PSN: So I did update this new version *clapping and standing ovation*

Okay, I know you're not THAT excited. *booing and tomatoes thrown*

Right! I'll get to the point then shall I? You see you lovely delicious pancake wannabes but still delicious humans, I have decided that I will add a prologue! *smiles* so guess what you beautiful chocolate pumpkins? I will be updating regularly until I get to the Academy part which needs major twerking—I mean tweaking. *clap, clap*

Warning: Loads a Chrome/Nagi abuse. So for those who are loyal fans, brace yourself until it is over. Or just put wool over your eyes, if the saying is correct. Also, slight swearing.

New thing: A quote from Giotto's book every chapter.

Triple R: Review, Rate and Read. (Order depends on you.)

P.S: Thanks to two special reviewers: Frost190 and Swanfrost15. I think I love you guys for your amazing support and reviews! *hug*

DISCLAIMER: NO. I do not own anything but the shirt on my back. Okay. I own everything but KHR.

"Among the princes, a princess shall rise, and it is then that men shall not asunder!" The path to a prince, chapter 8, page 103. Giotto, the sky prince.

"Listen Nagi, I have packed your lunch. I have prepared everything that will be sufficient enough to get you through the day. So why do you still insist on standing at the front gate?" Nagi's au pair, Lydia, admonished, clucking her tongue in disapproval.

The aforementioned girl shivered involuntarily as she stared at the foreboding black gate that towered above her small frame. She grimaced as she examined the bag that her au pair had provided to her earlier, eyeing it critically—a trait she inherited from her mother. When she was satisfied with the contents, she allowed a small smile to grace her lips as she bowed down in gratitude, her cheeks flushed red from the current torrent of wind that was slicing through her cheeks and tousling her once immaculately brushed indigo hair.

"Thank you," she said, feeling happy that at least somebody cared about her. "I really appreciate it, Lydia-san."

A hint of red tinted the au pair's cheek as she huffed, "Well, then get inside. You're making yourself late," she smiled wryly, "again."

This was a typical routine between Nagi and her au pair during every new school term. Lydia would admonish her about her tardiness and Nagi would be scared to get inside school and stand at the gate, adamant. It would almost always end up with Lydia coaxing Nagi to get to school 'or else your mother will hear about it!'

Nagi squared her shoulders and pushed the gates tentatively, feeling apprehensive.

"One thing kid," Lydia smiled, getting back inside the car, the engine half-revved up, "don't let the bullies get to you. Fight back for once."

She made it sound very simple, Nagi thought with dismay. There was no such thing as 'fighting back' in Kukoya ladies academy once you have been targeted and acknowledged as the social outcast. If you had been targeted—which Nagi unfortunately had—then you had no choice but to either hide or bear the brunt of the bullies insults and punches. It was an traditional rule in the school book. A social pariah, much like Nagi, was to be avoided or else you would have to face the same predicament as her.

But Nagi was used to it. She had been the one and only social recluse of the school ever since she could remember. Really, it would be a lie to say that she was okay about the situation, because she wasn't. It did hurt her very much indeed when she was under attack, beleaguered from every direction. Of course Nagi didn't show it. She smiled in a fake manner and tried to avoid the students by either hiding in the library or sitting atop the rooftop, ducking just in case somebody saw her. It did hurt her whenever they insulted her with words such as 'loser' and 'weirdo'. It was like a dagger stabbing at her heart, but she smiled away, bending her head as her hair curtained her real expression and the stray tear that was running down her cheek.

No. There was no such thing as 'fighting back'. But Nagi didn't tell that to her imperious and overbearing au pair, and instead opted for a fake smile.

"It's okay, I'll be alright," she mumbled, stepping forward and opening the big black gate. She knew full well what was ahead of her, much like every new school term. She braced herself as she prepared for the latest prank that M.M and her cronies prepared for her this time.

It would be a lie to say that she was well used to it by now.

