Chapter Notes: Hello All! This isn't a new story as I have written a different version way back when. Though, it is a new and updated version. I was inspired to start this little bad boy back up and I do hope you all enjoy the first chapter of it. I hope you review if you read it because I really want to continue it, I wont however, if no one reviews. It would seem like no one likes it and that would make me feel like I've wasted time I could've used on writting the next chapter of my other story.

Please do enjoy an leave a review which are like cookies to me. :]

I DO NOT OWN YUYU HAKUSHO

À Travers Le Trou Du Lapin

Chapter One

"One, and two, one and two. Stretch those legs, stretch,stretch,stretch!"

A shrill voice cut through the air like sharpened nails on a black board. I found myself flinch a little as I carefully stretched my legs high in the air, working out small kinks.
Soon after I was done with the hardest part of my routine, I sat on the ground with my legs closely together. With both of my arms I pulled forward and touched the tips of my toes with little effort. I held my position for about five minutes and I stopped and crossed my legs. I was finished with stretching and I waited for Madame Bovai's instruction.
She was scolding a new girl on how she was lifting her legs and told her to lose weight. The girl practically burst into tears and ran out of the room. Madame Bovai merely regarded her with an eye roll.

This was no place for the weak; I was immune to her scolding and remarks about my weight.
If you wanted to succeed in this business, then you had to put in the effort. There was no snapping of fingers, no amount of money to turn you into a refined dancer overnight.
I had been dancing since I was young and I had been taught by the toughest instructors. I had suffered chaffed, broken and sprained ankles, blistered feet and broken toenails since the age of eight. At first I cried but then as time gradually went on and the instruction got tougher, I grew numb.

This institution was no cheap fee, though I never had to worry because my mother paid. She was an extremely renowned lawyer. She was never home, so I didn't live with her. I lived with my grandmother whose home was located in Rhode Island, hidden deep in the woods.
It was peaceful and I never complained about living with her. She did the best that she could and I couldn't ask for more.
I haven't spoken to my mother for seven long years and I didn't look to. She was always busy and never had time to spend time with me. Her whole life was cases, the only time she remembered me was on my birthday. She often sent cards and money; I didn't care much about it. I always stashed my money under my mattress, saving for when I would need it.
The only reminder that I had of my mother was the large sum of money that came annually for my ballet lessons.

I never thanked her because she told me not to. She said it was her duty to help me for the success of my future. She would have given me more money over the years whenever I would need it, but I told her not to. I was content in living in the small comfortable home that was my grandmother's.
She helped me through everything and she's been with me through everything. If anything, she was more of a mom to me than my biological mother. She never judged me and always helped me through my illness. I figured that the illness was the reason my mother so willingly gave me away to her. I had a mild form of Schizophrenia. It hadn't acted up since I have been living with my grandmother.
When the signs first started I remembered my mother wanted to place me into a mental health institution. My grandmother put up a great fight and she was in many ways, my savior.
She rescued me from spending years in the hands of people who would, at my mother's command, keep me in a quite comatose state. The world would seem disoriented and unreal. I wouldn't be able to speak and I would've been bound in a restricting jacket, unable to move.
It would have been able to keep me from hurting myself or others. My grandmother knew that I was harmless and sought to take care of me. The only worrisome thing my disorder prevented me from accomplishing was focusing. I couldn't focus well on my studies when I was in high school, it was hard for me to get classwork done, assignments and projects handed in on time.
I graduated about three months ago. My mother didn't come to my graduation but I didn't mind. I was more than glad that I had finished school; it was tortuous and extremely stressful. The only thing that could erase my stress and help me relax was dancing. As crazy as it may seem, as physically and mentally demanding it was, it was my release.

I am eighteen years old and I'm still discovering who I am and who I want to be. All I know is that I love ballet and the gracefulness that it brings. I know that I need the grace in my life, it's my stable relationship. If that makes any sense, It's in a way just like a relationship. It took the majority of my time, I gave it everything that I had and I loved it. I admit it was a love hate kind of relationship, but it was passion none the less.
I couldn't tell you about boys because I never had any type of serious interaction with one before. I did kiss one before in a performance, though it was only a performance and nothing else. I haven't really thought about the male specie because I never had to. I didn't have a male in my life, no father to go to.

