~Halloween Lain~

“I don’t understand why we can’t just dress up for Halloween?  I mean we could come to school wearing something besides our uniforms at least one day a year, ne?”  Minako whined but stilled managed to shove an entire rice ball into her face.

“I thought only little kids did that kind of thing?”  Yaten looked at her with his famous, yeah-you-know-I’m-better-than-you look.  “Oh that’s right, you are…”

Taiki’s hand quickly cut off Yaten’s statement and he hurriedly tried to replace it with one of his own.  “I’ve read a lot about this Halloween holiday.  Frankly I find it to be a pretty gruesome disregard for human existence.”

Ami waved at Taiki to take his attention off of the struggling Yaten.  “No, no, it’s not like that.  We’re not celebrating what they did to the ‘witches’ we’re just going out and getting candy and having fun scaring one another.” 

“What’s this WE stuff?”  Makoto questioned her.  “Ami, I thought you said WE were too old for trick-or-treating?”  She poked the blue haired girl’s ribs and caused her to blush.

“Candy?”  Usagi’s head popped into the conversation.  It had been an unusually peaceful lunch period up until now.  “I thought Ami said we were too old to trick-or-treat?”  She eyed Ami carefully and Ami tried to defend herself but to no avail.

“Odango, what are you going to dress up as for Halloween?”  Seiya asked sitting next to her and paying very close attention to how excited she was at the mention of this holiday.

Usagi slumped back down and looked over at him with sad eyes.  “I didn’t get a costume because Ami told me we couldn’t go trick-or-treating any more.”  She looked as though she was on the verge of tears.

Seiya patted her bun and calmed her down.  “That’s alright, we can go out and pick you out a costume after school.  Sound good?”  He asked hoping and praying that she’d say yes so that he could spend the afternoon with her.

Usagi’s face immediately lit up with complete and utter joy.  “That’s awesome!!”  She wailed as everyone but Seiya sweat dropped simultaneously.  Seiya beamed a huge smile as he sat there proud of himself with an overjoyed Odango hanging from around his neck.

Yaten got up from his seat and cleaned up what was left of his lunch.  “I’m not dressing up in any stupid costume so you can just forget about it!”  He had finished packing his things.  “Besides, what are you going to do all dressed up?  You two are going to look like freaks walking around like that!  You’re going to have to stay inside all night alone.”  The sudden realization hit Yaten as he saw Seiya’s already huge smile get even broader.  “Arghh…”  He grunted as he turned to walk away.

“Oomph!”

“Hey watch where I’m walking!  Do you really want to damage a face like this?”  Yaten called from his newly found position on the ground.

The assailant, or so Yaten had made her out to sound like, was rubbing her head and propping herself up from her fall on the ground also.  “Gomen.”  She muttered still holding her head.

Once Yaten realized that it was a girl and that he had indeed knocked her down his tone changed quickly as he began trying to help her up.  “No I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have stormed off so suddenly.”  His words surprised everyone and caused the girl to display a smile.  “I’m Yaten Kou.”  He introduced himself.

“My name is Lain.”  She smiled as she shook his hand.  “I’m sorry but I couldn’t help but over hear you conversation that you were having.”  She said as she now addressed the rest of the group.  “

“What?  About these two being freaks?”  Yaten questioned pointing out Seiya and Usagi.

“No, I was referring to the fact that you had nothing to do tonight.”  She said as she walked closer to the group.  Taiki, being the gentleman that he is motioned for her to have a seat.

Lain had already captured Usagi and Minako’s interest and they leaned in to listen intently.  “Are you saying that you know of something to do?”  They both pried.

“I don’t know if you’d be up to it or not, forget it.  I probably shouldn’t have mentioned it at all.”  She started to get up but Makoto’s arm stopped her.

“No, please, finish with what you were saying.”  She pleaded with the girl.

“Well alright.  No one has ever been able to do this and people try every Halloween.”  The group was silent and waiting with open ears and wide eyes.  This was getting interesting.  “There’s a house not too far from here that a young girl was mysteriously murdered in.  The legend says that on all hallow’s eve the spirit of the girl comes back from the grave and can walk among the living.”

