Forced Maturity

"We were there! Only Quitum and I know that he did it. He killed my mother. Him and Captain Enzo or something." There was no doubt in Lyra's mind.

Nero could tell she wasn't lying but it just wasn't possible for Kota to still be alive. "I don't understand I watched him die. I watched it."

He tries to explain, but stops. Lyra wiped her eyes. "Well dead must mean something completely different to you. Because I watched my mother die! I, we had to burry her. She was killed the man you said you watched die. He shot her in the back." She says through tears. Pointing at Nero. She hadn't had the resolve to say these things out loud to Kota out of fear. But this was just as much Nero's fault so he would have to do.

"Lyra?" The guilt churned in his stomach. It all made sense. If Kota was still alive then he was most likely the person that sent Quitum and the other poachers into the forest. It was the reason the Domaku was captured and Frander was killed. It was the reason Lyra's parents were killed and probably so many more countless wrongs.

He wanted to console her but she was right to be angry and right to be mad at him.

"And she never came back..." She said in between sobs. "How come he got to come back?"

Frides woke up as he heard a clanking of pots and pans in the kitchen while napping in the living room. He rolled off the couch and walked expecting to find Nero and Lyra had come back. What he found was a little boy running around the kitchen. There were pots on the floor and Ouran had a large pot in the sink pumping water in it. Ouran turned around to get off the stool almost dropping the pot and the water.

Frides leaned in. "Here let me help you."

Ouran pulled away "I can do it." He put the water on the stove. There was fire already burning under the stove. Behind the stove was a chimney pipe for the fire place that allowed the smoke to get out of the house.

"Are you hungry?" Ouran asked Frides "I'm going to make some fish. My brother is probably going to be hungry when he wakes back up."

Frides looked on suspiciously "Are you sure they'd be okay with you in here? Maybe I should make him something?"

Ouran snapped around with an insulted pouty face. "I do this all the time." He walked over to the cabinet and pulled out a bag of rice.

"I'm home alone a lot because Quitum works at the docks early in the morning and my sister works at night in the restaurant kitchens. My dad taught her how to cook like he does, so she's really good. Quitum showed me how to cook because Lyra yelled at him for leaving me here with no food. Now I know how to cook just in case he doesn't come right back after work." Frides watched him cook and there didn't seem to be any need for concern. Then Ouran pulled two fish out of the storage and it looked like they had already been gutted and whatnot. Ouran grabbed a bag down from the shelf and poured out a bunch of salt on the fish.

Frides looked on in astonishment in an attempt to distract himself from the incredibly salty meal he was about to have. He then went back to asking questions. "So you're home alone a lot?"

Ouran pulled out a jar and scooped out some jelly like substance and put it in the pan. After it melted down and turned into grease he grabbed a fish and put it in the pan. "I️ can take care of myself. Where is the spatula?"

Frides pointed to the sink and Ouran glared at him.

Frides walked over to the dining room table. "You shouldn't have to take care of yourself. "

"Well they have more responsibilities, this is my duty to my family. I️ have to do my part until my parents come back."

"Come back? Where'd they go?"

"They were taken a few months ago, but they'll only be gone for two years."

"What are you talking to him for, Ouran? You're still here?" Quitum enters the kitchen and glares at Frides. He sat down at the table across from Frides.

Ouran walked over with the fish and hot potato cubes. "Here you guys go."

"When are you leaving?" Quitum said not dropping his glare. Ouran looked at his brother nervously. "Where's Lyra?" He snapped at Ouran.

"She went to the store with his friend." Ouran admitted guiltily. Ouran walked back to the stove to finish cooking the other fish.

Frides glared back at Quitum. "He's not my friend."

"He helped you Quit..." Ouran could tell that the conversation was getting heated by the look on his brothers face when he was interrupted.

"His friends the reason I️ barely made it home. Can't you guys see that?" Quitum turned and yelled at Ouran.

"I️ said he's not my friend." Frides glared back at Quitum.

Quitum looked astonished with the sudden out burst of anger from Frides but didn't falter. "Whatever, you guys are traveling together, so I️ apologize if I️ lump you two TOGETHER."

Ouran slid another plate of fish between them. "Let's have dinner."

Nero and Lyra walk up to the cottage. Nero is trailing a little behind Lyra. They hadn't said a word the whole trip back. "Look Lyra..."

Before he could get his apology out, Frides came bursting through the door.

"And don't forget your guys' pet." Quitum walked out of the house with the Domaku dangling by her paws still coming to from her nap.

"Bodyguard what's the deal?"

"What's it look like. They're kicking us out." Frides shrugged his shoulders.

Lyra grabbed the Domaku from her brother and sat it down. "Wait. Quitum what's going on."

"This is my home too and I️ don't want them here. He almost killed me. My face is still throbbing right now!" Quitum scowled at Nero.

Lyra's emotions were still spinning so she was having a hard time grasping what was going on. "Hang on! Well that guy saved your life so we can pretty much call it even considering you weren't supposed to be there in the first place."

