Author's Message

Hmm.. I hope I got all of it correct this time. Sorry for those who've read it before.

The small girl ran blindly in the morning fog, unable to discern between North and South or East and West. She only knew that she had to run away. She had to escape.

Escape from what?

She did not know. She can't remember. She knew she had to run.

She was exhausted, malnourished, and barely conscious. Her legs sent wave after wave of pain into her head for each step she struggled to make. But she couldn't stop. She mustn't stop.

Her bare feet had endured uncountable different terrains: concrete, asphalt, gravel, dirt, grass, mud then grass again. Dried blood had caked all over her small feet and still more was oozing out from fresh cuts and unhealed wounds. She ignored them. She had to. To stop was unacceptable. Every time she stopped, she would see the black bags.

She entered a different terrain. Tall, thin plants now surrounded her, obstructing her. She panicked and turned the other way. Going through the crops would be too slow. The sounds of pursuit were barely audible but she knew that was an illusion.

They never give up. Not once.

The small path she found took her deeper into the wheat field. She didn't care. As long as she was as far as possible from that place, she didn't care where the path led her.

She tripped over a small rock and fell. The rough earthen path tore her already tattered and soiled gown. She struggled to get up but her strength had finally failed her. Her legs cramped and she stifled a scream. Tears threatened to fall but she kept them in with a valiant effort. Sniffing, the girl rolled onto her back and pulled her legs close to her. She tried to rub and loosen the curled up muscles but the feeble strength she had left in her arms barely applied any more pressure than a gentle touch.

She looked upwards in despair. The heavy fog had blocked any remaining light in the dark and gloomy day. Not even the sun would give her a ray of hope. She laboured to get up again but she only managed to stumble a few small steps before falling back into the earth's embrace.

A rustling sound came from next to her. She stiffened in terror. She was done for.

They had found her.

She saw a single black boot emerged from the yellow wall of crops. The leg that the boot was attached to would soon emerge with its owner. The boot conjured up an image of something terrible. She didn't know why she couldn't remember the image clearly but she knew that pain would soon follow when the owner of those boots laid eyes on her.

She braced herself for the kicking and beating she would soon receive. She glared at the emerging person; determined to look him in the face while he tortured her. She would not give him the satisfaction of hearing her scream for mercy. She had done that too many times and it only made it worse.

Surprisingly, the man who materialised outside the crop wall was an elderly one. The last thing the girl saw was his shocked expression before everything went blurry and dark as exhaustion overcame her.

She opened her eyes slowly; her eyelids felt like there were lead weights hanging from them but she had to see. She had to see where she was.

Something black had covered her up to her neck. The girl struggled to see what it was. Fear and anxiety entered her as her mind screamed to tell her what it was.

The Black Bag!

"Noooooo!" She screamed in a high pitch voice as she tried to tear the black thing off her. She thrashed and kicked but it was too heavy to throw off. Two strong hands appeared to hold her arms and she heard someone trying to tell her something. She ignored the voice. She just needed to get away.

She stopped her mindless thrashing as that someone suddenly held her tightly in his arms. At first she was petrified by his sudden move but the embrace was warm and comforting, slightly easing the girl's panic-stricken mind. Somehow his hold had managed to gather her fleeting sanity together, driving away the horrific visions of her joining her friends in the black bags and being dumped in some remote area.

The person patted her back softly as he made comforting sounds, occasionally whispering to her that it was ok. The girl's body shook and she let her tears fall. It had been a very long since someone held her in his or her arms without trying to hurt her and the relief associated with it washed over her, lulling her to sleep.

She awoke again. This time the black thing was no longer on top of her. Instead, it was now a blue blanket. She sat up weakly and noticed with a slight surprise that a head of spiky red hair was on the side of her bed. She had expected the person at her side to be the elderly man. Instinctively, she reached out to touch his hair.

The youth sleeping with his head on her bed jerked up at her touch, revealing his handsome but still boyish features to the girl. He flashed a wide grin at her when he realised that the girl had awoken and before she could say anything, he signalled her to stay put with his hand.

He came back a moment later with a tray on his arms. The girl could smell the aroma of freshly baked bread entering the room with him. He set the tray onto her lap and sat on the chair next to the bed again.

The girl looked at the food on the tray. A loaf of bread, some cheese, a glass of milk and a small dish stacked with many slices of ham were displayed tidily. She glanced timidly at the teenage boy. He nodded reassuringly and asked her to eat.

The food was delicious. Much better than the gruel they had served her and her friends. Although she was hungry, she ate slowly, savouring the taste of kindness infused into the food.

"What's your name?" The teenager in the red shirt and blue overalls asked as she chewed.