“Yeah so?”  Yaten questioned already bored with her story.

“Maybe she’d get to it if you didn’t interrupt her so rudely.”  Minako snapped at him and then stuck her tongue out.  Yaten just sighed and rolled his eyes.

“All I’m saying is that no one has been able to stay a complete night in this house before on Halloween.  So anyone looking for real ghosts or a scary good time just might want to check this place out.”  She shrugged.  “I was actually going to try and do it this year, but it would be better if I had some company and that’s where you guys come in.  I understand if you don’t want to come though, a lot of people would be too scared.”  There now the challenge was on, could she get any of them to step up to it.

Of course Yaten was the first to open his big mouth.  “Ghosts… don’t make… me laugh!”  He said laughing so hard he almost cried.  “That’s ridiculous!  There’s no such thing as ghosts.”

The girl’s face turned serious.  “Really?  Well then you won’t mind spending the night there with me.  I bet you scream before I do…”  She said with a devious grin.

“You’re on!”  Yaten shook her hand.

Minako was not about to let this girl just waltz in and take her Yaten away and spend the night with him in some empty house, no way!  “I’ll come too!”  She stood up quickly.

Ami looked at Minako with a confused face.  “But Minako, you’re afraid to sleep over at my house without the hall light on.”

“I can’t help it if your house is creepy.”  She said shrugging her shoulders.  “Besides, Yaten will be there to protect me if anything happens, right Yaten?”  Minako asked while fluttering her eyelashes.

Lain took ahold of Yaten’s other arm and looked directly at Minako.  “Real women don’t need protection.”  Turning her attention back to Yaten.  “Here’s the address of the house, I’ll see you there at eight o’clock.”

“What the hell did I get myself into?”  Yaten shook his head but shook his arm even harder to try and unlatch Minako from it.  It was no use.

~~@@~~@@~~@@~~

It was just about eight o’clock and the group was assembled in front of the old house.  The girls and Taiki decided to come along for the adventure.  They were just waiting for Lain, Seiya and Usagi to show up.

“Did he really take her trick-or-treating?”  Ami questioned Taiki who was standing beside her leaning on the fence. 

“Do you think he could say no to her?”  He asked in a sarcastic tone.

Rei looked up and down the street but saw no signs of anyone.  This house stood by itself towards the end of the long residential road.  Trick-or-treaters didn’t come down this far.  “I’m really glad that he was there when her and Mamoru broke up.”  She said after listening to Ami and Taiki’s conversation.

Ami sat down on her rolled up sleeping bag.  She had brought it in hopes that she might actually get some sleep tonight, but for some reason she doubted it.  “Me too.”  She said agreeing with Rei.  “She always has us here to help her, but I don’t think this time we would have been enough.”  Ami said in almost a sigh.  It pained her in a way to know that she couldn’t have helped Usagi, but also felt relieved that there was some one that could.

“It’s just too bad that she doesn’t feel the same way about him.”  Taiki said still watching in the direction that they should be coming from.

Rei giggled a bit.  “You know, you’d think she’d have figured it out by now but she hasn’t.  She still has no idea of how Seiya feels towards her.”

“Are you kidding me?”  Taiki asked incredulously. Ami and Rei both shook their heads together and Taiki just sweat dropped.

“Finally.”  Makoto said from her position near the gate.

Usagi and Seiya approached the group in full costume.  “Sorry we’re late.”  Seiya waved.  He was carrying two book bags and a sleeping bag.

“You guys actually went out huh?”  Makoto asked with her hands on her hips as she looked Usagi over.  “Well I must say your costumes are cute.”

“Do you really think Makoto?”  Usagi looked up from her bag of candy.  “Seiya picked mine out.”  She smiled at him.

“Yeah, Seiya was always good at picking out dresses when he was a girl.”  Yaten added in with a smirk.  If there was anything he could do to ruin a moment between Seiya and Usagi he would. 

