Haku sighed in satisfaction as she squished into a dark red chair, next to the only end table with a lamp on it.  There was nothing quite like settling down with a good book, and she was in her favorite place in the compound; the break room.
    Everyone laughed when they found out Haku’s favorite place was the break room, but that didn’t stop her from coming there.  At least they left her alone.  It was bad enough when they made fun of her in front of everyone on stage.  She couldn’t stand being taunted here, too.  And besides, she loved the way the dim yellow lighting accented the maroon walls perfectly, creating a muted atmosphere ideal for reading a book.
    Haku opened her manga, Fruits Basket volume one, to the first page.  She never tired of reading this story.  It was one of her favorites. 
    She quickly became engrossed.  Haku read on, unaware of the passage of time.
    Just as she reached the of the story, the wide door slammed open.  In the doorway stood Neru Akita, framed by the harsh white light shining in from the kitchen.
    “Hey, dork, have you seen Rin?  She told me to tell her what happened on Dragon Ball if she missed it, and she did.  I totally need to find her.”
    Haku swallowed the hurt that rose in at Akita’s insult.  “Haven’t seen her since yesterday in the lunch room.  Sorry,” she whispered softly, waiting for the acidic reply she knew would come.  Haku focused on the blank screen of the flat screen television, something she found always helped.
    “Whatever.  I didn’t think you would know,” replied Akita cooly.  “I’m gonna go see if she’s in the mess hall.  Or maybe I’ll pay a visit to that sushi in the cooler.  See ya, loser.”
    The door slammed behind Akita as Haku began to cry.  She knew a few comments like that shouldn’t bother her, especially as Akita treated everyone like that, but it hurt.  Most things upset Haku, in one way or another, and she hated that fact.  She hated how easily she could lose control of her generated emotions, and she despised the people who had programmed her that way.  Haku was an outsider, and she knew it.
    The door open again.  “What now, Akita?” Haku sobbed.
    Through her tears, Haku made out the blurry form of a slight girl, too small to be Akita.  She wore a white and yellow take on a sailor’s outfit, matched with a white bow.
    “Rin?”
    “I.  Am.  Not.  RIN!”
    Haku saw the figure raise one arm.  She saw the girl start towards her.  And she saw the flash of light on steel.
    Grabbing one of the many cushions littered around the room, Haku tossed it in front of her face just in time to block the slash the girl had aimed at her face.  The stuffing from the pillow clung to the girl’s white shirt and the yellow bow tied around her neck.
    “What did you do to Rin?” cried Haku.
    “She’s dead,” sniffed the girl.  “I am here, and that ought to be enough for a lowly mistake such as yourself.  You see, I am perfection.  I am Rilienne, after all.”
    At the last word, Rilienne lashed out at Haku again.  This time she succeeded in opening a gash on Haku’s left cheek.  Haku cried out in pain, and then felt her surface codes fizz as they fixed the problem and regenerated themselves.  Haku lifted a hand to her cheek to feel it finish correcting the system errors and become perfectly smooth again.
    Haku raised her head in time to see Rilienne bearing down on her.  Rilienne dealt her a swift right hand cross to Haku’s jaw, causing her to trip on the coffee table and fall on to a chestnut chair.
    Rilienne tossed aside her knife and threw all her weight on Haku, her hands grasping for .  Her fingers found their mark and they closed around Haku’s throat.
    The door flew open, and Kaito stormed in.  He stopped short, a surprised look frozen on his face.
    “Kaito!”  Haku choked out.  “Shut...down...Rin!”
    Kaito, understanding what Haku meant, rushed to one of the silver computers sitting on a large desk as Rilienne howled in rage at the mention of Rin.
    Haku found herself fervently wishing that Kaito would hurry up as she gasped for breath, before everything went dark.
    Kaito hit the “yes” box just as Haku lost consciousness.  Rilienne slumped over the arm of the chair, and then slid with a thump onto the marble floor, her fall barely cushioned by a neutral rug.  Kaito winced at the sound, glad it wasn’t his head that had made that sound.
    Haku sat up quickly, groaning as her bruised neck twisted as she turned her head.  Kaito rushed to her side to stop her from injuring herself more than she was already.
    “I’m all right,” Haku croaked.  She instantly wished she had told Kaito the truth and asked him to reprogram the nanocells that made up her windpipe, but she could already feel her neck repairing itself.
    “What got into Rin?” asked Kaito as he helped Haku over to the couch.  Haku sat down gratefully, welcoming the embrace of the cushy purple material.
    Rilienne quickly uprighted herself, then fell over again, groaning and clutching her head where it had made contact with the floor.  She leaned against the maroon wall, directly below one of the wall sconces, so that her face was cast into shadow.
    “I... am not Rin,” she gasped.  “I am... Rilienne d’Lucifen.  I am perfection.  Rin was... a mistake.  I will not be.  You are mistakes.  You will be... corrected.”
    Kaito looked at Haku.  “Well, that explains these,” he said softly, touching Haku’s neck where the bruises Rilienne had left were quickly fading.  Haku swallowed her emotions, and once again wished she had more control over them.
    Akita slammed open the door to find a very odd picture before her.  Rilienne was once again huddled in the corner, while Kaito sat beside Haku on the deep maroon sofa, checking her neck wounds to make sure they were healing.
    Haku looked up.  “I found Rin,” she said, smiling wearily and regretting speaking as soon as the words left .
    Rilienne screeched and covered her ears, rocking back and forth.  “She is gone, the hated one is gone, I am perfection, I am here.”
    Akita looked at Haku and Kaito.  “What’s up with her?”  she asked, jerking her head towards Rilienne, who was still muttering to herself.
    “We don’t know,” Kaito replied for Haku.
    “Well, then, must’ve been something in her room, right?  I’m gonna check it out.  You wimps comin’?”  Akita asked.  Without waiting for a reply, she left the room in a rush.
    “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Akita-chan,” Kaito called after her.  Turning to Haku, he jerked his head at Rilienne, saying, “She’ll be alright here.  We’d better follow Neru and make sure she doesn’t get herself killed.  Come on.”
    Kaito held out his hand to Haku, which she took gratefully.  He pulled her to her feet and they started after Akita, with Haku leaning on Kaito, still feeling out of breath.
    Haku and Kaito reached Rin’s room just in time to see Akita touch a peculiar device in the brightly lit corner - and disappear.