𝖭𝗈𝗍𝖾: 𝖥𝗎𝗋𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗉𝗍𝖾𝗋𝗌 𝗈𝖿 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗉𝖺𝗌𝗍 𝗋𝖾𝗆𝖺𝗂𝗇. 𝖯𝗋𝗈𝗅𝗈𝗀𝗎𝖾 𝗐𝖺𝗌 𝗎𝗉𝖽𝖺𝗍𝖾𝖽.
┏━━━━°⌜ 赤い糸 ⌟°━━━━┓
"I was such an idiot."
┗━━━━°⌜ 赤い糸 ⌟°━━━━┛
~Flashbacks~
Isabella heard a knock on her door which halted her pen's scribbling on the printed paper. She took off her glasses and placed them on her table gently.
She unlocked the door to find Y/n's eyes staring up at her, making her eyes soften.
"Mama, can I come in?" she asked.
"Sure, my dear." the lady let the small girl trot her way in. The
(h/c)-nette took a seat on the spare wooden chair that stood in the corner of the room.
Getting the hint that she wanted to talk about that, Isabella asked politely,
"Would you like something, Y/n?"
A goofy grin found its way onto Y/n's face as her eyes twinkled in delight,
"Pudding would do! I know you have a secret stash of it!"
Isabella smiled and took out a pudding from her cupboard and handed it over to the girl before preapring a cup of green tea for herself.
When the woman situated herself on her chair Y/n firmly stated,
"Mama, I want to make another deal."
She raised an eyebrow,
"And what would that be?"
Her (e/c) eyes seemed liked they were drilling holes in her skull as she declared,
"You'll tell me information about the outside world in exchange of me being a high quality product."
"Hm? What do you mean by 'being a high quality product'?" the lady urged.
Y/n started moving her legs back and forth as she elaborated,
"I know for a fact that the more good quality goods you breed, the more chances of you being promoted are increased," she poked her pudding with her spoon and added.
"I also know that you must be thinking that you still have Emma, Ray and Norman. But I have quite the history, don't I?"
Purple orbs hesitantly met the eyes of the young girl as Isabella failed to comprehend what the girl tried to convey,
"What are you trying to say...?"
Y/n chewed onto her bite before answering,
"The medicines you use for everyone else, always take their time working on me. That means that there is something different with my body. I must be important, right, Mama?"
Isabella's eyes widened for a spilt second at the intelligence of the girl. She was suprised how she was able to connect the dots so quickly.
Nonetheless, she kept her calm and nodded sternly,
"You are."
Y/n leaned back on her chair and spoke,
"So do you accept my offer? In return your chances of promotion are increased, not only that, you know I'll stay loyal to you."
"And leave everyone behind?" the woman questioned.
Y/n sighed, tired of having to elaborate so much already,
"There isn't a way to save everyone. The most I can do is save myself. Just so you know, I like how you decided to be a Mother instead of choosing death. After all it was your only option."
Being caught off guard by her statement, Isabella pondered over it for some time before nodding slowly,
"Alright. Deal."
The ticking off the clock was the only sound that filled the room. While Y/n happily devoured on her pudding, Isabella was left to contemplate on her decisions and considered all possible odds. Isabella slowly took a sip from her cup of green tea as she studied the girl who stuffed her mouth with pudding while her slender legs dangled off the wooden chair. Indeed, she was still a bit hesitant about spilling information regarding the plants and the farm system, but she wanted to believe it will be alright. After all, she made a deal with the young girl.
She set the ceramic cup down on the table before inquiring,
"Say, why do you want to know about all of this?"
The girl put the spoon which she was about to shove in her mouth to a hault before calmly replying,
"Thought, might as well satisfy my curiosity while I have it."
The purple eyed woman looked at her,
"But you'll eventually know what the fate has in store for you when you become a mother."
The (h/c)-nette replied after swallowing down a bite of the pudding,
"I know. But knowing some stuff before hand wouldn't hurt, now would it?"
Isabella took another sip of her tea before adding,
"Well, I can't disagree on that. Anyways, let me start from the beginning." Y/n hummed in response as a sign for her to continue.
