Chapter Eight: Grateful

And I'm so grateful to you

I'd have lived my whole life through

Lost forever, if I never knew you.

-Jon Secada and Shanice, 'If I Never Knew You'

xxXxx

Naoko's eyes were full of guilt as she pressed her daughter's juice-streaked face against her shoulder and kissed her hair. "This is never going to happen again. Where's the principal?"

"Your husband just slammed him into that wall right there," Tsuge informed her with a large grin.

"Excuse me? You're the principal, and you'll harass the girl that got 'Carried' before you'll go after the one responsible?! What is wrong with you?!" Hasho bellowed at the man.

Yami-san managed to get to his feet with a snarl. "I've been parading your daughter in front of college deans since she came here, and for what? For her to humiliate me in the most graphic way possible in front of the most influential one!"

"How was it humiliation when everyone loved it?" Naoko snapped at him, holding Haru close in a protective gesture. "I can't remember the last time she put that much passion into a piece!"

"I'm getting juice on your clothes," she tried to say.

"Hush, dear. You're more important," her mother informed her before kissing her hair again. "Blech, I hate tomatoes."

That just made Haru giggle, although it felt like the fire from performing was changing from a wildfire to a cozy fireplace. It felt… safe instead of exciting, but she was not about to complain.

"Tsuge, was that supposed… What happened here?" his mother asked as she and her husband also approached.

"The principal was shaking Haru like a rag doll," he snarled, although there was still a bit of pleasure in his eyes as he gazed at his friend finally in her mother's arms.

"Excuse me? You keep your hands off that girl!" his father snarled.

Her father waved one hand at the man. "I already said that, thank you. If this is what you allow to happen in your school, I think it's time Haru was transferred somewhere a little more disciplined."

The principal waved one hand. "Be my guest," he said dismissively. "Now that she's destroyed what I tried to do for her."

Haru finally snapped. "I never wanted you to force a scholarship down my throat! My parents have a fund set up! Scholarships should go to students that can't go to college on their own, and I hate it when you treat me like a trained monkey that prances on command!"

"All right, that tells me everything I need to know. You're transferring after summer break," her father informed her in his most non-negotiable tone. "Get your things so we can get out of here."

She failed at suppressing another shiver. "Can I at least take a shower first? I think Hiromi kept this junk in the fridge overnight."

Naoko and Hasho shared a look, one that Haru barely remembered from before the fights.

"Be quick," he ordered, making Naoko nod and lead Haru away with an arm around her daughter, trying to be careful of the bruising shoulders.

"Please tell me that we're close to a locker room."

"Right over here," the teenager was able to say, although she couldn't take her eyes off of the woman. "Mom… why-"

"We'll explain everything when we get home; there are too many ears around right now. But what I will say right now is… there's a lot that both your father and I have to answer for."

Haru felt like she was melting with happiness. "Please tell me that you and Dad finally apologized," she pleaded.

"Repeatedly, and we're far from done," her mother promised, stealing yet another hug.

ooOoo

Once his daughter disappeared inside one of the many doors with his wife, Hasho glared at the principal until he limped off. Once that insect was also gone, the man looked at the red-stained schoolboy that had been doing his best to protect his daughter. "Tsuge?" he asked nervously.

He glanced at him. "Yes, sir?" he asked like he knew what was about to be said.

Which he probably did.

With difficulty, the older man swallowed his pride. "Thank you for… what you did. You shouldn't have had to, and it wasn't easy for me or Naoko to stomach, but… thank you for that and keeping Haru safe. It shouldn't have been your job."

The schoolboy gave him a roguish grin. "I volunteered, and I'm not sorry about it. Well, I'm sorry about not stepping up sooner, but that's it!"

Hasho smiled with relief. "At least I don't have to worry about my daughter's taste in men," he confided cheerfully.

"Oh, I don't know. She almost dated Machida," the school boy countered with a look of disgust.

'That's right. The last email she sent us sounded so excited over him. Was it because she liked him, or was she just lonely?' Another stab of guilt hit him in the chest. 'Poor Haru. I didn't think she was hurting that badly; she was always so understanding.'

