It was night. The crickets chirped softly in the grass. Fireflies rose into the soft air. In font of the boy a ladder rested against the high oak. He couldn't see anything in the shadowy branches where it ended. Dakeem and his friends had surrounded him. They were trying to cut off his escape. If he wanted to, the boy could have easily gotten away.

          "It's up there. On the branch right above the ladder. Go and get it dweeb. That is, if your not scared," Dakeem said. The boy looked at them. By the grins on their faces he could tell they were hiding something. Unfortunately they had two things on him. There were more of them and they had the teddy bear. The boy started to climb the ladder.

          When he was about halfway up, the ladder began to shake violently. The boy hugged it, lightly banging his head against the metal rung. Below him, the teenagers laughed.

          "Don't fall little dork!" one of the teenagers said.

          "Yeah. You might get blood all over the tree when you splat," Dakeem said.

          And you might get blood on your shirt when I shoot a hole through your head, the boy thought. The anger behind the thought surprised him. He'd never felt angry before. Not in this way. Suddenly he could see the picture in his mind. Him lifting the gun. Dakeem's eyes going wide with surprise. Then BAM. A perfect, round, hole right through his brown forehead.

          He scrambled onto the branch above the ladder. The stuffed animal wasn't there. Not that he really expected it to be. There was a scraping noise. The boy turned just in time to see the ladder being taken away. He glared at the teenagers. They were laughing again. The anger curled up in him. Hot fire burning his throat. Dakeem held up the teddy bear.

          "Missing something? If you want it back, you're gonna have to jump."

          The boy was out of the tree before Dakeem had even finished the words. His feet hit the ground first. There was a popping noise and suddenly he found himself rolled up on the grass, clutching his ankle. The teenagers loomed over him.

          "He actually did it," one of them whispered.

          "Man, Dakeem, if Miss Celia finds out we're gonna be in deep," another teenager said. Dakeem's eyes narrowed. The boy sat up, still absently clutching his ankle.

          "Give me the bear," he said. Dakeem folded his arms.

          "How do we know you're not going to squeal?"

          "I won't," the boy said, slowly getting to his feet. He held out his hand for the bear. Dakeem smirked.

          "No. I think I'll keep this. Just in case you might be…tempted."

          The boy rammed his fist into Dakeem's stomach, putting his whole weight behind the punch. The teenager fell to his knees, dropping the teddy bear. All the world seemed to go silent as the boy watched the toy fall slowly to the ground. If it went off. If it went off.  The teddy bear hit the grass. Nothing happened. The boy's heart started to beat again. He picked up the bear by the arm.

          "You…little….brat," Dakeem wheezed. The boy glared at him. Wanting to shoot him. Wanting to see him fall and not move. Wanting it…but knowing he couldn't. Not now…

          Instead, the boy limped away. His ankle was on fire. He must have broken it. Just the simple act of walking made sweat trail down his face. Once inside the building, the boy leaned against the wall, wincing a little. It was a tradition, Odin said. The boy simply could not get past a mission without breaking something. Fortunately, Odin had always been there to put the bone on course again. The man had even shown him how. The boy had never tried it though. Miss Celia might be able to help.

          The boy shoved that thought from his mind almost as soon as it had entered. He'd have to tell her what happened. If Dakeem got into trouble again, he'd only be worse. So there was no other option. The boy hobbled toward the nurse's office.

          He turned the corner and came face to face with Miss Celia. Her blue eyes were wide with surprise. The boy froze. He was caught. Getting caught meant getting into trouble.

          "Hikari! What are you doing up?" she said. He shrugged and looked at his feet. Now he would probably have to wait until tomorrow to get a bandage.

          "Mrs. Azul said she heard some children playing outside her window. Was that you?"

          The boy shrugged again. Miss Celia came closer.

          "You looked bruised. And what happened to your ankle? It looks swollen. Hikari, you have to tell me what happened.

          "I fell," the boy said. Which was true enough.

          "You have to tell me the truth." Miss Celia knelt to his eye level. "I can't help you unless you tell me." She sounded so worried. Worried about him. The boy remained silent. He couldn't risk any more trouble with Dakeem. For a long time, no one said anything. After a while, she sighed.

