Sorry it's been a couple of days since I last updated, I've been having trouble with both my school's housing policy and with one of my professors. Harsh week for me...

I own nothing.

Dark was getting changed when something fell from the shelf of the closet. Dark bent and picked up an old photograph of two little girls laughing. One of the girls had coal black hair held in pigtails and was wearing a puffy pink dress. The other girl had a brown braid down her back, and her green eyes shone with happiness.

"Nathalia, I'll be right back," he called, heading into the hallway. Nathalia grunted from her closet, and Dark headed towards Kiri's room. As he approached her door, he could hear sobbing from within. He paused, his hand just inches from the door, and leaned his head against the door, listening sadly. He blamed himself for what had happened. He wouldn't tell anyone that, but it was the truth. He finally opened the door, and walked in to find Kiri curled up under her sheets, facing the wall.

"Kiri, I found a picture and I thought you might want it," he said, sitting down on the bed next to her and resting a hand on her shoulder. Kiri turned and looked at him, and he could tell that she'd been crying for quite some time. She looked at him expectantly, and he handed her the photograph he had found. Kiri stared at the girls for a few seconds, then looked up at Dark, her eyes shining. Kiri hugged Dark, then began to cry again. Dark looked at her awkwardly, then wrapped his arms around her as she cried herself to sleep. Once her breathing had evened out and the crying stopped, Dark lowered her back into bed and pulled the blanket over her, smiling gently. He turned to see Nathalia standing in the doorway, smiling.

"She appreciates what you do, Dark," she told him, wrapping an arm around his waist.

"I know," he responded, closing the door silently. Nathalia and Dark went to sleep.

The next day, Kiri skipped downstairs at around eleven, which was much later than usual. She grinned at the room, her hands behind her back.

"What are you hiding?" Nathalia asked, narrowing her eyes. Kiri's eyes shined as she revealed a drawing she must have done that morning, in which the four of them were all on the couch smiling. Nathalia took the drawing to look at it more closely.

"You've gotten better," she commented, smiling at Kiri. Kiri smiled at the praise, then turned and sat down on the couch, watching the news, which was reporting a warning letter from Dark, promising to steal something that night. Kiri turned to Dark questioningly.

"I have to bring this one to Emiko and Daiki. I promised them I'd bring them every other thing I stole. Don't worry, though, I'm saving all the good stuff for us," Dark told her, winking, Kiri smiled, then turned to Daisuke, who had been silent for most of the morning. She cocked her head.

"I'm fine, Kiri. I was just thinking about something," he told her, smiling. Kiri pushed him lightly, her eyes telling him that she was not convinced. Daisuke laughed, and Kiri smiled. She rested her head on his shoulder, watching Nathalia and Dark as they made lunch. She sighed, at least somewhat content with her life. The next month passed uneventfully, and gradually, they all began to recover. Nathalia and Dark began working together, forming a duo the media had dubbed "Darts", as they usually signed their notes "Dark and Nats". Daisuke and Kiri caught up on their schoolwork, and life returned to normal, except that Kiri had still not made a sound since she'd been rescued. Two months passed, and Kiri's birthday began to approach. One day, Daisuke managed to talk to Nathalia and Dark while Kiri slept upstairs.

"Kiri's birthday is in two days," he stated.

"We know," Nathalia responded, not sure where Daisuke was going.

"We should do something for her. Like…bake a cake or have a party or something," Daisuke said.

"We agree. We've been waiting for you to mention it," Dark replied, smirking. Daisuke glared at them.

"That's not nice," he whined, looking deflated. Dark and Nathalia both chuckled.

"We've already talked to the other house, they've all agreed to make food and cake. On Kiri's birthday, they'll be waiting here for you two to get home from school. Kyoko-san said she'll make Kiri's favourite dinner, which she hasn't had since her birthday last year," Nathalia told him. Daisuke looked from one face to the other.

"You guys seem to be going all out for this," he remarked suspiciously. Nathalia and Dark glanced at each other.

"This is Kiri's first birthday since….well, it's a reason to celebrate, and Kiri needs to celebrate something. We think it'll help her heal," Nathalia said slowly, shrugging.

"We're working on a present right now, too," Dark added. Daisuke looked down, somewhat shamefully.

"Now I feel foolish," he said quietly.

