Identity

by Melpomene

Chapter 1

A boy was fascinated by the pulsating light coming from the dark alley. He edged nearer, eyes focused on the dancing red points, seeing nothing else. He bumped a flustered-looking man wearing a thick overcoat over his business suit.

The man wrinkled his frostbitten nose in annoyance.

"Watch where you're going, boy!" he said angrily.

"What's that?" asked Yutaro in an unattached manner.

"What?" The man glowered at the direction the child pointed to. "There's nothing there! Look kid, I'm busy. Go find your parents."

The man shuffled off, muttering about people having kids and leaving them on other people's way, and crashed against a few other people.

The boy ignored the man's scolding. He was used to, in fact, good at, ignoring grouchy distracted grown-ups. His father's one that's why.

The little boy pulled on the drawstrings to tighten his hood and fixed the muffler around his neck. He felt oddly cold despite the amount of winter clothes his mother bundled him in. No, it was not the weather, though the snow was falling quite speedily. Something else was causing the ominous disturbing coldness.

Maybe it's the glowing marbles, he thought.

The red "marbles" were blinking again, this time in a more vigorous pace. They looked like eyes staring at him, beckoning to him, alluring him into the heart of the alley. And so, the boy walked closer to the eye-like dots. And closer and closer and closer until…..

"Urameshi Yutaro!"

The boy was shaken out of his reverie.

"Yutaro!" repeated the voice.

"Oh man," muttered the Yutaro. "Otousan."

He started running out of the alley but then as he spun around, he was shocked by the sight of a black-haired man in his early thirties scowling at him.

"Otousan-"

"Yutaro, I've been searching for you for so long," the man said exasperatedly. "How many times do we have to go through this? I told you not to wander away. I told you to stay with Khryseis. And what? I turn around for a second and you're gone. And when I do find you, you're in an alley! How many times have I told you not to go to places like this? It's dangerous! What if you get mugged and hurt by whatever's hiding out there?" He sighed. "Just come along. You're mother's worried about you."

Yutaro let his father drag him away. He didn't bother telling him about the red lights. His father would say it's just some trash he's making up. He looked around again, searching for the marbles of light.

They're gone.

In the train station, a woman waited outside a black car. Yup, trains are still used for travel even about two centuries after it was constructed for the first time. Not teleporters or flying saucers or space cars as some science fiction writers imagined. The bullet train still connected to Osaka but lots of other connections has popped up all over the country and the rest of the world. The scientists have nearly idealized use of "low-risk, non-polluting" electricity generation by nuclear reactions. Nuclear plants supply most of the world's electricity now. Coal is quite scarce and very expensive (or so claimed governments) and people have learned to make adjustments.

Technology has indeed heightened this past fifteen years and according to some, civilization has further specialized as a response to scarcity, the confrontation between the earth's limited resources and man's unlimited wants. <ILUVECON> Of course, we can't ignore the beliefs of the futilitarians. For them, humans have only further dragged themselves into the dredge of this silly game of self-disillusionment. But then human nature doesn't really change, right? No matter how different the society and time they live in, humans were still humans.

Lately, since mid-20^th century, fashion has become retrospective. Take the woman waiting be side the expensive antique-style but hi-tech car, for example. She was wearing a long fur coat over a tailored suit and a pencil cut skirt. The slit on the side exposed the lower part of her panty-hosed legs and showed a little run. Yep, high technology hasn't been able to fix those nasty nylon things that run (though some brands claim they have). This fashion, once quite common in the offices of 1980' s-90, has been taboo for some years until a few months ago. Now, the cool thing is synthetic fur, made very realistic in labs by imitation of proteins present in original animals.

It's quite a good change, thought the woman, as she pulled closer to herself the folds of her clothing. Last year, the fad was black leather, triggered by the resurrection of early 90's pop and the bad girl image of the past decade's pop icon.

Contrary to her environment, this woman has changed very little over the past decade. Physically, that is. Her eyes were still big in that dreamy emotional brown. Her hair was still brown, too, but now reaching past her shoulders though currently confined in a French twist.

Presently, one of the side doors opened. A middle-aged looking woman emerged. Like the younger woman before her, she was an "interesting species" as well. With her mysterious looks, she didn't look like one from this millennium. She had an air of one from a different time, one from the past, a being from the days of giants and mummies. It wasn't a wonder that a few years of aging hasn't worn away her beauty.

