Oh yeah! Here we go!

Spinning Threads

Outbreak

Serena sighed, her head upon the broad muscular shoulders of her husband as they twirled around the living room to the song they had deemed theirs so many years ago. Her daughter Rini smiled at her parents, admiring their timelessness and undying love. She was five and already an accomplished cellist, an art that her mother had excelled at but had abandoned when she had fallen in love with acting. Her brother Derrick sat at the piano, his hands easily gliding over the ivory keys of their father's grand piano, it was a concert for the two lovers, a Christmas gift to the both of them.

The last note was played signaling the end of the passionate song and thus halting the couple entranced in their dance. Rini smiled, despite the fact that she was so young she knew her parents had a deep and undying love for one another, at least… that's what Derrick liked to say. She sighed and looked longingly at the small portion of the entryway she could see from her spot at the piano, soon the doorbell would sound signaling the arrival of one of her favorite people, Peruru. Peruru had been like a brother to her for as far back as she could remember and a wonderful friend. Much like Derrick he had his own life as a… well, she didn't know what Peruru did for a job. She knew that Derrick was a full time medical intern soon to be resident. Whatever that was.

"He's late." Derrick muttered and glanced at the large grandfather clock near the entryway. His comment had drawn the attention of the couple who had formerly been dancing. Rini watched her father's eyes shift to the nearest clock before he slowly removed himself from his wife's embrace, settling for her hand being securely in his. "Mean's he's up to something. I bet he dropped by that damn place…" Derrick slammed the keyboard shut and stood up, his anger apparent in his movements.

"Where Icky? Where?" The small blonde girl stood and rushed over to pull on her brother's shirttail. His deep brown eyes slowly shifted to hers, a certain glint in them that spoke volumes more than he ever could, a glint that made her back away. She never understood the edge that Derrick had when talking about Peruru, it was as if he didn't trust the white haired man who'd installed himself in the family.

"It doesn't matter if he did. He can do as he pleases Derrick, don't be so bitter, what happened, happened, it's the past… you know that." Darien approached his son and placed a strong hand on his shoulder hoping to calm him out of his current state. Derrick loosened but his father knew better. He knew what ailed Derrick, despite everything that happened, everything that was twisted and wrong, he still loved her. It was a pain that was evident in him from the very moment everything fell apart five years ago and Derrick couldn't help but feel responsible for her.

"I'm fine dad." Derrick sharply jerked away from his father's touch and backed away just as the doorbell sounded. Rini sprang into action running past her brother and to the door. Even before she reached the handle she knew who it was, she could see his tall figure and white hair through the glass door.

Thrusting the door open Rini flung herself into the man's open arms allowing him to scoop her up and twirl around the white fabric of her Christmas dress flaring out. "Ruru! You're here!" The melodic laughter, the laughter that she had inherited from her mother tickled his ears and drew Derrick to the door.

"You're late Perry." The nickname often had a certain malice to it which Peruru would often smile at then ignore the comment until a later time when he could catch Derrick off guard. "So nice of you to come and visit us."

"Of course Ricky, you know I love to come and visit you." Peruru smiled and set the five-year-old girl down then turned toward both Serena and Darien who had moved into the entryway. "Hey! It's so good to see you two! You look great… as timeless as ever!" Peruru then stepped into the house leaving a few large shopping bags on the front deck in exchange for a hearty hug from them. "I've been so busy, and I found something interesting out that is… surprising really."

"What is that Ruru dear?" Serena smiled trying to keep her curiosity from showing. The White haired man held up a finger then turned and grabbed the large bags off of the wooden deck, lugging them into the living room and began to place perfectly wrapped gifts around the Christmas tree. "Ruru?"

"I found out that my brother's in town. I'm not sure why but I'm always a little cautious when he is. Can't be good considering he's an agent." Peruru then laughed awkwardly.

"Oh good, maybe you can spend Christmas with him." Derrick bit and plopped onto the couch. When Peruru had come to live with them he hadn't minded at first. As time wore on he'd discovered that the white haired teen was going to visit Seriah in the institution. It was a betrayal and when Derrick had confronted him Peruru had only shrugged and stated that the girl needed to know she was cared for. Of course Derrick had cared very much for the insane girl and since Peruru had accused him of not having any feelings towards her, he'd decided Peruru was an asshole.

"Must we fight every Christmas? I enjoy my holidays… at least… I try." Her blue eyes fell to the floor with a motion of despair making Darien square his shoulders and give the two a menacing glare. Rini didn't know what her father was threatening with the look but something told her that her brother's did because they would quickly look at the ground and apologize. "Dare, stop that. I can fight my own demons."

