Memories

----------------------------------------

Still feeling the weight of recent events, Sirius, wearing a new pair of clothes, gazes out the airplane window with a curious look. He saw the vast ocean for the first few hours; then, it changed to grass fields, then a desert. However, this was no ordinary desert; it had a military base with a long airstrip, which would be the destination of their small aircraft.

That base would also be soon known as “Area 51.”

Sirius (In Japanese): "What is that?"

Cord Mayer [Thinking to himself]: "Ah, he finally spoke!"

Cord Mayer (In Japanese): "That's a military base, but not just any base. We have all sorts of people and modern technologies there! And guess what? There's a very skilled doctor who can check if you and your brother to see if you both are okay."

Sirius (In Japanese): "Ahh, I don't want to go. I hate getting my blood drawn."

Cord Mayer (In Japanese): "Hm? Who said anything about getting blood drawn?"

Sirius (In Japanese): "Whenever Dad had to do check-ups, he always took my blood."

Cord Mayer (In Japanese): "I see. Was your dad a doctor, too?"

Sirius (In Japanese): "Hm-hm."

Cord Mayer (In Japanese): "Don't worry, Black."

Sirius (In Japanese): "They won't take my blood?"

Cord Mayer (In Japanese) [Laughs playfully]: "No, of course, they will! Muhahahaha"

[Sirius starts to cry]

Cord Mayer (In Japanese): "It's okay, calm down. I was just joking." [Thinks to himself] "Or not."

The plane lands at the base, and Cord, with Sirius by his side and Tes in his arms steps out. The two pilots remain in the aircraft. A beautiful lady approaches Cord and the boys. They start talking while heading inside the base´s entrance.

Margaret: "Cord, welcome back!"

Cord Mayer: "Hi Margaret, how are you doing today?"

Margaret: "Very good! Are these the boys?"

Cord Mayer: "Indeed they are. Where are my girls?"

Margaret: "They're playing in the daycare zone. Would you like me to get them for you?"

Cord Mayer: "No, it's okay. I'll take the boys for their exams first, and when they're done, I'll introduce them to the girls!"

Margaret: "Oh. Well, in that case, let's hurry up. Neveah has been asking about you for the past few days. As for Isabella, you can probably imagine."

Cord Mayer: "Ah, I see..."

Sirius tugs at Cord's sleeve.

Sirius (In English): "Isabella?"

Cord Mayer (in Japanese): "Oh, yes. She's a girl around your age. I hope you and your brother can be friends with her!"

Sirius (In Japanese): "Ok."

Margaret looks at Cord suspiciously.

Margaret: "Well, let's get the exams done!"

After a few hours, some examinations, and a couple of blood samples, it becomes clear that Sirius and Tes are healthy. Unfortunately, Sirius had to endure two blood tests. After the results, both boys received vaccinations for polio, measles, and another unspecified substance.

Sirius finishes his exams with his brother and leaves the room with a cola lollipop.

Cord shows Sirius where he will stay temporarily, in a particular guest room for kids. As he enters the room, Sirius falls asleep on the couch, exhausted from the journey and examinations. Cord puts Tes in his crib and covers them both with a blanket, allowing them to rest. Tes is also calm right now, giving Sirius a well-deserved break. However, some hours later, someone enters the room and wakes Tes up. Sirius regains consciousness, hearing voices and his brothers cry.

Isabella: "Ahhh, the baby is awake."

Neveah: "Ohh, what do we do? What do we do? Dad said to let them rest for now."

Isabella: "He's not our dad."

Neveah: "Yes, he is!"

Isabella: "No, he's not!"

Neveah: "Yes, he is!"

Sirius opens his eyes*

Sirius (in Japanese): "Who are you?"

Isabella [Laughing while mimicking Sirius's Japanese language]: "Anana kabab, eh?"

Neveah: "What did he say?"

Isabella: "I don't know, but it sounds funny."

Tes starts crying more loudly.

Isabella: "Oh, can someone shut this baby up??????"

The door to the room opens, and Cord enters.

Cord Mayer: "Girls, what did I tell you? You should've let them rest."

Isabella: "We came here to call him for dinner!"

Cord goes to Tes's crib and gently picks him up, giving Sirius a flashback of his father holding his younger brother. After a few seconds, Cord calms Tes down.

Isabella [Talking loud]: "Finally..."

Neveah puts her finger to Isabella's lips.

Neveah: "Shhhhhh, you'll make him cry again."

Cord (in Japanese): "Black, are you hungry?"

Sirius nods his head up and down.

