~Chapter Two~

Thirteen

Too late, the melody is over.
The joke seems to be on me, 'cause I'm the one not laughing,
Down here on the floor.

Another place and time, without a great divide,
And we could be flying deadly high.
I'll sell my soul to dream you wide awake.

~Dreaming Wide Awake, by Poets of the Fall

Disclaimer: Me No Own; You No Sue.

Despite that, I was still wary of his presence, even as my mind drifted back into dreamland. And there were other things for me to worry about, as well. Like my original purpose for coming to Japan. I could not help but wonder…

Were the two related? And, if so, what the hell had I gotten myself into this time?

Sammy's P.O.V.

"You'll never be a part of this family. Now, heed my warning, and leave! Get out!"

With a jolt, I was thrown up and away from the depths of yet another nightmare. A scream was frozen on my lips, my eyes were wide with horror, and my body was vibrating with the rush of adrenaline that coursed through my veins like acid – the chemical substance, not the drug. I was not a drug addict, or even an alcoholic. If this kept up, however, I might actually succumb to its call.

I shivered violently and bit down on my trembling lips to quell the shaking; there was blood. It trickled through my parted lips and into my mouth, but my teeth remained firmly attached to the pink flesh. It was a useless attempt at finding something to focus on at the moment, but I needed to have some sort of tangible evidence – something to prove that that I'd only been dreaming.

"Get out!"

After a moment of weary silence, I turned my face in the direction of the Hello Batty alarm clock that rested on the wooden nightstand, curious as to what time it was now. With any luck, it would be after eight o' clock in the morning, and I could begin the day searching for my special person. Of course, I was really unlucky, so that probably wasn't going to happen. It would only be a little after three, or perhaps four o' clock. I would fall asleep once more, at the mercy of the prophetic nightmares.

I swiped a hand through my sweaty, blonde bangs and glanced at my alarm clock. The four small, green numbers were bleary; in order to see them, I had to tilt my head and squint. At the moment, the device was taunting me and my severe state of fatigue. It was an evil little creature.

The time was 5:27 a.m. In other words, it was way too freakin' early for me to consider getting up! After all, it was my personal belief no one – excluding my obnoxious older brother – should have to suffer at the hands of such a sadistic piece of machinery. Not this early in the morning. Yet here it was, sitting so regally upon my nightstand. Like Jareth, the Goblin King. And it was staring at me, and pointing at me, and laughing at me!

No, I was not hallucinating. I didn't need my straight jacket yet, thank you very much. A single green number winked at me, flipping over as it changed from a seven to an eight. Now, it was 5:28 a.m. And all was notwell, dammit!

I scowled at the small, inanimate object, cursing its existence. "…you suck."

It blinked at me. Another minute passed, and another number flipped over to reveal the next.

"Cheeky, little bugger," I muttered sourly under my breath. "I swear, you always seem to be mocking me!"

One might wonder why I deemed it a necessary traveling companion, despite its obviously evil nature. And it was a simple answer, that one. I was a complete and utter glutton for punishment, and I was a sucker. You see, I'd never really understood the concept of saying "No" to people, least of all my friends. It was even harder to rid myself of the nasty habit as I grew older, less naïve to the ways of the world.

And Katie had meant well, I think. In fact, she probably believed it to be a rather thoughtful gift for a person such as myself. On the other hand, my childhood friend might have thought that this particular gift was insanely funny, considering the fact that I was such a morning person – not!

The latter was the much more likely of the two options, by the way…

Of course, Katie was also aware of my interest in the supernatural, as it was an interest that we both shared. I'd recently developed a bit of an obsession – her words, not mine – to the gothic knickknacks that were commonly sold at the local Hot Topic. This clock was only one of the many expensive items that caught my attention; it was also one of the many that I could not afford at the time.

But Katie was such a wonderful, caring, and kind individual. She surprised me on my birthday with the small clock, insisting that it sit on my bedside table for the rest of my life. It was something to remember her by should distance separate us, or so she said. I'd found it an odd thing for her to say at the time. Then again, I was still in the States at the time of her little prediction. And now, I was here, in Japan.

Katie was oddly prophetic. She was also very evil! I mean, honestly! She had given me an evil alarm clock that was possessed by Satan, the Dark Prince of Doom, Death, and Despair. It wasn't often that my friends thought me worthy of such a gift. This one in particular was capable of singlehandedly defeating the demon that possessed Regan in the movie, The Exorcist.

