Hi! I'm back with another story! The whole story is in one chapter, so just keep scrolling, and scrolling, and scrolling... Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this story except the words of which order I put them in and my creation of Lacey. I know some of it doesn't make sense, so just bare with it. Thx! Enjoy and write lots of reviews:) -Gaerniko
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Lacey's P.O.V
I walked around the corner, burning off some steam. I could get really annoyed at times, not to mention angry.
I stopped as I approached a person outside of a house. "Hello…" I said sarcasm apparent in my voice. I wasn't in the mood to see anyone.
"Hello!" they said smiling kindly. They had purple hair and a school uniform on.
I started to turn around and head back home, but I stopped after a moment, I didn't want to go home just yet. "So, who are you?" I sneered, still extremely annoyed.
Still entirely cheerful he replied, "My name is Yuki."
I rolled my eyes at his politeness. "And I'm Lacey…." I replied. Now I was ready to go back. "Well, see you…not."
I headed back to the house, but before I'd walked five steps, somebody stood in my way blocking my path. "Look, I'm not in a great mood right now so please just get out of my way!" I growled.
"You're not the only one…" he growled back, trying to get past me, but I kept blocking him. I had a bad habit of getting in people's way.
"Oh sorry," I said sarcastically as I moved out of his way. He quickly pasted by, but not after giving me a good long glare.
"Oh, I'm so scared!" I muttered annoyed at him more than anything at the moment.
He turned around, angrily. "Just shut your mouth okay?" he said, losing his temper.
"Make me…" I said, calmly.
"Grr…. I don't have time for this!" he screamed as he aggressively pushed me to the ground.
"Now that hurt," I said, brushing myself off, "Come back here and apologize!"
"Yes Kyo, you really should apologize," said Yuki, frowning slightly.
"What would be the point of that?" asked Kyo angrily.
"Yeah, what would be the point?" I mutter as I tried to stand up. I felt a sharp pain in my left ankle. I screamed as I stood up and made my way toward him. Tears poured down my cheeks as the pain got worse and worse with each step. "Maybe you should fight someone your own size," I whispered as I made my way toward him. I saw a pained look on his face as he saw how bad I looked. He'd thrown me into the rocks, giving me scratch marks all over, some bleeding but they were just minor wounds.
"How old are you?" he asked. Now that he looked at me he saw that I couldn't possibly be as old as him.
"13," I managed to say as I stood next to him. I lifted my arm over his head and hit him really hard. I backed away, loosing my balance as he blocked my attack. But I wasn't going to give up so easily. I grabbed his leg and pulled on it until he fell down beside me.
"Hey! That wasn't very nice!" he yelled at me as he easily stood up.
All of a sudden a tall man with black hair covering one of his eyes walked out of the house. "Kyo, come here for a moment," he called. Kyo reluctantly walked over.
"Yeah, Hatori?" he asked. Hatori hit Kyo on the head, hard too.
"Look at that girl, you beat her up good. Did you ever consider that she doesn't know how to defend herself?" Kyo looked over at me. He looked ashamed of himself. Still, I wasn't going to loose.
"Get back over here Kyo!" I called, still crying in pain, attempting again to get up, only to scream again. Kyo winced as he saw how painful it was.
Kyo slowly approached me. He held his hand out to help me up. I just stared at it. "Why are you being nice to me?" I asked. He got no gain from helping me. Still, I grabbed his hand and yanked him down again. I sat on my knees and lifted up my arms, getting ready to punch him. Realizing what I was about to do, he crawled backward. I flung my fist at him. He grabbed my arm and flipped me over landing me back into the rocks. He still held my wrist, gripping it tightly.
"Why don't you just give up already?" he asked, confused.
I didn't reply, I just grabbed his wrist, trying to make him let go of my right hand. He twisted his arm in a strange way, causing me to scream in pain again.
Kyo looked scared. He abruptly stood up. "Okay, play time is over…" he said as he walked away from me.
Yuki looked worried as he walked over to me. "Are you okay?" he asked while helping me stand.
"Do I look okay?" I snapped. "Where's that stupid Kyo, I wasn't done killing him yet."
"What fight were you watching?" growled Kyo, but controlled his anger.
"Yuki, take her inside. Kyo, you did give her some serious injuries…" said Hatori calmly.
"Can you walk?" Yuki asked me. I nodded as I loosened out of his grip on me and started to stagger in the opposite direction they had been leading me. I was covered with blood and scratches covered every inch of my body. But, I kept moving.
"Where are you going?" asked Yuki, scared. After all, I was in no condition to move.
"I'm going home…" I told him as I staggered away.
"But…you…can't…" he whispered, terrified, like he was remembering a painful memory.
"Who are you to say my limitations?" I growled, aggravated. "Besides, I have to work tonight."
"I'm sure they would understand if you don't go…" said Hatori. He seemed shocked I could handle the pain.
"But if I don't go, I can't get paid…" I argued.
Kyo looked shocked, no one had ever been that determined, even Tohru wasn't. "But who would employ you?" he asked, "You aren't even old enough to work…"
"You mean she doesn't go to your school?" asked Hatori. "I thought she was one of your friends you brought for a visit."
"No, she's only 13…" explained Yuki.
"Where are your parents?" asked Hatori. "You have some pretty bad injuries. Maybe they should come pick you up."
