[Kaoru's POV]

"Ru!"

"…Haru…!"

"HARUHI!"

"Waah, I am going to see the snow!"

"Haruhi, you haven't healed from your scars!"

"Eh, I had them forever, it doesn't matter," Haruhi nonchalantly said over her shoulder.

"What? Haruhi, what do you mean you had those scars forever?" Azumi stopped Haruhi, concern written all over her face.

"Oh!" Haruhi bumped her fist in her palm.

"She doesn't know!" Haruhi concluded. This caught my attention, and I placed my cards down, and perked up my ears to listen, though I didn't lift my face up.

I couldn't bear looking at her face.

Hikaru, was looking up in interest.

"Go on, dear, tell us," he mused.

"Please stop it, Hikaru, you are making me feel rather uncomfortable…" she considerably grew dark on the last word.

"Oh my god," mom was in awe.

Hikaru and I were frozen. Now, even my head snapped up in surprise.

She actually took us apart. Even Azumi stumbled on which one of us was Hikaru.

She took us apart in the swipe of a blade.

"That girl is smart," dad agreed.

"She actually took them apart," Azumi deadpanned, "No one has been able to do that. Even I still fail at doing so."

My heart raced. She is the key; she is the only person to take us apart.

[Haruhi's POV]

The heavy silence dreaded on and on until I couldn't take it anymore.

"Uhh, hehe…um Azu-nee, I will be going out in the snow now!" I spun on my heels hoping to get away from this terrible scene.

"Wait!" Azu-nee yelled.

"Wait! Haru-chan!" Mizumi yelled after me.

"Dear come back!" the mother yelled.

I wouldn't listen. I can't listen. And the horror.

The horror…

It was in his eyes…

His eyes… so golden yet is a bit dark in the corner…

What is holding Kaoru down? I don't know, but I am so scared…

I push through the doors, too afraid to look backwards.

I can't do it. I can't do it. I can't do it.

I sigh in frustration and plop down on the snow. I have always wanted to sleep on snow.

The last time didn't count, as I was unconscious when I was already lying on the floor.

I heard footsteps crunch behind me, and a body plop on the soft snow right beside me.

A hand reaches out, and squeezes mine. Thinking it would be Kaoru, I blush and jump slightly.

"Relax Haru-chan, it's just me," Azu-nee soothed me.

"Whew," I breathed heavily, and smiled at her.

"Anyways, about before, what were you saying that I don't know why you have scars on your body?" Azu-nee asked me with a puzzled look on her face.

"Oh, that," I became ten-fold gloomier than before.

"If it's too much, you don't have to tell me," Azu-nee promised me.

"No, its ok," I assured her. She nodded, and urged me to continue.

"You…probably heard me mutter 'mom' or 'mother' in my sleep over and over again for her not to leave me, right?" I started off.

She nodded.

"The thing is…she died when I was four," my voice got caught up in my throat and tears welled up.

"…" was all she could say.

"She was…a lawyer, and won every case that she went to. One case, when I was four, she promised me, that she would win, and when she comes back…" I had to breathe to continue.

Azu-nee squeezed my hand.

"Wh-when she comes back, she wanted me to prepare a feast. So…I waited. And waited and waited and waited. She never came," I continued when I breathed enough air.

I rolled to my side to face Azu-nee.

"The next day, at the police station, dad and I found out that on the way back from the case, mom's car got hit by a drunk driver, and she died on the spot," I was sobbing now.

Azu-nee hugged me tightly.

"And I never knew if she ever won the case… and we never had a feast!" my voice was weak and ragged.

"And then the abuse started," I said a little louder.

She froze.

"It first went from dad throwing his shot glasses down on me, to whipping, throwing me out the window of the apartment complex, hitting, kicking, anything to make me feel pain," I continued.

And now she was crying.

"And the day I ended on your doorstep, was the day daddy said he didn't care if I came back home or not," I childishly grabbed her jacket front and cuddled in closer as if I was a little child and she was my mother.

And now I was sobbing inconsolably. It hurt, it hurts so much…

"And these scars…are all I have left of mother," I got out, before sobs racked my body and I couldn't speak anymore.

Azu-nee hugged me tight even though she was sobbing herself. A past as terrible like mine is enough to make others cry.

[Azumi's POV]

How can a girl suffer something as terrible like this?

My own body was racking with sobs even though this wasn't my past.

Why did she have to suffer this? Why, Kami-sama, why?

Haru-chan cried and cried and cried until her sobbing died down and she fell asleep.

When I am certain she is sleeping heavily, I heave her up in my arms, and carry her on my back.

I opened the doors, climbed upstairs, back to the room where Mizumi was pacing back and forth on Haru-chan's whereabouts.

When I eased off her boots and coat and tucked her in, Mizumi grabbed her in a hug.

"Oh, my Haruhi! I finally found you!" Mizumi took all the credit.

"Mizumi, now isn't the time," I emphasized every word in my sentence.

Her eyes drifted down, and she bowed her head, "Or so I have heard."

My eyes widened, "You listened to her story as well?"

"Who hasn't in this mansion? The whole family knows now. Haruhi's past isn't a secret anymore, you know," she tried to smile, but horror filled me.

"Oh…no…they know…" I breathed out.

"They do," she sadly nodded.

And the secret is out…

The color drained out of my face.

[Kaoru's POV]

I was still frozen. Still frozen, near the tree I was.

It was a good 20 feet away from Haruhi and Azumi.

And I heard the story; right down to the point of Haruhi broke down crying, and couldn't speak anymore.

