Len's P.O.V.

The morning was a hectic buzz. Miki did Piko's makeup while Ia had Momo do hers. We did a little on [_____] too (reasons unimportant... she just really wanted to be included and so they gave her some lip gloss and light blush).

Meiko frequented an underground bar with Teto where they made a couple of friends who hooked them up with costume connections. Miki helped with major alterations to hide certain body parts and soon Piko and Ia were dressed as cute maids. Piko added chalk color streaks to his hair and Ia wore a bright baby blue wig to hide their identities. Since they were our main distraction, it was logical to have them wear heavy clown-like makeup and costumes to sell a fake product to get [_____]'s aunt away from the back door.

Thankfully, Miki had done some reconnaissance for a few days to find out [_____]'s uncle's schedule. He would be at work till 6:00 pm and Yuuma had stayed over across the street with Kaito and only the Gods would know what those two were up to. The neighbors to the left were hardly home and the neighbors to the right were in the middle of fumigating.

I didn't tell [_____] why I needed her for this mission. I merely said we were supposed to steal something from a unsuspecting house so she could gain some experience. I spilled what our group was. Kids hiding out on the middle of the forest? We were all outcasts and misfits. In all truthfulness, in no way was I lying to her. We truly were outcasts and our job was to steal her notebook and obviously her aunt had no clue. I secretly hoped maybe even just seeing the house would have all of her memories flood back. At least our experiment would give us the verdict. Within three short hours, the plan had been thrust into action.

[_____] and I sneaked along the outside of the house from the front lawn. Thankfully, neighborhoods at 11:00 am weren't busy at all. Once we made our way onto the property, I signaled Piko and Ia to hurry after. Piko was waddling due to a wedgie in unsavory places. Ia held the prop box of candy bars as she marched over to the front door. [_____] turned to me dubiously and reached out to grip my hand.

"A little anxious?" I whispered. She nodded and took the moment to return a reassuring squeeze. She gave me a small smile and took a deep breath. As Piko walked up the stairs, Ia rang the doorbell. I could hear shuffling inside the house as Ann went to open the door. She greeted our distractions with a peppy greeting, but even I could hear how lethargic she was. I glanced back at [_____] who flinched at her aunt's voice. Was she picking up on her? Were her memories on the surface?

Hope bloomed in my chest as I guided her along the side of the house to the back. Earlier in the week, I had asked if [_____] had a key. She nodded and handed it to me, unsure why she even had it. There was just a simple silver carabiner attached to the house key, but I kept it and told her I'd hidden it on her for a mission.

"We're just going to steal something small, but it's a surprise. Are you up for it?"

"Oh, sure! It doesn't sound too dangerous."

"It's not gonna be, I promise."

[_____] laughed softly. "I know it's not. I don't believe you've ever lied to me, granted I don't really remember anything. I can tell there's something about you though."

With her trust in me, I promised myself that I would see her grow till the end. There was no way I'd allow [_____] to suffer through this alone. The backyard was a little wet which made me realize that Ann was just outside mere moments ago. Not only did I have to make sure we didn't track mud but we also had to go at a much faster pace. I tried the doorknob which thankfully opened without a hitch. There wasn't a squeak or anything.

Inside the house, it smelled like lunch was cooking and I could hear Ia talking to Ann about hairstyles and other products to maximize volume. Piko chimed in every now and again on other beauty products, but I had to make it to the foyer to head up the stairs behind Ann. My stomach dropped when I thought she was about to turn around, but she just laughed and scratched her arm.

I shoved [_____] up the carpeted stairs as we both carefully made our way up. Good thing she was quick on her feet because I heard Ann invite both IA and Piko in for lunch. Since [_____] and I were down the hall, it was impossible to see us from where they were at. I crouched, guiding [_____] to do the same with me as I carefully turned the doorknob to her room. Somebody would have unlocked it beforehand. As [_____] carefully closed the door behind her, her hand touched the knob. She jolted up, but kept her voice low so we wouldn't get caught.

I turned on the light and her eyes wandered around her room. They landed on various knickknacks across the shelves, her bed untouched for weeks now, the pile of clothes on the chair by the desk.

"Oh my God," she whispered, as her gaze sunk to the floor.

"Whoa, what's going on?" I asked her, holding her up as she practically melted. [_____] gripped onto me as she shook violently, sucking in a sob.

"Len," she shut her eyes as she wrapped her arms around me, "My head is spinning and I have conflicting thoughts. This place feels familiar, but I don't remember being here. It's heavy with mockery and I remember being sad here, but I don't remember being here. It's like a horrible case of Déjà Vu."

My brain was flustered. I held onto her as she bit back her groans of pain. We didn't have much time, so I had to act fast. I scanned her room quickly as I looked for her book. Wedged between the bed and nightstand was the leather-bound book of hers. I gently leaned her against the side of her bed and plucked it from where it was. I flipped it open to the satin bookmark and there was a picture of her and her parents by the beach.