"My parents….aren't…here…" I said, trying my best to keep calm. "They are elsewhere and will never be available for you to see…"
"Did they go away?" asked Yuki softly. Most of the Sohmas had been shunned by there parents, so they knew how it felt.
"Very, very far away…" I replied. Tears threatened to fall any second. I bit my lip; I didn't want them all to see me so weak.
"Are they in America? Spain? China?" guessed Kyo.
"No you insensitive idiot!" I screamed, "They're dead…" the tears that I'd tried so hard to hold back began to fall.
Kyo looked at me in shock. "I'm sorry," he said, "I didn't know…"
"Oh it's okay!" I said faking a smile. "I never knew them anyway. They died when I was little. I ran away from the orphanage they sent me to."
"If that's the case, you're definitely staying here," said Hatori as he lifted me up and carried me inside. "Yuki, Kyo, go get my first aid kit. Oh, and clean out Tohru's old room. She can sleep there." They nodded and went to work.
Kyo came back almost momentarily with the first aid kit. "You know, I really am sorry…" he whispered so only I could hear.
"If you weren't, I'd probably go out and try to kill you again…" I whispered back jokingly. He nodded and left the room. I smiled; I could get to like these people.
"When does your job start?" asked Hatori.
"Umm, it starts at 6:30…" replied after a moment.
"It's only 5 now so you have time," he replied. "Now sleep, you need some rest." It took a few moments, but sleep overcame me.
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Kyo's P.O.V
"Come on you damn rat!" I called as we walked upstairs together to clean out Tohru's room. It was weird, even though she's gone, I don't really miss her. I still don't know why she moved to the United States just to get away from the whole Sohma family. Luckily for us, the airhead's memory was wiped, thanks to Hatori, and she was sent far away.
"I'm right behind you; stupid cat…" replied Yuki calmly. "But you know, this is your fault. If you hadn't lost your temper that poor girl Lacey wouldn't be in such a horrible state."
"Shut up!" I whispered. I knew it was my fault. I feel horrible about it, but there isn't anything I can do about it now. But, I feel even worse now that I know her age.
A few minutes later, we finished cleaning up the room and I rushed downstairs to check on Lacey, Yuki followed.
"Is she…?" I asked worried.
"She'll be okay; she's sleeping now. But her right wrist and left ankle are both broken and she has bruises and cuts all over her. I'm glad you stopped when you did. If you hadn't, she'd be dead by now," Hatori explained. "It seems my guess was right. She was so pissed off she started a fight with you, but hasn't had any training what-so-ever…"
I hung my head, ashamed; I should have been able to control my temper. I walked back up the stairs until I reached the roof; my favorite place to think things over. After all, I had a lot to think about.
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No One's P.O.V
Yuki walked over and shook Lacey lightly. If she didn't wake up soon, she'd miss work. Lacey blinked slowly before fully woke up. "Good Morning!" said Yuki smiling.
"Crap, its morning already?!?" Lacey screamed as she struggled to stand up. Yuki helped her stand.
"So, what is your job anyway?" he asked.
"I'm a waitress…" Lacey replied.
"But you can barely walk! How do you expect to wait tables?"
"Good point…" Lacey replied. "Well, I better go now, don't wanna be late!" With Yuki's help, she walked to the door. "See ya!" she called as she walked further. Yuki started to follow her, supporting her as she walked.
"Yuki, are you coming with me?" she asked, a bit confused.
"Well, you definitely aren't capable of getting there yourself in this condition…" he replied.
Yuki expected Lacey to get angry and complain how she could do it herself, but her response surprised her. "I'm sorry for causing you all this trouble…" she said.
They walked in silence for a while until they reached the restaurant. Yuki froze. Someone familiar could be seen inside, Ayame. Still, he had to escort Lacey inside; he couldn't just leave her there by herself. So, he opened the door and walked inside.
"Why Yuki, what a pleasant surprise!" cried Ayame. He raced up to greet his only brother. "Who is that?" he asked pointing at Lacey, "Is she your girlfriend?"
"No," replied Yuki coldly, "Kyo accidentally beat her up and I'm just helping her get around."
"Oh," said Ayame, slightly disappointed, "How much damage was done?"
"Just a broken ankle and wrist, plus she's covered in bruises and scratches…" said Yuki just as coldly as before.
"Umm, hello? I'm right here!" growled Lacey, her temper flaring. She could be ticked off very easily, "Can we not talk as if I'm invisible? Anyway, why do you care?"
"That's a good question. Yuki, what did you say her name was?" asked Ayame almost completely oblivious to what Lacey had said.
Lacey had it. She hated being ignored. She stepped toward Ayame and slapped him hard across the face. "I asked nicely for you to shut your mouth, now I'll force you to!" she growled as she began to hit him again.
"Yuki, make her stop!" whined Ayame.
"Now, why would I do that?" asked Yuki. "I think I enjoy watching this…"
Lacey suddenly turned around to face Yuki. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "I just get a little angry sometimes. Well anyway, I should get to work…" she was about to get dressed into her uniform when her boss came out.
"You're late!" the boss yelled. "I told you the next time you were late I would fire you. So consider yourself jobless!" as the boss spoke, he took her uniform from her and hit her across the face. "This is your wake up call! Don't think I'll be so nice to you if you ever come again!"
Lacey nodded as she limped out of the door with Yuki close behind.
