Ok, wow, this took me a while to edit, and I'm sure that I missed something. Well, I'm just going to say it right now, I'm not too proud of this fanfic… Yet. This isn't over, it's only the first chapter, but I'm planning on updating soon, I'll try every week to two weeks, it really depends on my schedule. Also, I want everyone that might possibly read this to know three things: This is my first KND fanfiction, so if the characters are (and I'm sure they are) OOC, try to bear with it, I'll write more, and they'll gradually get better. Also, this story was kind of inspired my Linkin Park's song "Breaking The Habit" only not. I had a long debate with myself, and decided that the lyrics will be posted gradually after each chapter, and when the lyrics are done, so will the fanfic. (hopefully). Though this fic. won't follow the lyrics very well, I felt that they portrayed the feeling some-what, just in case I'm horribly terrible. Finally, the third thing (man I talk a lot =^_^=) that I wish to say, is that I will gladly accept criticism, in fact, I believe that that's the whole point of reviews! Although it's fun to hear that you're work is great and that you should continue- Especially when it seems that no-one else likes it. So please, help me to become a better writer and critique me…. Please? Any-who! I guess I'm done talking… For now *evilly laugh as she prepares for her next long speech that no-one will bother reading* Oh, and another thing, the title is a work in progress…

Oh, and I own nada, zilch, and just to set the records straight, Linkin Park and Good Charlotte RULE!

~Butterfly Dust~

Outside, the sky was gray. You couldn't tell where one black cloud ended, and another began, even worse, it was snowing. The ground was littered with white, in the streets gray slush piled high along the curb, and the sound of breaks wasn't uncommon. There was a blue Jeep, which was hurrying to get to Wal*Mart for the tires to get changed to snow tires, at a cheap price. The couple in the Jeep had a deadline that they had to meet- they were going on vacation to Montana for their Christmas break, and they were going to bring their five-year-old daughter, who was currently asleep in the back seat.

Stopping at the red light, they waited patiently for several minutes before the light once again blossomed into a vibrant green color. The little girl, had she been awake, would have screamed in delight at the sight of the color. Moving forward at a slow pace of 30 MPH, the couple and their child began to turn off into Wal*Mart's parking lot, and slowly made their way towards the back of the store. The husband pressed on his breaks when they reached a stop sign, causing the little girl to wake from the slight jostle. She glanced at the red sign, and smiled. She liked red too. The husband looked both ways twice, mostly because those infernal parking lots seemed to delight in sprouting trees or bushes that you couldn't see around. He pulled out of his stop, and began heading, once again, towards the back of the store.

There was a car to their right, who also had a stop sign. It was a red car, and the little girl smiled at it as it sped in their direction, not yet at the stop sign. The man in the car couldn't stop fast enough however, and as he slammed on his breaks, the car slid, and collided with the right side of the couple's car.

Screams were evident as the little girl was thrown to the back of the car; the red car had hit the front on the right side, where her mother sat. Their Jeep then skidded, and collided with a metal lighting pole, causing the glass from the fixture to break, and showering her parents with yet more glass, as the windows had broken in their car. This time, however, the impact had hit on her father's side, causing him to be pushed to his right, and into his wife. The little girl, still in the back, where all their luggage was packed, screamed as her father lifted up with a jolt from her mother and back into his door. She could see red streaming from his temples, and sticky black blood gushed from his mouth. If she would've taken the time to inspect this black blood, she would have discovered that it was really just a deep red. She couldn't look at her father, it hurt her too much, she looked over, instead, towards her mother, who was in much the same condition, except that she convulsed rapidly, causing several flecks of blood to cascade down upon the girl's nearly unblemished skin. Reaching up a hand to cover her eyes, she felt sticky fluid, and wrenched her hand down into her eyesight. She had a gash along the top of her scalp, and yet it strangely didn't hurt. She didn't take time to ponder this as she realized that their car had stopped moving. She jumped back into the seat she had previously occupied, and attempted to shove the door open, but it wouldn't budge. She looked up to see the tip of the red car's bumper smashed into her door, and the man inside the car was sitting limp in his air bag, which was slowly deflating. She cried out, she didn't know this man, but still felt scared for him, and pity, she could almost feel his pain. She then jumped to the left side of the car, and yanked the door open, it soon fell off its already extremely loose hinges, and she stepped on it as she got out. The ground was icy, and she fell as she raced up to the front of the car, to get a better look at her parents.

"Mom? Dad?" She asked, tentatively, although she was yelling it. She glanced at each of them. Blood, that red fluid, marred their faces, making them almost indistinguishable, and dribbled down onto their once beautiful clothes. Her mother still convulsed slightly; showering on-looker that got too close with droplets of thick, red, water-like substance. She then ran to the man, although he wasn't bleeding, except from a small gash; smaller than hers by far, yet still large; on his cheek. She cried then, and tears swept down her face, leaving a small trail as they fell to the earth. As the earth claimed them as it's, and allowed them to mingle with their brother-Blood.

There was an ambulance, several actually, the sound registering somewhere in the back of her mind. She continued to weep as someone picked her up, and carried her towards one of the white cars. She stopped crying then, and glared at it. How dare it be white-Unmasked by that sickly red color, when her parents were caked with it to the point of no return? How dare it taunt her, reminding her of times when her parents and her had been so pristine, so careless? How DARE it?! She was shaking now, not with pain, nor cold, but with anger. How DARE the snow ruin her life, how DARE that infernal color mock her, mimicking her once-perfect life. How dare that color-White, go untarnished like the rest of her life? Why can't it be green? Green was a nice color, it didn't assault your eyes, and it gently reminded you of rolling, grassy hills. It allowed you to remember, without mocking you, or telling you how much better its life was because it wasn't unchanged. Green was a nice color.

She didn't realize her limbs grow heavy from the loss of blood, or her eyes close, ready for a final slumber. She didn't notice as the doctors in the ambulance worked quickly to restore her, leaving her parents as dead, but carting them to the hospital anyways. Neither, did she notice the little boy clutching his father's hand, watching her with awe at how she had cried, not for her, but for the others. It was one of those child-hood links. He knew the pain she was in, mentally and emotionally, and he knew what pain she was in physically, although her mind had tried blocking most of it out through an adrenaline rush.

The little boy watched as the girl's ambulance pulled out of the parking lot, and listened to his father insisting that they needed to go, while tugging at his unmoving body. He could sense that his father was getting agitated, and that if he didn't move soon, something would happen. He didn't care though. That night, he left the parking lot a different person; and he wouldn't talk for months after he witnessed the accident, much to the dismay of his parents. Eventually though, he began to talk once again, he talked so much that his parents soon wished that he would go back to not talking at all.

Amber brown eyes flew open, and a small squeak flew from the girl's pale lips. She glanced out the window-It was snowing. Eyeing the snow with great distaste, she quickly recalled the dream, and began to shake. She was in a cold sweat, and her eyes quivered slightly as she recalled that day. Her hand trembled as she lifted her hand towards her scar. She had a small scar, barely noticeable at the very edge of her forehead.

