Shattered Past

By Kitty-Kris

Chapter 20: Epilogue – To be Nastasha Hiwatari

"It is time… Come forth, my brothers… Come forth and witness as we once again regain our light… Come forth and watch as it takes down the Dark Ones once and for all… Come, my brothers… and witness the reawakening of the Blinding Light…"

"HEY NAAAASSTYYYYYYY! WAKE UP!"

Nasty snapped her eyes open and yelped in surprise as her two best friends jumped on her "WHAT!" she blinked down at them both, her clueless expression suddenly changing into a death glare "WHAT THE FUCK'S WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE! IT'S SEVEN AM!"

The girl grinned at her "Which means you only got about half an hour before we leave for school…"

The boy nodded "That and you could be a bit more considerate towards us… We did wake you up and if it wasn't for us you'd miss your first day of school."

"CONSIDERATE! FOR THAT? Are you crazy?" she whimpered and laid back down, covering her head with her covers "Fuck school, I'm sleeping for some time more… Goodnight!"

A growl sounded from above her "NASTASHA HIWATARI! YOU GET UP RIGHT NOW!"

"Nope…"

"Damien? Would you be so kind as to-"

"Certainly love…" he winked at her and picked up the other girl from her bed.

"MEEP! PUT ME DOWN! WHAT ARE YOU-! Hey, HEY! NO! NOT THAT! NO! NO-!"

"Hehe… time for your morning shower!" he dropped her in the bath tub and turned to the other girl grinning widely.

"Enjoy…" the girl laughed as she turned on the tap.

"ROMANA YOU BITCH! ACK! TOO HOT! TOO HOT!"

"Wakey wakey then…" she chuckled "I'll get your uniform ready…"

Damien chuckled and turned the tap around, making the water come out cold "Grr… Oh… fresh… nice…" the young girl sighed in bliss and removed her soaked blue pj's. "Hum…"

Greetings and welcome to my life! My name's Nastasha Luna Hiwatari, but everyone calls me Nasty. I live with my dad- no, actually I don't… not exactly anyways… I'll get back to that, just a sec… I live in your typical suburban suburbs with my cousin living in the house in front of mine.

"Hey Nasty! Your uniform's ready. But there's something odd about the skirt… I don't think it was meant to be so short…"

Meet Romana Magnolia Jurgen, Rome to those who want to keep their limbs and live.

"Well the Earth wasn't meant to be round neither…" she yawned "And guess what? It is!"

Rome scolded at her "Nasty…"

When you look at her you might think she's some kind of freaky punk or something. Well, let me tell you, she ain't. You probably know her, everyone around here does, even if just by sight. Ya know, small town and stuff… She's got crimson eyes, a nice tan which I'd KILL to have and long purple hair in an eternally existent ponytail, her front bangs dyed red. My uncle makes her wear it in a ponytail all the time God knows why. Though he's not too happy about her bangs nor the eyebrow piercings she got over this summer. Though my aunt likes them a lot! Yes, them, piercings, as in, not only one. She's got two piercings on the same eyebrow and it looks so cool! Meeh… she's so pretty… Anyways, besides this, she always wears boyish clothes though always with a feminine touch somewhere… though normally that "feminine touch" is nothing more than those large golden earring hoops she wears all the time or her black choker. Main rule: No skirts. Which is why she hates the school uniform. White shirt, blue tie and dark blue pleated skirt, hers reaching her knees, mine reaching my mid-thighs (I don't like skirts that happen to be any longer than that so I had to make a couple of changes to me skirt… hehe…).

Herm, as I was saying, there's more than it meets the eye about my dear Rome… oh yeah… You see punk, you think she's irresponsible and dumb and stuff and then you get the most down to earth girl you'll ever know. She's really smart and great to have around 'cause I know I can always count on her to take me home when I'm drunk or to bare with bitchy me when Daddy comes home drunk or doesn't come home at all. But that's another story…

Damien yawned and eyed her lazily, his gaze lingering over her pale, creamy slender legs. Now if only he could- He cleared his throat "You know, you're supposed to be done by today…"

"Shut it Bee-Head, I'm enjoying myself!" She stuck her tongue out at him and shook her hair, taking a sponge from behind her "Now make yourself useful and wash my back!"

"Sure sure…" he chuckled and took the sponge.

And here he is! Damien Sirius Raven! My best bestest pal! You could say if I was the chips, he'd be my ketchup! I'm lousy without him! He's another one of those people you look at and judge, judge, JUDGE! Without knowing him definitely cause you wouldn't treat him like trash if you knew him. Damien's the best guy you'll ever find; in any way you look at him. First of all, he's really hot, with his dark, dark blue hair, a really nice tan (why am I the only whitey freak here? -...-) and those gorgeous chocolate brown eyes… Besides the physical part, he's nice, he's sweet, he's funny, he's great, he's everything to me, he's my best friend. And he gets treated like some freaky abnormal outsider by everyone else but me, Rome, Darien and our closest friends and family. Why? Because he's got a "touch me and die" façade towards strangers, because he wears black clothing most of the time (and eyeliner and black nail polish… hum…), because when he doesn't wear all black he wears yellow as well (which is why I call him Bee-Head and Bee-Bee and stuff) and here's the main reason why others like to push him away: He's got a boyfriend and he admits it to anyone. That's right. Damien Raven, the hottest guy in school is gay, he accepts and admits it and what does everyone else do? Treat him like dirt. I've kicked a lot of asses on account of that. What else is left for me to say? Oh, right, he always wears his black and yellow cap. And I mean ALWAYS. Even when he sleeps. Seriously.