"I guess I should go home now," she said. "Maybe I can find a new job tomorrow…"
"Umm, Lacey, where is your house exactly?" asked Yuki.
"Well, let's see… tonight I guess I'll sleep on a bench in the playground."
Yuki looked at her, memories of Akito hurting him came flooding back. He knew how it felt, how she must be feeling. "Come stay at our house…" he offered as he led her inside.
Shigure met them at the door. "Yuki, I was just about to go out looking for you….and who is this?" he asked motioning to Lacey.
"I'm Lacey," I said softly.
"She'll be staying here tonight." Yuki announced to him as he lead her further inside the house.
"Back so soon?" asked Kyo. Every time he saw Lacey, he felt horrible knowing her bad condition was because of him.
"I got fired…" said Lacey matter-of-factly.
"Huh?" asked Kyo, "Why?"
"I turn up at the place a minute late and the boss gets mad at me. That was the fifth time I've been late this month! So, they decided that they didn't need me…"
"Oh," said Kyo. Since he didn't work, he didn't know the pressure she was under to make the job work out for her.
"The point is we're here now; Lacey is staying for the night…" explained Yuki.
Lacey yawned softly. "Do you mind if I go to bed now?" she asked.
"Go ahead, but you haven't eaten yet…" said Kyo.
"Good night!" she called as Yuki helped her upstairs and into Tohru's old bed.
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THE NEXT DAY
"Lacey, wake up!" called Shigure. It was his duty to make sure everyone woke up and went to school on time.
"Coming!" called Lacey as she quickly limped downstairs. "Why are all of you up so early?" she asked seeing them all dressed in uniforms.
"School…" grumbled Kyo.
"Sorry, I can't go…" Lacey explained. "If I was in the school's records, the orphanage will track me down….and I don't plan on ever going back there!"
"Then you should come with us to school. They won't expect you to start in our school when you're only thirteen," suggested Yuki.
"Fine," Lacey agreed grudgingly. "But you have to call me my real name at school to throw them off…"
"Lacey isn't your real name?" asked Shigure, very confused.
"It's my name, but not my birth name. Everyone but my parents knew me as Lacey. My rightful, legal name is Hazel. But everyone thought I'd lost my mind when I went around calling myself that, so I changed it to Lacey."
"We should get going if we don't want to be late…" said Yuki calmly as he helped Lacey out of the house, Kyo led the way.
The walked in silence until they arrived at school. The prince Yuki fan club gave Lacey dirty looks as they walked past; Yuki didn't seem to notice.
Arriving at the principal's office, Yuki asked softly, "Do you want to pretend you are Hazel Sohma our cousin?" Lacey nodded. Yuki pushed open the door and walked inside.
"Hello, Yuki, why are we here today?" asked the principal.
"This is Hazel, she's our cousin. Can you put her in all of my classes? You see, she got transferred out of her other school after some kids beat her up pretty bad…" he said motioning to all of her bruises. "She needs help getting around; her ankle and wrist are broken."
The principal nodded, "She'll get her uniform tomorrow. Well, talk to you later!" said the principal cheerfully.
"So that's the principal…" muttered Lacey, "I don't think I'm going to like school very much…"
The three of the filed into the classroom only seconds before the bell rang. But before they could take their seats, the teacher noticed there was a new face in the classroom.
"Will the new student please come to the front?" the teacher asked politely. Everyone stared as Yuki helped Lacey to the teacher's desk, aka the front of the classroom.
"We already talked it out with the principal…" said Yuki.
The teacher simply nodded. "And what is your name?"
"Oh, I'm Hazel Sohma, Yuki's cousin..." replied Lacey.
"I see, well Hazel, welcome."
The class went on like normal. When the teacher glanced up from the board, she saw Lacey sleeping. "Miss Sohma, I'd like you to answer problem ten please."
"Huh?" asked Lacey abruptly waking up, "Oh, well, let's see…" Yuki was trying to give her the answer, but she wouldn't look at him. "Three, six, that makes thirty-five…" she muttered to herself. "The answer is five hundred seven…" she said as she dozed back off to sleep.
"Correct!" said the teacher in amazement; no child who slept in her class ever got a problem right.
"How did you do that?" asked Kyo after class had ended.
"How did I do what?" asked Lacey, confused. "I was sleeping the entire time!"
"Answer the question right!" accused Kyo.
"Umm, Yuki gave me the answer," she made up quickly, "he thought it would blow my cover if I didn't know the answer…"
Kyo looked over at Yuki who just shook his head. She hadn't let him give her the answer; she's figured it out on her own.
After a few more classes, it was finally time for lunch.
"Yay, time to eat!" Lacey exclaimed happily. Forgetting her injuries, she raced as fast as she could to a table. Kyo and Yuki followed close behind. After a moment, she looked around sheepishly, "Do you mind splitting your lunch with me?" she asked.
"You don't have any money?" asked Kyo.
"Not with me," explained Lacey. "But its okay, I don't have to eat now. I'll just eat something later…"
"Nonsense, we'll share with you, won't we Kyo?" said Yuki nudging Kyo.
"Yeah, sure…" he replied, not really paying attention.
They ate in silence. Suddenly someone walked up to the front of the cafeteria with a microphone. "Can I have your attention please?" people groaned, but grew silent. "Today is the auditions for the musical. We are doing a modern day version of Peter Pan. Everyone is required to audition. We'll call you in groups of three. Hazel, Kyo, Yuki, you're up first!"
