Thank you for all the reviews! Thaaaaaaank You! I got quite a lot!

Well I don't have much to say, so on with the next chapter ^^

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After the incident with my father Rai never visited again, in fact for about a week after he seemed a little distant. Mao however was the complete opposite. For that whole week, the vivid pink nine year old was very possessive of me. She hung off my arm, tried to feed me, gave me an estimated 1000 hugs; to put it lightly it was annoying.

When Rai started talking to me again I was relieved. I remember the tears at the corners of my eyes as I hugged him and wailed.

"Rai-ni, Rai-ni!" I can still picture the blush on his face, as he wrapped his arms around me, and told me that everything would be ok. I think it was after that point when Rai began to understand me more. He told me once that he deeply respected me, he said that not many people could cope with the family life I had and still do well in studies and have a smile on their face.

I never once told him that my smile was forced.

I remember a day that I had off school; it wasn't due to an illness, no. It was nothing to do with that. I had ended up in hospital, and I suppose that it was my fault.

The night before we were sat at the table; my Father, Aunt, Grandfather and me. Normally I would have dinner in my room, but that night was an exception and I was allowed to eat with them. The conversation ran along the lines of my Father's 'booming business' and how much profit he was making. He talked about how he'd bought this car for 10 220 English pounds and sold it for 12 500. He rambled on about how he'd made quite a large percentage profit. He said:

"Such a large profit! 35%!"  I didn't believe him, my head digested the numbers, and even with a quick estimation I knew it was wrong. It sounded wrong. So I calculated the numbers in my head, and true enough it didn't come to 35%… my mistake was saying it out loud.

"22.3%… to one decimal place." Silence. That was what I was met with; I was deafened by it… until a chair hit the ground. I was roughly grabbed by my shirt, and came face to face with the venomous glare of my father.

"What…" He spat out, the anger was so clear that it felt I could reach out and touch it, "did you say… boy!"

I gulped at this point; I already knew that he was going to beat me. So, I thought, why not flaunt my intelligence, prove my own father wrong. There was nothing to lose. So I repeated myself, repeated the answer that I'd worked in my head.

This was when my father snapped; he chucked me against the wall, and left the room. My eyes widened, I couldn't believe that he was going to leave it at that. This was the perfect chance for him to discipline me, so why had he passed it up?

I was wrong of course; he had only left the room to get his whip. It was long, made of black leather, or so it looked like leather. I had never asked as to what material it was made from. All I did know was that it hurt; it hurt a lot. I think it was one to be used on a dog, you know for discipline, or maybe a horse. He whipped me mercilessly, and he did it so much that I'd ended up in the hospital.

What baffled me was that they never once questioned my Father as to how I got the wounds. It was like even there he held some unknown power.

I spent the whole day in the hospital. It was nice, nice to be free of everything. I met a pleasant girl there too; she was Japanese and three years older than me. She had the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen, a shade between red and orange.  She told me that she had been visiting her brother who moved to China a few years ago; she'd gotten a fever and come here for treatment.

She went to the school of my dreams… Purachina College. I always wanted to go there… She told me all about it, and that made me wish to be there even more. She even compared me to her cousin; she told me I was as intelligent as him. I took it as a compliment as she said her cousin was a boy genius. I never learnt the name of the cousin, nor hers. But I always remembered the meeting.

One of the hardest incidents of my childhood was when I was 14, the beatings still continued, but it was like daily routine. So it wasn't so hard to cope with it. It had nothing to do with the beatings however… this incident had nothing to do with it at all.

My heart was, as Mao put it, one of the kindest things out there. I'd cheer people up, be friendly, never judge. It was to me my weakness. I knew how horrid my Father was, and I was determined to be the opposite.

Yet when it came down to it, I hurt my best friend as deeply as my Father hurt me. Not physically, but mentally.

About a month after Rai turned 15… he confessed his love for me. I was astonished, not that another guy loved me, not that my best friend was gay, (I myself knew I was gay, I just wasn't interested in girls… period), it was nothing to do with that. It was due to the fact that someone could love me… me…

I turned him down. I could see how hurt he was from his eyes, even though he tried to hide behind his smile. I loved Rai, but only as a brother, nothing more, and nothing less. I couldn't lead him on to believe I loved him more than that. So maybe in the long run it was for the best. Still, I couldn't help but feel at that point that I was as bad as my Father. Not the best feeling in the world to have.

