AN: Okay, new story. It pains me to write this as it is but I'm not getting any sleep unless I do. Not connected with my other stories. With that being said, let's get it on!

Chapter I

A visit to a grave

It was very dark when 14-year-old Piper Regan arrived at the graveyard. The graveyard in Suzaku where her dead mother was interred. Dismounting her bike and putting her hands in sweatpants' pockets, she approached a single grave and sat down in front of it. She read the name inscribed on the grave again and again as if she couldn't believe what it said.

Deuce Dandridge Regan

February 8, 826 – March 18, 849

Loving wife, mother, daughter, sister and friend

"Hey mom, how you doing?" She asked. But only silence answered her.

"Never mind, don't answer that question, it was stupid." She chuckled.

"I…uh…brought you something." Piper said as she pulled out a wooden box from her duffel bag.

"I thought you might like it if I brought the music box that dad gave you." At the word 'dad', she completely broke down.

"Everyone's doing great here, mom. Everyone except for me. I know it's been 5 years but I can't move on. I miss you so much. Dad's dating some bitch who's trying to kick your memories out of our house. He's turning a deaf ear to my warnings that she's trouble. He doesn't even pay any attention to me anymore. He's always at work or with her." Piper said as she wept. She paused for a while before continuing.

"And the worse part is he's letting her do what she wants. But I promise, mom, I will fight for you." She vowed to herself. She stayed silent for awhile before talking again

"Anyway, dad and I had another fight. She scolded me for being pissed at her redecorating everything you did. Hell, I don't like her, Aunt Rain and Uncle James doesn't like her, Aunt Queen and the others don't like her. And dad…he agreed with her." She said as tears poured out of her eyes. She suddenly remembered the fight that happened a few hours ago.

*Flashback*

Piper was walking around her house, talking to Camille, Uncle Machina and Aunt Rem's daughter and one of her best friends, on the phone.

"Sure, Cam, I'll go with you and the others to the movies tomorrow." She said. Suddenly, she noticed something off in the living room.

"Okay, the movie is at 7:00 PM. I already have the tickets so just bring some money for your own popcorn." Camille rambled on. Piper was pissed at what she saw on the living room; the curtains that were once red were replaced by yellow ones, the pillows that were once colored red and decorated with moogles were replaced with green ones with black stripes. And the worst part was, her mother's pictures were missing.

"Uh…Cam, I'll call you back later because someone is about to get a major ass whooping." She said and before Camille could ask she hung up. She approached the table behind the couch and took grasp of one of the pictures. It was her father and his girlfriend. All of them were. Not even a single picture of her mother, her, and her father remained.

"Where are mom's pictures?" She asked.

"WHERE ARE MY MOTHER'S PICTURES?" She yelled and she flipped the table, breaking the vases and the picture frames. Her father and his girlfriend, Jessica came down.

"What the hell is going on here?" Her father questioned.

"Where are mom's pictures?" She asked angrily.

"I kept them and replaced them?" Jessica answered. Piper fumed in anger.

"Okay, with the curtains and the pillows, I might have let that slide, but THE PICTURES WERE CROSSING THE LINE!" Piper yelled.

"AND YOU? WHAT DID YOU HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THIS HUH? YOU JUST LET HER TAKE MOM'S PICTURES AWAY?" Piper asked Ace, who remained silent.

"I see. It's like you don't love her anymore." Piper said. This seemed to have made Ace snap.

"Piper, don't tell me that I don't love your mother anymore because I still do, alright!" Ace yelled back.

"If you still love her then you wouldn't have let her take her pictures away. You wouldn't have let her take anything that mom did away!" She retorted. Jessica slapped her all of a sudden, fueling her anger more.

"Who the hell do you think you are, huh?" Piper asked.

"Why do you have to make everything difficult for your father? It's been 5 years, Piper! Move on! Your mother's dead, there's no bringing her back!" Jessica yelled at her. Piper charged at her started punching her but Ace pulled her back.

"THAT'S ENOUGH, PIPER! What happened to you? Ever since your mom died, you were never the same!" Ace yelled.

"No, ever since you met her when I was 12, I was never the same!" Piper countered, pointing at Jessica.

"But about you, huh? You were the one who was never the same since mom died. And here I am, fighting to keep what's left of mom in this house and I'm the one you're scolding. If you guys want to gang up on me, then do it! But I'm out of here!" Piper said and she retreated back to her room.

"Oh, yeah, I'd like to see you try!" She heard her father yell at her. She locked the door and immediately packed up her stuff in her duffel bag. Then, she changed into black sweatpants, a white shirt and a red jacket. She wore her sneakers and got her moogle doll from her bed. It was the very last gift her mother and father gave her, when they were still a happy family. It was given to her before her mother died in that robbery. She didn't get it. Of all the people in that place, why did it have to be her? It was a robbery at some convenience store and Ace and Deuce were there when someone came and pointed a gun at them. When the robber was surrounded by cops, he went insane and started shooting. The worst part was Deuce was shot and the doctors were unable to save her. Piper and Ace were devastated, of course. After that, things were never the same.

"I miss mommy so much, Moggy." Piper whispered to the doll. It was something she hasn't done since she was 8. Suddenly, she remembered something. She immediately kneeled beside her bed and pulled something from under it.

It was a wooden music box that played a tune that her parents loved when they were teenagers. Her father would even sing it to her at times. But that was a long time ago.

"She'll take everything of mom from this house but not this." Piper whispered to herself. And she took both Moggy and the music box and she stuffed them in her bag. Then, she went out the window. Luckily, the ladder was still there since her father was fixing the satellite dish earlier. She approached it and climbed down there. Then, she looked inside the window and saw her father and Jessica watching TV and talking.

'I wonder if dad would still do that to mom if she was still here.' She thought.

'Bah, they probably don't need me around here anymore.' Piper thought and she approached her bicycle. Then, she mounted it and left. To a place where she hopes no one will ever find her.

*End Flashback*

"So, yeah, to top it off, I ran away. I don't know where I'll go though. I know he'll find me at Aunt Rain's place or the others." Piper said. She ran a hand through her brown hair. Sudden realization came to her.

"I probably remind dad of you, don't I?" She questioned. Then she chuckled bitterly.

"Then, she was right. I am making things difficult for him. It's better if I was gone." She said. Then, she opened the box, which played the tune. Afterwards, she pulled a pocket knife from her pocket and pulled the knife out. She raised it high in the air and was about to plunge when someone grabbed her arm.

"No, Piper. Stop!" Someone yelled. Piper looked up and saw that it was her Aunt Rain. She dropped the knife and clung to her Aunt like she was her holding for dear life.

"I miss her so much!" She wept. Rain comforted her and held her tightly.

"I know, sweetie, I know. I miss her too." Her Aunt said as the 14 year old cried on her shoulder.

AN: Love it or Hate it? That's chapter I. Please Review.