Changing Our Ways (KIRA)

[Lotus]

Saga smiled softly as he spoke to her; easing her tensions that they both wouldn't be okay with her any more. Yet here they both were, willing to talk to her. "I'll say what I said to Ash. I'm tired, but today is a new day and it'll all be okay." She really hoped it would be okay. She had every finger crossed. All she wanted was a normal life and it would be lying to say she wasn't starting to become desperate.

She pushed herself up to her knees and made herself stand, swaying slightly. She pain in her lower stomach was't as bad as it had been yesterday. It hurt when she moved too much but it was more of a dull ache. At least the physical pain was going away; slowly.

She wandered to her wardrobe and pulled out the first things her hands came into contact with which happened to be a long sleeved black t-shirt that would fit her body snugly and a pair of dark grey, baggy tracksuit bottoms that tapered in at the bottom. It would be comfortable and she looked a state anyway so why not dress the part. She walked out of her room and down the hall to the bathroom without saying another word.

[Deleted]

Ash and Lawson looked at one another. The same worried and sad look reflected in one another's eyes. It was at this moment that Ash didn't even care about Lawson loving Saga because it just meant that he was there to care about her too and that was all that was important.

Lawson sat back against the sofa and Ash moved to lean against the wall. Now that saga had gone he put a hand to his injured rib and let out a groan of pain. God did it hurt! He looked up at Lawson. "Today's going to be tough..." He said quietly, voicing his fears to his brother.

Lawson nodded his head in agreement. "I know bro..I know... Maybe we can dissuade her from helping with Ace's room?"

Ash looked at his brother, not quite sure what the word dissuade meant but guessing it was something to do with stopping Saga he nodded his head in agreement.

[Lotus]

Saga showered and combed through her hair before slipping on her clothes. She avoided looking in the mirror, terrified of the person that would be reflected in it. She didn't want to know herself and she didn't want to see how else her body had been battered. She was in a state as it was.

She wandered back into her room and shoved her pyjamas under her pillow. "I think my parent's are cooking breakfast. Do you want anything?" She voiced, looking between the two of them feeling a sad smile creep across her lips. She walked over to Lawson and trailed her fingertips unconsciously over the cut on his face. She hated herself for that. She bent down next to Ash, whimpering from the protest of her body. "How's the rib...?" Her eyes flickered away, scared he would yell at her again.

[Deleted]

Lawson tense up at the feel of Saga touching him but it was a good feeling. It made him feel happy almost and he couldn't quite explain it. But the sadness he saw reflected in her eyes brought him down again. He hated that she was blaming herself, it didn't hurt him anymore. He wasn't in pain, but Ash was.

Ash turned to look at Saga with wide eyes, he forgot that she knew about his rib. It made him sad that she knew but angry at Lawson for having told him. He was in a lot of pain but he couldn't tell her that. the sadness in her eyes made her feel awful. "Its fine..." he lied, hating himself for doing so.

[Lotus]

Saga sighed and shook her head. "Of course..." She trailed off and stood up, gripping the arm of the couch to stop herself from swaying. Her head still spun occasionally from the constant strangulation and punches. She smiled softly at the two of them and walked out of her room. They were trying to spare her the details, but that's all she wanted. She wanted people to be truthful to her, not lie and hide secrets. But then she had her fair share of secrets, and she wasn't about to let anyone know how truly awful she felt inside.

She got to the stairs and tried a step before whimpering and gripping hold of the handle. She groaned and sat down on her backside, sliding down the stairs. She made it to the bottom and stood up, her head spinning again. She walked into the kitchen and a divine looking breakfast was laid out.

"Good morning sweetheart. What do you fancy?"

[Deleted]

Ash looked over at Lawson. He felt awful for not telling her the truth but he couldn't cause her any more pain. That would be too much. But now she had walked away and she didn't seem too happy. Ash rested his back against the wall. Why did he have to hurt her so badly? He loved her but he always seemed to screw up.

Lawson stood up and looked down at his brother. He felt bad for him because he knew how he felt. Loving Saga but not being able to help her through this. "Come on, lets go get breakfast." He said. ash stood up and both of them headed into the kitchen.

