The Cradle Will Fall

By Katia-chan

A/N: After a great delay, here is chapter 3!

I blame the terrible hell that is midterms, and apologize for delays in story and writing back to people whom I owe e-mails dearly. Yes, Adi, I am taking up your policy of public service announcements to avoid neglect.

I think this is going downhill however, because this chapter represents the state of my brain, disorganized, scattered and. . . written in black ink? Yes, every last one of you has permission to shoot me now. I'm taking applications. But I hope you like this anyhow, and please show your caring by reviewing? I'm withering here. . .

Disclaimer: Too busy, no time. . . but it's still not mine.

Enjoy!

XXX

Hush, little baby, don't say a word

Mama's gonna buy you a mockingbird

If that mockingbird don't sing

Mama's gonna buy you a diamond ring

If that diamond ring turns brass,

Mama's gonna buy you a looking glass

Children tease; it's what they do. They say unkind things, but they are children, so it doesn't matter. The harsh words sit and sting for a little while, and then are forgotten when the next game of tag begins. If the child being teased tags their former attacker just a little too hard, the vengeance is accepted and life moves on.

Teasing does not bother Kisa. She has her friends, and lots of people who like her. Sometimes they say mean things to her, but she is too kind to care. The words bounce off and she continues to laugh and smile. The other kids are never truly horrible, just thoughtless. She is mature enough, even at this young age, to realize that what they say doesn't matter. She knows who she is, and that she is a valuable person. If she ever manages to forget this, Hiro is there to remind her.

Of course, she thinks, smiling, he would never tell her that in so many words, but she knows he means it. So, with all of this around her, how could she take any teasing seriously?

If she ever does, she can run home and tell mother about it. There is always a pair of arms waiting to hold her, and someone is always there to listen. She can feel safe, and she can know that when they sing the little nursery rhyme. . .

Sticks and stones

May break my bones,

But words will never hurt me,

That is true. Nothing can hurt her.

She wishes she could still pretend that it doesn't bother her.

The kids got older, and they learned how to sharpen their words to puncture through her smiles and shrugs. They have found the true pleasure in sadism, and now the teasing is not friendly or thoughtless. Now it is meant to cause her pain, and it does.

Sticks and stones. . .

She wants so desperately to forget all of them. It would be so nice to be able to just run and hide. Even if she couldn't get away forever, just for a break, just to catch her breath. She wants to go tell this to Hiro, but he's thrown in his lot with the rest of them. He's never mean, oh no, he's far too dignified for that, but he doesn't talk to her, he won't even look at her. She approaches him, and he looks strange, pale, and makes an excuse to leave. It isn't even usually a good one. She bites her lip hard when he does this, because she is sure that he hates her and is just too grown up to say it in such a petty way. She just wants someone to understand.

Sticks and stones. . .

And she's given up trying to tell anyone about it. She is too nervous around Hiro, and even mother is no longer safe. She could tell her, could spill out all the misery, but what would mother think? She has always told Kisa to be strong and stand up for herself. Could she stand the thought that her daughter disappointed her? Kisa is afraid to test this, because she can see the tiredness in her mother's face. If she disappoints her again, maybe her mother will end up like Momiji-kun's mother. Maybe she will finally give up on her and go away. That would be terrible. So it's safer not to say anything to mother.

Sticks and. . .

Even if she could work up the nerve to tell someone, mother or Hiro, there is still even that tiny part in her that is afraid, for Hiro especially, to involve them. She got hurt last time, but what if it wasn't her this time? She couldn't bear that. It would be awful.

And broken bones. . .

The words stick in her throat, glued there with the fear, and she's too tired to force them out. It's much easier not to use them. The other kids use them enough for her anyway. They don't want to hear hers, so she'll let them have that privilege. It's just too hard, and they're older now, so the teasing does matter. She can't solve this through a game of tag. . . the games just got a lot more costly.

And words will always hurt you. . .

XXX

A/N: Please. . . ? For my sanity?

TTFN

Katia-chan