My silence only made him more anxious. His eyes were glued to the headstone for a while before turning to me again, horror written on his face, as he waited for any explanation from me. Would he run if I didn't answer? I reached out to brush my fingertips over the dirt on top. If I dug it up, would the corpse be half eaten by maggots? That would be something interesting to see.

"Mitsuki, I—" Ruki started but couldn't come up with any words.

Turning my head quick, I placed a soft kiss on his lips. "It's just a dog's grave, silly. A stray wandered into the orphanage and recently died," I said, smiling at him. He would believe me. They always do.

It showed in his eyes, the relief. It didn't matter if it was the truth. Ruki wanted to believe it, because any other truth was too horrible to think about. He let out a sigh, holding his hand over his heart. "Oh." His cheeks flushed red. "W-why did you kiss me?"

"Because it calmed you down," I replied, making him uncomfortable in a different way. Standing up, I said, "Hey, Ruki?" Holding out my hand to him, my lips pulled up in a big smile. I've made my decision! "Do you want to be my friend?" I hope he understands what an honor it is to be called a friend by me. No one else at home had that privilege.

Ruki had confusion written on his face, like the question itself was dangerous. He's likely thinking about the consequences of saying no and the benefits of saying yes. Would I be upset if he said no? Slowly, he stretched out his hand and took mine. "I don't know why, but I do." His free hand brushed his fingertips over his lips, the kiss still fresh on his mind.

My shoulders relaxed. He said yes! That made me all excited inside and a small squeal escaped my lips. "Good! I'm very glad!" I held onto his hand and pulled him after me. Climbing back up the stairs, a large boom shook the house. The storm is here! Large raindrops began to fall. "Don't let go. I'll get us back to the house safely."

Any moonlight that had lit our path out here had disappeared, leaving us in the pitch dark. Only lightening strikes made seconds of light. Ruki held onto my hand tight. We both ran, the rain picking up. It soaked through my dress, making it stick to my body. The both of us were completely drenched by the time we reached the front porch of the home.

The door swung open, and the Mrs. Frowned at Ruki. Her chastising only made it three words. "Where have you—" Her anger subsided into fake happiness. "Oh, Mitsuki, dear. The two of you went out together?" She asked, her eyes falling down to our clasped hands.

I nodded, pulling him closer to me. "We got a bit wet," I said, smiling big at her. That was an understatement. My body shivered from how cold the soaked clothes were.

The Mrs. Pulled the door open. "I'll draw a bath for you two, then. It'll warm you right up," she replied with an equally sweet tone. She led us up to the big upstairs bathroom. It had the only two tubs for us kids. One side was the boys, and the other was the girls. The only thing that separated the room was two large dividers, though many holes had been poked into the paper, letting most of the privacy be obsolete. She left with our clothes after the two of us had settled in the warm bath.

I sighed happily. "This is feels so good, don't you think?" I asked, bending forward to look through the big hole at eye level. It wouldn't be wrong to leave out that most of the kids take cold baths? It's too expensive and time consuming to use warm water. Mine is always nice and hot, and it would stay that way.

Ruki closed his eyes, also enjoying the warmth. "It is, though I'm unsure of how the old lady didn't beat us senseless when we came back in our condition. How do you get away with everything?" He asked, cracking one eye open to look at me.

I held my finger to my lips and winked. "It's a secret. Stick with me and you'll get all kinds of benefits." The Mr. and Mrs. Of the house give me whatever I want, whenever I want. This house belongs to me.

The door flung open, and the two boys stopped, eyes wide. One fled quickly, and the other bowed his head. "I'm so sorry, Mitsuki! Please don't tell them we barged in on you!" He turned on his heel, swinging the door closed behind him as he left.

"I thought it was the just the girls," Ruki started, and he shook his head. "But it seems like everyone is afraid of you here."

Oh, he has no idea. "Are you afraid of me?" I asked, feigning being hurt by that thought. Of course, they're scared of the power I hold over the adults, but they are also jealous that they don't get treated the way I do. If they knew the truth about me, it would terrify them even more, but I hoped that in time, Ruki would learn my truths and not be afraid.