Rome sighed and looked her cousin up "Are you ready yet?"

"Almost! Hn… D, where's my bra?"

"NASTY!" Rome blushed ten shades of red "You don't just ask a guy where your bra is!"

She gave it a thought as she pulled her skirt on "Right… you check their pockets before they try to take it with them for a souvenir, I know that. But Damien here's one of us girls, aren't you Bee-Bee?"

The purple haired girl shook her head at her cousin "You're impossible… Now come on, we're gonna be late!"

Damien grunted and tossed a bra at Nasty "Yeah, hurry up… Darien's already called asking where I am…"

Oh… did I forget to tell you? Darien's his boyfriend… Funny ain't it? Damien and Darien… sounds cute… And it is cute! Their first names are really similar and stuff but they look nothing alike and they're complete opposites! Darien hangs out with the three of us too but sadly, lately it hasn't been too common since he's a senior student now and therefore has little time for us, mere juniors. Though I know he always gets enough time to be with Damien… he's not as hot as him, but he is not too far behind… oh Hell no… He's got blue eyes, he's really, really tall and has creamy smooth skin and long blond hair… which is also really smooth. He's like- well, he's anything but- Gah! HE'S SO FREAKIN' DIFFERENT FROM MY BEE-BEE!

Herm! You're probably wondering how I know this creamy skin, smooth hair thing… Well, Damien is my best friend… so yeah, he tells me everything. And I really mean everything… though normally he's either drunk or hyper… Which is bad. Damien has a drinking problem… he has great endurance, but still… if you ever see him walking in circles, ask him to stand on one foot. If he calls you an idiot, everything's fine, he's probably looking for something he dropped or whatever. If he tries and falls, pay attention to this: Run. Run far away and DON'T LOOK BACK!

For example, on our last Christmas dinner he decided to tell me about his first time with Darien (yes, he'd had a few drinks by then) in front of all my family and Darien himself too… With full details… And then he laughed for a good five minutes while we looked around in awkwardness. The best part was when he puked on my uncle's carpet (Yeah, it was at their house on that time. Good thing Daddy wasn't there or he would have banned me from seeing Damien for sure…) much to it's owner's horror. Uncle Robbie fainted and started asking for his axe and drinking almost as much as Damien had drunk, which was scary as Hell. Rome and Minx were carefully stepping away from him and pulling an unconscious Damien out of the room just in case. Poor Darien was about to kill him and my dear Bee simply laughed as his boyfriend lectured him about privacy and stuff like that… And he wonders why uncle Robbie can't stand him…

But either way, I know can always trust Damien with my life, my own dignity even. Which is great. And weird… sometimes I feel so comfortable around him it scares me. Like a while ago for example. I was naked in the shower, with him seeing me and all, and I went and asked him to wash my back like it was the most natural thing in the world. It freaks me out I swear. I actually feel more comfortable with him than with the other girls from my gym class. Weird…

Nasty stuck her tongue out at them and proceeded to braid her dark blue hair. Well, part of it anyways since she had it styled in a weird cropped way which made it look like she had it short and spiky at the sides, with just some in the back of her head in two long braids when in reality most of it was long. It was dark blue at the back while her bangs were slate, accentuating her sapphire blue eyes and pale complexion. "Okie, ready! Let me just feed Yoyo…"

Damien growled "Nazz… come on…"

"It's just a few minutes! Go on ahead, I'll meet you outside!" she ran out of the room and went down the flight of stairs, turning left into the kitchen, where she proceeded to open a cupboard above the fridge, taking a package from inside, flinching when something brushed her leg. "Woo…? Hey there Yoyo!"

The white furry rodent chirped and climbed up to her shoulder, squeaking softly. "Hungry are we? Hehe…" she walked to the counter and opened the package, placing some acorns in a clean plate and leaving it on the floor next to a bowl full of water "Bye Yoyo, take good care of the house!"

Yoyo! My dormouse! I love her so much! Daddy gave her to me over two years ago so I wouldn't feel so lonely since he's always working and stuff. She's pretty big for a dormouse, about the size of a small cat and also an albino, so unlike normal dormouses, she's white, her eyes pinkish red and shiny… she's really puffy and so sweet! Well to me anyways… she seems to hate everyone else… Herm.

"NASTY! We're gonna be late!"

"COMING!" Nasty ran out of the kitchen, getting her backpack from the living room and her rollerblades from behind the front door. Outside, her cousin and their friend awaited, Rome on her own rollerblades and Damien on his skateboard, eyeing her with distaste "We're gonna be late!"

"Yeah yeah… I've heard you the first ten times! You're just upset 'cause you won't be able to snuggle with Darien before our first class…" she chuckled and kept her sneakers inside her bag, fastening her blades and quickly joining them "Race?"

Rome pouted at her "Race my ass! I'm not getting tired because of that ever again! You only ask us to race cause you know you win… somehow…"

Nasty grinned proudly "Well it's not my fault I'm so athletic and fast and wonderful and-"

"Modest?"

