Chapter 5 – one step forward, two steps back.

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A/N sorry that its a little late, i forgot what day it was :( ... anyways if your still reading here is chapter 5.

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"Mummy" I cried down the phone. "I… hate it here!" my eyes were red and puffy by this point.

"Oh, my poor darling baby girl, I don't care what that mean Shiki says, I'm coming to get you and that's final." My mother's voice sounded outraged as she gushed down the phone at me.
Perfect stage one complete.

Stage two is going to be slightly harder, I'm going to have to tell Hotaru that I'm leaving and then convince her to help me.

I still don't know what to say to Hotaru, but it turns out I didn't need to think of anything, by the time I had worked up the courage to enter her room, she was already waiting with the necessary documents.

"You're late. I was expecting you to arrive immediately after the phone call with your mother." My best friend replied, before hitting me on the head, with a glove shaped like a horse shoe. From my new position on the floor I looked up into the stoic amethyst eyes of Hontaru Imai, she's never been able to portray her emotions well, her facial features would reveal nothing.

But her actions always spoke loud enough.

"I will expect monthly updates and detailed reports, unless you have an extremely good reason, not too." There was no room for argument. "The binder" she motioned to the table "contains a new passport, birth certificate, student id, and background information. There's is also a duplicate of each document in case you need them; however this duplicates are blank, you're need to fill them in yourself, IF you ever need it. I take it you were paying attention when I taught you how to do that" I nodded; I was not going to forget my lessons anytime soon, after what they cost me, in pain and money.

"Good then you're dismissed, you need to pack… Mikan, I know you have a reason for doing this so I won't ask, but be careful… after all if you die, you can't pay me." She turned back to her work. I took the papers and turned away. Going back to my room, and hiding under my blanket before taking a look at them, someone might be watching and I can't afford to let them catch me out now!

3 hours after looking over everything again and again, I was packed and had my new identity down to the slightest detail. It surprised me to find out that my new name is Mikan Imai, it was a good choice really, Imai was quite a common surname, and although there are many Imai's among the family, there inclusion is unknown to most of the world. Especially rival gangs… so maybe Hontaru does care what happens to me.

I knew my mother had arrived, when I heard the shouting, uncle Shiki was not happy, and he didn't like the explanation I gave of having gotten a taste of the outside world. He put up a damn good fight, but in the end, even his power wasn't enough to hold me.

I let Reo take my bag; after all it had nothing of importance in it.

I had never been to my mother's house, but I still knew where she lived, so it surprised me when I discovered we were going in the completely wrong direction.
"Where are we going" I enquired once it was clear there was no mistake in the direction we were headed in.
"Mikan, daring. Did you really think that we would live in a place which the family has been keeping tabs on for years? Honestly don't be so stupid, we are going far away. Where the family will never find us, and I can finally be free, since we have their precious princess they can't touch me." She smirked, to bad this isn't going to pan out like she planned.

4 hours and 31 minutes later it turns out we were diving to a village on the outskirts of Kyoto, it was just country side for miles in every direction. And a village that looked like it had been taking out of the Edo period; SERIOUSLY my mother who can't go a day without some form of spa treatment is going to live in the middle of nowhere.

I'm not buying it and I don't like this Reo guy either, he act suspiciously nice and is jumpy, have I jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire… only time will tell.

Eventually after 9 pot holes and one ridiculous stretch if bending road (truly it went everywhere surely it would have just been easier to make a straight line…) the car pulled to a stop next to this big old shrine. Although it doesn't even look like it's been inhabited for years… don't tell me I'm LIVING there.

The good news is that I'm not living there and it's owned by a nice old jii-chan. The bad news is that I'm shacked up in some dumpy run down cottage next to it.
"Don't worry Mikan hunny, its only temporary the moment Reo thinks its safe we can go back and have an apartment in the city again." My mother sighed wistfully as I lifted my single case into the tiny room that would soon become a place of nightmares.

It was early evening by the time I aired out the musty little room and gotten rid of all the bugs (real insects). I could smell dinner being cooked; well I guess there's never going to be a better time to lay down the law than now.

"Mother, Reo we need to talk." I said dragging them from their happy cuddling on the tiny sofa.

"OH, perfect we also thought that now would be a good time to tell you our secret. We'll go first, we didn't want to hide it from you Mikan but Reo and I have been married for over a month now." My mother stated waiting for me to be surprised. I just stood looking at her, did she really think I didn't already know, sigh, she is such an idiot I think Hotaru would constantly wear a gas mask around her – my best friend thinks that stupid tendencies are contagious, she dubed them idiot germs. – I noticed she was still awaiting my reply so I gave it to her.

"I already know, and no I'm not really happy with it, however it fits in with what I need so I will let it slide, listen up from today on wards I'm Mikan Imai. Mother you're still my mother, but you divorced father once you discovered he had cheated on you. Understand." She looked like she was about to protest, why can't my mother just do as she is told, once again I interjected. "Its for our protection, if I keep the Yukihara name, this little hidey-hoe will be discovered within days, if not hours. And I can hardly take his name, because the family already knows everything about him." I finished, they never said anything so I figured that was a we understand, and left the room again.

Stage 3 – complete