a/n: Special thanks to my spectacular Beta! *showers her with cyber brownies* :D Such a wonderful Beta~! Ahaha. And thank you so much to all of my readers. ^__^ All your reviews make me so happy and really urge me to keep writing. So thanks so much. And to all you lurkers that secretly read this story and don't tell me –*points at traffic button* - I KNOW YOU'RE THERE!! XD Aaha. So if you're reading this and you haven't left a review, but you secretly like my story from the shadows, then thank you. :] Lol!

Anyway this chapter is mainly about Mea. Sorry that there's not much KyouyaxSafira action. =[ Makes me sad. But this is important and needed to be written down! Plus, since we have all been deprived of fluff, that means more fluff is on its way~! Yay! *dances*

Annndd. I scanned my Kyouya/Safira picture. ^^ It's up on my profile. I spent a lot of time on it~! So if you haven't seen it yet, please go take a look and tell me what you think. It's not the greatest drawing ever but I still wanna know what people think. :D

Anyway I changed the chapter title because of my Beta. XD It made me smile. So I stuck with it. Thanks again Beta! *gives Beta more chocolate pastries* It's actually supposed to say Mysterious-Dark-Haired-Wet-chan but it didn't fit! LOL! Imagination. Use it. K. I'm done. *runs to eat dinner*

~:*:~

Chapter 21: Mysterious-Dark-Haired-Wet-chan

~:*:~

~ Seven Years Ago ~

"Nii-san? What do you think it's gonna be - a boy or a girl?"

"I have no idea," Shugo replied to his younger sister, trailing closely beside her, umbrella held securely in his hand and adjusting his backpack with the other. "How would I know that anyway?"

"You could make an educated guess," the little blonde piped over her shoulder, before skipping straight into a large puddle, causing water to splash all the way up to her knees. "Weee! I love the rain!"

The sky was painted in large brushstrokes of gray and sorrow. The rain raced down, fresh from heaven and pitter-pattered gently against the concrete sidewalk. Shugo could hear it happily drumming on the top of his umbrella, which kept his head and shoulders completely dry. His sister had an umbrella as well but it wasn't doing her much good. She spun and danced with it, twirling the umbrella by its handle in swift ungraceful circles. She had never been good at dancing, even as a child. Innocent laughter rang through the storm like silver bells, water rushing down the contours of her face causing her sapphire eyes to appear brighter than usual.

Father's eyes…

"What's the point of carrying an umbrella if you aren't even going to use it?" Shugo yelled loudly and seeing as she had already gained much distance, he quickened his pace. "Mom's not gonna be happy when you come in the house and you're dripping water all over the kitchen floor!"

"Because it's pretty!" She said with a little laugh, turning to face him and stopping in place so that he could catch up. "All the other girls in my class think so too."

Shugo wrinkled his nose at it, his hazel eyes narrowing at the sight of his sister's bright pink umbrella, lined with lace and a large pink bow sitting promptly on top. It was the sort of object that screamed fairy tale princess and caused him to shudder each time he saw it. He was glad that his parents had bought him a simple gray one but he would be lying if he said that he didn't miss his Charizard umbrella. Along with his sister's hideous umbrella were pink knee-high rain boots and a matching colored raincoat. The inside of the hood was black and spotted with small white polka dots. Shugo hadn't seen her put her hood up once throughout the entire storm, let alone use her umbrella to its advantage. Shugo had casually dressed himself in dark jeans and a black jacket, although he was regretting choosing to walk home from school in his Converse; the water had already soaked through his shoes and seeped into his soaks, his feet now freezing blocks of ice.

"So you never answered my question," she said with a large smile. Her blonde hair was shorter then only coming up to about her shoulders. "Is mommy gonna have a girl or a boy?"

Shugo sighed. "I told you. I don't know."

"What would you want it to be?"

Shugo paused seriously taking the time to think it over. His brows furrowed in thought, scratching the top of his head. "Well… I don't know. It would be nice to have a little brother to play with." It would be awesome if he didn't have to look at so much pink stuff all the time. "But I wouldn't mind having another little sister to look out for," he said with a large grin. "And besides. That way you can have someone to play with."

"I don't mind playing with big brother," she said with a small smile. "I wouldn't mind having two brothers either. But a little sister would be nice. That way I can protect someone too!"

Shugo smiled warmly. He placed his hand over her shoulder, looking down at the fragile child before him. "You just leave that to me. I'll never let anything bad happen to you or our little brother or sister. I'm the oldest. That's my job."

His sister smiled, jumping out from underneath his hand. She shook her head. "Not everything has to be up to you Shugo. Even you need some help sometimes – race you home!"