Oh, no. I immediately derailed that train of thought, as it would only lead to darker, more vicious nightmares. All of which would probably feature my evil alarm trying to eat my soul.

I rubbed a hand over my, exhausted, and turned to glance outside the hotel window. It was dark outside; the moon was still drifting through the sky, and the stars were still visible. And the worst part of the matter was that the day hadn't even started yet! Lucky me, right?

Lucifer stared at me with big, green eyes. All three numbers flipped over to reveal the time as six o' clock in the fucking morning.

Evil, little shit… I thought sourly, whilst glaring at the small, mechanical device. Oh, well. I don't have to get up until eight, so I suppose that I can still doze for a while. My smile was positively smug.

I tried fisting my fingers in the sheets, per usual, in an attempt to fall back asleep. I buried my way under the covers and punched my pillow into a large, round ball before slamming my head down. Then, I focused on counting sheep. Dozens of fluffy sheep leapt over my eyes, but to no avail. I even tried substituting a few cows and chickens in their stead – nada! Nothing seemed to work. I considered admitting defeat once more, if only because it appeared that Iwasn't going to get anymore sleep. Not in the near future, at least.

I glared at Lucifer, thinking various schemes to murder the world's biggest threat to humanity, and tired people everywhere! Each and every single one of my schemes included blessing the evil creature with Holy Water at some point in time. The alarm clock would die – believe it!

Satisfied that justice would one day be served, I leaned back against my pillow, relaxed, and shut my eyes. One sheep, two sheep, three sheep… My body was finally beginning to drift away to Never Never Land. And then, I heard it –

"…but, I like high school girls…!"

To say that I was scared would be like someone referring to an anaconda as a mere garden snake; it would undermine my fear. Slowly, I sat up, breathing heavily through my nose. I was terrified and not at all certain that it was safe for me to do so. At only nineteen years of age, I was just a little older than most high school girls, after all. One year wouldn't make much of a difference to a pedophile, or a molester, or a rapist, or any other creeper…

Now, there was some weirdo in my hotel, and he had a fetish for high school girls!

Oh, my God. This was it; this was how it was all going to end. I was going to die a poor, innocent little virgin, all alone in my empty hotel room. In freakin' Japan! And, did I mention the fact that I was going to die a virgin? Oh, good, good… Though that I'd forgotten that part.

That aside, I would more than likely go into cardiac arrest soon, if nothing happened in the near future – my heart was pounding in my chest, and my mouth was as dry as the Sahara Desert. I finally managed to take a deep breath, steeling myself against the moments to come. Blood was rushing in my ears, but I turned to stare at the right side of my bed, almost curious. And, to be honest, I was pleasantly surprised.

A tall, lanky man was sleeping beside me. Long limbs were stretched outwards, and his body was strewn across the wide expanse of the bed. His hair was black, but that didn't surprise me in the least – the majority of the Japanese people appeared to have dark hair. In fact, I'd taken to avoiding large, public places. My blonde hair had a tendency to draw unwanted attention; it was obvious that I was a foreigner. This man, however, was clearly Asian, with an olive skin tone and slightly slanted eyes.

And he was a really freakin' attractive Asian, at that! Smoking hot…

My eyes dropped down even lower, away from his angelic face and bare chest, until they were focused solely on the sheets that were pooled around his waist. I stared at the faint outline of his body, wondering one thing and one thing only – was this man naked?

Well, it had been said that curiosity killed the cat. Those words rang in my ears for a few seconds, before the phrase was quickly overrun with another, more comforting thought. "And satisfaction brought him back!" But, I wasn't a cat, nor did I have nine lives, so…

Fuck it. If I am going to die, I want to see an attractive, naked man before I am sent to my doom.

With that clear goal in mind, I reached down and tugged at the blue comforter. It drifted back to rest at the foot of the bed. And then I was presented with the next obstacle: a thin, white sheet. My hand twitched towards it. The sleeping man grunted in his sleep, once, before rolling over to face the window. I spared him another glance and released a sigh of relief; he was still asleep.

Slowly, I pulled back the sheets to reveal…

"Oh, my Goddess!" I screeched, both horrified and thrilled at the same time. "He is naked!"

My prudish nature quickly overruled my curiosity, though. I shoved away from his as fast humanly possible. My legs were tangled in the relentless grip of various sheets, comforters, and quilts. That did not, however, stop me from flying across the bed at the speed of light, in an attempt to hide myself in the corner opposite the naked strange. The Flash had nothing on me, man!

