14th February, 1996

"Back the fuck off, leave her alone!"

Katy stood angrily over the fallen form of her sister, who was cradling a bleeding nose as a large boy of fifteen stood over her. The fourteen year old girl's fists were clenched and her brow in a deep scowl - her eyes practically on fire with anger, but she still seemed dwarfed and feeble underneath the large youth opposite her, and his three friends laughing in the background.

"Or what, whore, you'll beat us all up? I'd like to see you try." the boy responded, laughing uproariously

"I could take you, you're all talk, bullies! You threaten and shove people into doing what you want but when someone stands up to you you're nothing more than rats trapped in a corner!" Katy yelled, doing her best to sound unfettered by the boy's size and obvious strength.

"Really, you think? I could crush your weak little face into a pulp, little miss tough stuff, and I wouldn't even have t- AHGHHH!!"

The boy's words were cut off as he let out a strangled cry of pain. While he had been busy mouthing off at Katy, a small blonde haired girl who had been standing at the side during the exchange had run forwards, taken a small blade, and stabbed him in the thigh.

"Leave Katy 'n Naia alone! Leave them alone!" the girl shouted, kicking his ankle repeatedly as he clutched at the wound.

"Anya!" Katy cried, running forwards and dragging the seven year old away from where the boy's friends were moving forwards to help him. Stepping backwards, she wrapped her arm protectively around the girl, "Go and stay with Naia." she whispered, pushing the girl back to where her sister was sitting on the floor, still clutching her nose but already beginning to pull herself together.

Gulping, the fourteen year old Katy Lockhart, placed herself between the two younger girls and the advancing boys, her heart racing. She always had a plan, a way out. But they were backed into a corner, a wall behind them and no way past the thugs. There was nothing she could think of to do...

"Back the fuck off, leave her alone!"

Naia's face hurt. Her elbows hurt. Her knees hurt. Her entire body cried out in pain, scraped and bruised from where these bullies had delivered a punch straight to her nose and sent her tumbling to the floor, where she lay gasping now, her sister trying desperately to protect her. Tears had formed in her eyes, but they were not tears of purely pain, they were tears of rage.

In the pit of her stomach, and rising, was a bubbling sensation of anger and hate, her expression screwing up into fury. Wiping the blood from her face, she almost smiled at the cry of pain as Anya drove the blade into the thug's thigh. The boy's name was Evan, and he and his friends had tried to take Naia's body for themselves, resorting to violence when she resisted too strongly. Then her sister and Anya had arrived, and then... this.

As the little blonde girl crouched next to her, Naia extended her clean hand to pet her on the head, comforting her. The thugs were advancing. This was no time to be lying on the damn floor.

With a grunt, Naia pulled herself to her feet, ignoring the sharp instructions from her sister to stay back, wiping her nose free of blood one last time before balling her fists and stepping forwards to next to Katy "Shut up, Katy! This guy hit me in the face, no way I'm gonna just lie down and let them hurt you too!" she exclaimed angrily, glaring at the youths.

"I say, bring it."

They brought it.

The boy who had been stabbed in the thigh, in a blind fit of rage, lashed out at Katy - his swing was clumsy and uncontrolled, and Katy easily sidestepped it. You didn't survive long in this area of town without learning to fight, and fight dirty at that. As he staggered forwards, Katy clenched her own fist and swung it, smacking it directly into his jaw and sending him reeling backwards, clutching at his face. For her size, Katy hit hard. Real hard.

Behind them, Anya was jumping up and down yelling encouragements "You got him good Katy! Hit him again! Hit him again!"

Katy barely registered the girl, just as she barely noticed her sister beside her, as the other three boys advanced on them. Katy delivered a kick to the groin to one, but the other's fist impacted with her stomach, winding her and dropping her to the ground. Her vision blurred, the force of the hit completely disorienting her, enough that she didn't even register the lack of a follow-up blow. She simply knelt on the ground gasping, trying in vain to pull herself together....