[Lotus]

Saga sat down on one of the dining room chairs and smelt the food in front of her. "Can I have a little of everything? I'm really hungry." She really was working up an appetite, but at that precise moment in time she could not have cared less. "The guys should be down soon." She tried to sound happy, but everything about them and her dad was still tense; she could tell by the way his shoulders hunched as he poured his coffee.

Speak of the devil, the two guys walked in, but she didn't smile. She looked around the room, closing her eyes to try and ignore the awkwardness. A plate was put in front of her and she mumbled a thank you, before eating a little of it. No one else was moving though. She looked up to see them all watching her. She sighed and stood up from the dining table. "Daddy, can I talk to you?" She motioned with her hand to the living room before wandering in there; letting her breakfast go cold.

[Deleted]

Ash and Lawson were both equally worried about Saga and what today would bring. Anything could happen and they just prayed it would be nothing as bad as what had happened to them recently. Ash was still angry, angrier then he had ever been at anything else. But today wasn't the day he could deal with that anger, because today he needed to be strong for Saga because of everything that brute Ace had done to her and the effect that clearing out his room might have.

Lawson gave his brother an encouraging nod as they walked into the kitchen. They both smiled down at Saga, happy that she was eating again. But the blank stare they just received from her made Ash's stomach knot. She was still hurt and there was nothing that he could seem to do to fix it.

Ash looked up and saw the way her dad was judging the two of them. He swallowed, hard, and looked back. Ash wanted to say something but he didn't know what. And Lawson didn't have much of an idea either. The two of them just ducked their heads and slipped into a chair as Saga left the room. Her dad took a moment to glare at the two of them before following her.

Lawson looked at Ash encouragingly but Ash couldn't help but think that he had managed to ruin everything.

[Lotus]

Saga turned to face her dad, her face sombre and her eyes void of any emotions. She was like a shell but she couldn't have her dad treating Ash and Lawson in the way he was. She sighed and walked over to wrap her arms around him. "Don't be angry at them daddy. Be angry at me if you need to be angry at anyone, or the bullies who did this to all of us. It's not their fault and they're only trying to protect me. I'm unpredictable and I'm not making this easy. Nothing happened yesterday. They didn't hurt me and Ash certainly didn't try anything, he was just trying to help me. But I over-reacted and lashed out with my screaming." She pulled back to look at him. "My fault, not theirs so don't you dare blame them for anything daddy. I love them, both of them. Please?"

He went to object but she shook her head, "Please?" He nodded his head and she instantly saw his eyes soften.

"You love them both?"

She hadn't realised how odd that sounded, but it did sound right to her. She did love both of them and it was slightly scary how much she loved Ash and even scarier how much she loved Lawson. She nodded her head. "I do. Ash I love as a partner and I love Lawson like a brother..." She trailed off and she saw tears in her dads eyes. "I'm so sorry daddy..."

With that she pulled out of his grip to give him some space and walked back into the dining room, keeping her head down. A few moments later her dad walked in, looking like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

[Deleted]

Her mum was quiet but polite as she always was. Ash didn't mind. When she spoke it was quite clear that her mind was somewhere else, but to be honest. His was in the same place. In that living room with Saga and her father. He knew that her dad didn't like him or Lawson, but he did love Saga and despite what the man might think he was never going to hurt her.

Ash's head jerked up when he heard movement, he tried to smile at Saga but her face was blank and she was looking down. He opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out. He was lost completely. Her father soon followed and Ash could easily see the difference in his mood. It seemed like a good thing.

[Lotus]

Saga started picking at her plate again, but this time round she wasn't all that hungry. There was still tension in the air but it was far less. Her head shot up as her father spoke though. "Ash, Lawson can I talk to you privately with my wife? Saga we won't be long." She nodded her head softly and looked between the faces of everyone.

Lawson and Ash looked stunned and slightly sick to their stomachs so she looked back down to her plate to let them leave.

[Deleted]

Lawson looked across to his brother and then back at Saga. She seemed so upset and worried and so many other emotions. He just wanted to give her a hug and tell her everything would be alright. But he couldn't do that. That was Ash's job and neither one of them could do it now anyways. "Sure." Lawson said for the both of them, standing up he nudged Ash with his foot. Ash shook his head out of his thoughts of Saga and the worry that was filling him and followed his brother and her parents out of the kitchen.

