Persona - Mask of Origins

Yuki smiled as she watched him.

 

Zero, Nicholi and Callen left again. Leaving little Zain with Yuki. He stared up at her with his large blue eyes, still gumming his locket. For a child, his eyes were incredibly intelligent. His memories whirled in his head like a fast picture show, causing Zain to smile.

 

"You remember me, don't you little brother?"

 

Little Zain smiled, showing her his gums and lifted a tiny hand out to her, his head bobbed a little in a small nod as if he understood her.

 

Yuki gently held his tiny hand and smiled.

 

The only thing wrong with little Zain was his hair color. What hair he had was bright white. Zain drooled onto his locket and sleepily closed his little eyes once and peeked at her.

 

"Almost looks like my hair." Yuki said to herself.

 

Ari thumped down the stairs rather loudly and like the child Zain was, he started to cry. Ari stopped and stared at the little bundle in Yuki's arms, "Hurts Ari's ears...make it stop."

 

Yuki rocked Zain back and forth and sang to him.

 

Zain bubbled to silence and Ari continued making her way, slowly toward Yuki. "What makes such a shriek?" she peeked into the bundle as Zain closed his little eyes. "Zain-Sensei....?"

 

"Yep, this is Zain. He has to grow up again."

 

Ari bared her teeth and hissed at Zain, "Smells funny. Not Zain-Sensei Ari remembers." Zain cuddled into Yuki, unaware of Ari's revulsion toward the baby.

 

Yuki smiled at Zain and sat on the couch with him, ignoring Ari.

 

Zain slept fitfully in Yuki's arms and Ari slumped on the floor, staring at the bundle. "Yuki-sama, is going to keep the little copy?"

 

"He won't be little for long, but yes."

 

Ari huffed and glanced at the dark sky, "Ari's going to bed. Yuki-sama should sleep too. Even if...copy-kun is going to live here. Yuki-sama should not lose out on sleep." Zain stuck his tongue out in his sleep.

 

Yuki took Zain with her to her room and went to sleep.

 

Zain woke Yuki early in the morning, crying for food.

Downstairs, a note and several bottles of a different kind of milk had been left. The note was from Zero, explaining about Zain's need for a different kind, than human, milk.

 

Yuki carried Zain downstairs and fed him the milk.

"Now I know how much trouble I caused my parents when I was a baby." She told herself as she fed him.

 

He seemed to have grown a bit in the night. More white hair lay on his head. He hungrily sucked on the bottle and polished off one whole bottle before he returned to napping in Yuki's arms.