"Keiko-chan," she said. "You should come in for a while. It's awfully cold. Yusuke and Yutaro will come back soon. Don't worry."

"Oh, it's all right, okaasan," Keiko answered. "I'm expecting a call from the resident attending my patient. The signal's better out here."

"Where did they go off to, anyway?"

"Yutaro wandered off, as usual, and Yusuke went to fetch him. Angry, as usual, too."

Atsuko smiled slightly. "It reminds me of Yusuke when he was a child."

"Yes," Keiko's voice was almost wistful. "But Yusuke's changed a lot."

"Sometimes, I wonder if it's for the better."

"It is. I mean, he's so much more responsible and all that. But sometimes… sometimes….."

"I myself kinda prefer the cheerful happy-go-lucky mischief-making boy he used to be."

"Well, I do miss Yusuke of the old. He's- he's grown up. I should be glad but- but- It's like he's forgotten how to be a kid. I mean, he doesn't understand his kids. Or rather, he's to busy to try to understand them."

"You know, daughter, when you two were kids, I used to think otherwise. I imagined you to be the eager worker, while he'll be the one to balance things and make your family, um, well, child-friendly. "

"Yes, I don’t know when and how the transition was. It's like we woke up and he's already like that and I'm already like this. I've changed, too, I suppose."

Atsuko became quite sad. "I had hope he'd have a better shot at parenting than I did."

"Oh, mom….."

Presently, two voices, one deep and angry, the other indifferent, became distinct above the chattering of the waiting passengers and reunited friends and families.

Yusuke was scolding Yutaro as he pulled the boy along with him towards the car.

"What were you doing out there anyway?"

"I told you, dad. I saw something out there."

"Oh, great. Here we go again with that wild imagination of yours."

"If you don't believe me, fine. That's your problem."

"You know, you are the most hard-headed uncontrollable kid alive. I don't understand why."

"Grandma said you were worse."

"I was a child then."

Yutaro almost snorted. "What else do you think I am?"

"Just grow up!"

To most of his classmates, Urameshi Yutaro was often times annoying but strangely likeable. For Urameshi Khryseis, however, he was a playmate and worthy rival on everything.

"I am Xena, the warrior princess!" she declared. She was a great fan of the re-runs, though they stopped making them even before she was born.

"I'm Gouki, monster of the Stinktank Swamps!" Yutaro roared back. "I'll suck out your souls and eat them all. Bwahahahahaha!"

"Oh, yeah? Well, prepare to meet your doom, evil monster!"

"And you prepare to have your eyes poked out, little girl. I'll make you eat toe boogers too!"

"Ewww!" Khryseis was noticeably much farther from her brother now. "That's disgusting!"

"Wanna see some?"

"No way, stay away from me!"

"ROARRRR!!! I'm gonna get you!"

"Yuck! Gross!"

From the other end of the room, another voice competed with their squabbling ones.

"That's impossible," said Yusuke. "It's copyrighted-"

"Daddy! Daddy!" Khryseis ran to her father.

"They can't do that."

"ROARRRR!! I'm the boogey maaaan…." Yutaro ran after his elder sister.

"I know that's not the issue but-"

"Save me from the booger man!"

"Can't they just decide whether or not they'll comply with the conditions or not? What-"

"Did I just hear you ask for booger?"

"Ewww… Daddy, save me from the monster!"

Khryseis leapt on top of Yusuke and clutched at his neck. Yusuke picked her up using a single arm and deposited the girl into Keiko's arms en route to the window all the while ranting on the phone.

"What?! That's stupid! That's preposterous!"

"Oh mommy! The booger man will kill us both."

"Shhh…."

"But I have to fight! I'm the warrior princess."

"Imagine-"

"You won't be able to defeat me. You're just a girl!"

"I can’t believe they're that unreasonable. There's no way-"

"I'll finish your reign of terror with my sword!" Khryseis charged Yutaro.

"They ditched the deal just like that. Dammit! They're killing me. Why don’t they just finish the damn thing? Somebody nuke me!"

"BOOM!" Yutaro catapulted himself onto his father.

