Author's Note- First and foremost- I am sooo sorry about the lateness. Lately work has been a 24/7 thing, but I promise you'll never have to wait this long again…. Thank you everyone for your patience! To make it up, I made this chapter especially long!- and the next chap will hopefully come pretty soon. Your responses have rocked my face off! Well, I know I said that this was the 2nd to the last chapter, but I was wrong-2 more after this…. Depending on how well this one goes over, there may be a sequel. (ohhhhhhh)

Disclaimer- Yeah, I wish…

Chapter 4

Her Story

Ferio pulled away from Fuu, his breathing ragged and his body shaking. Not having spoken for what seemed like hours, instead he clung to her lips and body, afraid that she might disappear, afraid that his lack of sleep was playing a devious trick on him. His hands roamed over her now familiar frame, Fuu's fingers clutching the back of his shirt in a death grip even as a soft moan escaped her lips. Ferio smiled against her mouth, and felt hers grin in response. Kissing the corners of her mouth, he gazed at her flushed face, allowing his eyes to drink their fill of her tousled hair, pretty eyes, and swollen lips. She was the most amazing and bewitching woman he had ever met.

He had gone over to his sister's on a whim after Hikaru's and his plan of house shopping and Fuu finding had been dashed by the weather report. Having resigned himself for the day, Emeraude's invitation for dinner and a 'sleep over' he had immediately accepted. Zagato had been unexpectedly called away for business, and Ferio hated the idea of leaving his sister alone during such a vicious storm. Besides, considering the insomnia he would more than likely be facing, being with another insomniac would be welcome.

Emeraude was quiet and aloof when Ferio arrived, and he had know without a doubt that something was wrong. Asking her outright, she prompted back with a simple answer. Something was very wrong her roommate 'Little Bird.' Nodding his head, he had briefly thought of his bathroom encounter with the elusive Little Bird the night before. After that, they had talked about nothing in particular, and when he heard the door open and saw Fuu standing there looking petrified, he thought that he had somehow fallen into a cruel sleep.

She had tried to run away, tried to escape his grasp, but there wasn't any way that he would have allowed it. Fuu fainted shortly after seeing him, and Ferio's heart nearly leapt from his chest at the sight of her falling. She was delicate, and when he held her against his body while she stirred to consciousness, he was struck with the need to guard her from the harsh world. Ferio knew the moment that she awoke, her body stiffening than sinking into him. His body had responded instantly, and he fought to control it, even as she snuggled closer to him. When she shifted her weight, all Ferio could do was stifle a groan, his body being more effected every second by the blonde beauty that was sprawled on top of him. Making the decision that attacking her in front of his sister was not the best idea, he regretfully untangled her long supple limbs from his.

He had her again, and was determined that this time she would not get away. When she started to cry, Ferio knew that his grasp on reason was slipping, the tears ripping through him like bullets. He was more convinced than ever that Fuu needed his protection. She had thought that he was capable of hating her, thought that if he knew the truth he would hate her. Didn't she understand that in that last 48 hours he had become obsessed with her? That to hate her was something it was impossible for him to do? She had become more than a drug for him, she had taken the form of a reason to be. It took all he was to not grab her instantly and kiss the tears away. Not wanting to scare her, he had held his ground and waited for her decision. His chest convulsed painfully when she stepped into his arms, and for the first time he felt a deep ache in his heart filled.

Now holding Fuu close to him, he realized that he couldn't bring himself to let her go. Not now, not ever. He had been exposed to a mind numbing bliss that her very presence made him experience. Never having felt this strongly about someone he barely knew, Ferio clung to her tightly, molding her body to his. She buried her face into his neck and he wrapped his arms around her protectively. Seeing her cry and struggle internally to let someone in, to trust, had nearly broken him. He didn't know what had happened to her in the past, but he cursed the people that had caused her to hate herself so much. She shifted against him, and he felt his body react for what seemed the hundredth time. He wondered briefly what she would do if she knew how much she affected him.

Disengaging himself from her arms, he held her hand and lead her to the kitchen table. Setting her down in a chair, he kissed her cheek tenderly, before moving toward the stove. Dinner wasn't going to fix itself, and he needed to distance himself from her before he acted without thinking. And at the moment, his body definitely wanted to revert back into a raging hormonal teenager that he once was. Fuu got under his skin like no one else, and he didn't want to risk scaring her away. Somehow he had to get her to realize what he had just began to. That he couldn't live without her. And he prayed that she felt the same way.

