Storm Shadow drops the dagger when he sees her finally Under. He stands back, getting off her bed as fast as he can. He fell to the anger again, striking at the only girl to make him care in a long, long time. He looks at Snake Eyes and Duke, the latter glaring at him with pure hate. "It has to be done."

"She might not come back!" Duke shouts at Storm Shadow. Emotions rage inside of the ninja, but it seems only Snake Eyes understands. "She might never regain consciousness, or did you miss that part?! Did you miss-"

The door opens and Lady Jaye walks in with Flint behind her. They both pause, unsure of what to make of the situation as Snake Eyes fills them both in quickly. "So, she's Under? Great."

"Does no one understand that she might not want up?!" Duke yells.

"Hey, I talked to Mina," Jaye says as he begins going towards Storm Shadow. "She said it would make sense and the probability of her waking up is high in this situation." Duke turns to her, holding onto her words. But this is for the white clad ninja, not for Duke. "She said the way Zaltana showed up was too strange. It was like she materialized. No one had ever mentioned her before, not even her best buddy Zarana. She thinks Zaltana might get her memories back by going Under."

Storm Shadow is appeased, sitting next to the blonde. He stares at her hand as Duke and Snake Eyes leave. Jaye and Flint turn on a movie, and they're a good bit into it when Jaye looks over. She kisses Flint on the cheek, tilting her head towards them.

Jaye sits next to Storm Shadow. "You really do care about her, huh?" Storm Shadow is silent for a while before he nods. Jaye takes her hand, surprised at the fiery heat of her skin. "Why did you leave?"

It is a question that floats through everyone's mind, even Snake Eyes. Storm Shadow had never answered it, no matter the approach. He still doesn't answer. Jaye sighs, taking his hand and linking it with hers. "When she remembers, you're going to tell her. No running away, Storm."

"How do you know she will remember?"

Jaye smiles. "No diety or fate is cruel enough to give you someone as amazing as her to only take her away. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy." She leaves back to Flint, Zaltana's hand still in Storm Shadow's. She looks back and smiles as he holds her hand tightly but gently.

Except she doesn't miss what Storm Shadow says to her. "Why did you lie to me about your parents never hurting you?"

"Annabelle! Get down here!" I'm thirteen, living with my family. Hibiki is ten, Hillary sixteen. Lilah would have been eleven. My father is still a drunk bastard, and my mother still pops pills. God, I'm never going to be like them.

I run down the steps. We moved again after dad was dishonorably discharged, finally ending the moves. But he's gotten worse. "Annabelle!" This time it's a snarky voice. I stand in front of them. My mother was once beautiful, but no longer. "There you are. Is your costume ready?"

Since father no longer works and mother's job didn't pay for both their addictions, I have to work. Hillary does too, but she's generally at someone else's house. I refuse to hand my brother over to them like Hillary. I refuse to be like her too. "Almost."

"Finish it quickly!" A hand snaps across my face. But I nod and run back. Mother and father use me to appease their friends interested in younger girls. My newly budding breasts and slowly shaping hips serve them well. They don't serve me well at all. I hate them. But it could be my brother.

Hibiki stays locked in his room. My brother can't turn to his friends like Hillary, but I protect him the best I can from their treachery. I keep him from trying hurt by that big mouth of his. But he cracks open his foot to see me before I go, and I plant a kid on his forehead.

God, don't let them change my baby brother or make him do sinful things.

"Forgive me, Lord, for I have sinned."

"Forgive me, Lord, for I have sinned." The words are soft, barely heard, but they awaken Storm Shadow anyway. He still holds her hand in his, and no one else is in the room. The first thing he notices is the drastic drop in her body temperature, a furnace the night before and ice now.

Storm Shadow rests her hand beside her, knowing he must get up. His eyes catch the bathroom light, and Mina steps out. She dries her hair with a towel. "I thought you would still be sleeping." Her pink hair is flinged back, and she heads to the fridge. "So, I have a simple question to ask you, sir. What is your real name?"

Storm Shadow gives her an odd look. "You only need to know me as Storm Shadow."

"Funny," Mina says, grabbing a glass and making chocolate milk. "I know her type, and her type is people like that Brian jerk. Thomas is nothing like Brian. So, if you're telling the truth about knowing her before, then there is a link between something about the two of you. Just from watching you I can see you aren't very much alike. You don't share looks. So her body remembered something."

Storm Shadow and the small pinkette have a stare down. "She remembers my name." His voice is hiding the insecurities his eyes show.

"Her body," Mina corrects. She comes next to Zaltana, across from Storm Shadow. "But if her body remembers, then eventually the mind will. Don't get your hopes up when she first wakes up." Mina crosses her arms over her chest, staring down with tears in her eyes. "I can't believe he took all of this from her..."

"Why?"

"Because we don't know when she'll be. She could remember being three for all we know."

"I meant why can't you believe? Cobra Commander is a cruel man. If you can call him a man at all."

Mina takes a moment, hesitating slightly. "Commander... He would shove us around, no doubt about that, but he always seemed to have Cobra's beset interests in mind. We were told any and all memories we lost were because it was better for us to not remember them at all than to have a vague recollection. But if what you've said is true, and if she really is remembering, then I'm surprised she hasn't remembered before now. Cobra Commander is toughest on her."

Storm Shadow chooses to wisely ignore the last part of what she said. "He meant that it was better for him that you not remember. Have you met Aron?"

"Yeah. He is definitely her kid and Hibiki's nephew," Mina snorts. "Even has the same pretty green eyes. Is that something all of them have?"

"I have not seen Hillary in a long time. After what she said about Zaltana when we assumed her dead or worse, I don't really care how she is or what she looks like." Mina doesn't ask.

"We'll have to be ready when she wakes up. I have the feeling hell will break loose."

I'm seven years old, kicking my feet in front of me. Mommy and daddy said we have something important to do, and I have the feeling it involves Lilah. My sister hasn't moved in a long, long time, not since one of daddy's last beatings. She took the blame for me when I accidentally spilled all of mommy's medication down the drain when we were getting a band-aid for Hillary.

Mommy has a long bag with her, a cigarette hanging from her mouth. Hillary tried them one time. Mommy just smiled at her, saying she would grow up just fine. It was a little bit after mommy took her medication. Daddy has a beer in hand for what he calls "light drinking" when mommy tries to make him stop before he gets violent. He takes the bag and tosses it into the lake, somewhere deep where a lot of snakes live.

"This is what happens when you don't listen to mommy and daddy, Annabelle," mommy says, putting it to her mouth. "So make sure you, Hillary, and Hibiki listen to mommy from now on." I nod, kicking my feet in the water as the white bag sinks farther underneath until I can no longer see it. Hillary is crying, so I cock my head to the side. Daddy hasn't hit her today. Why is she crying?

"Annabelle!" I snap to attention, my back straightening as mommy takes her medication. I turn my full attention towards daddy. He gestures me to come here and I get up. Hillary begins crying harder, herding Hibiki towards a different area in the water. I go straight to him, and already know what's coming. Daddy takes his whip from the car.

Hillary may be the oldest, but I get worse than she does. I guess it's because I'm a bad girl. None of us had it like Lilah though. Lilah always took the blame, so she got everything. I wonder why she hasn't moved...