Seiya shot him a death glare but his train of thought was cut off by Taiki’s question.  Why Taiki always saved Yaten from the inevitable torture that he was about to receive was beyond him, he just had to.  “So what are you supposed to be Seiya?” 

“He’s her prince.”  Minako said with her hands clasped in front of her face and huge hearts in her eyes.

“That’s right, I’m Odango’s prince charming.”  He said sticking his chest out very proud of himself while Usagi held onto his arm and smiled.  They really did make a cute couple.

“Awww how touching.”  A voice said from behind them.  No one had noticed Lain approaching them even though Taiki was still on the look out for her.  “I’m impressed that all of you scaredy cats decided to show up, or are you just here to see Yaten and I off?”

“No, we’re going in with you.”  Minako was the first to but in coming between Yaten and Lain. 

Lain got a smile on her face.  “Fine, don’t say I didn’t warn you!”  She said directing this comment at Minako.

Lain turned to pick the lock on the gate to let them all in and Yaten distinctly heard Minako mutter ‘bring it on!’ under her breath while looking with narrowed eyes at Lain.  He had to smile, she was so cute when she was being conniving and plotting.

The group picked up their bags and started their march up to the house.  Once inside the only light they had was from their flashlights and one lantern.  (I’m not going to describe the house, everyone probably has an idea of what it looks like inside anyway!  My favorite inside of a haunted house, I know this sounds silly but it’s true cause I’d love to live there, is the inside of Casper the friendly ghost’s house!  Alright stop laughing at me and get back to reading the story!  U_U )  Usagi felt a chill go up her spine as soon as she set foot in the door.  Seiya saw this and suddenly started picturing himself comforting Usagi when she was scared, holding her tight.  He must have been doing this for a while because he suddenly found himself face to face with the bright end of a flashlight being held by Yaten.  He quickly composed himself and wiped the drool from his lip.

Usagi giggled at him.  “I know what you were thinking about…”  She said in a low seductive voice.

“You do?!”  Seiya said surprised as he looked at her with wide eyes.  His sudden response had gotten the attention of Rei and Taiki.

“Of course I do, do you think I’m stupid or something?”  She asked looking up at him.  “I knew you were thinking about my candy!  Since you’re so nice to me I’ll share it with you.”  She said with her head tilted to the side and a wide smile on her face.

Seiya, Rei and Taiki all face faulted.

“This is the living room.”  Lain said from up ahead.

“How do you know so much about this house?”  Minako asked.  There was something about this girl that she didn’t like, besides the fact that she was trying to steal Yaten’s attention away from her.

“I’ve been in it before during the day.  It has wonderful architecture.”  Lain said with a smile, she knew Minako couldn’t contest that.

Everyone set their things down and unrolled their sleeping bags to sit on.  “Don’t you guys want to see what’s in the rest of the house?”  Makoto questioned looking at Ami and Taiki who were already seated.

They both shook their heads and opened their book bags for the homework that was assigned today in class.  They saw no sense in wasting precious study time with supposed ghosts and goblins.

“Odango, do you want to go?”  Seiya asked looking over at her.  Her and Minako were fighting over a package of gummy bears.  (I love those ^_^)

Usagi let go of the bag suddenly when she went to answer Seiya’s question and this in turn sent Minako flying backwards from still pulling on the wrapper.  She landed on Yaten who was having a conversation with Lain about how he was going to win this bet.  Minako looked up and grinned while she blushed.  She had just now notice that she landed in Yaten’s lap.  “Get off of me!”  He shoved her on the floor while Lain laughed at her.  Minako marked another mark against Lain.

The sound of broken glass was heard echoing down the stairwell from upstairs.  Everyone’s attention was focused on the stairs.  “What was that?”  Rei asked a little shaky.

“It sounded like a window breaking.”  Makoto said.  “We should go up and check it out, it might have been a bird or something, maybe it’s hurt.”  She said getting up.

“Yeah right!  Try maybe its Count Dracula!”  Minako wailed her arms around.  “No way am I going up there.”  She folded her arms across her chest.