'More like you didn't want to see if she needed you,' a voice in his mind spat at him, forcing the man to fight back a nod of agreement.

No more. The rift he and his wife had made will be closed today.

"Son, what did you do?" his father asked curiously, but the boy only shook his head with an incredibly satisfied smirk.

It was about then that a short old man struggled down the hallway, nearly gasping from a long run. The front of his clothes was also splattered with fruit juice, but he didn't seem to notice. "Ah, you," he panted at Tsuge's direction. "Would you mind telling me where your partner is, young man?"

"Are you Nashima-san?" he asked politely.

Hasho looked up at his parents, but they appeared to be in the dark too.

"That I am. I would love to give Haru my critique of her performance and make an offer."

"An offer for what?" Hasho asked in a low tone.

"He's the dean of one of the top colleges in Japan," Tsuge informed while patting his pockets. "I'm sorry, Nashima-san, but Haru's got a family thing she needs to take care of as soon as possible. But that's her father right there, if you want a number to contact her later." Triumphantly, he pulled out a flash drive and offered it to the old man. "I really wanted to offer these in CD format, but Haru's a little hard to keep up with when she gets excited. This has the entire Frankenstein musical as well as highlights from other musicals. Haru did all of the instrumentals and vocals by herself, but you'll find a few places where she imitated Star Wars characters for kicks. You'll be able to tell which ones she used her regular voice for."

Nashima-san cradled the tiny bit of technology before carefully placing it in his breast pocket. "May I inquire why you have it?"

Tsuge blanched at the question and shifted from one foot to the other. "I did the recording, compilation, sound effects, and the attempts at cover art you're going to find. But most of it's Haru!"

The old man's smile deepened at the boy. "I see. Don't be terribly surprised if I ask Haru for your number later." Then he turned to Hasho and gave him a long look that was just keeping from disappointment.

Hasho couldn't shake the feeling that the dean knew about... his family situation. How many people had Haru told?

"I have been present at your daughter's recitals and talent shows for the past two years, Yoshioka-san. Yami-san has been throwing her at me at every single party he's been able to book her as the musician, to the point where I dreaded seeing the man and even her, though to a lesser extent. Yet I have never seen your daughter pour this much love and passion into her music before today. This is the first time she seemed to truly fight to be heard, cliched prank or no. You must be very proud of such a talented, intelligent and impassioned young lady to call your own," Nashima-san said with great care, choosing his words just right to pierce the father's guilty heart.

Hasho had done so little toward her upbringing to be proud of, but… "I wouldn't trade her for anything," Hasho managed to say, pulling out a notepad to start scribbling his number. "She should be available any time tomorrow for a call, but is there anything you can do about the principal here?"

"Yami-san? What has he done this time?" Nashima-san asked waspishly while tucking the paper in with the flash drive.

"Th-This time?" Hasho choked in outrage. 'What else is Haru hiding from me?'

Tsuge quickly wheeled the old man around to face him again. "He hated Haru's routine and started shaking her around like a rag doll to punish her. I couldn't pry him off on my own; her father had to help me. She'll probably have bruises, but if she were a little younger, there would have been brain damage."

The old dean's black eyes turned as cold and forbidding as a cave. "I'll take care of it. I'm friends with the superintendent."

"Thank you," Hasho managed to say between his teeth, still steamed at what… he had been allowing to happen. Who knew what all Haru had been keeping secret, even from her devoted boyfriend?

Tsuge's mother whistled in surprise as the old dean stormed off in a huff. "Wow. Who knew Haru had such well-connected friends?"

"Well, you do have to admit that it's impossible to really know her and not like her," Tsuge pointed out, though a pout was forming. "Even if she won't let me lynch Hiromi," he added.

"Son… did you guilt-trip Haru's parents into coming?" his father asked suspiciously.

"He was brutal," Hasho confirmed, still flinching at some of the things the student had said.