"Six years…" The girl sighed. She had turned eleven last month, and this month she celebrated a different anniversary. Six years ago on the twentieth of December, she had lost two parents, a stranger, her love for the color red, and her perfect skin. Although that was, if she had to choose, the best thing that happened that day. She fiddled with the scar a little bit, sliding her slender fingers over the memorized bit of deformed flesh. It was a small bump, nothing huge that could be seen by anyone unless they knew it was there. Which, only her grandmother and few other family members did. She stood up, her black hair ratted and tangled, and her bare feet screaming at her for the sudden rush of cold.

Her green nightshirt trailed down slightly past her knees, and her blue and white plaid boxers hidden underneath. She had gotten over hating white within the first two years, and now really enjoyed the color-When used properly. Nor did she mind snow, as long as she was playing in it, and she could see every-one around her was fine. That feat, however, had taken nearly four years to accomplish. She didn't like snow, mind, but she did enjoy playing in it. Walking out of her room, she was about to walk down a dark hall when she remembered something. Rushing back into her room, she picked up her favorite stuffed dog. She had named him Chowder, because it somehow seemed to fit him. He had fur much the same texture as a Russ stuffed toy, only not quite as soft. He was white except for a brown nose that made you want to squeeze it, and black pleading eyes. His droopy ears were a dark brown as well, and he was the type that if the stuffing was taken out, it'd look like a rug (you know the kind, they aren't in one position all the time, it really depends on what you do). She squeezed him for comfort, and then began to walk back down the dark hall towards a door. She stopped in front, and stared at the big number 5 that was painted on the door in red. She sighed, and walked to the next door. It was Numbuh One's door, and she knew what he'd say, but she had to ask him anyways.

Raising a slender hand, she knocked quietly on the door. There was a muffled groan from inside, and a sleepy Numbuh One slowly opened the door soon afterwards.

"Uuugh…. Yes?" He asked with his British accent sleepily. He then looked around and spotted Numbuh Three. "Numbuh Three, what're you doing?" He asked again, slightly awake this time. The girl looked up at him, and then back at her stuffed dog, who wasn't stuffed completely when he was made. She hugged him one more time, and looked back up at One.

"Can… Can I sleep in your room tonight?" She asked timidly, her black hair, still matted, dropped into her eyes so she couldn't see One as he spoke.

"No you may not, and what's all this about wanting to sleep in my room tonight?" He asked, alarmed that she would even ask such a preposterous question. She sighed, knowing that he would say that.

"Never mind, I know what you're going to say when I tell you, I'll just go back then…" She slumped off down the hallway, the stuffed dog Chowder being drug behind her.

"Probably another nightmare… I wish she'd get over those!" He grumbled to himself, and closed the door, stalking off towards his bed, eager for some more sleep.

Three didn't go back to her room though, instead she moved towards Numbuh Two's, thinking that he was nicer, she was sure he'd let her sleep in his room. She knocked on the door, a little more confident. The dog once again within her arm's embrace. She could hear Two fall from his bed as he went to answer the door.

"H-Hello?" He asked. Even in sleep he wore his goggles, she smiled slightly, and looked at him with hopeful eyes. Why hadn't she come to him in the first place?

"Numbuh Two I-" She began but Numbuh Two wasn't listening.

"Oh no, Three, last time you slept in here, I woke up to ruined experiments-I know you didn't mean to," he added, seeing her drooping face ready to argue. "Besides, I haven't got anywhere you could sleep even if I let you. The place is a mess with new experiments and such… I'm sorry, Three…" He closed the door on her, not willing to look at her sullen face any longer.

Her nightshirt rubbed against her knees as she walked, causing her to laugh slightly, she was extremely ticklish on her knees, something only Numbuh 5 knew. Sighing, she looked gloomily at her last chance for even minimal comfort and rest tonight, and possibly tomorrow night. She lifted up her hand, almost forcefully, and knocked. After a minute when he didn't answer, she let out a soft sob, and began to walk back to her room. She wasn't sure if she was relieved, or disappointed.

There was a yawn from behind her, and she turned around, "Numbuh Three?" The Australian accent that belong to the blond boy rang through the air and towards her ears. She visibly slouched as she walked towards him. This meant that now she had to ask him, and she didn't really want to be taunted tomorrow morning about it. "Well? Wha' did ya wanna' ask meh?" His sleepy voice sounded agitated. Not a good sign.

"Nu-Numbuh four? Could…. I, uh…. Sleep in your room tonight?" She asked quietly. The blond boy wasn't sure he even heard it. She took this as him being stunned, and quickly stammered to explain herself. "Well, Numbuh Five's sick with the flu, and she's over at her house, Numbuh One said to go back to bed, and Numbuh Two didn't have room…" She left off the part about him not wanting her to destroy anything, and Numbuh One's answer the last time she had asked him. It would've been the same if she had allowed him time to answer her. Last time he had told her, roughly along the lines, "Numbuh Three, stop being so scared, there's nothing that's gonna' get you… Now go back to bed!"

Four was looking at Three oddly, and then asked, "Why? Did ya' 'ave a nightmare?" He snickered slightly, and she paused. Should she tell him yes and be taunted, or make some other excuse up? She shook her head no. "Well then why'd ya' ask ta sleep in mah room?" He asked her.

"I usually sleep with Numbuh Five, and I can't sleep without someone else in the room…" winter was the only time she really ever had her nightmares. Nobody noticed this though. Four shook his head at how pathetic her request was, then said 'no.' At this, he watched her retreat sadly towards her room, the dog once again trailing behind her. She was barely holding it, and as she passed the rounded red couch (she scowled at it, Four didn't see) she let go, unknowingly. She continued on her way towards her room.

Four looked at the stuffed dog with something akin to Three's look at the couch, and walked up to it. He should return it. But he didn't want to. It would've looked really funny if somebody had walked into the room at the moment. A blonde Australian boy in a loose blue shirt and black boxers just staring at this stuffed dog directly in front of his feet. He stood, staring at it, for probably five minutes, debating on whether or not he should return it, when he finally decided that he should. Picking it up, regretting that he didn't have tongs with him, he walked over towards Numbuh Three's door. Before knocking, he realized that he had grown more since last month. He had had a growth spurt three months ago, last month, and now, apparently, this month as well. He was now slightly taller than the Three painted in the middle of the wooden door.

Lifting up his hand to knock, he heard a sob from the other side. Stopping with what he was doing, he leaned his ear against the door to hear better. Was…. Was Three crying? He hadn't seen her cry unless it was about the Rainbow Monkeys, or she got hurt really, really bad.

