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A Twist in Fate: Nico's Story

Chapter 37: Brandon's Story

Notes:

Last Chapter: Nico and Kiseki, took a quick look outside and inspected the damage from the storm. Nico and Kiseki, then began Nico’s reading lesson. First they started with colors and shapes. After a quick break, they began with numbers. Meanwhile, in the Kirai’s valley, Aizen ordered a thorough inspection of the valley. After the valley was inspected, Aizen, made quick decisions how how the village would deal with the aftermath of the storm. Aizen, then turned his attention to Brandon, who agreed to tell Aizen, about himself. What will happen now?

Chapter Text

Aizen, sighs. He watches as the women try to get the small children settled down in the elders meeting house. Taki, is among them. She carries a basket of toys into the room. The toys belong to Hajime, Takuma, and Kisho. Takara, follows Taki, into the room. Takara, carries a basket full of toys belonging to Mio and Yuri.

“Now,” Taki begins. “Remember to share all of the toys. We have no idea of the condition of the babysitting house, so all of you are going to play in here while the adults clean up the valley.”

Taki, looks at Amaya, Katara, Takara, Yuzuki. “Amaya,” Taki begins. “Katara, Takara, and Yuzuki shall supervise you.”

Taki, then looks at two teenage girls. “Koyuki and Maira shall supervise you as well.”

Taki, then looks at five pregnant women, sitting in a cozy little nook. The women are sewing and knitting baby clothes.

“Nita,” Taki says. “Yaiko, Alani, and Yukiko, and Zuri cannot work, so they shall be staying in here as well. Please, be good for them, and do not stress them out.”

“Yes, mama.” Hajime, says. He holds baby Akito in his arms.

“And please…,” Takara, says with pleading eyes. She glances at Aizen. “Behave yourselves! Aizen and the elders have a very important matter to attend too. They shall be in the next room. All of you need to play very quietly, so you do not disturb them. This a very stressful time for all of the adults in the village. The last thing we need is bad behavior from any of you! Do all of you understand?”

All of the children present, bow their heads. “Yes…,” All of the children mutter.

“Good.” Takara says.

“Alright.” Taki says. She looks at all of the other mothers and older women. “All of us shall leave now.”

Taki, and the other mothers and older women leave the room. Aizen, sighs again. There had been no bread in the kitchen, so Mairu, had to cook some rice for Brandon. While Brandon, ate his food, Aizen decided to get some things done. Aizen, organized some men, teenage boys, and older boys into hunting and fishing parties. Aizen, can only hope that all of them will be successful. With the villages crops reduced, the villagers need fish and meat more than ever.

Aizen, slides open the door and heads back into the room that Brandon, is currently in. Brandon, should be done eating now. Aizen, walks up to Brandon, who has an empty plate in front of him. Mairu, takes the plate.

Aizen, sits down in front of Brandon. The elders are gathered as well. Jiraiya, sits off to the side.

“Alright,”Aizen says. “I suppose that we should start with where you are from.”

Brandon, closes his eyes. “I am from the US. I am from a town called Chelan, Washington State. I lived there with my parents.”

“Your parents were not ‘good parents’.” Aizen says. “Am I correct?”

Brandon, sighs. “Yes.” Brandon says. “My parents were not kind to me.”

“May I ask why?” Aizen says.

Brandon, closes his eyes. “They never wanted children.” Brandon says. “They said that I was a ‘mistake’ and that I should have never been born.”

Brandon, closes his eyes as he remembers hearing his parents say this many times. Mostly his father.  

Brandon, creeps into the kitchen. A man with dark hair and dark eyes sits in the living room nearby. A woman with pale blue eyes and dark brown hair sits next to the man. The man turns and sees Brandon. The man frowns.

“We told you to stay in your room, little brat!” The man says angrily. He gets up from the sofa. The woman turns but just scoffs and goes back to watching TV. She ignores the situation.

Brandon, gulps. “I...I just want a glass of water.” Brandon mutters.

The man, just glares at Brandon. “I don’t care!” The man says. “Just go back to your room!”

“But, father…,” Brandon says.

“NOW!” The man, Brandon’s father, yells. “Or I will make you wish that you never came out of your room!”

Brandon, gulps. He slowly starts walking back down the hallway. However, this is not fast enough for Brandon’s father. Brandon’s father, grabs the back of Brandon’s shirt, and picks him up. Brandon, is practically thrown into the hallway. The boy lands with a loud thud.

“ALL YOU ARE IS A MISTAKE!” Brandon’s father yells. “YOU SHOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN BORN!”

The woman, Brandon’s mother, just continues to watch TV. She just scoffs.

“Stupid little brat.” Brandon’s mother mutters.

