It had been a lonely fortnight in London. The weather had been typically dreary, even as summer approached; and as Ryo didn't really know a single person in the entire country, his only initial cure for the solitude had been the odd phone call to Asuka.

The time difference made those a rare pleasure, though, and the woman herself always sounded distant and sad. The calls hadn't done very much to alleviate the loneliness.

On his second day in his new apartment, which was far too big for a single person, Ryo had seen a pub from his living room window.

Now he practically spent more time across the road, drinking, than in the lodgings that the company were partially subsidising. He'd go to work, do the exact same shit he'd done in Japan, catch the train home, drop his briefcase through the front door, and book it straight to the pub.

At least there were people at the bar, bringing with them noise and movement and conversation. Even miserable drunkards were better than sitting alone in a near-empty apartment, the television blaring in order to bring some life to the place.

Ryo threw back the last of his scotch, immediately signalling for another from the older barkeep. It slid across the shining bar to land neatly in his hands, followed soon by the bartender himself leaning against the wood in front of Ryo.

There weren't many people in the pub on a Wednesday night, and the older man always made a point of talking to Ryo if he didn't have much work to do. They'd struck up a tenuous sort of professional friendship in the two weeks that the blonde had been coming by the place, and Ryo felt grateful to have someone other than Asuka to talk to.

He hadn't told his wife just how pathetically depressing life in London was; he knew that she would beg him to come home, and that he might just agree.

But, as he told himself over and over again, he needed this job. He couldn't run away now. He had responsibilities to Asuka; adult responsibilities that he needed to face up to.

He was twenty-nine, for Christ's sake. He could deal with a little loneliness and boredom.

"You're looking slightly less glum tonight, Ry. Something halfway decent happen?" The bartender, Matt, always referred to Ryo as 'Ry'. He didn't seem to feel comfortable with the foreign tilt to the name, and Ryo was more than happy to oblige the man.

It wasn't like it was his real name, after all.

"Hmm? Oh, nah. Same shit, different day." Ryo waved the guy off, taking a swig from the glass before him. It was incredibly lucky that he'd learnt English at some point; he hadn't met a single Japanese person since he'd moved overseas, and a life without proper communication would've been more than Ryo could handle.

"Really? Well, you seem better. Starting to get used to this classic British weather?"

"Ugh, not likely. I need the sun; pale isn't a good look for me." When he started drinking, Ryo's tongue loosened and he tended to say things that he otherwise wouldn't.

One evening, Matt had remarked that Ryo often made comments about his looks after imbibing large amounts of booze. A sober Ryo didn't particularly give a shit about his appearance; he had no one to impress, because Asuka often said that she would love him no matter what.

But a drunken Ryo had once stared at his dull reflection on the bar for twenty minutes, bemoaning the faint lines on his forehead and rapidly-darkening circles under his eyes. Apparently, he'd said something along the lines of, 'those poor women who would be distraught that he was getting older.'

Ryo hadn't known how to feel about the comment from Matt; the man had quickly worked to clarify himself though, saying that it was just on the right side of narcissistic arrogance.

The blonde had smiled a little, wondering if this second personality was merely a side-effect of the alcohol…or if it was some facet of his old life returning.

Matt knew quite a lot about Ryo, but he didn't know about the amnesia that had completely restarted Ryo's life. Some things were just a little too complicated to explain, and being left unconscious in front of a hospital with little more than a note detailing a mysterious traffic accident was definitely one of those things.

If the barkeep ever asked something about the missing years, Ryo made something up. Some of the crap he came up with was utterly ridiculous; he figured that Matt assumed he was just drunkenly embellishing.

"Gotta look the best for the old ball and chain, right?" Matt let out a laugh, and Ryo half-heartedly joined in. The last thing he wanted to think about was Asuka, living all alone back in Japan.

Maybe, at some point soon, he should go back and visit her properly.

"Listen, mate. From what you've told me, it's looking like you'll be here for longer than that month. As much as I enjoy seeing your face- that handsome expression makes a nice change from the regular old drunks- you need to start trying to make a proper life. Get some damn furniture for that nice, empty apartment."

Oh. Ryo had forgotten that Matt had seen inside his bare little 'home'; the man had dragged him there the week before…he'd been a little too drunk to make it back across the street on his own.

That had led to a fun, hung-over day at work.

"I don't know…" Ryo took another swig, frowning when the drink promptly ran out. He lifted his head to order another, but he shut his mouth when he saw Matt standing there with his arms crossed, looking down at him.

"No more, Ry."

"Just one? Please?"

"Nope. And instead of coming here tomorrow night, I expect you to go out and buy something for that apartment."

Ryo grumbled under his breath, but he knew that Matt was right. His new boss had said that his work in London wasn't going to be complete for at least another month, and his apartment wasn't good enough to live in for another week.

The walls were bare, and only the minimum essentials were there furniture-wise. It wasn't welcoming in the least…no wonder Ryo was blowing half his cash on alcohol every night.

"You mean bastard…I'll think about it. But I'm not promising that I won't just end up at another bar."

