Keiko walked to her room, she was bloody and her bones may have been broken but not her spirit, that man would never take her spirit. It was the one thing she had that he could never take away. He could yell all he wanted to, but he would never take away her spirit, her hope, her faith that she would be able to leave soon.

Keiko sat down on her bed and took out her first aid kit, it was funny the guys always asked how she learned first aid so well, too bad they didn't know it was because she practiced on herself. She began to bandage the wound on her arm, it wasn't that deep but it was still bleeding. Her father had pushed her into a table, where a vase sat. She had knocked into the table and fell onto the broken vase.

She began to remember when her life was better, when her father didn't drink so much and she had a decent family. He mother was with them then. She remembered the day her mother left, rushing out the door like she usually did when she had to go to the store. Her father wasn't abusive back then. It was one single argument that ruined their happy life, one mistake her mother did, she mentioned her brother-in-law. Everyone in the family knew that Keiko's mother dated her husband's brother first; it wasn't that big of a deal, until that night. The night they heard that he had died, and her mother cried and cried, her mother had lost her first love. Although after she married she never saw him again unless there were family functions, she still loved him and that was the mistake she made.

Keiko's father had gone on a drinking binge when he heard his eldest brother died and when he returned he saw his wife crying. She had never cried like that for him, never! And that was what bothered him, he asked her if she was crying for his bastard brother and she told him that his brother was worth more than he was and that she loved him, he smacked her, she left, and they never saw her again. After that night, her father drank more and more, he became provoked by the simplest mistakes and he became more abusive.

Keiko was only five at the time when her mother left her. She was only five when the beatings and the mental abuse began. Only five when her life was turned upside down. Her only friend was a boy by the name of Urameshi, Yusuke; he was the only one who would talk to her in school and anywhere else for that matter. She promised herself that she would protect him from her secret and that he would never worry about her and that she would have a perfect life. That's when perfection came into order, she worked and worked until she was best in her class and she became popular, she was still friends with Urameshi even until middle school, but he had changed. He was no longer that nice little boy, he skipped school, got into fights, and got detention, he became the Great Urameshi, and for what- his drunk of a mother.

Keiko remembered the day that she had learned about Atsuko. For all the years that they were friends, they never spoke of their parents; they only spoke about school and games. In middle school she learned that he was just like her, the child of an alcoholic.

"Hey, Yusuke what's up?"

"Nothing much just got into a fight…"

"Again! You're going to get into trouble Yusuke! I don't want to see you expelled, that would be really, really awful!."

"Look, you don't know anything about awful! You're mother isn't an unemployed drunk. You're parents are perfect and don't lie because you're perfect, Keiko!"

"…" Keiko thought for a moment about whether she should tell him..

"YOU"RE SUCH A JERK YUSUKE!"

SLAP!

"Geez, Keiko you punch better than all those losers I fight, like that Kuwabaka or whatever his name is."

"…"

"Come on don't just stand there, let's go home."

"You're such an idiot Yusuke, I bet that Kuwabara will be you're best friend someday."

"Yeah right! If he became my best friend then where would I put you?"

"…" Keiko blushed furiously.

"YUSUKE!"

SLAP!

Keiko remembered that day like it was yesterday, the day she couldn't tell him her secret. She couldn't break that perfect view he had of her, she couldn't and so she kept her secret to herself. Keiko found a way to deal with her pain, a new improved way.

Reaching under the mattress of her bed Keiko pulled out a blade. The first time she had cut herself it was a small yet deep cut, it pained only a little but after a while she endured the pain and enjoyed the ecstasy the blade gave her. Pressing the blade to her upper arm she proceeded to make three small paper thin cuts watching the blood flow freely, enjoying the sight of her life force running out of her body. Keiko knew why she had begun to cut, she rather hurt herself then anyone else and so she endured the bittersweet pain.

Keiko looked at her clock, it was already 12 o'clock! She hadn't even started her homework!. Keiko rushed around the room, quietly, getting her school supplies together and put away the blade and began to do her homework, at five she would have to make breakfast and lunch for her father, and she had to conserve her time and energy. She began working on her algebra homework first…

"Kami! It's 6 o'clock! Oh my Hyde! I have to make breakfast and I didn't finish any homework! Oh no!" Keiko jumped from her seat and ran downstairs, she had approximately one hour to make breakfast and lunch, she began to boil the water for the miso soup when her father stepped into the kitchen.