Ruki opened both eyes, surprised by the question, and then he laughed. It made me narrow my eyes in confusion. Why is he laughing? "No, I don't think I am. You're strange, but I'm not afraid," He replied, smiling genuinely for the first time since he arrived.

He should be afraid.

Oh, hush.

"But, Mitsuki, can I ask again why you get away with everything? Friends should tell each other things like that," Ruki said. This time he sounded more excited about the answer. He wanted to know because we're friends? That's an odd concept.

But, I nodded my head. "Okay, I'll tell you." Sitting so that I was comfortable and facing him, I smiled. "The Mr. and Mrs. Of the house are my relatives. Second cousins from my parents or something. Still, my parents are dead, so I'm an orphan, but they treat me like family instead of one.

"How did you parents die?" He asked, stopping abruptly. "You don't have to-"

I giggled and waved my arm dismissively. "Don't worry. I don't mind telling you. My folks committed suicide together." The Mr. had told me about Ruki before he'd arrived. I knew his story involved suicide but only one of the parents did it. "It's truly tragic. They knew we were going to lose everything, our house, our livestock, all of it. They decided to not lose each other. It's kind of romantic if you think about it."

His reaction was to drop his mouth open in surprise. "Romantic? They left you behind."

Is he worried about me? That's adorable. "I know, but they couldn't ask a child to take their own life. So, they sent me here to live with my distant family. I don't blame them. They were weak and the weak don't survive in this world." Father used to tell me that preying on the weak was human nature, because things that are not strong need to be eradicated from the world. That's our job, he'd say.

"Weak? I agree. My father was weak. He took his own life after my mother abandoned us and he lost all his fortune."

He's opening up to me! "See! We're alike! I knew there was a connection between us!" I smiled, watching him yawn. The water had grown cold around me. "Let's go to my room," I said, grabbing a towel to wrap myself up in. Ruki did the same, following me to the bedroom that had been reserved for me. Clothes had been laid on the bed, dry and ready to put on.

There were two beds in this room, but only one got used by me. I sat with him in the other one, kicking my feet back and forth. He looks exhausted. "You aren't tired?" He asked, another long yawn escaping his lips.

"Don't worry about me," I replied, brushing my hand through his damp hair. "I can sing to you, if you want?" He nodded sleepily, barely able to keep his eyes open. My father used to sing one song to me a lot, so I knew the melody by heart. "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy, when skies are grey. You'll never know dear; how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away." By the time I'd finished the chorus, Ruki's breathing had become even, signaling him to be asleep.

My body didn't require a lot of sleep. Since I was a little, my father said I hated to sleep, because I hated to miss a single moment. My stomach growled. That's right, I'd skipped dinner because it looked disgusting. A little late-night snack would be delicious right now. Skipping down to the kitchen, I jerked the cabinet door open.

"No! Please! I said I was sorry!" Marco, one of the older boys, yelled. He tried to escape a lot. As such, the Mrs. Had no choice but to take him down to the basement. There were cells down there for bad children, obviously I'd never been locked down there more than once. Marco planted his feet in the ground, struggling. He's so skinny that the Mrs. Had no trouble pulling along.

Peering into the dark, half-empty cabinet, I sighed. There's no good food here. They need to go out to the market! Settling on a shiny apple on the counter, I sat at the table. My chair had a comfy cushion. That reminded me, I should get one for Ruki. His chair has to be beside mine. My head turned at the sound of the front door opening. Looks like Reina is back!

Reina has a solemn expression, like the others who had to be taken out at night. Her face had bruises and even a slice down her cheek. She's a beautiful girl. Long silky blonde hair and piercing green eyes. Her body was tall, and slender, like a life-size doll. That's why those men like her so much. She's the one who gets to go out the most.

Surviving in this orphanage wasn't easy. Some kids didn't even make it out of here alive, or if they did, they were sold off to rich adults. It's too bad none of them are interesting. Ruki is the first friend of mine. I would protect him as long as he stayed that way. He made me feel strange and excited. It's been some time since I felt this way. Since my father disappeared. He could always make me smile and laugh. My control over this orphanage had all been because of my father's teachings. He would always say that weak humans are easy to control. And isn't that the truth!