Deciding that he needed to know why she was crying, he continued to listen. All he got out of it was something about the color red being disgusting, and that she didn't want to be alone anymore. He felt a pang of guilt at not allowing her entrance into his room, but how was he supposed to know that she really needed someone in the same room as her that badly? Deciding that he heard enough, he knocked on the door. The sobbing stopped almost instantly, and he heard some shuffling.

Numbuh Three opened the door, her eyes a little pink, that was all, and that was easily counted off as being tired. Four looked at her, and then handed back her dog.

"Ahr… Ahr you ok?" He asked, not exactly sure how to ask his question in a way she'd answer. She just nodded, a small hiccup escaped her throat. "Ya sure? 'Cuz if ya wanna' come sleep in mah room, ya can…." He said, his eye twitching slightly. The thought of a girl in his room made him sick, they would ruin his perfectly acceptable room by cleaning it, and insisting on more light. He shuddered, then looked down a little at Three, and saw her nod slightly. She went into her room and grabbed a small blanket, then followed him towards the door with a 4 marked on the front, in red. She scowled at it again, this time Four did notice. "Somethin' wrong?" He asked. She shook her head.

"No…. I just don't like red," Three said. This explained why she didn't own any red Rainbow Monkeys, Four shuddered at the thought of those repulsive, foul creatures. He pushed the door open, and climbed up the ladder leading towards his wrestling ring. Three stepped into the room, and closed the door. But, instead of following Four, she just collapsed on the floor to the right of the ladder, the blanket covering her until it reached three inches past her knees, and the stuffed dog was clasped tightly to her side. She stared up above her, blinking every now and then. She still couldn't get to sleep. This just wasn't the same as it was with Five, she would tell Kuki that it would be ok, using her real name because it seemed to calm Three's nerves. Five didn't know why the girl had nightmares, and never asked, she figured that if Three wanted to tell her, then she would say something. Three never did say anything, to anybody.

There were momentary lapses in her "happiness" known at Kuki-space-out-time, where she would stop smiling, and stare out into space, breathing faster, but not too noticeably faster. People would ask her if she was ok, and she would snap out of it, smile, and then say "Yea, come on! Let's play Rainbow Monkeys!" Or something. She would keep as active as possible, shoving the memories deep into her mind, to be retrieved at some other undesirable time. Her friends all thought that she was just off in space thinking about her next game or something, so, after a while, they would just ignore it. She really wished they wouldn't, because she couldn't snap out of those memories herself. She hated them, she would be sitting on the couch, smiling as Four beat Two in some racing game on PS2 again, and then suddenly, she would be inside that blue Jeep again. Hearing her parents murmur about the stupid trees in the parking lot. She'd try to cry out, to tell them to wait until the red car passed by, but she couldn't talk, and the next thing she knew, she would be the only one alive, standing in front of the broken windshield, and being showered in blood. She could then feel herself cry, she could feel her knees give way as she shook, and she could feel her eyes getting heavier in the ambulance. By now she knew what the feeling was, and she hoped each time that the doctors wouldn't help her. She'd reach out and try to shove, but she couldn't change her memories, and she couldn't change her past.

Suddenly her eyes re-focused on the ceiling above her, and she could feel cold tears running down her cheeks, pooling at the corners of her mouth. She was struggling to breathe, but didn't seem able to. She gasped for air what seemed like an eternity later, and hearing Numbuh Four scuffle over towards the ladder, she quickly wiped off the tears from her face on her sleeve.

"Everythin' allrigh' down there?" Four asked, leaning over the side to look at her. She nodded. "What was tha' gasp for?" He asked. She quickly scanned her brain for an answer.

"I thought I saw a spider," very believable. Four smirked, and walked back over towards his bed. Three just continued to stare at the ceiling. Did Four have any windows? She sat up to see if he did, yes, he did, but it was up there, where he was. She didn't want to go up there while he was awake, so she would have to wait until he was asleep. Four turned on his music, loud enough to where if a serial killer came barging in the room, and the two of the screamed, no one would hear.

Continuing to stare, she watched as the shadows moved across the wood around her, and shivered at the sudden drop in temperature. No matter, Four was snoring now, she could go up and look at the stars. Smiling, she grabbed Chowder and her blanket, she didn't want to get too cold, and climbed the ladder.

Once reaching the top, she glanced around, Numbuh Four was asleep in the ring, so she'd have to be quiet, as she walked towards the window she could hear him mumbling to someone in his sleep, and a snore every now and then. "Dad….. 911….." Four rolled over, and let out another soft snore, then curled up slightly. She had made it to the window, and sat down on the wood floor. It was about a foot away from the edge of the ring, and it was perfect. She draped the blanket around her, and hugged Chowder close, scooting up as close to the window as she could.

The light from the stars reflected off the window, and onto her hair, which was still slightly tangled. Gazing into the universe, with her amber eyes, she felt so small; even more alone, yet comforted. She sat looking at the stars for nearly an hour before her eyes started to close, and she fell silently to the ground.

The grass was warm where she was sitting, underneath a tree that shaded the ground from the snow, and she laughed as her dad picked her up and threw her into the sky, then caught her as she fell back down. It continued this way for several minutes, until her mom pulled up in the blue Jeep. They got in, and her mom scooted over into the passenger's seat so her husband could drive. Kuki frowned. She remembered this scene from somewhere, but she wasn't sure where. It didn't matter though, seeing her parents smile made her smile. She laughed as the light turned green, and began to drift off into sleep, she hadn't taken a good nap that day and was tired. She awoke to a red stop sign. She smiled at it, and in her mind whispered a small 'hello,' she did the same for the red car that was coming on their right side. Her eyes then widened in fear as she suddenly remembered where she had seen this scene last. The car hit the side that her mom was on, and the little girl screamed, being thrown back. She glanced up at her dad, and winced, she then turned to look at her mom-

"Kuki, honey, you drifted off for a couple minutes," her dad was saying. She laughed as he lifted her up and threw her into the air. It went just like her dream, though she didn't remember, until just before she had awoken last time from her dream, she didn't awake this time. This time she experienced it all, and woke up in a hospital room.

"Mom? Dad?" She asked, looking around her. There was a man in a white coat that came in to check on her. "Where's my dad? And my mom?" She asked. The doctor frowned, and looked at his clipboard.

"Is your last name Sanban?" He asked, she nodded. "Miss. Sanban, I'm sorry to inform you but, your parents died in the car crash a couple days ago." She experienced a flashback up until her dad caught her the last time before getting into the Jeep. Her eyes started to cloud up as black formed around the edges of her eyes.

She was in the park again, and the grass was warmer than before, how long had she been sitting here? It didn't matter. Her dad came up to her and lifted her into the air once again. She laughed like before, and he caught her, throwing her even higher than the last, she laughed again, but when she looked down, her dad was crumpled on the snow, bleeding out of his mouth and temple, turning the snow a snow-cone-like red. She screamed as she hit the ground, and began to shake from cold, and the sobs that wracked her body. She couldn't hold back her tears like she had for the past six years now.

