A Moment in Time
by mishaa

.

.

Their first meeting wasn't the most ideal one, but it played a bigger role in the scheme of things. It was about ten years ago, when they were just eight years old. You might think that when you're eighteen and starting college already, you would've forgotten the petty things that happened in your childhood; but their meeting was anything but petty; it was something the entire world would remember. Everyone would know of their story; of how two little kids managed to aid in capturing Serio Rei, a sociopath mass murderer, or more commonly known as Persona for his multiple identities in different parts of the world.

It's a story everyone would never forget, a story that would haunt them both for life. And I'm here to retell to you the story of how Mikan Sakura, a simple country girl with no one but her grandfather waiting for her at home, and Natsume Hyuuga, an average little boy whose mother was taken from him by the same person who's about to take his life, played a great and important role in the capture of Persona.

Persona, who was later identified as Serio Rei, was a wanted mass murderer in over six different countries for over eight years now. The police and other government officials had been trying to capture him but their efforts were of no use; Serio Rei was just too slippery for them. He had multiple identities and his skill in changing his appearance gave the media reason to give him the nickname, Persona. He had killed at least sixty eight people, kidnapped twenty seven children, and bombed six landmarks and important buildings.

It was a dark time during his reign; everybody cowered at the sound of his name. Mothers never left their eyes off their children, everybody walked in pairs, and everyone kept tabs on their loved one's whereabouts. Although it might sound like the world was at peace with each other, it wasn't. With Persona's lead, more and more criminals rose; they thought they would get away with their crimes since the police would most likely blame Persona. It was a time of fear and extreme caution; Persona brought the word terror to a whole new level. Nobody ever thought they would live to see him go; so you could imagine how the entire world reacted when they heard the news. You couldn't imagine how many people thought this was a bunch of tabloid crap; but I tell you, this is a true story… Well, as true as I think it should be.

Persona, as I will call him throughout this story, was in Japan at that time. It was May when Natsume was taken. He was walking home from school together with his best friend Ruka Nogi. It was rumored that Ruka was Persona's actual target, and seeing as Ruka was the son of an actress with a net worth of five million per year so everyone believed this to be true, though the police never confirmed it. The results of the investigation on Natsume's kidnapping stated that the two boys encountered an injured dog on the other side of the street and decided to care for it, feeding more fuel to the rumor that Ruka was the intended target seeing as he has a flaming passion for animals. Tabloid magazines stated that Persona set the trap for Ruka knowing he wouldn't be able to resist a helpless animal and never intended to kidnap Natsume instead. News Papers printed out that Persona lured the animal to an alley using a dog whistle, where he waited for the boys to come following the animal. He knocked Ruka out as soon as he saw him, but he wasn't able to knock Natsume out because the moment Ruka fell down, he shouted for help. He was only able to take a few steps away when Persona hit him in the head. He only had time to take Natsume with him because people were already starting to respond to Natsume's cry. He took the unconscious boy to his car and drove away just as people came to the scene.

Ruka was of no help during his questioning because he was knocked out cold and had no idea of the incident. According to him, "Natsume wanted to go straight home, but I wouldn't listen to him, I just had to help that animal. I followed the dog to the alley and that was it, I have no memory of what happened after that. I really… I really should've listened to Natsume… It's my fault… It's my entire fault that he's gone now…" Ruka made it up to his best friend by generously supporting the authorities financially and actively participating in campaigns and regularly volunteered to search for Persona when a lead comes up.

Mikan Sakura was a righteous girl. She was posting up posters and signs that opposed the demolishing of her school when she was taken. The board of education had recently decided to demolish the elementary school in that district because it was bankrupt and to continue it would need more than the budget they were given. But Miakn refused to see her school destroyed for it had held so many precious memories. Her grandfather, who thought traveling to another school district everyday would cause money, was supporting her fully.

It was late in the afternoon and they were posting up posters and holding out picket signs. Her grandfather had fallen asleep in a bench an hour ago, but Mikan was still full of energy and high spirits. She noticed a man looking at her posters and felt proud of her work. She made her way to him and asked if he liked the posters. The man, who was clearly Persona, said yes, and they chatted for a few more minutes; in an interview after the whole thing, she says he asked her stuff like how many family members she had and how many friends she had. Once she said she only had a grandfather and most of her friends were already leaving the prefecture to move closer to another school district, he grabbed her by her hair, covered her mouth with what she says was a quote, "very icky dirty hand," then he threw her to the back seat of the car parked in the side of the school. The impact her head had taken from being roughly thrown to the back seat had knocked her out.

.

.

Persona had thrown Natsume in a small room with three other people. It got smaller and smaller as more and more children landed themselves there. It was quite uncomfortable. Two of the walls were replaced with horizontal and vertical iron bars. The other two walls were made of concrete. Through the iron bars, the outside room could be viewed. The outer room was nothing short of a torture chamber. There were shelves filled with torture devices, and in the middle of the room, directly under the only light bulb, was a large rectangular table made out of cement.