What is happening to me? Why is my heart crying?

After Haruhi cried herself to sleep and Azumi carried her in, I broke down.

I dropped to my knees and trembled. I never broke down crying. I clamped my hands over my ears.

Heck I had my ego of a man. I am a vampire, cold and unfeeling. How can I have emotions?

I thought they were all but alive to me.

Why, why, why is she making me care all over again?

Daddy doesn't want me home anymore…

"Stop!" I wept.

We were once a happy family.

"Stop it please!" I cried.

Why did you have to go, mother?

"I can't take it! Please stop!" I was sobbing my pain out.

Don't you love me anymore?

"STOP!" I cried.

"Kaoru!" a hand came down on my shoulder.

"Hikaru…" I got out.

He hugged me and let go. "What were you doing?" he asked as if I were a child trying to sneak out of homework time.

"What do you mean, what am I doing? You heard too, didn't you?" I glared at him.

He was speechless.

Then after a while he nodded, "Yeah, I did. But I was surprised that the story had such an effect on you."

"It brought back emotions…" I flatly admitted. I was still in shock.

I feel so weak, and I want to ask myself if I really am strong, because I am starting to feel that I am not who I think I am.

"Come on Kaoru, get up," Hikaru tried to ease me up.

"I lost my will," I meekly said.

"No, you didn't lose your will, you are just too lazy to get up, like always," he tried to smile but I glared at him.

This really wasn't the time to get on my good side.

"Ok, fine, get up at your own will," he had a sense of finality to his voice.

He let go of my shoulder, and stood up. The next thing I heard, were footsteps crunching towards the house.

I couldn't get up. I am too weak. And this girl made me realize it sooner or later.

I kneel over in pain, the pain in my stomach is too much. I can't handle it.

My shoulders heave up and down as I silently sob.

[Haruhi's POV]

Come Haruhi…

"Who are you?" I gasp back.

"It's me, Haruhi," the voice insists

"Mom," it isn't a question, it's a statement.

"Yes, it's me," I could see her face now, a hand reaching for me.

"Haruhi…you have to take my hand and learn to let go. Come to your senses…" mother reached her hand out even further.

"What do you mean, mother?" I wasn't crying anymore. I was too tired to cry.

Hell with it, I was too tired to live and breathe.

"Mother, what is the meaning of my existence? Why can't I just die?" I ask, reaching out my own hand.

"Haruhi, don't say that…you are unique. You just have to find out how," mother assured me.

I stepped even closer, "How?"

"You will find a person who is suffering with the same pain you are. You will suffer sore trials, but you will end up with the one your heart falls for," mother smiled.

Our hands met.

"Do you promise me that, mother? That I will find someone to love for eternity?" I asked, smiling at her back.

"I promise you with that with all my love," mom smiled at me.

Then a bright flash filled my vision, and mother was gone.

But maybe, even though you aren't in my world, mother, I will find someone to love.

And when I do, I will think of you.

Of you, your love, and your heart.

Mom.

I slowly open my eyes, to see in the room Mizumi (she told me her name after she got me soup).

Azu-nee in a chair holding my right hand.

Hikaru hugging Azu-nee but she fought to only hug me as she wept.

Kaoru was in the corner of the room, eyes fixed on me.

And the mother and father chattering stuff like what a poor girl I was, terrible past, horrible father, hunt him down, payback, idiot of a parent, child abuse, where did her mother go.

"Haruhi! Don't do that to me! I cried for hours!" Azu-nee hugged me in a death grip.

"I'm…sorry…Azu-nee," I choked the words out, like they were hard to digest.

"I was missing her," I emphasized the last word.

"I know, but you still scared me," she insisted.

I turned my head to her and smiled.

"I'm here, though," I tickled her palm.

She giggled and hugged me again.

"Silly you. You are stupid at sometimes," she tickled me.

"Well I am glad you didn't give Azumi a heart attack," Hikaru started off.

"You're very welcome, Hikaru," I sarcastically snorted.

He and Kaoru froze, and Hikaru managed to get out, "How are you able to take apart Kaoru and I? Hey even Azumi sucks at differentiating it."

Azumi glared at him and he shrugged.

I pointed to Hikaru, "You tend to part your hair to the left, though you could part it the other way and pretend to be Kaoru. But you tend to be more immature and childish, and out of the both of you, is the one who has the nerves to annoy me."

Hikaru was a mere shell of himself.

I pointed to Kaoru, and he turned pink when I pinned him with my eyes, "Your hair is typically parted to the right, although you could part it the other way and pretend to be Hikaru. You are cold, composed, reserved, drawn and aloof in interest. In your eyes is something dark beholden. Out of the two of you, you haven't spoken a word to me, and you love to glare at me."

The whole room seemed to freeze.

And it became evident.

Wasn't this the second time I took them apart?

Huh.

[Kaoru's POV]

I thought the first time she took us apart she was just lucky because Hikaru was willing to talk to her.

But she really STUDIED us and found several ways to take us apart, by our physical appearance and our personalities.

"The person you will fall in love with, the person you will live with for eternity, won't be a vampire."

"She will be a human."

"She will be able to take you and your brother apart with several differences and reasoning."

"That will be the girl you will fall very hard for."

It all clicked.

She.

Is.

The.

One.

The prophet's description matched her, and I can't believe it.

And I won't believe it. I won't allow it.

But my heart isn't so icy anymore. It is melting and melting.

Every day this girl is in my life, she is touching my heart in places where other girls couldn't.

She is changing me, and I am scared.