She couldn't fight the dam that had been slowly swelling as each day passed. He was gone, and so was her mom. She couldn't do anything to help them, and she suddenly felt exposed to the snow, she couldn't stop shivering, and the sobs became desperate attempts for her body to choke herself. She wanted to die, it felt so bad. Six years, and she still hadn't gotten over it. Six friggin years, and she could still feel the pain in her head, the stab to her heart as she watched the airbag deflate, taking the man down with it. Claiming him as it's own. She could feel the jolt to her heart as her mother's blood began to spray her, and her father's handsome tie that she had given him for Father's Day became stained. The sobs choked her, once in a while allowing her to breathe, but it wasn't enough. For the first time she needed breath, but didn't want it. For the first time her wish to simply not exist was granted. She lay shaking in the snow, her father's blood running around her, but not touching her. Still sobbing, with her eyes leaking, she sat up, and looked at the blood, it had formed a heart around her. Crying harder, she stood up, and ran towards her father. She reached down, and lifted up his tie, while still looking at him. Rainbow Monkey tie… She had been obsessed the second they came out. She looked him in the face, his eyes were still open, and blood trickled from one of them slightly. She reached her hand up, and closed them, blood now saturating her hand. Standing up, she began to run to the parking lot, where her mother was now parked, honking the horn.

She flung open the door, and sat on the right side like last time. Her mother scooted over to the passenger's side, and turned around to smile at Kuki while she fastened her seatbelt. Her mother's face formed a lop-sided smile; blood began to dribble down towards her purple skirt, and splotched her white shirt. "We love you Kuki," her mom said, "Always remember that, ok?" Her mom said. Kuki nodded her head, the sobs still wracking her body. Her mother fell forward, and she screamed again.

Sobs doubled their attempts to squeeze the life out of her as her throat started to constrict. She could feel her body begin to go limp, when she felt a sudden push on her rib cage. She looked down, nothing had happened, but, there it was again. She looked around her, and saw her world begin to fade. The last thing she saw was the blood in the shape of a heart beginning to run down hill, smearing the heart slightly. Her world was now gone, but she was there, she could feel the pressure on her ribcage again, and this time it hurt, causing her to cough, and making her throat open back up, but the sobs still didn't allow her breath. She was happy this way. Again, the pressure. She looked around, there was no one around her, it was all white, and then the white started to fade. The pressure on her ribcage began to comfort her, and she could almost breathe now. She could feel air eluding her, and knew that if she could just wait a little longer that it would rush in to meet her flaming lungs. What was she thinking- wanting to die? The white receded again, and with each pressure she felt on her ribcage, it reduced a little.

Finally, she could see around her, tears still streamed down her cheeks, and she was freezing. Looking around, she realized that she was in Numbuh Four's room, the music still going on loudly. But, why was she near the window? Last she remembered she was down by the ladder. Then it hit her; she came up to look at the stars, and had fallen asleep. She gasped for air, wondering if she had gone without it during her dream. She glanced at where Four was sleeping, wondering if she had woken him up, but he wasn't there.

"Three, ya k?" She heard Four's voice behind her, and turned around.

"Did I wake you up?" She asked, not needing an answer, she continued, "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry Four! I didn't mean to! I just had a really weird dream, I'm sorry!" She didn't bother explaining that not only was it weird, it scared her. She had forgotten all about the fact that she had dreamed the accident before experiencing it, in real life. She once again fell into a talking fit, sobbing slightly again, but she refused to let it damage her speaking abilities, "I'll l-leave now, ok," she began to pick up her things, when she heard Four speak.

"Actually, Ahm glad ya woke me up," He stated, she looked at him quizzically, not caring that he could see her tears. "If ya hadn't ah woken me up, you'd be dead, and tha's not somethin' Ah'd like ta go through," he explained, trying to smile, but failing. The music was still playing, but it wasn't as loud now as it had been a while ago.

Still looking at him, she asked, "so, I really stopped breathing? That wasn't just part of the dream?" She asked, he nodded, and looked away towards the stereo. "But…. Wait…." Her eyes widened as she realized that she had woken him up somehow at some point in time, and then when she stopped breathing, he had saved her. "I didn't know you knew CPR, Four," was the only thing that could come to her mind at the moment. He seemed to flush slightly, but she couldn't tell. "How did I wake you up?" She asked, hoping that she hadn't been sleep talking. She really didn't want him knowing about her dreams or her personal life.

"Ah turned the radio on snooze, so it was quie' in the room. Then ya began ta scream…. I didn't want ya ta wake the others up, so I turned the radio on again-They're used ta it, do it all the time," he looked at her. "Wha' were ya screamin' 'bout, Three? I nevah heard nobody scream like tha' from a normal nightmare… Actually, Ah only heard someone scream like tha' once," he added. He could see Three's face still streamed with tears. And every now and then her body would shudder from a suppressed sob. But, once asking about the dream, he noticed that she sat a little straighter, and wiped at the tears of her cheeks with an over-sized sleeve. Her body still shook slightly every now and then, but she was doing a rather good job at disguising it as being a shiver from the cold.

"It was just a dream, I've never had that one before, and it kinda'…. Startled me," Three confessed. She clearly heard Four's snort of disbelief. "Look, unlike most people, I usually have the same dreams over and over, ok?" She failed to mention that it was mostly during winter that this happened. "Anyways, thanks Numbuh Four, I'll never be able to repay you," she stated, a little flatly, as she grabbed her dog and blanket, and quickly ran back into her room. Once there, tears ran freely.

That whole stupid dream had brought a realization to her. It was her fault. She had dreamt what was going to happen before it did, but was too young and stupid to realize that it was something that she shouldn't forget right away. She also had that feeling of déjà vu when she entered the car. Why hadn't she remembered?! She was so fucking stupid!

"AAAAACCCHHH!" Kuki screamed as she felt the urge to punch, kick, maim, anything. She felt the impulse to lash out and cause intense pain on something. But she couldn't do that, she couldn't hurt someone or something if it wasn't their fault. No, it had been her fault. Not entirely, she knew. Who would have listened to the silly qualms of a five-year-old claiming that they were gonna' die? But the least she could've done was warn them, remember the dream, and tell her dad to wait until a red car went by before going. Then, if all else failed, scream, kick, cry out, until they did. She could've gotten her way in the end; she had been spoiled; though she wasn't a brat.

She walked over to her door, and punched it. She continued to punch it until she could hear a definite crack split the air. Sighing, she inspected the helpless door, and noticed that there was a crack from roughly the middle of the door, to the corner of the door handle, and a smaller one leading up towards the top of the door, though it didn't make it even half-way. Opening her door, she inspected the outside. It was in much the same condition. Frustrated at herself now, she closed the door, and walked back into the interior of her room.