The Asian man quickly sat up in response to my declaration, or perhaps to the mere sound of my screeching. Nonetheless, he sat up with a whine of, "Honestly, I'm already up!" He continued grumbling to himself, but I only caught the tail end of his complaints – something along the lines of Kyo needing to keep his wretched voice to himself, lest he find the rat in charge of making dinner.

I stared at him, horrified and more than a little miffed. He was oblivious, completely oblivious to my presence! Granted, the older male was currently rubbing at his eyes to clear them of sleep, but still… The fact of the matter remained that there was a naked male in my room, and it wasn't even someone that I knew very well, if at all!

The man rolled his eyes at the lack of response. Irritated, he turned his head towards my side of the bed and focused the brunt of his glare upon me. I continued staring at him, blankly, but this time it was directly into a pair of dark, gray eyes. Despite the situation, I found them beautiful and absolutely breathtaking. If I were being honest with myself, I might even admit that staring into his gaze sent a warm pool of heat rushing to my nether regions. Of course, I was a liar, and I would never admit to such a thing.

There was that, and there was also the fact that his eyes were shining brightly with anger. And it was directed at me, of all people!

Charcoal gray eyes widened dramatically as he caught sight of my small form. "Er, you don't appear to be Kyo-kun…" he said, apparently shocked.

"No shit, Sherlock," I mumbled sourly.

My eyes rolled backwards. I tumbled straight off the edge of the bed and hit my head on the edge of the wooden nightstand, effectively knocking myself out cold. The last thing that I saw was a source of mockery in itself; once again, I found myself staring into the flashing green eyes of Lucifer. And then, there was darkness.

It felt as though several long and painful hours passed over me during that incident. However, I was later told that I'd only blacked out for a little over an hour, just long enough to scare the strange man out of his wits. As it was, I was awake again. And, based upon my surroundings, I was not in my hotel room.

Oh, fuck… What in the world was I going to do now, remain here like a sitting duck, at the mercy of my kidnapper? Hell, no!

After much pondering on my part, I came to the following conclusion: it was best to play opossum. Since I was not aware of my current location, the best option was to feign sleep and figure out how many people there were here, to prepare myself. Yeah, to prepare myself! I'd just bide my time, gather information on my captors, and – in the meantime – find something to defend myself with. A baseball bat…or a spoon! Yeah, that's it!

There was a faint sigh, as if of exasperation, and then – "I can hear you breathing…"

All of my careful preparation went right out the window. And, okay… I was aware that screaming loudly in terror probably wasn't the best response in the world, but it had to have been the most expected one, right? So, I would happily admit that a loud, panicked scream escaped from between my parted lips upon hearing those five words. It echoed throughout the room, torture chamber, whatever, and into the night.

I ignored the startled expression on yet another unfamiliar face and bolted out of the bed, tackling him to the floor with only the element of surprise on my side. A few seconds later, I was flying down the hallway of what appeared to be a traditional Japanese home.

"Oh, dear. 'Gure-san! Your house guest is making an escape~!"

Another one! There was another bloody unknown, Asian male in this house! How many of them were in here? I would admit that my head was sore, considering the fact that I'd hit it pretty damn hard on that wretched nightstand, but come one! I was positive that this was still the same country that I had gone to sleep in last night. And that meant we were in Japan, not China!

Why are there so many people in this damn house? I wailed in my mind, cursing the lack of security at my hotel.

I skidded to a stop, narrowly missing a rather flamboyantly dressed man with – was that white hair? And, if so, was it natural? What the fuck was wrong with these people? And what the fuck had I done to deserve this cruel and unusual punishment? Bloody, fucking shit!

Worst of all, I appeared to have just caught sight of that crazy, naked man from my hotel room, the one that thought me to be someone else. Yep! There he is, ladies and gentlemen! Oh, but that one was easily avoided, as well. I dodged his outstretched arms with ease and continued on my way, laughing gleefully at the mere thought of escaping this lunacy.

With one exception, that is. This time, I didn't continue on my course as smoothly as before.

"Oi! You need to slow down, or you're going to go through –"

Instead of veering right and towards the front door, I slipped on the wet, wooden floor and slammed right into a wall. And, to my infinite surprise, fell into it. With a small yelp of surprise, I toppled through the "wall" and to the ground. I tumbled to a complete stop a few yards away from the house. Several pieces of the torn, white paper fluttered through the air. One of them landed on my nose, and I sneezed.

