"Kaede, what do you want to be when you grow up?" Mrs. Takeda smiled at her daughter who was sitting in the back seat of the car with her brother. Her husband was driving them to the site where Kaede was going to model for a magazine.

The fourteen year old Kaede Takeda huffed, crossing her arms, "Mom, you asked me that since I was little! It's always going to be the same answer! I'm going to become a model!" at that time, she had long, waist-length red hair that was loosely curled.

"You already are one, dear," Mr. Takeda chuckled at his daughter's response.

"Yeah! You're happy, aren't you? You're already living your dream!" Kyo Takeda, Kaede's twin, scoffed, sticking his tongue out at her.

Kaede glared at her brother, "Well, I'm going to be known world-wide soon. I'm not that famous yet, but soon, everyone will acknowledge how girly and pretty I am!"

Kyo made a disgusted noise, as if he was going to puke, and Kaede lightly slapped him on the arm. Their mother now turned to her son and asked, "Well, then Kyo, what do you want to be?"

"I'm going to be a patissier! I'll make sure to bake lots of sweets for you!" Kyo promised, holding a pamphlet of an academy tightly. On the cover were the words "St. Marie Academy". He had always wanted to go to that school, and finally, his parents had decided to enroll him in the school in the following year.

Mr. Takeda looked through the rear-view mirror at his children and said, "You two have such great dreams! And so young too… I wish I was still your age…"

Kaede looked over her father's shoulder and her eyes widened at what she saw in front of them, "Dad! A deer!"

"Huh? What-" her father's eyes turned back to what was in front of the car, and in panic, he sharply turned the wheel to the right, making the car swerve wildly. They were right about to crash into a couple of trees when Mr. Takeda turned the wheel once more, trying to save the deer as well as his family. Kaede screamed loudly as the car spun wildly, and she could hear her brother's breath starting to shorten as fright started to take over him. During the chaos, Kaede hit her head hard on the window glass, and soon, everything turned black.


"Mom? D-Dad? Kyo? Is everything alright?" Kaede lifted herself from the seat of the car, her head still throbbing from smashing it on the glass. She looked around herself, her vision incredibly blurred as she felt around the car, her hands searching for something… something alive… A sharp pain stabbed her finger when a broken piece of glass cut it. The pain allowed her to concentrate her eyes and make her visual clearer. Kaede turned around towards the door nearest to her and felt for the handle. After finding it, she forcefully pulled the handle, then stumbled out of the car.

First, I need to get out… I need to see everything… I need to see what happened… Kaede thought through her jumbled mind. On her hands and knees, she pushed herself up from the asphalt, steadying herself by spreading her arms. She blinked rapidly at what was going on in front of her.

The whole car was a disaster. It had crashed into a large tree that had a diameter of around two meters. The front of the car was completely smashed, making it look like some type of bandoneon. All of the windows, except for the one on Kaede's side, were either extremely cracked, or broken from the impact. Steam drifted through the air from the front of the car.

Alright, now… the car is smashed, so now I have to call the ambulance… there could be people hurt… wait, people hurt? Kaede rummaged through her pockets for her cell phone, then suddenly froze in place once her mind finally cleared. She stared at the car, thinking, People… people… hurt…. MOM! DAD! KYO!

"Mom! Dad! Kyo! Are you there? Are you….? Speak to me! Please!" Kaede screamed, running towards the car then shoving herself inside. She looked around desperately for her family, "Kyo? Mom? Dad?"

"Uh….Mmmh…. Nee….san…" a voice mumbled near Kaede.

The girl approached the sound until she found her brother, and she smiled happily, "Kyo! You're here! You're…" she touched Kyo's arm, trying to make him get up, but his skin was dreadfully cold. Kaede placed her hand on his neck, face, and ears, trying to find warmth, but his body slowly grew even colder.

"W-Wait… just wait… I'll call… the ambulance… they need… to… to come!" Kaede stammered, pulling out her cell phone and quickly dialing the number. She placed the device next to her ear, biting her lip as the buzzing sound started. The sound was almost immediately cut off when someone from the other end answered it.

"E-Excuse me! It's my family! W-we got into this car accident, and…. And the whole car is smashed, like ruined! We nearly ran into this deer, and my dad was trying to save it… Please you have to hurry! Come! Please! My brother is growing cold and I don't know what happened to my parents! Please!" Kaede begged as soon as she heard the click of someone picking up the phone.

"Alright, dear. I'll get the ambulance truck to go there right away. Please, calm down. What is your name and what are your whereabouts?" the voice asked with a smooth voice.

Kaede took in a deep breath, then exhaled, then told that person what her name was, and where she thought they were. After she hung up, Kaede collapsed onto her knees on the asphalt, holding her phone tightly to her chest. She started to rock back and forth, back and forth, trying to calm herself down. A small drop of blood trickled down her forehead and stained the expensive, cute skirt she was wearing, but the girl paid no mind to it, only rocking back and forth, back and forth, trying to wait as patiently as she could.