When Mikan had joined them, the room held five occupants. Kokoro Yome was one of them and as soon as she was thrown in, he scrambled from his spot beside the door to help her. He was used to having Persona hand them unconscious. He arranged her to what he hoped was a comfortable lying position and fanned her with a piece of cardboard for a few hours till she came to.

"Drink this…" he said, handing to her a small bottle of water, with only a quarter of the original contents left. "F-feel free to finish everything…" his words caused a series of reactions from the other people in the room; the two girls huddled in the side started sobbing, the boy shaking on the far left corner started to bang his head on the wall, and the raven haired boy facing the other corner let out a cold "Hn…"

Unsure about everything, she wanted to deny his offer, but her chapped lips and dry tongue said otherwise. "I-it's okay…" he said, giving her a knowing smile. She took the bottle in her hands and drank. It was her plan to drink only a little, but her thirst made her drink everything. "T-thank you…" she said. She observed her surroundings, the room looked a lot like a gigantic cage meant to store lions and other wild animals… Outside, it looked like a basement, or a torture chamber; blood on the floor, weapons hanging on the wall, a large table in the center, and a single bulb lighting the entire place. The cage was placed in the corner of the room, so they had a clear view of the entire room.

"My name is Kokoro Yome. B-but my friends call me just Koko." He said. She giggled at his cute accent. "Hello just Koko. I'm Mikan." He chuckled at her joke, but it came out as a really hollow laugh. "Where are we?" She asked.

"Don't know… Me, and Natsume came from prefectures… Those two girls and Yuu came from Tokyo…" He pointed each of them out. "Those two are Anna and Nonoko… They were watering plants in a greenhouse when he took them…" She noticed how Koko said he with an extra menacing voice and how everyone reacted to it. "Yuu was playing with his siblings in the park… Natsu—"

The boy in mention cut Koko off. He turned to them, with hateful eyes and said, "J-just quit it okay? Why the hell do you need to tell her everything? We're all going to die anyway!"

"Natsume!" The long haired boy who sat opposite of Anna and Nonoko said in a voice clear with authority. "L-Leave them alone. Stop being so broody. The glass is half full and not half empty, okay?"

Natsume shot him a glare and with a huff, he turned back to his corner. The long haired boy smiled to Mikan and gave her his hand. "Hi. I'm Tono. W-what's your name?" She was always a friendly girl, especially when people introduced themselves with a smile. She shook his hand and smiled back. "My name is Mikan Sakura. I'm eight!" She beamed.

"Eight, huh? We'll I'm twelve. And that grouchy boy over there is Natsume, he's about the same age as you…"

Koko chuckled, "Those two are just six, and he's nine." He said, pointing to Anna, Nonoko, and Yuu. "What about you?" She asked. "Me? Well, I'm eight too!"

"Haha! That mean's Tono-kun is the oldest here!" Her little giggles made Yuu turn to them and Anna and Nonoko look up. "Hehe… Tono-kun is just like Jii-chan! He's old too!"

The aghast face Tono had and the giggles Mikan gave made Anna and Nonoko laugh. Even Yuu let out a small smile. "Then Tono-kun, will you be my Jii-chan?"

Anna and Nonoko made their ways to them and said, "C-can you be ours too?" Tono and Koko were bewildered. Till just a few seconds ago, the two girls wouldn't stop crying and holding each other unless to eat or to drink, but even then they were still holding each other. Having them speak out loud and smiling was something they thought would never happen. Their cute faces was too adorable to say no to. "S-sure?" Tono said, a bit confused about everything, but happy that the thick atmosphere in the room finally cleared up. Yuu even joined their little circle in the middle of the room after Tono's agreement to being their grandfather. Not long after, everyone had a title; Anna was the little sister and chef, Nonoko was her twin and the head Maid, Koko was the dog, and Mikan was the older sister.

Tono turned to the only person that wasn't in their weird little family. "Why don't you join us you morbid little boy?"

Natsume gave him a grunt in reply, which Tono took as a sign that he didn't give a care about what they were doing. But Mikan, who took his grunt as a 'No thank you, I'm just shy' sign, went over to him and pulled him out from under his little cloud of misery in the corner. "Oh come on, lighten up a little won't you? C'mon!" She said, tugging at his collar, pulling him towards their little circle.

His unwillingness and his weight was a burden for Mikan and she ended up butt-first on the floor, causing Natsume to trip on her leg and to fall face-first after her.

"Uh oh…" Both Tono and Koko said.

