((I'll just set the scene~ BTW, Steph is my Original character...:'D She likes Aru, cause shes not mean...Sometimes. xDD ))

Steph stood in the rain, her short hazel hair slicked down her cheekbones, her blood mixing with her sweat. She colapsed to her knees, her eyes scanning after the car. Once again, she had been left.
Her thin grey t-shirt stuck to her skin, her ripped and torn trench coat hanging off her slim frame. She pulled at her ripped denim shorts, straightening them, so they were align with her tall black clumpy boots.
Steph was the kind of person that got into a lot of trouble fast, yet she didn't know why, or how.
The city was dark, grey, and black, scaring her a little. There was a flash of lightning, followed by a loud clap of thunder.
"It hasn't changed much..." She mumured, wiping her eyes.
She stood up, grabbing her small bag, and started walking towards the small inlet of a shop nearby.
Steph leant back, her head resting against the glass, thoughts began to buzz about her head.
"My name is Stephanie...I am lost...My name is Stephanie...I am lost..." She muttered, looking at the floor now.
She looked at her stomach, placing her arm across the wound.
She looked up at sky, tears beginning to run down her cheeks, mixing with her hair. A person appeared, floating above her.
"Why so down? You've got me, haven't you?" The person above uttered, grinning evilly.
"You aren't real..." Steph muttered, placing her hands over her ears.
"Oh but I am." The person said, swooping down and lifting Stephs chin with a curled finger. "And you know it."
Steph slapped out, striking the person across the face, but her fingers passed right though, and hit something else solid, and fleshy.
A woman stood over Steph, glaring at her.
"HOW RUDE. I SHOULD REPORT YOU!!" The woman screamed.
Steph looked down, her hair swinging forward.
"I'm sorry ma'm, please don't report me..." She mumbled, tears still dripping down her cheeks, though it was masked by the rain.
The woman growled, then turned on her heel and left.
Steph glared after her, then looked up at the person, but she was gone.
She sat back, and closed her eyes, the rain catching her face.
"Another life will begin tomorrow, I guess." She muttered.

Kari had been walking around,trying her best to ignore the gawking and the glares that she received daily because she was different,because with her raven black hair she had the same color cat ears on the sides of her head and she had a black tail that was white at the end,but what scared people the most was her two toned eyes,her right one was a bright icy blue while the left was a dark chocolate brown color and she walked over to Stephanie and asked reaching out her hand to help her up,her own small 4"11 frame drenched to the bone and asked with a kind smile

"Hey there,you want some help miss?Your going to catch a cold like me if you stay in this rain."

((I can't think of anythin else. |D))
Steph opened her eyes, blinking several times.
She took the helping hand, and stood up, being much taller than the other, she had to look down at her.
"Umm...Thankyou..." She mumbled, her hair still sticking to her thin sides. "Who...Are...you?" She asked, blinking at her.
She picked up her small bag, and clutched it to her sides, searching through it for something.
"Here..." She mumured to herself.
She slipped on a small bracelet with a red stone attached.

"I'm Kari,Kari Neko."

Kari said introducing herself and trying to ignore the fact that she was looking down on her,not on purpose though since she was short and she said noticing the wound with a small frown

"That's gonna get infected and that won't be good for you,C'mon I'll fix you up at my house if you want.It's not much but it should be enough so you'll stay out of the rain."

Steph bowed.
"Th-- Thankyou very much!" She stuttered."I am Stephanie, or Steph. I don't have a last name..."
She smiled thankfully.
"Which way is your home?" She asked, pointing in different directions.
She stepped next to Kari, obviously the younger one, though she was much taller.

"It's this way Stephanie,now c'mon we're gonna get a cold!"

Kari said chuckling as she took the girl's hand leading her down a few streets before stopping at a small black,house with red shutters and Kari hopped up the steps putting the key in and unlocked it and smiled going in motioning Stephanie to follow.

Steph jerked forwards as Kari took her hand, and soon she was a little out of breath. After a while, she came to a stop.
She blinked, and scanned the side of the house with her gaze.
She zoned out a little, until she beckoned me in.
She followed her, staring about the house in awe, a large grin appearing on her thin face.

"Hope you don't mind that it's kinda dark,I never was one for sunshine."