"GET OUT!" yelled Yusuke, spinning around in rage. "EVERBODY OUT!"

He stood there glowering, clutching his phone, breathing heavily as if he had just ran a marathon. Khryseis and Yutaro stared at him in shock and fear.

"All right," said Keiko. "Out of the room, kids. Out, out."

She began ushering both kids out the bedroom. Atsuko was waiting outside, having been attracted by the racket they created.

"Mommy, I-" Khryseis began but Keiko hushed her.

"Later, darling," she said. "Stay with your grandma, ok?"

Keiko shut the door behind them, leaving her alone in the room with her husband.

"Yusuke," she started. "I believe you could have exercised a little more self-control."

"I'm sorry, Keiko," he said, despite the fact his exasperated expression didn't quite mean it. "The problem's really quite serious."

"We're supposed to be in vacation. We deserve this break. And I'm a doctor, Yusuke. I should be the one worrying about the work I left behind. It's my patients' lives on the line after all. But I'm not because I believe my subordinates and colleagues can do their part well. It's time you trust yours as well and chill out!"

He gritted his teeth. "We should never have left in the first place."

"We've been putting off this visit for years. It's only fair we do the traveling this time. Your mother is not that young anymore. And the kids. You promised them a good time."

"Keiko…" Yusuke sighed. "This deal is important. It is imperative I look at the matter immediately."

"Important? And where does that put your children then?"

"Keiko-"

"Yusuke." Her voice lowered to a whisper. "The children love you very much. They just want to play with you, be with you. They want you to show you love them back. They won't be kids forever, Yusuke. The day will come when they will all grow up and drift farther and farther away from us. Then they'll no longer want us around. These days- these days…. You're missing it, Yusuke."

"All this is for them, Keiko. You know that it's all for them."

"Are you sure? I don't think so."

"Keiko-"

"Stop it, Yusuke. Stop. You've proven it, okay. You've proven that you can support your family, that you are not the useless bully Urameshi Yusuke of the old. You've done well in providing for their physical needs. Don't you think it’s time to turn to their other needs?"

Before he could reply, the cell phone rang. Yusuke glanced at Keiko but she turned away.

"Keiko, I have to take this call."

"It’s a stupid deal," she muttered. "Next thing, you'd be staying overseas."

"You hated the deal."

"I hate the deal."

"Keiko-"

Yusuke pressed the button and was about to put the phone against his ears. Keiko grabbed it and threw it out the window.

He glared at her incredulously. "What the-?"

"That's where that thing belongs. I'm glad they trashed the deal. Come down when you're finished. Okaasan has waited long enough."

With that, she left the room.

Atsuko permitted herself a smile as two brown eyes looked straight back at her, wide open in awe in spite of feigned. Sometimes fierce and determined, sometimes thoughtful, sometimes emotional and still at others happy and ecstatic. For her, they were very familiar and almost predictable. She had been staring at the original pair for thirty-three years running. She knew their quirks despite their being on a different face.

"Cool," said Yutaro.

"That's amazing, grandma," said Khryseis. "He's even better than Super Warmonger!"

"Quiet! What happened next?"

"The monster Lakashka roared," said Atsuko. "He gave out a piercing shriek and attacked the boy, releasing powerful bolts of energy from his hands. Our hero just stood there as the distance between the two warriors drastically decreased by the second. Then he slowly lifted his arms and stretched it fully before him. He pointed his right index finger at Lakashka as if holding a gun. Then, a brilliant white light appeared at his fingertip. It grew bigger and bigger and bigger until it was actually bigger than the hero himself was. Just when Lakashka was nearly on top of him, he released the giant ball and it blew the evil monster away. Lakashka was never seen again."

"Wow!" repeated Khryseis, eyes shinning. "Are there really beings as powerful as that?"

"Who knows?"

"What’s the guy's name?" asked Yutaro. He wasn't sitting on the carpeted floor but was bouncing on his bed.

"Yusuke Raizenides."

"Yusuke?" giggled Khryseis. "That's otousan's name."

"Cool," said Yutaro. "Poor guy."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" demanded his elder sister.

Yutaro shook his head. "How did the monster look like?"

"Yeah, how'd he look like?"

"Well, he wasn't ugly or hideous," said Atsuko.

