STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING! Are you up to date with the current events of Marionette? (Minimum reading up to Cosmos, Chapter Twenty). These are NOT for new readers to read. These contain SPOILERS to the main book, and as such, read at your own risk. All Supplement chapters should not be read until Cosmos Chapter Twenty at the minimum, but it's recommended for readers to be COMPLETELY up to date. If you spoil yourselves by reading this while you're still in Oceans arc, then thats your own choice, but be mature and don't post spoilers from here onto the main book before a character even turns up. I wouldn't want to have to permanently mute you.

[Authors Note: The title of this chapter comes from one of my favorite anime closings, that of Kyoukai no Kanata / Beyond the Boundary. I felt like the feel and atmosphere of the song fits this chapter very well – Lemme know if you guys think so, too.]

Supplement Chapter #2 – Daisy

'I'm sorry, we won't be able to make it home in time for your Birthday... We're doing our best to come home as soon as possible, I promise.'

Another day, another lonely home.

Akabane Karma let out a breath as he wandered aimlessly towards home, the call from his mother on his mind like a dull pain in the back of his neck. It had been on his mind ever since he found the recorded message on the answering machine when he woke up that morning.

Even though he knew better already, that didn't mean he wasn't a little sad about it.

His parents were never home anymore.

Even now, while they may do their best to be there for him, it was almost like they were in a different world.

He was more accustomed to recorded messages left on the answering machine than actually having a conversation with either of his parents.

The air was frigid with cold, though no snow had fallen yet.

It would soon, though.

His eighth birthday was in three days time, as was Christmas.

The decorations for the festive season were in great abundance, decorating every storefront, hanging from all the lamp-posts and the sounds of Christmas Carols rung relentlessly through the air.

Class was a drag – He almost ended up leaving during lunch break, if not for the fact that the school had one of the discipline teachers supervising the back half of the school where he usually made his escape from.

Almost everyone in class was loud, gushing over the excitement of what was supposed to be a festive season.

Except for Rat-kun – She just sat silently in her seat without responding to anything, the same as she usually did.

He still hadn't heard a sound from her once, let alone heard her say anything.

Everyone in class pretended she didn't exist, which was different to the way they treated Karma.

He was instead, avoided like the plague by everyone except for the mute girl sitting in the seat in front of him.

It had been a few weeks since he'd stopped going out of his way to torment her, after he'd got his first reaction out of her purely by accident.

It wasn't that he'd run out of ideas or anything, he'd just ended up deciding seven weeks were enough tormenting time. He'd still fling elastic bands at her and do other things like that to her, but he stopped all the cruel things he had been doing before.

Not only did he not have the heart to torment her so much anymore, but in truth he lost interest.

Some time around lunch-time, Rat-kun had been called out of class by the vice-principal, Nishimura, and she didn't return.

The teacher didn't seem to even notice the girl's absence when fourth period started, and she enthusiastically delved into an art-class devoted to making paper chains and hand-made Christmas Wrapping.

Like all their classmates, their teacher seemed to pretend Rat-kun didn't exist.

And so, after the sickeningly sweet gushing of his more lively classmates for the whole of the day, he was glad there was a week's break before school resumed.

He was sick of Christmas already.

Karma rubbed his hands together to try and bring more warmth into his fingers, his downcast gaze lifting from the concrete beneath his feet as he heard the sounds of a younger child calling out an odd name.

'Maymay!' A raven-haired boy called with a shrill tone, from out the front of a building on the opposite side of the street Karma was walking down.

He turned his head to find himself looking at a now-familiar form belonging to none other than Rat-kun.

The voice belonging to the five-year old boy he'd seen a few times by now with her was standing outside what looked to be a doctors clinic, waving his small arms dramatically at Rat-kun, who was carrying the twin sister of the boy on her back, just like four out of the five other times he'd seen the three together.

However, unlike last time, the little girl seemed to be asleep and bundled up in Rat-kun's jacket so that only her face was visible, leaving Rat-kun in just her over-sized school uniform.

Oh, maybe the little girl came down with a cold?

That would explain why Rat-kun had been called out of class, though he didn't get why the adults in their family hadn't come to collect the girl from school, instead.

He shrugged the sight off as he resumed his walk home, forcing his thoughts onto something he could do to pass the time.