"Serena…" Darien's tone softened, immediately causing her to look up at him expecting him to say something grand. "Let me worry about the boys, you and Rini should go out and make one of your snow sculptures don't you think?" The two blondes nodded then rose to go to their rooms and put on their snow clothes in order to play outside. This left the three men alone together in the living room, the two younger ones looking at their veteran with reserve. "You two will behave and get along. I'm not letting her get upset again this year. Derrick, you seem to be the one stirring the pot so stop."

"No, dad, I'm not. This little ass is. I know you went to see her, so, how is she?" Derrick turned two accusing eyes towards the other man. Peruru sighed and tilted his head to the ceiling spotting the young blonde spying on the three from the upper balcony, the one closest to her room, her sister's old room.

"Rini. Spying isn't very nice." Darien said sharply without looking up, he didn't have to; Darien seemed to have an intuition about everyone else in his area. He always had, it was why, after Seiya's death, Sapphire had begged him to join the organization. He refused but swore to help Sapphire with small favors in the legal and training fields.

"Sorry Daddy, I couldn't help it." Rini giggled then rushed to her room to get ready before her mother did. Darien continued to stare at the white haired man he considered a second son and hopped that he would say something he wanted to hear.

"She's… much, much better. Coherent, competent… she's… being reviewed right now to see if she is well enough to be released." Peruru's words made Darien's face grow cold, if she was anything like her father, and there was every indication that she was, she was playing everyone in that facility as a fool. "She's convincing but I don't buy it, that… emptiness is still there in her eyes."

"She… can change though right? I mean what if she has?" Derrick said with a hopeful tone. He wanted so badly for Seriah to heal; to realize that the things her father did, the way things were… that wasn't the way the world should be.

"No, she can't." Darien snapped and firmly looked at his son. He wanted to make it clear that Derrick was not allowed to think of Seriah as anything but a monster. She was a younger, female version of her father and he'd be damned if he'd let his son fall into her trap.

"Daddy! I can't zip it!" Rini ran to him with the zipper of her pink snowsuit caught in her shirt. "Is it broken?" She asked as he knelt in front of her and began to free the zipper. She stood there with a bored look on her little round face, her ocean blue eyes towards the ceiling. "Daddy…" She sighed impatiently as he freed the zipper and zipped the suit up.

"Where are you're gloves?" He smiled at her as she shoved her hands into the pockets then looked around her, turning in a circle before shrugging with a smile. "You need gloves or your hands will freeze like ice cubes." He touched her nose as she stared at him with wide eyes.

"Nu huh…" She breathed in amazement and looked at her tiny hands. Darien kept a straight face and nodded up and down as she pondered the idea. "Okay… I'll go and find them because I don't think Mommy wants me to have frozen hands. She gets angry when my nose gets cold." She whispered into her father's ear. "Don't tell her I lost them." She then ran back up the stairs to search for her gloves.

"Rini!" Serena called and walked out of her bedroom while pulling on her own gloves. Darien smiled and stood up as Serena looked around then up at the open part of Rini's room. "Rini! Aren't you ready yet?" Serena then shook her head and looked at her husband with a grin. "She's looking for her gloves isn't she?" He nodded and chuckled a bit as Serena pulled her daughter's gloves from the pocket of her jacket. "I've been holding onto them."

The group waited as the little girl rummaged through her room, looking everywhere for the small pink gloves. "Oh!" She grunted and reached her hand under her dresser looking for anything that resembled gloves. She reached and reached until she felt something under the piece of furniture.

It was stuck to the bottom of the dresser and as she pulled she heard the snapping sounds of tape being pulled away from something. "Rini!" Her mother called to her, making her freeze. Removing her hand from under the dresser she put her face against the ground and tried to see what she'd found. It was too dark though and so she sighed and walked to the raining overlooking the living room.

"I don't want my hands to turn into ice cubes Mommy!" She held up her bare hands as everyone began to laugh. "It's not funny!" She shook her head, her blonde hair whipping from side to side. "Tell them Daddy, it's not."

"I've got your gloves silly, now come down here." Serena giggled and held up the pink items in question. Rini smiled and rushed out of her room and down the stairs. Serena met her by the door and began to put the gloves on as Rini looked at Peruru with a glimmer of mischief in her eyes. He watched her carefully, his education kicking in to examine her actions.

Peruru had gone to college to become a psychiatrist. It had been his passion and if there was anything more exciting than the science of human thought he had yet to hear of it. That was why he went to visit Seriah, she was a case study of the most fascinating nature. Rini though, unlike her sister was easy to read. She was very much like her mother; her eyes said it all. "Have fun kiddo, make me something cool." He smiled as she nodded and rushed outside with her mother in tow.

"Back to our conversation… Peruru, how do you think Seriah's doing?" Darien moved back to his serious tone. He wasn't sure if he really wanted to know but, when it came to his family, he had to.

"She's… well, like I said she seems better than she was, she's very lucid and can engage in normal conversations. She examines everything though, as if she's plotting to escape or something. I know she won't do it, it's much easier to fake your way through a mental eval then it is to break out." Peruru sighed and rubbed his forehead. "If the evaluator finds her to be of sound mind they're going to release her."