The man grinned like a child and clapped his smirking son on the shoulder. "That's my boy. In that case, I'll hold back on what I've always wanted to say to the man."

"I assure you that whatever it is, your son already covered it," the man assured while glancing curiously at the window. He hadn't seen so much of a bird or a stone when it shattered, almost like it had been as offended at the principal's actions as he was. 'Such flimsy glass they have here. I can't wait to get my girl out of this trashy place.'

ooOoo

Now freshly showered, in her clean school clothes, and at home, Haru sat down on her favorite couch as one parent sat on each side. "Enough stalling. How did the two of you know about the talent show?"

"Tsuge told us," her mother answered while holding her hand. "About mid-day yesterday, we both got an email titled 'If you give a single care about Haru, OPEN THIS'."

She flinched at the blunt words. 'Of course. He could have lifted my parents' addresses at any time without alerting me.' "How much did he tell you?"

"Everything-" her mother started to say.

"I'm not so certain it was everything, after what the dean said. But it was definitely enough to get our attention."

"Wait, you saw Nashima-san? What did he sa- no, I'll deal with that later," she forced herself away from the tantalizing thought.

"He'll call tomorrow. What Tsuge did tell us was that a girl was going out of her way to make your life miserable, and there was little other than himself and the thorns to keep you safe. Speaking of which, did that sorry excuse of a principal do anything else to you?" he asked sternly.

"No, that was the first time he ever did anything. I wasn't expecting it, though; I thought he was going to drag me into his office and demand both of your phone numbers." She gave a shrug and tiny smile. "It was pretty risky, considering how easy it would be for him to get the police involved, and possibly get me taken from you after they found out how hard it is to get either of you to answer your phones. Let alone anything else." Her voice turned colder, remembering just why it had taken her so long to recognize her own flesh and blood.

Their flinches didn't help.

Her father snatched her for a lap snuggle, much like she had done more than once with Muta. "Tsuge said the authorities would get involved if we didn't. Honey… I'm sorry. I… we shouldn't have…"

Haru looked down at her lap. "Neither of you were ever around," she stated. "Whenever I reached out, you pulled away. I had to raise myself. By myself!"

"It wasn't that we didn't care about you-" Naoko tried to plead.

"A stinking cookie!" Haru yelled at the top of her lungs, standing up from her place to tower over them. "Even when all I wanted was a single cookie or a glass of water, never mind attention, you couldn't be bothered to say yes or no! I wrote pages worth of emails, only to get a one or two sentence response! Half of which consisted of 'Talk to the other one, I'm busy'!" she snarled, finishing with her father's voice, which made him jump in surprise. "Did you even bother reading my emails, or did you just skip to the usual Good job, keep up the good work, have a good day' since both of you are so busy with your precious jobs?!" she demanded after using her mother's voice as well.

Both of them flinched back like she was hitting them over the head with a frying pan.

"Of course we read your-" her father tried to say, but Haru wasn't done yet.

"And don't even get me started on birthdays or Christmases! Do you have any idea how depressing decorating the tree is when it's just you or eating a single cupcake because I didn't want to get sick eating a whole cake by myself? Or to get ignored when I offer perfectly good compromises? Or glossing over what my life is like when people ask so that the police don't get involved? I've been pretending to be both of you over the phone for four years! Got that?! Four years, and no one's been able to tell the difference! It sure is a good thing that the thorns and Tsuge have been around to protect me, because until today, I thought both of you bit at that! Even when either of you are home, you were always too exhausted to have anything to do with me! There have been times when I wanted the two of you to get a divorce so that I could at least have one of you around when I needed you!"

"It's just we were always tired when we got to your emails," Hasho weakly defended.

"You honestly think I wasn't tired when I got to writing them? Who do you think keeps this place clean after homework and practicing? Not that either of you were ever around to appreciate it, because bits of cloth and space rocks are more important than your own flesh and blood!"

"That is enough!" Naoko cried out, standing up to force her daughter into a hug. "If we really thought that, we would have deleted Tsuge's video rant!"