Brandon, quickly gets to his feet and runs straight to his room. Brandon, lays down on his bed and curls into a ball. Silent tears run down his face.

Brandon, blinks a few times as the memory fades.

Aizen frowns. “So,” Aizen begins. “They mistreated you right from the start.”

“Yes…,” Brandon says slowly. “For as long as I can remember. They hardly bathed me, which is why I so dirty when you found me. They also barely fed me, which is why I am so skinny. When my mother cooked dinner, I would only be allowed to have what was leftover. Most of the time...there would hardly be anything leftover.”

Brandon, closes his eyes as a memory comes back to him.

Brandon, stands in the hallway. His parents have just finished dinner. They leave the table. Brandon, makes his way over to the table. Only a small dinner roll, a few vegetables, and a piece of chicken are left. Brandon, sits down at the table. He slowly starts to his ‘dinner’. Brandon, eats slowly, savoring every bite.

Brandon, blinks as the memory starts to fade.

“They also hardly ever bought me clothes.” Brandon says. “They would only do so if I didn’t have anything to wear.”

“You told Mairu...that your parents gave you all of the bruises that she found on you.” Aizen says.

“Yes.” Brandon says. “...With a...leather belt.”

The eyes of Aizen, the elders, and Jiraiya, all widen instantly.

Aizen, blinks a few times trying to imagine this. He has heard stories of people in that world, using leather belts to punish a child. But for someone who grew up in a close knit village, like Aizen, that is very hard to actually imagine. Abuse is unheard of in the Kirai’s village. Sure, children are disciplined if they misbehave, but discipline is used as a learning tool, not to inflict trauma or injury. Everyone in the Kirai village view all children as gifts and blessings, and children are treated that way.

“They hit me over every single mistake.” Brandon says. “If I didn’t speak right away when they spoke to me, I would get hit with the belt. If I spoke when I wasn’t supposed too, I would get hit as well. If I didn’t do my chores right, I would also get hit. If I accidentally, tracked dirt into the house, or broke something, I would get whipped with a belt.”

Brandon, closes his eyes as a particular memory of this comes back to him.

Brandon, is trying to reach a shelf, to put a drinking glass away. He has just finished washing the dishes. Brandon, tries to set the glass on the shelf. However, the glass slips from his hand, and falls to the floor. The glass cup shatters as it hits the floor. Brandon’s father runs in. He grabs Brandon, and walks over to a set of wall hooks by the door. Brandon’s father grabs a leather belt which hangs from one of the hooks. Brandon’s father then begins beating Brandon’s back and bottom with the belt.

Brandon, blinks and winces as he remembers that particular beating.

“Did you go to school?” Aizen asks. “Did the teachers know about the neglect and abuse?”

Brandon sighs. “I did.” Brandon says. “The school actually called CPS several times over me being dirty and my clothes being old. But...my parents found out everytime that a social worker was due to visit. They would immediately clean me up and try to make me look normal. Each time a social worker visited the house, they could find nothing wrong with the house and I would be clean. So, all of the social workers left without finding anything to make them think that my parents were not being ‘good parents’. After each visit from a social worker, my parents treated me worse.”

Aizen, frowns. “Didn’t your teachers notice your bruises?” Aizen asks.

“My parents made sure to hit me in places that are normally covered by clothes.” Brandon says. “Even though my parents didn’t care about me...they knew that they would get in big trouble if the teachers saw bruises on me.”

Brandon, looks down. “I didn’t have any friends.” Brandon, says sadly. “No one wanted to be my friend...because I was always dirty and smelled.”

Brandon, closes his eyes as a memory comes back to him.

Brandon, watches as a group of boys plays with a ball. It is recess, and Brandon, is looking for someone to play with.

Brandon, walks up to the boys. “Can…,” Brandon, slowly says. “Can...I play?”

All of the boys stop playing. They narrow their eyes and then wrinkle their noses.

“No,” One of the boys says. “Just go away and leave us alone.”

Brandon, hangs his head down, deflated. He slowly walks away.

Brandon, closes his eyes as the memory fades.

“The only joy I had was my toys.” Brandon says. “My parents lived next to this dump site for unwanted stuff. I would sometimes go outside and look through piles of junk. That is where I found my toys. Whenever I found something that I liked that wasn’t broken...I would take it and sneak it into my bedroom. I kept everything in a box, under my bed.”

Aizen, closes his eyes. “Brandon…,” Aizen begins. “When exactly did you run away from home? How long were you out on the streets?”

Brandon, starts to think hard. “I ran away from home a day before I was sent here.” Brandon says. “The night I ran away, my parents had beaten me really bad. After my parents went to bed...I packed up my toys...a pair of clothes...and snuck out my bedroom window. I walked for a long time. I then found a forest.”