"[_____] do me a favor and please look at this." I urged her. She had dropped her head in her hands as she cried silently, holding back the loud cries that wanted to escape. I knelt in front of her and wiped some of her tears and she looked up at me. I gave her a bittersweet smile and placed the book in her lap. She stared at it for a split second before she flipped through the rest of it. Little scribbled notes here and there in colorful glitter pen beside pictures that belonged in a photo book. A torrent of emotions and tears poured out of her as she flipped frantically.

She grabbed my shoulders with wide eyes and stuttered, "I remember everything now. Oh my God, Len!"

I was expecting her to be overjoyed for gaining her memory back. The tears in her eyes weren't from joy, however. More tears dropped as she leaned into me. I held onto her as she wept, but we had to be quiet in case it went silent downstairs.

"I remembered my parents death and the animosity and the bullying and how I wished I could have died too,"

I held onto her, each word stabbing me in the chest like she billion needles. I felt guilty she had to endure all of it... her tears burned as they hit my shirt.

"But as much as I once hated you, I'm grateful you decided to change. I'm grateful you've stuck by me through this amnesiac thing."

I looked down at her and gave her a quick squeeze. In the middle of this moment, my phone buzzed. I took out my phone and saw Ia had given me the signal.

"Shit, we gotta go, [______]."

She stood up and wiped her eyes, holding her hand out for me. I helped her close the book and wedged it back in the nook she'd left it. Carefully, we exited her room. I was thinking we'd jump out her window, but nobody would be there to close it. Going down the stairs was risky. [_____]'s eyes widened as she tried Yuuma's door. His didn't have a lock at all, so we just waltzed on in. His window was open and thankfully, the slanted porch gave us a stepping stool to jump onto the tree and slide down.

"Want me to carry you?" I asked with a laugh. [_____] flicked me in the shoulder and hopped off on her own accord. I followed after and we left the perimeter before Piko and Ia exited. I texted them that we were good as we made our way back to base. [_____] was still shaking from earlier. I took off my jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. She glanced over me to which I just smiled and held my hand out for her.

She held onto my hand with a softer hold. I squeezed once and she returned it. We took the longer path to the opening of the woods which was closer to the river. I walked her over to the embankment and bent down to pick up a pebble.

She burned a hole into me brimmed with curiosity. I craned my neck and let go of her hand.

"I started Demon Fang with Rin just a few years ago. We weren't anything but urchin thugs stealing bikes or little things from the grocery store. We both suffered so much throughout our lives and we were tired of the way our alcoholic father treated us. He would beat me more than Rin because I would protect her. There were times Rin would run away-times even she wouldn't tell me where she went. I was scared about losing her... I had already lost my mother and my father had always been a monster so I never felt as though I had one. Nothing to lose there.

My mother had died due to a drug overdose, but I knew what my father had done. He force-fed my mother pills after a disgusting divorce argument. My mother hadn't changed her will and if she died, he would get the house, the car, her money, and heaven spurned us," I picked up another pebble and threw it even farther into the river.

"One day, I was skipping class and wandering aimlessly when I accidentally bumped into college student Miki. I pulled on my tough act even though I was the one who started it. She had a tray of butter rolls and with the kindest smile, she handed me one.

The only thing I could do was stare at the roll before hardening my glare and sneering at her. I opened my mouth for some smart-ass comment and she popped the roll in my mouth. At that point, I bit down and it was so soft and warm and buttery. My anger dissipated into tears as I ate it. She was alarmed and I thanked her as I ran off. She followed after me and found me crying in an alleyway. She pulled out her handkerchief and gave it to me... we had a long talk and it was so foreign at the time with how I just spilled all my feelings, especially to a stranger. She promised if I ever needed a place to crash, her door would be open and she gave me her address.

When I got home, I immediately blockaded our door and woke Rin from her bed. We could hear my dad stumbling through the house as he searched for me. We packed a few necessary items and ran out through the window.

We met up with Miki and she housed us. She wasn't too keen on us being thieves, but she accepted us. There were times we'd steal her little gifts and she had the hardest time taking them, but soon she had so many she couldn't throw them out or tell us to keep them. She placed a few on a shelf or would pawn the expensive stuff to pay through college. Both Rin and I are so indebted Miki. She became our big sister; the mom that was taken from us."

"I'm so sorry," [_____] enveloped my hands in hers. I leaned down a little and wiped the tears she shed. She wrapped her arms around me and I pat her back.

"It's not your fault. The past is the past to me and I'm on the rise to creating an empire." I told her.

"What about your father? Is he still after you?" she quietly asked.

I pressed her against my chest and lowered my voice to a conspiratorial whisper, "He's not bothering me or Rin at all anymore. He's burning in hell."