She glanced around at all the happy colorful monkeys that looked down at her, unblinkingly. The wooden walls that were plastered with Rainbow Monkey posters, and the occasional My Little Pony poster, were seemingly unwelcoming now. Her bed was in the shape of a giant brown teddy bear, which was also piled with stuffed animals. "This is it? This is me life?" She asked the still walls. Her sleeves covered her hands as she went to tear down the Rainbow Monkey posters. She made her way around the room and towards her dresser. She looked at the mirror, and smiled. Around the mirror were pictures of her friends, all having a good time. This was the life she wanted, the one that had captured her smiling so widely, such a true smile. But deep down inside, she knew it wasn't completely true. She had never smiled right since six years ago, six years ago in four days.

Looking around the room, she picked up the posters that littered her floor, and made to go put them outside. She would donate them to a charity or some such later on, but until then, she had cleaning up to do. Walking into her room once again, she began to pick up the stuffed toys she could part with, and left only a few. The few that were left were her dog, Chowder, the first ever Rainbow Monkey she had received, from her parents on Christmas (it was green), a large stuffed white tiger, and a stuffed animal that served as her pillow when she slept. She was putting her Rainbow Monkey stuffed toys and such outside, when it hit her. If she went to sleep, she might have a dream like that again, and she might start screaming. That would wake people up, and cause them to get angry with her. It would also cause them to pry into her personal life, something that she feared dearly. After throwing the plush toys out the tree house, she picked up the phone, and a phone book. Dialing the closest charity she could find, she told them to come and pick up the large donation she was making quickly, and to not ask for anyone when they came to pick it up, she would like to remain anonymous.

Walking to her bedroom, she once again felt the over-powering urge to hit something. She glanced around her room, and settled for a wall, something that wouldn't break easily. She ended twenty minutes later, feeling much better, although her hands weren't. They were covered in splinters from the wood walls, and were bleeding, there were also bruises showing. This was good, because picking out the splinters would take the remainder of the night, and she didn't feel like falling asleep. She then thought that she'd have to be careful not to show her hands to anyone, they might think that she was purposely hurting herself. This wouldn't be good, because it would lead to questions. Well, at least it wouldn't be too hard to hide them, what with her overly large sweater covering her hands and then some.

~*~ Four's P.O.V. ~*~

She had been crying, I could tell from the way she cast a look around the room when he asked why she had gasped. I then smirked at her reply, only to humor her. I knew that she wouldn't want me to know that she had been crying. Instead of causing her the pain of creating more excuses for her sobbing, which I'm not entirely sure was because she felt alone, I turned on my radio, then pressed the snooze button. By the time the music turned off, they'd both be asleep, and she wouldn't worry about me knowing that she cried at night. Mumbling, I flopped myself down in the middle of my wrestling ring, and soon fell asleep.

There had been an accident in the parking lot, and he had witnessed all of it. He had felt his bones turn cold as the two cars collided, making a sickening crunching noise, and his heart skip a beat as he realized that everyone was dead. He was about to hang his head in remorse, when a girl, no older than he, jumped out of the car. There was a huge gash along the left side of her forehead. It went from the middle of her forehead all the way to the tip of her left ear. He could see the pain in her eyes as she stepped on the car door, and he knew that she was biting back tears of pain as it was, although she didn't know that she was. Her brain had conditioned her to only think of the well being of her parents as her body frantically tried to reverse the damage done to her body.

"Dad! Call 911! She's alive!" He asked of his father, who was yanking out his cell phone. His dad was the first to call, and Wallabee Beatles felt a sense of pride at this. It quickly diminished, however, as he saw that the girl was loosing color rapidly.

He watched as she ran along the icy road, around the now bent light pole, and slipped. She fell to her knees, and with obvious effort, she hoisted herself back up onto her feet, once again running. She ran around to the front of the car, and slid a foot or two until she was off-center from the shattered windshield that she was staring into. The blood from her mother sprayed her, and he noticed as her heart stopped beating for several seconds, he was afraid that she was going stop breathing and faint. He, of course, would be able to help her, he had taken CPR lessons in his swimming class last summer, when he was five. But, instead, she simply cried out "Mom? Dad?" She knew they were dead, but like everyone, still held on to hope. It was then that she glanced and saw the man in the red car. She ran to him, and glanced through his passenger's side window.

Shaking her head no, she collapsed onto her knees, one sticking out at a strange angle, and began to cry. He was about to walk out to her, when his father's hand clasped his, and another man went to pick the girl up. He watched as she continued to sob, and then suddenly stop, only to give the white ambulance a scowl that didn't fit her pretty features. He blinked…. Did he just think what he thought he thought? Shaking his head, he continued to watch as the ambulance pulled away, and the girl's eyes opened once again before the door was closed. The doctors had successfully brought her back to the realm of the living.

His father was yelling at him to go-No, his father was screaming. He was screaming like that little girl had…

My eyes flew open, and I quickly registered that Three was screaming. Before I got to her though, she had stopped, and instead was laughing. I cursed, something I don't normally do, and turned on the radio once again. I didn't want the others to wake from her screaming. They could handle my music, they had gotten used to it blaring at all hours of the day or night over the past four years. Dashing over to Three's side, I watched as she caused a full swing of emotion. First, she was happy and smiling, then she looked perturbed about something, but seemed to shrug it off, smiling once again. I could hear her whisper a 'hello' two times, and then she screamed again, and thrashed about madly, almost hitting me in the chin. If this girl ever gets angry, I don't want to be on the receiving end. I could take her, but still.

I quickly reached for her shoulders, to try and wake her, but then she calmed down once again. This time, instead of just letting her lay, however, I picked her up, and set her in my lap, where I could easily monitor her. Nothing was going to happen to her, and I wanted to make sure of it, after all, she's one of my best friends. She then began to cry into my shoulder, she was asleep, so I didn't know what to do. I mean, you can't really comfort someone, and tell them it'll be alright when they're asleep.

She continued to cry for a while, and then stopped. She just sat there for a while, and after a couple minutes, she began to laugh, again. What kind of dream was this girl having? I looked at her, puzzled, until she began to scream again, she writhed in my lap, and I had to wrap my arms around her back in able to keep her from hurting herself.

She then sobbed. I had never seen so many tears in my life, and that included the time when my aunt had accidentally cut off her thumb. Man, I've seen a lot of things for my age. Pushing this thought aside, I noticed that she was also shivering. Casting a look around my room, I found her blanket, and quickly grabbed it, placing it around her. She still shivered however, and I began to worry.

The tears soaked her shirt, and she started to turn a slight shade of blue. My eyes widened in fear, she couldn't breathe! What was I supposed to do?! Her sobs doubled, and her face moved from slightly blue to white, God she was so cold. She went limp in my arms, and I panicked. I couldn't just let her die! I put her down where she had been laying when I first found her, and cast a look around the room. I almost hoped that someone else had woken up, someone who knew what to do better than I did. There was no time though, damnit!