Nasty glared at him and her cousin as they chuckled at her "Har har…" she stuck her tongue out at them and proceeded to glide away slowly "Hum… can't wait for winter… stupid heat wave…" she yawned "Stupid school…"

Rome chuckled and caught up with her "Which teacher should we terrorize this year?"

"I say we wait to see who we got… Last year we didn't and ended up terrorizing a nice teacher during our first term…" Damien sighed "So let's wait this time, hmm?"

"Yeah… but he forgave us…" Nasty nodded to herself "Which was really nice of him…"

"And we changed targets afterwards!" Rome added "Hmm, I wonder if Miss What's-her-name has retired yet…"

Nasty chuckled and got in front of them, skating backwards "Well if she didn't, we'll make her have an early retirement…" she winked at them.

"You're truly impossible…"

"HEY NASTYY! FOXY LADYYYYY!"

The said girl sighed and looked over at her current boyfriend, who was running towards them "Hi Vick…"

"Why hello bella! Romey! Hey there D!"

"Hi!"

"Yo Vick…"

Meet Victor Flavian Giancarlo. My current boyfriend. After spending all of his miserable life sucking up to me I finally felt sorry for him and accepted to be his "Foxy Lady" as he calls me… You're probably wondering why all the "excitement"… Well, I can't say I'm too happy. I mean, he's hot, really nice and stuff, and even though he's a bit eccentric and goofy he's nice to have around. But he's such a drag… I am not putting up with him for much longer… First chance I get and I'm going back to good old single status and one night stands! Now that is the life!

"So tell me bella, how was your summer?"

"Hot."

He blinked at her "Hot?"

"Yeah, I almost had a heat strike or whatever you call it…" she nodded.

"But this summer wasn't too hot…"

"Well to me it was. You know I don't like the summer. Except for that no school thing of course… But I try to stay as close to air conditioner and ice-cream as possible and stuff."

Vick rose an eyebrow at her "Weird…" She looked him over. His blond hair was shorter than the last time she had seen him and that had been two days ago. His blue eyes were bright and shiny as usual and he also seemed a bit darker "I see you went to the beach…"

"Heh! I was starting to wonder when you'd notice! Don't I look so hot?" he grinned.

Nasty rolled her eyes and turned to Damien "And you say I'm egocentric?"

He smirked "The fact that he is doesn't make you less egocentric…" he laughed and skated away from her.

Nasty seethed and swiftly glided after him "COME BACK HERE AND FIGHT ME LIKE A MAN YOU WASP!"

Rome sighed and shook her head "Would you two quit it already?"

"NOT UNTIL I KILL HIM!"

"WHOA HELP!"

She was about to roll her eyes at them again when a nice looking convertible stopped not too far from her. A familiar looking convertible. "Good morning princess!"

Vick grinned widely "NIGEL! Wassup man?"

"Hum, hi Vick…" the said boy jumped off the car and approached the purple haired girl, leaning in for a kiss. Rome however pushed him away and frowned at him in distaste "Where have you been during all of last week?"

He let his shoulders slump down "Traveling? I though I had told you that… Now is this anyway to greet your boyfriend?" he grinned sheepishly.

A voice from behind him answered his question "Yeah, if he's an asshole…"

Nigel didn't even turn around "Hello Nastasha… had a good summer?"

"Why yes… since you weren't around too much… Can't say Rome liked that much though… I think you owe her an apology…"

He smiled "Right… I was just about to do that. I'm sorry love…"

Nigel Michelangelo Dubois… Rome's boyfriend for the past three years. I can't say I like him much… he takes advantage of the fact that Rome really is in love with him. So he goes around messing things up and fucking around. Literally. The only reason I don't tell Rome this… is because she might do something stupid… she's way too happy with him, she loves him way too much. Don't know why though. He's hot, sure… shoulder length green hair, blue eyes… nice body… and not a lousy lay, definitely not… Yeah, he got me too. But I have an excuse! I was drunk! He took advantage of me. And he got a nice shiner for it too.

He looks just like his brother Oliver, but he's the exact opposite. While Oliver's nice and stuff he's treacherous and mean. Seriously, I don't know what Rome sees in him… And the fact is I should tell her about what he's been doing… but I just can't… I couldn't stand to see her cry over him…

Rome smiled and blushed slightly "Juh huh…" she looked up shyly and closed her eyes as he kissed her softly, causing Nasty and Damien to gag and Vick to glare at them in jealousy "How come you never let me greet you like that?" he pouted.

Nasty stuck her tongue out at him "'Cause it's mushy and sappy. Now you two quit sucking face and come on!"

"Yeah yeah…" Nigel clicked his tongue in annoyance and got back into the convertible "Wanna come with me love?"

Rome blushed, but after looking over at her cousin's expression she merely shook her head slowly "Hum, no I er… need to talk to them… er, see ya in a while?"

He sighed and bit his lower lip "Fine… bye."

Nasty glared at him as he drove off, turning back to her cousin afterwards, who was also glaring at her "Ok, that's it! You're gonna tell me what you got against Nigel and NOW."

Damien sensed danger in that subject and so quickly tried changing it. So, he hissed at them "Would you too quit yapping already? And over him of all things too… WE'RE LATE!"

Nasty sent him a thankful look and quickly glided away as fast as she could along with her cousin and him, leaving Vick behind. "HEY WAIT FOR ME!"

(O)(O)(O)(O)(O)

"Miss Hiwatari, am I boring you?"