Shugo tore after his sister, trying hard to steady the umbrella in his grasp but did little good. He was already getting wet along his face and shoulders. He was practically at her heels as she turned a corner, so it came to a surprise to Shugo when she suddenly came to a halt causing Shugo to run straight into her. His sister was shorter than he was, coming up to about his chest. He looked down at her, raising a questioning eyebrow.

"Why did you –"

"Shh," she whispered softly, her sapphire eyes glancing up at him. "Look!" She pointed to somewhere ahead of them, through the curtain of rain.

At the entrance of a small alleyway was a tiny girl about his sister's age. Her body was curled into her chest, face buried into her knees. Shugo couldn't see her face because of this but he could see that her hair was the color of night and was plastered to her head from the rain, dripping wet. It was hard to see from this distance but Shugo was sure that her shoulders were shaking.

Was she… crying?

For a moment the siblings were silent. All that could be heard was the constant dribble of rain against the asphalt and a few cars passing by every few minutes, sloshing puddles of water. What had happened to that girl? She looked to be around nine or ten, which was his sister's age. How could she be all alone? And why was she crying?

"Um… hey, sis? Maybe we should turn –"

Without a word or even a second glance, his sister darted ahead and across the street towards the lonesome child. Shugo gave a start, his eyes large. "What the – hey! Don't! We don't even know who she is! Sis! Come back!"

When she didn't, Shugo felt himself give a little growl in annoyance. Why couldn't she just listen? What if the little girl wanted to be left alone? Her parents had to be nearby somewhere. Either way, Shugo wasn't going to just leave his sister with some strange kid. He gave an unsettled sigh before running after her, trying to steady the umbrella over his head.

~:*:~

The rain was cold. Sharp. Like a thousand tiny needles pricking into her flesh. Mea felt herself shiver, her hands gripping her legs tighter to her chest. It hurt. The rain. It continually struck against her small body, making her wounds sting. Mea wished that she had had time to grab a coat before she left. The little worn out blue dress did no good against the storm. Her feet were still throbbing from running so fast, her sandals torn from urging herself to go faster, her heart drumming unpleasantly within her chest. Mea wasn't sure if her feet were bleeding or not. She had thought that she may have cut her foot on something, but was too scared to stop and check. Even now she was afraid to look up, scared that her Daddy might appear around the corner with a Louisville slugger and that horrible burning look in his eyes, the kind that made fear twist in the pit of her stomach.

Mea felt tears run down her face, her body trembling from both cold and terror. She felt frozen. She wanted to go someplace warm. Someplace safe. She wanted to go home.

But no. Home was not safe. Daddy was home. Why did he have to be home? Mea wished that she could live by herself. Home was so much nicer when Daddy wasn't there. If Mea was very quiet, she could remember her Mommy's voice in that house. She could hear her humming and singing inside the kitchen. Mea could swear that she could sometimes still make out the faint scent of gingerbread men. Mommy always made gingerbread men, even when it wasn't the right season. It was strange how she could still smell it.

But it had been three years since her Mommy had made any gingerbread men.

Three years since she had heard her voice.

Mommy was dead.

Mea wished she were dead.

It was then did the rain seem to stop. Mea blinked, still refusing to lift up her head. It was strange. She could still hear the rain but she couldn't feel it. It was as if someone had placed a small roof over her head.

"Hello there. What's your name? How come you're out here without a jacket or an umbrella? Aren't you cold?"

Mea gave a slight flinch at the voice. She didn't recognize it but she knew that it belonged to a young girl, maybe someone around her own age. Mea finally lifted her eyes up from her knees, staring at a sweet-looking girl with shoulder length blonde hair and the brightest blue eyes she had ever seen. She was holding a really girly umbrella over Mea's head and she was covered head to toe in pink, causing Mea to give a slight grimace. She was so shocked by the child's appearance that she had forgotten what the girl had asked her in the first place, and the first thing that blurted out of her mouth was:

"You're wet."

The girl tilted her head to the side, appearing to be confused. Her hair and face were already soaked without the shelter from the umbrella, little droplets of water bouncing off her rubber jacket and onto the ground. The girl smiled broadly as if Mea had just said a really funny joke, laughing.

"Silly, silly! You're wetter than I am!" She replied, sticking out her tongue. "You're the one out here with no jacket or anything. Aren't you cold?"

Mea was shaking like a leaf, trying to hide her chattering teeth from behind closed lips. "I-I was running. I had no time to grab a coat."

"Running? How come?" The girl asked innocently. The girl's eyes suddenly widened. "Are you crying? Why?"