My mother told me he had walked out on us, but she never told me why. I wouldn't push it or bring the conversation back up even if I could. I grew up and it just wasn't as important to me as I would have thought it would be. Ballet was all I ever needed, who cares about other things as depressing as a rouge father, when I had all of the happiness of what dancing could offer.

Speaking of dancing, Madam Bovai instructed us to begin our dance routine. I quietly took my place in the back beside four other girls. I crouched down on my knees as the other girls fell in place beside me. Other students took their place and the music started. It was a soft melancholic sound, the depth of it touched me to the soul and I could feel myself wanting to call out, but it wasn't my place. I slowly rose up and I stood flat on my feet with my head down as the lead took their place.
The male was Jake Gödel, he had been lead for almost two years and he was great at it. No one could compare to him or even tried to. He was very tall and lean, with broad shoulders and thick arms. He was good looking with pale blond hair and expressive aquamarine eyes. He's a really great guy and he often told loud jokes where people laughed as loudly to. Although he was goofy, he never showed that in his dancing. He was graceful and showed emotion in each of his steps.

The lead female dancer was Emile Vonn. She was about 5'7 and was amazing at what she was able to do. Ballet was an extension of who a person was, it reflected in their dancing. Emile's dancing was everything that was her. She was cold and extremely vain; her vanity is what gave her this lead role. Up until now the lead belonged to a mousy brown haired woman who had retired two months back. She couldn't handle the competition and she didn't want to put up with the stress.

Emile was extremely stuck up and cared nothing for the dancers around her. She was often seen with two other girls who followed her around like lost puppies. They did whatever she asked of them without questions or another thought. I thought that they were so obedient because they wanted to become great dancers like Emile. It was pitiful that they were so desperate though, it was no surprise. Many did what they could to become great, including taking huge humility for the promise of an hour's worth of lessons. I was probably the only one out of the class that didn't humiliate myself; I was going to become great by hard work and dedication.

Emile had short dark brown hair and dark blue eyes, she was fair skinned. She often wore designer clothes and flaunted it every day. She had eyes for Jake and was insistent on flirting with him. If any girl was to come too close to him she'd shoo them away with her dark glares. She was like an extremely jealous girlfriend even though she was in no way Jake's girlfriend.
She definitely didn't seem like his type.

He was joyful while she was depressing. She loved to make snide remarks about the people that occupied the class. Everything from the way they danced to the way they looked. No one was safe from her bullying not even me. I suffered many days where she picked on me but I paid her little mind. She only worried about me because she considered me to be her biggest competition.

Emile fluttered in view and began to spin slowly; her designer pointe shoes tapped the floor in an anxious beat. She slowed and crouched down in almost a broken form while Jake began to circle her with a sadden limp.
The other dancers, including myself, surrounded them and in a synchronized pattern we began to sway back and forth on the tip of our toes. I stepped out of the line as well as two other girls and we flittered around the lead pair like fluttering butterflies. Our arms slowly waved like they were our wings. They were mesmerizing and as we circled the pair in a heavyhearted daze, Emile began to rise up.
Like a wilted flower blooming, she sprang to life and the music became frantic.
She began to dance as if her soul was searching for someone or something. Jake leapt to her in a heartbeat's wake and grasped her hands. She tried to pull away but he caught her waist and lifted her high in the air.
The three of our group fluttered around them in a joyous dance as the rest of the group kneeled with their heads bowed. The lead couple span as the three flutterers which included myself knelt to the ground like wilted flowers of winter and became still. The music ended with a soft pang as the lead pair came to a slow stop in each other's arms.

The class erupted with a loud applause and Madam Bovai clapped as well. Jake looked happy while Emile looked very smug.
"Splendid! Simply Amazing! It seems as though our lead has got the dance down. As well as our glitter fairies! We will have an excellent performance indeed."

Madame Bovai seemed quite pleased and when she told us that practice was over, I gladly skipped out of the doors with my things in hand. I was on my way to the bus stop where I would take the R-12 to the outskirts of town; I would then walk the half mile back to my grandmother's house. The ride and walk were long but I enjoyed the silence and the workout. It kept me in shape these past few years since I've been going to Madame Bovai's dance studio.

While I was walking through the alleyway behind the studio I heard voices.

