Let's see how far we get this time, eh?

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I: Pack Your Bags

It was another humid, yet beautiful summer morning. The yellow sunlight flooded in from all of the windows, striking every glass or shiny surface beautifully. Numerous house elves skittered around, trying to clean and whatnot before father came around. If one wasn't doing their job he'd…Well, let's just put it this way. It would be unforgivable, even to a house elf.

I gave a small yawn and stretch, and wandered my way through the house, dodging the elves. I managed to get myself into the dining room before I was turned into a paraplegic due to a random, yet tragic house elf incident. As soon as I entered the dining room, my father slapped me with criticism. "What? Still in your pajamas?" He asked, as if disgusted. "Its nine in the morning! Have some decency, and put on some clothes, Harumi." He sneered, and slithered out of the room.

"Yes father…" I muttered under my breath and dragged myself up to my room, where I found my mother digging through my draws. I knew she was looking for something, anything that she could report to father. She feigned caring, and sincerity everyday. I despised both of my parents. Father hates us, and Mother says she cares. I don't believe them. I cleared my throat. "Can I help you mother?" I asked, repressing the anger I felt, balling my fist up. I felt my hand shake slightly.

"I was just putting away your clean clothes, dear." She said, cheerfully. I rolled my eyes. The hell. You don't do laundry, Mother. I thought maliciously. She turned to me, her deep eyes glancing away from me, smiling her frail smile. Maybe at one point, she cared, but she'd lost it… that was for sure.

"Yes,of course mother." I said sweetly, and shoed her out of my room. I promptly closed the door after her and leaned against it, my ender swelling with in. How dare she! I screamed in my head. Has the woman no respect, no… no…humanity! Of course not, she's married to a man who uses the Crutio curse on his children for punishment, and has used all three of the unforgivable curses on people. I sighed at my thoughts and shook my head, walking over to my dresser. I pulled out a nicely fitting black shirt and some jeans. Muggle clothes, that oughtta piss 'im off. I thought, again with malice. I looked at myself in the mirror and shook my head, removing the clothing. Bad idea.

…In the Fujiwara household, one follows all rules, promptly.

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I heard feet padding into the dining room behind me, paper ruffling. I knew exactly whom it was, no need to turn around. My dark brown eyes stared into the cereal before me, my spoon playing with one of the little sugar coated ringlets.

"Yet another life saved by Harry Potter!" My twin sister, Nanami, chortled from behind the paper, sighing dreamily. I knew it; I knew it was going to be something about Potter. Always about Potter. I swear to Merlin that she never spoke of anything else, just Harry this, Potter that.

"What now?" I asked, turning in my chair, leaving my breakfast. My eyes scanned over the paper, then rolled. "Boy, that's old news." I said, sardonically.

"Its not old news." She said simply, shoving the paper in my face. I was so tempted to rip it from her hands and hit her with it. One of her slender fingers tapped the date on it. "June 21st, Harry's Birthday!"

"Big Whoop." I said, annoyed. I paused for a moment, listening to myself talk. I was being royally bitchy this particular afternoon, it seemed. "Sorry, it's just…" I paused and sighed. "Father says he has…big news." I finished. My skin crawled with the thought. Big News! You're now kicked out of the house and we're selling your room to beggars because we hate the both of you. Have a nice life. I thought, half believing myself. Our parents were exactly those kinds of people.

"Are we getting a rabbit?" Nanami gasped, excitedly. I stared at her blankly for a moment, feeling my IQ drop some ten points from just being near her. Nanami was the smart one; I was the sarcastic, cunning one. Sometimes, however, Nanami was quite the airhead.

"Uh, I don't think so." I said, truly feeling my drop in IQ. Nanami's shoulders heaved with a heavy sigh as she snapped her fingers.

"Damn. I had the perfect name, too." She said. I almost thought she was joking for a little bit, until I realized that she wasn't.

"Air head." I teased. We had always teased each other like that, since we were kids. "You're missing the point. He said he has big news for us, my guess is that it's something bad." I paused and muttered the last part. "It usually is."

"You always think the worst, Devil, remove your eyes from your horns and pay attention." She slammed the paper down on the table, causing my cereal to jitter slightly. "Harry Potter saved eighteen kids from a burning school class room! First years!" She paused to sigh, which was more of a huff. "Don't you care?" She asked. I shoved another spoon full of cereal in my mouth and looked up at her from the bow, smirking slightly.

"Nowt Weawy." I said, which was supposed to be a not really, but didn't come out that way. It was lodged on my cereal, which I swallowed. Nanami sighed and shook her head, annoyed at my very childish behavior.

"Honestly, grow up!" She snipped. I watched as she picked up the piece of toast the house elf set in front of her, and bit a huge chunk out of it with her mouth. I was tempted to laugh at her annoyance with me, but kept cool about it. "It's called chewing with your mouth closed." She said. Had she not swallowed, I would have said the same to her, only more childishly. Such was my way, and I knew Nanami hated it. I chewed and swallowed the cereal, which remained, in my mouth.

"Technically…" I started, knowing that what I was about to say could possibly get me screamed at, but I went ahead with it anyway. "My mouth was closed around a spoon. Secondly, I don't care because it doesn't concern me. I wasn't there." I said. Read as: I don't care; Harry Potter is overrated, and get over yourself.

"I think its time you stop thinking about yourself." Nanami snapped at me. Why, so I can obsess over some guy I'll probably never meet, like you? I thought and attempted to hold in a small laugh. Nanami began to scan the paper, through her wire-framed glasses. We both heard footsteps, and yet…neither of us bothered to look up. "Here…Comes father." She said. I turned my head slightly, to watch my father stroll arrogantly into the dining room.