Lacey groaned, "Do we really have to?" she asked.
"Yes," said Yuki as he helped her into an empty classroom where the auditions were being held.
"Okay, Yuki, why don't you go first?"
Yuki nodded and grabbed the sheet of music, "I'm through with standing in lines to clubs I'll never get in. It's like the bottom of the ninth and I'm never gonna win this. Life hasn't turned out quite the way I want it to be…" He sang, he wasn't horrible, but he wasn't excellent either.
"Thanks Yuki. Kyo, it's your turn…" Kyo sang the exact same song, he sounded really bored while he sang it, he didn't even try to sound good.
"Err, thanks Kyo. Hazel, you're up."
Hazel looked at the sheet of music. She skimmed through the lyrics and nodded, they all made sense. "I'm ready," she said softly.
The background music began to play as she was cued to start singing.
"You took my hand, you showed me how. You promised me you'd be around.
Uh huh, that's right.
I took your words and I believed in everything you said to me.
Yeah huh, that's right.
If time was in three years from now, you'd be long gone.
I'd stand up and punch them out, cause they're all wrong.
I know better, cause you said forever, and ever, who knew?
Remember when we were such fools and so convinced and just to cool.
Oh no, no no.
I wish I could touch you again; I wish I could still call you a friend.
I'd give anything.
When someone said count your blessings now, for they're long gone.
I guess I just didn't know how, I was all wrong.
They knew better, still you said forever, and ever, who knew?"
When she stopped, every looked amazed. They'd been so caught up in the feeling of the song. "Umm, I'm done…" she said, a bit annoyed.
"Yes, you're dismissed," said the drama teacher as three more kids entered the room to audition.
"You never told me you could sing!" exclaimed Kyo.
"I can't," she said.
"Yes you can!" Kyo told her.
"NO I CAN'T!" she screamed. "So leave me alone about it!" she quickly limped away.
"Maybe we should follow her," suggested Yuki as they watched her go.
"No, she'll be mad at us, let's send Haru," suggested Kyo.
"Okay," said Haru as he walked in the direction she'd gone, "See you later…"
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Haru's P.O.V
Why do I have to find her? I barely know her! Well, that would be because of stupid Kyo, always thinking of himself. Oh well… What is that sound, someone…singing?
I walked closer until I could make out the words the girl's voice was singing.
"Gomen nasai, I know I let you down.
Gomen nasai till the end; I never needed a friend like I do now…"
I walked closer and closer until I saw a girl sitting by herself, crying. She sang softly, "When I wanted to tell you I made a mistake, I walked away!"
She burst into more tears. This had to be the girl Yuki and Kyo were talking about.
"Hey, what's up?" I asked, sitting down beside her.
"Huh?" she asked. When she saw there was someone there, she quickly wiped her tears away and put on her 'tough girl' face. "What do you want?" she asked angrily.
She could really change moods fast; then again, I shouldn't be talking.
"Nothing really, I just wanted to see this 'new kid' who everyone was talking about. I heard you got into a pretty bad fight…" with Kyo, I added silently to myself.
"Well, no new kid here," she growled. She's feisty. I wonder how old she is… Plus, she looks so cute with her wavy black hair. Her bangs came down just before her eyes. She wasn't wearing a school uniform either. She had on a cheerleader's uniform.
"What I do is my business and mine only…" she snapped, "by the way, who are you?"
"I'm Haru…" I replied instantly, this girl was ticking me off. If her mood didn't lighten up soon, I might go black.
"Well Haru…. I'm not here for your entertainment; you don't really wanna mess with me tonight. Just stop and take a second. I was fine before you walked into my life!" She looked beyond angry as she sang. After that I lost control. Black Haru was on the loose and he wasn't happy.
"Listen girl, I don't care about you… I only came because I heard you singing…" I growled.
"Really, was my singing that bad?" she challenged.
"No, it was to damn good. That's why I came!" I yelled back at her.
She looked scared, "I DON'T sing good okay?" she screamed. She neared me and was about to land a punch. But I was to fast. I grabbed both her hands and held them tightly.
"You sing good okay! Get it into your stupid head!" I screamed. I don't know why I wanted to help her so bad. Even my black self wanted to help her.
"Oh, and what are you going to do if I don't?" she challenged again.
"This," I said, unable to control myself I kissed her on the lips. First of all, it made her shut up for the time being and I had to admit, she was pretty cute.
She broke the kiss and tried to pull her hands away. I finally let go, only because I could see the visible pain in her face. As soon as her arms were free, she slapped me across the face. I quickly snapped out of black Haru. Realizing what I'd done, I felt ashamed. Maybe it was a bad idea that I came to meet her alone; but kissing her felt like kissing an angel. I better go get Yuki and Kyo before I loose control again.
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No One's P.O.V
"You did what?!?" screamed Kyo as Haru told them the details of what happened.
"Yep and it was the best kiss of my life!" said Haru.
"So where is she now?" asked Yuki calmly.
"I don't know. I walked away so I wouldn't loose control again…" said Haru.
Yuki and Kyo split up to find Lacey. Little did they know she left; she'd went back to the orphanage.
"I knew you'd come back…" said Ms. Kasaya aka the meanest person ever. "You'll go back to work right away of course…" She sent Lacey to the kitchen to do the dishes. She finished them quickly and was about to sneak away, but Ms. Kasaya saw her.