They stopped inside the living room and all three of them turned to look at her dad. He looked across at all of their faces, as if to make sure that they were really listening. "Ok, I want to start with something... Ash, Lawson.. we started out on the wrong foot, I understand now how Saga feels about the two of you and although I'm not comfortable with the idea of her relationship with you Ash, I do know that it makes her happy and that's all that matters right now."

Ash stared at him completely shocked. He never expected him to actually accept him with so much sincerity, it was strange. Her dad carried on.

"Saga also said some other things... stuff which is important to all of us, she blames herself for everything that has happened when I think that we are all aware that none of this is her fault. Therefore, we need to find a way to disprove this to her.... so I want you to look our for her and be patient... lastly, Ace's room. Today is going to be tough but we need that boy gone from our lives completely." As he said this his eyes wondered over to his wife who gave a small nod. They had spoken about this the night before. "Everything has got to be cleared out so that we can start anew. But we need to keep the possible damage that it might do to Saga at a minimum..."

He stopped talking and both Ash and Lawson found themselves nodding their heads. They were a little shocked that he wasn't telling them to never come back again if they were completely honest. Lawson and Ash began to head back to the kitchen when her dad caught Ash's arm, holding him back.

"This doesn't mean that you can try and fool around with my daughter and make her do anything that she doesn't fully consent to." He warned. Ash's eyes widened.

"oh no sir! Of course not, I would never do anything like that. Ever."

[Lotus]

Saga looked up from her now half empty plate as Lawson walked in first, followed quickly by Ash. They both looked far more relieved than they had done when they left and as her dad walked in she caught his eye and nodded her head softly. He finally understood.

Everyone else sat down to eat breakfast, but despite what her parents told her she didn't want to eat any more. She still felt odd, and her stomach was churning from what she'd already eaten. Eventually everyone finished up and there was a comfortable silence for everyone other than Saga. She felt like she was being judged by everyone on the table. She knew what they needed to do today and she wanted it over and done with. "So, Ace's room?"

[Deleted]

Ash had bene trying not to think about it. He knew that it had to be done but he wanted more time to relax with Saga before they had to tackle something so hard. Because he knew her dad was right and clearing out Ace's room might not help stop saga from blaming herself. It wasn't her fault and he needed to prove that to her.

His head snapped up and he looked at her. He was shocked that she seemed to relaxed and well, eager to do this. Maybe it was all just an act so that she could start to feel strong again. If that was the case then Ash would go along with it. He wanted to help Saga. He smiled slightly. He was dreading doing this for two reasons. 1. Saga and the affect it might have on her. 2. Doing heavy exercise with a broken rib that he was trying to pretend wasn't as bad as it was.

"I don't see why not?" Ash replied, he wanted to seem as confident as Saga. But it came out as more of a question in the hopes that someone would step up and tell him a reason why.

[Lotus]

Saga stood from the table, slightly unsteady on her feet as she walked over to the counter and dumped her plate on the side. She turned to look at them as they started moving around the kitchen. Her dad stopped them all at the door, "We will do this together. Help each other through this okay? It's going to be hard and if anyone has a problem at any time they leave." It sounded like an army mission, but she guessed it was Ace's room, who knows what they'd find in there.

They all trudged up the stairs and stopped outside the door. It felt eerie knowing they were going to go inside for the first time since her little brother had become a career. Her dad nodded his head and gave her an encouraging smile. "We go in together." He reached out and took hold of her hand, whilst her mum took hold of the other. She glanced back to Ash and Lawson, they seemed on edge, but she couldn't find any emotion to portray to them. She was scared, terrified even.

[Deleted]

Lawson admired her father. The courage he was showing at this moment when they were about to uncover his son's dark habits. Whatever they might be, the whole group seemed to know that they would be bad. Lawson more then anyone because for a while the kid had hung out with them and some of the things he had said had giving Lawson goosebumps.

He looked up at Saga and saw how scared she was. Lawson could understand that and as much as he wanted to comfort her he couldn't. So he nudged Ash who looked up from his feet and saw the same look that Lawson had seen. Ash was scared too, but he was scared of Saga getting hurt and being unable to protect her from it. He squeezed his brothers shoulder before walking up behind Saga. She was watching him still. He wanted to be able to kiss her and make everything better but he couldn't do that.

So instead he tilted his head down and kiss her forehead. "I'm here for you.." He whispered just as her dad swung open Ace's door.

The first thing that hit them was the smell. Something was definitely dead in there.

