Secrets will be revealed now in Track #8. ^ ^ MWHAHAHA!!

Author's Note: No, I'm not dead. I'm really sorry for not updating in so long. I beg your forgiveness Katelyn and Maxibura!

~~~~~~~~~~ ||Yuki POV|| (1o:00 at night now)

Against my better judgment, I had Haru sleep in different room. It was smaller but atleast it was somewhere to sleep. I hadn't really thought much about how last night scared the crap out of her and how she might be to scared to sleep alone. I tucked her in her little bed and gave her another story so she could fall asleep. Even so, her eyes were wide awake. Looking around for windows or maybe even markings on the wall. Atleast this room didn't have a window. So I wasn't worried about anyone getting in. Like I said, it was against my better judgment. I couldn't get the message when she kept grabbing onto my pant leg and telling me to stay with her just a little bit longer. I kept sitting back down next to her mattress and stayed longer. I also kept doing that for a while. She wanted me to stay in the room with her.

Though, it passed my mind that maybe I should do so, I had to decline. Besides, I had a deadline to meet. A week from now. I didn't have time on my side right now so I probably would have to pull a couple of all nighters just to pull the damn thing off. My editor won't give me a break either until I finish the stupid thing. Oh well. No time to waste. I tried getting up but Haru grabbed onto my pant leg. I had to admit, I was getting a bit pissed off by this time, and if she didn't stop doing that I was most likely going to yell at her. I looked down at her and saw a scared face. Scared that it might happen again when she's sleeping. Or something worse might happen.

I ruffled her hair and said "Don't you worry, kid, you'll be fine."

"I'm not worried about me. I'm worried about you," Haru said bluntly. I looked at her weirdly, why me? "Mr. and Mrs. Itani always hurt the people that try to help me. I'm afraid they'll do something to hurt you Yuki-san! Or Mika-san, or Tohma-san, or Shuichi-kun, Hiroshi-kun, and Maiko-san! I don't want any of you to get hurt just because you are good people trying to help me."

"You mean.. you've tried this before?" I asked curiously. I guessed she did have reason to worry. But I was a grown man and I could protect myself. Though, I don't think even if I told Haru that, she would worry any less. She nodded at my question. "It'll be alright. I'm a grown up. Remember? So stop all of your nonsense and go to bed. I'm probably going to be up all night so if you need something important, you know where my bedroom is. And the others....well....they have hard heads so I wouldn't worry about them."

"Ohh..." Haru said as she wrapped her arms around my neck for a hug. "I want you to know that if anything happens, I want you to bury me by my sister, Umitai. Okay?"

"But I thought that your sister was alive," I replied. Atleast, she referred to her like she was alive. So naturally I thought that Umitai was alive since she said so much about her. "I'm sorry to hear that she's not."

"Don't be sorry. I'm happy," Haru said with a big smile. She let go of me. "Because she's happy now. The only thing I have left of her is a picture and the bunny she gave me for my sixth birthday. I love that bunny and even though it's ragged, I love it, she went broke rules and worked a couple of days at a place to gain a bit of money to pay for a birthday party. It was the best birthday I ever had."

Haru brought her bookbag to her and opened it up. She took out a picture frame that had a picture of her sister in it and handed it to me. Umitai had been absolutely beautiful. Long, silky blond hair. Big blue eyes. Wearing a red shirt that said love in big yellow letters on the front. Then a blue skirt down to her knees. Smiling. She looked like she had only been eleven years old in this picture. Haru and Umitai did look a bit alike too in many ways.

Then showed me the bunny. It had been blue she told me but the color obviously wore out so it had patches of gray on it. It had only one eye that was just all black. It was quite cute even though it's old.

"Could I ask how Umitai-san died?" I wanted to be respectful so I put a -san.

"Yes, thank you for your kind regard to her. She was killed when I was eight. She had only been thirteen," Haru said with tears building up in her eyes.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," I said. "I don't want you getting upset."

Haru shook her head. "I want to get this all out. I think...I can tell someone now. I trust you."

"She had only been thirteen," Haru continued. "She was killed by Mr. Itani because she wouldn't marry his son. Who would want to. He's got mental problems and is in a rubber room. The only time I ever saw him is when they put me in there for a punishment. Tarosa is his name and he kept hitting me. He's psycho. There wasn't anything...I could do to.. help-" she started choking up "-her. I could hear her screaming in the room next to me as Mr. Itani beat her to death...Then I-I-I had to bury her beaten and bruised body."

Then she broke down. I hugged her to my chest.

The ten year old looked added "Before they did, Umitai told me that she wished she could see me finally be happy, and that she wanted me to escape there. Even as she was told to go out of the room she whispered one more thing into my ear 'Find him'. I still don't know what she meant but now I think I know!"

I asked "What?"

"Find him means you! I found the one person that can help me! I believe that's what Umitai wanted. I know that she would like you."

Even after that story, I couldn't say anything. What could I say? All I knew is that this girl needed me right now and I wouldn't leave her for anything. She's been through to much already. Those bastards aren't going to get her just to hurt her again.

"Why did you finally decide to leave and come all this way to succeed?" I asked.

Haru said "Because I was supposed to marry Tarosa."