          "Very well. I'm sorry to have to do this, but there is very strong evidence that you were playing outside. You're grounded to your room for a week. That means no playing outside, no computer lab, no library. Unless…you can tell me what happened."

          The boy shook his head and started to limp back to his room. He would have to find something there to bind his ankle up.

          "Don't you want Mrs. Azul to look at your ankle?" Miss Celia asked. The boy didn't stop walking.

          "No. It's just a sprain…," he muttered.

          "Well we'll see how it is tomorrow."

---

          The boy absently kicked his legs as he waited. It was brilliantly sunny outside but the hospital's small window didn't let half of the light in. He glanced around the room. He was so used to places like these. More often then not, this was where he was at the end of a mission. Especially if he'd gotten separated from Odin. He never stayed in one long though. That was dangerous.

          Miss Celia was sitting by the door. She had a magazine open, but every now and then she would look at him. The boy clutched the teddy bear in memory. He still hadn't told her what Dakeem had done.  She was suspicious, he knew, but unless he told her, she couldn't prove anything. He wished he didn't have to hide from her. He didn't like hiding things from Miss Celia. But what if Dakeem stole the bear again? Or worse. What if he tore it up and found the gun? Having no lab time was a small price to pay.

          After what seemed like forever, the door creaked open and a doctor came in. The boy eyed the stethoscope. He hated those things. They were always so cold. He relaxed a little when the man didn't use it. Instead, he looked at his clipboard and adjusted his thick glasses.

          "Well ma'am. It appears this lad has had some fall. His right ankle is broken in two places."

          "Oh," Miss Celia said with a gasp. The boy frowned. That wasn't right. The bone should be set. He'd done it last night. Or at least he'd tried. He might have done it wrong though.

          "Not to worry though. Kids patch up fast," the man said with a small smile. "We'll just slap a cast on him. He'll be right as rain in a few weeks." The doctor rifled through his notes and frowned.

          "Is there something else wrong?" Miss Celia asked.

          "You say that you know nothing of his past Miss Winner?"

          "No. He just arrived two weeks ago. He hasn't told us much."
          "It's a good thing he found his way to you. This poor boy looks like he's had his bones reset many times. Looks like he had quite a violent history."

          "Yes…" Miss Celia said. They were both giving him thoughtful, grownup, looks. The boy squirmed uncomfortably. He hoped that the doctor didn't know how he'd gotten his bones broken. He would get in so much trouble. The sad smile that crossed Miss Celia's face made the boy relax.

          "Anyway, the nurse will be in here soon to get his cast ready. You, Mister Hikari, had better take more care in the future," the doctor said, ruffling his hair. When he left, Miss Celia patted the boy's hand.

          "It's going to be okay. My room is on your floor. How about this, we'll buy some special food for my little refrigerator. That way, you won't have to go downstairs to eat."

          The boy smiled and nodded. He would like that very much. It would just be him and Miss Celia. It would be special. Just thinking about it made the rest of the hospital visit fly by. Soon they were at the supermarket. Miss Celia hadn't wanted him to come at first, be he'd convinced her. Miss Celia was the only good thing about the orphanage. The bad thing was that he had to use a crutch. He'd never needed to use one before. People kept staring at him and giving him sad looks. He was beginning to get annoyed with that.

          "So what kind of cereal would you like?" Miss Celia asked.

          "Chocolate!" the boy said automatically. The woman laughed.

          "How did I see that coming? All right. Chocolate it is."

          "Yay!" The boy hobbled down the rows of cereal. There was this one that was really really good. Odin had let him have some once. Odin never let him have it again though. He'd said something about the boy bouncing off the walls. The boy hadn't bounced off any walls that he could remember.

          Suddenly there it was. A big gold box with a funny looking bear over a bowl of cereal. Chocolate Space Blasts. And there was one… box… left… The boy reached for it. A big hand closed over the box just as his fingers brushed the cardboard. Heeey! He looked up. Odin looked down at him, eyes amused.

          "You know, you really don't need this, kid. It'll rot your teeth."
          "Yes it will," Miss Celia said, smiling at the boy. "But you know children."
          "Yeah, guess I do," Odin said, handing the box to him. The boy watched Odin walk away. The man wanted to meet with him. Otherwise he wouldn't have talked. How could he get away from Miss Celia though? He hobbled back to the cart and dropped the box in.