"Come on Jake! I think we could definitely work this out. I mean we are both leads and we're a perfect match, what do you say?" I slowed my walking when I realized that this voice was Emile's.
I heard Jake laugh "Emile your definition of perfect is a bit off. Besides if Madame Bovai found out about it, we'd be toast."
I continued walking and I heard Emile whine. "I don't care if she finds out, and you can't tell me that you didn't enjoy that night at the –" she paused abruptly as I passed by and glared.
I paid her no mind, she didn't scare me.
"What the hell do you want girl?" she asked me with a clear dislike.

I glanced at her but I didn't stop walking. I had a lot on my mind; I was a bit surprised to be very honest. I never thought that Emile and Jake would ever even be talking lest having a conversation about past events. I didn't really see them together before, besides dance practices and performances. The thought of sweet Jake and cold Emile together was enough to make me want to gag. She was such the typical bitch that you saw in the movies about high school teenagers. You know the types that have to be on top of everything and everyone? I almost laughed at the latter; on top of everyone was definitely an understatement. There was more than one reason Emile didn't like me and that was because she had a secret. I had caught her in the act more than once and you would think after the first time she would get better at being discreet. Sadly enough she didn't learn and I was often caught in the awkward moment that was her many sex parties. The first time I saw her, my virgin eyes were forever scarred. After the second time it was no new thing. However, the new thing was, that she was after Jake and as more than a one night thing.

It was none of my business and even though I was shocked, I wouldn't pry.
In about five minutes I had arrived at the bus stop. It was still late afternoon and the light was slowly fading. My bus usually came on time so I didn't have to worry about walking home in the dark.
The bus arrived sooner than I thought it would and I paid the toll. I took a seat next to an elderly woman who smiled at me. We had a long conversation together. She told me about her grandchildren and how she retired a few years back. I didn't ask her but I didn't mind listening. Everyone needed someone to talk to; I was glad that I was the one she decided to talk to.
Twenty minutes later I was exiting the bus and I began the half hour walk home. As I walked I thought about the things my grandmother might've cooked. Each time I returned home for a long day of practice, she was always there with something delicious. I loved her berry cobblers she usually prepared and they ranged from different fruits. Peach to cherry but my favorite was her blueberry cobbler. I could feel my mouth water and I increased my pace to a small jog.

I made it in the door in less time than usual because of my jog. I was rewarded with delicious smell that wafted my nose in a playful tease. I quickly hung my coat up and walked to the kitchen. There my grandmother was setting the table. "Well hello dear welcome home, how was your practice?" She asked me and I gave her a warm smile.

My grandmother was a small woman who usually wore strange artsy clothes. They were made up of queer patterns and bright, vivid colors. Right now she was wearing a long dress that swept the floor lightly. It had large odd geometric shapes that were a cheery yellow color. He graying dark brown hair was swept into a sloppy bun at the back of her head. Loose stands fell out and framed her face, which held laugh lines in all their glory. Her deep espresso eyes were surrounded by deep crow's feet but did not take away her sweet beauty. She was a funny old woman who often made perverse jokes just to see me blush. I supposed her sense of humor rubbed off on me a little because I was defiantly no stick in the mud.

"It was good, Madame Bovai thinks that we're ready for the performance." I replied happily and she smiled back at me. She told me to go and get changed because dinner was just about ready. I quickly ran upstairs into my bathroom and got washed up. When I returned she had set the table completely and served me some off the food she had cooked. It was roast beef and it made me feel so at home. She continued to ask about how my day was and I told her about the incident between Emile and Jake. I usually told her everything, she was my confidant.
"That's such a shame, that poor boy. Doesn't he know that her goose is a little loose?" I nearly choked on a piece of potato that I had been chewing.
I took a gulp of water to push back the small portion of potato that had gotten stuck in my throat. I coughed a little as I addressed my eccentric grandmother "Grandma! That's completely inappropriate." I paused.
"Besides I'm sure he knows how loose it is." I added in afterthought. We both laughed loudly as we finished dinner and I did the dishes.

When I was finished I dried my hands and gave my grandmother a kiss on the cheek, bidding her goodnight. Before I walked upstairs she quickly grabbed my hand. "Wait Dettie, I wanted to give you something." She said, using her nickname for me. I turned to face her completely and I was slightly confused. What could she give me? It wasn't my birthday and this wasn't a special occasion.

