A/N: I made up a couple of poems to hold you guys off until I update the next chapter ^-^ I'm hoping, they're good, yeah? I have an extreme love for ALL types of writing, including poetic forms, so... I do dabble in poetry :) Poetry, no matter the form, touches the soul deeply. Whether it rhymes or holds a riddle, or whether it's simple or intricate, it's always such a charming form of writing! I love how, at the book shop I go to, the manga section is right there next to the poetry section! I can go back and forth between the two all I want! ! !

~Bruised Skin~

I told myself "be careful"

I laid low for half my life

Since I was fed a mouthful

Of pain and hurt and strife.

They grabbed my heart, the both of them

And morphed it into a 'better' shape

This way, instead of having freedom

I became incapable of escape.

I was beat and bloody til' I found you

And you looked me over twice

Seeing the marks made on my skin, you knew,

And said my pain would come at a price.

I felt better off with you

Because you let my bruises fade

You grabbed me, kissed along my scars,

And made me unafraid.

~Tender Tin~

Yes I am the tin man

So used to living hollow

I don't know when it began

I've always lived the same tomorrow.

You could call me a robot

Unmoved, unfeeling, unforgiving

A machine stuck in the same spot

Never to reach an understanding.

But when I got to know you...

The tin began to rust

When at first I touched you...

I was reminded that I must

Allow my heart to beat, allow it to remember...

And then I turned from tin,

to something much more... tender.

A/N: And now, because I love my dear peasants and I want to reward all my reviewers and viewers alike, I have something I haven't tried before.

We've looked into Tora's past, his childhood. Now... what about Akari's?

"Okaasan?"

A girl, small, frail even, at the young age of seven stood in the middle of a dark hallway. She wore an elaborate light blue dress that made her light eyes sparkle, and her auburn hair was rolled up on top of her head, pinned there in lovely curls.

"Okaasan!" Her loud call repeated, as she cleared her throat and looked around at the long, seemingly never-ending line of a hallway.

Sighing, when no answer came to her, she shook her head and closed her eyes tightly. "What a troublesome mother! How am I supposed to find her in this HUUUUGE house?" She smiled, opening her eyes and walking through the dim hallway. "Ah, I shouldn't tease about these things... well, I'm just lonely."

"Oi, brat."

The girl did not stop walking, and her face took on a highly annoyed look as her steps quickened.

"Hey! I'm talking to you."

"I don't recall my name ever being 'brat'." She stopped walking, turning her head slightly to look at her older half-brother. "Will you ever learn? It's Akari. Or, I suppose," She placed a hand to her chin, thinking. "Imou...to?"

The taller boy glared, with a tiny smile on his face. It was a look of mockery. "Hm, I guess if I call you Imouto, then you call me Oniisan."

Akari took on a dull look in her eyes. "Wha? No way."

"Then I'll call you brat, and you can just not call me anything. I don't care." He walked slowly towards her, a dark look on his face. When he realized she wasn't backing away, he stopped directly in front of her- bending down to her small height so that he could smirk at her stubborn face. He poked her forehead, harshly, with a finger. She scowled at him. "What are you doing out of your room, brat?"

"What are you doing out of your room, ugly?" It was her turn to smirk as he withdrew with a highly displeased look in his face.

And then- she watched with wide eyes as he raised his hand high into the air, and-

"Ahh!" The little girl stumbled to the floor, a bright, stinging red mark on her cheek causing her wide, silvery eyes to water.

Taking a step over her, her older half-brother continued on down the hallway, laughing the whole time. It was a dark, dry laugh that held no emotion.

"That'll teach you to mess with me. You really are a brat."

Raising a hand, she cradled her cheek and turned her head to stare after his retreated back. Was this the start of something... terrible?

"Ahahaha! You can't catch meeeee!" A ten year old ran through dimmed hallways and through dark wood doors, all the while clutching at something she held in her hands.

Suddenly, she jolted to a stop, smashing into something tall and hard, and fell backwards onto the hard flooring.

"Akari."

She flinched at that tone he was using with her. Uneasily, she looked up to meet a pair of harsh eyes- their shade was an angry platinum.

"A- ha- ha..." She put a hand behind her head, nervously rubbing. "Ohayo.. Otosan..."

"What are you doing?" He glanced up before the question was answered, to see the form that was following her. "Hayate. What is going on?"

"This br- I mean, Akari, took something of mine." He managed to say, before bowing respectfully to Mr. Michiyo and then glaring at his half-sister.

Sighing heavily, Heisuke Michiyo looked at his two children and pressed a hand against the top of his brown, curled locks of hair. He looked stressed, and annoyed, and angry all at once.

Not a good sign... The small girl thought to herself, as she stared up at her father in anticipation.

The yelling after that was stupendously more than it should have been. Of course, he took Hayate's side- again. And of course, Hayate got to have his way with her once her father had finished his fit of rage.

That was the very first day she cried after it was all said and done. The very first time her tears leaked out after her father had screamed until his voice was hoarse, and her half-brother had physically beat her down to the point of the pain being permanently etched throughout her body for the rest of the evening.

The first time...

The first time she cried after they hurt her.