"Keiko, oy Keiko!"

"Y-yes father?"

"Forget about breakfast and lunch, we're going to a restaurant for dinner tonight, I have a job interview."

"Okay, father"

"Good now get ready for school before you're late."

Keiko began to wal- limp out of the kitchen.

"What happened to you? Did you hurt yourself in school yesterday?"

"Umm.. yes I tripped."

Keiko's father never remembered the night before after a drinking binge, he always seemed to remember everything before it though. Keiko could never tell her father the truth he would never believe her and he would probably kick her out for telling 'lies'.

"Keiko, wear something nice tonight, the boss has a son and he's supposed to be quite the looker, he might also bring some friends along so behave."

"Yes father."

After the short, yet somewhat pleasant conversation with her father Keiko, left the house and went to school meeting Yusuke and the rest of the Tantei along the way.

"Hey Keiko, what's up? You look a little depressed."

"I'm fine Yusuke, just a little tired, that's all."

"Are you sure because you seemed to be limping."

"It's-"

"Oi! Urameshi! You owe me a fight!"

"You're stupid Kuwabara if you think you can beat me."

Keiko winced at the word beat.

"Hello Keiko, Yusuke, Kuwabara."

"Hi Kurama." Said Keiko.

"So Keiko… about that limp?"

DONG DON DONG DONG DING DING DING DING

Saved by the bell was what she was, as Keiko ran up the stairs to her class.

"Hurry up Yusuke! We have to get to Iwamoto's class!" Keiko yelled as she ran up the stairs.

"Is it me or she avoiding the question?"

"Really you monkey? Did it take that long for you to get that?" asked Hiei as the others stood nearby.

"Hmm… I wonder what could be bothering Ms. Keiko…"

"That's what I want to know, she never hides anything from me. Let's go to class guys."

"Urameshi you want to go to class? Are you sick?" Kuwabara said as he felt Yusuke's head.

"Nah, I just want to see what's up with Keiko, then I'll cut after I see what's wrong."

Inside the Class

"Hey Keiko, what's up with your leg? You fall or something?" asked one of her friends

"Ummm.. yeah I fell while I was changing a light bulb."

"Oh, you're usually not that clumsy Keiko" said Yusuke from behind.

"Well Yusuke, I can make a mistake every once in a while."

"What are you talking about? You're perfect Keiko, like my Yukina."

"Well-"

"Attention class! You have a pop quiz!"

"What! We just had one yesterday" exclaimed Yusuke.

"Yes we did and now we have one today and for your outburst you have detention" said Iwamoto.

"The hell I do!"

"That's another one!"

"That's-"

"And there's another one"

"Go to-"

"YUSUKE! Take your seat and be silent!" yelled Takanaka at the door.

"Yes sir". It always seemed that only Takanaka could control Yusuke from where others couldn't.

"Ukimura-san come with me."

"Yes sir"

"W-wait a minute we were about to-"

Takanaka sent Iwamoto a glare.

"Fine but have her back before the period ends."

"Ooooh, little Ms. Perfect is in trouble." Said a girl from the back.

Yusuke, Kurama, Kuwabara and even Hiei glared until she shrunk back in fright.

In Takanaka's Office

"Keiko, are you alright?" asked Takanaka as he handed her a glass of water and two aspirin.

"Yes, I'm fine Takanaka-san, it's nothing really."

"Keiko you are one of my brightest students, you have the heart of an angel, and I don't want to see you hurt."

"I-it's really nothing Takanaka-san."

DING DING DING The bell saved her again-or so she thought.

"Are you sure because I know where you can get some help and I really think you need some. I know you try to be perfect for-"

"WHY DON'T PEOPLE UNDERSTAND! I DON'T TRY TO BE PERFECT IT JUST HAPPENS!" Keiko screamed as she ran out of the room.

Unfortunately for her she ran into the guys who were waiting for her, deciding not to answer any of their questions, she pushed through Yusuke and out of the school. Yusuke baffled by her actions stormed into Takanaka's office demanding answers, with the three boys close behind.

"Okay! What the hell did you do to her?"

"Nothing Yusuke, it's what she's doing to herself and I think that only you can help her. You've known her long enough, hell, I can't believe I'm doing this- go after her, if I know her, and I do she'll be at the Sakura Falls Cemetery. Kurama, Hiei, Kuwabara go look after him and make sure he doesn't say anything stupid. Now hurry before Iwamoto comes in here and complains.