You're going to be safe, but not here. Somewhere where nobody can harm you."
Harm him...? If was leaving for a safer place, then why did she insist on staying behind? If she were to stay, then she would be the one harmed, not him!
He kicked his feet against the ground, trying to do something - anything! But nothing worked. His father's grip only tightened, not allowing him to move.
"They will take care of you well, darling, don't struggle."
How could he not?! She was asking for far too much!
He soon felt another pair of hands seize him, they were rougher and tighter.
His mouth was covered by a gloved hand as he was picked up. He twisted and screamed, shaking in fear, watching as his mother's crying figure remained standing with her husband next to her. She pressed a hand against her mouth to muffle out her sobs, slowly and slowly, they were separated.
"I'm sorry-"
And soon, both of their figures blended in with the darkness of the night.
❥・❥
He quickly sat up with a sharp inhale. His amber eye widened when he was introduced to the cold feeling of a prison cell. Where was he?
"You're awake."
At that moment, all kinds of thoughts raced in his mind, shouting for him to get away, so he did. He took hold of the first thing he caught sight of and forced himself onto his unsteady legs. But before he could fully face the old man, the ground beneath his feet jerked to the side, pulling him along. Yelping when his knees made contact with the cold floor. That was all it took for him to realize he wasn't on land anymore.
"Woah!" A large hand wrapped around his wrist as he was gently guided back onto his feet, the man's clutch all but harsh, "Careful there."
It was a futile attempt to escape. The man's hold became firmer the instant he felt the young boy pulling away. "Let me go!" Seeing no other way to successfully do so, he pushed his heel against the man's toes, making him let go with a painful grunt.
"Please, if you could just listen-"
He somehow managed to stabilize himself enough so he wouldn't fall backward, glaring at the old man in front of him. "Where are you taking me?!"
There was no answer, instead, the man took a few steps back and relaxed himself on a chair, his chest heaving as he tried to regain his breath. Silence overtook them for a few moments, neither of them saying anything to the other.
"Look," Slowly raising his hand, the old man gestured behind him.
When he turned around, he found himself frozen from shock. He had failed to notice his prison cell was covered in red fabric with Fire Nation symbols covering the walls, an occasional Fire Lord Ozai frame here and there.
No... how long was he asleep? How much time has passed since...
He lightly shook his head, trying to recall what had happened, but only silence was given as a reply. Why was he with a strange Fire Nation man? Why couldn't he remember anything from the past few hours?
"Guessing by your facial expressions. You don't remember the entire story."
He shook his head.
The man stared at him, stroking his beard as he thought.
Thought of what? What was he going to do to him?
"We took you in, from the South Pole. You were injured horribly and you fell in freezing water. All that you've gone through might be the cause of your amnesia. I'm a retired general of the Fire Nation, but you can call me Uncle Iroh. And your name?"
Amnesia?
He had amnesia?
He didn't answer.
And who's "we"? Were there more Fire Nation people on board? The mere thought made his skin crawl.
"Shoko" He finally uttered, "My name is Shoko."
When the wind harshly bit at his exposed skin did he acknowledge the bandages, which were messily wrapped around his upper half, and not to mention, drenched in blood. But the breeze of the wind never felt cold against his touch.
"It's nice to meet you, Shoko."
If only he could say the same.
But why?
Why was it so hard to remember such simple things?
❥
"No matter the past, present, or future, they will always call you a monster. And you can do nothing to fit in with people who despise you. All they see is a mad dog who can't control itself and destroys everything in its way."