She took a deep breath and started,
"A promise was made 1000 years ago by the Ratri Clan. To achieve peace between the two worlds;
the human world and the demon world. In the promise it was stated that no side will hunt the other. And so-" Y/n cut her off as she questioned,
"But didn't the demon world let the promise falter?"
The woman raised an eyebrow, not understanding what the little girl was trying to imply. She continued,
"I mean that demons eat humans, right? So techincally-"
A stern expression painted itself on the ravenette's face as she spoke,
"My dear, there is a difference between hunting and eating. It-"
"But-" Y/n's attempt to argue failed as the woman held up a finger, indicating that she was about to make an important point.
"Listen well, Y/n. The promise was forged and a bunch of humans were left behind in the demon world. To avoid any conflicts, the human world let it be. And that's how the farm system began."
The girl's mouth formed into an 'o' shape as she nodded for the lady to continue. Isabella put one leg over the other as she rested her two hands on her lap, showing how well-mannered she had been brought up.
She exhaled,
"Multiple farms were established. Grace Field and three other farms are the ones that produce high-quality human meat. The bringing up of the children here is very cautious, so as to have healthy and fearless minds. The other farms, which are mass production farms don't put in as much effort in caring for the children. They don't have any identity and they are fed whatever is the cheapest and convenient to the farms. They are also shipped out at an early age. In simple words, they are simply brought up to be eaten. Their opinions don't matter the least. You should consider yourself blessed to have liberties of living freely."
Freely? You call this freely? Y/n wasn't happy one bit with the system. Yet, she managed to keep her composure and nod to her.
Her purple orbs stared into her
(e/c) ones as she added,
"You must have noticed this by now. The children are shipped out in an order. The higher the scores you get, the later you get shipped. What I am trying to say here, is that scores are very important. From what I think, Emma, Norman and Ray will be able to make it at least till the age of 10."
Y/n put a finger to her chin as she spoke thoughtfully,
"Mama, are all children eaten?"
The lady drummed her fingers on the table as she began to explain,
"Well, usually they all are eaten. But, there are some exceptional cases. Such cases are when children either have very high scores or some unique DNA formation. These kids are sent to a farm called Lambda. It is a testing site for childen, where drugs are administered into the kids to see the outcome. If Emma, Norman and Ray make it to the age of ten, then chances are one of them will go to Lambda." Y/n's eyes widened for a moment as she recalled her dreams.
So this was where my father had gone?
Isabella let out a long sigh,
"But, drawbacks come too. Often these candidates end up with side-effects of the drug. Several die quickly. That's just it. But at least they get to live a while more."
That's... horrid. Terrific. Y/n lips quivered a tad bit as she imagined how horrific it would be like.
Isabella took a pen from her pen stand and pressed it's nib against the wooden surface of the table,
"Anyhow, boys have the least chance of survival. Either they march to death or Lambda. Either is equal hell. Oh and not to mention... There are boys selected known as 'Official Candidates'. It is very rare though. Such boys are trained to battle from the farm's side," she set the pen back into it's place before resting her chin in her palm.
"They are taught gun-fighting and hand to hand combat at a more advanced level than Mother candidates. That's because they have more of a chance to actually use these skills. They also learn basics of how to manage the farm system, in case one of them are promoted when the time comes. Though boys are selected only when the farm is falling short on fighters. And only those boys are selected who excel in one field greatly. Overall, chances of a cattle child surviving are horribly less."
Y/n carefully put the empty pudding bowl with a spoon on her table as she asked softly,
"And how did you become a mother?"
Isabella interiwined her fingers as she responded,
"Becoming a mother is a tiring process. You need to have proper education, managing skills, fighting skills, a manipulative mind and a personality that can take care of children with ease."
"But what if they run away?" the little girl asked curiously.
The woman wore an amused expression as a chuckle escaped her lips,
"If there was such an option, I wouldn't even be here."
She spinned a pen in between her thumb and index figer as she muttered,
"I am going to put this in easy words for your understanding.
They insert a chip in our chests. And if we cross the farm boundaries, it will kill us."
The young girl nodded her head, showing her understanding,
"Oh. I see..."