"…the door."

This last, amused voice belonged to the man that had been seated in the room with me just a couple minutes ago. It appeared that he wasn't very angry with me for tackling him to the floor, if the amusement was any indication. Upon further inspection, I could now see that the man had black hair – part of which covered the right side of his face – and soft, green eyes. The only visible eye was glowing with mirth at the sight of me sprawled across the grass.

Well, at least this one appeared to be normal – relatively speaking, that is. And, better yet! He wasn't chasing me! This man was obviously the sane one among the three. His buddies, however, were disturbed in the head, er…heads.

"I wonder, at times, why everyone seems to find it so amusing to smash my poor, defenseless house to smithereens…" Mister Creeper sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.

Apparently, this had happened before, which meant that this sort of thing was a regular occurrence. That sucked. Now, he would have to fix the door, or else pay for a repairman to come out and replace –

Wait a minute… His house! That man just said that this was his house! He took me to his house; thus, he kidnapped me! Screw espionage. No further information was needed. It was time to abandon ship, maties!

I immediately scrambled to my feet, frantically glancing around the lush, green backyard, which was filled with bushes and trees. That little bit of information was filed away in the back of my mind for future use, as I would probably have to hide in this forest at some point in time – these idiots were probably going to give chase. But first, they were going to have to catch me!

My eyes spotted a small dirt road a little to the left of the yard, hidden behind a few bushes. I would finally be able to get away from these madmen! Hope fluttered in my heart, causing it to skip a beat and begin beating in overdrive. Adrenaline coursed steadily through my veins. I was overjoyed because this was definitely the opportune escape route; it was shrouded in darkness, and there was no one in sight.

And then, two guys and a young woman appeared at the edge of the forest. The trio was clearly walking along the trail, the one that I'd chosen as my escape route. If my eyes not deceiving me, the three of them were heading onto this particular property, which belonged to the owner of the house.

In other words, the three of them were friends of my kidnapper.

Damn them all to Hell! I slammed on the brakes and skidded to a stop. A curse upon this man and all of his cohorts…!

After thoroughly cursing their internal organs for allowing them to live in good health, I turned around and darted backwards, in the general direction of the house. I was aiming for the freedom guaranteed by an escape through the front yard; however, I failed miserably in that escape, as well. I'd only managed to run about fifteen feet, when I was calmly intercepted by Mister Creeper.

He lifted me into the air and placed me on his shoulder, which was thick and muscular. His muscles rippled through his back and chest, and I could feel the sensation as he moved. I gulped, swallowing a thick, nervous lump that had settled in my throat. It was obvious that this man was not going to be easy to overcome – at least, not by normal means. And that meant that I would have to resort to drastic measures. None of which were permitted, as it would endanger the lives of hundreds of people on this planet.

Damn it. Well, that left me with only one option. I was going to have to play the role of damsel in distress or, as Captain Jack Sparrow described it – "A distressing damsel!"

"Let g-go of me, you c-c-creeper!" I wailed, beating my hands against his back and kicking my feet in aggravation. With any luck, they would make contact with his family jewels. "I mean it, buddy! Put…me…down!"

To my surprise, my demands were met, and I was placed gently upon the ground. He ushered me over to a small, red cushion and motioned for me to have a seat at the kotatsu. I did so, albeit reluctantly. For some strange reason, I had the feeling that he and his friends were going to eat me or something. A tray of rice balls was suddenly placed on the section of the table directly in front of me, however, and relief washed over my trembling form.

It was suggested that I eat to regain my strength. I glanced up and found myself staring in the green gaze of Mister Sane. Apparently, his advice was to be followed, so I busied myself with cramming a rice ball into my mouth. The moment that it began to dissolve, my eyes closed in pleasure – it had not occurred to me that I was so very hungry. Mister Sane smiled faintly and took a sip of his tea, then motioned for the cup that had been placed in front of me.

"Would you like some sugar, miss?"

The young woman nudged a bowl of sugar towards me. I stared at the brunette, wary of her intent; it could be poisoned. I mean, it was rather odd. All of this seemed quite surreal. I'd found myself in a hotel room with a naked man, awoken in a strange house filled with equally strange people, and now I was being fed by said strangers. The concept of these people poisoning my jasmine tea wasn't that farfetched…

Finally, I cleared my throat and timidly asked, "Does this mean that you aren't, er…planning to kill me and feed me to your pet alligators?"