The apartment was empty as he'd returned home, just the way he'd left it that morning.

The woman down the corridor wasn't coming around to check on him until after Christmas Day – She had left yesterday to go spend time with her family in Sapporo.

For the next three days, he was completely and utterly alone.

He sighed heavily as he locked the door behind him, the emptiness of his home depressing him enough to have him send himself to bed instead.

Another morning brought another missed call, another message left on the answering machine.

Karma had dragged himself out of bed somewhere around nine in the morning to find the light on the automated machine blinking in the dull light of the kitchen.

'I've got some great news, Karma dear!' The recorded message from his mother said, though there was a subdued edge to her warm voice. 'We've managed to talk the airlines into giving us tickets for an earlier flight, so we'll be able to see you on the 26th bright and early! Was there anything you wanted for your Birthday? Anything at all we can buy for you!'

Sure, there were a few things he could name that he wanted, and they could buy them easy enough.

But really, that wasn't what he wanted, deep inside.

'We both love you, Karma. We'll see you soon.'

He knew that, but it meant less when he never saw them, anymore.

So he returned to his room after he foraged through the fridge for something to eat.

The city outside was already ringing with carols, loud enough that they rung through the glass of his window.

He sat on his desk next to his window, tucking into the cold leftovers that were supposed to be his dinner the night before as he stared out at the people milling around like ants in the streets below.

Everyone seemed alive with cheer, like they were the happiest people in the world right now.

And here he was, eating leftovers as he sulked all alone.

But then something caught his eye, or rather, someone.

A mop of unnatural white and an unhealthily skinny form belonging to Rat-kun stood out in amongst the taller forms of adults and teenagers.

She was leaving her own apartment building it seemed, no raven-haired five year olds in sight.

He blinked a few times as he watched her begin to head down the street towards the train station, recalling his thoughts from the day before.

Why didn't the adults in the family tend to the children that he saw with Rat-kun?

Were they just lazy?

No, it couldn't be something like that.

His brow furrowed as he found himself more than just a little bit curious, now that he'd thought about it.

He tossed a decision around in his head for a few seconds, before his curiosity got the better of him.

Karma discarded his breakfast, leaping off his desk to throw on a change of clothes quickly. He threw repeated glances out the window as he gathered his belongings, keeping track of exactly where Rat-kun was going before he dashed out of the apartment and slammed the door shut behind him.

He shoved his keys in his pocket as he dashed towards the elevator.

He had nothing to do, and he was curious.

So, he might as well just stalk Rat-kun and see what she would do in her own time.

He'd managed to catch up to her before long, waiting for the train to arrive at the station no less. School was in completely the opposite direction, so he was rather curious as to where she was going.

He made sure to stay several meters behind her, close to something he could use to hide behind if she turned around.

Even though she never reacted to anything or showed any form of emotion aside from that one time, he didn't exactly feel like having her know she was being followed.

Following Rat-kun lead him onto the train heading in towards the city, and in two stops she disembarked. There was an arcade just outside of this station, and just a couple of buildings down the street was a supermarket that ended up being her destination. Curiously, he stood outside the building as all of the present employees in the store front actually greeted the girl, and one even made his way towards her with a trolley that seemed smaller than the regular ones.

Almost as if they had it there for her use only.

As the man returned to the counter he was at before, Karma resumed his task of shadowing Rat-kun around.

His assumption of what girls liked was based on what his classmates talked about, which happened to be sweets and sickeningly cute things that made his stomach churn. And in spite of the fact that he'd honestly expected that to be all Rat-kun was here for, he found himself rather shocked to find that not a single sweet ended up in that trolley.

She acquired laundry supplies, a frying pan, a potato-peeler, chopping board, a kitchen knife, lavender oil for some reason he couldn't comprehend, food supplies and all sorts of other items that were required for a household and nothing that a kid would actually want.

It was all that kind of shopping he'd seen his mother and father bring home on those days they were actually home.

And that confused him even more.

There were two or three aisles she seemed to stop in, as if she was tryin to decide on something.

Though she didn't end up grabbing anything from the shelves after a while and continued on her way.

The trolley was filled, everything remarkably paid for in full by the mute girl, and after a glance at the worsening weather outside, the woman at the counter disappeared out back for a few seconds.

She returned within a handful of seconds with a large sheet of plastic, and covered the trolley contents for the girl.