"So why didn't you two just flip a coin, huh? Why did both of you choose your careers over me? Oh, don't act surprised," she growled when both of them gave her a stunned look. "It's not like you two were whispering when both of your careers took off and you were finally able to afford this place."

They gave each other an incredibly guilty looks.

"Or was it the question that kept you away?" she demanded, twisting the knife just a little more. "Was spending quality time with me such a horrible thing, that you had to make up emergencies as soon as I try to ask?"

They were now squirming like the knife was literal.

"Well? Am I worth a simple answer or not?!"

Her father was the first to speak. "Haru… I know our reasoning is lousy, but… even as a child, you were always precocious. We knew we had a genius on our hands by the third piano lesson, and when we couldn't reach an agreement on who should stay home with you, you just stood up and started taking care of yourself without being asked. It was a comfort that you could be so responsible, but we shouldn't have taken that for granted. We shouldn't have made you be the adult in the family."

"Dang right you shouldn't have. I got cheated out of an ordinary childhood because I was too busy taking care of the things I couldn't talk to either of you about. You know what teenagers are like anymore; I could have been inviting a different boy into my room every week for all you would know."

"Haru!" her mother shrieked in horror.

"Or gotten into drugs," the girl added with a glare. "There were days when I was tempted, just to take the pain away. Luckily for me, music works just as well, and I have Tsuge and his family for when it doesn't. Luckily for the two of you, the worst you have to complain about what I've been up to is my taste in music, because you sure as heck can't complain about my boyfriend." 'Especially since he's not even a real one.'

"Admittedly, you hooked a winner," her father sighed, placing one hand on each of her shoulders.

Haru flinched, since they were still sore, so he hurriedly changed to her upper arms, though keeping a steady grip on her.

"Honey… we knew something was going on when you didn't write to say how the date with Machida went. When the first few weeks passed without an email, we assumed you were busy. Then we tried emailing and calling you to see if everything was all right. Except we just got a 'no longer in service' notice, so we couldn't contact you without taking time off to directly see you."

"Which has been so horrible for you," Haru snarked at him unsympathetically. "I had to switch my number and email address while unplugging the home one. Hiromi spread around my number after telling everyone that I'm a skanky-"

"Yoshioka Haru, you are not allowed to know that word!" her mother yelled in horror.

"Too late," she answered flatly. "And before you ask, yes, I found the notes on the fridge asking for my new info. But that would have defeated the purpose of making you two wake up before you lost me for good. Through the government or after I'm old enough to leave you, I didn't care which. Are you going to blame me for getting sick and tired of begging for someone to come home and be a parent for once?"

Her parents shared another distressed look.

"It shouldn't have taken this long for us to get a clue," her father finally managed to say. "We should have apologized and had this talk years ago."

Her mother nodded and gently caressed her daughter's face with a regretful expression. "I know there's a ton more that all of us could say, but I want to skip to the important part. Both your father and I have been selfish morons for years, and it wasn't fair to make you bear the brunt of that. Nothing's going to be able to turn back all the time we've wasted, but is it too late to say we're sorry? Can we start over? Please?"

Haru looked at both of them, still feeling the years of abandonment. "Is that what both of you really want?" she asked flatly. "Don't go making promises you won't be able to keep, because it will kill me if you-"

"Both of us have a lot of vacation time built up, and we're going to spend it with you," her father swore, wrapping her in a warm hug before she could finish. "We'll start scheduling less time away from home. We'll…"

"We'll do better," her mother finished, gripping her child tight. "We'll never give you or Tsuge a reason to blow up at us like that again."

Haru smiled tearfully, and allowed herself to cling to both of them. "That was all I wanted."

ooOoo

The doorbell rang just after the sun began setting, making a certain teenage boy jump up from his place on the couch. "I'll get it," he called out, tossing the book he had been trying to read to one side and leap for the front door. Without hesitation, he threw it as wide as possible.

On cue, his dearest friend launched herself at him, squeezing him by the neck hard enough to nearly cut off his air supply. Thankfully he was prepared for such a greeting, and as such was able to keep them from having an unpleasant meeting with the carpet again.