Turning the stove back up, he glanced at her from under heavy bangs. She sat, ankles crossed, hands sitting demurely in her lap, her eyes on the shaking fingers she tried desperately to still. She was beyond a doubt frazzled, and Ferio knew that she had been shaken by the experience as much as he had been. His own hands refusing to still, he mixed the noodles impatiently. Trying not to let her realize he was studying her, he let his eyes take in her appearance. She wore black cloth pants, and a lavender zip up sweater. Her hair hung around her head, messy, but still an angel's halo. Dark circles under Fuu's eyes stood out on her exceptionally pale face, and she shivered at the loss of his body heat. Not meeting his eyes she played with the ties on her sweater, deep in thought. She looked like she'd been through quite a bit in the last 24 hours. He watched her hands, taking in every move she made, trying to read her thoughts.

"I'm sorry that I was so mean to you." Her voice was like silk, and Ferio met her now apologetic eyes, "I didn't have the right to be so cruel."

He frowned, "You don't need to apologize, you were just worried about everything that happened, and what the impact on you would be."

Fuu nodded softly at him, a hand tucking a stray lock behind her ears. Biting her lip, Ferio watched her get lost once more in thought. He tasted a noodle, the pasta finally finished. Draining them in a strainer set over the sink, Ferio allowed the silence between them to stretch.

"So, I suppose you want answers." Fuu's voice was barely audible and filled with misery, the ties on her sweater pulled taut in a testimony to her shot nerves.

Taking slow deliberate steps to her hunched form, he left the sink and kneeled in front of her prone figure, placing his hands over hers. He noticed how her hands stilled beneath his, and watched with adoration as her head slowly tilted up level to his. How had he survived without her? Placing a hand on her cheek, his heart skipped a beat as she seemed to unknowingly lean into it. Already he wanted to feel his lips on hers again. Suppressing the urge, he instead let his thumb brush over them. He couldn't take the brutal ness that she incurred biting her lip.

"When your ready to tell me, you can tell me." He made his voice low and comforting, "I know that whatever you have to say wont change my feelings."

And he knew it wouldn't. What she had done for that small boy in the bank was nothing short of a miracle.

She smiled then, and Ferio felt his chest contract. Standing back up, he dished her a portion of pasta and set it in front of her. As if a ravenous wolf had suddenly possessed her, he watched in amazement as she devoured the food. Sitting next to her, he handed her a glass of milk. Gratefully accepting, she drank nearly half of it in one gulp. Setting the cup down with a resounding clank, she once again plundered the pasta. Although he never wanted this moment to end, as each minute passed, he knew his sister was getting impatient. They had been alone for nearly an hour after all, and Emeraude still hadn't eaten dinner. Heavily sighing, he didn't delay the inevitable.

"Fuu," she looked up from her plate, "Do you mind if I go get Emeraude? She hasn't eaten dinner yet."

Fuu gazed up at him, an expression of fear suddenly crossing her face. Looking down at her plate, Ferio watched her, struggling to find out what had suddenly darkened her mood. She poked at the pasta, her appetite seemingly gone. Needing to see her eyes, his hand encircled her waist and pulled her from her chair and onto his lap. Fuu made a soft 'eep' noise before relaxing, burying her face in the crook of his neck. She sat quietly, still clutching the fork in her hand. He felt the wetness of tears on the collar of his shirt.

"What's wrong?"

"Please," her voice had a desperate edge, "Please don't tell your sister."

Ferio's brows knit in concentration. So his guess was correct. His sister had no idea. He recalled the small fragments of information that Emeraude had passed onto him about her roommate. She was polite, kept to herself, and avoided large groups of people. And no matter what Emeraude did, her roommate refused to open up to her. Stroking Fuu's back he tried to imagine the life that she had been leading. A life in which every moment of every day was concentrated on keeping her distance from those around her. A life filled with the fear of rejection and the bitter sting of self loathing. He admired her strength and resolve, but knew that it was time for her to break free from such awful feelings.

"How long? How long have you kept yourself hidden from the world?"