Nasty yawned dramatically and blinked at her teacher "Boring me? What makes you think so?" she smirked.

Rome sighed 'Here we go… WHY can't she behave for once?' she looked over at her other friend for help to find him with his arms crossed over his chest, his head jerked and his cap hiding his eyes. Damien . was . asleep… Again… She sweatdropped 'Typical… Some things never change…'

"Well you were daydreaming apparently…" the teacher continued, narrowing her eyes at the bluenette

"Well you weren't too interesting anyways…" she mimicked her.

The woman gaped at her and sputtered "HOW DARE YOU DISRESPECT ME!"

Nasty grinned. She was on a rampage now and this was going to be fun "How dare you make me snap awake! I was having such nice thoughts… and I was about to fall asleep too…" she snickered "'Cause you see… unlike some people apparently," she eyed her teacher daringly "I do like to have my beauty sleep any time I can…"

"OUT!" Damien jumped at the shrill, looking around dumbfounded "Huh?"

Rome rolled her eyes and pointed at Nasty as she shrugged and packed her things, ignoring the weird looks from the rest of the class, Damien's smirk and her cousin's glare as she went down the stairs, exiting the classroom.

'Woo, new record… I got kicked out right on the first class of the year!' Nasty yawned and went into the library, looking around 'Hum… now if only Darien was here- Oh! Speak of the devil!' she smirked "HI DD!"

"Hiwatari keep it down or else…" the librarian warned.

"Yeah yeah… hey book worm!"

A tall blonde, sitting in a far corner rose his head to her "Hmm?" he frowned at her and in no time his blue eyes went back to his book, uninterested in her presence "Weren't you supposed to be in Mathmatics with Romana and Damien?"

And finally, here he is… Darien Draco Mortensen, Damien's boyfriend… dreamy, ain't he?

She stuck her tongue out at him "Shouldn't you be snuggling with Bee-head?"

He eyed her unamused and got back to his book again "No, he's in class now. And again I ask: Shouldn't you be there as well? Oh, wait, let me guess… another one of your tantrums and the teacher didn't like it. You should seriously consider growing up you know?"

Oh hail the great all knowing God… Darien the Great I-Know-Everything-And-You're-Miles-Away-From-My-Intelligence…

Yeah… DD thinks he's superior to everyone… he kinda reminds me of uncle Robbie, Rome's Dad. My uncle adores him by the way. Says he's a true gentleman. Just like the ones from the "old times". Adding of course how most boys nowadays are uncouth and filthy pigs with no manners, hinting at Damien while he's at it, who by "coincidence" normally happens to be either laughing madly (or uncouthly as he says) at something on TV or something I said or fooling around with me and Rome which ain't too couth neither considering the kind of stuff we do. Pillow fights, popcorn fights, dirty jokes, role-playing… Hilarious, really.

Now why does my uncle like him you ask? Because Darien's what he calls a decent, nice man… really polite and stuff, really intelligent, a book worm, calm and thoughtful… and the number one reason: he's our school's Chess Champion. Uncle Robbie nearly died in joy on that day. I think the image of his face when Darien smirked and said calmly "Checkmate" to Nikita Gorbachov or whatever will be scarred in my mind forever. His lips got into a huge, face ripping grin, his eyes were rolled up so much he resembled one of those druggies who look like they're experiencing nirvana and he actually hooted. Robert Jurgen, AKA I-am-the-meaning-of-couth actually hooted like a hooligan. It was- disturbing. Though I don't remember him even saying a lame "Very good Nastasha" when I took my netball team to victory on the last Nationals.

No… Darien deserves a weird adoration display and a party in his honor and everything for winning a game I always beat him at (of course Darien made me swear I didn't tell this to anyone. He has- things he can use against me… Grr…), but not his uncouth, rude niece… You gotta love him… Even Daddy was actually nice to me and took me out for dinner and to watch a movie that day… Hum… we had caviar and tartar beef… My favorite!

"Hmmm… Nope." He narrowed his eyes at her when she once again stuck her tongue out at him, then giving her a measuring look, frowning at her sudden smirk "See something you like?" she grinned.

'Oh, in supermodel mood are we?' he smirked "Yes, could you pass me that book please? It does look interesting…"

"Wha- !" Nasty fumed. She had "Center of the World" syndrome, and being put aside for some book did not please her. Of course Darien knew this well. Hence why he had a huge grin on his face "GET IT YOURSELF YOU FUCKING LAZY ASS!" she spat.

"HIWATARI GET OUT!"

She stared at the librarian dumbfounded "How the fuck did you know it was me?"

The woman cringed at her language "Simple. You're uniquely impossible, rude and loud. NOW LEAVE!"

The bluenette growled and left as the blonde behind her snickered and shook his head "When will she learn…"

Nasty walked along the corridors, muttering under her breath and kicking any random objects she came across with "Stupid- woman… stupid Darien- stupid teachers stupid school stupid…" she growled.

"Heeee- llooo…" she rose her eyes and gaped at the boy in front of her "Wha- ? You too?"

He nodded and stifled a yawn "Yeah, Miss It's-My-Period didn't like me sleeping during her ever so fascinating explanation about the- er… what were those graph things again?" he yawned, tears showing in the corner of his eyes.