“Well I’m going up there, who’s coming with me?”  Makoto asked standing at the bottom of the stairs.

“I’ll go with you.”  Taiki offered up.  Thank goodness for his analytical brain.  Taiki and Makoto began to make their way up the stairs.

“Ami aren’t you going to go with them?”  Usagi asked poking her side.  “You’re just going to let Taiki be alone with Makoto?”

Ami blushed and looked down.  “I don’t want to see Count Dracula.”

“Oh God!”  Yaten held his hand to his head.  “Don’t tell me you’re scared too?  I thought you were supposed to be a genius or something, how can you be scared of an imaginary ghost?”

“BOO!”  Lain snuck up behind Yaten and surprised him.  He jumped a little but didn’t scream.  “Hey, it was worth a try!” 

“What would Ami care if Taiki was alone with Makoto or not?”  Seiya asked Usagi.

“Isn’t it obvious?”  She threw her hands in the air.  “She…”  pointing at Ami, “likes Taiki!”  pointing up the stairs.

“Ahhh…”  Seiya said while smiling at Ami.

“You’re the last person to be talking about obvious feelings!”  Rei shouted at Usagi.

“What are you talking about Rei, I’m so good at sensing these things that they should call me cupid!"  Usagi countered.

“Yeah right, stupid is more like it!  You can’t even tell when some one has the biggest crush on…”  She was cut off by Seiya stuffing candy in her mouth. 

“Here Rei have some of my candy, it’s great isn’t it?”  He said still holding his hand over her mouth.  “So Lain, tell us more about this house and that story.”  He said releasing his hold on Rei’s mouth confidant that she understood not to blab out something like that to his Odango.

“Alright.”  She said as she got into the circle they had all formed with their sleeping bags.  “It was about twenty years ago.  A girl about our age lived in this house with her parents.  She was an only child and very smart.  She had a boyfriend who would take her out.  But she also had an enemy.  Her enemy’s name was Trigun. (ha ha take that, not only are you the bad guy but you’re also a girl! * evil grin *)   Trigun envied her for everything that she had.  Near Christmas that year the school was going to announce who had won the full scholarship.  The entire school knew that it was between her and Trigun.  She won and the animosity between the two grew more.  Trigun tried very hard to take away her boyfriend but did not succeed.  To make a long story short it is believed that Trigun killed the girl but there was never enough proof to convict her of the crime.  The murder weapon was never found and there was no evidence to place Trigun here at the scene of the murder.”

“Wow, that’s really sad.”  Usagi said with a little sniffle.  “How can people do things like that?”

“AAAHHHHH!!!”  They heard Taiki’s scream from up stairs.  Everyone rushed to their feet and ascended the stairs as quickly as they could.  When they reached the top however all they found was a picture frame on the floor.  Ami approached it and saw Makoto and Taiki in the picture banging against the glass from the other side.

“Masaka!”  She exclaimed and drew attention to herself.  “Makoto and Taiki are in the picture!” 

Everyone gathered around her to see their two friends stuck with in the walls of the frame.  Ami bent down to pick up the fallen picture but just as her finger tips started to touch it the rest of her body was sucked in to it.  The picture fell to the ground glowing.  Soon it faded and now there appeared to be three faces staring back at the group.  Their banging stopped but no one else dared to touch the frame.

“What the hell was that?”  Seiya asked.  “We have to get them out of there.”

“Hey, I’m jealous, this is a picture of the beach!”  Lain exclaimed while looking down at the frame.  It was true, the three were at the beach and dressed in swimsuits.  “I’m sure they’ll be fine, as long as there’s no shark attacks.”

“How can you say that so casually?”  Yaten looked at her accusingly. 

Lain looked over and realized she was catching much of the same look from Minako.  “I’m sorry.” She apologized.  “I was just trying to put humor in the situation since it looked so hopeless.”  She looked down feigning hurt.

Yaten didn’t feel bad though, this was Yaten we were talking about and Minako was proud of him for not falling for that.  “I have to go to the bathroom.”  Said Rei.  “All of this excitement really got me going.”

