I opened my eyes, blinking away the blurriness.

Where was I?

My head throbbed, my arms ached and the whole room seemed to be spinning.

Do I have a hangover?

Dammit, Miwa... You said you'd never drink again!

I groaned, trying to push myself onto my hands to get myself a glass of water.

Dammit, Rasela's going to kill me...

I swung my legs off the side of the bed and jumped to my feet.

At least, I tried.

My legs gave way and I collapsed onto the ground. I realized, with a start, that I couldn't feel anything in my legs at all.

"Mum?" I called out, slightly panicked, "Mum?!"

The door swung open immediately, and I almost relaxed in relief. She was here. Rasela was going to make everything feel better.

But it wasn't her that rushed through the door but three nurses, helping me to get up, practically lifting me onto the bed.

Belatedly, I realized that I wasn't in my room. I was in a hospital.

And in the doorway, there stood Fugaku Uchiha.

Fuck.

~XXX~

"Alofa, la'u pele*." Tears ran down Rasela's face as she held me tightly. "La'u pele..."

They didn't have any children left, Rasela and Tane, I was their only daughter.

I clutched onto the Samoan woman like she was a lifeline. She was my lifeline. I didn't want to let her go.

Tama stood in the corner, a haunted look on his face.

While I was to sit in a wheelchair for who knows how long.

Just then, the door swung open and in stormed Tane, a murderous look in his eyes. He went straight to Tama, and punched him right in the face, knocking him to the ground.

"Tama!" My eyes widened at my adoptive father's unexpected behaviour. "What did you that for, Dad?!"

Tane ignored me and grabbed Tama by the collar and dragged him to his feet, "Who the hell do you think you are?! What the hell did you do?!"

Tama made no movement to defend himself before he went sprawling.

"Aroha is my last child! She is the last and only daughter I will ever have!" Tane roared as Rasela held me even closer. "My daughter will be in a wheelchair for maybe the rest of her life? This is your fault!"

I struggled in Rasela's grip, trying to get to Tama. The only real brother I grew up with.

"If it weren't for you, she wouldn't have joined that damned gang!" Tane grabbed Tama's collar again. "If you didn't join, she wouldn't have followed you! Do you understand me?!"

Tama nodded, a black eye starting to form on his left eye.

He took Tane's yelling without any sign of defending himself. Tama...

My eyes widened.

Tama blamed himself for my injury.

"Daddy! Daddy, stop it!" I struggled to get up. "Daddy, please! It wasn't Tama's fault! It was all mine! Mine! I went out when he told me to go home! Please, don't blame him!"

Tama looked at me, blankly. "It's okay, Aroha. It's my fault."

Tane glowered at Tama, but released his grip on the twenty-something year old's collar. "I have lost three sons, one at birth. Two long before their time. Now, I am going to lose my only daughter."

Rasela could only cry louder and Tama and I looked up at Tane in shock.

"I just finished talking to Mr Uchiha." Tane suddenly aged thirty years in the span of one sentence. "He will be taking Aroha back to Japan, where she will get the best treatment money can buy."

"What...?"

"No!" I shook my head rapidly, "No, no, no, no! I don't want to go! I won't go! You can't make me!"

"Mr Uchiha is your father, Aroha." Tane looked pained, in so much pain. "He can help you."

"I don't want to go!" Tears started to form in my eyes. "I don't like it there! I like it here! With you, and Mum and Tama and Taylor and Jordyn..." I trailed off, knowing that I lost before the battle even started. "Please..."

"It can't be helped." Tane's voice shook slightly. "They can help you so much more than we ever could."

I covered my mouth and wept.

~XXX~

"I saw how easily you were taken away from us, Aroha." Tama whispered to me as we embraced for, perhaps, the last time. "That's why I didn't want you to go out. I wanted you safe."

I nodded, pushing back tears. "I'm so sorry, Tama. So, so, sorry..."

"It's fine," Tama pulled back and smiled at me, "I influenced you the most. I should've known that you wouldn't listen to me."

I smiled shakily, "I love you, Big Brother."

"I love you too, Little Sister." Tama ruffled my hair.

Jordyn embraced me next, her eyes red and the skin beneath it turning a dark purple. Her right arm was in a sling and her hair was cut to the nape of her neck**.

My eyes watered at the sight of her hair. Oh, Taylor...

"I'll tell Tay everything when," Jordyn swallowed heavily, "When she wakes up..."

"She'll wake up soon," I added, "Then, she'll fly all the way to Japan to kick my ass for leaving without saying goodbye."

Jordyn laughed weakly, "Yeah, yeah she will."

"I'll see you soon," I gripped her hand for a long time. "It's a promise."

"When we meet again, you better be walking." Jordyn grinned through her shiny eyes. "Or I'll help Tay beat your ass."

"It's a promise."

~XXX~

I am a fucking disappointment.

That's it.

I'm a disappointment.

I could tell by Fugaku's tense shoulders and his silence throughout the plane ride to Japan and the car ride to the Uchiha mansion.

I sighed as I turned to look outside the window of the moving limo, I wished that we weren't sitting so close together.

"Just what,"

I tensed up at the sound of the Uchiha head's voice.

"Were you thinking when you just had to get yourself injured like that?"

I bit my lip, not even daring to even look at the man.

"Uchiha Miwa, I am asking you a question."

The wall-thingy between the driver and the passengers went up slowly, I glared at it. If only I was so lucky.

"Miwa," Fugaku's voice took on a note of a growl. "Answer me."

"I was thinking that I didn't want my best friend to get hurt." I said smoothly. "After all, better someone useless be hurt than someone who can actually be of worth."

Oh, shit.

Did I just...?

Fuck.

Funnily enough, (No, not funny. More like scared shitless) Fugaku didn't say anything after that, until we reached 'home'.

I waited until the driver opened my door and helped me to get onto my wheelchair.

I didn't want one of those fancy electric ones, hell no. What? Just because my legs were going to waste doesn't mean that I wanted my arms to as well.

The driver rolled me to the front door, this time, there were no lines of maids or man servants there to 'greet' me. Suited me just fine, I wasn't one that liked it when people made a huge deal out of things.

To my surprise, there was already a wheelchair ramp that went up the stairs leading to the front door, all cemented and it seemed like it had been there for as long as the house stood.

I blinked, whoa... people work fast.

The door opened and Satoru was the first to greet us, he took my wheelchair from the driver and wheeled me into the house.

"Imagine our surprise," Satoru whispered as Fugaku strode to his office, "When we received a call from a weeping Rasela-san, stating that the Uchiha head's only daughter has lost the use of her legs."

I ducked my head in shame, cheeks burning.

I caused so many people to worry.

"Would you mind telling me the tale of what happened?" Satoru asked as he wheeled me towards the staircase.

I shook my head, my bangs covering my face.

"When you're ready then," I heard the smile in his voice rather than see it on his face.

Satoru pushed my wheelchair to a ramp that went up to the second floor.

"Fugaku-sama ordered that the ramps be put into place as soon as he heard that you could not walk." Satoru whispered to me, "He may be a strict man, but his heart is in the right place."

I made a non-committal noise.

Could have fooled me.

*La'u pele - Samoan for "My baby", used as an affectionate name for a child.

**When someone cuts their hair in the Maori culture, it usually means that someone has died. Jordyn has cut her hair because she feels like she has lost both her best friend and her sister.

If anything is confusing, please let me know!