Hey! I don't have a lot of time tonight to do all the Shout Outs and Special Thanks or even the Art IT. Sorry, got a busy day tomorrow and have to go to bed. Sure some would say to it tomorrow, but I'd forget XD

Okay so I got on little Shout Out and that is about the contest. I still haven't gotten any of your blessings and it makes me think that means don't do it XD Let me know asap so I can get ready for it if you guys want to read it.


Long, Long Time Ago

~Alex POV

I had such a nice dream last night; it was about my mom carrying to bed like she always did whenever I fell asleep in front of the TV. She stroked my hair and hummed a song that I could no longer remember. (A/N Yes people, she can forget things -_-) As I washed my face and got dressed I tried to think of the name of the song or how it even went.

Hmhmhm mhhmhmh… Mhmhmh… That wasn't it!

I hit my head against the mirror of the hundredth time and tried again.

Hmhhmhm… URGH!

BANG BANG BANG!

My head went back and forth hitting against the mirror till I heard a SMASH! Opening my eyes I looked at the shattered mirror! In a piece of the broken mirror I saw a cut on my forehead and streams of blood coming down towards my lips. I grabbed a towel and pressed it on my forehead as Thing 1 and Thing 2 came with a such speed that they slipped on the rug and fell on the floor where the mirror now lay.

"WHAT THE HECK!" Hikaru yelled as he jumped off the sharp pieces.

He then noticed how I had a towel on my head and was about to say something, but Kaoru said it for him, "How did this happen? Are you okay?" Kaoru knelt down beside me and moved the towel slightly. "It looks deep. Hikaru can you get the first aid kit while I wash it?"

Hikaru only nodded then stomped off upset.

"I am so sorry I…" I trailed off and began to look too pitiful for even me. "How much do I owe you guys?"

Patting a wet towel on my cut he said, "Nothing, it's alright. We never used this room and have plenty of mirrors that we can replace it with." He smiled gently and ran his fingers threw my hair to get it away from my eyes.

My face blushed bright red as Kaoru leaned in and kissed my forehead. I had never been kissed and never once let anyone get their face that close to mine. Just then my eyes passed Kaoru and I saw Hikaru looking away as he stood by the door with the first aid kit. My face went so red it could have been on fire! What the heck do I do now?!

"Hika…" I stood, but Hikaru just left and by mistake took the first aid kit with him. Turning to Kaoru I said, "Why?"

He looked at the door and said, "You should talk to him."

Furious at the fact that I had let him kiss my forehead and not even explain himself I said, "I hope you know that I don't have any feelings for you in that way."

"I knew that, but I didn't mean it like that." Then I noticed his face was blushing too.

I felt like a dirty trash can full of poo. "Fine, just tell me where Hikaru usually goes when he's mad."

Now standing he said, "His room or…"

I left the room in a trail of dust. Screeching to a stop in front of his room I swung open the door to see an empty room. Groaning I started to run around looking in hiding spots.

As I ran into the kitchen I stopped. He could be in the pantry since they must have found my hiding spot.

Opening the door I began to laugh so hard seeing Hikaru stuck in the small area space. He glared at me and I tried to muffle it, but it did little good.

"Are you going to just stand there or help me out?!" He yelled helplessly.

"Once I get a picture, just kidding!" I could feel his anger hit me like a dart board.

Pulling his hand and moving his body around, I pulled him out. He lay on the floor looking up at me as I fell over laughing.

"What?" He asked unknowingly.

Blurting out I said, "You have dust all over your hair!

… *awkward turtle*

After about ten minutes of silence we decided to go outside and walk.

"Hmhmh…" I tried, but groaned and hit my head making the bleeding start all over again.

"Why do you keep on hitting your head?" He pushed away my hands and placed a band aid on it.

I sighed and sat on a bench. "My mom would sing to me a song or hummed a song, but now I don't remember the name or how it even goes."

"What brought this up?" He sat next to me.

"I had a dream last night of my mother playing with my hair and humming the song, but it left me once I woke up."

Hikaru froze at that and looked at me. "What do you mean by playing?"

"Um… stroking my hair and she patted my head before leaving, and then I woke up. Why?"

"Me and Kaoru carried you up stairs last night and we both were playing with your hair."

"So?"

"I was humming that was all." He acted like he did something wrong.

This news surprised me. "Really? What was it?" I leaned closer to him.

Not knowing what to do he said, "I don't remember it, it was just a song I heard somewhere."

I groaned and hit my head against a tree. He tried to stop me, but I then grabbed him and hit my head against his in hopes of his lost knowledge to be found either by going into me or be knocked out of him.

He fell over and held his head and yelled at me about being an idiot or whatever. I didn't care, his lost memory came to me and I remembered all the words and the tune. I leapt on him and hugged him and shouted, "Thank you so much! I remember it now!"

Once he got me to release him from the death hug he looked over at me. I laughed as his forehead began to swell a little. Gosh my head hurt! I laughed even harder as I imagined Hikaru telling me it was because after all this time of hitting my head I finally reached my small brain and caused it to break.

"So how does it go?" He asked interested in the song more than the idiot girl laughing her guts out.

"Well it's more like a story than a song. It goes,

A long, long time ago…

There was a man…

Who longed for the heart of a Queen…

And every day he would ask for her hand in marriage…

But she would always refuse him…

Until, one day, she made a deal with the man…

That if he could complete a journey…

That no other man had completed, or survived…

She would gladly accept his proposal…

So he set out on his journey with a deep passionate fire in his soul…

On his travels, he encountered many perilous dangers…

But none were strong enough to keep him from his beloved…

During the journey he came upon a beautiful rose garden…

And he picked the most beautiful black rose he could find…

And once he had finished his expedition he would give it to her…

So, after many months, the man returned rose and all…

To give to his future wife… but as she took it from him…

She began to bleed… from her eyes, nose, and mouth…

… It was clear there had been a curse on the rose

With this, the man pierced his own heart with the sharp end of the rose…

As he could no longer live without her…

So, the two lovers died in each other's arms…

And they stayed together, forever…"

"Seriously what kind of person was your mother?" I hit Hikaru on the head and stuck out my tongue.

"She was amazing, a great story teller and knew just about everything." I leaned back remembering all the times she had done something crazy and how I always had to say I'd keep a better eye on her. "She never let you know what she was thinking useless she wanted you to know." A tear went down my face remembering the one thing she never told me. "She kept the weight of the world on her shoulders and made it seem as though nothing could ever go wrong." The tears would not stop coming down and with the best effort I said, "She was sick and didn't want me to know. She… she had cancer and disappeared for a week before my father called me and told me how she was dead." I covered my face and cried remembering how he didn't even sound sorry about her death, she meant nothing to him.

Hikaru didn't know what to do, but placed a hand on my back and began to hum the song in my ear. His voice was different from mothers, it had something different. Was it the fact that it was a guys or something more than that? Hikaru somehow reminded me of someone I knew… he reminded me of me when it was me and my mom, but for him it's him and Kaoru. If he was to lose Kaoru what would happen?

"You're easy to read." Hikaru said firmly. "She didn't die because she wanted to, no one like that would. If Kaoru were to leave me I'd be probably in the same spot as you, crying out my pain."

Never cry.

Crying is what weak people do.

Stand strong.

Cry and the tears will never stop.

No one likes a cry baby.

"I… got to go." I pushed Hikaru and stood up. "I don't need to be weak like you. I can stand up on my own. I'd never cry to someone like you!" I ran into the garden leaving Hikaru by himself on the ground.

I couldn't cry, not in front of someone like him. How could he ever truly understand? Tears are a waste. I never need to cry and never should cry.