Mea swallowed, swiftly swatting away the tears at her face. How could the girl tell that she was crying in the rain? Were her eyes red and puffy? Mea didn't know.

"Because my Daddy hates me." The words came out her mouth against Mea's own accord, silently kicking herself for revealing such information. Daddy always told her to never tell anyone about what went on between them. Tell them that you fell down. Tell them that you got into a fight with someone at school. Tell them that I tried to catch you when you tripped over the stairs but it happened all too fast.

Never tell them the truth.

If you tell them the truth, you'll die.

The girl seemed surprised her little lips open in a large 'O' shape, her blue eyes now wide. "Really? How come?"

Mea didn't want to talk about it. She didn't want to continue having this conversation. It was dangerous. Her Daddy would find out. He'd kill her! If anyone found out, Mea would be dead!

"Because… I look like my Mommy," Mea replied softly. Her eyes lowered, watching the rain hit against the ground. The droplets were small circles before they hit, exploding into a thousand tiny more spheres. Her Mommy had always liked the rain. "He says I'm just like her. He doesn't like it. He doesn't want me to be like Mommy."

"Where is your Mommy?"

Mea shifted her position, twisting her fingers in her hands. She continued to watch the rain fall down, pitter-pattering against the pavement. Her face was blank of any expression, mesmerized with the rhythm and shape of the shower. Her Mommy always took her outside to dance in the rain.

"In heaven."

The girl didn't say anything. She straightened a little, making sure to keep the umbrella safely over Mea's head. And then she introduced herself, speaking her name in a gentle whisper. It was soft and barely even audible, but Mea would always remember it.

"Did your Father do that to you?"

The sound of a new voice caused Mea to jump. It belonged to a boy. Her eyes jetted over to his, hazel meeting winter. Her icy blue eyes expanded. He was soaked with rain and smelled like snow, even though it wasn't the right season. He had an umbrella but he wasn't using it, instead holding it over the other little girl. The rain bounced off his jet black head, dark eyes surveying over her tiny figure. She knew what he saw. He saw a little girl covered in rain and mud, blood and bruises. This dress was no good for hiding those either. His expression was hard, as if he wanted to rip something apart. It made Mea shudder.

She tried to speak, tried to answer his question but only a faint gurgle emitted. She gave a slight yelp when the boy suddenly lunged at her, grabbing her by her arm and pulling her to her feet. He was so much taller than her, even then. His expression changed when he realized that she was trembling, his hazel eyes now slightly warmer.

"Our Dad is a policeman. He can help you," he informed her, never tearing his eyes away. "Our Dad can make sure that your Daddy never hurts you again."

"Yeah! We'll help you Mysterious-Dark-Haired-Wet-chan!" The blonde said with a joyful smile. "Big brother and I will lead the way to our house!"

This was her brother? The two of them looked nothing alike. Mea swallowed, her eyes falling to the ground.

"My name is Shugo by the way."

Her eyes fluttered to his. He was smiling now. Mea was aware that his hand was still grasped around her arm, light rushing into her eyes and through her veins. Mea smiled slightly. Her body had stopped shaking.

"I'm Mea."

~:*:~

Five Years Later

"No school today?"

Mea peaks her head up from underneath her blankets, face pale and blue eyes glazed. Her nose appeared to be a little red and two purple rings underneath her eyes indicated that she hasn't seen sleep in weeks. She is now fourteen and a much different girl from the one that was found shivering in the rain five years ago. Her body was steadily growing, slowly morphing into the woman she would one day become. But at the moment she was stuck between childhood and adulthood. Her hair was longer then, chest length. Once she reached high school she would cut it so that it just barely passed her shoulders. Her eyes were two bright chips of ice, pale but surprising.

"Blue eyes and dark hair seems to be a rare thing these days," Mea's adoptive mother had told her just a few days ago. "You should be proud of how you look."

"Dad says that I used to look like my mom," Mea had replied, her tone gentle. "In a way, I'm happy that I look like her. But at the same time… I wish that I didn't."

Being the spitting image of her mother is what had caused her father to go ballistic in the first place. Mea couldn't help but wonder if she had been born with more of her father's features, then maybe he wouldn't have raised his belt and fists. But his words had always been worse than a beating.

"You're a good for nothing whore, just like your momma!" Mea jumped when he threw down one of the wooden kitchen chairs, splintering right before her eyes. "She lived and died as a good-for-nothin' whore and you're exactly the same! You look just like her. You'll die just like her too!"

Five-year old Mea scratched at the table top, tears streaming down her cheeks. She hadn't had a haircut in months, making her bangs long enough to be in the way all the time, shielding her face. She wanted to brush them aside but her hands were too shaky.