"Before you go to bed, you must sing. Keep singing until I tell you to stop…" she instructed. Lacey nodded slowly. Singing was fun when you did it of your own will, but singing for hours always hurt her throat and she would be given extra chores if she couldn't sing the next day. She began with the song Because of You by Kelly Clarkson. She kept singing for an hour, only stopping to breathe every once in a while. After that, her voice started to crack. She was then ordered to paint Ms. Kasaya's nails. Her night was extremely unpleasant. She didn't get to sleep until five in the morning.
Yuki and Kyo ran, frantically looking for her.
"Maybe she's at the house," suggested Haru. He was also worried.
All three of them ran to the house at full speed. "Shigure has Lacey come home yet?" asked Kyo, scared of the answer.
"Why no, I thought she was at school with you?" said Shigure, sounding more and more confused.
"She disappeared after Haru kissed her," Yuki explained, "We can't find her anywhere."
"She did say she was from the orphanage, maybe they took her ba---wait, did you say Haru kissed her? No wonder she ran away!" laughed Shigure.
Haru growled softly, but said, "Where's the orphanage?"
After given the address, the three ran off to see if she was safe.
"You never told me here parents died!" called Haru angrily at Kyo and Yuki.
"We didn't think it was important at the moment…" replied Yuki as they entered the orphanage. It was already 5:30 in the morning, it was possible she was sleeping, but that didn't stop them from barging inside the orphanage. It looked fairly new, but as they walked further inside, the rooms looked filthier and older. "Lacey!" Kyo called frantically.
"Who is it?" called a strict voice. "I'll call the police," the voice threatened.
An old woman came into view. "Are you young men orphans too? Then get to work, the kitchens need scrubbing and I need a pedicure…"
"We just want to see if our friend is here…" explained Yuki.
"Her name is Lacey," Haru cut in, "have you heard of her?"
"Of course," the old woman snapped, "she's a troublemaker. I tell her to sing for two hours but her voice cracks after one; she's useless!"
"Can we see her?" asked Yuki, relieved they'd found her.
"Lacey!" screamed the woman loudly, "Get down here now!"
"Would it kill you to say please?" whispered Lacey as she approached them.
"I don't want back talk from you miss!" yelled the woman. "Worthless piece of junk!" she said in disapproval as she threw Lacey against the wall, hard too.
Haru ran over to see if she was okay while Yuki and Kyo handled the old lady.
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Haru's P.O.V
"You okay?" I asked. She nodded her head as she mouthed the word yes. She said that, but blood was pouring out of newly opened wounds. The gashes were huge. She'd have to be hospitalized! "No you're not!" I growled helping her up. I was mad, how could that women do that to her so carelessly. Apparently Kyo noticed my anger rising.
"Don't you dare go black on us now!" he growled.
Somehow I held back my anger and let the feel of relief wash over myself. I was relieved we'd found Lacey after hours of looking.
"You're that guy from before…" realized Lacey, terror washed over her face. I know I deserved it, but it hurt anyway to see her hate me so much.
"I'm sorry about before," I apologized, "I just got a bit carried away…"
Her face softened a bit, but she still looked scared. "Can we please get out of here?" she begged. Tears began to race down her pale cheeks. I lifted my hand and began to wipe her tears away, but more fell. I felt so guilty. After all, it was my fault she's ran away in the first place.
I led her to the door. Kyo and Yuki followed close behind. I wanted to hug Lacey and tell her it was okay. But, our curse wouldn't let me without turning into a cow. So, I just guiltily led her to Shigure's house. Hatori was staying there; maybe he could treat some of Lacey's wounds.
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No One's P.O.V
Shigure gasped when he saw Lacey's condition. "What happened?" he asked quietly.
Yuki ignored him, "Go get Hatori," he ordered.
By the time Yuki had finished his sentence, Hatori had come downstairs. "What's with all the commotion?" he asked.
"Wait, Hatori, right?" whispered Lacey.
"Huh?" he asked.
"Do you know a girl named Kana?"
Hatori paused. Kana was his long lost love. But her memory had been wiped, she no longer remembered him.
"She's my aunt," Lacey informed them, "But, she rejected me from her family. She said I wasn't good enough… she said I was a disgrace to the family. Then she sent me to the orphanage."
"Did she now?" asked Hatori deep in thought, "The Kana I knew was kind. Maybe your aunt isn't the one I know…"
"It had to be you…" she said. "I found this picture lying in one of her rooms."
The picture showed Hatori and Kana together on a spring day; it was the same one he had in his office.
"She said if she took custody over me it would ruin her life, that it was a mistake that I'd ever been born."
"But it's not a mistake!" exclaimed Haru, "You were born for a reason; everyone is…" Haru stood up and walked away, if he said anymore, he felt he might go black again.
"So Kana said that did she?" muttered Hatori. "Maybe she wasn't great, but she'd accepted me, that's all I cared about…"
He began to attend to her wounds. "Everyone is staying home tomorrow…" he announced. "We have many things to discuss. Plus, if you go to school, people might ask questions."
Lacey nodded. "But I have a question, why was Haru so upset earlier?" whispered Lacey, confused.
"Don't worry about him, he's just having his strange mood swings is all. What you need to worry about is getting some rest."
