"Wait for me!" the bluenette shouted to the boy with purple hair. She giggled as she ran, following the boy in their game of tag. The trees seemed like they were running away from her as she tried to catch the boy to no avail.

"You'll never catch me!" he taunted, briefly turning his head back to stick his tough out at her before running away- even faster than before.

"Yes I wi-augh!" she shouted as she tripped over a rock, falling flat on her face and ripping her favourtie dress. Upon hearing her fall, the boy turned around to see her on. He saw the tears in her eyes as she sat up and examined the rip in her dress.

"Don't cry Dawn, everything will be alright," he sighed and wondered if this was some ploy to make him lose their game of tag.

"B-But I'm bleeding." She showed him the gash on her leg that was bleeding heavily. He ran his hand through his hair, pondering on what to do before pulling his shirt over his head and wrapping it around her wound.

"Thanks Paul, you're the bestiest friend ever!" She stood up to hug him, only to fall down with a cry.

"You can't walk?" he asked her as more of a statement than a question. All she did was nod before he picked her up gently and held her in his arms, walking back into town to tell her mother about the incident. He really shouldn't be able to carry her, since he was only 6 years old. But she weighed practically nothing, besides, he's held babies before.

A word popped into his head, something his older brother, Reggie had asked a girl who was relatively skinny, so maybe it applied to her.

"Hey Dawn, are you anorexic?" She obviously didn't seem happy with the question because her relaxed face suddenly turned into one of outrage.

"No I am not anorexic! You're such a blockhead!" She rolled herself out of his arms and landed on the ground with a harsh 'thump' and glared at him.

"Hey! What's your problem? It was an honest question!" He sent a glare back at the girl. She folded her arms in response.

"Just because I'm not fat doesn't mean I'm anorexic!" she said the word slow to make sure she said it right, "and I'm not letting you help me unless you apologize!" she crossed her good leg as to make a point.

"Fine. I apologize. Geez, why do you have to be so troublesome!" She looked like she wanted to say something else but instead she reached out her arms so he could pick her up. Once he had her comfortable in his arms, she pinched him.

"Ouch! What was that for?!" He glared down at her and she smirked.

"My name is Dawn."

"I can't help but call you what you are." She glared at him.

"I hate you you're so mean!" Tears filled her eyes for the second time today. Despite this, Paul wasn't going to give an inch.

"You started it!" Dawn instantly stopped arguing and put her everything into the argument

"Did not!"

"Did to!"

"Did no- "she was interrupted by the door to her house being opened by her mother.

"Dawn! What happened to you! And your new dress! Paul you must be freezing without a shirt on, here, come in for some hot chocolate while I check on her leg. Oh! And I'll call your mom-

"No thanks! I'm fine. I'll just go home, no need to call or anything. Bye Dawn." he walked out the Hikaris' house with a short wave to Dawn, leaving his shirt and Dawn's mother with an open mouth. She was going to call for him to come back, but she closed her mouth, knowing the chances of him coming back where low.

She had always noticed something off about that Shinji kid, one moment he was happy and smiling, the next he was closed off and cold. She also noticed Dawn was his only friend, despite Dawn having many. When she asked her daughter about it, she simply said nobody like him because he was a butthead. But then again, that was on a day they were fighting.

Although she thought that Shinji kid was weird, never would she have thought she would see him on the news.

Paul walked away from the Hikaris' house without even a second thought. He started to shiver in the autumn air, wanting to go back to get his shirt, but fearing Ms. Hikari would call his mother and she would be upset with him. She would be upset with him anyways. It was always that way.

Since his father walked out on the family, he felt he was to blame. The family was happier without him. Or at least that's what he was told. His older brother, Reggie, heard their mother say that to him once, and he argued with her for two hours about it, eventually giving up and taking him out for ice-cream. He told him that it wasn't his fault, and said it was because his mom was a female dog. Didn't stop him from feeling like it was his fault though. The next moment they were alone, she slapped him and called him a home wreaker. The abuse never stopped since then. He's learned to take it though, if Reggie knew the family would be destroyed even further, and it would be his fault again.

"Where have you been?!" his mother shouts at him from the porch. He was supposed to be on punishment for "being bad" but he had promised Dawn that'd he'd play with he, so he snuck out through his window, knowing his mother would be too busy with work to even think about him. Must've gotten done early.

"In my skin." He smirked, despite knowing he was in loads of trouble.

"Bring your ass hear right now." She said it in such a terrifying voice, he froze for a minute, before slowly walking to the porch and up the stairs. Once he was within arm's length of her, she slapped him, knocking him back down the stairs. Once he hit the rough concrete, he groaned. She went down two of the stairs and reached down to grab his purple hair. She dragged him up the stairs, mumbling something about the home wreaker making a scene. Once they were inside, she dropped him on his back. He could feel the blood spilling out of his body and onto the previously cleaned wood.

"S-stop." He groaned, with an attempt to get up but his mother quickly put a stop to that, hitting him over with a broom. He saw the black spots in his vision. I don't belong here anyways. Nobody wants me. At least this isn't as pathetic as the alterative….

"What the hell is going on here!" he heard his older brother's voice yell in horror. He heard some shuffling before feeling somebody looming over him, and from the purple hair, he could tell it was Reggie.

"Paul, Paul stay with me please!" he felt his brother's tears on his chest before replying.

"Just let me die. You and mom will be happy again…. Dad will come back… Just let me die…. Then everything goes black

Paul wake up for a second to feel himself being carried away in a stretcher. He can hear my mom shouting calling him a home wreaker and all the newscasters pretending to care. Reggie walks alongside of the stretcher mumbling how everything's going to be okay, mostly for himself. In that moment, he knows they're probably never coming back here, and he makes one promise to himself.

I will see her again.

I honestly loved writing this! It's been so long since I've written something that I had plans of publishing. This is a oneshot, but that doesn't mean it can't be a story! If you loved it, comment or whatever you do on fanfic that means you like the story! If you want me to continue with it, or have something you want me to write, feel free to contact me on kik at: hikarikohai (there's a . inbetween hikari and kohai) I hope everybody who celebrates enjoys Halloween!

This story is unedited and it might need a beta if I continue on.