"Functions Damien, FUNCTIONS…" she sighed "Guess she'll be our victim then… Oh yay…" she rubbed her hands in satisfaction.

"Whatever… She sent me out for you by the way… Says she wants us both in the principal's office…"

"Whoopee…"

"So you were kicked out too huh? That's nice… Smooth start for a fresh new year indeed…" a disappointed voice sounded not too far from them.

Damien frowned at him "Spare me the lecture will ya? Hn…" he looked around casually "I'm hungry…"

"As usual…" Nasty chuckled "Well sorry, but it's still a few hours till lunch time…"

"Fuckity fuck then…" he suddenly smirked deviously "I know! We'll go to the principal's office… you distract him with your flawless sex-appeal and that'll give me the chance to raid his little bar-fridge-thingy…"

Nasty mewled "Not a bad idea…" she laughed.

Darien sighed at them "You two are impossible…"

His boyfriend promptly smirked "Yeah… ain't we?" he grinned "And you're crabby and looking needy…"

He blushed lightly "Don't be uncouth Damien…"

I think uncle Robbie would have made that "Oh my, NIRVANAA!" face now if he was here…

Nasty gagged at them "For Cripe's sake! Just make out hardcore already and do it fast so we can go say 'hi' to our principal… and take his Kit-Kats of course…"

Darien couldn't even complain about her speech, because Damien quickly grinned and jumped on him, kissing him passionately for a few moments and stepping back chuckling lightly "Ok, now I'm happy! See ya later big boy! We'll save some for you!" he winked at him and walked away whistling casually.

The girl sighed and turned to her flushed blonde friend who cursed at himself inwardly "What? Are you gonna tell me you didn't like it?" she grinned mischievously.

He glared at her "Don't you have somewhere to go to?" and with that he turned around and stalked back to the library.

She chuckled and quickly caught up with her friend, wasting no time before starting to discuss their plan.

(O)(O)(O)(O)(O)

"Hum… who knew good ol' Snider would actually have booze in his office…" Vick eyed his friends' latest conquest with big shiny eyes.

"An' gewd booze tah boot!" Damien nodded hungrily as he drank his third can of beer, all the while eyeing a yellow bottle not too far from him.

Nasty shrugged at them and grinned at a big box in her hands "Meh, I'm just happy about the cherry ice cream! Yum…"

Her cousin promptly took the ice cream from her "HELL NO! You know very well what happens when you eat ice cream! So no ice cream for you!"

"WHAT!"

"You heard me! You can have Kit-Kat's, M&M's, Maltesers and whatever candy you feel like and even some beer or whatever, but NO ICE CREAM!" Rome said with a final tone, handing her a Twix.

Nasty growled and tossed the chocolate back into the box "No fair!" she eyed Damien "What are you drinking?" she widened her eyes at the empty bottles laying beside him.

He grinned at her "Hum… Artic Vodka… lemoneee!" he chuckled and poured himself another generous glass of the drink.

His best friend squirmed as he gulped it avidly "Ooh… I want some too!"

"Nasty…"

Nigel sighed and wrapped his arms around his girlfriend's shoulders "Leave her be… Think of it as a Goodbye Holidays party!"

Rome sighed "Fine…" she leaned back into him, unwrapping the Twix Nasty had refused previously "Guess I'll have to drag her back home drunk and tuck her in as usual…" she grumbled as Nasty reached for another bottle, this one with a clear liquid, golden flakes floating on it's surface. "Oh man, not that…" she whimpered.

Her cousin grinned "Man, what does that guy do in his free time? There's more stuff on that mini-bar than at the supermarket! Gold Strike!" she opened the bottle hungrily "Who wants some?"

Vick glued himself on her "Me!"

Damien hiccupped and grinned at her, suddenly cooing at the bottle in her hands "Oh looky, it has gold zingies floatin' 'bout… How cyuteee! Awen't we cyute? You'll take me flying 'way an Ah'll be happy ever afta'… Hehehe… Yes Ah will! Yesh Ah will, won' Ah nowa?" he tickled the bottom of the bottle and made weird kissy sounds much to everyone's horror.

Rome's eyes were about to pop out of their sockets "Er, no Gold Strike for Damien… He's had enough alcohol to knock out an elephant… Not to mention he's starting to scare me…"

He blinked "I am?"

Nasty nodded "Three glasses of Artic Vodka, five Smirnoffs, four cans of beer and half a Baileys' bottle. I think it's enough. I'm surprised you're not clinically dead with alcohol poisoning by now…"

"Shaddup, I'm vine!"

She sighed "Stand on one foot."

"Humkay…" he rose his left foot "Weee! Sey? Ah can staaa-!" he collapsed on his butt, glaring as Nasty laughed at him "Hey, itz not fair! Zhe floor waz movin'! Bezidez, I dezide wh'n I'm duhne!" he said in a slur of words as he sat on his previous spot "Bezides, itz onley… huh… stupid watch stick zings… huh…" he looked at his watch, almost twisting his arm as he tried to make the hands on it to stop spinning around. "GAAAH! STOP SPINNING! AND DON'T LAUGH AT MEY YA WALKIN' TALKIN' STICKS!"

Nasty rolled her eyes "It's eleven PM…"

He burped "Rite… Now gimme them gold juice!" he pounded his fists on the small wall he was sprawled on. "WHOA!" Nasty laughed as he lost balance and slipped, crashing down to the floor again in an awkward position "Ugh… I think my foot slipped without me seeing… You naughtey foot you…"

She chuckled and lowered herself to his level, her arms wrapped around her knees "How many fingers am I holding up?"