She softly smoothed my fingers apart and placed an object in my left hand. I tried to see what it was but she quickly pushed my fingers back in place.
"Now Adette, I have had this for a long while. I feel that now, you're ready to have it." She told me, I didn't know where she was going with this. She looked very serious and it was very odd because it was not a common thing. I was about to ask her what she meant but she quickly silenced me with one small hand held up.
"I won't be here for very long and I wanted to give this to you before I left." If I was confused before, I was even more now. Where was she going? Was she going to be gone for long and would she be leaving me alone? I suddenly got an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. Something in her words left more to be explained, it seemed though, that she was trying to be as vague as possible.

" I only ask of you one thing. Leave and never come back, there will be people coming to get you. Walk along the path just behind the house and don't ever forget the object I just gave you. You are meant for great things my dear Adette. I love you so very much." She stood and held me in a tight embrace.
Even though I was beyond confused at this moment I hugged her back with equally as much love. We stayed up for the rest of the night and she told me many stories of her past. We shared loud laughs and she spared no perversity at my cost. We fell asleep on the carpeted floor.

I awoke early and quickly went upstairs to shower and get dressed for work today. I worked in a small café by Madame Bovai's dance institution. It didn't pay a lot of money but it had good benefits which ranged from free health insurance to free coffee. I was into it more because of the free coffee; I couldn't live without my precious coffee. I dressed in black slacks and a bright blue button up shirt, which had the company's logo located on the right pocket of the shirt. I grabbed my small duffle bag that contained my ballet clothing because I would need it for today's practice. I picked up my name tag and before I left the room I grabbed the object that my grandmother had given me last night.
It was wrapped in a dark cloth and though I was curious, I didn't have time to see what it was. I decided I would see what it was tonight as I pocketed the object I went downstairs where my grandmother was preparing breakfast.

I wasn't a big breakfast eater and my grandmother was accustomed to that. She often gave me a bit of toast with blueberry jam. It was my favorite and I gobbled it down without thinking, I also chugged down some orange juice. I was about to rush out the door because I had overslept and I was about to miss my bus. My grandmother gave me a long hug and a kiss on the cheek.
"I love you Adette, have a nice day." She sounded a little sad; if she was I couldn't tell because she hid it with a smile. I told her that I loved her back and walked out of the door
"Good-bye Dettie." She waved to me and I felt a little pang enter my heart though I didn't know why. It strangely seemed like she was telling me she would never see me again. I felt really uneasy but I didn't have time to think about it as I made the half hour trek to the nearest bus stop.

As I arrived I saw the bus pull up ahead. I made a quick sprint, catching it just before it pulled off. I sat down behind a young couple who were seriously PDA'ing it up. I tried not to look at them as best I could but I wondered if I would meet the person who was right for me. I also wondered if we would be as affectionate as the two in front of me were. I had hoped not, at least not in public.
That was a little too much affection and I was sort of scared that they might start touching each other. I quickly adverted my gaze and I could feel a warm blush find its way onto my face. My grandmother's sense of humor was definitely rubbing off on me.
I laughed softly as a memory of last night found its way into my head. My grandmother had poked my breast, commenting on how she used to have boobs as great as mine. I was sort of uncomfortable but I laughed just as loud as she did by the expression on my face. Her laugh was contagious and her smile was gorgeous, I often felt myself missing her smiles on a hard day at work. The costumers were rowdy sometimes and high school teenagers visited the café on most days with their friends to talk about gossip.

The bus stopped and my thoughts were placed on pause as I exited. When the bus pulled off I crossed the street and entered the small business which had be doing well because of the large influx of customers that had been coming in lately. I went to the back and clocked in while also tying my white apron around my waist. My manager waved me over and told me that I was going to be waitressing today.

I was sort of glad because usually I worked behind the counter taking orders. Customers were usually crabby in the morning and if their order was wrong, they would take it out on me. I often found myself thinking
'Hey I didn't make your coffee, so don't give me your piss.' Though, I would never say that out loud because that was very rude and un-professional. I'm not going to lie though; I almost said something like that to a specific customer one time.
He usually came in extremely early and was always a complete prick. He always ordered the exact same thing every single day. I guess he woke up on the wrong side of the bed that morning because he was more of a prick than usual. I guess someone didn't add enough cream because he was in my face like I was the one responsible.
He ended up leaving in an outrage and was such a drama queen. He still came back but he never apologized which I thought was screwed up. I began taking orders and the start of my shift which would take four hours to complete.