When her sister went down, Naia screamed in fury, everything escaped her mind except a blind rage against those who had done her sister harm. "GET AWAY FROM HER YOU BASTARD!!" she yelled, charging at the offending boy and throwing her body at him, the combined momentum of the leap and the furious punches knocking him to the ground, where she continued to hit him, over and over again. The boy's face became bloody, as did her knuckles, but Naia didn't stop. She didn't stop until one of his friends caught her around the shoulders and through her off, and when he did she lay where she fell, tears streaming down her face and her fists pounding uselessly on the ground.

"No!

The voice of a newcomer echoed around the alleyway in which the fight was taking place, the voice of another boy, and Naia's heart leaped in her chest. She knew that voice.

"Back off! Leave them alone, what are you? Cowards? Beating up a group of girls?!" the voice continued, running footsteps punctuating it before the sound of another scuffle, yelling, grunts of pain and the dull thud of people hitting the floor. Naia screwed her eyes shut and wished it would all stop.

And before long, it did.

When Naia dared open her eyes, she was greeted with the smiling face of another of her friends, albeit a smiling face bruised and with blood running down one side of it.

"Dannyl... you came to save us!" she whispered, smiling back at him.

"Sure did, you think I'd let these thugs beat my friends up? Come on, we need to get you two home." the boy replied, helping Naia to her feet before walking over to help Katy. He shook his head in disbelief "I can't believe anyone would sink so low..."

When a friendly face helped Katy to her feet, she almost couldn't believe it. But gradually the shock of the blow and the confusion of the fight faded, and she realised it was all over. Some of the boys lay unconscious or groaning on the floor nearby, and some had run off. But it was over.

As Dannyl spoke, Katy nodded in agreement, "Thugs. Fucking thugs. Should all be locked up..." she muttered "Not like the police ever do anything in this part of the City, we're lucky to see a patrol once in a month."

The girl shook her head, as if clearing it. "Sorry, I don't mean to be so grumpy. I've not thanked you yet, I'm really grateful for you coming to help us, Dannyl. Maybe when we're older we can actually get something done to clean out this neighbourhood... file a petition or something."

Anya tugged on Katy's sleeve "Are we going home now Katy? Are you 'right?"

"I'm fine, Anya. Just-" she hissed as she took a step "-a little sore..."

The girl turned to Dannyl "Do you think it'd be alright if we stopped around Grandma Anzu's place for a while? I'm not sure I can face the lecture I'll get if we go back looking like this... we can at least get the cuts plastered and give the bruises time to fade a bit."

Dannyl smiled, and nodded "Grandma always loves it when you two come round, I'm sure she'd be fine with it!"

Naia also smiled at the thought of visiting Grandma Anzu. The woman was the most lovable and kind person either of the sisters had ever met, by a long shot. She wasn't an actual grandmother, to any of the children she looked after, but was in fact simply a generous woman who had opened her doors to street urchins and orphans, until her house was full to bursting. The only way she supported them was by donations from the few caring folk in the area, and the less than legal methods of her children.

"Thanks Dannyl!" Naia exclaimed, hugging the older boy gladly.

"Heh, don't thank me - thank Grandma when she lets you in!" he replied, putting his arms around Naia and squeezing her "C'mon, let's get going before these guys wake up." he said, gesturing at the fallen thugs.

He turned and started off toward the old woman's flat, leading the three girls behind him...

20th February, 1999

Katy dashed into the room, her hair flowing out behind her in a mess of half combed out knots and tangles. She'd rushed out of bed in the morning to be here before Naia, and hadn't had a chance for much preparation.

"She's coming! She's coming!" the girl yelled, startling the occupants of the room. A kindly old woman sitting in an armchair toward the centre of the room tutted.

"Don't shout, Katy dear. And did you wipe your feet before running inside in those shoes of yours?" she chided, before chuckling. "No matter deary, we have more important things to worry about! Places, everyone!"

The room turned into a hub of activity, as the children inside started to hurry about to prepare for the sister's arrival. 'Nana' Anzu, as she was called, always held a party for each of her children, as often as possible a surprise one, and as Naia and Katy had been semi-adopted by the woman, it was only right that she do the same for them.

When Naia arrived, she'd be getting a surprise!