Pro-Gamer Move

Almost everyone in this world starts off rather unremarkably, a single speck of life breathed into the cosmos, eyes tightly shut and voices screaming to the heavens as if cursing them for binding them to this mortal coil - Hanako would have been no exception.

Being born to an American botanist and a Japanese florist in her hometown of Coventry, Rhode Island, there was almost nothing visibly notable about the child. She was just as boisterous and loud as any other baby, always crying for attention and mindlessly chewing on objects when she had the opportunity. However, this reality would have quickly taken a turn when she'd first fallen sick, an infection rapidly spreading through her body that would have caused the child to develop a high fever and be admitted to the hospital. It was there that doctors made the medical diagnosis that she was suffering from hemolytic anemia, where her blood cells were being destroyed quicker than they were being produced; and the discovery that she possessed the rare blood type of Rh null - One that would render her a fragile, yet medically coveted child.

Injuries and illnesses would almost always succeed in flooring her, confining her to a hospital ward and medical observation for weeks on end. Near constant isolation from the world had severely crippled her in terms of sociability, the girl often kept from meeting other kids of her own age for fear that she might have caught spreading sicknesses or gotten injured without any adults to keep watch. In the event that she did manage to meet any kids beyond the walls of her hospital room, most of the communication they had would have been over the internet or phone calls that could last anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours, depending on how restless she seemed to be.

Not wishing to stop her from experiencing even bits of the world outside, however, her parents would have introduced her to their sacred world of botany, the beauty of flora and all the dangers that lurked beneath. It was in these little moments that she began to develop an attachment to growing plants - Something about planting that seed, watching it germinate and finally sprout into the real-life versions of the delicate splendors depicted in the pictures they had shown; Reading up on the different herbs, noting her observations of her own plants and noting every little sensation they provided. These little beings that continued to grasp onto existence and flourish despite the harsh weather conditions that existed out in the world. All of it thoroughly intrigued her, filled her with an odd sense of satisfaction and helped her to pass the time, eventually helping to ease that sense of restlessness she'd yearned to kill.

Then came the invitation, sudden and yet oh so welcomed by a duo that wished desperately for their child to gain even a glimpse of the wonders around her, to feel the elements upon her skin and know how it felt like to live beyond the confines of a medical cage. A blessed twist of fate would have provided them with the opportunity to gain help for their daughter, albeit hitting them with the necessity of moving abroad to receive that aid. Choosing their child over all, Hanako would have found herself being swept up from her little world of beeping machines and loneliness and led into a brand new world of wonders and new discoveries.

Thus, began a new chapter of Hanako's life.

She had felt somewhat disorientated in her new environment, a little apartment block located in the suburbs of Tokyo - The first floor was a beautifully laid out plant nursery, the second floor being their place of residence and the rooftop having been converted into a little garden. From what she'd heard, her parents had inherited the shop, along with the floral business that her Japanese grandparents used to run and oh, was she delighted in finally having some real space to grow plants as compared to those that were simply grown in little flower pots!

The promised aid would arrive in the form of pills, ones that were supposed to help with her anemia and get her through everyday life, allowing her to finally have a chance of interacting with the people beyond her family. She would often have lurked behind the counter whenever her parents worked the store, helping customers with choosing the best flowers for bouquets and often delving into passionate discussions about different plants and their uses. When she wasn't being a brat in the nursery, she could be found tending to her little rooftop garden or holed up in her room, reading up on the various properties and meanings behind the different flowers. Safe to say, she had settled into her new home rather quickly, becoming much livelier and bubblier as compared to the child who had been locked up for her own good.

Even her parents had begun to grow a little more bold with their business ventures, taking up the assignment of tending to the garden of the famed, yet rumour-riddled Fujisaki household. Without a shred of doubt, Hanako would have tagged along on those adventures and upon having stepped into the manor garden for the very first time, the girl could have sworn that she fell in love with the place. A grand estate that seemed to carry so many mysteries, a large open field for sprawling greenery and delicate foliage - It would have been considered somewhat of a paradise, especially considering how she'd been given reigns of managing her own area and decorating it to the best of her ability. And tend to the garden she did - Digging through the dirt, sorting through the seeds, watering the plants and pruning them as and when needed; Creating this perfect garden of Eden had become a little project that she absolutely treasured and adored.