And all the while, Karma hadn't missed all the pitying stares the employees were casting Rat-kun while she was in the store.

It was all the same wherever he followed her to.

Employees at stores cast her the same pitying looks, though nothing more. Others who had clearly seen her more than once cast her the same looks as well.

Others that clearly hadn't seen her before whispered amongst themselves, though they did nothing else.

She didn't take the train back home, instead taking the trolley of shopping down the most direct route along the sidewalk running parallel to the train tracks.

She didn't huff or seem to want to complain, she just did things the way that she always did.

Even when it began to rain, she didn't once stop.

Karma decided he'd seen enough, and so he took the train back the rest of the way.

He didn't learn a lot about the girl from his day of following her around, nor did he actually find any amusement or satisfaction from it, either.

There was only one thing he gained, a realization more than anything else.

It was as he sat on his desk in his room, munching on a pizza he'd ordered for dinner. He was watching the cutscene of a game he was playing on his DS when he spotted the mop of familiar white walking up the street.

The streets were empty save for the passing traffic, rain falling before it could become snow in the coming days.

Rat-kun had acquired more items since he'd taken the quick way home, shivering from her sodden clothes and the icy wind that blew against her form.

He had entertained the thought once or twice, but seeing her soaked to the bone as she struggled with that trolley of items had convinced him of it.

She had no parents she could rely on, just like him.

They were both all alone.

And all he'd done was make her own life even more miserable.

Christmas made it's presence even more known to Karma, and in turn he became even more resentful to the season.

He didn't leave home on Christmas Eve, instead immersed himself in his video games to pass the time.

There honestly wasn't anything else for him to do, and he was still depressed about his parents inability to make it back in time for his birthday this year.

He'd seen Rat-kun come and go a few times that day, however he merely watched from his window whenever he did notice her.

He whiled away his time alone in his room.

And as the world counted down to Christmas Day, Karma spent his time trying to forget that it was even his Birthday.

A knock at the door sometime around 5pm roused Karma from his room, dragging a sigh from the boy as he made his way to the door.

He had received a call from his parents just half an hour beforehand letting him know they were leaving for the airport to come home, and of course to wish him a Happy Birthday, so he knew it wasn't his parents.

And they certainly wouldn't knock on the door, either.

Last year, it was the woman down the hall coming to check on him and drop off some dinner for him, but she wasn't here, either.

So without any real care, he unlocked the door and tugged it open.

'What do you wa...' He'd begun, however he found himself shocked to silence as he found himself face-to-face with none other than Rat-kun.

Her ever-silent form stood without movement, her gaze upon him.

And everything became very awkward.

He was lost for words, completely and utterly - even moreso as Rat-kun held out a large, white box out towards him.

His brow furrowed as he found himself immediately reminded of the Festive day he shared his Birthday with.

And it reminded him of his hurt feelings over his parent's absence.

He wanted nothing to do with whatever it was she was giving him, though he didn't immediately slam the door shut out of an attempt at not being entirely rude.

'What's this for?' He questioned, too emotionally jumbled to even think to bother hiding the bitter edge to his tone.

No verbal response escaped from the girl standing in front of him, as he expected, though she did hold the box more towards him.

He let out an exaggerated sigh as he reluctantly took the box from Rat-kun's hands, casting her a darker frown as he found his patience wearing thin.

'Thanks, I guess ... is that all?' He questioned, grudgingly.

The fair-featured girl didn't respond, though he didn't necessarily give her any opportunity to do anything.

He'd already begun to close the door again.

But then he heard a voice as the door shut, just enough to startle him.

His breath hitched as he froze dead in his tracks. He'd missed the words, but he hadn't missed the voice, bringing him to a rather alarming conclusion.

He realized that Rat-kun had just spoken.

But as he'd snapped out of his stunned stupor and opened the door again, she was already gone.

She was nowhere to be seen.

Karma looked down at the box Rat-kun had given him as he let the door close again.

He was reeling over what had just happened, and it brought him to carefully open the lid.

Inside the box was what he recognized as a cake, made by untrained hands. It was messy in decoration, its shape slightly skewed.

It was obviously made by the girl herself, but that wasn't what had him realize what the girl had said, or what caused the tears to well up in his eyes.

In untidy, yet legible writing was a simple message.

"Happy Birthday"