Rome frowned at her "But you're not even-" her eyes widened in realization "Oh!"

Damien sat up straight and slowly swung from side to side, eyeing Nasty with a "focused" look "Huh… I see a pink box… and a camel…" he blinked "Oh, fingers? Huh… four? No wait… Thomas Jefferson!"

She sighed "Ok, no more booze for you…" she opened the bottle and poured some of it's clear liquid on four glasses "Rome? Ya want some?"

She shook her head "No thanks… Guess I'll be the "designated driver"… Not that I drive… or any of you for that matter…" she pointed at her boyfriend "And besides, he didn't bring his car so… No one's gonna die today." she rolled her eyes as Nigel and Vick quickly drank their shots and helped themselves to another round.

Nasty just shrugged "Hum… ok… here Bee-Bee… you can have her glass… but that's it!" she handed Damien the shot, which he took deftly and drank in no time, grinning widely for a few seconds before grumbling and turning around to make odd sounds and pour out the contents of his stomach…

"EW! NOT ON ME YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!" Vick scooted up to his feet, stepping as far away from Damien as possible "Phew… Ha ha! Missed me!" he danced around until he tripped over his own feet "Huh! I'm ok! I'm o- k!" he sat up and opened another can of beer "Ha! Damien's a gay wuss! He's puking already!" he laughed and poked fun at the green-faced boy like a five-year old.

"But he drank at least five times more booze than you so SHUT UP AND DON'T CALL HIM THAT!" Nasty whacked him and bent down next to her friend, stroking his back "See what happens when you over do it? You throw away your dinner… ugh… No more drinks for you! Now it's final!" she stood straight and gulped her own shot "Hum… cinnamon… I'm having another one! Nigel?"

The green haired boy promptly poured some more on her glass, which she emptied as well in no time, much to her cousin's dislike "Nasty, we have school in the morning… You don't wanna get a hangover do you?"

"What-the-fuck-ever…" she took the bottle and took a good drag from it "Hum…" licking her lips she poured what was left into her glass and gulped it quickly, laughing in a scary manner. "Huh… Stars…" she laughed and suddenly started singing "Jingle Bells, Batman smells, Robin's laid an egg…"

Rome panicked "ENOUGH!"

Nasty pouted "But Womey… wha' 'bout them?" she pointed at the three boys, who were currently fighting over a can of beer, the last one apparently.

"No buts! Fuck them! Let's go!" she crossed her arms over her chest and glared at them all "Now come on Nastasha! I'll take you home now… And you guys go home too! Nastasha?"

"Woo… sheeza using me full name! Itz serious!" she chuckled, suddenly taking a serious expression when she noticed her Rome's glare. "Meh… fine…" Nasty tossed the glass away and stumbled to her cousin, grinning widely "Damn that zing's powerful!" she giggled "Huh… Which way's home?"

Rome sighed and dragged her away "Bye guys!"

"BYE FOXXEY LADEEEYYYYSS!"

Nasty waved at them and then looked up at the sky "Hum, I ztill feel like zingin… Herm!

An' I'd give up forever to touch ya!

'Cuz I know that'cha feel mey zumhow!

Yar zhe closest to heaven tha' I'll eva' be, an' I dun wanna go home right now!" Nasty chanted in a slight slur.

Damien chuckled and sang on, his voice even slurrier

"An' all Ah can taste is zhis feelin',

An' all Ah can breathe iz yar life,

But sooner or later it'z ova, I juss dun wanna miss ya t'night…"

The other two boys laughed and joined in, swinging from side to side, glasses in hand and completely unsynchronized

"An' I dun wan' the World to see mey!

'Cuz I dun think that they'd understand!

When everything's made tah be broken,

I juss want'cha tah know who I aaaaaam!"

Rome chuckled at the boys and dragged a hysteric Nasty away from them, cringing as someone opened a window and yelled out for silence, to which the boys sang even louder, going out of tune on purpose…

(O)(O)(O)(O)(O)

"Buh-bye Romey! See ya tomorrow!" Nasty stumbled into her house, chuckling to herself as she remembered the boys' faces when a bucket of water was poured over them "Weehee… Nice cold- watta… Tah make y'all fresh and clean… Juss like Tide… no wait… What did Tide do again? Huh… Bah who cares!" she laughed, gasping as she bumped into something "Hn… whadda Hell?" she looked up, blinking rapidly "Damn… Since when we hav' a hat- han- ger in zhe middle of zhe vuckin' room?" she poked at it "I can assure you I'm no hat hanger…" she jumped her full height as the "hanger" spoke and turned on the lights, glaring down at her.