"Oh, my! How dreadful!" Mister Flamboyant cried in response, golden eyes brimming with tears of horror. "Why in the world would think such a horrible thing of us?" A series of overdramatic gestures followed this question.

"Well, it's quite simple really," I drawled, at ease with the situation for that brief moment. "My line of reasoning might be present for many reasons. The most prevalent – and relevant, I might add – is that I appear to have been kidnapped." I smiled brightly. "Not that I'm accusing you idiots of anything!"

Mister Sane snorted into his teacup, clearly still amused. "Of course not…"

Ah yes, this one was definitely a man of many words. Hear the sarcasm, and fear it! In all actuality, Mister Sane was always straight to the point; he never beat around the bush. It was rather refreshing.

His cheerful friend, however, was another case. Mister Creeper immediately objected to my words of wisdom. He dove into a speech of protest, claiming that my evidence was entirely circumstantial. And, if this guy was a lawyer, then I would happily eat a plateful of plain cauliflower. Well, okay – I might not be very happy about eating such a nasty vegetable, but I would do it to prove my point!

Mister Creeper whined pathetically, protesting, "I did nothing of the sort! In fact, I only brought you here to treat that nasty cut on your forehead! And this is how you repay me?" He sighed loudly. "Oh, it is such a cruel world that we live in…!"

The idiot continued rambling, spouting some nonsense about the lack of manners in today's youth. I tuned him out for a moment and concentrated on stuffing another rice ball down my throat, relishing the salty taste that remained on my lips. And then, I discovered that my plate was now empty. Thus, I could no longer ignore the idiocy being thrown at me.

"And none of you teenagers seem to be capable of thanking anyone for their kindness!"

At that point, I'd crossed my arms firmly over my chest. And a slow tic had developed in my cheek. It was pulsing steadily, throbbing and throbbing and throbbing. One more word…

Apparently, it was obvious to the others (excluding the idiot still ranting about the pain of housing three teenagers) that I was about to my temper. Mister Sane stepped in on my behalf and placed the idiot into a more comfortable, quiet position – he shoved him into a chair on the other side of the table. It should be noted that this man just saved his friend's life. He was truly a hero. A hero, and a godsend…

"Shigure," he murmured quietly, before taking another sip of tea. "Calm yourself."

"But, Hatori…!" Shigure whined, his lower lip jutting out in a pout. A spark of amusement flickered in his eyes and he added, "I was only trying to explain my actions to this lousy ingrate."

I blinked at that particular insult. Where have I heard that recently? Lousy ingrate. Hmm…

"No, 'Gure-san," Mister Flamboyant interjected and help up a hand for silence. "Our dear Ha-san is right, as usual – we must calm ourselves!" He nodded firmly. "At best, we are angering our new friend and, at worst, we are scaring her. We must proceed with caution!"

With a small, thoughtful frown on his lips, Shigure nodded and agreed, "Ah, yes. I see what you mean, Aya…"

"It is only with the strongest of hearts and the gentlest of hands that we will be able to approach such a beautiful young maiden!" Mister Flamboyant continued, and his speech included a wide range of dramatic gestures once gain – at one point, he almost smacked of the male youths.

"Ayame-san! Would you please keep your hands to yourself?" he growled, anger coloring his tone. His violet eyes were glowing with malicious intent.

On that note, I was planning to stay away from this guy. Any violent young man with a pair of evil, glowing purple eyes was the kind of guy that meant business. And his eyes reminded me of someone in particular – my acquaintance, the suspicious Fujioka Kazuya.

"Oh, pardon me!" Ayame exclaimed, horrified. "I did not see you there, Yuki-kun! Please, forgive me – I was much too focused on our new from to notice my adorable little brother."

Yuki grimaced and turned his head to the side, wearily sighing, "That is not the issue at hand, nor is it what bothers me…" But, his words were ignored.

"It is with a heavy heart that I admit to neglecting you, dear Yuki! But, our deep bond shall survive!" The lanky male struck a heroic pose, with his arms akimbo and nose in the air. "For it must! Hahahahaha!"

My mouth had dropped open at this point in time. I was utterly dumbfounded and, as previously mentioned, it takes quite a bit for something – or someone – to shock me. These people, however, were absolutely insane! Not a single one of them appeared to be normal.

On the plus side, the idiots were listening intently to the loud, flamboyant declarations of brotherly love. Ayame was prancing around the room singing his praises, but his brother was sporting a rather pained expression on his effeminate face. Everyone was suitably distracted, which was perfect! Now, if the crazy man would only rant for another minute or so, I could successfully sneak away to the door and –

"Where are you going?"

