A/N Well…here goes…hehe. Hi everyone…welcome to my first attempt at writing for .hack/SIGN. Anyway…I just thought I'd try to write a fic about just the first few steps Tsukasa takes in the real world. .hack/ZERO kinda just glosses over it and doesn't really describe just how Bear (Ryo Sakuma) got legal custody of Ann, or how the she and Subaru end up together. So I've tried to make a little ficcy about it.

Oh yeah, drop me a line and tell me if it's okay…pweease? 

Enjoy!

Chapter 1 – THE HOPEFUL

Misono Mariko

22.17 (day 1)

Shouji Ann never looked so peaceful as she slept there. Mariko found it enough to just look at her friend, taking it all in. After all the hullabaloo of meeting Ann and taking her in, dumping the girl's sparse belongings into the guest room, Mariko finally had the time to just look at her friend and memorize every feature.

So this is what the real Tsukasa looks like, she thought. Not quite what she'd expected –after all, Ann was years younger than Mariko in real life. Still a junior high school student, while she had a job to keep.

But that hadn't kept her from letting her friend in. After all, Tsukasa – Ann, she reminded herself – didn't have a place to stay just yet. It'd take Ryo a while to settle things in court. Mr. Shouji was not going to let go of his daughter so easily. After all, he'd depended on his little genius – encouraging her with beatings – to do most of his work as an employee of the CC Corp to do maintenance for one of their subsidiary companies. The last piece of news Mariko had heard of him was that he had been fired soon after Ryo's accusation in court and was planning to tell Ann that once she woke up. She thought with a sigh of relief that that part of Ann's life was over, and would never come back.

Finally she turned off the lights and went into her own room, ready for a peaceful sleep after long nights of worrying.

Shouji Ann

01.41 (day 2)

Shadows lengthen and form into an opaque form of her father. She huddles, whimpers, but dares not raise her voice or whine. Weakness would be another reason for more hits. Blows fall, heavier than rain, but just as constant. She feels the sharpness of his breath, smelling of beer and sourness, and is stung by his words which cut more than any whipping or beating. Worthless. Trash.

Born only to kill her mother, who never recovered after that difficult birth. Not even a boy. Not even useful…

A part of the shadow forms into a whip, and Ann's arms can barely protect her body from the lashes. She can't stop the screams, can't stop the tears, no matter how many times this has happened.

She woke up with a cold sweat, and was scared by the unfamiliarity of her surroundings. Gradually she remembered she was in Mariko's house – and as soon as she did, she forced her whimpers and tears to cease. This was Mariko's home. What kind of guest would she be if she caused her host so much worry?

But she still couldn't sleep. Still couldn't shake off the fear. Any moment now, she expected, her father would come crashing into the house, demanding for her. How could she refuse when that meant pain? He was still out there, still waiting for her. Those fears stayed till morning, repetitions of thoughts which kept her inside her shell, refusing to come out. Subaru…she couldn't bear the thought of making the woman worry about her so much.

A plan formed in her head. And she told herself that this was best, for her and for Subaru.

Misono Mariko

05.37

The morning started early. It was still dawn, and outside, the birds were starting to chirp. Mariko thought the day couldn't have started better. She got into her chair and went over to Ann's room, planning to wake her up.

However, she froze as she got to the door. There was a message taped on it, written carefully.

Misono-san,

Gomen nasai…

I am very, very sorry for causing you all this trouble. I don't want to burden you so much, so for now, I'll go to a friend's place and stay there until everything settles down. I'm really, really sorry, Misono-san. I hope you can forgive all the mess I've made, asking you to let me in and just leaving like this.

Shouji Ann

Misono-san. This was the first time Ann had ever called her that. Impartial, impersonal, as though she was trying to shy away from her. She flinched at the thought. What had gone wrong? How could Ann think she was a burden? She bit her lip. Looks like things weren't going to be so smooth, after all. She went inside the room. It was as bare as the day before Ann showed up.

She called up Ryo, telling him what happened.

"She just left like that?"

"Yes. I don't know where. To a friend, she said. Can you think of a way to find out who?"

"…She probably doesn't have any." Ryo said, hesitantly. He'd just finished checking her records in school. Introvert, her personal record indicated. Well, that was to be expected.

So she was lying. This was another first; other than being called just Misono-san, Tsukasa had, for the first time, lied. Mariko leaned back on her wheelchair and closed her eyes.

"Mariko?" It was Ryo's voice.

"Yes. I'll look around and see if anyone's seen her."

She doubted her own words. She'd left early morning, maybe still in the evening. Very few people would have taken notice of her. She could be anywhere, hitching a ride to the countryside or hiding away in some alley.

"Yeah. I'll contact the police."

The two hung up. Tsukasa…what happened to our promise?

She quickly showered and dressed then went down the street, asking anyone if they had seen an auburn-haired girl. No one had noticed anyone.

Shouji Ann

11.10

Meanwhile, Ann was making her way through Tokyo. Her steps were heavy as she thought of Mariko. But she firmly told herself that it had to be this way; she didn't dare risk bringing down her father's wrath on her friends.

But where was she to go? There was a little money in her pocket, sent by Bear when he first contacted her after getting out of the coma. She didn't have anyone's phone numbers, not even Mariko's or Ryo's.

Her thoughts drifted to her house. A wave of fear washed over her – which she quickly forced out. Everything was over, for him. And for me as well…

Violently she shut the thought. Her mind concentrated on finding a place to stay and money. With the fear mostly gone, she forced herself to think.

He's not home right now…

That was a funny thought. She always thought of the house with him in it. Without him, it was an empty place. Nothing to hurt her, nothing…she had to believe that. She shook her head slightly. Without him…all the house had…were his things… the computer…

…some money.

At the thought of going back, her body refused. Her mind was remembering everything however; the keys, the windows, the bookcases.

She stopped walking and leaned against a wall on the street, then sank down.

Where else did she have to go?