She wasn't really sure what exactly a horror was but Mea was positive that it meant something bad; otherwise her Daddy wouldn't have thrown down the chair. But Mea's Mommy hadn't been bad. She had always been so kind, so loving. She could never be a horror.

"M-mommy wasn't a horror," Mea finally had the courage to pipe but refused to look him in the eye. "A-and I'm not a horror either."

That alone made her father crow. His eyes gleamed like red-hot fire pokers as he bent over the table, leveling his face with hers. Mea backed a way a little bit in her chair; she could smell the whisky on his breath.

"Are you stupid, kid? She died of AIDS. You know how you get AIDS? From havin' sex and doin' drugs. You're Momma had too much fun with all that and now she's dead. You probably have AIDS too. You're Momma dug your grave before you were even born."

Mea was not born with AIDS, due to some sort of miracle from God. But her Daddy had AIDS from sleeping with her mother. Her Mommy got it exactly like how her father had said: From having sex and doing drugs.

Before Mea's mother had met her Daddy, she had been working at Scarlet Rose, a whorehouse. She had never finished high school. It was right in the middle of her sophomore year when she ran off with a man who was five years older than her, and ended up with too many bruises and welts to spare. He was thrown in jail for selling drugs and she was on her own. Her Mommy had been too ashamed to return to her parents. She tried working at fast food places but she couldn't pay off the rent. Her Mommy hated doing it but it seemed that selling her body was the only way for her to earn rent. Being what she was, she ended up getting into drugs and alcohol abuse. It wasn't until she met Mea's Daddy did she go back to school.

It wasn't until she was married and had Mea, did she discover she had AIDS. She gave AIDS to her Daddy too. He had been battling against it for years now.

But she hadn't seen him since that day Shugo and his sister found her. They saved her from him and gave her a new Mommy and a new Daddy. And even though Alania and Christian weren't her real parents, they loved her like she was one of their own. Christian was a doctor and Alania was a dentist. The two of them were friends of Shugo's family and were having trouble bearing a child. After her father had been thrown in jail for abusing his daughter, Mea was introduced to them and the couple instantly fell in love with her. Mea decided that she was fond of them too. The paperwork was done and in a matter of weeks, she was in a new home with a new family.

It often happens to mothers who have difficulty getting pregnant, that once they adopt, it finally happens. And that's just what happened to Alania. A few years after Mea had been taken under their wing, her little sister Skylar was born into the world.

Mea was a little bit jealous of Skylar at first. She was afraid that since they had another baby girl that they would forget about her. But she quickly learned that this was not the case.

"We love Skylar just as much as we love you, Mea," Alania told her, giving her a slight hug. "Both of you are our beautiful daughters. I'm so blessed to have the two of you. I would never want it any other way."

Mea gave a slight moan and turned over on her side, looking away from her adoptive father. She felt sick to her stomach and the two of them knew exactly why.

She had been feeling this way for weeks, months even.

Today her real father was released from jail. He served five years and now he was coming back.

Her stomach churned just thinking about it. She could remember his face so clearly, remember the anger and the malice twisted over his Japanese features. His eyes had been so dark. They always reminded Mea of two black endless holes. People say that the window to a person's soul is through their eyes. But not matter how hard Mea tried, she could never see it. His eyes were always so empty. Soulless. Only anger and bitterness resided in there.

"Honey, are you okay?" Christian inquired from the doorway. When Mea didn't respond he crossed over to the foot of her bed, sitting himself down. Her adoptive father's eyes were as molten as he reached down to give her leg a slight shake, lips pulled into a small worried frown. "You've been locking yourself up in your room for this entire weekend. Are you sick?"

Mea nodded, her face growing hot. "I – I don't feel good, Dad. I don't want to go to school today."

It had taken Mea a while to get used to calling Christian 'Dad'. But he was more of a father to her than her real one. In a way, she almost felt uncomfortable referring to her real father as 'Dad' now.

Christian sucked in a small breath. He was silent for a moment before he finally rested his eyes over her. "Ameya… is this about… well him?"

Mea froze.

"Is it because… he's being released today?"

Mea sunk a little bit further into her blankets, trying to hide her face. "Maybe," she grumbled.

"He can't hurt you anymore," Christian said firmly enough to make Mea look up at him. "Even though he's released from prison today, he can't come within even five feet from you. We got that restraining order the same day he was sent in prison. You're mother and I will do everything in our power to protect you. So please, don't worry about going to school. You'll be safe."

