"Honestly, Miyako, why did you even come to the party?" A familiar voice questioned from beside her, causing her to jump.

"Don't you ever do that to me again, Ishida Yamato!" She hit the blonde boy on his shoulder a few times, then laid back down beside him. "If you weren't my best friend, you would be on the ground, crying out in agony right now." Miyako really didn't sound threatening at all, especially since she had curled up into him. "Why aren't you out there?"

"Too many people out there," he answered. "Besides, Hiroshi and Akemi are already getting enough underaged girls drunk." Miyako laughed, a hollow sound that Yamato could tell she was faking. Really, Miyako wasn't laughing genuinely because it hurt too much.

"I guess I'm one of those girls then." Miyako retrieved the bottle of vodka she knew to be under Hiroshi's bed. Yamato looked at the bottle thoughtfully and tried to figure out what the hell was wrong with the normally responsible and smart Miyako. "The reason I came to this party was to get drunk," she admitted.

"Hmm," was all Yamato said as he watched Miyako grab two shot glasses from their friend's large collection, then sit back down on the bed. She held out one of the glasses to him, then uncapped the bottle of liquor.

"Cheers," she said after she had poured the beverage, lifting up her glass to him. She threw it back like it came naturally to her, not even wincing at the taste. Yamato just studied her, forgeting all about the glass in his hand. A flash of the pale skin on her legs caught his eye, noticing a little line across her thigh. Miyako readied another shot and did the same as before. Yamato took this chance to run his hand along her leg, and push her skirt up a little more. The girl barely had time for her mind to register what was going on when Yamato let out a noise of shock.

Fine lines covered either of Miyako's thighs up to where Yamato ventured to pull up her skirt without coming off as a hentai.

"Why?" He whispered, looking into the lavender haired girl's frightened eyes. He wasn't angry, wasn't furious, wasn't unforgiving and relentless like Miyako would have expected him to be. Instead, he sounded guilty and stupid for not seeing anything earlier. She thought she even saw some tears in his cerulean eyes.

"It's the only way to escape," she let out, barely audible and tears streaming from her eyes.

/Jenni killed her dad with her car and now she's a millionaire

She got beat on mostly for being at home

So mostly she wasn't there

Me I'm waiting to see what goes around when she comes around

To kill me/

"From what?" he questioned, running his finger across one of the scars.

"My father." Yamato looked straight at her, feeling imediate hatred for a man he thought was kind and loving.

"What do you mean?" The boy grabbed Miyako's hands, holding them in his larger ones. She suddenly couldn't take it anymore and broke down into hysterical sobs, falling into his lap, where Yamato wrapped his arms around her.

"Ow," she let out when he put pressure on her thin waist. Hesitantly, one of his hands made it toward the hem of her shirt, lifting it up gently. Miyako allowed him to, wanting someone else to know her secret. Miyako's stomach held a myriad of dark coloring, her skin blue and purple and yellow. "That's why I'm really here. If I don't go home, he can't hit me."

"Your father did this to you?" Miyako nodded, still sobbing. Yamato didn't know what else to do, so he simply held her, letting her cry all she wanted. A million different thoughts swirled around in Yamato's head. He needed to figure out what actions to take and who to tell. "You need to tell someone. How about your mother?"

"She knows," Miyako said bitterly. "She just doesn't do anything about it." Yamato could never understand why someone would do this type of thing to their child. It somehow seemed worse that her mother didn't do anything, and stood by while her youngest child got hit. "She pretends that it doesn't go on; all to save her perfect family situation."

/Were you dead way before tonight?

Throw it back and stay a while

I've seen red most of this little life

Throw it back and stay a while/

"Stay with me," he muttered.

"I can't burden you like that," she replied, the crackle in her voice giving away that she did want to impose.

"You will never be a burden to me, Miya-chan. And we can tell my dad, and I know he'll be willing to help you out." Yamato looked down, seeing a hurt, disspirited little girl, instead of the normal fiery, strong...woman that he knew. He absent mindedly wiped her tears away as they appeared, stroking her fine hair until they both fell asleep.