Her eyes widened "Oooh- crap…" Daddy was home… 'Just my luck…'

Kai Nicholai Hiwatari. The best lawyer in town if not in the whole country and owner of his very own company as well. A lawyer company I believe… Never really bothered about it. But besides all that, he's my father. Which is weird. I know nothing about him. What he likes, what he doesn't like, his birthday, who his friends are… We have a very odd relationship. If I can actually call it that… I hardly ever see him since he's working all the time at his precious company and stuff and when I do see him… it's not pretty. Not a family man at all. Sometimes I wonder what my mother saw in him, whoever she was. I asked him to show me a picture of her, tell me who she was, her name or something but he said there were no pictures left, he didn't want to think about her and he had important paper work to attend to. Minx told me later that he had burned them all. The pics that is. Wonder what she did to him… Maybe she ditched him for someone else or maybe she died or simply left him or whatever… I don't know and no one will tell me. But I wished she was here… at least I wouldn't be alone all the time… Yes, alone, 'cause sometimes I go for months without seeing Daddy and it gets awfully lonely here…

Ok, so maybe not exactly… I- er… receive visits every night from midnight on. My favorite's this lady with the same name as me. She's really nice and pretty, and I find odd similarities between her and me besides the name. I've asked her if she was my mother but she just shook her head sadly and wailed pitifully. Then, she disappeared for a full month. So I never asked anything like that ever again. She's been dead for over twenty five years by the way, but she's the youngest spirit I got here… Yes, I talk to ghosts. At first it was scary yeah, but she taught me not to be afraid so I learned to live with it. It's actually very nice, unless when I got tests and they don't stop turning my room upside down and banging the doors 'cause they don't like it when I ignore them. But I do have to study. School's more important than their wails so nye!

Only Damien knows about this… he sees Nastasha too, but only her. Sometimes I get the feeling he knew her before me… maybe he did, who knows?

Woops! Huh, I'm not talking about Daddy anymore, am I? Sorry, I tend to drift away from my original subjects often… What else about Daddy… Hum, he's rich, he's stoic as Hell, he doesn't find anything even slightly funny, he's- really strong (trust me, I know) and he's very secret about himself. But he's a great lawyer, I think he's never lost a case in all his career. Sometimes I wish he would focus on ME at least half as much as he apparently focuses on his job, instead of only showing up when I don't need him. Kinda like now actually. This is awful… He's drunk, which means… this ain't gonna be pretty… Daddy gets pretty- violent when drunk… I better get out of here while I still can.

"Where have you been?" he sneered as his crimson eyes narrowed dangerously, reaching for something next to him. "Well?"

She eyed him up and down as he finished a bottle he had on a table beside him, placing it there again afterwards and shaking his head vigorously. It had been at least two full weeks since the last time she had seen him… his hair was the same messy two toned color like her own, slate blue in the front, dark royal blue in the back, his eyes a deep crimson color. He wore his usual lawyer outfit, only the tie was loose and the jacket was missing. She gulped as she realized the smell of alcohol surrounding him and his slightly glazed eyes 'Oh man…' he really was drunk… Oh well… so was she… "Huh, out? Zhe ztarz are lookin' nice today…" she finally answered, grinning widely.

"Out, was it? And for a drink I see… Well… drinks cost money… and money doesn't grow on trees ya know?"

"Look whose talkin'…" she slurred

He ignored her and went on "Now, money takes a lot of work to earn. And if you think I'll be supporting you for much longer with you behaving the way you do and spending it stupidly, you've got another thing coming." He narrowed his eyes at her "Now care to explain why you were kicked out of your first class and skipped school for the rest of the day. Or do I have to make you?" So Snider had called her father huh… Well fuck it! "Wanna know do ya?" she chuckled.

"Yes please…" Nasty looked away, her eyes glazed "Well, maybe 'cause it's mah way tah try t' get zum attention from me legal guardian, since ev'thing else failed so far… yeah…" She glared up at him defiantly "Why do ya avoid me anywayz? Are ya ashamed of mey? Is it 'cuz I'm a disappointment, is that it? Do I scare you?" the last sentence was delivered in a mock tone.

Yes, Minx told me once I looked a lot like my mother. I guess Daddy doesn't like to be reminded of her, (hence why he burned her pictures) so I suppose that's why he avoids me all the time. He's afraid of me, hehe… He's obsessed with my mother. Whenever he actually sleeps over, I can hear him tossing and turning in his sleep and calling her name. Melanie or whatever… I just don't get the- Nicholai part… Is he bi or something? Either way, he's freakin' paranoid and obsessed!

"ENOUGH!" Kai gritted his teeth, clenching his fists "Go to your room!"

Nasty huffed "Oh… So zhat's it, ya got no arg'ments left so ya juss d'smiss mey… Ok… FINE!" she stalked up the stairs and went into her room, slamming the door behind her.

Her father sighed and ran a hand down his face as he went up the stairs, tripping on the last two steps "Crap… Nastasha!" he knocked on her door lightly "Look I'm sorry… Open the door, we need to talk…" he slurred.

"Screw you! Yar never here when Ah need ya, dun be when Ah don't! Now go tah Hell and leave mey 'lone!"

That was it. "NASTASHA HIWATARI! OPEN THIS DOOR RIGHT NOW!" he rammed his fists into the door repeatedly "DO YOU HEAR ME? NASTASHA!"

Nasty clutched the sides of her head, trying to make the sound of her father's constant banging go away, tears flowing freely down her cheeks as he finally strode in "Go away… Ah got school in zhe mornin'…" she whispered as she curled up into a tight ball, sobbing softly.

"You didn't seem too worried about that a while ago, otherwise you would have been home on time…" A hand clenched around her neck painfully "When will you learn? When will you be more like your mother? She was never like this! Why can't you be like she was!"