          "Now let's see. We need some milk." Miss Celia said.

          "I'll get it! I know where it is." 

          "Are you sure?"

          "I can do it," the boy said with a smile. "I really can! Pleaaase?" She laughed.

          "All right Hikari. It's good to see you so animated again."

          Odin met him en route, falling in step casually beside him. The boy slowed his pace a little. Was it time for his mission now? The boy didn't want his mission now. He wanted to stay with Miss Celia. Odin chuckled and the boy looked up at him.

          "Just couldn't help it…huh kid? You had to break something."  The boy shrugged. It would not be a good idea to talk about this to Odin. The man would probably be really mad. Especially since he'd promised not to forget about the teddy bear.

          "Who was that kid by the way?" Odin asked.

          "What kid?"

          "The kid you were playing with yesterday."

          "Quatre." The boy beamed. "He's really nice! He's my friend…" the boy trailed off as Odin's eyes widened. The man stopped walking and looked at him full in the face.

          "You…you don't mean Quatre as in Quatre Winner do you?"

          "Yeeaah…" the boy said.  Strong fingers wrapped around his arm again. The boy stared. Odin was mad. Really mad.

          "You little idiot!" he snarled in a low voice. "Didn't I teach you anything?"

          "Wh…what?" the boy said, trying to struggle out of his grip.

          "I don't care how good a shot you are. You're still a kid and if you let something slip and that kid tells his father…. Not only would we get into trouble, our entire organization could be exposed. I don't know about you but I don't want to be killed."      

          People were starting to stare at them. Odin suddenly let him go. The expression on the man's face made the boy shiver inside. He wasn't angry anymore. Instead, his green eyes were cold. It was like looking into the mouth of a gun. If he messed up…. Odin was going to do something terrible.

          "Hey!" Miss Celia called. Odin walked away. The boy watched him leave. Miss Celia started talking to him, asking him questions. He didn't pay attention. Odin was going to do something bad. Something really bad. The boy looked into Miss Celia's kind blue eyes. He didn't want anyone to get hurt, especially not her. But…but Odin wouldn't shoot her. She was part of the Winner family. Odin would never shoot someone so powerful unless he was contracted to.  There was no denying the look he had though. That look he only used when he was getting ready to shoot someone. The boy looked down at the tiled floor. Quatre was his best friend. His only friend… But assassins weren't supposed to have any friends. No friends, no family. No one at all.

----

          This place was magical. Happy music floated in the air, along with the sounds of whirring machinery and laughing, screaming people. Everywhere were colorful stands, with all sorts of stuffed animals in them. A Ferris wheel stood in the very center. Other rides were grouped around it. They had names like: "The Hurl Whirl" and "Space Swings." The boy gaped. He'd never seen anything like this. There was a kind laugh above him.

          "Do you like it?"

          "This must be where the fairies live," the boy said, looking up at the blond woman. She laughed again.

          "Maybe."

          This place looked fun. Still, the boy wondered why she had taken him here. It had been a week and a half since the incident with Dakeem. The boy had been in Miss Celia's company a lot lately. By the way she looked so excited; he could tell this day was special. But why here? And why were they just standing around?

          "This carnival is in honor of my father's birthday. We used to have carnivals and things all the time when I was little. But the Alliance changed all that. Now this is the only time we have to play."     

          "Can we do something?"

          "In a bit," Miss Celia said, looking at her watch. "Master Quatre will be here soon."

          "Really?! Quatre?!" Yay! It had been so long since he'd last seen him! Then the boy remembered what he'd been told to do. He had to stop being friends with Quatre. Odin said so. Maybe… Maybe Odin wouldn't do anything. And the boy would be careful! He could still have a friend. This livened his spirits and he was back to smiling. Then it hit him what Miss Celia had said.

          "Isn't…Quatre your brother Miss Celia?"

          "Mm-hmm."

          "Oh…" The boy blinked. That was confusing. There were lots of brothers and sisters at the orphanage. None of them ever called the other one master. He'd heard them call their siblings other names. Maybe Miss Celia was talking about a different kind of brother…or something.         

