Chapter 2: Dollhouse

8 years later...

The streets of Tokyo were covered by a gray mist as rain continued to fall from the large gray clouds, casting a beautiful yet enigmatic air on the city. The bright vibrant signs that illuminated the streets contrasted against the inky shades of grays and blacks that veiled the vast city, and strangely enough, there actually weren't many people out on the sidewalks, with the exception of a few people here and there. One might call it relatively odd, if not somewhat disturbing, to see so little people out in such a large city, rain or not.

However, the absence of crowded streets was the last thing on Fuu's mind. She was gazing out at the rain as she waited at a stoplight, tapping her fingers on the steering wheel to the music playing through her car radio. Her brown hair hung in loose waves down her back and framed her face in what her friends would call a "perfectly planned mess". Fatigue dragged at her entire body, making it an effort to press the gas pedal in her car and cruise down the wet roads when the light signaled to do so.

She looked in her rearview mirror and smiled at her daughter Nami, who was fiddling around with a key chain that hung from her belt loop on her pants, which she called "good luck" The young girl probably defined the word "tomboy"-she had messy chocolate hair that typically remained in a ponytail at the nape of her neck, her wardrobe had no trace of pink whatsoever, and she cringed at the sight of a frilled dress or lacy skirt. Her tanned complexion glowed even in the dull, dark gray evening, and her gray eyes sparkled like pieces of the moon itself. All in all, Nami was Fuu's pride and joy, her main reason for putting up with her pathetic excuse for a fiancee, her main reason for working 11-hour days, 6 days a week. Life may have been better for Fuu at a different time, but Nami made it worth it.

After a good ten minutes or so, Fuu turned off the car's engine as she pulled up to her small 2-bedroom apartment. With a small sigh, she turned around and smiled at her daughter, who sensed this action and looked up.

"We're home," Fuu said in her sing-song voice that could reduce a man to tears with its beauty. Nami's face brightened with a sterling white grin. The girl unclicked her seatbelt, pulled up the hood on her black-and-white striped hoodie, and bounded out of the car and rushing under her mother's large pink umbrella. She looked up at the umbrella and made a small frown.

"Mommy?" she piped up.

Fuu looked down at Nami as she shut the car door and began to walk towards the door to the apartment, Nami on her heels.

"Yes?" Fuu replied.

"Why do you like that gross color pink?"

Fuu giggled as she and Nami stood under the overhang that extended out over the door. "Because that's my favorite color, and I think that it's a beautiful color." She rummaged in her purse and pulled out a set of keys that had way too many keychains and doodads than were necessary. As she opened the door allowing them both inside, Nami shook her head in disagreement.

"Well, I don't," Nami replied. She paused and stared up at the ceiling, her hands in her pockets. "Hmm...I think that red is my favorite color," she finished. She turned to her mother. "I think red is a nice color. Don't you?"

As the mother and daughter ascended the stairs that led to their apartment, Fuu's thoughts began to trace themselves back to Mugen. It was exactly eight years since he left her to go to New York City, and even five years of being without him could make her forget him. She remembered that red was always his favorite color-in fact, everything he owned had some trace of red in it, somehow. She even remembered the one time where he dyed his hair bright red just because he thought she would like it. Of course, she didn't care whatsoever about his hair color, but it was still incredibly sweet (and also funny) that he would do something that ridiculous if it meant a chance that it would make her smile.

"Mommy?"

Fuu was broken from her thoughts as Nami tugged gently at her jacket sleeve. "You never answered my question. Don't you think that red is a cool color?"

Fuu quickly regained her composure and smiled warmly at her child. "Well, if you think red is a cool color, then it must be the coolest color in the universe."

Nami beamed at her mother with her signature wide grin that always made Fuu smile herself. Fuu opened the door to their apartment and allowed her daughter to step inside, but they were both met by ridiculously loud music, thick cigar smoke, and loud guffaws of laughter. Inside was Akio Suzuki, who Nami nicknamed "Icky Aki", and his friends, crowded around a small table, drinking and smoking and talking with excessive loudness about overall stupid things. Akio was the loudest of them all, his sweaty face scrunched up with laughter. A cigar was pressed between his hairy fingers and his short black hair was beginning to fade into his side burns and beard. He was clad in a black wifebeater-style shirt and faded jeans, showing off his extremely tall and muscular appearance. As Fuu and Nami entered the loud apartment, Akio glanced up with glazed, bloodshot drunken eyes.

"Hey, dollface," Akio slurred as he rose from his chair and staggered over to Fuu before she could slide into their bedroom unnoticed. Fuu quietly told Nami to go to her room, which she obeyed with a slight amount of reluctance. She turned to face Akio, but before she could even say a word, he cornered her with her back against the wall. He leaned in close to her with a goofy smirk on his face, a bottle of gin in one hand, his other cascading down her back.

