Epilogue: Chapter Two: Scars Don't Heal

It was a few months later, when the pain in her chest finally subsided to a dull ache. Now, she lived an everyday life just like everybody else in the orphanage.

It turned out that it was the orphanage that picked her up from the alley and the nurses there that nursed her back to good health again. She was very grateful, but she wanted to get out of there. There was always a weird feeling in her heart that it was the wrong place for her to stay.

It was finally September, when she could just stay away from the orphanage just about as long as she wanted. School was just a few hundred meters away from the orphanage, so she could just walk there everyday.

"Stupid uniform, so tight," she said as she gently pulled her shirt down a bit. Then someone sat down in the seat beside her. He gave her a look and turned away, his gaze focusing on something else. But she felt as if the corner of his eyes had never left her fragile figure.

"Attention everyone!" the teacher clapped his hands. Everyone turned to look at him and then he continued, "Today, we have a new student that will be joining us, would you please stand up?" the teacher turned to look at her direction.

She stood up like the teacher asked her to and the teacher started speaking again, "Give a hand for Echizen Hitomi please." Applause rang out in the classroom as she grimaced about how girly her name sounded. When it ended, she bowed slightly and sat down in her seat again.

Must have been Hina-san's idea about the name... I mean, Hitomi? She thought, or maybe it would have been better if I remembered my own name. I never used it much anyway so I can't help it if I don't remember.

It wasn't until lunch break that Hitomi realized that both Dark and Krad's original bodies were in the same class as her. The guy with the blue hair that sat next to her used to have Krad's body and the cute red head that sat a few seats in front of her had Dark inside him.

That really sucks! What if they figure out that I'm their protector? They aren't supposed to and if they do... especially when they are boys! They'll always get hurt and I'll just go nuts in the middle of nothing! Hitomi screamed inside her head, frustrating about whether or not she should just drop school like she did last year, and all because of both Daisuke and Satoshi whom just kept getting hurt.

For the whole school day, they studied things that Hitomi found not only confusing, but also frustrating. Perhaps it was because that she dropped school last year due to her condition, but subjects like Math and Science always build up on what you learned last year. And Hitomi learned nothing.

When they were all dismissed, Hitomi was the first one to stand up with her things already packed and she fled for home. She was aware that her really tight and short was being lifted up just a few millimeters, revealing the scar that stretched from her butt to her thigh. I would never forgive you for this! She thought as she turned her head once more to glare at Satoshi, whom was one of the people that saw her scar.

It was a dreadful memory, when he tried to kill himself. All the red thread almost tearing him into pieces of flesh. The pain left but scars did not, they were all over his body now, reminding him of that very day.

Satoshi traced his thoughts back to that very day, then decided to follow the footsteps of Hitomi, whom was at the school's office, requesting for a package of uniform that was just one size bigger than what she was wearing.

He could see her scar very clearly, the very same one he had on his thigh. His shocking blue eyes widened as he thought about it. A scar in the exact same place, with the exact same length and wide and height? It was not possible.

"I feel like...so much better!" Hitomi spoke to herself as she walked out of the girl's change room in her new uniform that was just one size larger. She walked more comfortably and more confident now, but she didn't see the boy that lurked around the corner behind her.

Satoshi kicked the wall and he banged his arm against it, while watching the back of the new student, waiting for a reaction.

Nothing. No reaction came, not even a yelp came from Hitomi. Suddenly, Satoshi felt relieved that it was nothing that he had thought about.

She was holding it in; she knew that something was wrong with the atmosphere. Someone was trying to test her and her ears did pick up some noises along the corner where a boy lurked. Hitomi decided that if he, whoever it was, actually bothered to spend time testing her, she would protect herself as well.

Hitomi waited until she was well out of the school's view and a blood-curling scream escaped her lips. Damn that guy, whichever one it was! What the heck was he thinking? Kicking a wall and banging your arm against it?! Curse him!

Hitomi knew well that she would have to put up with all of it that was going to happen, because she had chosen that route. She could have returned to the headquarters where she could receive new things to do, but she chose to stay and try living normally instead.

Because wounds heal, but scars don't.