" Huh?" Khryseis was very much puzzled by this piece of information.

"That's right. He was handsome, a prince from a far mysterious land. He had fascinating almond shaped green eyes with long lashes. He had black, black hair and skin as white as paper."

"Sugoi!" gasped Khryseis.

"Sounds like a sissy," remarked Yutaro wrinkling his nose.

"Shut up."

"Children," admonished Atsuko.

"Sorry, granny."

"He wasn't a sissy, Yutaro-kun. He was tall, strong and well built. In fact, he was so good-looking that a lady fell in love with him. Of course being an evil person, he had no love in his heart. He used the lady for his evil deeds. The hero defeated the monster to rescue the lady."

"Did they live happily ever after?"

"Yes," said Atsuko with a hidden smile. "But not together. Understand?"

"Eh?"

"They didn't get married."

"Aww…"

"He he he," said Yutaro triumphantly. "Now that's some hero. Better than getting stuck with some whining girl."

"Granny?" Khryseis turned a tortured look at Atsuko.

"No, dearest. Yusuke had another girl back at home. He loved her dearly and fought Lakashka also to protect her. Besides, think of the lady's feeling, Khrysie-chan. She was so hurt by what the monster did to her."

"Oh, right."

Yutaro snorted. "Sissy stuff," he said, earning another glare from her oneesan. "How about the Raizenides guy? Weird name. How does he look like?"

Before Atsuko could answer, a knock came and Yusuke entered, followed by Keiko.

"Excuse us, kids," said Yusuke. "May we borrow obaachan for a while?"

"And it's bed time," added Keiko.

The two children scrambled for their beds. Atsuko pulled herself to her feet with the help of Keiko. She gave each of her grandchildren a kiss and waited aside as their parents bid their goodnights.

When Yusuke came to Yutaro's side, the latter dove under the covers. Yusuke carefully predicted the exact position of the little boy's waist and viciously poked him.

Yutaro yelped in surprise, nearly flying off the bed.

"Heh," remarked Yusuke. "So you were awake after all."

"You didn't need to jab too hard, otoosan,' complained Yutaro. "What is it now?"

"How about 'good night'?"

"'Night," Yutaro re-snuggled under the covers.

Still holding a grudge about the station incident?"

"Hmmmm…." Yutaro shut his eyes tight.

"Since you like marbles so much, how's this?" Yusuke handed him a very small sphere red object.

"What’s this?" Yutaro sat up and took a look at it in spite of himself. "Look, 'Yusuke'. It has your name on it."

"Yeah, it's no ordinary marble."

"Where'd you get it?"

"Um.."

"Let me guess. You're father gave it to you?"

Yusuke scratched his head. "I can't really tell you that junk 'coz I don't remember. I've always had it as far as I remember."

"Good then." Yutaro gave a mock sigh. "I've enough of oneechan and obachan's fairy tales."

"I heard that, you punk!" warned Khryseis from across the room.

"You like it?" asked Yusuke.

"Yeah," said Yutaro, fingering it. "Can I keep it?"

"Sure. But you gotta take good care of it, ok?"

"Of course. This'll fetch a lot at school."

"Yutaro-kun…"

"Kidding, dad!"

Yusuke grinned. "Then when you grow up you can give it to your son and tell him your father gave it to you."

"Whatever." Yutaro rolled his eyes, but smiling slightly.

"Yusuke," interrupted Keiko. "Let's go shall we?"

"Oyasumi," said Yusuke as he rose, ruffling the other's head.

"Ne, tousan?" Yutaro called after them. "You're not telling me those stuff about this thing having a genie or whatever, are ya?"

"Nah!"

Author's Notes:

What was that I was gonna write? Hmmm… Oh right, Raizenides. ^.^;;; He he he…. I couldn't think of any other name. Since we have a class play, the Illiad, sometime this week, I decided to sort of follow their style while I was encoding the story from my old tattered sewn-together make-shift notebook. Astyanax was Hektor's son and he was called Hektorides. Akhilleus was called Pelion after his father Peleus. Menelaos and Agamemenon are the Atredei from their father Atreus. Hektor Priamedes because his father is Priam…. There I go rambling again! Anyway, you get the idea. ^^;

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