Long ago, after enduring numerous days at sea with a group of companions, Rita finally arrived in a remarkable land. The inhabitants of this land had strikingly dark skin, as captivating as the night, and possessed a unique beauty reminiscent of the moon. They communicated in a language unknown to Rita, leaving her in awe. Her fellow passengers on the boat referred to these remarkable individuals as "Africans".
Rita, a daring woman of 48 years, frequently embarked on extraordinary journeys around the globe by cargo ships. This remarkable opportunity was made possible thanks to her late husband's influential connections, which she inherited. These unique circumstances enabled her to continuously explore the world beyond the confines of her humble farm.
She encountered the mother of Taki and Naki on a scorching evening, precisely when she was about to depart for Japan.
Awaiting on the dock, she watched as their belongings and the items they had purchased from the "Africans" were being loaded onto the boat. It was at that moment, amidst the commotion, that she heard it.
The high-pitched wailing of a baby.
She froze in her spot, not sure if what she heard was right, but then she heard it again, clearer the second time.
Unable to resist her curiosity, she followed the cry, which led her directly beneath the very dock she was standing on.
A gasp escaped her lips at the sight before her.
"A-are you okay? Should I call anyone?" She asked as she cautiously got closer, "help! H-help-"
"No please, no!" The woman's voice trembled as she clung tightly to her two vulnerable infants, one wailing inconsolably while the other remained oddly silent, their wide eyes taking in everything around them.
They were newborn babies, twins.
"I'm afraid it's too late for me," she managed to say through her sobs, "but my babies still have a chance to live," her voice was barely audible, fragile and filled with sorrow.
"What happened? How did you get here? Did someone do this to you?" Rita asked, ignoring the thumping of her heart and her head screaming at her to run.
"I made the simple crime of falling in love and deciding to keep the fruit of our love, and now I'm cast away by my people and my children born under a curse," she explained with a sad smile on her face, "I deserve everything that has happened to me, it's the price I have to pay for thinking a married man could ever fall me, it only saddens me that-that my innocent babies have to suffer for it."
"Did you deliver these babies all by yourself?" Rita's voice trembled with disbelief as she gazed down at the pool of blood polluting the water, enveloping her lower body.
"I had no choice," she sighed, that sad smile still plastered on her face, "I'm not as strong as I thought I was, my time in this world has come to an end, I'm just glad you're here…in time."
She noticed the look the lady gave her and instantly backed away, "no way! I can't! I've never had any children before, I don't know how- I can't! I-"
"Please, I beg of you, these babies shouldn't pay for my crimes, they deserve a chance at life, please?"
"I-" Her protests caught in her throat as she gazed at the woman's frail, trembling arms cradling the innocent babies. The one who had been crying had finally calmed down, fixating its wide-eyed gaze upon her.
Rita shivered from the cool breeze of the night and the intimidating gaze of the babies, it was like they were both staring right into her soul.
Their stares were way too intense for kids who were born mere moments ago.
It chilled her to the bone.
Leaving newborn babies in the arms of a dying woman, especially when their births were disapproved by everyone, would certainly be an exceptionally heartless act.
"ALL ABOARD! 3 MINUTES!" The boat captain called out to all the passengers that weren't onboard yet.
"I beg of you, please," the woman said lowly, her voice getting heavier as if it was getting harder for her to speak.
Rita slowly took the first baby from the woman's arms, avoiding the child's intense gaze.
"Taki," the woman smiled as tears flowed down her face, "she's the oldest."
Rita nodded as the woman handed her the last twin.
"Naki, my beautiful boy," the woman sobbed.
"Please take care of them a-and tell them- I….I love them-" her voice died down as life faded from her eyes.
Wide-eyed, Rita stared at her lifeless body, watching as it gradually descended into the water. Her heart pounded in her chest as her mind struggled to comprehend the shocking turn of events. She couldn't believe that she, of all people, had gotten entangled in such a situation.
Now 22 years later she was glad she heard the wails of Naki, now sitting on her rocking chair as she watched them run around each other like little kids, she realized it was him calling for help, calling for her.
"Grandmother! Taki's pulling my hair again!" Naki ran to his grandmother's feet, his hands on his head as if that would stop his sister from pulling at his shoulder-length locks.
"Now now Taki, what did we say about bullying your brother?" She asked with a glare below her eyeglasses.
Taki huffed as she sat down crossed-legged next to their grandmother's rocking chair, "he called me a witch!"
Rita rolled up the newspaper she was reading and harshly landed it on Naki's head. "Ow!" The boy cried out rubbing his head.
"Your sister is very special, just because she can do some things you and I can't, does not make her a witch! Besides, if you're calling her names who else is supposed to protect her, huh?"
"I can still protect her and tease her once in a while," Naki mumbled.
"I can protect myself!" Taki rolled her eyes in annoyance, "and if I'm a witch, you're a dog," she stuck out her tongue at her younger brother who now sat on the other side of their grandmother's rocking chair.
"Grandmother, did you hear that? Newspaper her too!"
"You two are twenty-two years old, act like it," Rita sighed. The seventy-year-old cheekily smiled at her adopted grandkids. "I need you both to get along because where you're going, you will need to have each other's backs," she told them.
The twins sat up.
"Oh, we're moving?" Taki asked.
"Not we, just you two," she casually said.
"What!?" They both shouted in unison.
"Well you can't live with me here on this little farm forever, you're young and you need to start living your lives," she told them.
"So you're kicking us out?" Naki asked.
"But I love the farm, I love looking after the garden and all the animals," Taki sniffed, attempting her puppy eyes.
"I know that, you can come back anytime if you don't like it…but just give it a chance, okay?"
"Where are we gonna go?" Naki asked, giving up on the idea of convincing their grandmother otherwise.
"You two are familiar with the city of Tokyo?" A wide grin spread across her aging face.