Kari said sheepishly which was probably true since her skin was paler than snow,the natural glow of her skin bleached away as she went in lighting a few candles and turning on a light so it wouldn't be too dark for Stephanie.She went over to the bathroom and grabbed the first aid kit from the top of the cabinet over the sink and ran back over to Stephanie saying

"Here let's fix that up so you don't get really sick."

Steph shook her head.
"Its fine...I never really liked the sun either."
I looked around myself, not knowing what to do with myself.
I looked at the first aid kit, sudden fear in my eyes.
Red cross...
The thing that happens when people get hurt!
I clutched my ears and fell to my knees, shouting out a little.
"I didn't do anything!!!" I cried.

"Hey hey calm down Stephanie,you didn't do anything bad I'm just gonna but band-aids on your stomach calm down!"

Kari said rocking her slowly in a soothing manner.

Steph looked up, her eyes wide. She clung to Kari a second, then realised where she was, and rested her hands on her lap.
"SorrySorrysorry..." She mumbled, closing her eyes and lifting up her T-shirt, showing her wound that crossed from her belly button to below her chest.

"It's ok Stephanie,you don't have to say sorry for everything you know."

Kari said chuckling lightly and said taking out rubbing alcohol putting it on a paper towel she said before dabbing it across the wound

"This'll probably sting a little."

Steph tensed up as the alcohol touched her wound.
She nodded, and stayed as still as she could, biting her bottom lip.
Some water dripped from her hair, down her cheek, onto her chin, and landed on her lap, grasping her attention. She watched the small spot of water.
Silence filled the room, the only sound being the rain on the rooftop.

Kari finished within a few minutes and started wrapping bandages around her and after a minute she said with a smile tieing the bandage into a knot so it'd stay there and she happened to give her a new nickname.

"There.All done,you should be alright Stephy."

Steph looked up at Kari, and smiled awkwardly.
"Thankyou..." she mumured.
"What did...you...call me?" I asked quietly, blinking, a little confused.

"Stephy.It's short for Stephanie my way."

Kari said and added hesitantly putting the extra bandages away

"Do you not like it?I could always just call you Stephanie."

"No...Its just that...Nobody has given me a nickname before." I said, a beam creeping onto my face.
Steph grabbed a bandage that was on the floor, and passed it to Kari.
"Thankyou again for your hostpitality." She said, smiling brightly.

"Your welcome,stay as long as you'd like."

Kari said smiling closing the case and putting it back into the bathroom with some small issues since she was so short,she had to stand on the toilet seat.

Steph stood up, and walked over to Kari.
"Do you want me to do it?" She asked. "Its the least I could do...." She added.
She held out her hands.

"Please?I'm vertically challenged."

Kari said anime sighing giving her the box to put up

Steph stood fully, placing the box on the top of the cupboard quickly.
She smiled, and looked about the bathroom, grinning.
"I really love your home...Its pretty~" She noted, smiling, her eyes curved.
((Like ^^ ))

Kari blushed and said sheepishly

"Why thank you,it was the only place in town that wasn't really bright.Sides I like it here."

Steph nodded, and smiled.
"I wanna have a pretty house!"

Kari smiled and said/asked

"You can when you work hard for it,by the way Stephy not to be rude but how old are you?"

Steph nodded.
"I guess that'll never work for me then...Oh, I'm 13." she told her, smiling kindly.
"And you?" I asked politely.

"22 on Christmas."

Kari said with a soft laugh at how they're ages differed yet she was the shorter one.

Steph smiled at Kari.
"hmmm...You know your birthday...Thats good." She mumured, smiling sadly.
"I never had my birthday celebrated, so I don't know when it was..." She mumbled, clasping her hands together infront of her.

Kari frowned and said

"Well we'll just have to give you a birth date."

Steph looked down.
"But when?" She whispered hoarsly.
Steph sat down, looking up at Kari, thinking.

"Hm well how about today,October 5th.I found you today so it only seems to work."