"Ah, girls." He said, proudly. "I have big news! An old friend is coming over this afternoon. He's bringing his whole family." He paused. I felt his whole demeanor change; I felt the threat before it was voice. "I trust you'll be on your best behavior." He said dangerously.

"I'm sure." Nanami said sarcastically, pushing her bowl aside. "Is this another Death Eater?" She asked angrily. I knew it was only because the Death Eaters were after her precious Potter. The thought angered me. Sometimes it seemed like she cared about nothing else.

"A what now?" I asked, lost. I had no idea of what Nanami spoke, because I never eavesdropped on any of father's conversations with anyone. Especially not when he brought those slime-bag looking guys around. "What do you mean by whole family?" I asked, pushing the thought aside. How big is this family? I thought. "Who's in this whole family?"

"Killers." Nanami said flatly. "Killers, who, come to slay you." I looked over at her oddly, never having heard anything like that from Nanami. It almost seemed out of character for her to do such.

"You should see a psychiatrist, Na-ko." I said, staring blankly at her. It really seemed more a thing for me to speak.

"I do no such thing, but if your blood is on their swords, I will show you no pity." She said standing and walking to the sink with her dishes. I watched her. She really needed a head shrink.

"I bought you both dressed for this special occasion." Father announced, after watching Nanami's little show of emotion. Emotion, another thing you never showed. Most of the time it only brought our father's wrath upon us, so we never bothered to show emotions.

"Oh great prepare for the ultimate embarrassment ever. The old man can't even pick out a rose right." Nanami grumbles, causing me to laugh slightly.

"Wonderful…" I said, sarcasm dripping from every consonant and vowel. "Joy. Betcha they're gaudier that all get out!" With those words, Nanami grabbed me by the arm and dragged my up the stairs. I waited patiently as she laid the boxes on my bed, picking her own back up. "I'll be back in a moment." She said, sliding from the room. I nodded to her as she left, walking over to the smooth little box.

Inside the box, I found a dark green dress of the most beautiful fabric. It was green silk. Just the feeling caused me to gasp as I touched it. It was beautiful. What do you know; the old man did something right for once. I thought with an evil little snicker. I put the dress on, watching myself in the mirror. I hadn't noticed that the door had opened once again.

The beautiful green dress hugged my every curve; it was perfect, but very uncomfortable. It gathered slightly above the knees, making it very hard to move my legs at too far a distance at any time. The dress itself stopped at my chest, having no straps, and showed a slight bit of cleavage. "I feel like a whore…" I grunted.

"At least you don't look like a mermaid." Nanami said from behind me. I spun around, shocked slightly. The dress that Nanami wore was positively gaudy, to me. It was red and white, with sequins, and white gloves. It reminded me of a ball gown, more than a semi-formal dinner dress. I blinked and raised a brow, looking at her.

"Well…" I started. "This… Should be interesting." I said, looking in the full body mirror I stood next to.

"Where the hell did he get these dressed from?" Nanami sneered, looking at her reflection. "The Please-Rape-Me Boutique?" I laughed at her comment, running my hands from my breasts, to my hips, then my butt, looking over my curves.

"I wouldn't doubt it." I said, and sighed.

"I look like I was dipped in blood or crappy fruit punch." Nanami said, looking at a profile of herself in the mirror. "My ass is massive and this train is way too long." I started laughing again. Even after the day is done, and no matter how scrappily we've treated each other, we always have each other to look to for comfort. It's the whole, twin sister bond thing.

"Wow." I said shaking my head. "What a mix."

"I vote for burning them once father is asleep." Nanami growled at her reflection. I sighed slightly and shook my head.

"…I don't think that would be a good idea…"I whispered loud enough for Nanami to hear me.

"You can't say you like them! It feels like I'm wrapped in plastic… Ah! It feels rubbery!" Nanami shouted. I shook my head again and turned away, rubbing my right arm with my left hand.

"No…It's not that…Just, father will beat us…" I cried softly, holding in tears. He'd definitely Crutio her, if she did. I didn't want to see that…ever again.

"Hush!" Nanami snipped at me. "You're the only one who's never been hit, so enjoy it while you can… but do NOT joke about it." I was positively hurt by her words. How dare she?

"Because I follow his commands! I wouldn't joke about that anyway!" I shouted at her, resisting the urge to slap her for even suggesting that.

"I have no reason to follow a murderer." She said, sliding on the glass shoes that accompanied her dress. "You have no idea what he's planning and you shouldn't." She said. The anger welled in my, and I clenched my white gloved fist. How dare she! She was treating my like a child, as if I had no right to know what was going on! "I'm prepared, Hara-chan, you're not."

"Honestly, Na-ko, think… If he's a murderer, truly a murderer…He could kill us in his rage for burning these dresses." I said, sliding on the black spiked heels that were in the box with my dress. It was a nice combination, I noted.

"Possibly, but I don't think I want to anymore anyway…" Nanami said, and then paused to sigh. "Come on, I expect the Malfoy's will arrive soon." I sighed and stood up, following her.

"Let's get this over with… Not like we'll ever see them again." I said, and then sighed again. This was stupid. I felt like a showcased doll or some such think. The dog in the cage with the 'I Bite' sign.

"If only it were that simple. When we get done with dinner…Pack your bags."

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Take that!

Wahaha! Well, here's the first chapter!

Stay tuned for chapter II of…Estrangement