A/N: I know I haven't been around for the past month, but that's because I was doing NaNoWriMo! As I'm sure most of you are aware, writing a novel in a month can be a stressful task, but I did it! I'll be updating Caught in the Middle and Dearest One very soon, and I also plan on continuing my FFX-2 piece and finishing that off. As always, please read, enjoy and review.

Also, as many of you are used to from me, I'm going to switch from the third person mode I was using for the first chapter to the first person. If you've read CITM, you're used to this.

Chapter 2

"Ryu!" Jun calls as he runs into the conservatory, panting heavily. He looks almost as worried as I do – almost.

"He isn't here, Jun. I thought you might have seen him." I reply, standing up from my seat and walking over to the small boy.

"I can't find him or Megumi… I hope they're okay." He looks to the side. Kei Takashima makes his way inside and he looks unusually happy. He's actually smiling.

"You're in a good mood, Kei." I comment. I can't help but be mad at him for being so happy when two members of S.A. are missing.

"Hm? Is something bothering you, Laila?" He asks politely.

"Ryu and Megumi are missing. Jun doesn't even know where they are." I whisper, looking at my feet.

"Didn't they say they'll be going to arrange for a concert for Megumi?" Kei asks, tilting his head as if there was a change of plans he was unaware of.

"Oh, that's right!" Jun and I say at the same time, smiles adorning our faces as we look at each other.

"You're both so silly." Kei says, laughing as he walks to his seat. Jun and I look at each other in shock. Did Kei just… Laugh? It's frightening, to say the least.

"Kei!" Akira shouts as she storms into the greenhouse, dragging a sobbing Tadashi by the ear. "What did you do to my Hikari?" She demands of the top of the S.A. class.

"Whatever are you talking about, dear Akira?" Kei asks, seeming more like an innocent child than the grim adult he always is. Akira and Tadashi freeze and stare at him.

"Is he okay?" Tadashi asks in a whisper.

"I don't know, Tadashi." I reply nervously.

"Hello, everyone!" Ryu greets as he walks in, holding Megumi's hand.

"Ryu!" Jun cries as he runs to his brother-figure. "How did things go?"

"Wonderful! Megumi's got a concert in about two weeks." My closest friend replies. I walk to him and wrap my arms around Megumi in a hug before doing the same to him. I whisper a warning into his ear about Kei's surprisingly optimistic attitude. The last member of the S.A. comes in, and she looks even happier than Kei does – a difficult task.

"Good morning, everyone!" She shouts. Kei immediately stands up and walks to Hikari's side, putting an arm around her. Oh, yeah. Ryu told me they got together, but they rarely show it.

"Hikari, I hope you haven't forgotten about our week-end together." He says loudly, almost as if he's actually trying to get Akira angry enough to kill him.

"No, Takashima – I haven't." She replies with the most adorable smile I have ever seen.

"Week-end?" Akira yells, interrupting the romantic moment. "Kei, what are you even saying?"

"Akira…" Tadashi begins, but his face meets her fist before he can continue. They seem to be good friends, actually.

Akira immediately starts laughing hysterically and evilly. "Well, of course all of us will be joining you!" She announces. Kei's face immediately returns to that of an angry monster.

"Actually, I'm taking Jun and Megumi to Hiroshima for the week-end." Ryu says quietly, pulling his two 'siblings' closer.

"A-And Akira, my mom wants you to come over on Saturday!" Tadashi cries out. It's an obvious lie, but Akira believes it and returns her attention to him, talking to him in a low whisper.

"Are you doing something, Laila?" Hikari asks me with a kind smile.

"Laila's coming with us." Ryu grins widely. "If she'd like to, of course." He folds his arms over his chest.

"Wouldn't I be a burden, Ryu?" I ask nervously. He shakes his head. "I'd love to." I smile and walk to him, glad that everyone understands Kei's need to actually see Hikari without Akira hanging over them like a hawk.

"Yahiro and Sakura are coming, if that's okay with you three." Ryu comments, looking at Jun, Megumi and me.

"I don't mind." Megumi writes with a shy smile.

"As long as Sakura doesn't…" Jun starts, but Ryu shakes his head to him. Doesn't what?

"She won't, Jun. Laila, you don't mind, right?" The blue-haired boy looks at me.

"I don't really know them, but your friends are mine!" I beam up at them and nod my head.

And so it was settled. I'm visiting Hiroshima with Ryu, Megumi, Jun and their friends. I've never been to Hiroshima. The furthest out of Ikebukuro I've ever gone is Shinjuku, and that was to visit an info broker I happen to know. I've already packed my bags and Ryu's supposed to be picking me up in his car. Will we all fit, though? I hear a car beep outside and know that it's my cue to leave. I look at my reflection in the mirror. I'm wearing a pair of black trousers on a pink, frilly sleeveless top. I think it looks cute enough. I pull my bag down while clutching my handbag and stand in front of my door, frozen in place. In front of my house are three black, shining, stretched limousines. Ryu rushes over and takes my bags from me, smiling at me. "Who would you like to ride with?" He asks as he puts my bag in the hood.

"Um, who's in which?" I ask calmly.