“I highly doubt that there is a working toilet in here.”  Seiya said with a bit of sarcasm to his voice.  Rei shot him a no-duh look.  “But we can look for you anyway Rei.”  Seiya said smiling with a sweat drop.

Yaten lead the group down the hall, he didn’t want to appear to be afraid although he really was.  (shhh don’t tell anyone! ^_~)  He was followed closely by Lain who was followed by Minako giving her dirty looks.  Their flashlights light up the hallway so there were shadows being cast along the walls.

“It feels like something’s watching us.”  Rei said.  Usagi nodded her head while Seiya brought up the rear.  “Eww…”  Rei murmured as she felt wet drops on her forehead.

“What is it Rei?”  Usagi asked from behind her.  Rei turned around to tell her what was going on when Usagi saw the blood trickling down her face.  “Rei… your… face…”  She pointed at her friend in horror.

Rei’s hand came up to touch her face and when she looked down at her fingers that had just come in contact with the wet substance she too noticed that it was indeed blood.  “What?!”  She exclaimed.  She knew she wasn’t cut and began to look around to see where it was coming from.  Her flashlight joined everyone else’s in scanning the hallway until hers fell up on the pool of blood formed on the ceiling.  “It’s coming from up there!”

“That’s…”  Lain started.

“That’s what!?”  Yaten asked almost yelling.

“That’s the where the girl’s room is…”  She said staring at the spot on the ceiling.

“Why is there fresh blood here?”  Seiya asked in wonder.  “Let’s go up there and see where it’s coming from.”  He said while turning back towards the stairs.

“What are you crazy?!”  Usagi shrieked.  “I don’t want to go up there!”

Seiya turned around and shot her a smile.  “It’s alright Odango, I’m with you.”  Usagi didn’t seem to find any comfort in this but did blush.

“Why do you call her Odango?”  Lain asked getting a little off subject.

“Do you really think that’s important right now?!”  Minako yelled at her.  “Aren’t you worried?”

“You mean scared right?”  Lain questioned with a confident grin.  “No, I’m not scared.”

Why was she so confident?  Minako thought to herself and could tell Yaten was thinking the same thing by the look on his face.

“It’s because of her hair.”  Rei said.  “Now can we go and find out what the hell is dripping all over me?”  The others nodded and headed towards the staircase.  Everyone could sense the tension that was growing between Lain and Minako.  It was there from the beginning but was getting worse by the minute.

The stairs lead up to another dark hallway.  Single file they made their way up the creaking steps.  “No way are we going to make this a surprise attack with the amount of noise we’re making.”  Yaten said sarcastically.  It was true, each creek was louder than the previous one.  It almost sounded as though the stairs were going to give out beneath their feet.

“Rei?  Do you still have to go to the bathroom?”  Usagi asked turning around to face her friend.  “Rei?”  Rei was no where to be found.  “Rei?!”  Usagi called turning her head from side to side frantically. 

Usagi’s desperate cry had caused Seiya to stop and turn around too.  “Odango we have to get to the bottom of this, I’m sure Rei just went to find the bathroom.”  He said taking her hand in his.  Usagi looked up at him and nodded trying not to think of the worst case scenario.

The door to the room that the blood was dripping from was now directly ahead of them.  “I’ll go first.”  Minako said grabbing the handle of the door.  ‘I’ll show Yaten how brave I am!”

“Are you sure?”  Lain said to her trying to sway her confidence, but Minako just nodded.

Minako pushed the door open and disappeared into the darkness.  The others hadn’t followed her in and figured that she would have just shown her light in there and said that there was nothing there.  “I’m worried about her.”  Usagi said after a few moments.

Yaten looked at her and knew that he had to go in there after her.  Just as Minako did Yaten walked through the doorway and disappeared in the darkness.  This time however a voice was heard.  “No!  Minako!”  Yaten’s voice sounded distressed. 

The others raced into the room only to find Yaten holding Minako’s limp blood drenched body.  “What happened?”  Seiya asked.  There was no one else in the room and it seemed like the blood that was falling on Rei’s face was from the pool of blood coming from Minako.

