"Ah!" Hana clapped her hands over her mouth. "What happened here?"

Sky Finance's office was a disaster. The air had a musty, damp quality to it that made her wrinkle her nose. Papers, once so carefully filed on her desk, were tossed with haphazard abandon. She even saw some mold growing where they were stuck together. Horror was the gentlest word to describe what she was feeling.

She swept a pile of empty drinks from the nearest table into an overflowing trash can before turning to her boss. "Mr. A, you told me you were going to clean up before I got back!"

Akiyama shrugged sheepishly. "I've been busy."

"Seriously?" Hana let out a sigh. He may have gotten himself wrapped up in yakuza nonsense again, but that was no excuse. "Get out."

"What?"

"I'm going to do..." She narrowed her eyes. "... A purge."

Akiyama looked relieved and a little frightened. "Thank you, Hana."

Hana huffed. "You can thank me by bringing back dinner. This is going to take a while." She pushed up her sleeves and prepared herself for some deep cleaning. He let himself out without a word.

Typically, half the mess seemed to be Akiyama's. She had stayed away from Kamurocho longer than needed just to make sure they were in the clear, and it seemed in that time he had gotten back to his slovenly ways.

She would never admit it, but she had been dying to get back to normal life in Kamurocho, bad conditions and all. It had been like a vacation out in the country, but she was at her best here, behind her desk and handling their clients. She cracked her knuckles and got to work.

###

Three hours later, Hana wiped the sheen of sweat from her forehead. The bulk of the garbage was piled by the door, but there was still the matter of sanitation. She was considering her next step when someone knocked on the door.

"Come in," Hana called out as she caught her breath.

The proprietress of the bar downstairs, New Serena, pushed the door open. Hana and Mariko occasionally met for a girls' night out when dealing with their respective men became too much. She was a welcome sight after dealing with her boss's mess all morning.

"I heard that you returned," Mariko said with a smile. "Oh!" She stopped short, looking at the state of the office. She clearly rethought placing the small package she was holding on a filthy table. "Should I come back later?"

"No, no," Hana said. "I need to rest anyway. I apologize for the mess."

"Mr. Akiyama has already put you back to work, I see," Mariko said, walking further into the office but pointedly avoiding touching anything.

"Business as usual, as always." Hana rolled her eyes. "Not so much as a 'Welcome back' or 'I missed you' from Mr. A. I think he left the office this way just because he knew it would get my blood boiling."

Mariko covered a laugh with her hand. "That man does like to tease."

"More like he's a lazy bum," Hana said irritably. "A whole month and he probably spent it all napping among the filth."

Mariko held out the box she was holding. "Well, maybe this will cheer you up. A little gift from Date and me."

Hana opened the package, the wrapper crinkling as she tore it. "Oh, how lovely!" She removed the box of chocolates and smiled. "Thank you, Mariko! Give Date my best."

Mariko smiled prettily. "I've missed spending time with you. It hasn't been the same since Sky Finance closed up."

"As soon as I get this place back in shape we'll go out, promise."

Mariko laughed. "I'll hold you to that. I need to get back to the bar now and finish getting ready to open."

"See you later, Mariko," Hana said, waving at her friend as she left. She put the chocolates down on her desk. Yes, she had missed being here. It was good to be among friends again.

She was brought out of her thoughts by a loud noise outside. "What is that racket?" Hana sighed and left the office. She leaned over the stairs to look into the alley below. Akiyama and three other men dropped a large dumpster in place with a grunt. "Mr. A?"

Akiyama waved up to her after dismissing the other men. "Hey, Hana! I thought our work might be easier if we had this."

She was touched by the gesture but she narrowed her eyes. "Did you bring dinner?"

"Oh," Akiyama looked away. "No."

Hana sighed but couldn't hide her smile. "Mr. A, someday I'm going to tape reminders to your forehead so you don't forget."

###

They took turns tossing ruined furniture over the metal railing, letting it land in the dumpster. Mariko poked her head out of New Serena and narrowly missed getting clocked by a broken lamp.