The question he imposed was said with a note of sadness. He hated the world at that moment. Hated the shallowness of society, and the hypocrisy of people.

Fuu's head lifted from his shoulder, looking at him through the eyes of someone who had seen the darker side of the human spirit. Pulling her back to his chest, he tucked her head once again under his.

"Don't worry Fuu. I won't tell her."

Feeling her relax against him, he set her back down and stood up. Wiping the tears from her cheeks he smiled impishly at her.

"I'll go get Emeraude."

Looking back at her before he exited the room, he watched her try to compose herself. Fixing her sweater, she peeked at him sheepishly, her face clear of the worry that had stained it moments ago. Glancing down at his own appearance, he blushed at how disorderly he looked. Straightening his own shirt, he walked out of the room hesitantly, not wanting to be away from Fuu for even a moment. Searching for his sister, he found Emeraude immediately in the living room. Curled up in the far chair, her face buried in a magazine, she looked more like a small child up past her bed time than his older sister.

Leaning over her, he blocked the lamp that lit up her pages. Looking up with bleary eyes, a slow smile grew on her face. She stood up and stretched her body which was now clad in Zagato's huge t-shirt.

"So, you guys figured everything out?"

She placed the book back in place on the far shelf, before switching off the lamp, leaving them in the dark.

Stepping close to her, he set his hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry, but for now could you not ask me about how I know her, and just go with the flow?" His voice permeated through the darkness, and he felt her tense beneath his hand.

"I trust you Ferio, so if you can't tell me, that's okay." Her voice of acceptance lifted a heavy weight from his shoulder that he wasn't aware of. He let out a sigh, and turned away from her.

"It's just that right now, I… I promised Fuu that I wouldn't tell you."

His words were filled with apology. He told Emeraude everything, nothing was taboo between them. To not let her in on what was happening was one of the hardest things he'd ever done. For Fuu he would do anything for however. Fuu would one day be ready to tell those around her her secret, including his sister, and all he could do was be there for them both.

"Fuu?" he could tell by her tone that an eyebrow was arched, "Alright. I'll be patient. I believe in you."

"I'm glad. Dinner's ready." He stepped to the kitchen, and waited to open it for her.

"Can I just ask you one question." She stood next to him, her features covered in shadow, and her voice loud in the still room, "Ferio, the way you looked at her when you saw her, the expression on your face…do you love her?"

He felt his mouth go dry at her question. Did he love her? How could he love someone that he barely knew? Right? You couldn't logically fall in love with someone in just under 48 hours. Could you? He was obsessed with her yes, in fact it was more than an obsession… it was a need. He needed her, and as each moment passed he felt like he needed her more. Just thinking of living life without her, of never seeing her face, or hearing her voice twisted his stomach painfully. He had never felt this way about anyone. He didn't want to imagine his world with her gone, because she had become his world. Did the horrible ache inside him that was banished away by just her presence, mean that he loved her?

"I don't know." He felt the lie on his tongue, unable to admit the truth completely, even to himself, "All I know is that I can't live without her."

She groaned softly,

"Alright, lets go eat dinner."

Ferio opened the door for her, and light spilled from the kitchen. Fuu looked up at him from her plate, her lip once again clenched between her teeth, and worry in her eyes. He smiled reassuringly at her, and sat down next to her, pulling his chair and untouched plate close. Reaching under the table, he squeezed her hand softly in an effort to dismiss any uncertainties. She smiled at him, and he felt his heart hammer against his ribs. She was amazing. Emeraude dished out her own plate, setting it down before reaching up on her tiptoes and grabbing a glass from the top shelf.

"Do you want some milk Ferio?" she asked politely, already pouring him one.

"Yeah." he grinned at her, "Fuu, do you want some more?"

Her glass now empty, she eyed it curiously, as if not quite sure what he had asked. Coming out of her trance, he watched with delight as her eyes focused on him, and a slight blush stained her cheeks.

"What did you say?"

Her hands curled around her fork as she tried to piece together what he had asked her.

"Milk?"

The blush that before had been light, grew to a flame red.

"Yes, please."

Emeraude brought the two filled glasses over, before grabbing Fuu's and bringing it over to the counter. Pouring the milk, she hummed softly to herself.