Leaning over her, I clasped my hands together, and pushed on her ribcage three times, counting in my head. I then leaned down, plugged her nose, and placed my mouth over hers. I had to suppress a shudder from her cold. I breathed into her, and then resumed pushing on her ribcage. One..Two..Three.. Plug nose, breathe, and again. I did this for some time, and started to get frustrated.

"NO! DAMNIT! You're not going to die on me Kuki!" I shouted, this time I pressed harder, a little too hard, and I heard her cough. I sighed with relief, but when she still didn't breathe, I began to worry once again. One..Two..Three, plug nose, breathe. Damnit! Why wasn't this working?! "Kuki! Wake up!" I yelled, more to myself then her. I continued like this, and I could see her eyelids open after a while. She was alive, but still not breathing. One..Two..Three, plug nose, breathe.

Her eyes flew open, and she sat up. She was now in front of me, and I held my breath. She glanced around my room, at where I had been sleeping, and she suddenly gasped in for air. Then, as she glanced around the room once more, I could tell that she was looking for me.

"Three, ya k?" I asked, my voice sounding weak to my ears.

"Did I wake you up?" She asked, I tried to answer but she continued, "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry Four! I didn't mean to! I just had a really weird dream, I'm sorry!" She exclaimed, looking very upset. I once again made to answer her, to tell her it was alright, but she continued to talk., sobbing slightly, "I'll l-leave now, ok," she began to pick up her things, but I interrupted her.

"Actually, Ahm glad ya woke me up," I stated, she looked at me quizzically, not realizing that I could see the tears that were streaming down her cheeks. "If ya hadn't ah woken me up, you'd be dead, and tha's not somethin' Ah'd like ta go through," I explained, and then tried to smile to reassure her, but I was always horrible at things like that . The music was still playing, but it wasn't as loud now as it had been a while ago.

Still looking at me, she asked, "so, I really stopped breathing? That wasn't just part of the dream?" She asked, I nodded, and looked away towards the stereo. I didn't really want to relive that again, it was one of the scariest moments of my life, "But…. Wait…." Her eyes widened as she realized something that I don't think I'll ever be able to pinpoint, "I didn't know you knew CPR, Four," was the only thing that she said. Was this about the CPR? Oh man, I remember laughing in that class when they said that it was called the "kiss of life," for obvious reasons. I flushed, realizing what had happened, and hoping that she wouldn't notice. "How did I wake you up?" She asked, fear in her eyes. This puzzled me.

"Ah turned the radio on snooze, so it was quie' in the room. Then ya began ta scream…. I didn't want ya ta wake the others up, so I turned the radio on again-They're used ta it, do it all the time," I looked at her. "Wha' were ya screamin' 'bout, Three? I nevah heard nobody scream like tha' from a normal nightmare… Actually, Ah only heard someone scream like tha' once," I added. I had only heard a scream like that once before. That little girl… I watched as Three's face, still streaming with tears whitened a little, and every now and then her body would shudder from a suppressed sob. But, after mentioning the dream, she sat a little straighter, and wiped at the tears on her cheeks with an over-sized sleeve. Her body still shook slightly every now and then, but she was doing a rather good job at disguising it as being a shiver from the cold.

"It was just a dream, I've never had that one before, and it kinda'…. Startled me," Three confessed. I snorted, knowing that it wasn't just from a different dream, there was something else she didn't want to tell me, and damnit, I was going to get my answer eventually. "Look, unlike most people, I usually have the same dreams over and over, ok? Anyways, thanks Numbuh Four, I'll never be able to repay you," she stated, a little flatly, as she grabbed her dog and blanket, and quickly ran back into her room.

I stared after her as she ran out of the room. So it wasn't that she just didn't want to be alone. She had been having dreams like these before, and had turned to Numbuh Five for comfort. Seeing as Five wasn't here though, she had turned to everyone else, I felt pity for her, and ashamed that I had turned her down the first time she had asked to sleep in my room.

I sat for a while, wondering if I should tell the others about her nightmares, but then thought better of it. One would scold her, and tell her to grow up, and Two probably already knew, seeing as she hung out with him more than any of us when Five was gone, and even if he didn't, I didn't want to tell him, he would probably try to cheer her up in all the wrong ways. Plus, I don't think she'd forgive me for telling everyone about her nightmares, Five obviously hadn't said anything. Anyways, growing up wasn't what she needed, not with nightmares like that, anybody who screamed like that in their dreams obviously wasn't just dreaming about the Boogie Man.

There was really only one thing that I could do-Talk to Five. Sighing, I turned off my radio, and lay back down in my wrestling ring, when I heard pounding, and a loud crack. Groaning, I got up, and climbed down the ladder, then opened my door in time to see Three close hers. I walked up to her door, and saw the crack, she must've been punching it…. That was definitely not the normal Three behavior, that happy-go-lucky, space-out Three that they all adored. I could hear her muffled voice say "This is it? This is my life?" And then there was the sound of paper being moved around, she must be taking down her posters. I stood and continued to listen, then when I heard her feet shuffle along the ground towards the door, and quickly dived out of her eyesight. She was carrying her posters outside of the tree house, and dumping them. Being confused, I decided to wait longer and see what she was doing. After a while, she started carrying out stuffed animals as well, this took her several trips to accomplish, but when she did, she stopped at the phone, picked up a phone book, and skimmed through it until she found what she was looking for.

"Yes, Wishing Star foundation? I would like to give you some stuffed toys and posters, previously used, but you can't tell. Yes, please come pick them up quickly, the address? They're at-" There was a loud crashing noise, most likely a cat tipping over a trash can. "No, just pick them up, I wish to remain anonymous." She then hung up the phone and walked back into her room. So, she was going to donate her stuffed toys to Wishing Star, for those kids to use? That was either incredibly nice and unselfish of her, or completely stupid. I corrected myself, donating for others was never stupid, no, it was more like, she was either being unselfish, or she had lost herself. I prayed silently that she was just being unselfish. I could hear pounding again, only it was comeing from deeper within her room. She must be punching the wall, I sat up, and walked back into my room.

It was a while before I could fall asleep again, and she had taken up most of the time I sat up with her pounding on her wall. I hoped she didn't wake the others up… I would have to check her hands tomorrow, the wood on the walls wasn't exactly the best thing you could do for yourself.

Yawning, I flopped down on my side, and fell asleep. I only had an hour or so more to sleep before One would come in and wake me to make breakfast. Since Five was gone, I was runner-up, I had known how to cook since I was six, that's when my parents finally got the job of their dreams, and where constantly away on business trips. Being alone, (my parents were so naïve in thinking that a six-year-old could take care of himself) you kind of had to learn how to cook for yourself.

One stepped out of his bed, his bald head shinning in the little light that came through the thick curtains. His brown slippers trailing along the floor as he went to go brush his teeth. His sweat pants and sweatshirt were scrunched up at his elbows and knees. Opening the door to the bathroom, he glanced at himself in the mirror, he'd have to take a shower as well.