"Well, Jun's riding with Sakura, Megumi's with Yahiro, and I'm here." He shrugs as he gestures to each car.

"I'll ride with you, if that's okay." I take his arm and let him lead me into the vehicle. Climbing in, I feel like crying. This is nothing like the limousines brother uses. You see, he's a bit of a celebrity. This is definitely more extravagant. I see a minifridge in the car, as well as a large sofa. I sit by the window and smile as Ryu climbs in after me.

"Hungry?" He opens the fridge, and I want to raid it.

"I'm okay." I reply nervously. He shakes his head and picks up a box of chocolates, setting it down on his lap as he shifts to sit by my side. The car starts moving smoothly, and I can't help but wonder how we're not feeling the bumps on the road. He opens the box and lifts a piece, curled and carved to look nothing short of magnificent. He lifts it to my lips and grins.

"Open up." He orders, still chuckling softly.

"Absolutely not!" I begin to say, but he takes the chance of my speaking to pop the chocolate into my mouth. I let it melt into my mouth and feel the wonderful taste sink in. I've never been a fan of dark chocolate, but this is just perfect. As I swallow the chocolate-y goodness of it, I reach for another one. Ryu bursts into a loud laugh and puts his arm around me.

"Eat all you want." He murmurs. As I look up at him, I can't help but feel my entire face heating up. He's just so close and so… Handsome. He tilts his head and places a hand on my forehead. "You're not feverish…"

"I-I'm fine." I look at my knees. My other big brother'll probably freak out if he hears about this – he barely lets me talk to guys. He's also fairly violent.

"If you say so." He strokes my hair. "Take a nap if you want to." I nod and yet try my best to stay awake. Eventually, we're on the road for so long, I can't help but close my eyes and sleep. His hold on me becomes much more firm, and I wonder what exactly is going through his mind as I drift off.

"Wake up, you two!" I hear a voice shout, practically into my ear. I awaken with a jump and grab onto Ryu in the process. Ryu is clearly as surprised as I am, as he glowers at Jun.

"You guys are really hyper…" He mumbles, rubbing his eyes as I slowly let go of him.

"We're at a pit stop! Time to fill up the fridges!" The pink-haired girl who had shouted into my ear says with a grin.

"Fine, Sakura. Just give us a moment. You go with Jun, Megumi and Yahiro. We'll be coming afterwards." Ryu sits up straight and rubs his eyes again.

"Al-righty!" She bounces out of the car door and slams it after her. Once she's gone, I let my head fall onto his shoulder and groan loudly.

"Sorry about that, Laila. Sakura can be a little bit… Too cheerful." Ryu strokes my hair again and smiles as he runs his fingers through my hair, combing it.

"It's fine, but… I don't think I'm gonna sleep again." I reply, enjoying having my hair touched so gently.

"Sorry." He repeats bashfully. Once he's satisfied, he takes my hand and helps me out of the car. "Do you need anything?"

"Some kind of painkiller would be nice." I murmur, rubbing my temples tiredly.

"I'll buy you some, then." He leads me into the store and waves at a pink-haired boy, who nods his head in acknowledgement. "That's Yahiro. He's Sakura's cousin and Megumi's boyfriend." I nod and sigh as I lean against the wall. "You really aren't a morning person, huh?" Ryu looks at me and grins.

"Not when I'm woken up by Japan's Loudest Alarm Clock." I mutter. He laughs again, but his laugh is interrupted.

"I heard that!" Sakura shouts from somewhere in this maze of a store. I shake my head and smile as Ryu hands the cashier some money. He hands me a bottle of water and a pill, which I take gladly. Now I just have to wait for the pain to be killed. I notice that Ryu's bought other things as well. He looks at Yahiro, who's walking over to us.

"Megumi decided to buy some make-up with Sakura." He explains his presence with a smirk.

"I was expecting that." Ryu chuckles softly. How can one person be so nice?

"Why not introduce me to your new friend?" Sakura's cousin folds his arms over his chest.

"Oh! Yahiro, this is Laila. She's the newest member of S.A." Yahiro extends his hand. As I slip mine into his, he lifts it to his lips and chuckles as he lets go afterwards.

"A pleasure." He says simply.

"The pleasure is all mine." I reply, returning my hands to Ryu's arm. I don't feel very comfortable around this guy. Not at all. Brother would have beaten him up by now, to be honest.

We finish at the store and head off back on the road. This time, Ryu and I are chatting for the whole ride. He bought us some popcorn which he popped into the car's microwave for us. Yes, the car has a microwave. Anyway, we arrive at Hiroshima and I feel like we've been travelling for only a couple of minutes. Ryu is just that entertaining.

As we're standing over a hill, Ryu hands me my ice cream cone and I lick the creamy scoop before thanking him. "Have you ever watched the sunset from here?" He asks in a quiet whisper.

"I've never been to Hiroshima, Ryu." I reply quietly. He looks at me and chuckles softly.

"Where have you been, then?" He puts an arm around me, and I feel my breathing get harder.

"I've only ever been to Ikebukuro, Shinjuku and here." I look up at him, and he nods his head.

Well, I can tell that this trip is going to be a… Pivotal point in my relationship with Ryu Tsuji.