Cord (in Japanese): "Okay, let's go to the cafeteria. I'll also get someone to feed your brother."

Cord leaves the room with the girls and Sirius, giving Sirius a small white box.

Sirius (in Japanese): "What's this?"

Cord (in Japanese): "Press the button on this box and say something. It'll translate what you say in Japanese to English. Use it to make new friends until you learn English."

Sirius looks in awe at the little white translator while Cord hands similar ones to Isabella and Neveah.

Cord: "Neveah, say hello to the translator."

Neveah: "Hello."

The translator responds in Japanese, saying, "Hi."

Cord: "Okay, it's working. You already know how it works, right?"

Neveah and Isabella: "Right!"

Cord: "Great. Then take Black to the canteen. I'll meet you after that."

Neveah: "Okay, Dad!"

Isabella grabs Sirius, and the three turn away from Cord and walk toward the canteen, with the girls arguing, sounds fading away.

Isabella: "He's not your dad."

Neveah: "Yes, he is!"

Isabella: "No, he's not!"

Neveah: "Yes, he is!"

Cord walks toward Margaret's office/infirmary, knowing she keeps baby milk powder there. Though no one is in the office, he enters anyway. He goes to the closet, takes out the milk powder, and Margaret appears.

Margaret: "Oh, you're going to feed the baby?"

Cord: "Yeah, I think he's hungry."

They fall silent and look at each other.

Margaret: "Are these boys related to those girls?"

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

Cord: "I believe so. At least, that's the information we've gathered told us."

Margaret: "Doesn't that weigh heavily on your conscience? I mean, those girls were orphans, but these boys weren't as far as I heard. How did you even find them?"

Cord: "Long story short, the kids' father was a well-known doctor. He accidentally killed a Yakuza boss during an illegal operation, so he had to flee the country with his kid and pregnant wife. A whistleblower from the Yakuza also tipped us off in time. So we've been tracking them ever since and watching them for over four months. When the baby's sample returned positive too, we had to act. They were good people, helping those in need in a small country with little profit. But in the end, there was nothing I could do for them. Orders are orders."

Margaret: "Yeah, but how did you know these boys were... you know, the brothers?"

Cord: "We knew that the bloodline we were looking for was in Japan, but we needed to find out if it had survived World War II. So, we paid hospitals all over Japan to illegally share their blood sample results with us for over two years. It was a shot in the dark, but luckily, we got a match.....

And his father.....His father used to do health check-ups on his son at the same hospital where he worked... He was also giving our guy blood samples, so technically, without knowing it, he signed his own kid's sentence. From there, we just had to watch them, wait for his brother's birth, and see if he tested positive too."

Cord Sheds a Tear.

Cord: "Have I told you that I hate this job?" [smiles]

Margaret gets closer to Cord, leaning in.

Margaret: "Yes, a few times. But don't worry, cause now, we carry this burden together. And as long as we have each other, I think we'll be fine."

Margaret and Cord share a kiss, revealing their close relationship.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the building, Sirius sits at a table with his new friends, looking at the canteen's menu while Joan Pierre, the waiter, waits for their order.

Sirius (In Japanese) [Thinking to himself]: "Oh, they both look so delicious."

Isabella talks to her little white box, translating what she says into Sirius's language.

Isabella: "Hey, Black, hurry up, or we'll order without you."

Sirius looks surprised and responds to Isabella using his translator.

Sirius: "But both of them look so good."

Isabella: "Just choose both, then."

Sirius: "Wait, I can do that?"

Isabella: "Yes, dummy, why wouldn't you? It's free."

Sirius: "Oh, okay, then I'll have both."

Sirius points to the images on the menu to the waiter.

And the waiter responds very politely.

Joan Pierre: "Certainly, Sir, and what beverage would you like?"

Sirius looks puzzled at the waiter.

Isabella: "He's asking what you want to drink. Ugh, can you please learn English already?"

Sirius: "What drinks do we have?"

Neveah: "Black, flip the menu; you'll find the options behind."

Sirius notices a drink called “cola” on the menu.

Sirius: "Cola? What's this?"

Isabella: "What? Have you never had cola before? Joan Pierre, bring us three colas and the usual for me and Neveah."

Neveah: "Hey, don't decide for me! I'll have a cola with the usual, Joan, thanks."

Joan Pierre: "Certainly, madam, I'll return with your orders."

Joan Pierre [Thinking to himself as he turns away from the girls]: "Aww, my little girls are growing up so fast. They're already making friends on their own. So cute!"

Neveah: "Joan Pierre, are you okay?"

Joan Pierre realizes he said "so cute" out loud, and some soldiers inside the canteen start laughing.