Walking back out of the bathroom, he grabbed his usual clothes: A red turtleneck sweater with dark blue jeans. He then trudged back into the bathroom. Placing his clothes on the back of the toilet, and placing a towel over them, he took off his clothes and banished them to the dirty clothes hamper, then turned on the water. Steam almost instantly collected itself on the mirror and any other glass surface in the room. Stepping inside, the water coursed down his body, ridding him of dirt from the mission he had been on yesterday: Taking Five home. Man, she had been sick. After washing he head, he got out, and grabbed the towel, patting his skin dry, and then put on his clothes. He opened the door slightly to allow the steam to leave the room, and then walked back towards the sink.

Picking up his toothbrush, he placed a glob of Aquafresh and began to brush his teeth. After three or so minutes, he spit out the toothpaste, and rinsed his mouth out.

"There, that's better," he announced as he placed his toothbrush back inside a drawer, and then walked out to grab his sunglasses. He then walked down the hallway towards Numbuh Four's room. Since Five was gone, Four would have to cook.

Knocking on the door, he could hear Four grumble about needing more sleep, and then answer it. "Four, could ya cook breakfast?" One asked. Four couldn't refuse, last time One had tried to cook the tree house had almost caught fire, and the only reason it didn't was because Three grabbed her cup of water from the table and threw it at the fire, which quickly diminished.

"Yea…. Fine, but tomorrow get Two or Three to cook, I'll be too tired to move," Four said, and then grumpily closed his door to change. He grabbed a black hoodie, instead of his signature orange one, and pulled on his blue jeans. He hastily put on his socks, and walked out of the room, his hair could be messy if it wanted to be, he was too tired to do anything about it.

Walking into the kitchen, he grabbed some eggs from the fridge, and then a pan from a drawer next to the oven. He was going to make eggs, and if anyone had a problem with it, then they'd just have to starve.

Two was the next person up, and he wasn't too happy either. "Geeze guys, think you made enough noise last night? Between you and Three…" Two trailed off as he yawned. Four stiffened a little bit, and then decided to ignore this comment.

"Yea, that reminds me, did you two get Three asking to sleep in your room last night?" One asked. Two nodded, and Four continued to make the eggs, pretending to be absorbed in it. "Man, those nightmares of hers are getting out of hand. She should know the difference between reality and fiction now," One continued to complain. Two nodded his agreement, and both looked to Four to see what his response was, but they didn't get one. Shrugging, One just sat and waited for the eggs to be ready to eat.

It seemed that Four was the only one that didn't know about Three's nightmares until last night. However, he was also the only one at the table that knew they were more than just a little girl's imagination getting the better of her.

Three didn't want to leave her room, she didn't want to go outside and greet the day, today was the day that would mock her. Mock the fact that she almost had the chance to see her parents, and mock the fact that she could've saved them in the first place. It mocked that she shouldn't have this grief, and it was her fault.

Sighing, she turned over in her bed, and then decided she'd better get dressed. She needed to ask Two something.

Pulling on her black pants and green sweater, being sure that they covered her hands, she then brushed her hair, and stepped out into the light. Turning, she entered the kitchen, where she could distinctly smell eggs, and sat down across the table from everyone else.

"Two, can I use your computer for a little while? I'd like to check my Citi Card account," she asked. She then turned her chair a little so she could see Two easier. He swallowed his eggs before answering.

"Sure Three," he said, and continued to eat. She smiled, thanking him; he just nodded. She was about to get up when a plate of eggs landed in front of her. She looked at them oddly, and then turned to see Four staring at her.

"No thanks, I'm not hungry," she whispered. She was ashamed that she had cried last night, and he had had to save, like he always seemed to have to. Now, thanks to last night, she couldn't even sleep without someone else's help. Not that she could in the first place, Five had helped her sleep last time, but that was different somehow. Four shook his head at her.

"No, you need to eat something," he basically ordered her, she sighed. Picking up a fork, she quickly shoveled a couple bites of eggs into her mouth, and swallowed, barely chewing. She then placed her fork down, and shoved the plate that was still over-flowing with eggs away. She wasn't hungry this morning. She then jumped up before Four could say anything, dashing towards Two's room.

Shutting the door rather quickly, she continued to run to the computer. She then turned it on, typed in Two's password, and clicked the internet icon on the desktop. Once the homepage was done loading, she typed in , and then typed in her account and password.

She had logged into her account, and was checking to see how much money she had, when Two walked in.

"Hey Three, why'd you leave the table so soon?" He asked. She shrugged, and continued to look at her account, in slight disbelief. She knew that she got money for her birthday, but that was a lot. Two walked over to her, and after glancing at the screen, whistled. "Wow, How're you gonna' spend two hundred?" He asked. She then smiled.

"Well, if I told you, you'd have to come shopping with me," grinning, she logged out of her account, and bounced off towards her room. She then threw the door open, causing the crack to grow a little. At this, she frowned. She then glanced around her room, and found her jewelry box, opening it, she pulled out her school I.D., along with her Citi Card. (ok, just so people know, a Citi Card is just like a debit card, only more fun and cooler, but you have to use it under credit for some unknown reason). She then raced out of her room, glancing around the living room her eyes met with the red couch, and scowled at it. One and Four were in there talking, and Two was still in his room. "Hey guys! Guys!" She stopped talking and waited for them to acknowledge that she had something to say. They did, and she continued, "I'm gonna' go shopping with some money I've gotten, so, if anybody wants to come along," she smiled, knowing that they wouldn't. It was just so fun to ask them though, to see their reactions.

Just as she though, One grimaced, and Four looked mortified. "Ok-" she stopped to yawn very widely, and continued, "-Well, I'll be back before dark, and if you really need to reach me, I'll be at the mall," she finished, and walked off to grab her bike and chain. She yawned again, and turned around to say "good-bye," when she ran into Four. "Four? Sorry, I didn't know you were there," she said, if she had been looking him in the eye she would've had to look up slightly. She was about to go down the ladder that led to the snow below the tree house, when Four interrupted her.

"Ah'd like ta go with ya," he said, which caught Three off guard. She looked at him.

"Umm….. Ok…. Well, go get the chain for your bike, I'll see you at the bikes," she said, a little distant. She really didn't want to go on a shopping excursion with him, but she had invited them, so she couldn't say no. Climbing down the ladder, she landed in thin snow. Not much to it because the ground around the tree house was protected by the tree above her. She walked over to the bikes, and got hers ready to go. The mall wasn't much more than a couple miles away, and they could ride there along the side-walk in the park, instead of along the streets.

"What are you doing Numbuh Four? You know she's going to look at all those girly stores!" One screeched at Four as he came strolling into the living room, his chain and lock in his hands.

"Well, didn't ya see tha way she kept yawnin'? I don't think she got any decent sleep last night, an' Ah don' want her to hurt herself while she's ridin' that bike on the snow," Four explained patiently to One.

"No…. I think you have a crush," came Numbuh Two's voice from inside his room. Four turned red, and balled his hands.