After that, Hatori left the room. He gathered the family in the kitchen for a meeting. "I know we're all concerned for Lacey's health, so what should we do about her?" he asked.
Haru instantly growled, "Well we sure as hell aren't sending her back to that orphanage. You saw what the old hag did to her, and her voice will probably be sore for a couple days…"
"We could always try to get Kana to take her in…" suggested Shigure.
"No!" the three of them screamed.
"I could always adopt her," suggested Hatori. "That way we don't have to worry about anything bad happening to her. Plus it will be easier to attend to her wounds…"
"Why can't I adopt her?" whined Shigure.
"Are we adopting a child?" asked Ayame as he strolled inside the room. "I'll adopt the child. Yuki's fond of her, right Yuki?"
"Okay, which one of you let the idiot in?" Yuki asked, freezing where he stood.
"Why I let myself in of course, Shigure told me we were having a family meeting!"
"So it was you," growled Yuki as he turned to glare at Shigure.
"Why don't we ask her?" asked Kyo, already bored of the meeting.
"What a fine idea, isn't it Yuki?" Ayame said.
"Haru, can you go see if she's awake?" asked Hatori. "If she's awake, we'll come in and talk to her, if she isn't, we'll wait until she does…" he instructed.
Haru walked upstairs to the bedroom Lacey was staying in. He soundlessly opened the door. Lacey lie in bed sleeping, she shivered slightly as she slept. She tossed and turned like she was having a nightmare. It pained Haru that he couldn't do anything about it. He grabbed an extra blanket from the closet and placed it onto her. Then, he slowly closed the door and went back downstairs.
"She's sleeping, having a nightmare by the looks of it…" he informed them as he took his seat next to Yuki and Hatori.
"Will she be able to live with us?" asked Yuki, "After all, with our curse…"
"Yes, we'll have to consult Akito first…" Hatori agreed.
"And if Akito says no?" asked Kyo.
"We find somewhere else for her to live…" said Haru.
After a long conversation with Akito on the phone, Hatori walked back into the room. "He says that if we take her into our custody, we are responsible for her. That means if she finds out about the curse, her memory will be wiped and she'll be sent back to the orphanage. It also means that if she gets into trouble, her guardian must take the blame and face Akito…"
"Those sound like great terms, don't they Yuki?" encouraged Ayame.
"Shut up," growled Yuki. But before they could argue further, a scream could be heard throughout the house.
Haru raced upstairs, the others close behind. "What's wrong?" he called as he raced into the room.
"I'm sorry," Lacey apologized, "It was just a bad dream, that's all…" she lied. Lacey wasn't a great liar, so it was apparent that she wasn't telling the truth.
"What's on your mind?" asked Hatori as he checked to see if her wounds were beginning to heal.
"It's nothing!" whispered Lacey frantically. If anything she looked terrified, almost like she'd seen a ghost. She thought if she could forget about it, maybe it wouldn't come back to haunt her.
Before everyone left the room again, Lacey called, "Wait! Can I talk to Haru and Hatori alone for a moment?" she asked.
"Sure," said Yuki politely as he, Kyo, Ayame, and Shigure went back downstairs.
"What did you want?" asked Hatori after the others had left.
"The truth is, Kana didn't want me because of the accident with my other guardian….she thought it was somehow my fault, maybe it was…" she explained.
Hatori paused, "What accident?" he asked worried. Haru just sat still, very still.
"You see, after my parents died, I was sent to live with my Aunt Cho, Kana's sister. I stayed there for four years, until I was five. Then, the accident happened. Terrorists attacked our house. Through all the commotion, I became in possession of a gun. Being only five, I didn't have the slightest idea how to work it. I thought it was like one of those gun games you played at the arcade, so I shot at everyone around me. The people got mad at me and shot my aunt to teach me a lesson. I even shot her once or twice during all the commotion. No one's really sure whose shot killed her, but she was dead when the police arrived to sort everything out… It was really painful to watch someone so close to me die of my own hands. She kept screaming, "Please god, spare me!" but she died anyway…" she sighed as she finished.
"I see, so Kana was afraid if you ever got a gun again you'd kill everyone in sight?" asked Hatori, understanding a bit better.
Lacey nodded her head, "But more than that, she was disgraced to be in the same room with the child that killed both her sisters; mom died giving birth to me. So, it's my fault she died," she explained. Tears overflowed down her cheeks as she spoke.
"I see…" said Haru.
"Please, don't tell anyone," she begged.
"Don't worry, our lips are sealed," said Hatori. "But what do you want us to tell them?"
"Hmm, tell them that we talked about me going back to the orphanage…" Lacey suggested.
"That reminds me," said Hatori, "since we don't want to send you back to that orphanage, how would you like to be adopted into our family?"
"I don't think I really have a say in that," said Lacey, "if you want me, I'll stick around. But I'm also prepared for the day you'll make me leave."
"You won't have to leave…" Haru reassured her, "you can stay with us forever."
"Well, we'll leave you to rest," said Hatori as he motioned for Haru to follow him out.
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THE NEXT DAY
"So are we adopting her?" yawned Shigure as they held another family meeting.
"Legally, no. I see no reason to. But, she's going to be living with us for a while…" explained Hatori.
"Is she going to live here or at the main house?" asked Haru eagerly.
"Here," announced Hatori after a moment's thought.