"So," her voice was calm and un-invasive, "Did you guys here about the new movie coming out that is supposed to be the greatest action suspense film in years?"

She set the Fuu's milk down before sitting down herself. Ferio watched his sister stuff her face full of pasta, already breaking the awkward silence with friendly conversation. Grinning at his sister's intuitiveness, he joined in.

"Is that the one directed by Stephan Spielberg?"

"No," Emeruade mixed her pasta absently, her other hand on her cheek, "I think this one is directed by… oh what's his name! You know, the guy that one that big award a couple of years ago?"

Ferio scrunched his eyebrows in concentration. He too could picture the director, but the name was just not coming to mind.

"Do you mean Jonathon Kline?"

Fuu spoke hesitantly, her voice more directed at the pasta in front of her, than the people around her.

"That's it!" Emeraude clapped her hands together exuberantly, "Thanks, that really would have bothered me."

Fuu beamed with happiness, and met Emeraude's eyes voluntarily, her previous fear forgotten.

"I'm really excited to see the movie, did you know that it has both Uma Thurman and Tom Cruise are in it!?"

Ferio smiled at Emeraude. His sister truly was amazing. He had thought that dinner was going to be a traumatic event for Fuu, and with just a couple of sentences Emeraude already had her at ease. He watched the girls interact, not paying attention to what they were saying. His sister laughed at something Fuu said, and Fuu giggled in response. The food long ago eaten, the two of them gabbed away in each other's company. Glancing at the clock Emeraude finished off her milk.

"Well, this has been fun, but I told Zagato I'd call him tonight, and it's already past ten."

Emeraude stood up and yawned, stretching her arms above her head as she did so.

"Zagato will be worried."

Picking up the dirty dishes, she rinsed them before loading them in the dish washer. Fuu nodded a goodnight to her, and Emeraude gave Ferio a knowing look, before she disappeared into the hall. Ferio would have to thank his sister tomorrow for being so understanding.

Fuu stretched as well, and Ferio watched entranced as she leaned back and the sweater pulled tight across her chest. Not intending to, he let his eyes gaze over her stretched form. Looking into Fuu's face, she blushed for the hundredth time that night, and Ferio glanced at the wall, ashamed that he had so blatantly checked her out. Sitting in silence, the wind picked up outside and howled through the walls. He watched Fuu jump at the noise, before scratching her head in embarrassment.

"I wonder how much snow we've gotten." Fuu looked at the ceiling. With her head tilted slightly to the side, she looked like a bird perched delicately on a chair. Acting on impulse he stood up, and opened the kitchen door for her.

"Lets go find out."

Grabbing her hand in his, he stepped into the living room. The living room had the largest window in the apartment. As long as the room, it faced north and was a perfect view of skyscraper filled New York. Now, with all the lamps off, the lights of the city should have lit up the room like it was day. However, it was dark.

Stepping up to the window, he wrapped an arm around Fuu's waist, and pulled her up against him. She didn't flinch, and Ferio beamed inside at her comfortableness around him. She relaxed against him, and Ferio thought that he must have died and gone to heaven. He didn't know what he did to deserve her. Outside, he couldn't see more than a few feet, millions of snow flakes obscuring his view. They swirled in random patterns, the wind carrying the flakes for miles. Frost stuck to the edges of the window, creating designs on the glass, the usual sounds of the city were absent. It was a beautiful, if not a little scary sight.

"Oh my." her voice was barely perceptible, and she shifted closer to him, as if the cold outside would come in to get them. Leaning down, he kissed the top of her head.

"I'm glad that you're here with me."

The words were more true than she could have imagined. He was glad that of all the places he could have been yesterday, he was at that bank. Glad that he had met her, glad that he was lucky enough to see the gift that she had, insanely glad that he could hold her. Wrapping his other arm around her, he leaned his head on one of her shoulders, and breathed in the faint scent of lilacs.

"Ferio, I… I have something I want to show you."

Her voice was calm and unafraid. Turning to face him, he jerked at the complete trust that shone in her face. Cupping the side of her face in a hand, he brushed his nose against hers. She squirmed against him, before giggling and mashing her nose into his collar.

"An Eskimo kiss? I haven't had one of those in ages."

