Chapter 2 – A Stormy Past

Warning: Mentions of child abuse!

Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Diabolik Lovers or anything pertaining to it.

Sarah walked down the hall toward the school exit, a dreamy smile on her face. Two weeks had passed since she and Shu had met. They had spent every school night together in the music room, sometimes talking about their hobbies and interests, while other times they would sit together in silence as Sarah played the piano. They only thing they didn't talk about was their families and pasts. It was the only rule, silent and unspoken, that they both unknowingly agreed to.

She was brought out of her reverie when she approached the doors of the school. It was pouring rain as lightning flashed across the darkened sky. 'Damn, I would leave my apartment without an umbrella tonight,' Sarah thought with a scowl. 'Well, there's nothing I can do about it now.' She took a deep breath and stepped outside, fully expecting to become soaked to the bone by the downpour. However, when the rain never hit, she looked back to find Shu behind her holding an umbrella over them both.

"Shu! Thank you," Sarah said with a smile.

He shrugged. "Whatever. Come on, I'll walk you home."

"Oh, but you don't have to do that," she told him.

He responded by wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Let's go," he stated as he pulled her toward the school gates.

'I guess he's not taking "no" for an answer.' Sarah thought as she gave up resisting and fell into step beside Shu.

(time skip)

The pair remained silent until they arrived at her apartment. "Would you like to come in?" she asked politely. He shrugged and they entered her home. After they removed their wet shoes and left the umbrella at the door, Shu took a seat on her sofa while Sarah got a glass of water from the kitchen. "Can I get you something to drink?" she asked.

"No. This is your family?" he asked as she entered the living room. He was referring to a photo of a 7-year-old Sarah. Also in the picture was a woman with black hair and green eyes as well as a man with brown hair and blue eyes.

Sarah sighed. Their "no family" rule only applied to the music room at school, so she wasn't surprised that he asked. "Yeah, that's them," she answered.

"Where are they now?"

"Dead. They died three months ago," she told him as she sat down beside him on the sofa.

"You don't seem upset about it," Shu stated.

"After what they did, what they put me through, I'm glad they're gone," Sarah said bitterly as she set her glass on the coffee table.

"What did they do?"

Sarah sighed deeply before beginning her tale. "It started when I was 5…"

(flashback)

A 5-year-old Sarah sat at the family piano waiting for her instructor. She had eventually gotten board of waiting and had decided to start practicing on her own. She began by playing random notes, however she soon began combing them with more complex chords. Before she realized it, she was playing a compete piece that was so beautiful, joyous and full of life that it attracted the attention of her parents. They stood in the doorway of the foyer, shocked as they watched their 5-year-old daughter play the piano like a prodigy. When she realized she had an audience, Sarah stopped playing and tried to apologize only to be scooped up in her mother's arms as her parents praised her. After that day, her parents had her practicing and attending piano lessons every day.

(They had always ignored me before, so I didn't mind at first. Plus I enjoyed playing, but things changed when I started my schooling.)

A few nights had passed since Sarah had started receiving private schooling lessons. Her parents had insisted that she have a private tutor because of how far ahead of the other children she was. She was currently working on her mathematics "homework" in her room when her father entered. "How are you doing on your homework, princess?" he asked her.

"I'm doing very well father. I've almost finished," Sarah replied.

Her father chuckled lightly. "Really, now? Do you mind if I check?"

"I don't mind at all," she answered as she handed him her paper.

As he looked over her work, he smiled proudly to himself. That is, until he reached the problem she just finished. As he checked over the problem a second time, his proud smile turned to an angry frown.

Suddenly, he back-handed her knocking her from her chair. "You got the last problem wrong. Fix it."

Sarah sat up on the ground shakily. "Y-you hit me…" she stuttered as her tears began to fall.

"I said… FIX IT!" he shouted at her as he slapped her again.

"Y-yes sir," she sobbed as she got back in her seat and began fixing her mistake.

Once she had finished correcting the problem, she flinched as her father placed a hand on her head. "Much better, it's perfect. Now, finish the rest of the problems with no mistakes. They have to be perfect. You have to be perfect." With that, he left the room slamming the door behind him. Sarah cried as she finished her "homework". Then she went to bed and cried herself to sleep.

(He was always like that after that night. When I did things perfectly, he was good and kind. When I did something the wrong way, he would yell and hit me. My mother was the same way. They wanted me to be a perfect prodigy. The piano was my only escape. It stayed that way for 13 years.)

They were driving home from the theater after watching a production of The Phantom of the Opera. Her parents were scolding her for not being able to sing or act like the performers in the play. Sarah was trying to ignoring them as they ranted about her lack of perfection. Suddenly, their car hit a patch of black ice and skidded off the road. The car rolled over a few times before coming to a stop in the ditch.

Sarah was barely conscience and badly injured, deep gashes and broken bones all over her body. She was tempted to give into the darkness until she smelled the leaking gas. Realizing the danger she was in, she managed to crawl out of the broken window beside her and get a few feet away from the vehicle.

*BOOM*

Her limbs gave out and she collapsed in the snow as the gas tank blew. Sarah managed to roll over and look at the car her parents had been trapped in. As she watched them burn, she started chuckling. Then her chuckling turned to manic laughter as her tears began to fall. The tears and laughter continued until the pain and loss of blood finally caused her to black out.

(back to present)

"I woke up in the hospital two weeks later. My parents had already had a service and been buried. I was at the hospital for another six weeks recovering. Once I was released, I sold the house and moved here. I just needed to get away from the bad memories. I wanted to forget."

After finishing, Sarah ran her hands through her hair as she sighed. She hadn't realized that she had begun crying until Shu wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his lap. She tried to object and push him away, but his grip was firm as he shushed her.

"You've kept it in long enough. You don't have to keep it all locked away anymore," he whispered to her. Upon hearing those words, Sarah broke down sobbing into Shu's chest. "It's alright. You're not alone anymore. I'm going to protect you. I swear it," he mumbled to her as he kissed her head.

Author's Note: Gasp! Sarah was traumatized as a child, not unlike some of the Sakamaki brothers. Can Shu protect her like he said he would? Will Sarah ever remember her past life? Only time will tell.

First, I would like to thank everyone who has reviewed so far. VampireSiren, Violet167, and two guest reviewers (you know who you are),your words of encouragement and enjoyment continue to inspire me and keep me working on this. I also want to say thanks to everyone who is currently following this story. I appreciate every single one of you and your interest in this story. It really does mean a lot to me. Love you all!