"Rise and shine, lovebirds!" Yamato heard a cheery voice say. He peeked over the arm blocking his view to see Hiroshi, with a wide smile on his face. Yamato raised his hand to put an index finger to his mouth, then gesturing at Miyako. Hiroshi nodded and then wiggled his eyebrows as if speaking. All members of The Teenage Wolves could understand 'Hiroshi Eyebrow Speak', and when he 'said' this comment, Yamato almost kicked his ass for suggesting such a thing about Miyako.

Instead, he slipped out of the bed, being careful not to wake Miyako, and followed his drummer into the kitchen. Akemi was moaning about how bad light was and how he was never going to drink again. Then about asshole friends who miraculously don't get hangovers.

"Ishida, you dog!" Hiroshi said loudly, causing Akemi to wince.

"Don't be so loud, Hiro," he said, irritated.

"You didn't seem to think I was too loud when I was screaming your name in ecstacy last night!" The boy retorted. Akemi's eyes went wide in terror.

"We- we didn't, did we?"

"Nah." Akemi's tense shoulders relaxed, until Hiroshi added onto his answer. "We only had a good makeout session until you passed out." The bassist looked as if he were going to hurl, though from the hangover or the revelation, no one could tell.

/We go out and we pass out in our clothes again

Giving it and losing it for the time of our lives/

Everyone looked up when Miyako walked into the room, dried tears evident on her face.

"Well, now I know where Yamato disappeared to last night," Akemi said matter-of-factly, causing a blush to grace Miyako's cheeks. She sat down by Yamato, scooting her chair close to him, so she wouldn't lose that feeling of protection he offered. Sensing this, he grabbed her hand and held it in a reassuring manner.

"'Bout time you two got together," Will said, witnessing the events from the doorway, then shuffling in from the hallway, dragging a very sleepy Daisuke, his boyfriend, behind him. Daisuke sat down at the table, pulling the pianist into his lap, and nuzzling his neck.

"Oh, now I'm gonna be as sick as this bastard," Hiroshi said, meaning Akemi and talking of the public display of sickeningly sweet affection.

"We're not together," Yamato said, casting a quick glance at Miyako, who's facial expression had once again gone sour. He rubbed underneath her wrist, and she flashed a smile at him.

"My eyes have seen otherwise," Hiroshi said.

"Your eyes have seen Miyako and myself asleep in a bed together, either of us fully clothed. When you have evidence, then you can prove me wrong." Yamato looked up at the clock on the wall, and noted that it was nearly noon. "Well, guys," he said, standing up and pushing his chair under the table. "Miyako and I must be off. We've got a lot to get done." Yamato quickly ushered Miyako out of the door to avoid any probing questions.

"How much do you wanna bet that they've gone home to screw like rabbits?" Hiroshi asked his bandmates and Daisuke.

"I say it sounds like a good idea," Daisuke let out, nibbling on Will's neck.

"You hentai," Will said half-heartedly.

"And damn proud of it."

Akemi looked at Hiroshi. "Did we really make out? I hope we didn't look like those two."

/I'm giving it and losing it for the time of my life

You're giving it and losing it for the time of your life/

Miyako sat on the bed of the Ishida's guest room, her room, pondering what was going on in her life. She was a physical and emotional wreck, and all she could process was what Yamato was doing for her. It had been a week since the night he had learned her secret. Mr. Ishida had contacted the Department of Social Services and the Inoues as soon as he found out what was going on. Yamato's father adored Miyako and loved her like one of his own children, and immediately agreed to help her out. To keep things quiet, Mr. Ishida had gone to a friend who was a social worker and had got him to authorize the adoption of Inoue Miyako. Now, Miyako officially was his daughter.

"All of this in under a week," she said to herself. "I never knew these things could happen so fast." She looked around the room at the unpacked boxes of her possessions, groaning at all of the work she had to do.

/Were you dead way before tonight?