Once in the safety of his arms, she started crying.

"Didn't it go well?" he asked in surprise while wrapping her in his arms. But now that the door was open, he could see a nice looking car with her parents standing outside of it. 'They came for her, didn't they?'

"Oh, Tsuge… it went great. I've never been able to talk to them like that!" Haru sobbed, still clinging to him. "Thank you. I don't know everything you told them, but… thank you."

He smirked wickedly. "Trust me, I enjoyed doing it. They'll do better?"

"Starting today. Don't be shocked if I don't call or text much for the first few weeks of summer break; they're going to be spending it with me!" she exclaimed happily, as if it was a rare and unexpected treat.

He quelled the familiar rage that it was true. If her parents knew what was good for them, it better not ever be true again. "I'm happy for you, Haru. This should have started years ago."

"I know-"

-"No. I meant us," he stressed, instinctively knowing how she had interpreted the remark. "If I had stepped up years ago… you could have had that talk with them sooner. We would have had a lot more fun together and not care who knew. I'm sorry for taking so long."

Haru gaped at him in horror. "Nashito Tsuge, I refuse to accept that apology! You and your parents were what kept me going! I was losing hope when I first called your dad for help. If I didn't have them and especially you, I might have committed suicide by now. Did you know that?"

Tsuge looked down at his feet. "I was worried that's what you did, after that last game. You really did look dead when I found you."

"Well, I wasn't. And I won't be for a long time, thanks to you." She gave him another warm embrace, intentionally placing her mouth close to his ear. "Friend or boyfriend; I'd be lost without you. Thank you for… being you."

He smiled happily, and gave her one more affectionate squeeze before pushing her away. "I feel the same way about you. Now go back to your parents, and enjoy at least a week with them before we start talking about which school to transfer to."

She beamed at him, but stole one more hug before returning to her father's car.

"Wait!" Sakura squealed, running past her brother to catch up to the girl. "Aren't you going to stay, Haru? Please stay," she begged, clinging to the older girl's legs so that she couldn't walk.

"I'm sorry, sweetie," Haru giggled, picking the girl up for a warm hug. "My Mom and Dad claimed me for at least a week."

"But you promised you'd sing for me again," Sakura pouted adorably.

"I will, I promise. But I'm overdue for some Mom and Dad time. I'll do it next Sunday," she assured the tiny girl, squeezing her affectionately before handing her back to Tsuge.

"You won't forget?" she asked, her tiny arms now around Tsuge's neck as she became balanced on one of his hips.

Haru kissed her cheek and gave one more hug to her brother. "Of course not. Now be a good girl for me, okay?"

Sakura nodded and waved goodbye as Haru did the same, slipping through the door her father opened for her.

"You seem to have his sister wrapped around your finger," her mother couldn't keep from teasing.

"Oh, believe me; I'm just as wrapped around hers," Haru giggled as her father got into the car and drove off.

"So, now that you've had your talk with Tsuge, what will it be?" he grinned at the rear view mirror, since he could look at his daughter with it. "Dinner at a restaurant, a movie, or-"

"A quiet evening at home with just us?" Haru asked hopefully.

Her mother gave her a melting look. "That sounds nice. Dear?" she asked, nearly the first thing she had said directly to her husband while in front of their daughter.

He spared her a melting smile before turning his eyes back to the road. "Sure, sweetheart."

'… Is this a dream? If it is, I do not want to wake up!'

Even the quiet but fun-filled evening that followed seemed too good to be true…

ooOoo

"…Haru? Haru!" her mother screamed before grabbing the bruises on the girl's shoulders.

The brunette gasped as she fell off the couch. "I'm awake! Where's the fire!" she panicked, struggling to her feet.

Both of her parents were staring at her in horror.

'That's right. We fell asleep around three in the living room.' "… Oh, wait, I get it," she giggled nervously. "It looked like I was dead again, didn't it?"

"You weren't breathing," her father whispered in horror.