[Lotus]

Saga chocked on the smell and her eyes watered from the stench. It terrified her and her father fumbled around the side of the door to find the light switch without stepping one foot inside. She felt his hand tense around hers and hers automatically tensed around her mums. She felt Ash at her back, and Lawson to the side and she took a shaky step back into the safe enclosure of their being.

The light flicked on and she squeezed her eyes shut. What the hell had gotten into her brother? She tried to hold back the scream that was rising in her throat at the brief glimpse of what she'd just seen and she felt her mum sink to her knees before she was pulled up right by either Ash or Lawson. She didn't want to open her eyes. She didn't want to go inside, but her dad started advancing.

She kept her eyes closed and with each step the smell got worse. She kept shaking her head, fear prickling every inch of her body. She felt like she was shaking, and very slowly she opened her eyes. She gasped and shut them again, trying to readjust. What. The. Hell?

[Deleted]

Ash and Lawson both stared at the room in disgust. Lawson looked towards his brother and raised his eyebrows in a way that said 'I should have known'. Ash agreed with him. Ace was definitely the type of career who relished the fight too much, or maybe not the fight itself but the possible fatal outcome. Both of the boys knew that if any one in this house was going to be able to deal with this it was them.

Lawson had managed to grab Saga's mum as she went to collapse. Things were starting to go downhill already and they hadn't even been inside. The two of them slipped round and through the door. As he passed saga Ash gently stroked her arm, wanting to reassure her.

Lawson marched purposely across the room and flung open as many of the windows as possible, allowing some much needed air to enter the room. They surveyed what they were looking at and to be honest they were shocked. On one wall hung an array of weapons, stuff that would have been used in training. Although that didn't seem too odd the fact that Ash and Lawson both knew that everyone else kept that stuff locked away somewhere safe until it was actually needed. They never put it on display. What made it even worse was that there were a few torture items among the weapons as well. The room was covered in dirty clothes and papers, pretty much what you would expect from a teenage boy but there was something sinister about it all.

Ash walked further into Ace's room and took a good look around. He glanced over at her dad, he too was trying to see what was in here. But unlike Ash and his brother he wasn't able to hide the horror etched on his face. He clearly wasn't expecting this. "We need to find a place to start..." Ash pointed out.

Lawson looked up from the weapons he had been examining and glanced around again. "preferably with whatever is causing that smell."

[Lotus]

Saga kept shaking her head with her eyes closed. She cannot believe what she was seeing. How had her little brother changed into the monster that had inhibited this room? She took a deep breath, but gagged at the still ever-present smell. She squeezed her parents hands as she heard the conversation in the room.

She knew what was causing the smell. She'd seen it. "Under... The... Bed..." She squeezed her eyes shut as she heard people moving around. She braved it all and opened her eyes only to let out a little yelp at the sight she saw again. They were looking at her oddly but she just pointed under the bed. "It's there..."

[Deleted]

Ash and Lawson both looked up and over at Saga at the same time, it was like they were in sync. They were confused, what was under the bed? Then it clicked. The cause of the smell was under the bed. Ash looked at Saga with her eyes closed tight, she seemed so vulnerable and he wanted to protect her from this all. How had she known it was under the bed? It confused him but he didn't want to have to ask her any more questions.

Cautiously Lawson knelt down by the side of the bed, roughly pushing aside the piles of clothing that were scattered around. Ash bent down the other side and did the same. Together they took a breath and looked under.

Ash's eyes widened in horror at what he saw. Lawson looked at it in disgust, feeling sick as he thought about something that Ace had once said during training. Lawson sat back up and looked around the room. He saw the nervousness on Saga's mums face. "Mrs Gregorio? Could you get me a bag please? A thick one." He said, trying to keep his voice calm and to keep the woman reassured. Keeping her busy would stop her from worrying.

Lawson took a breath and looked across at his brother. Ash met his eyes before glancing at Saga. He needed to get her out of here. She couldn't see what her brother had done. She couldn't see her. She couldn't see little Jaida. Ash just hoped she hadn't already.

He stood up quickly and walked over to Saga. "Why don't we go and get some hot soapy water to clean with?" He suggested, putting his hand on her back and directing her out of the room and down the stairs.