"I can see the front door to your building from here. I'll know if you take anything home."

Ryo narrowed his eyes, leaning forward in a manner that he thought was intimidating. It really wasn't, though.

"You're a fucking stalker, that's what you are. Creepy-assed bastard." For a moment, Ryo thought that Matt had actually been offended by his words. Then he realised that the man just looked confused.

"In English, please?"

Ryo's expression suddenly matched Matt's perfectly, before it clicked that he'd fallen back into his native language. That only tended to happen when he got really homesick.

Sighing, Ryo stood up and handed Matt several bills. "It doesn't matter. If it'll get you off my back, I'll go out and buy a painting or something tomorrow. See you sometime."

"Don't do a half-assed job, now! Pick something good."

Waving sarcastically, Ryo walked out of the bar and back to his apartment. Stupid asshole bartender, getting on his stupid case about stupid shit.

But he still knew that Matt had a point. He'd go buy something good, instead of more booze. Just this once.

The next day after work, Ryo spent the train ride wondering just what helped to make his apartment in Japan a proper home. He realised that having Asuka there was a large part of it, but there had to be something…

Three stops before his usual station, Ryo got off the train and headed for the closest shopping district. Maybe if he walked around for a bit, saw a few stores, he'd get some sort of inspiration.

He spent a good thirty minutes without entering a single business, and by this point he was beginning to worry about how late it was getting. Most of the stores were closing, and he didn't know if he'd find anything in time…

He wasn't even sure why he'd gone so far out of his way to fulfil Matt's request, but he had a slight inkling that it had something to do with the fact that the bartender was the closest thing he had to a friend in London.

As he walked, Ryo slowly became aware of something that sounded like…young, over-excited girls. Maybe it was the release of a brand new pop album…or maybe that was just Japanese teens.

Shrugging, Ryo walked in the general direction of the chatter. He was curious to see what had gotten the girls so wound up.

When he turned a corner, he immediately saw where the noise was coming from, if not why. A group of adolescent females were crowding around a small store, chattering amongst themselves about something that Ryo couldn't quite catch. The distance, combined with the speed and accents of the talking, meant that the blonde man didn't exactly understand what they were saying.

He walked a bit closer, wondering just what kind of store would work the crowd up so much.

He stopped still when he realised that it was…a flowershop.

Why would teenage girls be so interested in flowers?

Ryo, standing on the footpath as he watched the spectacle in front of him, realised that something in his mind was telling him to go inside the store. Thinking back, it occured to him that Asuka always had a vase of something sitting just inside the front door…and also that the first time he had seen her, she had been changing the flowers that sat beside his hospital bed.

Nodding resolutely, Ryo picked his way through the crowd. It was more difficult that he thought it would be, but eventually he made it to the front door without hurting anyone.

A small bell rang as he pushed the door open, and when it closed behind him, he though he'd reached an oasis. The inside of the store was surprisingly quiet and peaceful, with no other customers in sight.

It was a little strange, considering how the outside had been.

From deeper inside the building, a male voice called out. "I'm sorry, girls, but we're about to start closing. We need to concentrate."

Ryo realised that it was probably rude of him to go bursting into a store this late into the afternoon. "Oh, sorry about that. I'll come back."

There was a second of silence before a tall man suddenly appeared from the back of the store. "Wait! You're an actual customer! No, go right ahead and look. I thought that you were more of those bloody girls, who simply get in the way and never buy a single thing."

Ryo laughed- he wasn't surprised. And he was starting to get an idea about why the girls were there in the first place: the longish-haired blonde in front of him was rather handsome.

"Are you looking for anything in particular?"

Ryo had to look around for a minute. He'd never paid all that much attention to the flowers that Asuka bought; he had no idea where to start. The florist would probably be able to help, though.

"I'm trying to brighten up my apartment a bit, so I thought I'd try flowers. Can't say I've ever bought them before, though."

"Uh-huh…well, I'm sure we can find you something. I'm Chloe, by the way."

Ryo somehow managed to stop his eyebrow rising at that. Why would a male have such an obviously feminine name? Before he could appear to be too rude, he woke up and shook the man's offered hand.

"I'm Ryo."

Chloe's forehead creased, and Ryo had no idea why. The stranger tilted his head to the side, seeming to size Ryo up.

"Are you Japanese, by any chance?"

Ryo's eyes widened. "Yeah, actually, I am. How'd you know…"

"Three of the other men who work here are Japanese. You can learn to pick up on this sort of thing."

Ryo knew that he wanted to meet one of them. He missed speaking his native language; even if it was just about flowers, he wanted to make sure he wasn't losing his touch.

"Are any of them here today? It's just, I haven't met a single Japanese person since I came here."

"Yeah, I'm sure someone will appear in a minute. In any case, shall we have a look at some of these flowers?"

Chloe began to walk around the edges of the store, pointing out various buckets full of colourful plants. Ryo frowned a little; they all looked kinda the same.