Natsume quietly stood up and dusted himself. Mikan followed suit, although far from quietly. "Ow… Sorry! Sorry!" She said to him. He glared at her, looking her right in the eye. "You annoying little fly!" He pushed her to the ground and continued, "Won't you just shut up and leave me alone? You're going to get us all killed! He doesn't want to hear laughter, he wants to hear crying! You're going to get us all killed! You must really be some stupid," he emphasized the stupid, "—little girl if you can laugh in a situation like this. You're never going to see your stupid grandfather anymore, or anyone else you know because he's going to kill us or make us kill each other like Andou-sempai and Shoda-sempai!" He stomped back to his spot in the corner and said nothing else.

Anna and Nonoko were back to holding each other and crying, scared of what Natsume said. Yuu covered his face in his hands and sobbed, remembering their previous companions. Koko rushed to help Mikan, who was getting very teary eyed. Tono on the other hand stood up, took Natsume by the shoulder and slapped him. "What is wrong with you? What happened to the boy who wanted to rebel against him? The one who shouted all the time just to annoy him?"

Natsume glare was directed to Mikan. "He grew up."

Tono was really angry now, he raised his free hand to a fist, getting ready to beat Natsume to a pulp. He would've, if Mikan and Koko had not come to his side and restrained him. "No!" They both screamed. "Don't do it Tono! He's just being the regular prick that he is!" Koko said. "If you hit him, you'll—you'll be just like the man who—who put us h-here!" She said.

He dropped Natsume to the ground and angrily made his way beside Nonoko, Anna, and Yuu. Koko and Mikan were going to ask if Natsume was okay, but Tono's pissed off voice told them it was better to leave him alone. "C'mon Mikan. Koko. You're right; that idiot's not worth it." They made their way to join him and the others, and Mikan took one last glance at Natsume's way and thought, 'Sorry…'

"W-who's Andou-sempai and Shoda-sempai?" Mikan asked a few minutes later, trying to break the cold ice that Natsume's outburst and Tono's actions made. "A-and w-what did he mean by making us k-kill… e-each o-other?" Anna added.

Yuu covered his ears, not wanting to remember the past. And Koko remained silent, which left no one else but Tono to answer their questions. "W-well, a couple of months (I think) ago, Tsubasa Andou and Misaki Harada were with us… That was before you guys joined us. It was Me, Natsume, Koko and them. When Natsume came here, he… He was very rebellious… Not the annoying, stupid, morbid—"

"They get the point Tono." Koko said.

"Err yes, well, Natsume shouted and made tantrums almost every waking moment… Which annoyed persona a lot. He would come in here and pick Natsume up and start beating him. But Natsume continued to do that… Then the Shodas joined us… Sumire Shoda and Sato shouda were siblings… The younger sibling, Sumire, joined Natsume in making noise and crying for help… Soon enough, we all joined them. Then Persona came and took Sumire. He said one of us had to die or she does, he even provided us with a knife. Sato made the first move and tried to attack Natsume, blaming him for his sister's predicament. We restrained him and Misaki told him to get a hold of himself…. I think it just pissed him off more because he removed himself out of our hold and attacked her instead and he… He killed her… "

The girls let out a gasp, tears were already pouring out of their eyes. Yuu had curled himself into a ball; he hummed the tune to Ben 10 and covered his ears, not wanting to remember anything. Koko remained silent, his eyes were fixed onto the floor.

"Tsubasa… Well when Sato finally realized what he did, he dropped the knife and—and Tsubasa attacked him. The-they were best friends you see… Came in together... We were too shocked and afraid to do anything. And then… Then Tsubasa killed Sato and-and then Persona h-handed Sumire a gun and-and said she had to shoot him… She pulled the trigger but it missed, and P-Persona was displeased and shot Tsubasa himself and shot Sumire after…"

Everything was quiet; only the sounds of the girls' sobs and even Yuu's, who couldn't help but hear everything.

"You happy now? There! It was my fault that they died! Four people died because of me. I killed four people. That's what you wanted to hear, wasn't it? Are you happy now?" Natsume's outburst broke the silence. "Shut the fucking hell up Natsume! Fuck, I swear if you do not shut your fucking mouth I'm going to beat the shit out of you!" Tono was about to stand up and hit Natsume but Koko held him in place. "Tono… J-just leave him…"

"Why? Let him go. Let him beat the boy." A cold eerie voice said. They turned to find their captor looking quite amused. Anna and Nonoko hugged each other and tried their best to hide their sobs. Yuu had scrambled his way to the corner of the room, trying to stay as far away as possible. Koko hugged Mikan and Tono shielded them both. Natsume, who had turned to see if Persona was really there; he froze stiff when he saw that his ears didn't deceive him and Persona was really there.

"Eh? Where's the fight? Start fighting!" Persona shouted, quite angry now seeing as there was no movement indicating a fight. "Didn't I say fight?" He threw a knife to them, the throw was deadly and could've killed Anna if Nonoko hadn't pulled her to safety. Koko ran to the knife and threw it back to Persona, hoping to at least scratch him. But alas, he remained unscathed.