Soon, the ambulance did come, along with a fire truck, and the assistants helped pry Kaede's parents out of the car, along with her brother, and send them to the hospital. One of the nurses, who had also arrived at the scene, approached Kaede, who was still rocking back and forth on the asphalt, her eyes wide with shock.

"Are you Takeda-san?" the nurse asked the girl with long, red hair.

Kaede lifted her head and stared up at the nurse with black eyes, "Y-Yes… I'm Kaede… Takeda…"

The nurse smiled and she helped the girl up, then brushed the dirt off of her outfit, "Come. We will take the ambulance truck to the hospital, and there, we'll see if your family is alright."

Kaede nodded slowly, and the nurse led her into the ambulance, and the vehicle sped off as soon as soon as the doors closed them inside, along with the assistants and the patients.


"How… How are they? Are they okay? Are they? Doctor!" Kaede questioned the doctor as soon as he came out of the room where her parents and twin were.

The doctor shook his head and softly said, "I'm sorry, Takeda-san… your parents… are already gone…"

His words fell on Kaede's heart like a heavy weight falling onto the floor. She could even feel herself beginning to be ripped apart inside. She stared at the doctor with wide eyes, tears slowly brimming the edges, then trickling down her cheeks. Kaede's hand slowly rose to her head, where a bandage was wrapped tightly. She let the words echo in her brain, letting her analyze word for word, and she blinked rapidly, then said, "Wait, you said… you said… you said my parents! What about Kyo? Is he okay? He's my twin! Is he…?"

"He had a weak body since birth, while his health was moderate. The accident caused tremendous shock, making his heart from weak, and his mind unstable, so he has to be hospitalized from now on," the doctor explained, "It is a miracle, though, that you only have a few cuts and bruises on your head…"

"Let me see him! Let me see Kyo! Please!" Kaede breathed, grabbing onto the doctor's white cloak, "Let me see… my brother…"

The doctor nodded, then opened the door to her brother's room for her. Kaede let go of him, and stumbled inside, running towards the red hair of her brother. She nearly threw herself on top of him, panting heavily as she let the tears flow, "Kyo… Kyo…. You're alive… Kyo… thank goodness…. Kyo…!"

Her twin's eyes fluttered open as he woke up because of his sister's cries. He looked down at Kaede and asked, "Kaede? Wh-What's going on…? Where's… where's Mom? And Dad…? Where…"

Kaede hugged her brother tightly, her tears already soaking the gowns he was wearing, "They.. They're gone…"

Kyo's eyes widened and he stared down at his twin, "Mom… and Dad…?"

When Kaede didn't respond, he gripped onto the white sheets of the bed until his knuckles turned white, and tears flooded out of his eyes. He hugged his sister back tightly, and they both cried for their lost parents until their voices grew hoarse.


"You still don't have perfect marks? How dare you call yourself the heiress to the Takeda name! We give you clothes, shelter, food, education, and money, but you still don't have the best marks! How selfish can you get?" Her aunt scolded her.

"I never said… that I wanted to become the heiress for the Takeda family!" Kaede yelled back, losing her temper which had grown extremely short since the accident.

Her aunt struck her across the face, sending the 15 year old girl to the ground, holding her cheek. She huffed and threw Kaede's report cards at her face, treating her as if they were useless, "There will be no dinner for you, including breakfast! Learn to be thankful that we're taking care of you!" she huffed, before walking out of Kaede's room and slamming the door behind her.

It had already been a year since the accident. Kyo's hospital fees, along with Kaede's needs, were provided by the rest of the Takeda family, who they barely had any contact with until their parents died. The twins' grandfather had decided to make Kaede the heiress, and in turn of providing the girl food and shelter, they gave her a much harder life than she had with her parents and brother. Aiko, Kaede's cousin, despised her, along with the rest of the family, who didn't know her well.

Kaede slowly pushed herself off of the floor and gazed at her room which barely had any furniture, except for a small mirror, a bed, a desk with drawers, and a tiny bookshelf. The girl took out a pair of scissors from the drawers and approached the mirror, which was the size of a CD. She glared angrily at the girl who was no longer trying to look pretty, or cute. Kaede stared at the girl with red hair who no longer cared about how she looked or acted. She could see a girl whose eyes were no longer full of happiness, and whose face was no longer glowing.

Kaede took her scissors and cut off her hair up to her ears, her face expressionless as the red locks fell onto the floor. Each one of them symbolized her happiness, her joy, her patient, easy going personality. They were all being separated from her, one by one. Kaede was no longer the angel full of light, but was now the hateful demon.

She smiled, soft, uncomprehendable laughter escaping her lips, "Wow, look at me! I've... changed..."


This is a chapter on Kaede's past...