~~~~~~~~~~~~ Later..... ||Yuki POV||

She finally said that I could leave, I didn't really, but she practically pushed me out of that room to leave her. Haru was more of that kind of person that put someone else's priorities before her own. It was kind of the way that she was grown up. It raced through my head. And poor Umitai. That was in the past but it bothered me that someone could kill a thirteen year old girl who hadn't even experienced the joys of the world. Sometimes I wonder why things happen. Everything does happen for a reason. But why to her? Even though Umitai had been raised up around violence and beaten she talked about the world like it was the best thing in the world to Haru. I know that she probably wanted Haru to have the chance that she never had. To have the life she couldn't give her. It was amazing to me that Umitai acted that way. If it weren't for Haru, Umitai probably would have acted like the whole world hated her, I would have never blamed her either.

Even so, I told myself that I had to do my best to try make Haru into the person that Umitai wanted her to be. Strong. Nice. Polite. And not let anyone step all over her anymore. Then that find him comment.....I guess it meant find someone that loved her and that would take care of her like a decent human being should do. I loved Haru like a little sister or even a daughter. Maybe that was referring to me. I wasn't so sure. Maybe Shuichi. Or me and Shuichi. It was confusing. If something did happen to me I would want Shuichi to have her. Nothing was going to happen to me and I had to make that clear in my head and also in little Haru's mind. Nothing would happen to the others. If they did come after us we would run. Or fight. Somehow.

The peace and quiet in my room was awfully nice. Now it was time to hit the hay. Forget the book. I have a week. I can finish the rest by that time. I took off my glasses and setted them on my desk. Shut off my light. And left the door cracked open a bit so if Haru yelled for me I could hear her loud and clear. It might be in the middle of the night or something, and of course it would be annoying to get up, but I would be there in a flash. All Haru had to do was call out my name. I looked over my shoulder when I changed into my PJ's which was just boxers. Didn't want Haru to see me butt naked.

Dressing went well. Haru had to sound asleep or so I did think since she wasn't making a single sound in that new bedroom. Not even crying. So I brushed my teeth, locked all of the doors in the house, closed all the windows, and then I remembered the mess in the kitchen from today. Darn it! How could I forget? I would have thought that Haru would have the memory to think about the kitchen and the stupid mess. Oh well. I'll do it in the morning. I laid in my bed but I couldn't get to sleep. Everything that happened in the last few days went right in my head. Haru. Shuichi. Friend making. The threats in the room. The fun. Umitai. The story of Umitai. And then this. I had to wonder what was going to happen next? Were we getting to close to Haru that we would be killed over it? If I were killed I was going to bring those freaks down with me. Get revenge for Haru. Even if Haru wanted to do it on her own I wouldn't let her. What kind of adoptive dad would I be if I let that happen? I was going to make sure that this was going to have a happy life from now on. Shuichi and the others loved her too. She loved them. So everything would work out. Hopefully it would go our way.

*I hope we can help the poor kid,* I thought to myself. *I don't think I could handle it if she went back to those idiots. Stupid police are to afraid. If they thought the Itani's are scary, they didn't know scary, because if Haru went back; they'll see what scary really is...*

And so, I fell into sleep. With thoughts of Haru, Shuichi, and I living together like one big happy family.

~~~~~~~~~~ ||Haru POV||

Even though I had pushed Yuki-san out I didn't really want him out. I needed someone right now but I don't want to wake him up just because I'm scared. He told me not to be scared so I wouldn't be. There is nothing to be scared of as long as I have Yuki-san by my side. Or any of the others with me. I had thought about calling one of them but it was already eleven and it was too late...

~~~~~~~~~~ What the others are ACTUALLY doing...