Mea shook her head. "I know, Dad. It's just that… I keep seeing him. I keep seeing his face in my head. Just the memory of his voice makes me flinch a little." Mea swallowed and took a deep breath. "I – I just feel sick. I can't stand it. Would you mind if I stayed home, just for today?"

Christian sighed. He ran his hand through his light brown hair, brown eyes falling onto the pattern of the blanket. "Alright," he finally told her. "But just for today. You're going to have to go back eventually, Mea. This isn't something permanent."

"I know Dad… thank you."

~:*:~

The little blonde bounced up and down on her heels, hands secured tightly around the handlebars of her bike to keep it in place as she stood. She was wearing faded blue jeans and a short sleeved pale pink shirt with a white tank top underneath. Her Converse were the same color as her short sleeved shirt. She had been trying to grow her hair out for a while now, but it wasn't the length that she wanted yet. It was pretty long but not long enough.

The girl sighed, impatient. She moved her bike a little bit closer to the edge of the school building, resting her back against the bricks. The high school got out later than the middle school and since Mea hadn't come to school today she was here on her own. The whole day had been boring without Mea around. She silently wondered if Mea had gotten sick – maybe should cook up some chicken noodle soup for her later. Her mom was pretty good at cooking. She was sure that her family had some kind of secret homemade recipe lying around the house somewhere.

She sighed, looking around the school's scenery. There was a large open space to play basketball not too far away and a playground, but no kids were on it, seeing as most of them had already been picked up or had taken the bus home. Today she couldn't help but feel that it was strangely quiet almost to the point where it was uncomfortable. And suddenly she had this really weird feeling in her gut, like something wasn't right. She shifted a little bit on her feet, glancing towards the building as if this would make time go faster.

"Stupid high school," the little blonde grumbled, ignoring the slight shakiness in her voice. "Why can't they just get out the same time as the middle school?"

It was then did she hear something softly approaching from around the corner. Someone was slowly creeping towards her, their weight crunching the twigs from underneath their feet.

The teenager felt panic clawing at her from underneath her skin and she tried to force it away. Nothing is going to happen, she told herself. I'm at a school. There are teachers inside and I'm sure other kids are out here somewhere. Maybe it's one of my classmates.

But it wasn't a classmate. It was a man. But his appearance caused her to give an involuntary cringe, eyes automatically widening.

He stood at probably about 5'10" or 5'9". His face was unshaven and his hair was ragged and knotted, and the girl wondered how long it had been since he had had a bath. His face and body seemed clean but his clothing was two sizes too small and filthy. His shoes didn't fit him right – she could see his big toe pocking out from behind his worn out sneakers. Crows feet touched the corners of his eyes, mouth slightly drooped in a frown that had been engraved into his skin after so many years.

His eyes were two black tunnels, constantly twisting to no end. Infinite. It made her think of two deep holes of hopelessness. There was no light behind such eyes. No smile, no laughter. Just pure anger and sorrow.

But it's not his eyes or even his clothes that threw the girl off guard. It's the skin on his face. Thousands of scaly looking sores cover his face, ranging from his forehead all the way down to his chin. They were scarlet and purple. It made the girl wince, even though her parents had raised her to be polite and kind to those who were different. But there was something about him, something other than the disfigurement on his face that made the girl turn her eyes away, make her heart thunder.

His gaze almost seemed to scorch her.

"You." He speaks the word with such venom that she forced herself to look back at him, her stomach twisting and sapphire eyes wide. "You took my little girl away from me. You're the reason I was thrown in that hellhole! You're the reason I can't see her again!"

The girl drops her bike and it clatters to the ground. She tried to back away but her back is already pressed up against the wall. She attempts backtrack, as if hoping to disappear through the bricks and into whatever classroom laid behind it but the man grabs her by her arm, pulling her close, far, far too close.

"She was my daughter! Mine!" He roared. He squeezed her arm and the girl cried out because it hurt. She tried to wiggle away, loosen his grip but its vice was too powerful. She yelled and screamed, telling him to let her go but he didn't listen. "Where is she?" He shouted over her. "Where? WHERE IS MEA?!"

This was him. This was Mea's father. Her real father. It hit her like a tidal wave, crashing and flooding into her chest. Unpleasant chills rushed down her spine and suddenly, her entire body felt as if it were being pricked by a thousand tiny needles, rooting her in place. How could she have forgotten? Mea had been worried that he would come to school. That's probably why she didn't show up today.

"I don't know," the girl lied, trying to keep her voice even. "And if I did, I wouldn't tell you anyway! You can't make me!"

His eyes grew ablaze with something scary, something that she has never seen in the eyes of any other living human being. And suddenly he snatched her by her arm, pulling her into his chest, his other arm wrapping tightly around her back like an iron bar.