Koko's actions had angered Persona even more. He took out a pistol, attached the silencer and aimed at Natsume. He looked at Tono in the eye and ordered, "Kill the girl or he dies." His beady dark eyes moved from Tono to Mikan. Nonoko and Anna sobbed harder, they didn't want to see their big sister go.

"That's your choice then? You'd rather sacrifice that annoying brat than harm your new friend?" He gave them an arrogant smirk and pulled the trigger. The bullet hit not Natsume, but Tono, who put himself between the bullet and Natsume just in time.

"No!" Mikan and Koko screamed. They rushed to help Tono; Koko put pressure on the wound and Mikan held his hand, as if trying to hold his life in place. "Why bother? You don't even know him? You can't do anything. I'd be amazed to see him live till tomorrow. Eh, he was past his expiration date anyway." He scanned them all, as if looking for another prey. His eyes stopped at Anna. Nonoko saw the twisted smile he had and cried, knowing full well she'll never see her best friend again. "You. Pinky. Come here." The girls sobbed harder and Nonoko hugged Anna harder. "No! No! No!" She begged.

He was getting impatient. "Now." His voice boomed the order. He opened the door and stood there, waiting for her to come to him. When nothing happened, he shot a bullet to their direction, it missed by only a few inches. "That one missed. I assure you, the next one won't."

Anna stood up, making her way to him. Seeing what her best friend was doing, she grabbed her, begging her to stay. "No! No! Please! Don't!" Nonoko cried. "I'm getting impatient," he said in a sing song voice meant to taunt them. "Hurry up!"

Anna shook her friend off her, she would rather sacrifice herself than live while Nonoko dies. "Persistent bitch," he grumbled. He did not hesitate in shooting Nonoko in the leg. "Aahh!" Nonoko screamed in pain, her hands left Anna and it went straight to her left leg. "Nonoko!" Anna cried. "Don't! Please!" She said to Persona, who looked like he was about to finish the job. "If you want her to live, then come here," he said. "Now!"

She left Nonoko's side and ran to Persona. He grabbed her roughly and shut the door closed. He dragged her up the stairs and they both disappeared from view. "Anna!" Nonoko cried. "Anna! Anna! Anna!"

Koko ran to Nonoko and ripped a part of his shirt and bandaged her leg; just as he did with Tono's wound. "Anna! Bring her back you jerk! Give be back my best friend! Anna!"

"Aah! Tono-kun? Tono-kun? N-No! N-No! Tono-kun?" Mikan cried, seeing as her new Jii-chan was getting really cold. "Tono-kun!" "Anna!" Their piercing screams could rival a banshee.

/

.

Cold silence enveloped them. Nothing could be heard but tears being shed. All but one surrounded the dead body of their senior, companion, and most of all, their friend. They were mourning for a lot of things; the passing away of Tono, the abduction of Anna, and the loss of hope. Even Mikan was starting to think they'd ever get out of there. Their captor was a ruthless, diabolical, evil man who can never be redeemed.

"I-I… I only knew him for a few minutes… B-But I'm sure he would've been a great Jii-chan one day. A-And he d-died protecting someone s-so that means he'd be in Heaven, r-right? My mommy and daddy are there so I know they'd take good care of him like he was me."

They all stared at her, even Natsume. How could she be so… optimistic? They all wondered.

"I-I'm sorry. He died be—because of me," Natsume finally spoke up. "This was my fault—" Mikan had made her way to him and slapped him with all her might. "You know what? I'm getting so flipping sick of you! My fault this, my fault that! Why is your brain filled with faults? I bet even until now you're blaming yourself for what happened to your friends. You know what? The world isn't on your shoulders! So stop being concei… consey… conceited! A-and stop blaming yourself for everything bad that happens because you know what? None of us blame you. You must be loony in the head if you think for just a second we blame you. God, what is wrong with you? How mean do you think we are? I've only been here for a few hours (I think) but even I can tell that those people are nice people that don't blame you at all!"

"…" Natsume was silent while Mikan took a moment to catch her breath. She didn't look like she was over with her rant… "Didn't your grandpa ever teach you to forgive and forget? We—"

"God. Will you shut up, stupid? Natsume said, covering his ears with his hands.

"S-Stupid? Me? I think your freaky brain mixed everything up again. You're the stupid noisy one!" She retaliated.

"You're the stupid one. Only stupids wear stupid polka dotted underwear. And you're the one who's been blabbing non stop!"

"…" Silence. "!" And a scream.

"YOU PERVERTED FREAK. WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? SERIOUSLY? IS IT YOUR HOBBY TO PEAK UNDER GIRLS' SKIRTS? I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! NOW I CAN'T EVER GET MARRIED! I'M UNCLEAN. I'M PAINTED—"

"I think you mean tainted…" Yuu corrected.

"—AND IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT IF NO ONE WANTS ME AND I DIE ALONE AND A CAT LADY."

"See? Noisy. And no one will want you if you were tainted or not."