"Yeah, I usually sleep like that. Sure made getting to school on time a challenge. So, how about I make egg toast for breakfast?" she asked cheerfully, heading to the kitchen.

Her mother grabbed her wrist and wheeled her around to face them. "How long has this been going on?" she asked sternly. "You breathed just fine when you were little."

Haru shrugged. "Not sure. I've been gasping every morning for… years. Since middle school at least. It really freaks Tsuge out whenever I'm asleep in front of him." 'But at least he made sure I started making it to school on time and not have to deal with that demon of a choir teacher.'

Her father shook his head. "I don't like it when you're that still. When's the last time you've seen a doctor?"

"Mmh, five years ago, but that was just for shots. If I've ever been examined, it was when one of you took me."

Her parents gave each other a look of horror. "Schedule-" her father tried to say.

"A doctor," her mother quickly agreed, running into the kitchen to find a phone book.

"Was it really that bad?" Haru asked, making her father shudder while pulling her into his arms.

"Yes. I wonder if it's psychological trauma," he mused. "Your way of dealing with being alone."

"But if that were true, I'd have stopped it when Tsuge reached out, or at least when you two did. I don't think I've been suffering from it, but-"

"No buts," her father insisted, squeezing her tighter. "We should have been aware of this when it started happening. We're lousy parents."

"Well, you're doing fine now… Can you loosen up?" she gasped, feeling a bit more lightheaded than she usually did in the morning.

He gave her a peculiar look, but did as she asked. "I wasn't squeezing that hard, honey."

"Sure… sure felt…" Haru tried to say, but something still felt tight. Too tight to catch her breath.

"Haru? Honey, what's wrong?" her father asked worriedly.

She braced herself by his arm, one hand at her throat as she tried to gasp. But the harder she fought for air, the more it felt like a fiery grip was crushing her windpipe. Her throat was fine, but the chord which brought air into her system had collapsed on itself! Her mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water as her vision began to sway.

"She's turning blue!" her mother screamed, dropping the phone book to rush to her daughter's side.

"I know! Call an ambulance!" her father snapped back, sweeping Haru off her feet and onto the couch. He placed a finger in her mouth to be sure she wasn't swallowing her tongue, and then pinched her nose in order to breathe for her.

But no air got through. She could feel her cheeks puff out, but it could not make it the mere inch past the… crushed… part…

"No Haru, you can't do this!" her mother begged, gripping her hand possessively. "We just got back together! You can't leave, not yet!"

'Don't… don't want to… please help…'

After a few more minutes of struggle, she was fine. Haru blinked and even sat up as every window and mirror in the room shattered worse than she had seen yet. The girl gasped and leaped clear off the couch. "Mom, Dad! Look out!"

"Haru? Haru!" her father screamed, shaking her…

Body. She was dead.

Haru looked at her hands in horror. Her skin was paler than ever, and had a soft glow. "No," she wept, jumping back into her blue-faced body, but it didn't work. Whatever had held flesh and soul together had been severed.

Then the tug came.

"No, not yet!" she tried to beg, scrambling to hold onto… something, anything! "Life was just getting good! I can't leave yet!" Her fingers tried to grip her mother's shoulders, but just went through her like a bit of smoke.

"Haru!" her mother screamed with a broken heart. "Wake up! Wake up!"

'If only I could.' The tug came again, much stronger than before. "But I never got to say goodbye," she wept, even though her eyes could no longer shed tears.

The next one seemed to be a desperate yank, pulling her clear off the floor and to float upwards.

She had no choice. She was leaving one way or another.

"Mom? Dad?" she sobbed, attempting to hug their weeping forms one last time. "I'm so sorry… I tried-"

The following yank made her shoot up through the ceiling, past a final glimpse of her room, and clear above the roof.

She couldn't resist the urge anymore. The higher she rose, the stronger the pulling became, until she was shooting like a rocket into the cloudy summer sky. Her soul kept going up and up… and up…

"Whoa, wait; if I'm going to heaven, shouldn't I have reached it by now?" she asked the emptiness until the pale blue sky darkened into the darkest of black, speckled prettily with distant stars.