"We'll just see about that, won't we little girl?"

~:*:~

Karin stared at the scene before her almost not believing what she saw. That stupid girl that she absolutely despised was standing outside by the school all by herself. At least she was at first.

Now there was a man with her. Karin couldn't really make out his face from where she was standing but she could tell that matters were getting violent. All of a sudden he had her in his arms and he was carrying her away, despite her screams of protest and flailing kicks and punches against his back.

Karin didn't know what to do. She remained frozen and rooted to the ground, tingles of shock rising from her toes and all the way up the top of her head. By the time she finally recovered he was already driving away with her in a red pickup truck…

At once her senses kicked into action. She had to do something. Even though she couldn't stand that girl, she still had to do something. This was an abduction! She just witnessed a kidnapping!

Her legs pumping on their own accord, Karin tore towards the schools main entrance, her feet somehow leading her to the principal's office…

~:*:~

The pain was all around her. Inside and out. She wanted to escape it but she couldn't. He tied her down to a chair in the center of the room. The knots were so tight that her wrists were starting to bleed. Every time she moved, the ropes only seemed to grow tighter, causing her to cringe.

Pain exploded into the girl's jaw. She cried out as his rolled up fist crashes into her, blood flying from her mouth. She flexed her jaw to make sure it wasn't broken, glad to know that it wasn't but teared at the feeling of fire-hot pain spreading up into her cheek. The blonde-haired girl turned to face him, her sapphire eyes flashing with hate.

"I'm not telling you where she is!" The girl snapped. "You can do this to me all day. I don't care. You can hurt me all you want – but you're never gonna hurt my best friend, not ever again!"

The man let loose a large string of profanity before he smacked her across the face. Her head immediately went spinning to the left, her golden hair flying with her movements. She felt like she was going to be sick but she forced the bile back, trying to gain some control. But heat was gushing into her veins and little red and white dots were beginning to do acrobats in front of her face.

Maybe if she closed her eyes… it would all just be a dream.

A really horrible, horrible dream.

"You can't keep her from me you stupid girl! I'm her father! I have the right! I have the right to see her! You stole her from me! You took her away – ARRGH!"

She screamed flinching away from something that went soaring passed her head. Whatever it was, it crashed and shattered against the wall from behind her. Suddenly he was standing a breath away from her face and clenching a fistful of her starlight colored hair. He was pulling it upwards and it caused her to wince, eyes automatically watering from the pain.

And then he slammed her head into the table in front of her. Hard.

Her vision flashed red and white. She tried to see past the colors but they were blinding her, engulfing her, swallowing her whole. Her head was throbbing and raw agony seared through her nose and mouth. She was almost positive that she has lost a tooth and had a broken nose but she was in too much pain to tell. She tasted blood.

"Mea is my daughter! Do you understand? MINE!" Between words he would continually slam her head into the table. The girl squeezed her eyes shut and unwillingly, wrenched the loudest, most blood-freezing cry that had ever escaped her lips. Tears poured down her cheeks, mingling with the blood rushing from her mouth and nose. She could hear him yelling at her but she could no longer make out words. The only thing she could think of was the pain.

White light shone into her face. The man stopped abruptly, holding her head up just a little bit above the table and still grasping her by her hair. Confused, the girl just barely lifted her eyes. Her vision was slightly blurred and she had to blink furiously through the haze. There was one light. Then two. Three… four… five…

Six… seven…

"FREEZE!"

Eight… nine…

"Release the child. Step away from the girl and put your hands up on the back of your head."

Ten… eleven…

But he didn't release her. Instead he reached into his back pocket, brandishing a pocket knife that shimmered in the beams of flashlights. She shivered at the feeling of cool silver placed against her throat but at the same time, was barely aware of it. She knew that the blade's edge was pricking into her skin but her entire face was already in so much pain that she felt completely numb to everything else around her.

"Put your guns down or I'll slit her throat!" The man roared, spit flying. "I-I mean it! I'll kill her! I'll kill her right here and right now!"

"Put the knife down! Release the child!"

"Put your guns down!"

"RELEASE THE CHILD OR WE WILL BE FORCED TO SHOOT!"

There were so many lights. So many white rays of light. They reminded her of the headlights of a car or even spotlights. She didn't like them. They were so bright. She could feel herself wincing under their powerful beams, eyes burning against the intensity.

"I want my daughter! Bring me back my daughter!"

"Mea, are you my friend?"

Mea stopped abruptly on the sidewalk. She turned her head to look over at her, her dark eyebrows pulled up into an elegant arch. "That was random. Of course I am." Her blue eyes were alit with curiosity. "Why do you ask?"