Koko and Nonoko had to keep Mikan from tearing Natsume apart. "OH YOU BLOODY ANNOYING PIECE OF COW POO!" He, on the other hand, semed to be enjoying teasing her a little too much.

"Mikan! Calm down!" Nonoko said. "Count to ten!" She did as she was told. And once she was finally still, Nonoko said, "Now take a deep breath. Inhale…"

"Outhale. Right. Yeah, I'm calm," said Mikan. Well, she was calm… Until Natsume had to open his big mouth again. "Outhale? And you called me stupid."

"Mikan, no—" Koko successfully shielded Natsume from Mikan's claws.

"Natsume! She's right! What is wrong with you? It's like you want her to kill you or something. But I know for a fact you'd rather die from a transvestite than from a girl," said Yuu.

"Aahh!" A more piercing scream came from upstairs. No one moved. Anna's scream lasted for a full three minutes, and then nothing. Everything was still, it was like time stopped. "ANNA!" Nonoko screamed. "ANNA! ANNA!" She fell on the ground and sobbed. "N-no! Why her? Why her? GIVE HER BACK TO ME! GIVE HER BACK! Give Anna back…"

Yuu and Mikan rushed to her side. She hugged Mikan and they patted her back. "Shh… Let it all out Nonoko…" They muttered comforting words but Nonoko continued to cry. "Mommy! Mommy! MOMMY! I WANT TO GO HOME! MOMMY!"

Yuu remembered when his little sisters cried for their mom… It was a nice nostalgic feeling if you don't try to think about not seeing them ever again. He remembered the song his mom sang to them… Whenever they were scared, or when they get nightmares. He and his siblings would calm down and fall asleep as soon as their mom started to sing. He thought, maybe it'd work for Nonoko too. And so he sang,

.

"Deep in the meadow, under the willow

A bed of grass, a soft green pillow

Lay down your head, and close your sleepy eyes

And when again they open, the sun will rise.

Here it's safe, here it's warm

Here the daisies guard you from every harm

Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true

Here is the place where I love you."

.

Mikan knew that song from heart. It was the lullaby her mother sang to her when she was a baby. Memories of her mother singing to her were one of the only things she could remember. And when Yuu started to get teary eyed and his voice started to crack, she continued.

.

"Deep in the meadow, hidden far away

A cloak of leaves, a moonbeam ray

Forget your woes and let your troubles lay

And when again it's morning, they'll wash away.

Here it's safe, here it's warm

Here the daisies guard you from every harm,"

.

Nonoko calmed down, and they both finished the song in unison.

.

"Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true

Here is the place where I love you."

.

.

A couple of days had past since that incident; there were a lot of changes in the room. Natsume had stopped being so broody and switched his hobby from facing the corner to annoying the hell out of Mikan. Mikan would always run to Koko when Natsume would bully her, which means she ran to Koko almost all the time. Nonoko had occasionally asked Yuu and Mikan to sing again and when they did, everyone listened. Even Natsume would shut up and leave Mikan alone.

On Mikan's second day there, she was shocked to see a ragged girl come to them with a loaf of bread and a bottle of water. When she first saw her, she asked her to get the key hanging on the wall and to set them free. But the girl just stared at her through the hair covering her face and handed the bread and water. She said nothing and left right after. Koko explained to her that the girl she just saw was the person responsible for them staying alive. "We don't know if she was ordered to do that or she sneaked it here. All we know is that that man favors her. She doesn't say anything; she just comes here once a day and gives us food and water."

The following day, when the girl appeared again, Mikan asked her for her name, and again she said nothing. She gave them the loaf of bread and the bottle of water and she leaves. Natsume commented on how she should stop trying to talk to the girl because she's probably mute. This just caused Mikan to reprimand him. "She's the reason you're alive right now. At least know the person responsible for your life's name!"

And again the next day; the girl came and Mikan asked for her name. She said nothing, gave them food and water and left. But today, Mikan thanked her and they had a staring contest for a second. "I'm Mikan," she said, holding out her hand. The girl looked at the hand being offered and ran to the stairs, but not before giving her name. "I-I'm Nobara. A-and… You're welcome…"

Nobara's response wasn't the only new thing that happened there. A woman's scream echoed the walls a few hours after Nobara left. "Aahh!" It was a scream for plea. Help me, it seemed to say to them. "W-what was that?" Mikan asked them when it was over. "I-It was his new victim… He has an older victim once in a while… "

On the fourth day, she came with food and water, but also with a sack. They stared at it, knowing full well what it was for. Nobara handed them the food and water and Mikan said thank you, with a little less enthusiasm than before. In return, Koko, Yuu, and Natsume handed to her Tono's body as soon as she opened the door. "T-Thank you," she stuttered.

About a month had passed and their ritual still remained; Natsume bullies Mikan, she runs to Koko, Nonoko asks them to sing, Nobara gives them food and water, Mikan says thank you, and back to Natsume bullying Mikan. Occasionally, they would hear screams, from both women and men.