XxX—XxX

Walking through the halls, her bag clutched tightly to her chest, Nagi glanced furtively back and forth in hope to grab hold of any future perpetrators and avoid any contact with them. So far so good, she thought with a small sigh, though it would be very short-lived. She scuttled towards her new locker, bumping other students on her way. So far not one soul had even glanced at her and Nagi hoped that it was because she had finally cut her indigo tresses shoulder-length after she had begged her mother for a long time. She was, she had to admit, a little more fashionable than last term.

"Well, well, I see the loser decided to show up after all!" a well known scathing voice came from behind her, their breath tickling her neck.

Nagi clenched her fists, her heart nearly jumping out of her body. She took a deep breath and berated herself for being so stupid. Of course they would be here today. Nagi had dismissed the idea earlier, believing if M.M wanted to make a show, she would do it somewhere without any teacher present. She had been wrong.

Slowly, slowly, she craned her neck at a slight angle to find that her suspicion was correct: M.M and her gang were waiting at her locker. A haughty smile plastered on her face, as she gazed at Nagi with what could only be described as delight.

It seemed that for the new term M.M had cut her red hair into a stylish bob. She had changed her clothes also, Nagi noticed. Before the term, M.M had been wearing very short ruffle dresses that had all the teachers criticize her for. But now, having learned her lesson, she opted for a long more appropriate floral vintage dress.

Kukoya ladies academy allowed all their students to freely 'express' themselves through their clothes and allowed them to exercise their freedom. However most girls took that for granted and wore clothes that would have made their ancestors turn in their graves and the teachers phone their parents and bring in 'spare and appropriate' clothes.

M.M and her friends always fell into that category and gave most teachers grief over their attires. But Nagi was a lot more different than that. She had never in her life worn anything that broke the rule—even today on the first term when everybody especially broke the rules. She was wearing sensible black skirt and a plain blue top that her mother had gotten from one of her fashion shows.

Right now she could feel M.M gazing at her, appraising her 'boring' attire and smirking, hardly suppressing a giggle.

"I'm sorry," Nagi mumbled, bowing feebly and holding her bag out, "I don't have much...but please spare me!"

"Pwah! Like I need your things when I have parents for that," M.M cried wrinkling her nose at Nagi's bag as though it contained insects, rather than valuable objects, "but you can give me your money. Of course you have no say in the matter!"

M.M giggled and the rest of the gang giggled along with her—especially Julie who seemed obsessed with pleasing M.M. She even flipped her hair in the same style as M.M after she had delivered her punch-line.

"I...I don't have much," Nagi repeated, trembling as her hands shook before proceedings to hand in her bag. She knew Lydia would be angry at her if she found out that she had yet again 'lost' her bag. Her mother would care very much if it was destroyed.

M.M ungraciously snatched her bag and rummaged unceremoniously through it, her nose crinkled in disdain. She shook her head and threw the contents of Nagi's bag on the ground, watching as all the objects clattered loudly onto the ground.

This caught the attention of the students within the vicinity. They all turned to look at Nagi with a pitiful look. They knew the drill. Ignore Nagi and do not show any mercy, it was what M.M expected from everybody. They knew that if they did harbour any feelings of sadness for Nagi, they too would be facing the brunt, and worse.

"Should I stomp on it?" One of M.M's cronies hissed a gleeful look on her freckled face.

Nagi trembled, attempting to feebly pick up her things.

"No," M.M held a hand, "I'll do the honour."

And with that, she raised her heels and stomped loudly on everything that belonged to Nagi, a gleeful grin on her face. Her friends watched with excitement as Nagi's objects were obliterated. The school watched as Nagi groaned when M.M's heels scraped her fingers. The teachers walking in the hall pretended not to have seen anything, their heads lowered as they got to their coffee business.

"Welcome back to school bitch!" M.M laughed, staring at the crumpled Nagi who was sobbing her heart out.

"Welcome back!" Everybody within the hall cried out of loyalty, scared of M.M's wrath and glad that it was Nagi rather than them.

This wasn't a prank at all, Nagi thought, tears staining her clothes; this was an act of cruelty! What had Nagi ever done to deserve this? She knew that M.M never liked her and nobody else did to be honest, but what was it about her that seemed so abhorrent? It was the same wherever she went, be at home or at school. She would be the target for bullies.