"Only now?" Dark asked teasingly. Daisuke looked up and smiled, then went upstairs to go to bed. The next day, Sunday, Nathalia took Kiri out into town, claiming that she wanted a day alone with her friend. While they were gone, Emiko and Kyoko cooked and baked furiously, trying to get as much done as possible. Meanwhile, Daisuke shut himself in his room, working on something, and Dark was in the basement of the Niwa house, where all the art he had stolen was kept. Kosuke and Daiki were sitting outside, prepared to shout a warning if they saw Kiri returning.

On Monday, Kiri's birthday, school passed much the same as every other day. After much signing and sighing, Kiri had managed to convey to Daisuke that she didn't want him to make a big deal of it, and he promised not to tell anyone. They walked home together, and Daisuke noticed that Kiri seemed dejected, as though something was bothering her.

"What's up?" he asked, looking at her worriedly. Kiri shrugged, then pointed to herself, drew a box in the air, then drew a tear line down her face.

"You don't like your birthday?" he asked, stopping. Kiri shook her head, drew a box, then shook her head once.

"You don't get presents," Daisuke said. Kiri nodded, then pulled out the little bit of change she kept in her bag, held it up so he could see it, then shook her head once.

"Your mother never really had enough money." Kiri nodded, then drew the box again and held up a picture of her mother and shook her head.

"And you always hated it when your mom spent money on you." Kiri nodded again, smiling sadly. Daisuke wrapped an arm around Kiri.

"Well you don't have to worry about that today. Don't forget that you have Dark, my whole family, Nathalia, and me now. We'll make sure your mom doesn't spend too much," he assured her. Kiri smiled and hugged Daisuke. Daisuke laughed and hugged her back.

Daisuke led Kiri back to her house, excited to be the one taking her to the party. He led her inside, and she stopped dead when she noticed all the decorations. Daisuke looked at her and saw the grin slowly spread across her face. Kiri turned to Daisuke, who grinned back.

"Happy birthday, Kiri," he said, hugging her. They dumped their bags and walked all the way into the main room. Kiri stopped again, her eyes widening, when she saw everyone together, half on the couch and half on the floor. She grinned, and Nathalia moved over, patting the seat next to her, where there was enough room for Kiri and Daisuke to sit. Kiri sat down and pulled Daisuke down next to her. Tears of happiness were shining in her eyes as she saw everything that had been done for her. Kyoko stood and ran into a back room, coming back carrying a pile of presents. Kiri looked up at the pile in sheer amazement. Kyoko put the pile down on the table and handed Kiri the first present. Kiri opened it carefully, trying not to rip the paper, something she had always done so her mother wouldn't have to buy more the next year.

"Kiri, there's no need to save the paper anymore," Nathalia told her, pushing her lightly. Kiri looked at Nathalia in surprise, then nodded and ripped the paper off to reveal a….white box. Kiri pulled the top off the box and found clothes, which made Kiri grin happily. She didn't get new clothes often. Kyoko giggled.

"Do you like them?" she asked. Kiri held the matching shirt and pants up and nodded emphatically. The next present was from Nathalia, and Kiri practically tackled her friend when she lifted up a silver necklace in the shape of eagle wings. Next was Dark's present, and he made a point of looking away as Kiri opened the package to find a silver bracelet with an amethyst set into it, tiny wings spreading out from the gem. Kiri smiled, and looked at Dark, noticing that he was purposefully not looking at her. Without warning, she launched herself over Nathalia and tackled him off the couch. He pushed her off him, and she grinned at him happily. Kiri sat back down next to Nathalia, trying very hard not to look at Dark. He tousled her hair and she grinned up at him.

Emiko's present came next, and she had also gotten clothes for Kiri. Kosuke gave her a sliver ring with an amethyst set into it, and the band itself was formed by two wings wrapping around to meet on the inside of her finger. From Daiki, Kiri received a silver goblet, which Kiri strongly suspected was something he had stolen during his days as Dark. After that, the pile was gone, and Kiri turned questioning eyes to Daisuke.

"Mine is fragile, I didn't want to leave it down here," Daisuke explained. He stood and ran upstairs, returning with a rectangular something that was wrapped in a sheet. He handed it to Kiri, who unwrapped it to find a painting of herself, surrounded by silver feathers. Kiri looked at the painting, and when she turned to Daisuke, there were tears in her eyes. She hugged him tightly, then pointed to her heart and moved her finger to Daisuke's heart, then laced her hands together tightly. Daisuke kissed her forehead, then pulled back as he heard something he had never expected. Kiri had giggled. It was a harsh, grating sound, but to him it was the most beautiful sound he had heard. Kiri smiled up at him, and he pulled her close. Everyone else in the room was staring at Kiri. It was the first sound that had come from her mouth in three months. Once Daisuke released her, she glanced around at the rest of the room, eyes wide.