The woman's figure stood up as she walked towards the girl and ruffled her soft hair,
"I think that would be enough for today. You can head back and help in preparing dinner, alright?"
The girl nodded vigorously,
"Mhm. Okay."
❀❀❀
"Mama?" the little girl peered through the small gap from the door.
Isabella haulted her cleaning and opened the door fully.
Y/n titled her head,
"You called?"
"Yes, come inside." she moved out of the way as Y/n entered the room. She shut the door and turned around to only find the girl holding out a bowl with pudding whilst she smiled,
"Mama, I tried making pudding with the others, how does it taste?"
The woman took a spoonful of the pudding before eating it. She grinned proudly at the girl, complimenting her,
"It tastes wonderful. A job well done. A full score." Y/n grinned from ear to ear, content with her feedback.
She proceeded to sit on a chair, the same one she always sits on.
Yet again, she started moving her legs back and forth as she questioned,
"What is it that you wanted to talk about, Mama?"
The said lady took her seat and parted her lips to speak,
"Tell me about Ray." the demand caught Y/n off guard,
"Ray...?" she whispered, barely audible.
"Yes," the woman confirmed.
The little girl eyed the ceiling as she pondered on it for a while,
"Um well, Ray is keen and observant. They-they are the same thing."
She flailed her hands around wildly, embarassed of her silly mistake but regained her composure soon after.
She twiddled her finger while a soft smile graced her lips,
"Uh and well he can be caring. It always seems like he doesn't care at all, but deep down, I think he is a softie. He likes to tease me a lot, well everyone actually. Also er he loves Emma and Norman's company. That's all, I guess...?"
Isabella sighed,
"Did you know that Ray was well aware of this house's secret as well?" Silence boomed in Y/n's ears once the sounds of the words struck her eardrums.
She couldn't comprehend how and why, for the only thing she was able to speak was,
"...What?"
The woman looked away,
"Besides... He is also my biological son."
She was awestruck with the peculiar information leaving her no space to word her opinions properly,
"Huh...?"
Purple eyes pierced through (e/c) ones,
"I think he is suffering from Infantile Amnesia. A disease where people don't forget the memories since when they were infant."
Y/n was left speechless at the sudden bombardment of information. Isabella examined the girl, trying to figure out if she had any hidden intentions.
She sighed as she continued,
"He requested a deal. A bit similar to yours. He said he would keep an eye on all the children and in return I had to accept two of his conditions."
"And? What were those?" The girl asked curiously.
She held up one finger,
"One; to provide him with some kind of reward every month," she held up another finger of hers.
"Second; to not ship out Emma and Norman till the age of 12."
She observed the girl sitting carefully, anticipating her reaction. She knew for a fact that Ray and Y/n shared a unique bond, one that you don't witness everyday. And if Y/n knew that he was merely caring about Emma and Norman, she was curious to know whether it would break her apart or not. She didn't want to disclose the information to Y/n since it would only detorite her mental health more but if she knew that no one cared for her enough to make her their priority it would ensure that she would stay loyal to her.
Y/n's eyes widened on hearing the words. Only Emma and Norman? Not me? It broke her to such a point where she finally realised she could never fit in. Then what were the options left for her? Merely one path was left for her to walk on. But she had to wait for sometime to walk that path. She had to stand out but it wasn't the time yet.
She nodded her head, acknowledging what her caretaker had just revealed,
"Oh, okay."
Isabella viewed Y/n as someone strong and mature. But not brave enough to suffer alone or take all the burdens to herself. She wasn't manipulative or clever. She knew that she wouldn't plan on escaping. As for Ray, she had her doubts. He was cunning and unpredictable. So she had decided to keep Y/n as her first hand.
Isabella stated,
"I have another job for you, Y/n."
The girl raised an eyebrow,
"I hope I can do it."
"Keep an eye on Ray for me," the purple eyed woman looked at Y/n, awaiting her answer.
The girl blinked as she allowed her brain to process a few things,
"While he keeps an eye on everyone else? So practically everyone will be covered."
The tall woman got up and hummed.
Y/n gazed at her feet, as she debated what she should do. She looked back at her so-called 'Mother' with determination filling her eyes,
"Understood."
