Hello again, and thanks for reading! Here is the next chapter of the book! Enjoy!

Just then, Mikayla burst into the room. She dashed to Loke. She stopped at the sight of Jellal unconscious on the ground. "What did you do...?" She asked in shock. Loke shook his head, still a little numb. "I-I didn't do this...Rika pushed him..." Mikayla forced herself to turn her gaze away from Jellal's broken form. "Listen, there's something you should know about Rika..." Loke placed Leon in Mikayla's arms. "We'll talk later. I have to set this girl straight. She needs to know she doesn't mess with a lion's pride." Mikayla started to say something, but Loke turned his back and leaped up on the railing. Rika pressed her back against the wall, in fear that Loke would hurt her, possibly kill her. He glared at her with fiery eyes. "I don't wanna hurt you," He said carefully. "But I'm gonna have to if you don't explain to me what your problem is."

"Loke, you really need to hear this..." Mikayla called to him from below. Loke tuned it out. He didn't want to think his wife was siding with his enemy. Rika just looked at him with scared eyes. "D-don't hurt me, Loke-Oniisan. Please." For a second, Loke almost wanted to back away from her, let her be. But then he remembered how Rika had forced Leon into the water and called on his fury to beat back any sympathetic thought. "What do you want with me? My family? What do you want?" Rika let out a choked sob, and slid down the wall, hugging her knees to her chest. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." She sobbed. "I never wanted to hurt nobody. I just wanted a friend..." Loke looked at her in shock. The girl was crying? What was this?

Suddenly, Loke felt a slight pain in his head. He knew it was Mikayla trying to talk to him.

Loke, please! This is important!

Not now, Babe. I gotta find out what this girl's problem is.

That's what I want to tell you! Come down! NOW.

Loke sighed. He knew that tone. It was Mikayla's "You better listen to me or I'll put my foot so far up your butt, you'll have toes for teeth!" Voice. He gave Rika another glare, and jumped down. "This better be good." He muttered. Mikayla frowned deeply. "Well, it is, and it isn't." She said. Loke wanted to turn his back and ignore her, but something inside him made him stop in his tracks. Marriage must have come with some pretty good self control.

Mikayla took a deep breath. "Rika isn't really evil. She really isn't. Something horrible happened, and, well...it took a major toll on her."

In the Hokusai Residence

Rika jumped up and down on her mother and father's bed. They jolted awake as Rika bounced away. "Rika-Chan!" Her mother said, trying to sound sharp, but beginning to laugh. "No jumping on our bed!"

"But Mama, do you know what today is?" Papa looked up at the calendar and smiled. "Yes, darling. We know what today is." Soon, her twin sister, Karina, ran in, carrying their little brother, Azyr. "CHRISTMAS!" They all cried at once. Their parents laughed and got out of bed. Rika galloped down the stairs to see what Santa had gotten her this year. "Wow!" She gushed, looking upon all of the beautifully wrapped presents in front of her. Her sister and brother agreed that this would be the best Christmas yer. Rika's mother went into the kitchen to prepeare the family's annual Christmas feast.

"Michael?" She called out. "I forgot to get the butter? Could you run and het some?" Rika's father was about to get his coat on when Rika stepped in. "I'll get it, Papa!" She said. Papa grinned and handed her her mittens and hat. "Be careful, Love." He said, as she walked out. She shut the door behin her and breathed in the cold, wintery air. It even smelled like Christmas. Not that she knew what a holiday would smell like.

She headed to the market and went to the butter vendor. He was a chubby man with a kind, round face. "Hello, little one!" He said. She smiled politely, and handed him her coins. He put the sticks of butter in her coin purse. "Merry Christmas!" He called out to her. "Merry Christmas!" She said back. She ran through the snow, which her mother would have scolded her for, on account of it being so dangerous, but what she didn't know wouldn't kill her, right?

"Rika!" A boy called. She turned her head just in time for a snowball to whap her in the face. The boys laughed, making Rika feel a little competitive. Rika knew why these boys teased her so much, her Mama told her it was because they liked Rika too much to say it outright. That was the case with Mama and Papa. Rika smirked and picked up some snow. She melded it into a ball and threw it with all her might. The boy who threw the ball fell to the ground with a satisfying groan. Rika giggled to herself and hurried home.

"Mama! Papa! I've got the butter-" She stopped cold in her tracks. It was horrible.

Everyone.

Why were they on the floor?

Why were they so bloody?

Rika ran to her mother, shaking her to wake her up. "Mama! Wake up!" Tears in her eyes. She switched over to her father. "Papa? PAPA!"

"Then afterwards, she was so full of grief, she ended up killing herself." I finished. Loke's shocked face hurt my heart. "Oh, my God.."

"YOU'RE LYING!" Rika screamed and lunged, her hands reaching for my throat.