"They wouldn't dare." Darien growled and balled his fists. "They can't let her out." The two younger men looked at the fuming Darien and felt a sense of danger brewing within him. After all, Darien had everything to lose now; and if Seriah was released it could threaten everything.

Sitting at a metal table bolted to the floor, Seriah stared at the leather cuffs binding her hands together. Five years she'd been rotting away in this place. Five years she'd endured solitary confinement. Five years she spent resenting the man who put her there. When days blend together and there are no windows to provide a sense of time, a person begins to evaluate themselves.

She'd thought long and hard about the events that lead to her confinement and they all melted together to provide one thought. She had to kill them; Darien and her mother had to die. She had promised herself that today was the day. She would pass her evaluation and be released from this place. That was when she would destroy them.

She heard the electronic beeping of the keypad lock and stared at the door expectantly. A men with long blonde hair pulled back in a pony tail stepped in. His features were very feminine and in his white medical coat he looked very much like a girl. "Hello Seriah. I'm Doctor Gem." His medium toned voice easily filled the room as his green eyes scanned her slowly. "How are you feeling?"

She smiled her widest smile, her white teeth making her icy eyes even paler. "I feel as well as one can feel in a situation such as mine." She'd rehearsed her lines well and could tell she'd said something that surprised him.

"What situation is that Seriah?" He sat in a chair opposite her and placed the file he'd been holding in his hands, in front of him. Her eyes fixed on the manila envelope and noticed how thin it was. Obviously she'd behaved herself over the years, otherwise her file would be larger.

"I was wrongfully imprisoned here and no one's ever evaluated me! I've been here for five year Doctor Gem." Seriah sighed and looked down at her cuffs. She heard a slight chuckle come from the feminine doctor then his chair scraping along the floor as he stood. He walked to the corner of the room where the camera was hooked in and unplugged it before sighing.

"Let's cut the crap shall we?" The man turned to her and crossed her arms. "You didn't honestly think I'd allow you to manipulate me did you? I'm Doctor Zoicite Gem! You can't threaten me!" He leaned on the table and growled making her raise her eyebrows.

"What are you talking about?" She blinked and watched him smirk then stand and pace the room. "Doctor… what are you talking about?"

"The two goons you sent after me. That's what." He threw his hands in the air then moved behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Seriah, I'm not a man who takes lightly to threats and I didn't appreciate you sending them." She sat there for a moment and thought about what he was saying. She had no idea what was going on but something told her it had something to do with her past.

A knock came at the door causing Zoicite to turn and grunt his disapproval. He walked to the door and entered the code before opening it and being shoved backwards into the table. Seriah examined the two men currently holding Zoicite down and felt the faintest spark of recognition. They were both tall with thin builds. One had long white hair pulled into a ponytail and the other had light brown hair that was done in a similar style to the first.

"Miss Kou. Are you okay?" The brunette man asked and began to undo the cuffs. She watched him, his hands moving quickly as they unbuckled the cuffs. As he moved she realized he was a trained man. Such precision only came from one place.

"What's my name?" She asked him sharply and stared into his deep brown eyes.

"You're going to sign the fucking papers understand me asshole?" The white haired man slammed Zoicite into the table again and pulled a gun from his pocket. "Release her now or I'll blow your brains all over this place."

"Yaten, calm down. You let your temper get the better of you." The brown haired one said softly then looked back down at Seriah. "Which name do you want me to say? Your given name… or your chosen name?" She smiled and stood, her chair moving a little.

"I don't need an answer. What is your name?" The man shrugged and unfastened the cuffs around her ankles. "Yaten?" She placed a firm hand on the white haired man's shoulder. "Give me the gun and stand him up." Yaten nodded and handed her the gun before pulling Zoicite up by his hair. "Dr. Gem. Remember my face as it is now. If you release me, this well be the last time you see me. If you don't, I'll walk out of here anyway, then come back for you later and I will not look as serene as I do now." Zoicite nodded and held out his hand for a pen.

Seriah handed him the pen and moved her release papers towards him. He quickly scribbled his signature onto the paper and Yaten released him. "No good will come of this Seriah." Yaten then smacked the man so hard he fell to his knees.

"Don't call her that! Her name is Nehelenia!" Yaten snapped and went to hit Zoicite again only to have his hand caught by the taller, brunette. "Taiki! Why do you always have to be so soft on people? I mean come on! Specter would have disemboweled him by now!"

"Please, don't talk about him in front of me." Seriah shook her head. The last memory she had of her father came into her mind. The image of him lying in the snow with his face nothing more than a mushy mess was horrifying to say the least. "Let's go. I have a lot of work to do and very little patience to do it with. If you are in fact followers of my late father then you will know my anxiousness." Seriah breathed and grabbed the paper.