She hesitated as she was still unsure whether she could trust him.

"Now where's my manners. I should introduce myself first," the teen said, a bit embarrassed. "I'm Nikklas Kauffman," he greeted and extended his right hand.

"Reni Milchstrasse," she answered softly, letting him shake her small hand.

"That's a beautiful name," the boy smiled, "Welcome to the Kauffman Farm, Reni."

Reni's eyes opened slowly and stared at the familiar ceiling of her room back in the Teigeki. She sat up on her bed and held her face with her right hand like she always did when she was confused.

"Nikklas... Kauffman?" Reni whispered the name to herself repeatedly as she tried to recall who the youth was, an unexplainable sense of longing and sadness lingered in her.

The Hanagumi came to breakfast the usual way: loud, cheery and enthusiastic about the new day. Kaede had risen later than usual and came to join the energetic group as Kanna and Kohran glided into the dining hall, balancing the plates in their hands whilst they served the food, earning applauses from everyone.

As everyone dug into their food, Kaede noticed that Reni was occupied with something in her head. It was unnoticeable to everyone else but Kaede had known Reni longer than they did. Kaede was sure because Reni was cutting her bread into smaller and smaller pieces until she could not cut it anymore before eating it.

After breakfast, Kaede caught up with Reni as she headed to her room and asked her what the matter was.

Reni paused a bit before she replied.

"Kaede-san. Do you know anything that had happened to me before you rescued me from the lab?"

Kaede shook her head before saying, "No. The files we found in the labs only mentioned your progress in the 'Growth Project'. Nothing about your background or anything before they've started experimenting on you."

"I see... Kaede-san. I'd like to take a month off. I need to go to Germany."

Reni's straightforward request was unexpected but Kaede nodded after some consideration. "I'll notify Manager Yoneda and arrange it for you immediately but I have to ask you why."

"I need to find out about something."

The journey from Japan to Germany was uneventful and unexciting for Reni. She had ignored all the sights and sounds on the way, holing herself up in the ship's cabin and in her room on the train just to try and make some sense out of her dream. She never dismissed it as some random and bizarre dream that had popped up in her head. The emptiness and longing she had felt after the dream were too real to ignore. She knew that this Nikklas Kauffman held the answers to why she felt that way and she was determined to find out about him and what he had meant to her.

Reni thanked the wagon driver and his companion for letting her ride with them as she leapt off their horse-drawn wagon and surveyed the view in front of her. The building that once stood on the empty concrete lot in front of her was what she was running away from in the dream. Rani was sure of it because even now she felt the tingly sensation of fear and repulsion emitting from some hidden part of her soul.

Reaching into her pocket, Reni pulled out a map and checked it. She had drawn a small red circle on the map to signify the position of the now-demolished laboratory. An even larger red circle was drawn on the map with the small circle as its centre. Even though the dream had been brief, Reni was able to come up with an approximation of how far and how long she had ran based on the condition of how her legs looked in her dream. The results of what the lab had done to her when she was young were now evident.

Seeing that she had a huge area to explore, she started walking.

Two days had passed and Reni had scouted out about half of the area she intended to search. The same two wagon drivers were kind enough to take her to an inn when evening came and back to where she last left off her search in the morning. Reni was losing her patience but she kept looking. She was passing by an abandoned field overgrown with weeds and surviving crops when she caught sight of something that sent daggers to her brain.

Amidst the patches of dying crops and tall weeds, stood a rotten, wooden figure with a tattered hat that had been worn by years of rain and sunlight but miraculously the hat stayed on. Reni approached the figure, ignoring the wet earth and how it soaked her shoes. She reached out unconsciously to touch the hat, causing various sights and sounds to invade her mind.

"Come and catch me big brother!" A black-haired boy with a straw hat no older than Reni shouted at Nikklas.

"Why you little twerps! I'll get you!" Nikklas feigned a roar and chase after the boy.

Reni and the boy giggled as they avoided the teen's feeble attempts to grab them.

"Nikklas is too slow." Reni squealed in a singsong voice as she avoided his grasps again.

Nikklas growled in frustration and the three of them raced through the fields until they reached the wooden scarecrow. They began to circle the scarecrow, the younger ones moving in the same direction as Nikklas, keeping the distance between them the same. However, Nikklas had longer arms and he made a mad grab at Reni. She ducked laughing at him but Nikklas was rewarded for his efforts when his hand snatched the younger boy's straw hat.

"Hey!" The boy shouted in protest.

Nikklas plopped the hat onto the scarecrow's head and began to taunt the boy. "Now Riku's the cop. Come and catch me!"