Shit! I blanched. My hand was frozen on the doorknob, and it took all of my willpower not to ignore him and bolt through the door, to my escape.

"Look," he sighed wearily, "I know that each and every one of 'em is nuts, but you can't go outside dressed like that." A quick shake of the head. "Jeez. What about all of the perverts that are running around in this city?" He snorted. "Not that there aren't any in here, but still…"

This had all been said by the second youth, the one with the fiery, orange hair and the crimson eyes. I stared at him curiously, noting that he appeared to have the same eerie aura as the others in the house. They were all so strange! And it wasn't just their coloring, either. Every single member of this weird group also had a distinctly odd personality. It unnerved me.

"Here," he said gruffly, shoving a small bundle into my arms.

Surprisingly enough, the bundle was comprised of an exercise outfit, of sorts. It included a pair of large, gray jogging pants, some mismatched socks, and much worn pair of sneakers. There was also a handful of yen in the left pocket of the pants. To say that I was confused by the odd, unexpected gift would be a massive understatement. So, it should come as no surprise to anyone that I tentatively voiced my confusion.

"No offense to you or anything, but what are these?" I asked curiously, whilst poking my fingertip through a large hole at the base of one of the sneakers.

Who the fuck had these belonged to – John Muir? Or perhaps the Roadrunner!

Mister Carrot Top stared blankly at me for a moment, before deadpanning, "Clothes." He rolled his red eyes heavenward. "Americans dress in similar stuff, right?"

"Um, yeah," I said, dumbfounded, "but that leads me to another question: why would you give me clothing when I'm already dressed?"

Another stare was directed at my face, but this one was clearly of embarrassment. He flushed, cheeks stained red at the awkwardness of the situation – whatever the situation was, that is. I was still clueless as to the purpose of the jogging outfit.

"Oh, boy," he muttered with a wince. "Lady, I hate to break it to you, but you aren't wearing any pants!" A single, accusatory finger was pointed at my legs after this announcement.

I warily glanced down at my lower half, only to discover that he was speaking the truth! I was still in my pajamas – the pajamas that consisted of only an oversized, blue shirt and a pair of panties. There were no pants, or shorts, or even socks! And that meant that Shigure had dragged me from my hotel room on the third floor, through the busy lobby, and the entire hotel. Not to mention the bustling streets of Japan! During which time my small form was clothed only in a shirt!

My cheeks were stained red with embarrassment. And, to be honest, I was quite mortified.

"Ah! Sammy-chan, where are you going? You should not be standing so soon. Hatori has informed us that you need to rest, or else you might begin to suffer from dizzy spells!"

Oh, I was so going to murder that man!

"You damn bastard!" I shrieked, "I am going to fucking kill you!" My hands were positively itching at the thought of strangling him. "Why were you toting me around while I was still in my pajamas? What the fuck do you think this is – a peep show?"

For some unknown reason, Shigure grinned at that, and a dimple formed on his left cheek. It was an adorable sight – and a familiar one, at that. But, it was merely a disguise, one designed to hide the devil lurking beneath the surface of his skin. There was something strange about this one!

His grin widened at the murderous expression on my face, and he happily exclaimed, "Well, it's a rather funny story, that one…"

"Don't laugh at me! There is nothing even remotely funny about this situation, you asshole!" I hissed.

My voice had risen in pitch, so much so that the man was actually beginning to wince. His gray eyes were still glittering with amusement, despite his obvious discomfort, and he was smiling widely. Two pink lips tilted back over his teeth, a motion that revealed two sharp canine teeth, both of which were longer and larger than most. There really was something strange about this one, and it was slowly beginning to make sense; the explanation was on the tip of my tongue.

I felt my anger began to fade because suddenly, it clicked, and everything fell into place. It was so easy to place the familiarity – the clothing, the mannerisms, and the smug, almost arrogant expression on his face. Everything about Shigure reminded of…

Shigure hesitantly leaned forward and waved a hand in front of my blank face. "Er, are you okay?" He was clearly worried about my prolonged bout of silence.

Frankly, I could not bring myself to care about his worry, or the panic that was beginning to boil in my belly. I didn't care that I had been kidnapped and sitting amongst strangers whilst dressed in nothing but my pajamas. Not even the danger of discovering such a secret could pierce my stunned stupor.