"AH DO NOT! TAKE THA' BACK!" He yelled down the hall towards Two's room, he could hear chuckling coming from within, and decided that he'd get Two back later. Right now he had to ride his bike to the mall. He cringed at the thought of going into those Rainbow Monkey stores, and then realized that he was only riding with her there. They could meet each other in the food court at a designated time. His mood lightened slightly as he realized that this meant he didn't have to go into those crudy girl stores.

Three waited for about ten minutes, and then heard yelling from inside the tree house. She strained her ears, but only heard Four's accent; she couldn't make out any of the words. After a couple of minutes, she could see Four climbing down the ladder, his blond hair now combed back into the bowl cut that he made look so good. Swinging her leg over her bike, and placing her hands on the pedals (careful of the screws that kept her bike basket attached) she waited for him to get onto his bike.

Several seconds later, they both started into the park, Four behind Three slightly.

~*~Three's P.O.V~*~

It was so cold out, and the wind lashing into my face didn't help me warm up any. We went down a hill, and the wind seemed to lick at my bones, causing me to sneeze and take my sight off the path in front of me. It was involuntary, and I couldn't help that my sneeze had forced me to look down, wincing slightly.

The second my eyes were closed, I could hear the screeching of tires, and the honk of a horn. Memories flooded back like they always did, they seemed to never tire of their sick joke. My bike slipped out from under me as I heard the crunching of metal on metal, and screams. The bike was on top of me, and Four was attempting to pick it up. I glanced over his shoulder; my eyes locked on the sight in front me.

He didn't seem able to lift the yellow bike off; my left leg was entangled in one of the tires. Pushing him aside, I yanked at the bike roughly until it came off, still looking at the scene before me. My leg was bleeding slightly, and my jeans were torn, but they didn't matter. I could feel tears start to slowly form behind my eyes as I looked on. Coming to my senses, I jumped up to my wobbly feet, and jogged towards the wreckage, Four in front of me already.

This was a semi-deserted road, but there were houses around, and after less than half a minute, a small crowd had accumulated. Four and I seemed to be the only two brave enough to enter the scene of the wreck. I felt disgusted. None of them bothered to help, none of them wanted to move from their firm position- each acting as if vines had suddenly shot up their legs, and dribbled sap on them until they were glued to their still positions.

Walking over to the left car, I slid the door open easily, and glanced inside it. There was a small baby in a car seat that was crying, and a male that looked to be in his thirties was sitting in the front. He was dead; I could tell when I first glanced at him. There was blood dipping from a deep gash along his collarbone, and his hands had bits of glass planted in them. I climbed into the car, and checked on the baby. It had been a head-on collision, so the baby was seemingly only rattled. I knew that I shouldn't move it, in case it would damage him any more, but I did anyways. I couldn't just leave a crying baby there, and walk away hoping that he would live. I would never be able to forgive myself, and I'd feel shallow with a stone heart the rest of my life.

Gently moving the baby from his properly set-up baby carriage, I placed him in my arms, being sure to support his neck and head. "It'll be ok…. Shh… It's alright," I looked down at him as I continued to say something to calm him. There were no signs that he was hurt, which was hopefully a good sign. After a while, the baby stopped crying, and I crawled out of the car backward on my knees, while holding the baby firmly in my arms. I imagined myself to look like a straight-backed munchkin walking backwards. This brought a slight smile to my lips, and as I smiled, I noticed that the baby did too. "There now, see? I told you it would be ok," I stepped out of the car and onto the asphalt.

Four didn't look to be having as easy a time as I did, his car had held a family going, or coming from some destination. He had pulled out three bodies, two of which were obviously alive, but unable to move, and the other looked to be unconscious. He was working on the fourth one when I walked up to him. Placing the fourth body, which looked to be a sister of the one driving, he glanced up.

"Here, take him, I'll get out the driver," I handed him the baby, and began to walk around the car to the lady behind the wheel. Four looked at the baby in mild surprise, and then back up at me as I opened the door, looking at the red-haired lady. She was breathing, which was a good thing. "Ma'am? Ma'am, my name is Kuki, me and my friend are here to help, if you could just open your eyes and allow to get you out of the car," I whispered, knowing full and well that if I spoke any louder, the woman's ears might've hurt. She tried to flutter her eyes, and I smiled. "That's alright, that's good enough, now, I'm going to unbuckle your seat-belt, and walk you towards the rest of your family, so, it may hurt. Remember though, it'll be ok." I cringed at how fake I sounded. She wouldn't be able to tell the difference in my voice in her state however, so I continued to talk to her, not much louder than a whisper, as I unbuckled her seat-belt, and draped her arm across my shoulders. I attempted to lift her legs out, but they were too heavy. Sighing, I attempted this from another angle. Her arm still wrapped across my shoulders; I slowly inched her off of her seat and carefully onto the ground. She let out a soft grunt, and I cringed, afraid I had hurt her. I wrapped my arms around her front, securing my arms under hers, and locking my hands together behind her back; I then lifted her carefully off of the ground, but not very far, and her feet drug along the ground a little. She didn't seem to take notice. I moved her next to the rest of her family, and carefully lay her down.

There was a sob to my immediate left, and I looked down to see the face of an eight-year-old boy with black hair, who's eyes were shut tight, and his mouth scrunched up as he tried not to make too much noise. I looked at Four, who was holding the baby and attempting to ask the other lady if she was all right at the same time. Standing up, I walked over to him, and took the baby, then walked back to the boy. I sat in a cross-legged fashion, and held the baby closely to me as I lifted the boy's head and placed it in my lap. I then positioned the baby so that he was nestled in between my legs and the boy's head; the baby laughed at this, causing the boy to smile slightly. Looking around, I noticed that the other two children had passed out from the pain, and the lady next to me couldn't open her eyes. Four was still talking to the other lady, who was now in hysterics, he was doing a good job at assuaging her fears that the medics would get there soon however, so the lady was slowly calming.

The boy whimpered again, and I frowned. I didn't like seeing this poor boy in pain, so I did what I could to calm him, and sang. It wasn't good singing, especially in my own opinion, but it would have to do.

"Dancing bears, painted wings, things I almost remember, and the song someone sings. Once upon a December," I hadn't gotten much farther than that when the boy's face slackened, and his breathing evened out. He had either blacked out, or was asleep. Either way, I didn't want to leave him there, so I continued to sing, and when I stopped, I realized that the ambulance was pulling up to the wreck and carrying people towards the sanctuary of the hospital. They came and got the boy from my lap, and the baby that was again bordering on tears. Sighing, I looked up, and met Four's gaze. It hadn't occurred to me that I was crying, and at that moment, when my gaze met his, I knew that he was looking at me, and not just the tears. Wiping the tears off my face frantically, I stood up. My knees hurt like hell, but I ignored them, and walked a little shakily towards my bike. So much for shopping.

.