❀❀❀
A lot of things were living in Y/n's head the next couple of days. She would often just open a book and stare at it while she thought about all the information she had gathered over the time.
"Hey, Y/n?" Ray spoke as he got up from the comfortable seating positing against the tree trunk to look at Y/n.
"Hm?" she replied while being engrossed in her book.
"You have been quite recently." he stated making Y/n stop and lock eyes with him.
"I have?" she inquired, hesitant.
"Yeah and you look sad." he added.
"..." her eyes widened as she felt full of worry.
"Don't be like that. I hate seeing you like that. So please, smile for me." he requested softly.
Y/n exhaled before closing her eyes and when she opened them, the most beautiful, genuine and brightest smile graced her rosy lips.
"Better?" she asked making Ray's heart beat a thousand miles. Being the dummy he is he just averted his eyes to hide his red face and played with his hair while nodding slightly.
Ray wished to protect her. To keep her happy no matter what happened. The reason he had only mentioned Emma and Norman in the deal was because he thought he would help Y/n get better scores so that she could stay longer. Just how he had done for himself. He just had to confirm how the shipping system works, and much to his joy, it worked exactly how he assumed.
❀❀❀
"Hey, Ray?" Y/n called out to the boy who was reading a book beside her.
He hummed in response.
"Why do you make me study so much?" She pouted.
"You want good scores don't you?" he stated the obvious.
"Of course!" she exclaimed.
He sighed,
"Well, you'll have to study then."
She looked the other way to avoid him looking at the small smile that she wore on her lips,
"Hmph."
I think you're doing this to get my scores up. I hope I am right. She wondered before engrossing herself back into math problems that rattled her brain.
❀❀❀
Y/n could never fully understand what it was that made her admire Ray so much. Maybe it was his tsundere self or maybe his playful side. At a tender age, she couldn't understand those feelings but she knew how attached she was to Ray. And it scared her. That maybe it will tear her to leave when the time comes. That she will break when it's time for her to let go of all the sweet times and memories. Because she assumed that, maybe- no definitely, Ray would become a hurdle for her. She wanted to see him happy. Smiling and carefree. Safe. She knew Ray like the back of her hand. From his body language, to his tone, as well as his facial expressions. She could read him like an open book. She could understand emotions of his that he kept sealed away from others.
Even if it was seldom, those rare times when Ray would express affection towards the girl always managed to warm her heart. It gave her hope. It hit her home, a place she could only stay for a while. She felt like she was allowed to be herself around him. That he wouldn't judge her and love her as she is. When things took a turn, she finally understood why she felt protected, valued and loved around him, why she always found comfort with him.
She had fallen in love.
With the many qualities he possessed.
His soft, jet black hair, his olive green eyes, his tranquil demeanor, the side of him that teased, the side of him that cared, the soft and vulnerable inner him that he hid with his strong and stoic self.
She knew it wasn't a mere crush or a teen infatuation. It was genuine love. One that is absolutely rare in today's date. And how was she able to decide on that? Just one simple reason;
She fell in love with everything about him.
His laugh, his smile, his appearence, his aura, his character and everything else. She failed to spot even a single flaw in him. She viewed his imperfections as perfections.
On the other hand, Ray took his sweet time realising things. As a small kid, he got sick of how connected he felt to her. He tried to detach himself from her but to no avail. For she kept coming back to him. But the day she had left him alone was the day realisation had hit him like a truck. It was the day he realised just how much he treasured her presence, her stupidity, her goofy smile and every other thing. Being annoyed by her was a part of his daily routine. However, from the day this little ritual reduced, moment by moment, he could practically see himself break right in front of his eyes.
Ray spent most of his time with Emma and Norman, while Y/n spent it with Gilda, Don, Nat and Anna. There was a huge gap. But that gap closed when they took time out for each other. Even with their differences, they found a way to appreciate each other, lifting them up when down.
No she wasn't perfect, nor was he. But somehow, they found a way to fit together, like two jigsaw puzzle pieces meant for each other. Enhancing the strength of the other, they were able to fight for as long as they could, together.