Riku mimicked blowing a whistle and chased after the two of them. To the young girl's surprise and delight, Nikklas scooped her onto his shoulders and shouted, "RUN!"

The trio ran back to the small farmhouse from where they had come, sounds of laughter, playful taunts and threats followed them.

Reni glanced at the three steps that led to the entrance of the farmhouse. The door had fallen inwards and the whole building was in a state of disrepair. Reni noted with interest that the hinges of the door had fallen off, signifying a forced entry. She entered the building warily, feeling an eerie familiarity. It almost felt like she was coming home, a feeling not so different to the one she had when she returned to everyone in the Teigeki.

The inside of the house was no better than it had looked outside. Cobwebs and dust covered every surface and corner. Reni could tell that she was in a dining room. Shattered plates and utensils lay on the dusty, wooden floor and a dining table and its associated chairs were on their sides. Vague, unclear images formed in her head. She could see the elderly man preparing food for the children with Nikklas helping him in the nearby kitchen and she could also see all of them including her around the table enjoying their meal.

They almost felt like a family. Their meals were never plain. There was always something to talk about around the table and the constant pranks the two stepbrothers pulled at each other never cease to entertain. Reni stood next to one of the fallen chairs. It was her chair. She knew because her name was carved onto the back. The chair next to hers, on her right, was Nikklas'. It seemed that the young her never seemed to leave the older boy's side. She was smiling unknowingly to herself at the memory. Nikklas... who are you? Why do you make me feel so... happy?

Reni headed to the door on the right of the room. It was a side door leading outside and she saw a manual water pump, a stool and a few buckets on the ground. The area felt familiar and intimate to her. Her eyes glazed over as new memories began to surface.

Reni sat quietly on the stool as Nikklas gently pulled off the shirt he had lent her. He sighed at the sight she knew was on her back.

"How could anyone do this to you?" Nikklas asked her as he touched the bruises on her back.

She didn't answer. The memory was too painful and she did not fully trust the friendly teenager yet. The teenager had carried her out there as soon as she had finished eating. The elderly man was nowhere to be seen and Nikklas had decided to bathe her wounds first.

Reni screwed her face in pain as Nikklas rubbed her down with a warm cloth. He was gentle all the time, never applying too much pressure on the bruises and the cuts on her. He was especially careful when he washed her legs. They had been washed and bandaged when she was unconscious but Reni still moaned lightly in pain when he dabbed the wounds with his cloth.

The girl was especially hard to treat when the antiseptics and medication he tried to rub on her stung her and made her screech in terror. She would constantly beat him with her small fists and push his hands away whenever he got close. Memories of the Warden cruelly rubbing acidic solutions into her wounds when she disobeyed him tormented the girl. Pain caused by medication terrified her.

Nikklas sighed in frustration at the girl's behaviour but he never gave up. The next thing Reni knew, he held on to her tightly again and told her to hold on to him if she was afraid of the pain, not minding that Reni's wet body was soaking his shirt. Yet again, his embrace astonished but calmed her and made her submissive as a mysterious yet reassuring warmth entered her. She did what he said and held onto his neck tightly, trusting the kind person in front of her.

The pain was unbearable to her but she held on tight, sobbing into the collar of his shirt and moaning softly at the sting of the antiseptics and the memories of being in the 'disciplinary chamber' with the Warden. Nikklas encouraged her softly, telling her that it was all right and that he was there. He didn't know how right he was. Clinging onto him was the only reason why she didn't run away from the pain.

Reni rested her back on the wall and gazed absently at the water pump and the empty stool. She felt moved. His kindness ten or so years ago touched her soul again and she wiped the droplets of tears forming up in her eyes. It only made her want to see him again.

She headed inside again. This time she entered the short corridor leading to a back door. Two doors stood opposite each other on the side of the corridor, their doors were open and revealed two bedrooms. The one on her left, she remembered, was where the elderly man and Riku slept. The one on the right was Nikklas' and her room. She had insisted on sleeping with the teen since day one. The notion of her being so fond of someone until she clung to him day in and day out reminded her of Iris but strangely, she liked that feeling. She headed to their room first.

It was a small and simple room like the one she had glimpsed in her dream. Everything looked to be normal in the room. She noticed that an old and worn mattress was on the floor next to the bed. She approached both the bed and the mattress, noting that the blue blanket in her dream was still on the bed while a black one was on the mattress. Nikklas had let her sleep on his bed and he would sleep below her. Reni held back a smile when an image of her stepping onto his face one morning jumped into her mind. She touched the dusty old bed nostalgically when she remembered another night, during which he had slept holding her in his arms because she had had a nightmare.

