Hanako crept towards the door, doing her best to blend in with the other students. It was harder to blend in when her clothes didn't match the usual uniform.

She could see the courtyard now, smell the freshly cut lawn of freedom, and then, just like that she was ripped out of the crowd.

"That's two detentions in a row you've skipped on you sneaky scum."

Hanako scowled trying to tear her jacket out of Iwamoto's grip as he dragged her along.

The breath was knocked from her lungs as Hanako found herself slammed against a wall, without thinking she kicked out, causing Iwamoto to stumble back.

He caught her again as she scrambled passed him, "It's trash like you who give this school a bad reputation!"

Hanako swung at him, catching the man across the jaw, he stumbled back once more, this time dragging her down with him and using the action to his advantage as he slammed his fist into her face.

Hanako slid across the floor, crashing into a few desks with a low growl.

She picked up a chair, prepared to smash it over his head, the classroom door opened suddenly.

"What on Earth is going on in here?"

Hanako froze, recognizing the voice of Takanaka, "This, This, DELINQUINT lost her temper because I gave her a detention! She tried to kill me! I demand she be expelled!"

Takanaka's kind gaze moved to Hanako, she put the chair down, wiping blood from the corner of her mouth, "Is that the truth Ms. Kameyo?"

Hanako scoffed, shoving her hands into her pockets, "What do you care?"

She shoved passed Takanaka, and stormed down the hall, ignoring his calls after her.


It started to rain as Hanako reached the courtyard, still shaking with furious adrenaline.

That bastard Iwamoto was gonna get it. He needed to learn that he wasn't dealing with Jr. High students anymore.

Hanako grimaced as her cheek throbbed violently leaving behind a thick metallic taste.

"Fucking Bastard," she growled.

Before she had even realized where she was headed Hanako found herself standing in front of an almost empty lot.

St. Vincent's, or what was left of it.

Hanako stared for a moment, her fists clenching as the image of the orphanage briefly appeared there like some nightmarish mirage.

Why had she ended up here?

She had spent most of her life running from this place, why was she returning to it now?

"I brought you something."

Hanako instantly recognized the voice from her dream and the memory of a pendant that had been taken from her as a child resurfaced along with it.

Hanako stepped forward, kneeling down in the far corner of the alley and sifting through the crumbling remains of St. Vincent's.

The rain water dripping from her bangs fell into her eyes, making it harder to focus on what she was searching for. Hanako wiped her face quickly, and resumed her search.

Something glinted just to the left of her, and Hanako scrambled over towards it.

Her hands were shaking as Hanako pulled a scorched pendant from the ashes.

Hanako dropped into a sitting position, using her sooty shirt to scrub the pendant clean.

The rain was coming down in torrents now and Hanako involuntarily jumped at the sound of the thunder. She huddled into a tight ball, pulling her jacket hood over her head as she recalled the thunder like sound that had immobilized her as a child.

The sound of doomed children beating on metal walls, screaming to be set free, but doomed to die in that horrible place; St. Vincent's, the place where nightmares became reality.

The pendent flickered in a flash of lightning, slightly easing the rapid beating of Hanao's heart. Her grasp on the pendant tightened and warmth flooded through her, making her realize just how tired she actually was.

Hanako felt her eyes slide shut, her fear of this place was slowly ebbing away and she could no longer feel the steady pelt of the rain on her back. Hanako allowed herself to slip off to sleep, enveloped in a vaguely familiar warmth.


Hanako awoke in the shade, or rather the shadow of someone else.

"If I had known you were in need of a place to sleep I might have provided one Hanako."

"I told you to call me Ms. Kameyo you bastard," Hanako ground out as she pushed herself up into a sitting position.

Her face was still throbbing violently, the pendant still locked tightly in her grasp.

Hotaru crouched down to get a better look at her, tilting her face up so he could see it better.

Hanako pulled away, not missing the flash of irritation in his eyes.

"Your sister is quite worried about you Hanako, you should return to school."

Hanako scoffed, "Like hell, there's no way I'm going back there, not after yesterday."

Not until I catch that bastard teacher outside the school grounds and cave his fucking head in.

"And stay the hell away from my sister."

Brown eyes flickered to the left then to the right, taking in her surroundings, "What am I doing here?"

Hotaru tilted his head in curiosity, "I had wondered that myself when I found you sleeping here; quite an ironic choice of napping spaces."

Hanako pushed herself to her feet, "I have work to do."

XxX