Only that it would almost have been ruined by the presence of a boy. She hadn't thought much about it when she first spotted him unwittingly trampling on her flower beds, but at some point, the possibility that he might have been the child of her family's employer must surely have crossed her mind. Regardless, she would have launched into a lengthy admonishment about respecting the life of all plants, even calling him a 'blundering buffoon' at some point. He hadn't particularly seemed to mind, however, continuing to come by almost every day and bother her about what she was doing that at some point, she had begun to anticipate his arrival. She may have roped him into helping her on some days, but she would have considered it fair trade for constantly barging in and taking her precious time.

Ren Fujisaki, who would have been her first ever friend, would have begun to show her the wonders of the world she'd missed out on.

There'd be some point that even a rosy coloured life would have begun its descent into madness, a constant downwards spiral that just didn't seem to have any way out. Upon beginning her first few years in high school, Hanako would have witnessed the tears of a grown man and his wife, despair permeating through the whole household as rumours finally reached her ears. Their floral business had somehow ran itself into a dangerous spot with one of its most influential clients - the Sakamakis, the threat of being shut down constantly lingering over their heads like a sharpened guillotine primed for an execution. The only way they could have pulled themselves out of such dire straits was to bend to the will of the client's son, to agree to his request of Hanako's hand in marriage.

Upon closer inspection, it was all too clear that they had been set up by their client in hopes of gaining their son a fiance he had fancied simply by chance but they had no way to get a lawyer to argue their case, the crooked influence running deeper than they had ever expected. Fearful as she was, Hanako would have no choice but to accept on her parent's behalf, making demands for the threat to be rescinded in turn. The trade would have somewhat succeeded, her parent's business spared in exchange for her freedom in love. However, the girl would have quickly realised that everything was way worse than she had expected it to be.

It had started out with awkward flirting from his end, praises and uncomfortable affection thrown her way. This was something that she easily endured for the sake of her family, confiding the vaguest of details to her friend with every meeting they had. Along the way, Itsuki Sakamaki would have learnt of her meetings with Ren, banning her from having any further communication with the boy. However, he had shredded every other fragment of freedom she had in her life, and Hanako being the ever stubborn child would refuse, continuing to meet up with Ren if only to prove that she wasn't going to accept being trapped in this relationship.

That was probably the one event that marked the start of the abuse. Every meeting that she and Itsuki had as part of their 'precious couple time' would turn to nothing but arguments and pure hatred over the controlling nature of their bond. Eventually, he would grow weary of listening to her argue for her freedom, vicious debates turning into physical altercations that often left the girl bruised and in tears by the end. Her health would have suffered a great hit during this period of time, the mental stress of knowing she would most likely be kicked at the next meeting and the physical stress on her body to heal up as fast as possible would have driven her into a pit of despair she simply couldn't climb out of.

Her discussions with Ren would grow dry, each week simply being her struggling not to break down into tears as she skillfully covered up every injury she'd obtained. She was beyond exhausted with fending off every threat that Itsuki had made, protecting her family at the cost of her own happiness taking its toll on her.

The final straw would have been when Itsuki finally snapped. In a fit of rage, he had locked her into her room and set the nursery on fire, ready to watch the bunny beg for him to let her out before she burned. But pride made her bite down on her tongue, defiance against all odds forcing her to escape the building and watch from the street as her beloved home burnt down to the ground. Ashes of painstakingly grown roses would linger in her clothes, the horror of the sight burning itself into her memories for days to come as she finally broke, seeking help from Ren to escape her plight.

The arrangements were quickly made and soon enough, Hanako Chiaki would disappear from the registries of Japan - Marked as legally dead with cause of death being a fire outbreak caused by an electrical surge. However, this fact and her tragedies would remain untold.

Phoenixes often rose from the ashes. Bunnies, on the other hand, did not. Mentally scarred and broken beyond repair, it became evident that she wasn't going to be able to return to the life she once had. Her connections had been severed for her family's safety, the only news that they were to receive was that she had died in an unfortunate fire and the solemn realisation that they were never going to be able to get back at the sinners.

Despite all the warning bells that had been set off in her head, Hanako would find herself smitten with Ren, hesitant in reciprocating and still trying to accept the fact that they got together to this very day. Along the way, she would have discovered his ties to villainy, barely batting a lash at that fact, much to her own surprise. In fact, she would have found herself dabbling in villainy too, slowly enabling Ren by the day whilst enduring his teasing and bullying back just as viciously.

Distractions would only have bought that much time, healed that many scars before old injuries ached once more.

Atropa Belladonna, Deadly Nightshade. No one was going to search for a ghost, no one was going to bring her back. Carrying her fears over whilst keeping her mouth shut, Hanako would start looking into her ex-fiance, ready to strike back just as quickly and twice as dangerous.