At two thirty in the afternoon I clocked out and made my way to Madame Bovai's studio.
When I got through the doors I went to the bathroom to change into my ballet clothes. I made sure to carefully wrap my feet and I tied up my pale pink pointe shoes as tightly as I could. I then placed my hair into a tight bun high on top of my head. I made sure I looked presentable in the full length mirror the bathroom provided. Seeing that I was alright, I exited and walked to the ballet room.

The institution was very big and had every dance class imaginable, from Jazz all the way to hip hop dance. It got great reviews and was highly recommended by every professional dancer that grew up around here.

When I entered the ballet room I noticed that Madame Bovai was already present.
She looked up from her place of thought and smiled at me. I was sort of freaked out because I have never seen her smile before especially not that brightly.
"Ah, just the student I was waiting for, Ms. Adette." The way she pronounced my name was different in her accent. She was from France and it showed in her speech. My name was pronounced Adet, though she pronounced it as Aday. I didn't mind because I liked the way it sounded either way. Besides that, I was really confused as to why she was smiling and why she was looking for me.
"I've noticed that you are an extremely talented dancer and due to some very recent changes I have decided that you are the most fit to be the new lead." She said quite nonchalantly.
I sputtered like an idiot; I had no idea how to answer that.
"B-but what happened to Emile? Surely she will be angry?" I honestly did not care if she was angry but I didn't know why Madame Bovai wanted me for lead.

Madame Bovai looked at me with small disgust on her face at the mention of Emile's name.
"She was caught engaging in some inappropriate behavior. I will not have that type of disgusting behavior in or around my institute."

I was a bit shocked that she had finally been caught in the act. I wondered if she had been caught with Jake and I felt saddened that he might've been kicked out because he was seduced by such a creature. I laughed out loud forgetting that Madame Bovai was still present in the room with me. When I came out of my laughing phase, she was staring at me with a weird expression on her face.
"Oh, um of course! I would love to be the lead, thank you for choosing me!" I quickly recovered and she waved me away.
"Now I will have to teach you the steps, which will be no easy feat. The production is in a month and I have no time to be wasting on you if you are not serious." I nodded, I was serious about this.
This was everything I had been waiting for and I was more than ecstatic to be able to live my dream.

The classroom filled up about ten minutes later and I was introduced to the class as the new lead. I got many applause's and Jake even hugged me. I was happy that it wasn't him that was in on the act and when he hugged me, I liked that a little more than I should have.
Shaking away those thoughts it was time to get down to work. We started with the normal stretches to warm up and soon after, Madame Bovai led me into the routine as lead.
It was extremely tortuous and I fell down a lot but I never gave up. This was something I had wanted for so very long and I would not spoil it by giving up. Just on dedication and tough skin alone I had made it this far, it would only take a little more. By the end of class I had the first minutes of the routine down.

Madame Bovai dismissed the class but told Jake and I to stay behind. She informed us that we would be staying a little longer after class to practice the first part of the routine until I got it right. I really didn't want to stay so late but I had no choice. I was completely off in the routine and extra practice would definitely help.

Three hours later we were done and I was extremely exhausted. I had so much sweat on me it felt like I had taken a dip in a pool. It was already dark outside and I didn't want to take the long trip home by myself. Jake offered to give me a ride home and I told him how long the ride to my house was but he didn't seem to mind, so I accepted it. As soon as I was changed out of my thoroughly soaked dancing clothes, I gathered my stuff and we exited out of the back where his car was.
It was an expensive looking Bentley and I almost didn't want to take the ride. I was fearful of ruining his seats and I told him this. He only laughed at me and told me to get in.

To say the ride home was awkward was definitely an understatement.

He tried to make conversation with me but I was really shy. It was weird the way I was, I could be so shy it was painful yet when I danced I was the loudest one in the room. I didn't know how to explain that and I wasn't going to.

We arrived to my house faster than it usually took me, thanks to Jake's 'awesome' driving skills.

