-1Chapter 1
Her body lay heaped under the tree. She hadn't even been sure how long it had been since Uo had left her laying there, bloodied and bruised. Her mind was used to the pain, but from one of her best friends? It was a whole new pain for Hanajima Saki. Her mother always hit her, and smiled at every whimper that the younger Hanajima would give her. As Hana grew older, she began to whimper less, fight back less, cry less. This had bored her mother, who had then begun to go after her baby, Megumi. Her mother would stop when Megumi would ask why she wanted to hurt them. Her mother would stop, cry, and hug Megumi. Claiming that Hana was the worst part of her life, her home, and that Megumi was the almost perfect child. Aside from his ability to curse people, he was perfect. Their mother had become good at lying. Or good at picking favorites. Hana had always caused them trouble. Her dempa powers injuring and hospitalizing the young boy. Their mother had several apparently good reasons to lock Hana in her room, without food, and sometimes without even bandages to wrap her infected cuts.
The sound of a coming car brought Hana back to reality. Their mother was out for Ladies Night. And would be gone for two weeks. That's how it usually happened. Mom would claim to go out drinking at a bar with her lady friends, and be back by morning, and disappear for two weeks or more, return with a new boyfriend or new "friend", stay with him for the nights, and finally come to her real home, in a drunken stupor, claiming that the man left her because of her horrifying daughter. Thus, the beatings would go on, until either her mom crashed, or Megumi interfered. But Megumi was at a friends' house for the weekend. Hana would not be missed if she remained in the cemetery, staring at the grave of the one woman who had really cared for her. Tohru's mom. Kyoko-san.
Almost as though Kyoko was talking to her, a voice told her to walk and get help.
Hana, using the tree for help, stood, and using the said tree to push her in the direction of the road, stumbled into the road. The car was coming still.
"No, it must...be a...different one...it's...further...away..." Hana collapsed, gasping for breath to come into her sore lungs. Her hand went to the pain in her side, probably a broken rib. She knew Uo's past, the roguish girl being in a gang, had beaten the shit out of her. Hana could've protected herself, she knew. Her electric waves could've easily saved her from the anger Uo had carried towards her. But it would've been the first time she'd used them against her friend, and couldn't bring herself to do it. Uo had beaten her up on their mother-like-figure's grave. How Kyoko must've felt...seeing Tohru laying there, crying. Hana fighting Uo away from Tohru, telling her to go and finish what she had started. Tohru limping away, Hana's own tears rolling down her cheeks, and Uo screaming why, before turning to Hana and taking her anger out on her. Kicking her in the gut, her already slumped figure falling to the stones. Then, as long as it felt that the beating had lasted, Uo left. And Hana carried herself from the falling tears of Kyoko, in heaven, to the protection of the tree.
The car was speeding to her, and Hana dared not move. She wanted it to hit her. The way she was kneeling, it'd be a fatal blow, and she'd be dead before she hit the ground. But that wasn't how it was going to happen.
The car screeched to a sudden halt, the brakes sliding on the wet road, the car stopping completely before it hit her. Her blurry eyes could see the grill of the car, one whole inch from her shivering, bloody body. The sound of the car being put, hastily, in park, and the driver side door opening, a seat belt hitting the wall of the car.
"Shit...what happened?" The gentle man's voice asked, his feet splashing towards her, the feeling of the water hit her, as he's knees fell into a puddle beside her, his arm, gently holding her sore, trembling body. Is this what a father is supposed to do? Hold you, comfortingly. Not hers. He was never home. No, a spark in her flared, before her whole body relaxed, and blackness came to her conscience.
The world faded with the sound of cursing, and the smell of cigarette smoke.