Brandon, then closes his eyes. “I was going to sleep in a hollow tree,” Brandon begins. “When the wind started to blow really hard. Then, I was sucked into a blue tornado. After a few minutes the blue tornado dropped me on the ground. It was storming really bad. I got up to find shelter...but the wind was so strong...I could barely walk. I thought that I was going to blow away. Then, I found a cave. I got inside and I was so cold...I curled up into a ball. A few minutes later...a dog found me and started barking.”

“And then I found you after that,” Aizen begins. “And I brought you back to the village.”

“Yes…,” Brandon says slowly.

Aizen, blinks a few times, as his mind mulls over everything that Brandon, just told him. Aizen, and the elders sure have a lot to discuss.

What am I going to do? Aizen thinks to himself. If I send the boy back and he gets picked up by the police, he will get sent to social services. Then...if social services track down his parents...and do an investigation, but still don’t find anything...he will be sent right back to his parents.

Aizen, looks at Brandon’s face. Every time that Aizen, looks at Brandon’s face...he thinks of Hades eye shape and facial structure. Aizen, then remembers Brandon’s slight aura.

Brandon…, Aizen thinks. Just reminds me of Hades, slightly. Brandon has a weak aura, but it is slightly reminiscent of Daniel’s. Brandon, has to at least be a descendant of a god. I wonder...could Brandon...be a descendant of Hades? What will this mean for our village if he is?

All of the sudden, a man walks into the room, breaking Aizen out of his thoughts.  

“Aizen,” The man says slowly. The man’s face is pale. “You sent the other men and I to hunt. Well, all of us were prepared to leave the valley...but...you have to see this.”

Aizen, looks at the man with narrowed eyes. Aizen, looks at Korra, Seiji, and Atsuko. The three elders nod. Aizen, Korra, Seiji, and Atsuko get up and follow the man out of the room.

*************************

Aizen, Korra, Seiji, Atsuko, and the man arrive at the cave. The man slowly leads them inside. A group of men is gathered a few feet away from the entrance. They all turn and see Aizen.

“Aizen!” A man says. “It is a disaster!”

Aizen, narrows his eyes. “A disaster?” Aizen asks. “What do you mean?”

“Look!” Another man says. He points to the other side of the cave.

Aizen, walks forward. All of the men make a path for Aizen, to walk through. Aizen, gasps at what he sees.

Many huge trees are laying in front of the cave entrance. One has even fallen vertically, into the cave. The large branches of the tree are scattered all around the entrance. Aizen, then realizes that the branches are right where Brandon, was laying last night. Aizen, shudders to think of what would have happened to Brandon, had him and Tarou not found the boy.

“The entrance…,” Aizen begins. “It...has been blocked off.”

“How are we supposed to go out and hunt?” A man quickly asks.

Aizen, sighs. “We need to find a way to remove these trees.” Aizen says.

“How do we do that?” Another man quickly asks. “We have already tried but it is impossible. They won’t budge!”

Aizen, sighs again. “We will have to take axes and chop up the trees.” Aizen says. “I know that it will take a while, but...it is our only option.”

“But what are we gonna do if we cannot hunt!?” Another man asks.

“There is still the pond, stream, and river.” Aizen says. “We can still have fish. We will just have to ration everything for a while. We will make do somehow.”

Aizen, looks at all of the men. “Come…,” Aizen says. “We must grab some axes and start chopping up the trees. The sooner we get it done...the sooner that we can send hunting parties out to hunt.”

All of the men nod. They begin walking back into the valley. Aizen, walks up to Korra, Seiji, and Atsuko. All three of the elders look unhappy about the situation.

“Well…,” Seiji begins. “This is quite the complication. Not only can we not send out hunting parties...but we also can’t send Korra, Amaya, Katara, Yuzuki, and Lord Jiraiya to Konoha. This sure does set us back when it comes to finding the boy.”

Aizen, grits his teeth. “I know.” Aizen says. “I am so frustrated over everything. Ever since I officially became the leader of our village...it has been one complication after the other!”

Atsuko, puts her hand on Aizen’s shoulder. “Being a leader is not always easy.” Atsuko, says. “Your grandmother struggled sometimes, but at the end of the day...she always did what she thought was best for the village. That is what you have to do. Things are not always going to be easy, but you will always find a solution.”

Aizen, sighs. “I know.” Aizen says. “But still...why does everything have to be so complicated?”

Korra, sighs. “We shall never know that answer.” Korra says.

Aizen, blinks a few times. The problems just seem to be adding up faster than Aizen can deal with them. First, Nico. Then, the storm and the valley being half destroyed. Then, Masaru, screwed up and sent Brandon, to this world. Now…the only way in and out of the valley has been blocked off. Could things get any worse?