She was quiet for a moment, unsure of how to proceed. Then the girl finally sighed, tossing back a small strand of fair blonde hair. "It's just that, I've never had one before besides Shugo. So I want to make sure."

Mea smiled, genuine. "I've never really had one either. You're my first friend. I mean – you gave me my life back. Thanks to you, I have a family now." She paused, stuffing her hands into her pockets. It was winter then. The two of them were fully clothed in heavy coats, mittens and scarves. Mea wrapped her scarf a little tighter from around her neck to keep safe from winters chill. "You don't have to worry. I'll always be your friend."

The girl lifted her head and smiled, her sapphire eyes sparkling. "I'll always be your friend too, Mea! Your best friend! Okay?"

Mea grinned. "Alright. Best friends are always there for each other. So that means we gotta stick together, no matter what. I have your back and you have mine." Mea extended her hand. "Okay?"

The girl smiled and reached out her hand. "Okay," she said with a little giggle. And then they sealed the promise with a handshake.

And now five years later, Mea had always been her best friend.

Best friends were always there for each other…

She was there for Mea.

If she had to die for her best friend, then so be it.

The blade took a thin slice of flesh from where it was pressed against her neck. It happened so fast that she didn't have any time to scream, let alone flinch. It was only a small cut but it was deep enough to make unpleasant warmth rise up in her and little black dots flash in front of her eyes. She felt the red ribbon of blood ooze out in a clean straight line and her face twisted in both shock and agony.

And then it happened. The sound of a gunshot rang through the air and suddenly, Mea's father was thrown several feet back, knife stumbling out of his fingertips. He fell to the ground with a large 'thump', blood pooling from the side of his face.

At that same moment, she also fell. She fell to her knees and then onto her side, curling her legs into her chest because she suddenly felt quite cold. The younger girl shivered unpleasantly as footsteps trotted passed her and others around her.

"He still has a pulse," someone was saying. "We have to call an ambulance."

Someone let out a low whistle. "Wow… gunshot through the jaw. That's gotta hurt."

"The guy's sick. We shouldn't call anyone. He should just die here." Another said.

"That's against the rules. We're obligated to call. Now go."

A man fell down in front of her, his face pinched with anxious urgency. A replica of sapphire eyes stared back into her own, though his were holding back tears. His mouth was moving quickly but she couldn't hear anything. It was as if someone turned off all the sound to the world, leaving her completely deaf.

Her name. He was repeating her name. Over. And over. She only stared back at him, eyes empty.

My name… what is my name?

I… do not have… a name…

I do not… remember… my name.

"Daddy?" Her voice was soft and unsure. The man nodded furiously and reached out to her, cradling her protectively against his chest. She saw a gun down on the floor by his foot, and she realized then that he was the one who had fired the shot.

My name…

What was my name?

~:*:~

"My name is Safira and I'm a maid working at Kyouya-senpai's house!" Safira informed the girls pleasantly, a large but naïve smile stretching across her face. "And this here is Abella, which is short for Adorabelle. Her mommy was gone so I'm her mommy now!" She said, proudly lifting the hummingbird up for all to see.

The girls nodded as if they understood the situation perfectly, when in reality they were completely lost. Pleasant smiles were plastered across their faces but there was an inner bitterness to each of them, their faces twitching slightly from holding such fake cheerful expressions for so long. Each of them was brewing with jealously. That much was obvious to Kyouya, who was now straightening out his tie from across the room and attempting to do anything but notice Safira.

The Host Club was now closed but a few of the girls had still lingered afterwards strictly because they were curious about the rumors they had heard of the strange new girl; they wanted to know if she really was living with their Kyouya-senpai and if she was, they wanted to know why. And with Safira's last statement their deepest fears had been confirmed.

She really was living with him.

But the question of why was still left lingering.

"So… have you and Ootori-sama known each other for a long time?" One of the girls asked, trying her best to keep her smile even. "How long have you guys been friends?"

Safira paused for a moment, looking skyward and tapping her chin with her index finger in thought. Her other hand was safely cradling Abella. "Well gee… I dunno. It's beeeeennn. Hmmm... a few months?"

The girls' smiles only seemed to have become more strained. Their faces clearly indicated their thoughts which only deemed to be unpleasant.

She's only known him for a few months? I've been in love with him for years!

She thinks that she can just swoop down –

and take our precious Ootori-sama away?!

She's a dead woman. DEAD!

Nooo! Kyouya! Don't fall under this brainless witch's spell!