Shuichi- Typing lyrics on his computer

Maiko- reading her latest Eiri Yuki romance novel

Hiroshi- eating pocky sticks on his bed

Mika- Watching television

Tohma- Reading the newspaper

Tatsuha- With a date

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ||Haru POV once again||

They're probably all asleep by now. Who would be up at this hour anyway. I sat up and I took out my picture of Umitai once again. I really did miss her. More than anything in the world. That night my whole world seemed to break right in front of me. The thing that I hadn't told Yuki-san was that they made me watch Mr. Itani beat her and watch her in so much pain. It had been awful. I still couldn't deal with the loss of my big sister and I don't think that I'll ever be able to get over her. I wish she could be here with me. With Yuki-san, Shuichi-kun, Hiroshi-kun, and all of the others. I was happy. At the expense of my sisters life.

That house was hell itself to me. I didn't want to go back there. I wanted to stay. I wanted to be adopted by Yuki-san and see everyone happy with me by their side to make it better. To make my life better. To cry with. To laugh with. To talk with. None of that stuff happened even with Umitai. Of course she laughed and told jokes but I was the gloomy one who always focused on the crappy stuff.

She always used to tell me "You can't focus on hardship. If you do, you only have problems. Try to think about what you have that is important?"

I used to say "What the heck is important?! I don't know anymore!"

"Me, silly," Umitai would hug me. "We have eachother. Nothing will ever change that. I'm your big sister and I'm supposed to take care of you. So don't focus on the hardship. Focus on the good things. Okay?"

Finding what she said true, I would nod.

Still to this day I can't focus on the good things. I still think about the what ifs and worry about everyone around me. Even though I try to think about good things, the bad things take over me. Consumes me. Hardship....But atleast I had Yuki-san by me now. Like Umitai always had been...

*Flashback* ||Haru POV||

When I was eight, I was supposed to go to the grocery store by myself to steal some things. If I didn't they said they'd hurt me. So naturally I would rather steal something than get another blow to my fragile body. I went to the store and got everything. All of it was small, like powder and medicine. Than it was Tarosa's favorite cereal that caused me a problem. The box was big and I couldn't fit that into any of my pockets, besides, they were already full!

I decided the only way to do this was to run out of the store. Not caring who was watching, I wrapped the cereal box in my chubby little arms, and started running. I almost reached it until the big guy who owned the store got in my way. He picked my up by the arm and I dropped the box. Five inches in the air, I felt like my arm was going to rip off.

That's when big sister came. She came out of nowhere, grabbed a can of tuna, and hit the guy square in the face. While he cried in pain, we ran with the cereal box. Than we stopped a couple blocks down to catch our breath.

"You okay Haru? They didn't hurt you, did they?" she asked.

I shook my head. "Thank you so much. Umitai! Your leg! You're bleeding!" She had a cut from her sock to the hem of her skirt. "How did that happen? And how did you get there?"

"Well, climbing fences with wire on the top isn't the easiest thing to do. I just went over when they weren't looking. I know that you're still to young to do that on your own baby sister," Umitai said with a smile on her face. I couldn't believe that she was smiling. "What's that sour look for Haru? Are you feeling okay?"

"How can you be smiling?! You have to admit it hurts!" I shouted at her.

She put a hand on my shoulder and said "It does hurt, you're right about that. I'm smiling because you can't drown yourself in worries and pain. The world is out here for you to experience. You should really go out there."

"What about you?" I asked.

"Me?" Umitai repeated. She looked up at the sky, her hair blowing in the wind. "Don't you worry about me kid. I'll be free one day. And when that happens, I have a feeling that noyone will be there to tell me where I can and can't go, somewhere that has happiness and no more pain. We all go there one day. You will to. Just not soon."

*End of flashback*

Back then all I could do was nod my head in confusion but now I understand. She was talking about heaven. Where there is no pain. Umitai talked like she knew when she was going to die soon. Four days later is when she was killed.

Heaven....She's waiting for me there.

*Umitai....I won't go there right now. But when I die of a natural cause or someone kills me, I'll be with you. And we'll fly in the skies together with noyone to give us limits* I thought to myself.

Then, I heard it. *I'll be waiting...* said Umitai.

I smiled. I said "Umitai, wherever you are, I love you..."

I calmed down. Thinking of Umitai, Yuki-san, Shuichi-kun, and I in one big family.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

^_^ Please review. I know it sounds corny and stupid but I'm trying my best. PLEASE GO EASY ON THE FLAMES!!! Hi Katelyn! ^o~ Move out of the way, Flo!

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