"No that that's settled, if we aren't going to school, I'm going back to sleep!" said Kyo as he walked away.
"Yes," said Yuki as he followed Kyo upstairs.
"I'll go with them to make sure they don't kill each other," offered Haru as he left the room as well.
"Well, I guess that just leaves you and me," said Shigure happily, childhood memories came flooding back to him.
"I have to go check on Lacey," said Hatori after a moment. He left Shigure there all alone. Shigure just shrugged and picked up the morning paper.
He skimmed through all the boring articles as usual until he found one particularly interesting one. It read 'Runaway Killer Child Gone Missing!' As Shigure read further into the article, they described the killer. The description matched Lacey's exactly.
"Haru, will you come down here a moment," called Shigure. Grudgingly, Haru trudged down the stairs.
"What?" he asked, his eyes twitching slightly.
"This," said Shigure as he handed Haru the article. Just then, Lacey limped down the stairs.
"Are you okay?" asked Haru instantly worrying for her safety.
"If you don't mind, can you pick up some stuff for me at the store? I heard an article came out about me…" she said, fear was obvious in her face.
"Sure," said Shigure not even hearing more than the first sentence she'd said.
"Okay I need a hat, a hair straightener and to get some new clothes. So, who wants to go shopping with me?" she asked.
The boys groaned. Shopping with a girl was a horrible idea. Girls took forever to pick things out and try them on.
"Okay then, why don't all of you come?" Lacey received some more groans.
"You aren't going to make me wear this cheerleading uniform the rest of my life?" gasped Lacey dramatically. She then broke down into tears.
"Ahh, don't cry," said Kyo panicked.
"Yes, we'll go with you if you want," added Haru.
Lacey broke into a smile. "I knew my acting skills would come in useful someday…" she said.
"What acting skills?" asked Kyo. "So you can cry, big whoop!"
"I can cry on cue," corrected Lacey. "Kyo, say you love me…"
"Umm, I love you?" he asked, confused. As he said it, Lacey broke into tears. Seconds later she abruptly stopped.
"See, it comes in useful sometimes…" said Lacey as she went to the car and got inside. Hatori climbed into the drivers seat as everyone else piled into the car.
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AT THE MALL
As they arrived, Lacey raced out of the car, her earned money in her hand. She ran as fast as she could to the first store. The others had to run just to keep up with her.
Lacey started to pile her arms with clothing. Kyo noticed she was in the men's section looking for pants. He was about to say something, but thought better off it.
When she'd grabbed everything that appealed to her, she walked into the changing room. She came out minutes later with a bunch of clothes in her hands. She sat down and started to calculate what she could get. It turned out she only had enough money for three pairs of shirts and pants plus a black ski hat. She grabbed what she could afford and put the rest back.
"Okay, I'm ready!" she called as she paid for everything.
"Well that's the fastest shopping trip I've been through," commented Yuki softly as he headed back into the car.
Kyo and Haru nodded their heads in agreement.
When they arrived home, Lacey immediately went into her room to get changed. She came down wearing baggy jeans like Kyo's only they were blue. She had a pink tank top. Overtop of it she wore a green jacket.
"Do you have any rubber bands?" she asked as she came downstairs. She placed the hat on her head.
"Here," said Haru trying to control himself when he saw her.
"Thanks…" she replied as she used them to place her hair in pigtails. Her bangs were hidden under the hat.
"Wow, you look different," commented Haru.
"Thanks for noticing," Lacey snapped.
The next day, Lacey's mood hadn't improved at all. She snapped at everyone and glared at anyone who dared to talk to her.
"What do you think is wrong with her?" Haru asked Hatori.
"She may just be having a bad day…" Hatori told him.
"I'll go knock some sense into her," growled Kyo.
"No!" yelled Haru as he walked into the other room, "I'll go talk to her…"
"When someone said count your blessings now, for they're long gone.
I guess I just didn't know how, I was all wrong.
They knew better, still you said forever, and ever, who knew?"
Haru followed the voice until he found Lacey on top of the roof. "What's your problem?" he asked her.
"You ruined EVERYTHING!" she screamed, tears poured uncontrollably down her face.
Kyo, who had followed Haru up, just watched from afar. He'd interfere if they started to fight.
Lacey stood up and staggered toward Haru as she kicked him in the stomach. "You're so stupid!" she screamed.
"What did I do?" yelled Haru, clutching his stomach.
"Y-yo-ou…kissed…me…" Lacey whispered, trembling.
"Yell at black Haru why don't ya?" yelled Haru as black Haru emerged.
"You jerk!" she screamed, slapping him across the face. He grabbed her arm and held it close to him.
"I'm a jerk, now am I?" he mumbled.
"YES!" she screamed. "I hate you!" she pulled her arm free from his grasp and stormed outside. She left the house and didn't stop walking. "Anywhere is better than HERE!" she screamed angrily as she limped away from the house.
Haru looked horrorstruck. "You….hate…me?" he asked, a bit dazed.
Kyo ran downstairs and told everyone what happened. "Why are you standing there?" growled Yuki, "Go find Lacey!"
Kyo ran out and chased after Lacey, but she wouldn't stop running. Finally she stopped at the park and sat on a bench as if waiting for someone to arrive. She hurriedly tried to wipe away all her remaining tears, but more kept falling. Kyo waited in the shadows to see what would happen next.