Johnny: "Look at Joan acting like a proud father!"

Another soldier: "So cute!"

Another soldier joins in: "Sooooo cuteeeee!"

The soldiers laugh heartily as Joan blushes and joins in the laughter.

Fast forward, the food reaches the table, and Sirius and Isabella start eating like it's their first and last meal. Neveah carefully eats her fish but notices Sirius has finished both kids' meals already. Isabella is impressed by how much he ate and starts playfully patting Sirius's back, while Neveah looks somewhat shocked at him.

In the end, Sirius has a satisfied expression on his face for the first time since losing his parents.

Neveah: "Hey, Black, how did you eat so fast?"

Isabella [Laughs]: "I don't know, but he'll have to teach me!"

Sirius: "Sirius, my name is Sirius."

Isabella: "Sirius, huh? What a weird name."

Neveah: "Isabella, don't say things like that. But anyway, why are you here, 'Sirius'? Were you adopted, too, or do you have parents?"

Thanks to Neveah's words, Sirius has a flashback of his parents' assassination, causing him to vomit on the food tray. The girls get worried, and Neveah comes closer to help him, checking if he's alright, while Isabella distances herself due to the smell. Some soldiers also come over to check on him.

Neveah (Not Using the translator): "Sirius? Are you okay?"

The nearby soldiers start talking.

Soldier: "Hey kid, are you okay?"

Johnny [Looks at sirius face closely]: "He looks pale, we should call the nurse."

Soldier: "Girls, what happened?"

Isabella: "I don't know. We talked, he made a shocked face, and then he vomited. Maybe he ate too fast?"

Johnny: "I'm going to call the nurse. Can you watch over him?"

Soldier: "Yeah, no problem."

Johnny walks to the nurse's office, where Cord feeds Tes while Margaret rests her head on his shoulder.

Johnny: "Cord, the boy threw up."

Cord: "Huh, why?"

Johnny: "Probably bad memories, but the girls also mentioned that he ate too fast."

Cord: "I see..."

Margaret opens a drawer, takes out some medication, and gives it to Johnny.

Margaret: "Here, give him this. It'll help calm him down a bit."

Cord: "I'll also check on him. Margaret, can you finish feeding him?"

Margaret: "Yeah, sure, no problem."

Cord passes Tes to Margaret, leaving the room with Johnny. They start talking while heading towards the canteen.

Johnny: "Mister Cord Mayer is back in the game."

Cord [Laughs]: "What do you mean?"

Johnny: "Well, the way you and Margaret were so close to each other, I gotta say, I'm surprised you still got it in you, old man."

Cord: "I don't know what you're talking about. We're just friends."

Johnny: "I know about the work policy but don't worry, I won't snitch to HR. I'm happy for you. You were never the same since Mary... you know?"

Cord: "I know... Sorry if I worried you, but let's leave that in the past, shall we?"

Johnny and Cord reach the canteen and head toward the boys' table, where a cleaning lady is already cleaning Sirius's vomit.

Cord (In Japanese): " Are you okay, Black? I heard you got sick."

Neveah: "Dad, his name is Sirius!"

Cord: "Sirius? And how did you find that out?"

Neveah: "He told us!"

Isabella: "It's true!"

Cord (In Japanese): "Well then, Sirius, is that right?"

Sirius nods his head up and down, and Johnny brings a glass of water and two pills to Sirius.

Cord: "Take those, Sirius. They'll make you feel better."

Sirius looks at the pills and the glass of water, and the girls reassure him that he can trust them.

Sirius takes the pills, and Cord compliments him.

Cord (In Japanese): "Good man. Now let's go to your room so you can rest, okay? Girls, say goodbye to Sirius; you'll see him tomorrow."

Neveah: "Bye, Sirius. Hope you get better!"

Isabella (not speaking to the translator): "Bye, weirdo. Take care."

Sirius waves goodbye to them with a tired look as he walks out with Cord, heading toward his room. As soon as he gets out, Isabella comments:

Isabella: "What the fuck just happened?"

Johnny: "Isabella!!!!!, who taught you those words?

Isabella: "Oh please, you say it all the time, Uncle Johnny."

Johnny: "No, I don't."

Joan Pierre: "Yes, you do."

Johnny blushes.

Johnny: "Ok, but those are not words for a lady."

Isabella: "Okay, okay, you're right."

Johnny: "Anyway, it's getting late. Neveah, take your sister to the room and get some rest; you have school tomorrow."

Isabella: "But it's only 9 p.m.!"

Johnny: "Consider it a punishment. Neveah, you know what to do."