I did not care, because the truth was suddenly crystal clear. And there was no hiding it from me any longer. Shigure was the…

"Stray…the stray dog…" I slowly said, too stunned to do much more than whisper the words.

Shigure visibly stiffened, shoulders tightening with nervous tension. "I am sorry to say that the meaning of your words eludes my grasp, Sammy-chan," he calmly protested with ease, feigning ignorance.

"You're the stray dog that looked so very miserable, the one that I rescued from the storm," I whispered hoarsely. My blue eyes were wide; this was amazing! "The one that I brought back to the hotel…"

"I honestly have no idea as to what you're going on about," he reiterated with a nervous laugh, even as I watched his every movement like a hawk. "Obviously, you are still quite ill, and – you know what? I think that you might be running a fever! These hallucinations –"

"Shigure, there isn't any point in lying to her anymore," Hatori sternly stated, before nodding in my direction. "She knows the truth." His lips twitched upwards. "Just take a look, and you will see that this young woman won't be so easily deterred…"

That last bit scared me into a near frenzy. His calm, blunt words – and the gestures – were very scary. I backed away from the two of them, unsure of the true meaning behind their subtle conversation. Were they going to kill me now? I mean, it would made sense. I'd seen their faces, after all…

"Hey," Shigure said, surprised at my actions. "We aren't going to hurt you." His words were soft, soothing even, and he spoke them as if he were speaking to a frightened animal. "We just want to talk, possibly explain a few things to you."

I continued edging towards the broken, paper door. "Oh, it's fine." I smiled nervously and shook my head. "Nobody has to say anything, or do anything…" Cough. "And you needn't worry about me telling anyone. No one would believe me, anyway!"

Everyone stared at me, and the silence was audible. "…"

With a weak chuckle, I waved and squeaked out my goodbyes. "So, uh…see ya later!"

Again, I tried to run away from the creepers, all of whom could easily pass as members of the circus. Hatori was clearly the ringleader, as he was a tall, silent, and commanding. Shigure was the lion, Ayame was the lion tamer, and the younger boys were the clowns. And Tohru, with her pretty smile and polite charm, was the tightrope walker. But, I'd never been very interested in the circus, so it was time for me to take my leave.

Oh, the door was within spitting distance! This time, however, I was not given the chance to make my escape into the backyard – it was currently being blocked a large, bulky male.

Hatori shook his head and said, "I'm afraid that we cannot allow you to do that." His expression was somber as he blocked my way through the remains of the paper door.

A quick second later and every one of his friends had followed suit. Not a single exit was left open to my eyesight. Every single one of them was being guarded by a tall, muscular male. And with that, there was nowhere else left for me to run.

"I hate my life," I muttered, sourly, and stepped backwards – into the relative safety of the shadows. My tattoos were beginning to bother me again.

Hatori gestured to the previously occupied cushions. "Please, have a seat so that we may explain the truth of our situation to you, and the reasons for our secrecy."

To my surprise, Ayame immediately interrupted his friend. He actually quite adamant in his belief that my wounds be examined and treated before anything else was discussed. Hatori reluctantly agreed to his demands and went to retrieve his bag; apparently, he was a certified doctor. That calmed my fears, albeit only a bit. And not for very long, either.

Because this man was definitely invading my personal bubble as he came closer and closer – and with a large needle, a line of thread, and some antiseptic in tow! I made yet another pathetic attempt at fleeing the scene of the crime, but this one was foiled, too. It seemed that my default survival mode had somehow switched itself from Sarcastic Bitch to Scared Bunny.

Oh, I hated myself for being so defenseless, but I honestly didn't stand a chance against five tall, muscular young men. None at all!

"Just put the needle down and nobody gets hurt, least of all me," I squeaked, frightened and wishing for another chance to run away. "Seriously! Drop it like it's hot!"

I repeatedly dodged the doctor – and his evil needle – for several minutes. During this time, I was introduced to everyone in the room. I cautiously offered my name in exchange, knowing that they would have a difficult time tracking down any of my information because of my status as a foreigner in their country. No other personal information escaped my lips, much to their annoyance.

After determining that nothing more would be mentioned on my behalf, the strange men related the story of the Zodiac, a tall that was only vaguely familiar. And the part about the curse that had afflicted their family for so long, well – that was certainly new information.

I did not doubt their words, however, because it was the only logical explanation for what had occurred in the last twenty-four hours. My caution stemmed solely from the fact that these six people were complete strangers. I was in a touchy situation. And these men were obviously trying to –

"…Sammy-chan?"