Brushing his nose against hers had come to him on the spot. Her nose was just too cute, and his skin was dying to have contact with hers again. Besides, her nose was too cute when it scrunched all up. She grabbed his hand and pulled him down the hall to the far room. It was then that the truth hit him.

Last night, he had seen Emeraude's roommate barely covered in a towel, and now he knew without a doubt, that it had been none other than Fuu. He replayed the scene in his mind again, and groaned inside at the sight of Fuu's nearly naked body. She was too perfect. He felt a blush cover his cheeks as his mind replayed some of the details. How her towel had risen unbelievably high, as she fixed her hair, how the light from her bedroom silhouetted her frame perfectly. He wondered how Fuu might react if he told her that he had seen her. Deciding that that wasn't the best bet, he kept his mouth shut, and let her lead him into a room he knew was hers.

She flipped on the light switch, and he let his eyes roam over her room, eager for any information about her it could divulge. Bare white walls stared back at him, and he frowned at the lack of personal items in the room. The bedspread was plain and unremarkable, the shelves and dressers lacking pictures, knick knacks, and other brick-a-brack. In fact the only thing other than furniture that was visible was the piles upon piles of books. They lined her shelves, and dressers, several of them with large book marks sticking out. Eyeing some of the titles, he read an assortment of different authors- from Shakespeare to Stephan King- Fuu had them all. Some brand new, others at least twenty years old, they seemed to be the only thing she valued. Breathing in, the fresh scent of lilacs assaulted his nose, and he knew without a doubt that it was Fuu's room.

She turned to him, waving wildly at the room behind her.

"Please, don't mind the mess, I don't ever have company in her, especially boyfriends, and-" Her voice broke mid sentence as he processed the words.

She considered him her boyfriend? Good, because he wasn't going to be content just being her friend-ever. He couldn't have stopped the grin on his face if he wanted to. Part of him grew instantly jealous at the thought of her having a boyfriend other than himself, of any other male that was given her permission to see her room.

"So, I'm the first boyfriend to see your room?" he asked the question nonchalantly, his insides twisting as he waited for a response, wondering how far Fuu would read into the question.

He didn't know why it mattered if she had dated other guys before him, after all- she was in her early twenties, but it did matter if they were the reason she was so self hating and distrustful. And for some reason, he wanted to hear her say that he was the first. The first to see her room, the first to gain her trust.

She sat down on her bed and motioned for him to sit next to her.

"I…I don't really date."

He sighed, and the grin on his face grew. Ferio was so happy, for a moment he almost broke out into song. He sat next to her, very aware of the fact that she slept on this bed, that she lived in this room. Being here, was like being enveloped in a warm cocoon of Fuu.

"I wanted to show you something."

She reached underneath her bed and pulled out an old shoe box. Covered in dust, the box was so old that he couldn't read the writing. Wiping the dust from the cover she placed it on her lap and held it to her tightly. Her face crinkled from the now air born dust, and a sneeze shook her body. Scratching her nose, she looked at the box with a serious and almost fearful expression.

He watched as she blinked back tears, and he grasped the fact that the only thing that truly mattered to her in this entire city sat underneath her bed in an old shoe box.

She picked at the cardboard box hesitantly, unexpectedly shy.

"I was going to throw it away, I tried so many times, but I couldn't. I'm glad that I didn't now, because this way I can show you."

He waited as she battled the inner demons of her past. Placing a hand over hers he held it reassuringly. Seeming to take strength from him, she squeezed it back.

Fuu removed the cover slowly, and stared inside, no longer blinking back the tears. Putting a shaking hand inside the box, she removed a photograph, slightly worn from being in storage for so long. Sitting next to Fuu, Ferio glanced down at the photo. A family of four stared up at him, each smiling. A middle aged woman with blond hair and brown eyes, gazed happily at the camera, a man of the same age, but with brown hair, green eyes and glasses next to her. Their arms encircled two children, one a boy, with thick unruly brown hair that was so long it covered his eyes, the other a girl with blond hair, green eyes, and glasses. It was Fuu. Decked out in holiday clothes, they posed in front of a fireplace, a cat at their feet.

"Family," her voice was soft and cheerless, "I want you to meet my boyfriend, Ferio."