Our relationship never changed though, Rai made sure of that. He still remained like a brother, and made sure never to cross the line. Although he did tease me sometimes, and flirted, but I took it all into my stride and let him have his fun. After all it was the least I could do…

I worked long and hard in the months leading to the exams. I became immersed in my work, and tried so hard to make sure that I would make it into a decent college. It wouldn't be that hard though, the teachers had raved. They were right.

I came out the other end with a handful of A* grades, the top grade that I could get. I was so pleased, and my Aunt had praised me on my success. She was proud of me, and hugged and kissed me. I knew my future would take off with these grades, and I started pursuing my college… I thought I had left it too late to be accepted. I was wrong.

My dream came true the day I had the phone call from the headmaster, I had just been given a scholarship in Purachina College. They wanted me to move to Japan right away. I was over the moon! I didn't think I would even get there… but I was, once again, wrong.

My Aunt gave me the money I needed, enough for a plane ticket, and to support me for a few months. I was very grateful for this, and decided to use the money wisely. It took me three days to get ready and buy a last-minute plane ticket to Japan.

The hardest part of it all… is leaving behind my friends.  I had no idea how to break it to them. So the day before I left, I took them all out for coffee and tea. I was so nervous that I slipped it into the conversation… it was a bad way to break it to them. But I didn't know how else to do it.

"I know my results were great Mao. By the way I'm moving to Japan tomorrow, can you pass the sugar please?" Suffice to say I never received the sugar. They all stared at me, mouths open and eyes wide. None of them spoke, they didn't utter a word. It stayed like that for what seemed like an eternity… before Mao opened hers and spoke.

"It's Purachina… right?" Was all she said. I nodded as an answer. She smiled, a genuine Mao like smile. "Well then, let's make the most of today!"

We did too. Mao, Rai, Kiki, Gao, and I spent the whole day shopping, and generally having fun. The time went too quickly though, like sand trickling away in the hourglass, I knew that this would be the last time I'd see them for a long time.

When it reached about 5-ish I knew it was time to go home. Mao, Kiki, and Gao handed me bags… with gifts in them. When I enquired they told me it was like a thank you for being their friend. I was deeply touched, and gave each of them a hug. Tears were in their eyes as they walked towards the bus station.

That left Rai and me to walk back in the opposite direction…and as I had spent the last of my money on another cup of tea, I had to walk home. Rai, being the nice best friend/ brother that he is, decided to walk with me. So we walked, we did nothing else, just walked. It was silent all the way back, well at least until we reached two streets away from my house.

When we got to that street Rai stopped, I knew he didn't want to go to my house, so I stopped as well.

"So I guess this is goodbye…" I said, knowing that it would lighten the mood a little. It was so to speak a little in-joke, but not quite.

Rai laughed. "You really have been watching too much Anime Rei-Rei! But to humour you…'Just for now'," he said while placing an arm around my shoulder. I couldn't contain my laugh any longer, and it burst out.

"That has to have been the best line in the whole of the Sailor Moon dub! Ne, Rai-ni?" He looked at me and blushed.

"Aa, errrr… Rei-Rei…" He stuttered, something Rai didn't do very often. In fact even to this day, that is the only time I could recall him stuttering! "Here," He said, thrusting a plastic bag into my arms. I took it, and smiled at him. I placed it on the floor, with the bags from Mao, Kiki, and Gao. Then I walked up to him and gave him a hug.

"I'm gonna miss you Rai-ni," I whispered to him. He messed with strands of my hair, and then I released him from the hug.

"Me too Rei-Rei…" He sighed, and turned around. "So goodbye then Rei-Rei!" He shouted over his shoulder, before darting off. I watched him leave, and realised that 'goodbye' sounded so final. As though I would never see him again. That wouldn't be true; I was going to make sure of it. I would see him again.

"Not goodbye Rai… never goodbye. Always… see you later." I whispered to myself as I picked up the bags of presents from the floor. I headed back to my house.

I guess that pretty much brings you to the present; I took the flight the next day with no one to see me off. The presents are in my suitcase… still unopened. I guess I'll open them when I get to my apartment. I just hope the person I'm sharing with is at least decent. Currently I'm in the airport, waiting for my 'roomie' to pick me up. I guess I must look nervous because at least ten people have come up and asked me if I'm ok.

"Mah Kon Rei…" Came a voice, which broke me out of my reverie. "Ah you are Rei! I'm your roomie!"

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That's it ^^

Heh! You'll have to review to find out who it is… aren't I evil!