A/N: Hellooooooo!!!! Sorry, this chapter is short, but if I added any more, there would be too much stuff going on. Next chapter will be more interesting.

Chapter 13- Brave New World.?

Hitomi turned her head to look at the window. She could hear the faint laughter of children, and imagined them playing together under the bright, warm sky. The thought filled her with a deep yearning. She wanted to be free, like them, but instead, she was stuck here, with no one telling her anything. How much school had she missed? Was she going to go back at all? "Mum?" Hitomi asked. "Yes, sweetie?" Her mother said, looking up from her book. "Does it hurt still?" "Um, no, it's not that. It's just.I don't get why I'm here. What happened?" Mrs. Kanzaki put her book down, and took hold of Hitomi's hand. "We were hoping you could tell us." "What? Mum, I.can't." "Why? Are you protecting someone?" "No! For God's sake Mum, I don't even know what I'm meant to be protecting them from!.you ask me to answer my own questions, well I don't know the answers! Why am I here? And how come Yukari hasn't been in to see me yet? And why am I hurting all the time? What happened? I don't know! I have no idea! I don't remember anything! I just don't remember!" Hitomi shouted, furious. "Shhh, I'm sorry, it's ok." Mrs. Kanzaki began. "How is it ok, Mum?" Hitomi asked, anger giving into fear. "I don't understand.I can't remember. I can't remember, I can't.I." She sobbed, covering her face. Her sobs where like stabs to her mother's heart. "Oh, Hitomi," She sighed. She wrapped her arms around her little girl and drew her close. "Things will change, you won't feel like this forever," She murmured, stroking her daughter's soft brown hair. "Shhhh."

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"Shhhh.." Asharmi sat in the coach, watching the stars in the sky, and listening to the murmur of the waves. "Shhhh." Princess Millerna, who was sitting opposite, had already been sung to sleep by the lullaby of the sea. Asharmi felt her eyes droop, and knew she was soon to follow. They must be near the capital of Austuria by now- she'd heard the sea almost all day. Her first day away from the Palace. Maybe, She thought sleepily, this life wasn't so bad after all. Maybe.apart from the guilt of Hitomi's pain. she frowned, trying to push such unwelcome thoughts away. Time to sleep, and dream.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

"Okay, Hitomi, so you want to know what happened?" Hitomi nodded. "Yes." She said firmly. "Okay. One night when Yukari was on a date with Amano, and you were feeling lonely. You wanted to go to the temple to do a little soul searching., so your Father took you. He had forgotten some paperwork at the office, and left you by yourself while he went to get them. He should have known it was dangerous to leave a young girl out by herself at night! I can't believe he'd be so stupid as to - " "Mum, calm down! Just tell me what happened!" "Yes, I'm sorry. Okay then. Well, around about the same time, Yukari said she didn't feel too good and wanted to go home. Amano drove her back. He dropped her off a few streets away from her home, as she said she wanted some fresh air. This was only a few minutes away from the very temple that you were at. Amano offered to walk with her, but she said no." "What's Yukari's date got to do with it?" "I'm coming to that. From then on, we don't know anything for sure. Presumably she changed her mind, and went to the temple, and met you there instead. Do you remember?" "No. I think I met someone while I was there, and something happened, but.I don't for sure. Sorry, I'm not helping much, am I, Mum?" Mrs. Kanzaki smiled gently, and shook her head. "You just concerntrate on getting better. You can worry about remembering later," She said soothingly. "Anyway, after that, you both went missing." "Missing?!" "Yes, Hitomi. You were gone for three days. When your father came back from the office, there was no one there. I was so afraid, Hitomi. You have no idea what it did to me." Tears shone in her mother's eyes. Hitomi squeezed her mother's hand, trying to be brave. Mrs. Kanzaki sniffed, and forced the tears back. "Any way, you were both found outside the temple five days ago, unconscious. The police have been questioning people, but nothing was found. They were hoping that you could." "Mum. I don't remember." Hitomi's voice was sharp, though she regretted it as soon as she saw the hurt in her mother's eyes. "I know, darling, I know. The doctors think it might just be shock. It'll come back to you in time," She said, forcing a smile. "Any way, why can't they just ask Yukari? She was there too." Mrs. Kanzaki's smile faded. "Oh, Hitomi.Yukari is." "What? What is it?" A cold wave of panic gripped her, squeezing her. She couldn't breathe. "What happened? She's going to be okay, right?" "Hitomi, you've got to understand how serious this is. She's in Intensive Care. When the police found you both, she'd been stabbed. She's lost a huge amount of blood and the damage to her internal organs.The doctors are doing all they can for her, but." "But what?" "Hitomi, the doctors don't think she's going to survive. It's a miracale she managed to survive for these past five days, let alone the rest of her life! Honey, I know how hard this must be for you. I'm so sorry." "No!" Hitomi fell back onto her pillows, gasping with shock. This wasn't happening! Yukari had been with her only a few days ago! Hitomi ignored the babbled apologies from her mother, engrossed in her own pain. Now she welcomed the aches. The doctors could use medicine to silence them. But no one could dull this pain. She turned her head away from her mother, to look out of the window. She could hear the faint laughter of children, and imagined them playing together under the bright, warm sky. Everything was just has it had always been. Except her whole world had changed.

So, what do you think? Does anyone understand what is going on or am I just a babbling idiot?! Review please! - or I'll hunt you down and eat you all!!!!! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH AHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Kisses, Juliet. P.S When Yukari said she didn't feel good and wanted to go home, it was because Dilandau was starting to take over her body- by the time she'd reached the temple, she'd become Dilandau..and you know the rest!