          "By the way." Miss Celia bent so she was closer to his ear. "Don't tell Quatre who I am okay? I mean, that I'm his sister."

          "Why not?"
          "Because he doesn't need to know." She sighed and straightened. "I guess Father doesn't want him to become overwhelmed with family. I can understand I guess but… Sometimes I think he just wants to keep Quatre for himself." She smiled down at the boy, blue eyes dancing. "Not that I blame him."

          "Hikari!" a bright, happy voice called. The boy smiled without even trying. Quatre was running up to him, something snuggled in his arms.

          "Hi," the boy said, trying to see what his friend had. It was a yellow…thing…with a big red bow around its neck. Quatre's smile widened.

          "I heard you got hurt, so I got you something." He held the thing out to the boy with both hands. The boy was so stunned; all he could do was stare. Quatre was…giving him something? Like…a birthday present. Quatre frowned.

          "You…you don't like it?"

          "I do!" the boy said, setting the teddy bear on the ground and taking the stuffed animal. It looked almost like a horse. But the face was wrong. Instead of hooves it had big yellow feet. The boy turned the thing over in his hands.

          "What is it?" he asked. Quatre giggled.

          "It's a camel! They live in the desert. That's a place on earth with lots and lots of sand."

          "Thank you…" the boy said, staring into the camel's odd face. This was the most special thing in the world. Specialer then anything. The boy was so caught up by the camel, he didn't even notice when Miss Celia took the teddy bear. He didn't realize it until she spoke.

          "I'd better take that too. You don't want to lose it."

          The boy nodded. It was a smart decision. He frowned at the teddy bear. He didn't want to lose that here… But… He wasn't sure if he wanted to let Miss Celia take care of it. She smiled.

          "Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to Mr. Bear. You two go play… And be careful with your ankle."
          The boy nodded. Pretty soon, him and Quatre were walking through the carnival. A lot of people were smiling at them. People called out Quatre's name too, but he didn't seem to hear them.

          "So where do you want to go first?" Quatre asked. "The rides are the same every year. But now I'm old enough to go on the Hurl Whirl."    

          "That sounds like fun," the boy said. Quatre smiled, then looked down at the boy's ankle and frowned. The boy shook his head.  "Don't worry. I'll be fine."
          "Are you sure? Miss Celia did say to be careful."
          "I'll be okay. Let's go!"

          "Yeah!"

          The Hurl Whirl made the spinny-twirly seem to stand still. It went up and down and back and forth and spun around on its side. At first, the boy was a little alarmed at Quatre's screaming. Then he realized he was just doing it for fun and screamed too. When the ride was over, the boy stumbled so much he could barely walk. Quatre put an arm around him to help steady him. Together, the two weaved their way through the crowds. They got big cones of fluffy blue stuff. It looked like the stuff clouds were made of. When he said this, Quatre only giggled and told him it was cotton candy. After that, they went on the Hurl Whirl, then the Zero Gravity chamber, then the Hurl Whirl. By the time of their last ride, the boy's ankle was throbbing. He didn't care. He was having too much fun.

          "This is wonderful!" Quatre said. "I've never had so much fun Hikari!"

          "Me either!"

          They stopped by a place selling ice cream. A man in a black suit stood there. The boy stared at him. A security guard. The boy scanned the crowds and spotted four more.

          "Don't mind them," Quatre said, licking his ice cream and getting chocolate on his nose. "They follow me everywhere."
          The boy understood. Quatre was the heir to the Winner estate. He was really valuable. As they went through the carnival, he spotted six more. They were all inside the carnival though. That was stupid. Buildings were all around them. Someone with good aim could shoot him from a high window. Unless of course they had all ready secured the premises. The boy glanced up at the buildings. No assassin lurked in the empty windows. Something made him turn and what he saw made his heart stop. Peering from the window was the muzzle of a rifle. An assassin's rifle. Odin. It was trained on Quatre. The boy knew it. Through the telescopic lens, the boy knew Odin could clearly see his face. He shook his head. Don't shoot him, he begged silently. Please.

          The gun moved. Just a slight shift. But what it said to the boy was louder then words. If he didn't stop being friends with Quatre… But… But what could he do!? He couldn't just say he didn't want to be friends! Quatre would never believe him! He had to do something. Then he knew. It hurt. But he knew what he had to say.

