Author's (Somewhat Shorter) Note: So I lost my notebook – not really fun, but an opportunity to re-evaluate just where I wanted to go with this story. It also allowed me to go back and do more thorough research into the characters. I studied them for a long time on screen hoping to find any reactions (subtle or not) to better understand what it is they may be feeling. Anyway, this was the latest result.

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As Nobuko slipped a key into the lock, she prayed silently for no one to be home. Without a sound, she pushed open the door and listened. Though she heard nothing, she still stepped though the door with bated breath. As quietly as she could, she closed the door behind her and walked cautiously into the house.

No lights were turned on, so she used the wall to guide her as she walked. She had no intention of turning on the lights, because she didn't know whether or not her step-father was actually home. She'd made that mistake before and wasn't about to do it again. For all she knew, he'd passed out on the couch hours ago and was still there now.

SMASH!

She gasped, stopping dead in her tracks. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she heard the sound of broken glass falling to the floor nearby. When the smell of beer filled the air, she immediately knew what had happened. He was indeed home and had just thrown a bottle of beer in her direction.

Flicking on a light, Nobuko's step-father demanded, "Where have you been?!"

Still half in shock, the only word she could manage was, "Out." She became quiet and locked her eyes on the floor.

He rose to his feet and quickly closed the distance between them. Taking a step backward, Nobuko heard the sound of glass crunching beneath her feet. When he did reach her, he grabbed her by the chin and forced her back against the wall.

"Where...have...you...been?!"

It was a simple question, but a mix of fear and shock kept her silent. Unable to speak, all she could do was look at him.

Apparently he didn't appreciate her lack of response, because he backhanded her across the face, letting her head snap to one side. When she didn't make a move to face him, his anger seemed to grow. "Answer me, dammit!" He yelled, again raising his hand as if to strike her.

"The... the pier," she stumbled over her words, just hoping they'd be enough to satisfy him.

Whether or not the words had been enough, he simply replied, "Clean up this mess," and kicked at the glass, spreading it farther into the room. He left her and headed for the kitchen.

She went to the closet and grabbed the broom. She swept the floor to get rid of the broken glass before returning with a mop to clean up the beer that was slowly turning into a sticky mess. When she was almost finished, there was a knock at the door.

Nobuko figured that dinner must have arrived, because no one else would be knocking at their door this late in the evening. When her step-father answered the door, she knew she had guessed correctly.

Though they hadn't lived in the area long, she already recognized the delivery man. It meant they were having Chinese... again. Her step-father paid the man at the door and brought the bag of food into the living room. Sitting in front of the television, he cracked open one of the containers and started to eat.

Without sticking around, Nobuko took off down the hall toward her room. She had some admission papers that needed to be filled out before tomorrow morning.

Since she originally had no plans of attending school, Nobuko hadn't bothered with the forms. Now, with her suicide plans ruined by the people that had ripped the willow tree from the pier, she figured it was her fate to go on living. Whatever happened, she'd just have to endure it.

When she was finished with the forms, she sat quietly in her room listening for the tell-tale signs that her step-father was leaving the house. He would often take off at night, go to the bar, and not return until after midnight. After what seemed like an eternity, she finally heard him leave.

She walked down the hall and into the living room. The take-out containers were still on the table, so she went over to investigate. He hadn't left her much tonight, so she decided to save it for tomorrow's lunch. If she came to school without food, the teachers would question her about it and that was the last thing she wanted.

Grabbing the containers, she carefully emptied the contents into her lunch box. She put the empty boxes into the garbage, and put her lunch box into an empty fridge. Then she got herself ready for bed and entered into a restless slumber.