She was actually in outer space! So why was she still going faster and faster?

The moon had passed by in a heartbeat, but it took a few minutes to reach the asteroid belt. The view was unlike anything her astronomy class prepared her for! Unlike the traditional two-dimensional version of the solar system, she could see for herself that there were stars far below, above and definitely to the sides of her as her soul flew even faster past Mars and toward the asteroid belt.

She barely had enough time to see that some of the rocks had arranged themselves in a circle before she shot through it like a perfect bull's eye.

Empty space suddenly exploded into millions of sapphire lights, bending and twisting themselves into a winding tunnel!

'Wait… is this a wormhole?' her stunned mind tried to reason, but her soul was tossed this way and that down it, much like a roller coaster with no limits. The part of her mind that was still working mused on how fortunate it was that she was making this journey without a stomach.

Just when she thought she was going to be lost within the wormhole forever, she shot to the white light at the end and slammed against something solid enough to cut off her line of vision. Whatever it was held her tight against it like a cobweb and sent white-hot energy through her. She wanted to scream from the severe pain, but could not find the strength, even if she had lungs.

Then, at long last, the energy was gone, leaving her feeling as weak as a half-drowned kitten that was gently set on something hard as stone.

Literally. She couldn't breathe! Haru tried to suck in air, but her body was no longer strong enough. Her senses began to fade in and out a second time, desperate for oxygen. 'No, not again! Don't make me go through this again! … Did I just think body?'

Distantly, she could hear someone run up, and place one hand over her nose. A sound of horror was heard, just before fingers tore at the cloth keeping her mouth shut.

'Wait, when did I get cloth over my head?'

As soon as the cloth was gone, something warm and soft was pressed against her lips. Air was forced into her lungs just before a firm hand began pressing just above her left breast. CPR?

'Well, at least my windpipe is letting air in this time.'

Again oxygen was forced into her lungs, and the pounding. How many times this was repeated, Haru could never remember. But after some time, her lungs finally chose to expand, making her gasp loudly against the mouth that had been keeping her alive.

Whoever it was withdrew, but only enough to allow her to breathe on her own. She could feel the person gently hold her hand in both of his own.

It was a guy; she was certain of that much. Her entire face had been bound, so she couldn't open her eyes. But his voice confirmed her suspicions as he whispered urgently to her, trying his best to give her encouragement as he squeezed her hand and brushed the free one against her brow. She couldn't understand the strange words that were falling from his mouth, but the desperation was more than clear.

Unable to do anything else, she focused only on taking deep breaths, and holding onto that hand. She wasn't sure who those warm fingers belonged to, but she really wanted to find out.

… He just saved her life. That is, if this wasn't the craziest nightmare she'd ever had.

Once her breath was finally caught, a moan of pain escaped her lips. Her body felt like it had been run over by a truck. Repeatedly.

Her mysterious rescuer answered her with a sigh of relief and gently wrapped both arms around her to hug her with true affection. He even laughed; a strained, ridiculously happy sound. He kept speaking, warm and gentle as he rubbed her hair through whatever was on her head, but she couldn't understand a word.

'Who's there? Who are you?' But it was hard to think about those questions. She was so tired, and the man's arms were as warm as a blanket.

Her head fell against his shoulder, and pressed against it gently before falling into a deep and untroubled slumber.

ooOoo

The experiment is done. Success is mine, for she now lives and breathes not ten feet from me. There was almost not enough power to keep her from slipping into death's grasp, but after careful ministrations and encouragement, she is sleeping peacefully.

I have released her head from the preparation mask to ease her breathing. It has changed since I crafted it, perhaps a side effect for the body and soul to merge, but even like this, she is most fair.

Not that I would ever doubt that fact. But now that a soul resides within, I will leave it to another to remove the preparation clothes on her new body. I do not wish to give the girl a reason to hate me when she awakens.

Despite everything and everyone that stood in my path, it has been my best birthday yet.