Crash! The sound should've startled 23 year old Léa, but after so many months of working as a dishwasher to a crowded diner, the sound was commonplace. The girl who caused it, however, was not.

Ryu Yuna, a girl with bright pink hair and scatterbrained clumsiness had just come to work there only a few days prior. Léa found her to be a bit loud and messy, but a sweet enough girl to work with. However, her bright flash of color in such a dull area intrigued Léa. She was one to know, she was a spot of color in the diner as well, with her pastel blue waves. And she had come to realize that most girls with a shocking appearance were trying to distract others from a secret they were keeping.

As the clock ended for her shift, she dried her hands and removed her grimy apron.

"Oh, Léa? Is it time for you to clock out already?" Yuna asked, hurrying over.

"Yes, thank heavens." She replied, walking to the back room to grab her things. "I'm tired as hell and miss my cat."

"Uhm, I wanted to ask a favor. I know this probably isn't the best time, but…" Yuna looked nervous.

"If you're going to ask me to cover for your hours than no. I don't do that for anyone. I'm as lazy as they come." Léa began to walk out.

"No, it wasn't that. I wanted to ask if I could meet you for lunch or something to talk. I also wanted you to meet my sister. We've been kind of 'interviewing' people and we thought you looked like a good candidate." She rambled shyly.

"Oh that's all? That isn't a problem. Here, I'll give you my number and we can talk about it in detail later, after you get off and I get in a nap."

The girl cheerfully agreed and they exchanged numbers. She really is a sweet girl… Léa thought to herself as she left the diner and began to trek down to the subway station. What I would do to have her bright, optimistic, innocence.

? ﾟﾔﾹ? ﾟﾔﾹ?

Beep! Beep! Beep! Léa groaned as the alarm blared out. She reached to turn it off but only succeeded in knocking it off the table. Tired and frustrated, she heaved herself out of bed and picked up the screaming clock and shut it off. She sniffed and looked out the window.

Twilight was a beautiful time of night. The stars lit up the dark sky. When she was a little girl she would imagine that the big star in the center of the sky was her mother's spirit, watching over her. Even now, as an adult, she still occasionally took comfort in that belief.

Her mother had passed away when she was just a little tot. No matter how many years passed, though, she couldn't erase the memory of her mother's horrifying grin as she died. She had suffered from several mental illnesses, and was what they would call "mad" back in the old days. Something always made her feel that she had truly, in her heart, cared about her children though…

~Flashback~

"Stay away from her! She might hurt you!" Her father grabbed their hands and pulled them close. She ducked under his arm and ran to her mother's side once again.

"Mama!" She said, taking the struggling woman's hand. "It's okay mama."

The woman snapped her eyes to look at the little girl. She shook her head and looked again. Her face softened.

"My baby…." She said softly. The others ran over beside her as well. "My babies…" She breathed, pulling them into an embrace. "I'm sorry, loves. Mama has to go soon. But I'll always be watching over you." She suddenly pushed them away. But the girl understood. Her mother went back to struggling against her bonds. Her face snapped up into a sadistic grin. The others turned to look away, but she continued to look. She maintained eye contact as her mother took a gasping breath.

And then left the world behind.

~End~

Léa sighed and pulled on her bright pink hoodie and galaxy leggings. Not really inconspicuous, but people went out and about at 1 AM by themselves all the time, right?

She grabbed a bagel on the way out to shut the growling of her stomach up. Once the lights were off and the house locked up, she set off.

Of course, since it was so late, the path was dark. The only illumination she had was the glow of a few spread out street lamps and the stars. Of course, the stars were millions of light years away, so that didn't help much. She relied on her own memory of the dark streets as she trekked to her destination.

She kept her ears open to compensate for her lack of vision. As helpful as the lights were, Léa had night blindness, and could barely see a foot in front of her. It wouldn't have mattered if she could. He came from behind her.

Before the man could finish his move to grab her, she turned on her heel and sent him stumbling backward with a backwards kick to the stomach. She walked forward and rested a foot on his chest, kneeling down to see him.

"What's your problem?" She hissed. "Why would a strong man like yourself be subject to capturing young girls by force? You know, we're nicer than you think. Though you don't seem terribly charming."

"You looked like a prime subject for the markets." He said with a disgusting grin. Léa frowned.

"The markets don't like me, hon. You'd do better with someone who won't tear the eyes out of their captors' sockets." She stood up and sighed. "I'll let you go for now, but if you or your employer get involved in my life or anyone I know's life, I'll be after him. You let him know that."

"Can't deliver a message without a sender." He said. "Who's stupid enough to challenge my boss?"

"Oh you're right. Tell him it's with love, from Léa." The man's eyes grew wide. She backed off and left, cloaking herself in the darkness once again.