Nobody cared. She doubted that if she were to die today that she would be missed at all. She started to get up, cradling her bleeding hand and tried to control her sob.

She'd have to tell her mother and step-father that she fell.

She certainly wasn't looking forward to class.

XxX—XxX

After what seemed like a long tedious day of school, Nagi stood at the gate, hoping to glimpse her au pair Lydia driving through. She stood on one leg—M.M had 'accidently' injured it during a game of football during P.E—and winced, cradling her injured fingers. Really, her day could be counted the worst out of all the first term pranks she experienced—even though today was more than a prank.

Apart from the odd insults thrown at her here and there, she did have a lovely time alone in the rooftop. She was able to contemplate and stir up excuses for her mother—if—she bothered to ask her about what had happened to her, though Nagi wasn't counting on it.

When the au pair arrived, Nagi was delighted and waved her uninjured arm in order to catch her attention. Lydia drove through the gate, a smile plastered on her face. That is, until she gazed at the dishevelled and injured Nagi.

"Excuse me?" She said, then proceeding to swear in her native language, "Nagi? What on earth happened to you?!"

Nagi was prepared for this and smiled feebly, "I...I fell. Sorry!" she cried, bowing up and down.

Lydia got out of her car, her eyes narrowed, "Who did this?"

"I fell," Nagi repeated, much like a parrot.

"You fell?"

"Yes."

The au pair didn't look like she believed her much, but decided against investigating further. She wasn't paid to take care of Nagi's problems.

"Right, we are going home then," she narrowed her eyes, "you'll have to talk to Madame about your bag."

Nagi blushed, clutching at her bag as she sat inside the car. She bowed her head down, hiding her tears. She'd forgotten about the condition of her bag. Her mother had bought it for her and if she found out that it was tattered and in a very bad condition, she would go ballistic. Nagi didn't want to face her mother. She knew that her step-father would just sit and watch as she ranted and ranted, insulting her much like M.M would.

Sometimes Nagi felt that her mother was like the grown-up version of M.M. She even liked her better than her!

Nagi fingered the necklace on her neck, the one her step-father bought for her. It was the only nicest deed he dared to commit. Her mother had been ecstatic about it and called him 'a considerate father' before kissing him and laughing. She had the necklace since the age of 12 and it had never left her neck. It had helped soothe her whenever she was feeling down, though she still didn't understand why.

She stared out of the window, imagining, as always, what it would feel like to move far away from the school and her parents and live somewhere where nobody knew her. A place where nobody would point their fingers at her and laugh, as though she was a clown. Somewhere far, far, far away where she could live blissfully and start anew and make new friends.

I wish I wasn't so weak. I wish that I was stronger, she thought.

As usual, she was returned back to reality when Lydia got to their house. Nagi hated her home. Though it was a beautiful mansion, Nagi felt suffocated there. It was big, yet it felt as though it enclosed around her, stripping away at her freedom. She had spent all her childhood there, all alone because her parents were always away.

"We're here," Lydia chirped, getting out of the car, stretching her arms.

Nagi grimaced as she hopped out of the car. She stared at her house feeling apprehensive. She braced herself as she hopped towards the big oakwood door. Lydia stood next to her, jingling the keys Nagi's mother trusted upon her and inserted. She smiled with a flourish when the door opened, revealing the long hallway.

"Off we go," she said, gently pushing Nagi inside before closing the door and promptly shouting, "We're here."

Of course there was no answer. Nagi's mother was out and wouldn't be home until the evening and her step-father was in his office, working on whatever he worked on, Nagi never really knew. Nonetheless, they proceeded to get inside the house.

"I'll go upstairs to my room," Nagi offered, slipping away her shoes.

Lydia frowned, "I guess you can. But first you must have lunch."

"No, I..."

Grrrrrrrrumble!

Nagi stared embarrassedly at her stomach and blushed beetroot. She remembered that she hadn't eaten anything during the day—M.M had of course thrown the lunch Lydia prepared in the bin.

"Was my food that insufficient?" Lydia joked, before turning around and walking to the kitchen. "I'll make you a hearty lunch and you can change in the meantime. You don't want Madame scrutinising you critically."