They were trying to distract me! It was not going to work!

"What do you want?" I growled, annoyed at his obvious attempts to attract my attention. My eyes remained trained on the medical needle. I was not going to lose this staring contest!

"I've been meaning to ask this question for quite some time." Shigure motioned between the two of us as he cheerfully asked, "Are those prints of Pikachu?" His eyes were wide with supposed innocence.

Everyone turned to stare at the older male in confusion. Kyo and Tohru glanced at each other, mouthing the name "Pikachu" with befuddled expressions upon their faces. And none of the others had seen any Pokémon as of late, let alone the famous wielder of the dreaded thunderbolt!

But I was well aware of his meaning. Shigure was making it very obvious that he'd had a clear view of my brightly colored panties back at the hotel, on the trip home, and during my earlier shenanigans, er… That is to say, attempted escapes!

My head whipped to the side, blonde hair practically standing on end as I angrily hissed, "For your information, these are prints of Raichu, the evolved form of Pikachu!"

"I would never have guessed," Shigure admitted. Humming to himself, he mused, "Perhaps I should check them again – just to make sure that you're telling the truth, of course."

"No…way…in…" I started, but was interrupted by a sudden pain. Hatori pulled the needle away from my forehead and, consequentially, pulled the thread tighter. I fidgeted and whimpered, "Dammit! That hurts!"

"I apologize," he murmured softly, and with a small frown. "I will be finished in just a moment, if you can sit still for that length of time."

A faint blush coated my cheeks at the rebuke. I mumbled a quick apology and waited patiently for him to continue his work. All talking in the room stuttered to a brief stop, and there was a pregnant pause as the doctor completed my stitches, all thirteen of them.

"Thirteen…" Ayame murmured. Golden eyes were intent upon my reaction, and he said, "That is considered to be an unlucky number in your country, is it not?"

A gust of cold, brittle wind blew in through the broken, paper door. I shivered and stuck my hands in the pockets of my borrowed jogging pants. To be honest, I wasn't entirely certain of the true cause of my shivering. It could have been in reaction to the crisp breeze, or to Ayame's words. Thirteen was certainly considered a bad number to a great many people in the States. It was only one of the many superstitions that plagued its citizens. But, for some strange reason, Ayame appeared to know something that the others did not…

This man was aware of the reason behind my silence, my unease, and my tattoos. He knew that there was a particular reason that I could interact with the male members of the Zodiac without causing them to transform. The only question in my mind now was in regards to how he'd come across that information.

Hatori and Shigure exchanged quick, unreadable glances. The only thing that I could discern from this interaction was that they were somewhat surprised at the sudden change in their hyperactive friend. Such calm was apparently not the norm for Ayame; he must have only been serious when the matter at hand really required it.

That mean the three of them were going to be watching me very carefully from now on. Great!

Biting my lip in trepidation, I leaned forward and asked, "Now that the explanations are done and over with, am I free to go?"

"No, my dear," Shigure sighed and ran a hand through his dark, black hair. A small frown crawled over his lips. "I don't believe that is a possibility at the moment."

A sharp breath caught in my throat. This was a bad dream, like the one that had awoken me so early this morning. And, if that were the case, it was drawing to a close. I mean, it was just a nightmare. I would wake up soon enough, right?

Hatori lit a cigarette and placed it between his lips, adding, "Not until the three of us have this little matter sorted out." He took a long drag. "It would be best, for all of us, if you met with the head of our family. After that is done, we can consider our options."

Those words rang in my head, and it only added to my unease. I reached down and pinched a bit of the tender flesh at my elbow; it did nothing more than cause me unnecessary pain. I was obviously awake. And that meant that this wasn't a simply a bad dream.

This was my worst nightmare.

I paused, repeating his words in my head, and warily inquired, "What exactly are you suggesting, Hatori-san?"

A pair of glowing green eyes flickered in my direction. The light of the setting sun was reflected in their depths, even as the sun continued its descent and slipped through the empty panes of the broken, paper door. There was a cunning intelligence present in his gaze, and it frightened me. I had the strangest feeling that he was staring straight into my frantically beating heart, especially after he had spoken the next words.

"I am suggesting that we take you to meet with Akito."

***Author's Note***

I'll say it once more - this chapter has been updated! And some of the events it this chapter are new, so read carefully, eh? :D

Thanks to all of you for the wonderful reviews, favorites, and alerts. I love you, guys! (In a totally platonic way... ^^;)