When she turned to leave, something rectangular protruding from under the black blanket caught her eye. Reni bent down and pulled the dusty blanket away to reveal a tattered book. Intrigued, she picked it up, dusted the cover and read it. It said, "My Journal" in untidy handwriting. She flipped it open, disappointed to find that the pages were blank. She was about to discard the book when she flipped to a page with a few lines written in the same handwriting on it.

June 22 1917- Pa found a girl in the fields and brought her home. She was hurt real bad. Cleaned up some of the wounds and gave her some water. I'll let her rest before I treat her further.

The author slacked off for two months before he wrote again.

September 11 1917- Reni's been with us for how long now? Two months plus? Anyway I'm glad that she's laughing like a normal girl now. The first month really had me worried. I should get her something as a reward. Riku suggests jewellery. Something blue would look good on her. I'm sure Uncle Jonas could make me something tomorrow morning.

On the same page, the author drew a rough sketch of a stone labelled 'sapphire' and yellow petals surrounded it, making it look like a flower.

Reni gasped at the illustration. She untied the chocker she wore on her neck and compared it with the sketch.

They were identical.

Reni did not believe it. It was Kaede who gave the jewel to her a long time ago. What had happened to Nikklas? Why hadn't he given the jewel to her himself?

She flipped though the remaining pages but found no more entries. She double-checked but the result was the same. Reni dropped the journal back onto the mattress and headed towards the back door, hoping to find more clues about the Kauffmans' fate.

She found her clue the moment she stepped into the backyard. In fact, she found her answers. A single gravestone stood right in front of her, facing the door. The huge words on the gravestone were clear and readable despite the weeds climbing onto it.

Here lies the Kauffman Family. May their good souls rest in peace and be forever free from the cruelty of those they called the armed forces.

"Grandpa!" Reni screamed over the Warden's shoulder as she watched in horror at the soldiers executing the defiant and struggling old man in front of her. She tried to wriggle out of the man's grip but he slung her over his right shoulder like she was just some luggage.

"Let me go!" She cried tearfully and banged her elbow uselessly on the side of his head.

"Behave yourself girl! Do you still want to sleep on your stomach tonight? Or perhaps you'd like to play with needles?"

Reni froze, her fears for him renewed by his calm, cold voice.

"These people deserve to die. See how badly you are behaving again. The doctors would not be pleased," he said in mock disappointment but Reni could detect the glee in his voice. He had always enjoyed 'disciplining' them. There was never a day that he would not remind them of his authority.

"Let her go you freak!" Riku yelled as he burst out from the bushes and stabbed the man in the side. The Warden doubled over in pain but he didn't let Reni go nor did he go down.

"No! Run away Riku!" Reni screamed in terror but it was too late for the Japanese boy. The Warden, with inhuman strength, grabbed Riku's head with his free hand and pulled the boy off the ground. He held the boy's head like a basketball and started to apply pressure with his fingers, crushing his skull.

Riku thrashed and screamed in pain and blood started to flow down his nose. Reni tried to look over her shoulder at Riku and was uselessly pounding at the Warden. Finally, Riku stopped kicking and his body went still as his last breath escaped him. The steroid pumped man tossed Riku's body aside as if he were rubbish and Reni could only watch and wail in anger and helplessness.

The Warden signalled for the soldiers to withdraw and Reni looked sorrowfully at the bodies of the people that had loved her as she was brought further and further away from them. It was then she saw Nikklas charging out of the house with a hunting rifle in his hands. He had been gone the whole morning and Reni was horrified to see him now. Of all the members of the Kauffman family, she didn't want Nikklas to die the most.

"Nikklas! Run! Don't come near me! He'll kill you!" Reni cried desperately to him, hoping against hope that the teen would save himself.

"Reni!" Nikklas yelled at her and he fired a shot, killing a soldier next to the Warden. He then charged madly towards her, pulling out a huge hunting knife.

"Don't these flies ever stop coming?" The Warden snarled impatiently. "Get rid of him!" He barked to the three remaining soldiers who had accompanied him.

The Warden then tossed Reni inside the black car waiting not far away and blocked the girl's view. The last thing she saw was Nikklas struggling to fend off the three men attacking him with their own knives before the Warden shut the door. She stared defiantly at him and he offered her a smile that was anything but friendly. His meaty hand slapped her face so hard that she fell unconscious. The last thing she heard was the sounds of multiple gunshots as she drifted off into the darkness.

"No... this can't be..." Reni choked in her own voice as reality dawned on her.

They were dead.

