Standard disclaimers apply.

Chapter 2

It was after the death of Chihiro's father that her world fell apart. Kioko was lost to everyone but Chihiro. She would be the only one that Kioko really spoke to, even her teachers could not get an answer out of the little six year old. Chihiro threw herself into working extra shifts; while their mother looked for a job…at least that's what she told them. It stayed like that for a few months until their mother's hold on reality shattered.

Every time Yuuko looked at Chihiro she hated her more. Chihiro had taken over the running of the family because Yuuko herself was rarely there. Chihiro looked after the food and made sure that Kioko had a lunch in her bag everyday, and looked in on Yuuko to make sure that she was fine as well. Chihiro had become the mother, and Yuuko resented her for that.

Then on one of the few days, a year after the accident, that Chihiro had to work late and ended up coming home even later. It was then that the stable family that she had known collapsed like a delicate house of cards.

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"I'm home." Whispered Chihiro tiredly. She was beat; the dojo was exceptionally busy this week. There was a tournament later that week and she was handling the equipment so she had stayed late to recount them. She got extra for everything that she did to help and this was a chance for her to show her sensei that she was able to look after things. Her teacher in the traditional dance class was also quite impressed with Chihiro's ability to deal with an ever-increasing workload.

Tonight, like the night they had lost their father, was rainy and cold, it was high fall and the leaves had long since fallen to the ground. Chihiro gained some pleasure knowing that on these types of nights she forced herself to walk in the rain. She wanted to know what it was like that night…the night that things changed. She had called Kioko's school and left a message for her to cook dinner. Told her what to get and how to do it. Kioko may have only been seven, but she was a quite capable seven.

Wearily Chihiro stripped herself of her backpack and gym bag and headed for the kitchen, there she froze. There was Kioko on the ground her face slapped a painful red, while their mother stood above her, her right hand red. Chihiro swallowed the lump that began to grow in her throat. "Mother…"she said barely above a whisper.

"She thought that she could cook, I told her it was your job. So get to it, cook us dinner…NOW!" Yuuko reached down to the fallen Kioko and Chihiro dashed to her sister's side.

"I will! Just please stop!" she yelped, her hands raised to break off any attack that her mother might have planed.

Yuuko glared at Chihiro and stalked off. Chihiro sighed relived. The tie at her head gleamed in the faint light. "Come on little sis, let's get you patched up, ne?"

That night while Chihiro cleaned up after such a late dinner, it was nearly ten when she got home, and cooking dinner had taken another half and hour, as well as dressing Kioko's reddened face, so that in the morning no one would be any wiser, she hoped.

The hair tie on her head had saved her from many scrapes, especially when it concerned the doctors that tested them. Granny had said that it would protect her, so if it would protect her then it might also protect Kioko. Since it was obvious that their mother was not going to find a job anytime soon Chihiro would have to work extra hard to make up the income. Finishing Chihiro headed to Kioko's bedroom. The little adult stayed awake now waiting for Chihiro to tuck her in, tonight would be different; they had to discuss what this new turn in their beloved mother's actions meant.

Chihiro entered silently and went to Kioko's bedside. "Hey there little sis, how are your cheeks?" whispered Chihiro, her face a mask of calm.

Kioko sniffed quietly, "big sis, what are we going to do? Mommy's never been like that before."

Chihiro sighed, there was no soft way of telling a seven year old that their mother was slowly going crazy, so Chihiro did the only thing she could think of…she lied. "Don't worry baby, mommy's just having a bad day. You know what the rain reminds her of. From now on don't worry, I'll look after everything." Reaching back to her hair Chihiro removed the hair tie, "see this? Some very special friends gave me this. They told me that this would protect me. Now I want you to have it. I don't want you to ever take it off, can you promises me that?" Chihiro placed the shiny tie in Kioko's hands.

Chihiro was gifted with a bright smile. "Of course big sis. I promises to never take it off…but…how are you going to keep your hair back?" it was such a simple question, but it caused a torrent of trouble in Chihiro's mind. She had been keeping her hair tied with that little thing for years now, and her hair had grown very long. Chihiro smiled and said "not to worry, I've been meaning to get a hair cut for a while. Now go on to sleep and don't worry." Chihiro kissed Kioko goodnight and went about making her plan.

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The next day luckily, or maybe due to the hair tie, Kioko's bruises did not appear, and Chihiro told everyone at breakfast that she was going to get a hair cut. Yuuko cared little for the change and Kioko looked on showing nothing of the chat they had the night before. Chihiro cut her hair and never wore another hair tie again. Kioko was able to stave off any further abuses that Yuuko might have bestowed upon her, while Chihiro would appear every few days with new bruises. Chihiro's few friends would have commented but seeing the fake smile plastered on her face stopped them. She was acting as the adult and she had to face the consequences like an adult. Her days ran on and on. Most days she would be up at five or six am, getting a start on the laundry, and preparing a fast dinner as well as the next days lunches. By seven thirty Kioko was up and finishing the laundry. By eight Chihiro was at her dance classes getting in early morning chores and lessons, which she had stopped paying for. The teachers all saw what was going on but Chihiro refused help, so to take some slack off the miniature adult they allowed her free lessons, the same was said about the dojo, where she spent her evenings.

Chihiro was at school in time and ready. She went about her day like any normal teen but for the fact that she was carrying her family. After school she headed to the dojo, for lessons as well and teaching. She was getting two paychecks every two weeks but the bills were still tough. She worked at the dojo until seven then walked an hour home and began to cook dinner. Normally Kioko would go to a friend's house and Chihiro would pick her up on the way by. They would cook dinner together and eat in silence. They found out after about a month after the first beating that Yuuko disliked hearing the two speak during dinner, the morning after Chihiro sported a bruise on her jaw and one large one on her shoulder. When her friends asked about it she had smiled and said she had begun sleepwalking. So they now ate in silence, and while Yuuko watched television the two sisters cleaned up and looked over their homework. This lasted a few hours depending on the amount of work to be done. It would be about ten by the time they got to shower and get into bed.

To help Kioko sleep Chihiro had begun telling stories of the spirit world. Making it look like some far off fantasy that would fill Kioko's heads with happy thoughts. After she had fallen asleep Chihiro would go over the bills picking out ones that could be paid on time and those that had to wait. Normally Yuuko was waiting, and normally Chihiro would be showering rather delicately that night. And like any other day, she would have more marks marring her flesh then she could come up with ideas to cover up with.

This went on for the next four years, day in and day out. Chihiro had grown accustomed to the daily beatings, as had unfortunately her friends, which didn't associate with her any longer. They had long since moved on with their lives, going off to college or university, while Chihiro had decided on staying where she was. There was no way that she could go off and leave her little sister to deal with their ever increasingly abusive mother. Chihiro was twenty and she felt like forty. Her body was fit and well toned, an example of what intensive training could do. She didn't bruise as easily but Yuuko found other ways of leaving her mark. Chihiro had gotten full time teaching jobs at the dojo and the dance class. She knew she got paid more then the other instructors but she couldn't tell them to stop. She needed the money, if she didn't have the money they didn't eat.

Kioko also had grown up she was a strapping ten year old, her body also showing the signs of training, though Chihiro never actually allowed the ten year old a weapon, she was not yet ready for the responsibility. Kioko was a ten year old that was exceptionally good at cleaning; she had taken on that chore to cover the slack that their mother created.

It was on a cool night in the summer before Kioko's eleventh birthday that Chihiro had to make a decision that would change their lives forever.