But on October four, someone else joined them. Natsume was pulling on Mikan's hair when Persona came into the room, holding a child no older than four. He opened the door and threw the little boy and left. Luckily, Mikan had caught him before his head hit the floor. Having a lighter atmosphere than before, they all crowded around Mikan, wanting to see the boy. "Hey hey! Give him some air!" She said.

He came to an hour after Nobara came to give them their food and water. "Hi there little guy!" Mikan cooed. "He's not a dog stupid Polka," Natsume said. Polka Dots; the name he had dubbed onto her after their panty-peeking incident. Mikan stuck her tongue out at him and continued to coo over the cute little boy. "I have to go with Natsume on this one Mikan," said Koko. Mikan gave a small humph and let the boy go.

"What's your name?" Koko asked. The little boy stared at Koko for a full two minutes before turning away, totally ignoring Koko's question, leaving Koko in a state of utter shock. Did that kid just ignore me?

The boy's eyes landed on Natsume. Again, a staring contest began. "He asked for your name," said Natsume. Three minutes passed till he spoke up. "Youichi."

They all stared in amazement at how Youichi looked like a mini-Natsume. Mikan, thinking that if Youichi spoke to Natsume he'd speak to her all the more said, "How old are you You-chan?"

Youichi stared at Mikan for a few seconds and stuck his tongue out at her. "She asked you how old you were," Natsume stated. Youichi looked back at Natsume and answered, "Three."

Was this boy only going to speak to Natsume? They all wondered.

Their usual routine didn't change much, only now, there was a mini-Natsume that followed everything larger Natsume does. And from one person bullying Mikan, there were two. But despite that, they welcomed Youichi to their uncanny little family. After all, in times of distress, you really only have your family to turn to. And when your family wasn't there, might as well have a make-believe family instead of being alone, right? So there was their little sister Nonoko, their pet dog Koko, their uncle Yuu, and big sis Mikan, big bro Natsume, and baby Youichi. Natsume hated this whole family thing and hated his role as big brother, but he developed a soft side for his mini-self and couldn't refuse the position.

.

Their happy days didn't last though, because form what they think was a week later after Youichi's arrival, Persona came and visited them. He scanned the cage and to everyone's horror, his predatory eyes landed on Mikan. They all stood in a trance while Persona opened the gate and dragged Mikan out. Luckily, Koko got out of his trance and pulled Mikan away from his grasp. Everyone else ran to the girl and shielded her. "Why you little fucker," Persona grabbed Koko by the arm and stared at them all. "Well if you want to keep her, I'll be taking this one instead." He pulled Koko out of the cage and closed the door. "No!" Everyone pitched in to keep Mikan in place, even Youichi. Truth be told, he developed a soft spot for the girl, and just like his idol, he's vehemently denying it and hiding it through sadistic acts.

Unlike before, Persona didn't bring Koko upstairs like he did with Anna. Instead, he made Koko lie on the table, where he was held in place with metal restraints.

"No! NO! NO! NO! No…" Mikan sobbed. He couldn't be planning on killing him in front of them… Is he? Everyone gasped at the answer; yes. When Persona took the knife out, Koko turned to Natsume. "Shut her eyes! Cover her ears! D-Don't let her see or hear anything… Please." Natsume was never one to follow someone else's orders, but in this case, he needn't be told twice. He hugged Mikan and she lay her head on his shoulders, shielding herself from the horrendous sight that would follow. He covered her ears, not wanting her to be haunted by his screams. Nonoko did the same with Youichi. She covered his ears whilst Yuu covered his eyes. They all shut their eyes, and three seconds later, Koko's scream echoed throughout the room.

Natsume tightened his hold on Mikan, he knew it wouldn't be enough to block the sound, but he wanted to at least lower the volume. He wanted it to be over already, but he knew Persona would not stop. He was only just starting…

"Aahh!" Koko screamed again. Persona was taking his fingers off one by one. His thumb and middle finger were already gone. He wanted a quick death, but Persona was making that impossible. The pain was unbearably slow. Why oh why couldn't he just kill me quickly? Thoughts of Mikan and his friends ran through his mind. When he got there, Tsubasa, Misaki, Tono and Natsume were there. They were a rebellious bunch. Tsubasa and Misaki liked to make a lot of noise, and Natsume kept shouting and screaming. Tono would just watch them go crazy. He was scared of them at first, they looked like they wanted to eat him. But then he got to know all of them and soon enough he was making just as much noise. Then the Shodas joined them; Sumire liked to hit and tease him, much like Natsume with Mikan now. He could tell that the only reason Sumire was going loony with noise was because she fancied Natsume. Unlike his sister, Sato was more civil and liked to sit and watch them beside Tono. He was moody and mean at first, but they got him to open up soon enough.

