This chapter is dedicated to Sephiroth for the sole reason that you wanted Ayane to swear more and you deserve something after that deck-shock I gave you, haha. I think she swears, umm… badly, eight times? Something like that? But anyways. Seems I've got everyone divided over Ayane now, but hey, the emotion, guys. Need the emotion… *is starting to sound like a hippy* Yeah, dude. Anyway, the bit of this story that I'm writing SHOULD be dedicated to Gouki because of the *cough* evil suggestion for a downward spiral. Mmm, spiral! So… without further ado…

*

The thing that awoke her was a constant beeping. The sort of constant being you only heard in… aww, shit. I hate hospitals. What arse took me to a goddamn hospital? Bloody hell!

"Bloody hole!" she shouted out into the room.

"Oh, good, you're awake," A nurse came bustling into the room. "Just in time, too. You have visitors who have been waiting to see you,"

"I don't want visitors!" she yelled into the sudden silence. "I want to get out of this shit-hole!"

"Oh, Ayane," the soft voice startled her. It was Hayate. "Why did you do it?"

"Fuck off!" she exclaimed angrily. "I don't need you going all sentimental on me, ass!"

Hayate sat down on a chair just out of her reach. It wasn't until the long silence that she realised something with a start.

He's crying. He really does care about me.

"Ayane… why?" his voice was so soft, so bruised, so… wounded. "Why did you think that death was the only solution? I don't understand, Ayane. You, of all people… I never would have even dreamt that you would do this sort of thing…"

"How would you feel, having nobody care about you because they've got your stupid fucking whore of a sister!" she exploded.

"But we do care," Hayate sounded so hurt. "We do. Look, I'm really so sorry. Sorry that I believed Kasumi automatically and turned on you. Ryu is too,"

She bit her lip as she remembered his cutting words. "As if he gives a shit about me! If he cared, he'd be in this stupid hospital room thing with you. He's just sorry that I didn't finish the fucking job!"

Before she knew it, angry tears were springing into her eyes as she continued her ranting, ignoring the stabbing pain in her chest. "He's just a stupid bastard that doesn't give a shit about anyone except himself! Just because he's so fucking perfect, he thinks that everyone is automatically inferior to him, and he can treat them like shit! I hate him!"

"In that case, I won't bother apologising to you as well," a soft voice said from the corner. She started, and looked over. He was standing there, leaning against the wall with his head down, eyes shut, but his eyes flickered open as soon as she noticed him, as if he could feel her eyes fixated on him.

"You stupid fuck! Get out of my room!"

He nodded, refusing to meet her gaze.

"I told you this was a bad idea, Hayate,"

"You had a hand in this?" she turned angrily to her half-brother. "What did you want; a happy reconciliation where we kiss and make up, and live happily ever after? Reality doesn't work like that. But then again, reality has stupid shit-heads that deserve to fucking die, when fairytales don't! Get out of my room! NOW!"

She was screaming, shrieking now, but she didn't care.

"Get out of my fucking room!"

He did so without another word. Hayate watched his friend go sorrowfully, but turned back to her, not moving. Bonus points to him. "Ayane. He was just trying to apologise,"

"I don't want to hear his apologies!" she roared. "The only thing I want to hear from him is his screams as his father rips off his fucking head!"

"Why did you do it?" Hayate asked softly. "If you hate him so much, surely he isn't worth dying for?"

"I wasn't trying to kill myself or whatever you think. I just wasn't thinking," she muttered sourly. "And there was nothing better to do, anyway. So I managed to scab some pills and use them. I didn't mean to have so many at once, just that they didn't work straight away, so I thought I didn't have enough. Then that stupid blonde bitch police chick came down, saw what I was doing and fucking arrested me or some shit. It was a mistake to take so many, but I didn't actually get to swallow more then like one, and the effects have been dulled now, because I've been out of it and all. Nothing wrong with drugs themselves, just if you take too many of 'em. Believe me, I haven't gone nutso, just made a mistake anyone could. Besides, I won't be here in this shit-hole for long. I'm breaking out before this evening,"

"Ayane. I would never want to lose you like that. Understand?" Hayate's voice was firm. "No matter what you think, I will always be there for you, no matter what. Talk to me if you're feeling bad about something. Bottling it up so much isn't healthy,"

"It was just an accident. Everyone's over-reacting. You think I'm going insane, but I was just being me and doing what any sensible person would do,"

"Be that as it may. Please, Ayane, don't do anything so stupid again. I would miss you so badly if you were taken away from me. Even if you can be a right bitch at times,"

With that, Hayate bent down and gave her a brief hug. She didn't return it, but didn't push him away, either. He was close enough that she could smell the cologne he was wearing.

"Well, I better be off. Find Ryu and make sure he's alright. He's probably somewhere hating himself for what happened to you,"

"You're fucking kidding," her eyes widened, before narrowing suddenly. "As if he would give a shit about me. Trying to make me feel guilty won't work, Hayate. Tell him to go fuck himself, then throw himself off a cliff for all I care. And I'm going to this gay-ass formal tonight so I can make him squirm,"

Hayate smiled sadly. "He cares about you more then you can realise. I know these things,"

*

Don't worry guys, she's still going to the formal. We're all good ^_^