She fell to her knees in front of the simple grave. All three of the people that had loved her like a real family were in the ground below her forever. Two streams of tears flowed down her cheeks and dripped off her chin to the dry earth. She mourned silently for the Kauffmans, her first, real family and friends. She had held on to the weak flame of hope that she could have a family like everyone else when she had had the dream. Now the cruelty of the world doused even that small light, leaving her alone in the dark once again.

Weeks had passed since Reni's return. At first she was hounded by questions about her sudden departure, especially from Iris but they soon stopped when everyone saw that she was reluctant to talk about it. Kaede had approached her a few times but she too was turned away by the girl's silence about the matter.

Reni had spent most of her time alone; trying to piece together her past but it was hopeless. Details came and went easily like the wind. She wanted to remember about the kindly old man and his adopted sons. She wanted to know what they had done in the few months they had had together. Even more, she wanted to know about Nikklas, the boy she felt had cared most about her and vice versa. Remembering was the only thing she felt was right to do, for their sake and for hers. She owed all of them that.

When she decided to turn in for the night, she caught sight of the sapphire flower she had laid on the table. Then she remembered the sketch in the book. She had forgotten all about it. She grabbed the choker and headed towards Kaede's room, a flicker of hope was rekindled in her.

"Kaede-san," Reni almost shouted as she opened the door without knocking, causing the vice-commander to jump at the sudden intrusion. "Can you tell me when you gave me this?" Reni quickly asked before Kaede could open her mouth.

Kaede glanced at the jewel for a while and nodded as if remembering. "Ah, this chocker. Someone asked me to pass it on to you."

"Who?"

"One of the young men who rescued you with us. Leon Koenig."

"Leon... Koenig?" Reni was visibly disappointed by Kaede's answer. "Where can I find him now?" Reni asked again.

"You can't Reni. He died saving you."

"What?"

"You probably don't remember. You were heavily drugged when the Warden kept you hostage and threatened to blow himself up along with you. The villagers and my squad were held back but Leon wasn't. The young man did the most reckless thing we had ever seen but that act saved your life and cost his."

"What did he do?" She whispered as she felt the guilt rise up in her. Another person had died saving her.

"He took out a hunting knife and cut off the arm the Warden used to hold you. As unbelievable as it may sound, he did slice the arm off and covered you with his body before the Warden blew himself up, killing himself and Leon."

Reni was silent for a while. "Why did he do it? I was just a stranger to him."

Kaede shook her head. "I don't think so. He obviously knew you."

Reni's head snapped up to face her.

"During that time, my team referred you as 'Princess' since we didn't know your name. Leon called you 'Reni' when he tried to save you. I was quite surprised when it turned out to be your real name."

An impossible thought occurred to Reni. "What did he look like?"

Kaede frowned as she searched her brain. "Young teenager with red hair and hazel eyes. He came with the villagers to save their children. Nobody knew anything about him except his name."

Reni felt cold as she recognised the description. Kaede didn't notice and she continued, "He was saying something to you before he died. I overheard him when we tried to get you out from under him. He said something about finally finding his star before he gave me that trinket of yours."

That last sentence confirmed her suspicions and eliminated all her doubts. Reni backed away in disbelief and denial. She couldn't believe it. But she knew it was really him. She tried to control her emotions but they bursted out like water gushing out a long-closed dam. Reni collapsed into a pile on the floor, her body rocked by fitful sobs as she started to remember again and it pained her more than ever.

"Nikklas. Which star do you like best?" Reni asked.

They were sitting on a branch of an old tree in an empty field some distance away from the farmhouse. It was Nikklai's favourite spot and it had also recently become hers. It was perfect for stargazing.

"The moon I guess," he replied after some thought.

"The moon? That's not a star." The girl frowned, feeling a bit disappointed.

"Oh yes it is. It's just closer that's all."

Reni ignored his logic, trying not to point out his mistake. "Why do you like it?"

"Let's see... It's subtle but bright enough to be noticed. It's radiant and cool. And it lights my way in the dark."

"I see..." the girl sighed.

"And it reminds me of you." The teen said suddenly.

Reni looked up at his face and her lips broke into a wide smile when she realised what he had said. To the boy's surprise, she climbed towards him and pecked his lips before snuggling into his chest.

"Who taught you that?" The boy asked, embarrassed.

"I saw Riku do this to a girl in the next farm." She answered, wondering if she had done it wrong.

"When you're older, I'll teach you to 'right' way of doing this." He teased her.

"Teach me now," she insisted.

He rolled his eyes and grabbed her neck, pulling her face towards his and kissed her deeply.

"Well? Do you like it my star?" He said as their lips parted.

She just smiled and said, "The moon's not a star."

"Maybe. But you are."

They kissed again. This one lasting longer than the first.

R&R pls and I hope you liked it.