A/N I forgot my disclaimer on the last one. DISCLAIMER: I am poor, poor people own nothing. I only own the plot of this story, oh, AND the attitude I am giving the "rentals" of the Esca characters. NOTHING ELSE!!

Ruined Lives
Chapter Three

Mamaru followed his twin all the way to their house, looking worriedly at the blood that was starting to show on her black tank top. Why did he have to go and be so stupid? He should have known why she'd slept in so long. He almost hit himself on the head. Usually she could stand his weight and more, but not when their mother slammed her into tables. He would have to have a "word" with her. She wouldn't dare touch Hitomi again.
Almost as if she was reading his mind, she stopped abruptly and turned around, making him come close to stumbling over her. "Mamaru, listen to me right now. You will say nothing to your rental. She will forget and it will not happen again. She will never touch me again. You and I will go on with our lives; a little bruise is nothing to worry about!" With that, she turned around and-
-almost ran into Van Fanel. She stepped back, flabbergasted. How much did her hear? Did he hear what I said about Mamaru's rental? She narrowed her eyes into a glare before turning back around to face her twin. "Come on, Mamaru, let's go the other way." She grabbed his back pack and started easily pulling him the other direction.
"Umm. 'Tomi? The house is that way." He stated pointing the direction she'd just pulled him away from.
"Yeah, it is, but we are going the long way. not that way." She said coolly, still pulling him away.
"'Tomi, I need to get home ASAP. I can't afford to go that way." He said logically, hiding his anger so she wouldn't know the real reason of why he needed to get home so early.
"Fine!" Hitomi threw in his face, almost screaming shrilly. She jerkily released his back pack and stomped angrily. After watching her stomp away, Mamaru turned to Van.
"Mamaru, why was the back of her tank turning crimson?" Van asked still staring at her retreating back. His eyes were blank, showing no emotion. His mouth was shaped in a slight frown. His unruly hair covered most of his eyes.
"Walk with me, I'll explain." Mamaru answered starting to walk past Van. Van glanced back to see if Hitomi was still there. When he was reassured she wasn't, he started to follow Mamaru. "see, Hitomi's been having problems lately, our 'rents' divorce and the stress from school; you may have noticed the fact that she no longer acts like she was ever your best friend. She's been using knifes, drugs, and guys to release her stress. She hasn't been in the best of attitudes right now and so she's been. distant."
"That doesn't explain why her back was bleeding." Van said pointedly. If he was at all shocked by Hitomi's actions, he didn't show it.
"She wouldn't want me to say but. it's from our mother." Mamaru replied calmly. His face looked calm but his eyes showed the truth. They burned with anger, showing his need to revenge his sister.
Seeing the expression in Mamaru's eyes, Van felt the need to calm him down. "Mamaru, don't do anything you'll regret."
The glint in Mamaru's eyes turned even colder. "Oh, I won't regret it."

* * *

"Did you see the look on his face?" Merle choked out between laughs. She, Dilandou, Millerna and Dryden were laughing about how Allen Schzar (Dilandou and Celena's step brother) had reacted to Merle's dare.
Millerna burst out repeated girl giggles at the statement, remembering quite explicitly. Her giggles were a high alto, little bursts of air being vibrated against her throat. Dryden wrapped his arm around her making her blush girlishly. She leaned against his shoulder, ceasing her giggles. Dilandou cocked his head to the side signaling Merle to follow him. They walked away from the couple, leaving them to their privacy.
When they reached the other side of the lane, they burst out laughing. "Dryden's dare made him a lil' cocky, agreed?" Dilandou's voice rang out, making Merle laugh even harder. Her laughing ceased when, out of the corner of her eye, she saw the crimson and black locks of Hitomi Kanzaki moving down the street, far away from her usual route home.
Seeing Merle's eyes narrow, Dilandou followed her sight. When he saw Hitomi, he tried to swerve her away but it was too late. "Meow, don't." He hissed at her.
Merle stalked over to Hitomi unhesitantly.

* * *

From the safety of Dryden's arms, Millerna saw Merle stalking over to Hitomi. "Meow, NO!" she screamed shrilly. She tugged herself out of his embrace and ran at her. She got there in time to hear their argument and see Merle swing her fist, hitting Hitomi squarely in the stomach. Hitomi didn't take time to double over; she expertly shot her fist out aiming for Merle's nose-
-just as Millerna dodged in between the two of them, receiving a noseful of fist. She heard the crunch of bone and felt the crushing under the pressure of the fist. The grinding of her bones and cartilage rubbing against each other made her scream out in hideous pain.
Hitomi saw the thick, dark blood pouring out of her ex best friend's nose and ran. She ran away as fast as she could to her house.

* * *

When Mamaru and Van saw Hitomi round the corner, the both grimaced at the sight of her, fist all bloody, tank top soaked with blood. Van was the first to speak. "'Tomi? Are you alright?" His voice dripped with sappy concern and his fingers immediately found his hair, running through it anxiously.
"What's Fanel doing here?" she shot the question out at her twin, viciously forcing the name "Fanel" out as if it were dripping with poison. Mamaru opened his mouth to reply when she cut him off. "I don't want an excuse!" she shouted in his face. She stomped into the house, slamming the door behind her.
"Girl! What do you think you're doing slamming that door?" Her mother screeched at her. Hitomi ignored her and tried to sneak away from her when she felt sharp nails dig into her back as her mother grabbed a hold of her back, ribbing open scares and cuts. Her mother wrenched back with all her strength, trying to tug her back onto the ground, trying to get her on the floor. Instead, she only succeeded in making her stumble off of the bottom step. She dropped her back pack and spun around to face her mother.
Her mother's newly dyed hair looked cheap and tacky, her roots already beginning to show enough to make it look greasy. Her mother swung sloppily trying to hit her daughter in the face. Hitomi easily ducked and swung back, trice as hard and way more accurately. Her fist connected low, hitting her mother's flabby stomach right were the corset she was wearing ended. Her mother doubled over, grasping her stomach. Her mother crumpled to the ground and grabbed the first thing in reach. She grabbed a broom and swung wildly, taking Hitomi's feet out from under her.
As Hitomi stumbled, her mother rose. When Hitomi collapsed with a loud bang that shook the house, her mother swung the broom over and over again, slamming it against Hitomi's tender and bruised flesh repeatedly, over and over again.
When Hitomi felt like she was about to lose it, blood and sweat blurring her vision, her mother's swings started to falter, the strength and the pain of the blows lightening. Her mother finally gave up, dropping the broom stick and walking out of the house to go to a bar.
Hitomi lay on the ground, moaning in pain, unable to move, her bloody body unable to move or obey commandments. When her vision was blurring from more than just blood and sweat, the door bang open.

* * *

Van walked in to see Hitomi crumpled on the floor in a "protective" ball, just barely hanging onto consciousness. He ran over to the place where she was laying, scooping low to grab her up in his arms. As he walked up the stairs leading to her room, he murmured into her ear, "'Tomi, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I could have helped you. I'm so sorry."

A/N Hey!! It finally picked up pace! Yeah! It's still kinda slow, I know. :'( Oh well I tried. Reviews are so welcome right now, I'll love you forever! Ideas? Criticism? Maybe even scorn? I don't care; I just want to hear you!