Kari said sheepishly

Looked down before Kari said anything, then after, she looked up, a blush and a smile creeping onto her own pale skin.
"That works..." She mumured.
Steph blinked, thinking about what she was going to do after she left here.
She turned away, and looked to the door, which was shaking a little.
A shadow of a girl appeared out from behind the door, wrapping its self around Stephanie, shrouding her view.
"AHH!" She cried, bringing her knees to her chest and leaning her forehead there.
"You aren't real! LEAVE ME!!" She screamed, waving her hands about her head.
She looked up at Kari, tears in her eyes.
"CAN YOU SEE I!?!" She cried hoarsly.

Kari blinked obviously a little confused and sat down next to Stephanie and wrapped an arm around her shoulder's putting her head on her shoulder saying

"Ah,you've been having trouble lately.And yes I can see you."

(( xDD Shes got a little problem with her mind...))
"Can you see it though?" She whispered, tears pouring down her cheeks.
"It haunts me everywhere...I can't get rid of it..."
She shook her head, her hands covering her eyes.

((XD I noticed))

"I can't but if you don't want to look at it then think of somehow making it funny,like try to imagine it doing cartwheels in they're underwear."

Kari said chuckling gently and wiping the tears off Stephanie's face.

"Its a shadow...A deadly shadow covering me...I can hardly feel, I can't controll my movements that well..." She whispered, her vision blurring and un blurring. She was shuddering, and staring right infront of herself.
Steph squezed her eyes shut, and clutched her bracelet, pullling it off her wrist. She handed it to Kari.
"Wear this, then all will become clear." She said, taking a long shuddering breath.
The darkness stayed shrouded around her, as she kept her eyes shut, terrified of what would happen when she opened them.

Kari blinked putting on the bracelet seeing what she saw she simply blinked saying as she took out a small flashlight which she took with her everywhere and turned it on making the shadow disappear

"If it's a shadow then just use a light,dark things hate light."

Stephanie stopped shaking and opened her eyes.
She looked about, a beam spreading on her face.
"Its gone..." She mumured. "ITS GONE!" She cried, grinning.
Stephanie hugged Kari, squeezing her eyes shut.
"Thankyou so much!" She whispered, very thankful indeed.

"Your welcome Stephy."

Kari said sweetly hugging her back

Steph stayed there several minutes, clinging to Kari like a young child.
Well, she had the mind of a child.
She let go, and wiped her cheeks and eyes, relieving herself of the tears.
Her stomach rumbled loudly, so she wrapped an arm around herself, and put a finger to her lips.
"Shh!" She said to herself.

Kari giggled and asked getting up and helping her up as well

"Well that settles the fact that we need dinner."

Steph stood up, with Kari's help, then shook her hands infront of her.
"No, no! I'm fine..." She rushed, squeezing her eyes shut and smiling.
She balled her hands up into fists, and held them by her chest, blushing a little at the thought of someone caring enough to give her some food.

Kari snorted and said smiling at her going to her kitchen

"Riiiiiight,your stomach on the other hand says otherwise so your eating whether you like it or not."

Stephanie smilled warmly, and followed her into the kitchen.
"Well, I might be a little hungry..." She mumbled."If you're going to feed me, then I will be at your services, cooking, cleaning, anything." She said, smiling, and bowing a little.

Kari chuckled and said pulling out a pot and a box of noodles and putting water in the pot and putting it on the stove

"That sounds fair enough,but for now you have to learn where everything is."

Steph nodded, smiling still.
"So, where are the plates, or bowls?" She asked, looking about.

"Plates are in the second last cabinet to the left and the bowls are the last."

Kari said pointing to where they were

Steph nodded, and walked to the cupboards, pulling out two bowls.
She placed them on the side, nearby to the cooker.
Steph turned to Kari.
"Got them. Where is the soy sause and condiments?" I asked, scanning about the kitchen.

"Bottom cabinet in the last one to the right."

Kari said getting all the water out with a strainer at the sink.

Stephanie reached into the cupboard, and brought out a small bottle of soy sauce, salt, and pepper, then set them down on the table. She reached over the side to the vase, jar like thing that was holding several pairs of chopsticks. She took out two pairs, then ley them at either ends of the table.
She stood by Kari, investigating what she was doing.

Kari came to the dining room with the pot of steaming noodles in hand and put in equal amounts into the bowls and said sitting down and salt and soy sauce and started eating

"Itdakimasu."