"...Hello, Akio," she said quietly, turning away from his as he pulled her close to him. He turned to one of his friends and motioned for them to turn off the music and basically get the hell out. They all caught on to the notion, and with a series of cheers and whistles at Fuu, the music subsided and the house was empty except for Fuu, Akio, and Nami, who was quietly in her room.

"Aw, c'mon Fuu, don't start with the teasing crap tonight," Akio stumbled as he took a massive swig of gin before dropping the empty bottle to the floor like the inconsiderate pig he was. His other hand now free, he held Fuu's chin in his fingers, pulling her into a harsh kiss. She was mildly stunned before eventually pulling away after a half a minute-not because she wanted the kiss, but because she was afraid of what would happen if she didn't. When she pulled away, she glared into his red eyes with hatred and disgust, to which Akio threw his head back and let out a loud cackle that made Fuu nauseous.

Saying that Fuu hated Akio would be a massive understatement. However, Akio was her only source of financial security and a home, even though she was the only one working technically. More or less, there was an unspoken deal between Akio and herself-she gave him her body and devotion as his wife, and he gave her a place to stay. And as despicable and degrading as it was to Fuu, she really had no other options-when she met Akio, she had a 3-year-old and had just lost her old house. Jin and Shino had offered to take her in, but she refused to impose on them. And thus she met Akio, who initially was a sweet, kind, amazing person to her. But this was only a twisted facade, and over the course of a few months, he began to show his true nature-an abusive drunk who basically made her entire life worse than hell itself. But she needed a place to go, and she wanted Nami to have a father figure, so if it meant a place for her and her child, Fuu would be willing to go through whatever Akio threw at her, both figuratively and literally.

Akio finished his fit of giggles with a snort. He stared into Fuu's eyes again, his neck craning down at her. He pressed against her again, pinning her between his tall body and the wall. As she turned away and tried to stare into the floor, he whispered into her ear with a raspy, wicked voice.

"Hey...don't you ever give me that damn look ever again." He grasped a fistful of her hair and pulled with full force, sending her crashing into the floor. As she stared up at him, eyes wide with more surprise than fear, he looked down at her, smiling with a condescending wild grin on his face.

"I guess you never learn, do ya Fuu?"

…...

Nami sat on her bed and looked out at the rain, which still showed no signs of slowing down. Outside of her door she could hear her mother being battered by the man she called father, though she never really saw him as her father, or connected with him as a father and daughter did. With every loud thud or sound of Akio's laughter, she felt her entire body flinch, as if she thought that the same thing was going to happen to her at any give moment. Her eyes were shut and she grasped at her blankets on her bed, trying to tune out what she was accustomed to hearing on a regular basis.

After what felt like hours, she heard Akio announce that he was going out to buy more gin, and that "his" house better be clean by the time he returns. The entire apartment vibrated as the door slammed, and a deadly silence entered as Akio exited. For a moment, Nami was holding her breath, as if her breathing would cause Akio to return. After she was sure that he was completely gone, she felt her body fall back onto her bed with a shudder as the tears began to fall from her eyes. She hated herself whenever she cried-she thought that it was only an unnecessary sign of weakness and a waste of energy-but at his point, the dam had already burst. She didn't understand the "why" or the details, but she knew that her mother was being hurt by someone who she was supposed to see as a father, simple as that. It made absolutely no sense to her whatsoever, which only made her cry even more. Through her sobs,she began to hear Fuu shuffling around outside, probably cleaning herself up and cleaning just as Akio ordered.

Frustrated, Nami let out a small cry of frustration and punched the wall, feeling a surge of pain shoot from her knuckles and up to her shoulder. Her hair had somehow broken free of its ponytail and now lung over her face and shoulders as she lay in her bed in a ball, hand hurting and eyes burning from crying. Yes, she was only eight years old, but that didn't mean that she was just an oblivious dunce who thought that everything would simply work itself out with a prayer and a wish on a star. As a final tear slid down her small face, she felt her eyes get heavy and begin to close. As she felt herself begin to cry herself to sleep, she had a small vision that a guardian angel of some sorts-immortal or human-would come and save her and her mother from this warped and evil place that was supposed to be her home. That if only someone would actually listen to a wish or a prayer rather than her just waiting for something or someone that would never show up in her life. If only someone was actually brave enough to face the monsters that tormented her life.

If only she was that someone who could defend her mother...

A/N OK, so this is the second chapter (obviously) and probably the hardest one to write. I was kind iffy on the whole domestic abuse topic, but it was planned to begin with, and it had to be written sooner than later.

Oh, and does Nami remind you of someone? ;) Remember, your reviews are basically my only reason for writing, so please review, whether it be a good review or a bad review. Something is better than nothing. I'm seeking 5 reviews, but if that's too much, tell me.