Kyouya sighed, exasperated. Safira really could be clueless at times. Even now it was as if she didn't even pick up the signs of danger coming from the surrounding girls, their faces carved with phony sunlit grins and dark rain clouds forming from behind their eyes. Kyouya couldn't decide if their hands were shaking because they were fighting back the urge to strangle Safira or slap her.

He let out another low sigh, rubbing his temples in slow even circles as he slowly began to approach Safira and hopefully, save her from the immediate danger. However he was cut off by a woodland elf who was now wearing Gandalf's beard and waving the wizard's staff, his violet eyes wide and looking as though they were to pop out of his eye sockets at any given moment.

"YOU CANNOT NOT PASS!"

Kyouya glared, clearly un-amused. "Tamaki, move aside you moron."

"Back – back into the shadows!" Tamaki snarled. He jabbed the staff towards Kyouya who backed away to avoid being hit, all the while his silver eyes narrowing.

"Could you stop being an idiot for about five seconds?" Kyouya growled. He attempted to walk past Tamaki but each time he tried, Tamaki would extend the staff so that it was blocking him. Kyouya was growing irritable. "Tamaki! I swear if you don't –"

"YOU – SHALL NOT – PASS!"

Kyouya stared as Tamaki slammed the butt of the staff down onto the ground. The King made large and unreasonable sound effects of an explosion and earth breaking, all the while pretending to keep his balance in the midst of chaos.

Without a word to his best friend, Kyouya easily walked around him deciding that this would be the best moment to run away. From behind him he heard Tamaki scream: Go you fools! Along with the sound of him collapsing onto the ground. Kyouya rolled his eyes.

"Idiot," he grumbled.

Safira had taken up her job as an after school janitor and luckily, her hours had ended just a little bit before the Host Club was closed. She had to leave the Host Club earlier to run down to the maintenance center, almost forgetting that she had even signed up in the first place.

She had changed from the required school uniform and into janitor scrubs, which was the same shade of blue as the boys uniforms and even had Ouran's coat of arms off to the side on her chest. Around her waist was a tool belt however, she didn't have very many tools on there yet. He noticed that she had put her hair up, revealing her neck and shoulders. As he came closer he noticed a tiny little scar along the side of her neck.

It was very tiny. Hardly even there at all. It seemed as though it had faded a lot within the years of sun and time, weakening into the thin little white line that was there now. Not only was it hard to see but Kyouya assumed that her hair covered it up most of the time.

He felt the strangest need to reach out to her, right then and there. A warmth that Kyouya did not recognize suddenly flooded him, washing him from his head and all the way down to his toes. He didn't understand why she looked so beautiful and perfect even though she was in nothing but a mere commoner's garb. It was unsettling.

And yet…

Safira turned to him, her face breaking into a large and joyful smile. It was such a simple expression and a very human one at that. Everyone smiled. Some smiled more often than others and Kyouya had seen her smile countless of times. But this time it made his heart jump and his stomach give a strange but very pleasant swoop. He found himself smiling along with her. It was a light smile, so soft that Kyouya didn't even realize that it had surfaced but all the same, it was there.

"Are you ready to go home?" Kyouya held out his hand to her, as if it were the most casual of things to do. She giggled like a child, unaware of the woman's glares and unbelieving stares. She reached up and placed her hand in his, allowing him to pull her up. Though it was only a faint meeting, Kyouya found that his skin tingled at her touch.

"Yes." She said with a warm smile.

~:*:~

a/n: Sorry that, that last part is so lame! I couldn't think of a way to end it so I just threw in some fluffy thing lol. I hope it wasn't too bad. I'm really tired so it probably sucks lol. And before I get comments about this it IS possible to have parents who have AIDS and then have a child who doesn't have it. My uncle had AIDS. He got married to my aunt and they both had a child. After their kid was born, they found out that my uncle had AIDS and my cousin and aunt were both tested and neither of them had it by some miracle of God. So it IS possible. Don't tell me that it's not~! Cause I knooowwww. Yes.

Anyway I hope everyone liked it. But now we all know why Mea is so determined to hold out for Safira. =) Because Safira did the same for her~! Even though Safira was only a hostage for like… four hours I think. Lol. Oh, well. She would've stayed for days and months if she had too!

And if anyone is wondering, no, she did not get amnesia when she was kidnapped. She was just really panicked and her adrenaline was running and all that. She was scared. She couldn't focus and she was confused. So everything was coming out in a blur. Plus she was in lots of pain. =[ *kicks Mea's real Dad*

Dr. Taylor thing will be explained soon! And so will more info about Mea's real dad. I wanted it to be explained in this chapter but it's too long. And so is this a/n… blah! I suck! *runs away*