Sure enough a boy walked into the park and ran over to Lacey. "I came as fast as I could," he gasped for air as he embraced her. "What did they do to you?" he whispered softly in her ear. "Did they hurt you?"
Lacey nodded slowly, as she cried. The boy leaned in and the two of them kissed like long lost lovers. "I'll never leave you again…" whispered the boy as they broke from the kiss. He helped her stand up as they walked away.
Kyo followed them to a worn down house. It looked like half of it had been burned in a fire. The boy helped Lacey inside. "I love you," he whispered before they disappeared inside the house.
Kyo ran home to tell the others of his discovery. He found everyone, including Haru, downstairs in the kitchen. He explained what had happened.
"So, Lacey has a boyfriend?" asked Shigure with a laugh. Haru growled softly.
"Apparently," said Kyo.
"Are you telling me that she's with some strange guy right now?" growled Haru protectively.
"She knows him," said Kyo shrugging.
"Why are we here then? Let's go see if she's okay…" said Yuki calmly as he stood up and left the house with Kyo and Haru close behind.
They arrived at the ruined house again. "Lacey!" Kyo called as he walked inside.
"She's not here," said a voice. Kyo stared at him; it was the same boy from before.
"Where is she?" screamed Haru angrily, trying to strangle the boy, but Yuki and Kyo held him back.
"I don't know or care," said the boy.
"Why'd you kiss her if you didn't care about her?" accused Kyo.
"Kiss her?" roared the boy outraged, "I just broke up with her. Who in their right mind would kiss right before breaking up?"
"But she was with a boy in the park…" explained Kyo.
"My brother?" screeched the boy in fury. "I'm going to murder him for kissing my Lacey!"
"Why do you care about her, you just broke up with her!" cried Haru.
"I did it for her sake…" said the boy sheepishly, "God wants her as the sacrifice. She must have nothing left behind for her…"
"Sacrifice?" screamed Haru. He thrashed in the hold of Kyo and Yuki. They were thrust backward. Haru grabbed the boy and lifted him by the neck, "Where is she?" he screamed.
"That way…" pointed the boy as he gasped for air. Haru took off in the direction Lacey was being held in. He dropped the boy without a thought as he went.
"Lacey!" he screamed when he saw her lying unconscious on the ground. He ran up to her.
"Relax," said a feminine voice, "she's only being healed. Then the sacrifice will begin."
Slowly, Lacey arose. She stood up completely healed. Tears were visible as she sang,
"If time was in three years from now, you'd be long gone.
I'd stand up and punch them out, cause they're all wrong.
I know better, cause you said forever, and ever, who knew…"
"Goodbye…" she whispered as she sat down beside a podium and prayed.
"Are you okay?" asked Haru as he sat beside her.
"She cannot hear you," said the feminine voice, "she's caught up with the enchantment. Tonight is the night she will die from her sins…"
"What did she do?" asked Haru angrily.
"She disobeyed the god. She never truly had anyone freely love her. It was her mission she was sent to earth for; everyone is born with a mission they must fulfill. If she dies tonight, it's because she failed. If she doesn't die naturally, we'll kill her anyway…" explained the voice.
"No…" gasped Haru as he grabbed Lacey's wrists; he had to make her get out of there, but she wouldn't move.
"Damn, I can't carry her," he cursed as he made her look into his eyes. People kept arriving in the church, but he was oblivious. All he could see was Lacey.
"Please, I'm begging you, give her another chance!" he screamed.
"No." it was a plain, yet simple answer; an answer Haru didn't want to hear.
"But I LOVE HER!" he screamed, tears began to pour uncontrollably down his cheeks. He sobbed as her body began to glow, she was going to disappear.
"STOP!" he screamed, but no one heard him. They began to chant ancient words, they translated to 'die, die, die.'
Haru fell to his knees, he felt so hopeless. That was probably how Kyo felt when Tohru found out about his 'true form.' "I love you," he whispered as he cried to himself.
"Ha-r…u, HARU!" screamed Lacey, realizing the figure before her.
"Thank you for all you've done, forgive all your mistakes.
I'm sorry for blaming you for everything I just couldn't do.
And I've hurt myself by hating you.
Some days I feel broken inside, but I won't admit.
Sometimes I just wanna hide, cause its you I'll miss.
And it's so hard to say good bye when it comes to this.
Would you tell me I was wrong?
Would you help me understand?
Are you looking down upon me, are you proud of who I am?
There's nothing I wouldn't do, to have just one more chance;
to look into your eyes and see you looking back.
I'm sorry for blaming you for everything I just couldn't do.
And I've hurt myself, by hating you…
I'm sorry, Haru…"
"LACEY!" screamed Haru. He reached out, but his hand grabbed nothingness. It was too late; she'd already dissolved completely.
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BACK AT THE HOUSE
"Lacey was a great friend, we are sad to see her go," said Hatori as they finished the preparations for the grave.
"Yeah, I'll miss having her around," confessed Kyo sadly.
"Yes, so will I," added Yuki.
Haru said nothing. He was devastated by her death. But he would come around eventually. Even if it may take months, he'll be able to find the good in life and start living once again.
But for now, he takes his time to get over her death and silently cries to himself when he thinks no one's watching. Little does he know he has an angel looking after him. Her name was Lacey, even though transformed by god, she never truly forgot her feeling for Haru. After all, true love conquers all…
Fin.