They were about as 'awesome' as an upside down rollercoaster. I tried extremely hard not to scream because he was speeding horribly. He exceeded the speed limit by about a good 20 more mph and almost made me pee myself. When he pulled up to the house I was out of his car faster than I had gotten in.
I thanked him for the ride and he sped off. I hoped that he would be okay on his way back. I turned and walked up the steps of my grandmother's house making sure that I had everything.

"Hey grandma! You'll never believe what happened to me today." I called out to her as I entered the house.
There was no response and I immediately paused. Something was definitely wrong and I felt a really big uneasy feeling.
First thing was she didn't answer me and she always did. Secondly there were no smells of her delicious cooking. I was quite used to those smells and to not have them was really unusual. Thirdly, the house felt cold and empty.

"Grandma? Where are you?" I called for her again but there was no response.
I began searching for her in the kitchen where the breakfast from earlier still sat. Something was really wrong because this was so unlike my grandmother. She was nowhere to be seen, she wasn't in her room or the living room. I had looked everywhere and I was really starting to panic. I had looked everywhere but I couldn't find her and her unresponsiveness was really unnerving. The only place I hadn't checked was out back, she often went there to care for her small garden.
'Maybe she just got caught up and forgot to come in' I thought to myself as I exited from the screen door. It slapped behind me and I jumped a little. I was really freaked out with the silence and extra noises were not appreciated thank-you.

I looked around and saw that her garden wasn't doing very well. It was in the middle of November and her flowers were wilted though, the trees were vibrant and made up of different colors.
Fall was my favorite time of the year. My birthday was also in fall, I had turned eighteen just last month. I remembered how grandma had made all my favorite foods and desserts. She had bought me a new jacket which I was wearing right now. It kept me warm enough and I thanked her for it. I remembered that she had baked me a cake that was-

I was cut out of my thoughts as I looked to the small waterfall that lay at the end of her garden. There she was kneeling at what looked as though she was praying.
"Oh thank the heavens! There you are, grandma you scared me for a second." I told her as I walked up to her.
She didn't respond to me though. I grew worried and as I placed my hand on her shoulder I noticed two things simultaneously.
One was that there was the sound of car doors slamming.
The second was that my grandmother was extremely cold. I gasped and stepped back as she fell to the ground like a pile of rocks.
"Grandma are you okay?" I asked her as I tried to get her warm with my coat.
"Grandma what's the matter with you? Are you okay?" I tried again, I could feel the tears threatening to spill from my eyes and as I held her to my chest I looked down to her face.
Her usual face that had deep laugh lines and small wrinkles, her joyful face that I held so dear in my childhood was a pale blue. It was cold to the touch and her dark espresso eyes that were so full of youth were wide open. They were unblinking, they were lifeless.I gasped, horrified and jumped back, her body fell lifelessly to the ground wrapped tightly in my winters coat.

There was no time because then I heard the voices coming closer. They sounded like men, but none of any man I've known.

I had to get my thoughts together but my emotions were so unstable. I could feel myself breaking down and the tears rolled freely. I couldn't stop them I was panicking so bad I was visibly shaking. I tried to focus and I remembered something my grandmother had told me;

" I only ask of you one thing. Leave and never come back, there will be people coming to get you. Walk along the path just behind the house"

She said something else but it was hard to remember when I was so emotional unstable. The voices got louder and I didn't have time to think. My body moved completely by itself and I was running into the forest.
My brain eventually caught up to me and I realized I was running on the path my grandmother had told me about. I didn't stop to think about what I was doing, I didn't stop to rationalize.

I kept feeling like there was just no time!

I ran for what seemed like hours nonstop, it was extremely cold without my winter coat.
It was very deep into the night, the dark illuminated by a small amount of light that peaked through a cloudy sky. I couldn't see much but I wasn't tired. My adrenaline was far from being diminished and I ran harder though, the path seemed like it never ended.
My heart was beating faster than I ran and I was so very scared.

I felt the ground leave my feet and I was falling very fast I tried to scream but I was engulfed by ice cold water.
I gasped and sucked water through my mouth and nose by accident.
I could see the black spots clouding my vision as I struggled to get back to the surface.

My brain was shutting down, I was going into shock.
I couldn't breathe and soon I couldn't move.

I was welcomed with the black of nothingness.

Ending Notes: I hope that you all enjoyed this story, and make sure to review if you would like for me to continue.