"Kiri, y-you laughed," Nathalia said, disbelief in her voice. Kiri nodded emphatically. They all knew that there was still a long way for Kiri to go before she was fully recovered, but it was a start. Once the shock of what had happened wore off, Kyoko and Emiko moved into the kitchen to make dinner, while Kosuke and Daiki sat at the counter, leaving Dark, Nathalia, Daisuke, and Kiri alone on the couch. Kiri rested her head on Daisuke's chest, and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her lightly. Nathalia and Dark were in a similar position on the other side of the couch, and soon all four were dozing off.

"I almost hate to wake them up for dinner," Kyoko remarked, watching the four people on the couch.

"I know. They all seem so comfortable together," agreed Emiko, nodding. Half an hour later, dinner was ready. Kyoko walked over to the couch.

"Hey guys, dinners ready," she said gently. Kiri's eyes were open instantly, and she cocked her head at her mother. Kyoko pointed to the table, where there was a huge bowl of rice and strawberries, with a bowl of soup next to it. A weird combination, but for many years that was the only way Kyoko could afford to dress up Kiri's birthday meals, and so now it was Kiri's favourite. Kiri jumped up and hugged her mother, kissing her on the cheek. She turned and shook Daisuke, pointing at the table and jumping up and down excitedly. Daisuke laughed, standing and stretching. Kiri sat down at the table and waited impatiently as Dark and Nathalia slowly made their way over to the table. Daisuke sat on one side of Kiri, and Nathalia sat on the other. Kyoko served them all and began to bounce in her chair as she waited for her mother to let her eat. It was an old game they played, and Kiri knew her mother would drag on the pre-eating ritual as long as possible.

"Well, usually, I make Kiri wait for quite a while before she's allowed to eat, but with all the guests here, I think we should just get to it. But first, I want to express my hope that Kiri will continue to heal and that eventually we will be able to hear her beautiful voice again. Well, eat up!" With that, Kyoko took a bite of rice, signaling that it was time to eat. Kiri stuffed a large spoonful of rice-covered strawberry into her mouth and closed her eyes as she savored the food. After dinner, Kyoko and Emiko placed a three-tiered cake in front of Kiri. In a ring on each tier was more strawberries, and Kiri's eyes shone with delight.

"I take it Kiri likes strawberries?" Dark asked, noticing Kiri's happiness.

"Yep. For a while, all they could afford was rice and the strawberries from their backyard, so Kiri grew to love strawberries," Nathalia replied, grinning at Kiri. Emiko dimmed the lights while Kyoko began to light the candles, sixteen in all. Everyone sang, and Kiri grinned shyly.

"Make a wish, Kiri," Kyoko said. Kiri looked thoughtful for a second, then blew out her candles. Kyoko carried the cake back to the kitchen, so she could cut it and serve it more easily.

"What'd you wish for, Kiri?" Daisuke inquired curiously. Kiri shook her head once.

"You didn't wish for anything?" Nathalia demanded, surprised. Kiri shook her head emphatically.

"Why not?" Daisuke asked. Kiri gestured at the people around her, then cocked her head, looking thoughtful, as though she wasn't sure how to make them understand what she wanted to say. She gestured at everyone again, then pointed at her heart, then shrugged, seeming to give up.

"Are you having trouble, Kiri?" Emiko questioned from the kitchen. Kiri nodded, looking dejected. Emiko grabbed a notebook and pencil and handed it to Kiri. Kiri began writing something, seemed to think it sounded bad, crossed off what she had written, then tried and failed again. She threw the pad and pencil down, clearly upset that she couldn't find a way to say what she wanted to.

"Kiri, don't worry if it doesn't work quite right written, we'll understand," Nathalia assured her. Kiri shook her head, then spread her hands out wide.

"She seems to think that what she wants to tell us is important," Dark remarked. Kiri nodded, and looked down dejectedly. Tears of frustration formed in her eyes. She wrote down a short note on the notepad, then ran upstairs. The sound of her door closing could be heard, and Dark sighed.

"Dark, you're good at calming her down. Can you go talk to her?" Daisuke asked, looking at Dark pleadingly. Dark nodded and went upstairs. They could hear Kiri's door open and close again, then there was silence.