See what I mean? He always says this to me when I do something he doesn't like. Yeah, really motivating. Makes me feel SO loved and cherished… What's a girl to do? Any other girl? I dunno. Me? Try to avoid his rage as much as possible and try to make him pull himself together. Though it doesn't really work normally…

"I'm not her! Daddy listen- !" she pleaded.

"Shut up! Apparently I still need to punish you to make you learn don't I? When will you grow up?" he sneered as he removed his belt from around his waist.

She sobbed and shut her eyes tightly as the bed shifted beside her, cold leather running along her side while his hand still held her down by her neck "Daddy please…"

"Quiet!" She whimpered as he whipped her violently, pulling his arm back to strike her again "Daddy please don't-!" her voice was nothing but a wail now, she felt weak and tired since the alcohol she herself had taken was starting to blur her senses. She sighed and closed her eyes slowly, biting back her gasps and accepting her punishment before things got even worse. It wasn't as if she had a choice anyways. She knew this would happen the minute she had seen him, his eyes glazed and empty bottles beside him. She knew there was nothing she could do.

Of course he'd apologize… he always did. He always promised things would change and he'd be there later for dinner and he'd be a good father from there on. She was so sick of those empty promises. She was so sick of him. And what about her mother? Where was she? Was this her fault? It couldn't be! Mothers always cared… Minx was always so- nice and caring towards Rome… and even herself, even tough she was only her niece. Jessica, Vick's mother and Celine, Nigel's mother were also so caring and nice to their sons. The three women were the mother image she had never had. They all had known her mother, but they wouldn't tell her anything about her neither. Not even her name. Her father had probably asked them not to tell her. But she knew her name. He had told her himself in his sleep. Melanie. But… was she dead? Had he killed her? No… he wouldn't… But then… why had she left? Melanie couldn't have been that cruel and mean to just- leave her behind with him… Minx had told her once when she was little that she was nice and sweet, a good mother… And uncle Robbie, who didn't seem to like anyone seemed very fond of her as well… Then maybe she had left because of him. Maybe he hit her too. In that case, she couldn't blame her for leaving. But she could blame her for leaving her there with him. Why had she done that? Why wouldn't she come back for her? Was she even alive? AND WHY WOULDN'T THEY TELL HER!

'Mom…' tears trailed down her cheeks as her father finally got tired and stood, dropping the now blood stained belt and leaving her room, closing the door behind him. A while later she could hear him sobbing in his own room. The effect the drinks had induced in him was wearing out apparently. His usual depression and regret was coming. Her drowsiness was dissipating as well apparently, since her bruises were starting to sting and really hurt. "Daddy…" she croaked and slid out of her bed, wrapping her arms around her sore back and sides. She opened the door and stumbled out of her room, going into his and collapsing next to him on his bed. "Da- Daddy? It's ok… it's me…" she stroked his bangs away from his eyes, smiling softly. He looked so lost… Sometimes she felt like he was more like her child instead of being her father.

Maybe that was why she didn't tell anyone about the way he treated her. Not even Damien. She had learned to endure it throughout the years, over seven years actually, since she had been nine when he got home talking funny and wielding his belt menacingly at her for the first time. On that time it had been because she hadn't cleaned her room or something like that… He normally hit her over minuscule things. But she didn't tell anyone then, and she wouldn't do it now neither. She swore to him she wouldn't. Besides, she loved her father too much despite everything he did (or didn't do). She didn't want him taken away from her when she got to see him so little already.

"Nasty?" he looked at her, his eyes slightly teary "I- I'm sorry…" he wrapped his arms around her small form and pulled her close to him, kissing the top of her head "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry baby… I promise it won't happen again… I'm sorry- I'm sorry… I love you…" His daughter choked back a sob and nuzzled her head further into his chest, sighing in bliss as the pain searing through her body became numb and consciousness slipped away from her. "It's ok Daddy… I won't tell…"

(O)

Sad, sappy ending, ain't it? Who cares! The sequel will not be nice and this is just a little smell of that so get used to domestic violence, darkness and glumness! Herm!

:trumpets are heard and fireworks explode:

Waahee! After over a year of slaving over this fic, it's finally over! Waa! Herm, I shall post the sequel as soon as my exams are over. Well actually I'll start writing it then… Huh… it'll be called From the Heart, and the main characters will be zee Main Trio: Nasty, Rome and Damien AND their friends! Darien, Vick, Nigel and TJ (that's Tyson Junior by the way… ;) Yup, I am using him!). And of course, some old faces that just have got to be here! Kai, Robert, Minx and Tala mainly. Later, we shall have special surprise characters too!

Now a little Summary for the upcoming sequel: Nasty is lone wolf lawyer and magnate Kai Hiwatari's only daughter. The arrival of an old friend of her father's will reveal information she never thought she would ever find, as well as a new friendship and who knows, maybe something more, since our Hiwatari Junior appears to have a thing for older men… How will her friends and family react to that? What will happen when the past is unburied and long forgotten memories return to haunt Kai and his daughter? And what will happen when Voltaire finally decides to take action and attempt to give his heir her rightful inheritance? Why hasn't he acted earlier and what will compel him to act then only? When will all these questions be answered you ask? Later. :D

:duh-duh-dum sounds are heard and K-K makes movie-preview-guy voice: Coming soon to a computer near you!

Herm… R&R now! I shall see you all later! Keep an eye out for the sequel! n-n