Nagi nodded, "Thank you!" she whispered, bowing.

XxX—XxX

At the dinner-table, a refreshed and clean Nagi beamed at the amount of food laid out in the table. This, she thought with a smile, made up for everything that had happened to her today. Really, she loved Lydia. She was great at everything she did and Nagi never wanted to see her go.

Quickly she picked up her chopsticks and said grace, before tucking into the delicious and scrumptious food that was laid out in the table.

"Thank you Lydia-san!" Nagi cried, feeling a little greedy as she slurped the noodles on her plate.

"It's my job. Nothing special," Lydia blushed, though it was with pride.

Nagi was about to get second helpings of her rice, when a shrill voice came from behind her.

"If you keep eating that rice, you will become bloated!"

Nagi's hair stood on end as she turned around to find her mother frowning at her, a designer bag draped around her shoulders. She watched as she picked up the bowl and set it aside.

"This is the reason why you do not have friends. No manners at all. At this rate I'll have to put you on a diet!" Nagi's mother, Haruka Aizawa, was a beautiful brunette with big hazel eyes. She was, because of her beauty, obviously a fashion model—though part-time—and insisted that Nagi try all her beauty regimes.

Right now a frown marred her tanned skin, leaving deep lines that Nagi knew she would later dramatise about.

"Sorry, mother," Nagi mumbled. She was wondering how on earth her mother had gotten home early. She shouldn't have been here already.

"I'm sorry too Madame, Nagi insisted on eating and with a child with such a healthy appetite, I could not refuse her command," Lydia blustered, bowing lowly.

Command? Nagi thought with incredulity. She hadn't commanded her at all. Lydia was the one who insisted that she eat, though Nagi had refused initially. Lydia was the one who coaxed her.

Her mother stared at her, heaving a huge sigh. "I come home early from work, and I find my daughter pigging out? You need to learn to be—"her mother trailed, staring at the bag that M.M had destroyed earlier. It was lying on one of the chairs—Nagi had forgotten to hide it. "What on earth! That bag Nagi, what has happened to it?"

Her voice was clipped. A no nonsense voice.

"I'm sorry mother. I ripped it accidently," Nagi lied, her cheeks heating.

"You ripped it?" Her mother said slowly, digesting it. She sat up straighter, her hand on Nagi's lap as she looked straight at her. "You are telling me that I have wasted my money on you? For God's sake Nagi, you didn't have it for half a day!"

SLAP!

Nagi's cheek stung as her mother glared at her, her eyes blazing with fury. Nagi's eyes watered, but she tried to hold back her tears.

"I'm sorry—"

SLAP!

"Leave now. Go upstairs to your room. I do not want to see you," her mother snapped. She sat up and faced Lydia, "And you didn't care to enlighten me?"

"Madame!"

"Save it. Do you honestly have any idea how much I forked for that? You let this happen! You spoiled that girl, you good for nothing—"

"Please Madame," Lydia pleaded.

"If Takeda was here and not hauled up in this office he would have dealt with this," she swept her arms across the room. "Now there is too much bad energy around the room." Her eyes locked on Lydia, "You are dismissed!"

Lydia's eyes widened, "But Madame..."

"Lydia!" Nagi's mother snapped, grasping her head, "I do not have time for this. Go home. I do not want to see your face until I say so. Go, before I fire you for real."

Nagi, stung from her mother's actions, watched as her favourite person was kicked out of the house. If she knew how much her mother would react to this bag, she wouldn't have taken it in the first place. It was M.M's fault, not hers. Why? Nagi thought bitterly, her eyes clouded with tears.

Why did everybody hate her so much?

PSN: Fret not dear Nagi! We still love you! *Gives huge hug*

So this is Nagi's everyday life. I wanted to show that first. Anyway the next chapter will be tomorrow night since it is the same as before, but with a few tweaks here and there :D I just wanted to add some foreshadowing! DunDunDun!

Question: Why does everybody hate Nagi so much? There is a reason you know ;D

P.S: Lydia is random. Nothing to the plot whatsoever.

Toodles amigos!