Quitum felt betrayed by his own sister. He may have been partially in the wrong but they were basically strangers. He saw he wasn't going to get her to change her mind and stormed off towards the cliff.

"Sorry guys go ahead inside. Shoot we forgot to go to the market stalls. It's okay I think we still have some fish." Lyra walked in ahead of them and caught Ouran cooking already.

Ouran turned around and smiled back at his sister. "I️ made fish!"

Frides softly chuckles behind Lyra. "I'm sure you did. Come on guys." Lyra sat at the table where Frides was sitting. His food is still sitting on the table, untouched. "Sorry about my brother."

Ouran brings more food to the table. He slid a plate over to Nero. "Thanks little guy, looks good."

Frides looked at Lyra realizing she was talking to him. "I understand where he's coming from and he believes we're the reason he's in pain right now. And I would kick him out of my house even if he didn't attack me."

Nero is about to take a bite of the fish but stops. "Well actually if I️ didn't get to him that cub would have given him an even worse time. I️t may not be very large but even at that age they are able to use Glow."

"He was wrong for entering the forest in the first place. I️ can't completely forgive you for attacking him." Lyra admitted.

Nero looked around for the Domaku. "Hey! Where is the that little bastard?" In that moment he took a bite of the food and an expression of surprise came over his face. And chills ran through his body like jumping into a ice cold lake.

Lyra and Frides smiled at each other. "How's the food."

Neros chewed slowly. "It's great. I️ just...should go find that, yeah. I'll be right back."

Nero got up and walked out the door.

Lyra focused back on Frides. "But you saved him, right?"

Frides took his old plate and gave Lyra the one with the hot food. "This one is cold. Your brother needed help. Why couldn't he get any help, are there no doctors in this town?

"This town, everywhere. If you're sick you have to go to a larger town and it's really expensive."

Ouran joined them at the table. "Where did the other guy go? He didn't even finish his food."

Lyra pat Ouran on the head, ruffling his hair. "He said something about going to find his Domaku. He looked really worried but I️ remember him complimenting the chef before he left."

Ourans eyes lit up. "That thing was a Domaku, like the one from the books? I️t was so small."

"Now but it'll get bigger, just like you."

"Yeah, Quitum took I️t with him when he stormed off."

Frides looked out the window. "I️ don't trust those two together."

"It's okay Quitum's not going to hurt I️t. He's really nice. You guys have gotta be hungry." He looks at they're food.

Lyra glanced over to Frides with a sly smile. He was still looking out the window. "I'm sure they'll be fine."

Fear creeped over Frides' face as he looked down at the fish.

"Heeeey! Little monster! Where are you?! I️ thought you needed me to take care of you and bring you to your mother!" Nero stomped around the house, knees high.

Quitum heard Nero yelling around the corner and sighed.

Nero started walking over to the cliff and pulls out his pipe. As he came around the back of the cottage he saw Quitum sitting next to the Domaku. "I️ caught you! You didn't get far with her though?"

Quitum frowned not remotely interested in playing along. "What? Just leave me alone."

Nero saw the Domaku napping next to him.

"Oh, my mistake." Nero said genuinely apologetically.

Quitum looked up at him surprised. He turned back to the water and sighed. "Do what you want?"

"Don't mind if I️ do." Nero pulled out a match and lit his pipe. He took a long drag and looked to the side. He notices there was a crane like thing hanging from the cliff. Quitum was slightly blocking I️t so he tried to crane over him to get a better look.

Quitum noticed him getting oddly close. "What are you doing?

"What's that?" He pointed at the crane.

"It's my dads invention."

Nero noticed some tools in Quitums hands and then Quitum turned himself a little to hide them. "What?!"

Nero turned his attention towards the crane. "Yeah? What does I️t do?"

"Using a gear system and strong metals I️t can pull things."

"Pulls things? Doesn't sound all that special to me." He replied unimpressed.

"I️t has so many applications for making peoples lives better and not just in this town. Someday this machinery can be used to change the world."

"By pulling things? I️ just don't see I️t."

"I️t pulled the ships, those huge ships up onto the docks."

"Oh, I've seen those but this one is different huh?"

Quitum is surprised that Nero can tell the difference when even his brother and sister cant tell. Nero leaned over and gestured. "its a little bit bigger and the shape is different."

"Yeah this is the second version. The first one had some internal issues and would break after only a few uses. Constantly needing repairs."

"So this one fixes those problems, I see. Can you show me?"

"I️t doesn't work." Quitum said slightly embarrassed.

"Hmph. Would have been cool to see. You got me all excited, too." He got up, walked around him, and picked up Urs. "Well if you get I️t to work, I'd like to see it , I don't know, pull something."

He turned and headed into the house. Quitum watched him walk off. "If I️ can get I️t to work?" He said to himself.

"He believed in you, even after all the rest of us gave up on you." Araechna's words echoed in his head. Quitum looked out onto the ocean. "Frander. You never gave up, even long after I gave up on myself."

Tears well up in his eyes.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Thanks for reading!