Neveah comically drags Isabella to her room as Isabella protests, "No, it's way too early!"

Meanwhile, Cord reaches Sirius's room with him, finding Margaret leaving his brother in his crib. The baby is comfortable and asleep, so Cord and Margaret speak very carefully to not wake up the baby.

Cord: "It seems we´re on the same page today."

Margeret [Gigles]: "Yeah, it seems so."

Cord (In Japanese): "Anyway black, I mean Sirius, if you need anything, just click on this button here [Points to the button on the wall]. I will come here tomorrow morning to take you to your 1º day of school. Do you need anything else?"

A sleepy Sirius nods no, and Cord takes him to his bed, tucking him in comfortably with fluffy new bed sheets, making Sirius warm and comfortable for the 1º time in a long time.

Cord (In Japanese): "Okay, you're all set. I will leave then. See you tomorrow."

Sirius grabs Cord's hand

Sirius (In Japanese): "Thank... you."

Cord looks at him, feeling even more regret for what he had done. He likes the kids and is determined to give them the best outcome possible.

Cord puts his hand on the kid's head and says very gently.

Cord (In Japanese): "You do not have to thank me, kiddo... see you tomorrow."

He and Margaret walk out of his room, Locking the room from outside. Sirius stares into his brother's crib as he falls asleep.

Six hours pass, it's 4:20 am. Sirius is woken up by Isabella shaking his arm.

Isabella [Closing Sirius's mouth with her finger]: "Shhhhh."

She signals him to follow her.

Sirius notices she has the key to his room. He’s confused but decides to do as she says and follow her.

She takes him to an elevator, enters it, and presses the –2 floor button.

As soon as the elevator door opens, a blue light shines on their face, revealing a massive aquarium under the floor; it is filled with fish from different species, some even unknown to humanity. Sharks, Fishes, corals, and the list goes on. Isabella takes Sirius to a seat near the glass, and Sirius is delighted with the vision presented upon him.

Isabella then starts talking to her little translating box:

Isabella: "So what do you think?"

Sirius also used his translating box.

Sirius: "It's beautiful."

Isabella: "Ain’t it? I came here on my 1º day, so I thought I could do the same to you."

Sirius: "How many fish are here?"

Isabella: "I don't know, but there weren't many initially. This aquarium was used to protect endangered species, you see?"

Sirius: "Enderanged species? What's that"

Isabella: "It is a species that is almost extinct; it means there are only a few in the world, so they are protected"

Sirius: "Wow, you're so smart."

Isabella [Blushing]: "Don't be stupid; this is common knowledge. When Cord took me here the 1º time, there was only a hand of them."

[Isabella has a Flashback of a conversation she had with Cord.]

Isabella [Looks at the fishes in the aquarium]: "Wow, they´re beautiful, but aren't they lonely?"

Cord: "Lonely, what do you mean?"

Isabella: "I mean, they have all this space. They barely must see each other."

Cord: "Ahhh, I see, so should we make it smaller?"

Isabella: "No, we just need to give them new friends!"

Cord: "Hmm? Ok then! I will give them new friends every week."

[Isabela comes back to the moment.]

Isabela: "And as time passed, he kept adding more and more until this final result."

Sirius: "Wow, Mr. Mayer, did all this?"

Isabela: "uhuum! Awesome, ain't it?"

Sirius: "Wow, he must be a cool father."

Isabela: "Well, he's not my father. He adopted me and Neveah. But I like to think of him as a cool uncle, and you? How did you end up here? Do you have parents?"

Sirius gets shocked by a flashback of his parent's assassination

IIsabbela: "Wow, Are you okay?"

Sirius: "Yeah, I'm fine... My father, he is dead. As for my mother, I still don't know."

Isabella: "You don't know?"

Sirius: "Yeah, she just fell to the ground and didn't move anymore. She probably died, too."

Sirius sheds a few tears silently. Isabella sees this and hugs Sirius. Both of them comfort each other as they see the fish moving around, falling asleep on each other until Neveah wakes them up.

Neveah (Not using the translator): "Hey, Hey, we have to go, it's almost time for school."

Isabella (Not using the translator): "WOAH, oh no, I'm late,"

Isabella wakes Sirius up,

Isabella (Not using the translator): "QUICK WE HAVE TO GO"

Sirius doesn't understand a single word cause they didn´t speak to the translator, and Isabella drags him comically with Neveah into his room.

Isabella says, “See you later,” and locks him inside his room, leaving to her room with Neveah. 20 minutes later, Cord arrives at Sirius's door with another kid