"Sorry, Mama!" Akiyama called out as she shrieked and ducked back inside.

"Careful!" Hana said. She heaved a large sitting chair over the side before Akiyama could help.

Together, they bagged up the damp papers and garbage. Akiyama tossed the bags over his shoulders with a grunt. Hana watched him descend the stairs.

"That's the last of it," she sighed, resting her head on the metal railing. She felt Akiyama brush behind her and she turned to follow.

"Chocolates?" Akiyama asked, indicating the present on her desk. The office was startling empty now, but clean. They could buy new furniture tomorrow.

"Mariko from New Serena came by while you were gone. Some thanks you gave her by throwing stuff at her." Hana put her back to the desk and slid, landing sharply on her rear.

Akiyama sat on the surface above her. He turned the chocolates over in his hands. "What do you say, want to open these?"

"Go ahead, I'm starving." She heard the paper tear and he handed one down to her. "Thanks." She tilted her head back and closed her eyes. "What a long day. Have you opened up a line of credit for the office so I can go out tomorrow for replacements?" She counted off on her fingers. "I'd like to get new chairs, not to mention couches, filing supplies, decorations… I want to get things up and running as soon as possible."

"That's what I love about you, Hana," Akiyama said, laughing. "Your spirit. No matter what I do, you're there to pick up the mess."

"Love?" Hana opened her eyes and looked up at him, upside down.

"Well, yeah." Akiyama shrugged. "I thought you knew."

Hana looked at him. He looked back. An eternity stretched between them. Hana's lips parted softly.

She rose to her knees and smacked him upside the head. "Seriously? That's how you're going to tell me?" She buried her head in her hands, hiding her blush. "You idiot."

Akiyama seemed taken aback. How did he always manage to say both the right and the wrong thing at the same time?

"You idiot," Hana repeated, looking up into his confused eyes. "I've been waiting for so long and this is it?"

"Do you think I could do it any differently?" He smiled slightly.

Hana shifted her legs on the hard floor, pulled his head down to hers, and pressed her lips to his. Warmth, so long awaited, passed between them and filled her to the brim. She opened her eyes to see his surprise shift to something else, a look she had never seen before.

He traced his hand around the soft roundness of her face, to hold her chin between his thumb and finger. "I'll say it again then. Better this time." He kissed her, touching his tongue to her lip for a moment before pulling away. "I love you, Hana."

"I love you, too." She let the kiss deepen. Minutes passed before she realized their compromising position, with her on her knees below him. She jumped to her feet, flustered. "Ah!"

"What?" Akiyama blinked, looking lost.

"I-I forgot! We never ate!" She looked around, looking for anything to ease her embarrassment.

Akiyama took her hand and smiled. "Then let's go get dinner. My treat."

She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. "It better be a proper date." She propped her hands on her hips. "I won't be taken advantage of." She tilted her head to let him know she wasn't serious.

"I would never," Akiyama said, putting his hand over his heart. He grabbed his coat and swung it over his shoulders.

Hana led the way out of the office. She hoped the dark outside would hide the burning blush on her cheeks. "Don't forget to lock up!"

"Okay, okay," he said behind her. She heard his key click in the door. "Wait," he said. She felt his hand on her shoulder and he turned her around. Hana let him gently push her against the railing.

"What?" She stared up at him.

"Will this change things between us?" She couldn't see his expression in the dark, but his voice was light.

She sighed deeply. "Of course it will, but is that a bad thing?"

"Do you think it is?"

"Not at all." She stood on tiptoe, lifting her rear up to perch on the railing as they kissed again. His knee was between her legs, pushing her skirt up. "Dinner first," she sighed as he kissed her neck.

He pulled away, leaving her feeling disappointed but excited. "You're right, as always." He offered her his arm as she straightened the collar of her blouse. She tucked her hand in the crook of his elbow. They passed the dumpster below and headed out, together, into the night.