Throw it back and stay a while

I've seen red most of this little life

Throw it back and we'll die a while/

"Thanks, Yama," Miyako said as the inverse of the blonde brought the last box in the room. Hanging upside down from the edge of the bed was the only way to be. The blood was rushing to Miyako's head, causing her to turn red. He set the box down on another and joined the girl, also hanging his head off the end of the bed.

"Why are we hanging upside down?" He asked, turning his head to face her.

"Well, I figure that if the blood rushes to my head, when I stand up it will spread throughout my body and take the muddled thoughts with it."

"Interesting philosophy. Anything imparticular bothering you?"

"You." Yamato sat up on the bed properly, and flipped onto his stomach, hanging his arms off of the bed instead.

"Now, what on earth do you mean by that?"

"You are difficult to read, Ishida Yamato. I can never tell what's going on in your mind. I wish I could."

"Why is that?"

"So I could know if you truly want me here." Yamato's eyes narrowed. So this was what was going on? She was questioning his affections for her.

"Miyako, look at me." She met his eyes. "How long have you known me?"

"Too long," she answered tartly.

"Hmph. And when have I not spoken my mind?"

"Never, Mr. I-Always-Have-Something-To-Say." He smiled his best and most charming smile.

"Then there's your answer." She looked up at him, understanding what she'd known all along.

"Arigato, Yama-chan." Miyako got up, ignoring the blood rush, then leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, causing the always 'cool' Yamato to blush.

/I know what it means: 'you got me'

We're not sick, we just need it on the weekends

On mondays it's gone/

That small peck on the cheek had triggered something inside of Yamato. Something that filled his insides with fire and made him want more. He lay awake in his bed that night, wondering what exactly was going on. Miyako was one of his best friends for Christ's sake. Why did he have to develop romantic feelings for her?

Especially now, when they were the most inconvenient. Miyako relied on Yamato as being the only stable thing in her life at the moment. He couldn't put this on her now; she had too much weight on her shoulders at the moment.

/I used to think I was invisible

Beside you I'd crumble

You wait for it and you wait for it and it's gone

And you wake up and nobody knows

That I loved you buried alive/

Weird. That was the only word that Miyako oculd think of to fit Yamato's mood lately. Just... weird. Treating her like a stranger wasn't the best thing for him to do. "Do you need help with those?" She asked one night after dinner. Yamato continued to dry the just cleaned plate.

"No," he answered sullenly and coldly.

"All right, Mister, that is it!" Miyako snapped. She pulled him away from the sink and sat him down in a chair. "You are going to tell me why you've been so bitchy lately... or else I'll... I'll..."

"You'll what?" He grinned in defiance.

"I'll flush your hair gel down the toilet!"

"Fine," he said through gritted teeth.

"So what's going on, Yama-chan. You can't shut me out and not tell me why."

"Have you ever suddenly seen a really good friend in a different light?" Miyako just nodded, signaling for him to go on. "And have you ever wanted someone so bad you couldn't handle it? That maybe it drove you to act differently around that person. And that person can't possibly need this in her life right now, having just gone through a very rough transgression in her life? And that person, the object of your every desire, happened to live with you under the same roof, in very close quarters, constantly reminding you of what you can never have? Do you understand?"

"I think so," Miyako said softly. Getting closer to him, Miyako sat on his lap so both of his legs were inbetween her own. Yamato's eyes went wide with recognition of what was happening. "Yamato, whoever said you couldn't have me?" And with that she leaned in and pressed her forehead to his, making their noses touch. She experimentally touched his lips with hers, before he hungrily kissed her, not at all chastely. And that was Miyako's happy ending to all of the bad that had went on in her life. This one instant had made up for the physical and emotional scarring that had been caused by the evil man that was her father. This one instant had changed everything.

/Were you dead way before tonight?

Throw it back and stay a while

I've seen red most of this little life

Throw it back and we'll die a while/

~A/N: And on a serious note: If you or someone you know is being abused in any way, please go to the autorities. Life will be better in the long run.~