Just as he'd decided to grab a bunch of the next thing that Chloe gestured to, a small bucket caught his eye. The flowers were sort of star-shaped, with pinkish leaves that had yellow streaks running through the middle.

They didn't seem all that different to anything else, but Ryo realised that he wanted them. Tapping Chloe on the shoulder, he pointed at the bucket. "What are those ones there called? The pink and yellow ones?"

The man took a second to think, before he smiled calmly. "Those are cattleya orchids. They can be a little difficult to keep alive, but Aya insists that we at least try to have some in. They're rather pretty, aren't they?"

"I'll take some. Maybe…half a dozen?" Ryo paused as he realised something else, before continuing, "And you'd better put them in a vase. I've got nothing."

Chloe nodded before walking across the room to a case, where a number of vases sat. "Any preferences?"

"Whatever you think will look the best." Ryo took to wandering around the store again as the other man stood and picked out a vase. He tried to name as many of the flowers as he could, but there were very few that he actually recognised.

Sunflowers…lavender…roses…hmm, actually…

"Hey, Chloe." Waiting until the man turned around, Ryo stopped in front of a large display of roses.

"Yes?"

"How do you think some yellow roses would go with those orchids?"

Chloe took another few seconds to grab a vase before walking over to where Ryo stood. He grabbed a cattleya along the way, placing it in the vase with a yellow rose. Both men stood there, looking critically at the two flowers together.

After a few seconds, Ryo tipped his head back. "I can't tell if they look great or shit."

Chloe laughed, and it was a deep, rumbling sound. It put a smile on Ryo's face, and the two looked at each other rather companionably. Chloe was the first to speak again. "I don't believe that I can give you a proper answer; roses are my favourite flower. We need a second opinion."

Setting the vase down on the counter, the florist turned towards the back of the store. "Aya! Could you come out here for a few minutes, please?"

As they waited for this 'Aya' to appear, Chloe turned to face Ryo again. "Aya is one of the Japanese men who work here. He doesn't really look it, though."

Once again, Ryo had to hide his confusion. Aya was a female name in Japan; why were two of the men- at least- in this store using girls' names?

Ryo blinked as a revelation suddenly occurred to him. Two male florists who went by female monikers; was it possible that they were a little…gay?

Suddenly, he realised that someone had walked up behind him. He hated it when people stood where he couldn't see them; it made him uncomfortable. As he turned, he heard Chloe begin talking to the new arrival.

"Aya, this is Ryo. He's Japanese too, and he seems a little homesick, so be nice."

"I'm always nice," came the rumbling, not-entirely-friendly reply. When Ryo saw the man who spoke in that deep tone, even deeper than Chloe's, his eyebrows jumped.

Chloe might have been handsome, but this Aya guy was…pretty. His reddish-brown hair, a tint that looked the slightest bit fake, framed his pale face and accentuated what seemed to be purple eyes.

He now understood what Chloe had meant when he'd said that Aya didn't really look Japanese. He certainly looked good, though…for a man.

"Hey, so you must be Aya," Ryo spoke in natural Japanese.

When the auburn man visibly stiffened, his body and face freezing, Ryo wondered if Chloe had made some sort of mistake. The man was just staring at him, a look of panic beginning to spread across his fine-boned features.

The blonde florist seemed oblivious to this little development, or was simply ignoring it altogether. "Well, anyway, Aya: do you think that cattleyas and roses go well together? Or will it be an insult to floristry if they do?"

Ryo noticed that the weird man was trembling a little, his hands balled up at his sides.

Suddenly, the man turned away, muttering just loud enough for the two blondes to hear. "Cattleyas…roses…should be together…doesn't seem to work out, though…never got to be a chance…why are you doing this, God…I didn't…Yohji…lying Takatori scum…"

The new arrival practically ran from the shop, disappearing almost as instantly as he'd arrived. Ryo and Chloe stared, open-mouthed, at the empty spot where Aya had previously stood.

"That was…odd," Ryo mumbled, and Chloe silently nodded his agreement.

It took almost a full minute before either man moved, and once again it was Ryo who took the initiative. "Uh…I suppose that I'll take half a dozen cattleyas, and another half dozen yellow roses."

Silence reigned as the flowers were wrapped and placed carefully in the vase, the whole lot deposited into Ryo's waiting hands as he paid for the twelve blooms.

"Um…thanks for that. I'm sorry for obviously freaking your friend out about something…maybe this combination really is just too ugly."

"Oh, don't worry…Aya can be a little strange at times, I suppose…have a good night anyway, Ryo."

"You, too," Ryo mumbled distractedly. He'd seen people react to him in a lot of different ways, but that was certainly his first experience with pure terror and insane rambling.

Who was this mysterious, good-looking Aya? And why had he reacted like that?

Suddenly, Ryo knew that these were questions he wanted to answer. It seemed like it might be…interesting.

***I'm so goddamned subtle. Also, if you ever see a point where I've referred to Ryo as Yohji, and it's clearly not meant to be that way (like if it's from Ryo's POV), feel free to point it out.***