“That’s right where they found her.”  Lain said with a gasp as she looked at Yaten holding Minako.  “Her boyfriend found her stabbed on the ground and held her until the police and ambulance came.”

Usagi looked over at Lain in disbelief but in the process noticed a picture on the nightstand next to the bed.  Cautiously she walked over to look at the picture without picking it up for fear of what happened with their last encounter with a frame in this house.  “Oh my God!”  She exclaimed in almost a whisper.  “Look!”  She grabbed Seiya’s arm and brought him over to look at the picture.

“Yaten?”  He said questioningly.  “What would a picture of Yaten be doing in here?”  He asked.  A closer look at the picture revealed that it wasn’t him though.  There was no long hair tied back.

“That was the girl’s boyfriend.”  Lain said coming up behind Seiya and Usagi.

Usagi turned around to face Lain.  “How do you know so much about this girl?”  She asked but then noticed Yaten still holding Minako.  “What is that?”  She asked pointing to Minako.

There appeared to be a crystal rod jutting out from Minako’s chest.  Yaten placed his hand on it in an attempt to pull it out.  It was cold as ice.  It was ice.  It was an ice cycle.  “Maybe that’s how they murdered her?”  Lain said staring at Minako’s motionless form.  “Maybe that’s how they murdered the girl, since the ice cycle melted the murder weapon just disappeared and that’s why it was never found!”

“You’ve got some explaining to do!”  Yaten called from Minako’s body.  His voice was shaky and it was noticeable that he was crying.  Yaten crying?  This was a new one.  And Yaten crying over Minako, well that was just plain strange.

“What do I have to explain?”  Lain said calmly.  “You came here on your own free will.”

Seiya came up next to Usagi to face Lain.  “Why did you bring us here?”

“I don’t have to answer your questions.”  She said as her eyes began to glow.

Suddenly the floor started to open up below Usagi’s feet and she was being swallowed by the floorboards themselves.  “Odango!”  Seiya cried as he fell to the floor to try and pull her out.

“Seiya!”  Usagi screamed as she could feel more of herself being pulled into the void.  “Don’t let go of me, please!”  Tears were coming to her eyes as she desperately pulled against Seiya’s arm.

“I won’t Odango, I promise…”  Seiya’s muscles strained against the extreme pressure that was being put on them.  He felt himself slipping and soon all that was left above the floor of Usagi was her head and above her elbow.  “Odango…”  Seiya struggled out before his strength gave out and they were both sucked into the void.

Yaten had put Minako down and dove at the floor where Seiya and Usagi had just been swallowed up.  “No!!”  He yelled as his face hit the now solid floor.  He kept his head down to the floor and grieved his loss.

“Aren’t you going to retaliate?”  Lain asked him as she stood above him.

“Why are you doing this?”  Yaten asked.  His eyes noticed something shiny in between the floorboards.  He didn’t want to direct Lain’s attention to it as it might be something that he could use against her as a weapon.

“Do you really want to know why?”  She asked kneeling down beside him.  “I’ll tell you only because it’s you.”  She reached in her pocket and pulled a picture from inside it.  “Do you see this?  This is a picture of the girl who was murdered in this house and her boyfriend.”

Yaten turned his eyes away from the golden object and focused on the picture.  It looked like a picture of him and Minako.  “What?”  He asked confused.

“Do you know who I really am?”  She asked him in a softer, kinder tone.

“Yes.”  Yaten answered with his eyes narrowed.  “You’re Trigun, you killed that girl and now you’ve killed all of my friends.”  His voice was laced with venom as he spat out his accusation.

Lain shook her head.  “Wrong.”  She stood up to tower above him.  “Trigun is still alive and walking around free.”  Lain became encased in a silvery light.  “I am Lain, the soul of the girl that was killed in this house.”  When the light faded an almost exact replica of Minako stood before him.

“I… I don’t understand…”  Yaten looked up in dismay.  “If you were killed in this house then why are you killing more innocent people here?  Huh?  Why did you kill all of my friends?”  Yaten had tried to finger the golden object between the floorboards but it was stuck.  When he had taken a closer look it appeared to be a ring of some sort.