All the times before when it had happened, she forced herself to stay unemotional. She wrapped herself in her own comfort. She refused to cry because of her stubborn nature and the way she couldn't yet properly handle such strong feelings- after all, she was only ten. Feelings were too mature for her at that age.

But now she could feel it all. And it was even made worse now, by the simple fact that she had held it all in for far too long.

If only she was a selfish child. For then, she wouldn't have to suffer so much.

If she just told her mother... if she just complained to anyone who'd listen... she could even talk to the police, if she wanted to.

But she didn't want to cause trouble. It's not like she was scared of being punished for it- Hayate and her father couldn't get to her THAT much... She was just thinking only of her mother. Her mother was oblivious to everything, and Akari had heard that, ignorance is bliss. Her mother should stay ignorant then, yes?

Sighing, Akari looked down at the calligraphy she was practicing, and whispered to herself what she wrote on the white parchment.

"Resilience: the ability to recover readily from adversity."

She nodded her head. She could do that. She could be resilient.

After all, she had handled things on her own so far for many years now. And for the most part- it didn't effect her- it didn't really... It wasn't getting any better, but then again, it wasn't getting any worse either.

And father had less time to yell at her now...

He also had less time for her in general...

After all, where was he now, today, on her thirteenth birthday?

Come to think of it, he always dragged mother along with him too...

So apparently, she was alone. Both her parents were gone, and she was NOT going to spend her birthday with Hayate!

All alone...

"Happy birthday to me..." She whispered to herself, so quietly, it was near inaudible.

Resilient. I can be resilient. I can recover from this loneliness... I can fight the pain... but... my heart hurts.

Slowly, almost invisible to the eye, a tear slid down her cheek. She was quick to wipe it away, getting back to her calligraphy in order to distract herself.

"STUPID GIRL!"

She fell to the floor, wincing as pain shot up her body as she hit the hard wood and her soft skin took the blow.

"YOU NEVER LISTEN!"

Another hit to the face, and she was crying now. She bit her bleeding lip to withhold her whimpering, and it bled all the more.

"Who do you think you are?" Her half-brother sneered, looking at her in disgust. "DON'T talk back to me. Ever again."

The door slammed as he stomped off, and she breathed a sigh of relief, only to gasp, terrified, as the door reopened and he came back.

"Brat." He spat out, kicking her small form once more before leaving again- but he never did really leave. She knew, he'd be back another day.

Why did she talk back? Why did she have to be disobedient? Why was she so stubborn?

Though... despite her powerful stubborn streak... they were slowly breaking her. She had the bruises on her skin to account for that.

She didn't want to break. But the weaker part of herself had already started to form... she was changing.

At that moment, she made a vow to herself. She might be changing and there might now be a weaker part of her, but she would NEVER lose her stubborn personality. It was all she had to protect herself, all she had to fight with.

A/N: Annnnd just for the heck of it... more cute baby Tora as well! :D To help lighten the now darkened mood.

Mrs. Igarashi was having trouble with her young son.

You see, he would not eat his food.

"Now Tora," She pressed the spoon closer to his face, but he just stared at her with wide golden eyes and a chubby face. His mouth was zipped tight. "Eat."

The small child moved, and his mother could swear it, she saw a smirk on his face. An actual smirk!

"Mmmmbb..."

Her eyes widened. Was he trying to talk?!

"Tora? Tora, can you say 'mommy'?" She whispered to him excitedly, crouching down so that she could level with his gaze.

"Nnn..."

"Say 'mommy'!"

Suddenly, the tiny boy went completely silent. In frustration, his mother stood up, folded her arms, and glared at him.

"Well, if you won't talk, you could at least eat your food like a good little boy."

She could SWEAR IT. He was SMIRKING. The almost-two-year-old was SMIRKING.

"NO." He suddenly spluttered out, wiggling slightly in his high chair.

Mrs. Igarashi froze.

She blinked down at her small son, gazing at him with a completely blank stare.

And then-

"EVERYBODY GET IN HERE!" She snapped at anyone within earshot. "MY SON SAID HIS FIRST WORD!"

A/N: In his head, I can definitely imagine baby Tora thinking: 'Jeez, woman, calm yourself. It's just a word.' Hahaha! Yes. Tora's first word was 'NO'. Of course. (sorry I couldn't come up with anything better)

Anywho, hope you enjoyed this short tid-bit of writing and the poetry at the top. :) I'm too busy to spend the time thinking and writing up the next chapter yet, so I just hurriedly typed all this out to help you guys be a tiny bit more patient. (pft. patient she says. pft!)

I know I know, it's hard to have patience. But I promise if you do, I will strive my very best to hand you off a next chapter that will be well worth the wait~

Toodaloo!

CK :*

HUUUGE P.S~ and now, a poem to end this off with. It's a haiku :)

-The Peasant's Demand-

Wait the days away

When another chapter ends

Patience is stupid

Give us the fucking chapter!

Yeah... this is what I think you are all thinking... so I made it into a haiku... it's not exactly what I'd call 'pleasant' poetry, but I find it hilarious. ^_^ And besides, it follows the 5, 7, 5 rule doesn't it?! (except this one goes 5, 7, 5, 7 because there are four lines of it)

Review. Talk to me. :*