"AAH!" Persona was finished with his fingers and had started to saw his arm off. God, kill me already! And as soon as both his arms were off, God answered him. Memories of Mikan and his time with her flashed before his eyes. His head turned side ways and took a look at his friends. He saw Natsume holding her protectively and knew she was in good hands. A single tear escaped him as Persona sliced his neck. His head rolled off the table and the chance to tell her he loved her remained in the tear—never to be spoken aloud.

Mikan heard the thud and knew it was over. She dared to take a look at Persona's work and regretted it almost immediately as she saw Koko's dismembered head staring at her with his lifeless eyes. She cried harder than she ever did, and ever will, and Natsume just held her quietly. Even Nonoko and Yuu regretted opening their eyes when they saw the bloody scene that was before them.

Persona really wondered why they were closing their eyes when frankly, his work was beautiful; a river of red in the middle of the silver table and the cemented floor.

The room was eerily quiet if you didn't count their cries.

Persona looked too them, and with the most sinister grin they've even seen before he said,

"So who's next?"

.

.

He went closer to the cage and looked at every one of them. "Eenie… Meenie.. Minie… Mo!" His hand landed on Mikan.

Natsume saw Koko's dismembered body and an image of Mikan in the same state appeared in his mind. Persona opened the cage and tore Mikan off his arms. His mind screamed, No. No. No!

He knocked Persona down and punched him. "Get out! Now!" He screamed to them. Yuu took Nonoko and Youichi and ran out the open door. Mikan followed them but stopped midway and called out to Natsume. "COME ON NATSUME!"

Persona had gotten the boy off him and pinned him to the cage wall. "Why you little ass hole!" Natsume kept fighting though, he kicked, resisted and screamed. Persona slammed his head to the wall, getting really annoyed with him.

But Mikan saw what Persona was about to do and ran back. She grabbed his leg and bit him hard. "Aahh!" He yelped. He dropped Natsume to the ground and Mikan took him by his hand and they both ran.

They ran up the stairs and found themselves in a dark hallway. They were unsure of what to do until Nobara came their way, signaling them to follow her. She led them past different hallways with different doors. In some open doors, they could see the dead bodies of his other victims. "Thank you Nobara-chan," said Mikan. "No problem M-Mikan…"

They turned a corner when they came face to face with Persona. "Nobara? How could you betray me like that? After I raised you all these years when your parents had abandoned you? Little bitch!" Persona slapped Nobara and pushed her aside. Her head collided with the wall and she fell down, unconscious.

Natsume pushed Mikan behind him, but Persona had grabbed her by the arm and pulled her to him. "This was all your fault you little fucking brat. Now I'm going to kill your little girlfriend here," he said to Natsume. He raised Mikan up by her hair and put a knife around her neck. She squirmed, but the knife to her throat kept her in place.

"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HER!" Natsume yelled. He took a step towards him but Persona placed the knife closer to her throat. "Uh uh uh Natsume-kun. One wrong move and this little girl goes bye bye…"

"AAHH! LET MY FRIEND GO YOU BASTARD!" Nonoko came running to Persona from behind. Caught off guard, he turned around to see the girl charging at him in full speed. He let the knife leave her neck for a second and Natsume took that opportunity to kick Persona right where it counts; in the balls.

His hands let go of Mikan's hair and she was free to go into Nonoko's arms.

"Why you little bastard!" Persona grabbed Natsume by the leg causing him to fall. He was about to stab him when Yuu ran over to them and climbed onto Persona's back and bit him hard in the shoulder. "LEFT MF FWND GU YH CRRP!" Let my friend go you creep!

Natsume took a bite at Persona's arm too. And Nonoko and Mikan joined them in the biting fest. "Aahh!" Persona screamed. "Let me go you fucking little smirfs—"

He went silent and they all looked to see that Nobara had stabbed him. "I-I…"

Voices suddenly started to be heard. They looked at the end of the hallway to see another adult there. The woman rushed to them, and soon they were surrounded by adults. Youichi had screamed for help and gathered people all on his own. He found an officer patrolling the area and he brought him to the warehouse-like building.

Paramedics had arrived at the scene and the children's injuries were treated. Persona was alive, but just barely. He owed his life to Youichi, for if help had arrived even a moment later, he'd have died.

Reporters, writers, and journalists arrived at the scene not long after. They wasted no time in trying to interview the children but the police and the paramedics refused to let any of the older children speak yet. So Youichi had the media all to himself.

The police explored the area but found no other person alive. They found two dozen dead bodies, both adults and children. In his room, they found multiple disguises, passports, and driver's licenses. Soon enough, they found out who Persona's accomplice was and put him to jail too; surprisingly, his accomplice was Japan's ambassador, and CEO of the Alice empire, Kounji Takumi.