[Lotus]

Saga had an idea of what was under his bed from the glimpse she'd caught when the curtains had been trust open. From the look on everyone's faces though she had been right. How could he? How could Ace do this to her? She felt tears in her eyes, but she tried to be strong. Maybe she could see her when everything had calmed down a little.

She looked to Lawson and he looked scared, but Saga was heartbroken. She drew her eyes to Ash and nodded her head slowly. She cleared her throat, but it still cracked. "Yeah, that's a good idea." She turned and walked out of the room, standing outside and waiting for Ash. She heard hushed whispers coming from the room and she tried her hardest to keep everything locked up. She still needed to help.

[Deleted]

Ash was filled with worry. He was angry. No. He was furious and disgusted at Ace and what he had done. He couldn't understand how that boy could have done something like that. It was just so heartless and cruel. The kitten was innocent! It had done nothing wrong and yet he had killed it. It made Ash feel sick seeing poor Jaida like that. He knew he had to keep Saga away from that, she couldn't see what had happened to her little kitten. That would hurt her so badly and he didn't know if she could recover from that. He had to protect her.

As they headed to the kitchen Ash tentatively reached out and took hold of her hand as lightly as he could. He didn't know if she would pull away or not, but it was worth a try. He wanted to be there for her. To protect her.

Lawson took a deep breath and tried to focus on the task ahead of him. He couldn't let himself think too much about this. But it was hard, he was shocked at what they had found. But he was scared too, he was scared because it proved to him what he had always secretly feared. That there was something psychologically wrong with Ace.

He looked up as her mum came back into the room, well to the doorway anyway. He smiled encouragingly at her as he took the bag from her hands. Lawson knew why Ash had taken Saga out, they needed to get this done without her seeing. And it seemed like it was down to him.

[Lotus]

This was the first time Saga had gone down the stairs without sliding on her backside; she was physically walking down the stairs. Her grip was tight on the rail as she tried to steady each footfall, but when Ash took her hand gently in his she felt far safer. She didn't feel as if her body would give up and she'd go crashing to the bottom of the stairs.

Once she'd reached the bottom she squeezed her eyes shut as she tried to stop the pain radiating through her body. Soon she felt better and her grip tightened around Ash's hand. She looked down at their entwined fingers and she felt a small smile spread across her lips despite the situation they were faced with. They said very little to each other though and it was odd. It was as if they no longer knew what to say to each other, but Saga just put it down to him being worried of saying something that would upset her and she felt even more love for him than she already felt.

They walked into the kitchen and started getting the water and soap ready for Ace's room. It was a silent process, but whenever they could they'd brush hands, or elbows or just some part of them to show their love for each other. She was starting to realise how little she needed words when it came to Ash.

[Deleted]

Lawson hated having to do what he was doing. It made him feel awful. He felt sick, not on seeing Jaida, but on thinking that Ace had done this to her. That Ace could be so cruel and heartless. He just didn't understand it and he hated him. He wanted to punch him so hard. He knew Ash felt the same but worse, Lawson shuddered to think what Ash would do to Ace if he got his hands on him.

Lawson took a deep breath and took the bag away from the bed. He looked across at Saga's father. "She can't see this." He said simply, not wanting to say much more. He didn't need to. Her mum was slouched up against the wall in the corridor. Her head in her hands. Her dad nodded his head and reached out to take the bag. A look of disgust filled his face before he left the room.

Ash glanced over at Saga. She seemed so calm and composed. he had been worried that she had already seen Jaida when she pointed out that the smell was coming from under the bed. But maybe she had just seen something. He really hoped that that was the case. He didn't want her to suffer anymore then she already had.

He was pleased that they were being close like this. Even if they were silent. The fact that she wasn't shying away from him was filling him with confidence. Maybe things would be alright between them. As long as they could get through this.

[Lotus]

Saga threw five clothes into the water and turned up to look at Ash. "Shall we go back up now?" No one had come back downstairs, but she didn't know if they were to wait or anything. She knew they were all trying to spare her seeing her little kitten, but she knew. She loved them for the care they all showed, but at the same time she didn't want special treatment.

She saw Ash shake his head slightly and her brows furrowed together; they'd be staying down here for a while longer. Tentatively she reached out a shaking hand and twined her fingers with his. She looked down at their hands again before looking back up to his face. She wanted to gage how he was feeling, but he was looking at their hands as well. She smiled softly again and took a step closer.