He stared down at the photo, then shifted his eyes to the box. It was filled with smiling faces. Ferio wrapped his arm around her, her body suddenly frail.

"Ferio, I want you to meet my family."

She grasped the photo in a vice grip.

"First there is my dad. His name is David and he's a farmer. Mom always said that I got my eyes from him. Next is Marilyn, my mom. When she was a teenager she was homecoming queen. Now she is a stay at home mom, and leader of the PTA. My little brother…" her voice was strained, "He's amazing. Only two years younger than me, but still he always took care of me. Always looked out for me. His name is Ascot… well actually it's Alfred, but we've always called him Ascot."

She smiled through her tears, and wiped them away with the back of her hand.

"The cat is Mickey, he's a stray that my parent's let Ascot adopt when he was ten. He wanted a dog, see, but after only a week he was so smitten with his cat that he didn't want to give it up for a dog."

She reached in and brought out another picture, this one of her and her brother as teens. Sitting in a large poplar tree, each smiled down from a different branch.

"I… I was an ordinary girl. Really. Head of student council, lots of friends, I wasn't popular, but that was okay. Lived in a quaint house with acres of farmland around us. I wasn't always thrilled that I lived in the country, but the town was nice, and the neighborhood was close."

Fuu shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant.

"I guess you could say in a lot of ways that I was living the American dream. Never wanted anything- had food, shelter, family- I was all set to live out the rest of my simple life in that small town. Marry a fellow high school student, maybe go to community college before I have kids, and live only 15 minutes away from my parents and brother. Yep- the American dream."

Tracing her brother's form on the picture, she closed her eyes.

"You know, I used to complain that my life was too boring, that nothing exciting ever happened? Funny, but I wish that nothing had happened…"

She flipped through more pictures, handing them to Ferio as she flipped through them.

"The first time it happened I was thirteen." She avoided Ferio's gaze like the plague, "Thirteen and without a care in the world. Swinging on the tire outside, the hot July sun burning me- playing with that stupid cat while Ascot finished his chores-Mom and Dad in town grocery shopping.

Mickey wasn't more than a couple of years old. Cutest cat, but also the stupidest. Ascot said he was just curious- but believe me, the cat was daft. He loved to chase everything and anything that moved. So, when he saw the wind chimes blowing in the hot breeze on the front porch, he shimmied up the big poplar in our front lawn- aimed- and jumped for it."

She picked out a photo of the cat Mickey sleeping on a porch, and handed it to Ferio.

"So stupid he couldn't even land on his feet."

Her eyes squinted as she recalled the memory, and Ferio pulled her close. Looking up at him with wide eyes, she relaxed slightly.

"I called out to him, but he couldn't hear me. He just laid there. Ascot loved that cat more than anything else. He was only eleven, and the cat was his best friend. I had let Mickey get hurt, and Ascot would never forgive me. So I gathered the cat in my arms… I just wanted to help it."

Her arms wrapped around the box tightly,

"And suddenly I felt something inside me click…I…I don't know how to explain it…like a warmth that ran throughout my entire body… and I could sense what was wrong with the cat, and to my surprise, just by concentrating on it…I fixed the animal."

He tried to imagine what it had been like. To find yourself inexplicably healing an injured animal without medical training, but with only your mind.

"I couldn't believe it…but Mickey was fine. He got up, meowed that dorky meow of his, and was off chasing a bug. I didn't tell anyone…I mean, who would have believed me?"

She laughed harshly, and Ferio felt the laugh didn't suit her in the least. Cynical and sarcastic, it wasn't a side of Fuu that was shown often.

"So, when I was alone…I tried it on other things…flowers, plants, anything I could find. And the more I tried- the easier it was. Of course, I still kept it to myself. I couldn't bring myself to tell Ascot…or my parents. I looked up similar phenomena in the library and on the internet, but I couldn't find anything. Somehow, and I still don't know how, I can heal with my hands."

Fuu looked at her hands, and Ferio followed her example.

"After years of fruitless research and unanswered questions, I decided that it was time to tell my family. This thing, is an important part of me, and… I didn't see why I should keep it from them forever. They loved me, and I was sure that when they knew- they would still love me. I was so sure.