“I had to.”  Lain said looking sorrowfully.  “If I didn’t then I wouldn’t have had any thing to hold against you to do what I wished.”

“What did you want me to do so badly that you had to go and kill all of my friends?”  Yaten stood up heated.

“Solve my murder.”  She said quietly.  “I know what happened, but I’m a ghost, its not like I can just go to the police and tell them.  I need some one of flesh and blood to do it.”

“Why didn’t you just ask me?  I would have gladly helped, and so would my friends.”  He said still more than a little perturbed at her.

“I don’t know, it just seemed like the only way…”  Lain brought her eyes up to meet Yaten’s.  “They’re not really gone you know… I can bring them back anytime.”

“Then bring them back to me now and I will do what you ask.”  He demanded.

“NO!”  Lain yelled as she held her head with both of her hands.  “How do I know I can trust you?”

“You can trust me…”  Yaten said.  “I wouldn’t lie to you now.”

“That’s what she said to me when she came here to kill me!”  Lain lunged at Yaten in a threatening motion. 

Yaten caught her in his arms and wrapped her in his embrace.  He didn’t quite know why he was doing it himself, perhaps it had something to do with her resemblance to Minako.  “Alright… tell me where to begin.”  He stroked her hair.

Lain brought her face up from his chest to look him in the eyes.  “Really?”  Yaten nodded.  “Arigato…”  She said as she backed away.

“We know now that you were killed with an ice cycle but now we just need to prove that Trigun did it.”  Yaten thought out loud.

“I’ve racked my brain for the last twenty years to try and find a way to place her here that night and I couldn’t do it.”  Lain said sitting down on the bed.  “I bet the answer is right under our noses too.”

‘…right under our noses…’  Yaten thought to himself as he looked down at the floor boards to where he had spotted the ring.  “That’s it!”  He exclaimed out loud.

“What?”  Lain questioned looking at the floor where he had been staring noticing nothing unusual.

“The ring, that ring that is wedged in the floor boards!”

Lain gasped.  The answer had truly been right in front of her the entire time.  She got down on her hands and knees and looked into the crack.  It was a class ring and she could make out the numbers ’81 on it along with the initials TB.  “It’s her ring, TB, Trigun Burton!”  She said.  “You did it, I knew you would.  That’s why you came back here for me, isn’t it?”  Her eyes searched Yaten’s face for her answer.

“No, I don’t know what you’re talking about.  I just happen to look like him.  I’m sure he’s up there waiting for you though.”  He smiled at her.

~~@@~~@@~~@@~~

The police soon arrived and took the ring into evidence.  Yaten hadn’t touched it to make sure that there were no further prints on it to indicate that he had placed it there himself.  As the officer was leaving he turned to ask Yaten a question.  “Mr Kou?”

Yaten’s head picked up.  “Yes officer.”

“Lain helped you, didn’t she?”  He said while taking off his hat to reveal his silver strands of hair.  He looked similar to Yaten only older, he could have been his father.

“Yes, she did.”  Yaten smiled at him.  

The officer smiled back.  “If you ever see her again… please tell her I miss her and that I never forgot her.”  He said with a sigh as he looked up at the night stars.

Yaten nodded that he understood and turned back to the bags that were left in the middle of the house.  “Mr Kou?  Why do you have all of those bags with you?”

“They are ours Sir.”  Taiki’s voice said from behind Yaten.

Yaten quickly spun around to see everyone coming down the stairs.  “Minna!”  He said as he went to them all.

“Good-bye Lain.”  The officer and Yaten said together.  “May you finally find peace.”

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^_^ Hi everyone!  Sorry if this story seemed rushed and parts of it might not have made sense, but to tell you the truth I didn’t have a chance to proof read it before it was put up, this is my very first draft of the story.  This is for you SailorV… see I keep my promises! ^_~  (Even though this one may have been half-assed!)  Please forgive me anyway…* begs & pleads *