          "Is there something wrong?" Quatre asked. The boy turned to face his friend. He could feel the rifle's presence. A prickling across the back of his neck. The boy balled up his fist and punched Quatre hard across the face. Quatre fell, staring up at him with wide eyes. Silence descended over the carnival and the boy knew he was going to get into trouble. Quatre put a hand to his cheek.

          "H…Hikari…"

          "You're a reject." The boy wanted to yell, but his voice came out hard. Cold. Like Odin's eyes. "You're a test tube baby. You're not natural. I hate people like you."

          Quatre's lower lip trembled and his eyes filled up with tears. The boy looked away. A woman walked up to him. One he didn't know. Had never seen. Her lips were in a thin line and her eyes were livid. She lifted her hand and slapped him, hard. His head was ringing but he could still hear her angry voice.

          "How dare you hurt Master Quatre!" she snapped. Then everything happened. Rough hands grabbed at him and soon he found himself surrounded by angry adult faces.

          "You aren't worthy to kiss his boots you little punk!" a man snapped. Another stinging slap ran across his cheek. The other adults started yelling at him. Calling him names. A large hand smacked across the back of his head, another one upside his ear.

          "Stop!" Quatre said. Amazingly, the adults quieted down. The boy didn't think anyone would ever listen to a kid. The adults parted a little and the boy could see Quatre. His eyes were like ice.

          "Let him go," Quatre said.

          "But…Master Quatre," a woman said.

          "Now." This order was obeyed too. Quatre walked up to him. The adults parted and moved aside. The boy suddenly felt very alone. He knew the punch was coming before it connected. He was surprised to find himself on the ground though. He didn't think the blond could punch that hard. The boy looked up at him. Quatre was angry. Very angry. But tears were running down his face.

          "I hate people like you. I do. But you know what? If I die, then they can make more copies of me. But if I kill you, you're just going to be dead. What do you think about that?"

          The boy got to his feet. All he felt was cold inside. He stared into Quatre's eyes.

          "I think you should kill me. My life isn't worth anything anyway." The words came from his heart. They were a little scary…but they were true. He lived in hiding. No name. No family. No past. No future. If he was dead, who would care?

          Quatre smiled a little. But it was an angry smile. Like Odin did.

          "My life isn't worth anything either. Looks like we have something in common huh?"

          "Master Quatre!" someone said.

          "Shut up. I want to go home." He walked off. The boy watched him go. It didn't matter though… How he was born. Quatre was a good person. The people defended him. Not because they had to, but because they loved him. Quatre shone and didn't even know it. Not like the boy. Inside, all the boy had was darkness and nightmares.

          But at least now, he knew what he had to do. The mission. The mission was the only reason he existed. He had to gather information on Akemi Todai, and perhaps even shoot him. It wasn't a problem. It was what he was born for.

---

          The boy stared out the window. Miss Celia was angry. He'd never seen her this angry. She was actually shouting.

          "I am very, very disappointed in you! How could you even say something like that?! Quatre is lonely enough as it is!" She slammed her hand on the steering wheel. The boy watched her out of the corner of his eye. She was crying. A part of him wanted to cry too.

          "How could you do that? Pretend to be his friend and just…just…rip his heart out! How could you be so heartless? You must have no feelings to do that! You're nothing but a cruel little monster!"

          Silence followed that. The boy leaned his cheek against the cool glass. Oh well. She'd loved him for a while. It was more then he could ever remember having.

          "Hi…Hikari?" she said in a near whisper. "Hikari? I…I'm sorry. I…I just…"

          "My name isn't Hikari," the boy said. "I don't have a name. And don't be sorry. Monsters hide in the dark don't they? That's just what I am." But not heartless. Never heartless. He would never forget how he loved her. Never.

----

Note: Yes. I know. In some parts he acts six, in other parts he acts twelve. But it all depends on his mentality at the moment. ^^; I do know what I'm doing, really!

Oh yes! D-A-R-K next chapter. Might want a flashlight.

Disclaimer: Don't own it.

Wufei: Thank the gods for small favors.

Shaddup!