Of course, I could never find the right time… never. Didn't want to ruin a moment, and I wanted everyone to be in a good receptive mood. So I just waited… and waited… I waited for over a year just trying to find the right moment. Funny how I had so many moments that I just ignored-thought I had all the time in the world."

Her voice had grown distant and oddly calm.

"August 12- slightly cloudy with a slight wind. Woke up feeling great. That was Ascot's 18th birthday. I got him the new pocket knife that he was just dying to have. Had it engraved even- 'Love you-baby brother.' I knew it was childish, but even at 18, he was still my brother. He didn't want a party, never really liked parties, just dinner with family and his new girlfriend. Nice girl, from the city- real pretty. Funny, though I can still picture her perfectly, blue hair and all, her name I don't remember anymore. Weird huh?"

He nodded, knowing that she really wasn't expecting an answer.

"After dinner, we all went outside to sit on the front porch. Even the stupid cat. Again, the cat. Seven years later, and the cat was still as stupid as ever. Ever wonder if things happen for a reason? Well, for some unexplained reason- just like that- Mickey took off and Ascot followed. He babied that cat like a child, and if Mickey were missing for more than a couple of hours- Ascot would freak. So Mickey ran into the street, and Ascot followed."

She buried her head in Ferio's shoulder.

"I haven't told anyone you know. You are the first. I.. I try not to think about it."

He ran his hands through her hair, and plucked the photo of Mickey out of her hand.

"The truck came out of nowhere, none of us saw it coming- and -bang-my baby brother was on the ground, the non-descript vehicle gone, and there was blood everywhere. Ascot's blood. What else could I do? It was Ascot. My best friend. It didn't matter that everyone would see, all that was relevant at that moment was him.

When it was all done, he was fine. Using my power leaves me weak, it wears me down- in extreme cases of injury, I absorb some of it. So, I was weak and tired, but he was fine. And I was so happy that he was okay."

They sat in stillness, her body embraced by his. After a few moments, her voice sounded again, strained and confused.

"Mom and Dad…they…they didn't understand. See, they were very conservative…and for some reason they thought that…that my power was... That it was… I don't understand them… They thought that I was some performing some evil ritual, that I was the one responsible for his pain. How could they think that? I love my brother more than anything."

Her voice rose indignant, the pain of their judgment weighing heavily in her voice.

"So, they told me to leave…told me I wasn't wanted. I was disgusting and an abomination. Ascot tried to convince them otherwise, tried to make them understand me, but I didn't want him to suffer anymore for me."

Something in her words sounded false, but Ferio didn't push. If she wasn't ready to tell him some of the harder details, he was okay with that.

Pulling out of his gaze, she shifted through the box and withdrew an especially worn photo. Ascot and Mickey smiled up at them, he was no more than 10- Mickey a small kitten wrapped up in his arms.

"I packed up and left only a few days later. My parents were no longer the loving people that I once knew- instead I feared for my well being. I left without a goodbye."

Her smile was sad.

"So….I guess that is my story…I send plain empty postcards home during the holiday, addressed to my brother, maybe Ascot still gets them. I mean, I suppose that-"

Ferio cut her off by pulling her close and kissing a tear from her cheek. She 'eeped' softly.

"Your so brave. To have to endure that from your parents."

He kissed another tear away, even as more fell.

"Thank you Fuu."

That Fuu trusted him enough to let him into her life, that she would tell him even the most minor details, because they mattered to her. That she would confide her heart to him nearly broke his. He didn't understand how loving parents could be so cruel to such a wonderful person. To their own daughter. She had healed their injured son, saved his life, and they thought that that gift was evil? They had ruined her self esteem, ruined her self feeling of worth, and the faith in herself. Ferio would commit all of himself to restore what her parents had so blatantly broken.

She burrowed deeper into his warmth sighing as she sunk. He held her close as the minutes ticked by, content to just hold her close.

A soft snore from her lips told him that she had drifted off. Looking down at her sleeping face, he brushed a stray lock behind her ear. Taking the box from her hand, he set it on the floor before laying back on her bed, adjusting her carefully so she rested in the crook of his arm, his chest a pillow. Fuu sighed in contentment and brought a hand up near her head.

Ferio stared up at the ceiling, his eyelids growing heavy. Letting himself relax, the last thought he had before falling into his first deep sleep in weeks was that he was so glad that he finally knew her story.