The children's parents took the first flight to town and arrived an hour after they heard the news. They found their children sharing a ward in the hospital. Mikan rushed to her grandpa's arms, and she was more than welcome there. Her jii-chan never thought he'd see his grandchild ever again when the police told him she was probably taken by Persona. "Oh how I missed you my little tangerine!"

Nonoko rushed to her parents and cried in their arms. Yuu's siblings tackled him into a dog pile while Ruka and Natsume parents and sister ran to Natsume and crushed him in a team bear hug. They all sort of lost hope of ever seeing their children again.

Mikan dragged her grandfather over to meet with everyone. "Jii-chan! Jii-chan! This is Nonoko-chan, Yuu-kun, and Natsume-kun!"

Natsume's eyebrow shot up at his honorific. "Since when did you start giving me and honorific, Polka?" Mikan puffed her cheeks and stuck her tongue out at him. "I'm trying to be nice you meanie." They all laughed and introductions were made.

"My son! Where is my son?" Cried Youichi's mother. "Have you seen little You-chan?"

"He's in the waiting room with all the media Mrs. Hijiri," said a blonde man that just recently came in the room. The woman said her thanks and left to see her son. "Let my introduce myself, I am Narumi Anjo. I'm in charge of capturing Serio Rei, or more commonly known as, Pesona."

Natsume stared at the man and noticed the eye liner, mascara, and the girly way he wore his suit. "Tch. No wonder he wasn't caught until now…"

"Natsume!" Everyone reprimanded. "What? I hate fags."

Kaoru Hyuuga stared incredulously at her son. "Where the hell did you get that bloody filthy sailor mouth?"

"Nonoko! Mr. and Mrs. Ogasawara! Have you… Have you seen Anna? Mr. Andou! Where is my baby girl?" A hysterical pink haired woman barged in.

A dark cloud instantly hovered over the children. Anna's mother could tell she would never see her baby girl anymore. "N-no... N-no! No! Y-you're lying... right? P-Please tell me this is a joke... Where is my baby girl? Please give her back! She's all I have," She begged and begged, but everyone's sullen faces told her what their mouths couldn't: I'm sorry. She's gone.

"E-er... Can someone escort her to the waiting room?" Narumi signaled for one of his co-workers and a tanned skin man came and showed Mrs. Umenomiya outside.

Then he turned to the children and their families. "Every media network all over the world will be coming to you. You are heroes. It will be your choice to speak up or keep to yourselves," he said to them.

Everyone looked at the four children, and the children looked amongst themselves. After a minute of careful consideration, they all nodded, agreeing on one answer. "W-we'd like to just answer their questions. We'll answer them truthfully, but we'll only tell you guys the whole story bit by bit," Nonoko said.

The adults smiled at their answer, proud to have been given such a responsible and mature response. "That would be advisable. Thank you," with that, Narumi left the families to themselves.

.

End... ?

.

Epilogue... ?

.

Two years ago, when they were sixteen, Natsume Hyuuga asked Mikan Sakura out. Fifteen year old Nonoko Ogasawara and seventeen year old Yuu Tobita became activists against child violence and both of them had already started going out. Eleven year old Youichi Hijiri became the little boy that the media adores and stalks. Fifteen year old Nobara Ibaragi found her long lost parents and had found out the truth; they had not abandoned her, but in fact, she had wandered off and gotten lost. She was now the heiress of the entire Ibaragi Transportation empire.

A memorial for all of Persona's victims can be found in every country he's been in. Every year, the gang would visit the nearest memorial and place a dozen pink and white carnations, daisies, poppies, and pink roses.

Now, at eighteen, Hyuuga Natsume started a criminology course and Mikan Sakura followed the course of the law, and aimed to be a prosecutor. Both of them live in dorms and are still together. Tobita Yuu went to take politics and Nonoko was preparing herself to a course in medicine. Youichi went to a life of fame and fortune. Nobara was signing up to a course in law so she may make her dream of stopping prostitution for good. Persona was given a death sentence, and was executed immediately. None of the children's lives could be considered peaceful and perfect because the memory of what happened ten years ago still haunts them, but they can all tell you in full honesty that they were happy with the imperfection.

.

That's all folks!

A/N: (My notes from when this story was first published)

So credits to Suzanna Collins for the meadow song I used. This was inspired by an ad I saw in Fox for Criminal Minds. This is for the May Madness. Oh, and if you find this similar to when Erza from FairyTail was still a kid and she was a slave for the R-System, then that's probably because I was watching that while writing this. XD

Happy belated birthday to Prose Vanity. You're a year closer to dying now, Ash :D

To those requesting to tax me: Yes Mara, I mean you. Here's your tax. 8k. Suck on it.

Here is the reference I used for the meanings of those flowers: (erase the spaces and take out the brackets)

www. aboutflowers. com

A/N: (Again.)

Anyone willing to edit this for me? I fricking hate tenses. And, if anyone wants to create a chaptered fic out of this, you're welcome to PM me. :) Also, anyone willing to draw me a cover for this story? :D