Michael glared at the metallic clamp willing it to belly crawl it's way across the lab table to attach itself to the titanium metal outer casing which had taken him the past month to successfully build. Like most things you desperately will to happen they don't. He sighed and covered the clock with a lab coat so he couldn't despise it as much and settled in for another long night. He'd even set himself up a little cot under the larger table – it seemed the time he'd finally caught up back to schedule work would start in less then a few hours anyway so it was stupid to go home for five minutes.

Home was now I loft in mid central Tokyo – it always looked like it was daytime because of the massive amount of neon signs that sprung up it seemed overnight like mushrooms. If one was taken down a bigger, brighter more powerful one would be erect by next morning. He'd brought very very heavy blinds the day he moved in. It's a very odd experience – walking into an empty home. He'd always had someone there, the worse feeling that if he didn't come home –no-one would notice. Not one person, in the whole world.

He snapped out of the depressing thought process to focus on the task at hand – even the smallest movements echoed on the never ending corridors of the Takinawa medical research institute as Michael began working once more.

Mia sounded the door bell at Lilly's dad's apartment once more – hoping maybe she hadn't heard her the first 27 times. Lars coughed impatiently – Mia tried one last time, 28's a charm. She sighed and allowed Lars to open limo door for her. She'd stopped walking to school – the paparazzi were going crazy, they'd even started following J.P to and from classes trying to snap photos of him for their couple polls. Mia felt a jab in her heart when she admitted that he did better then whatever shirtless celebrity he was up against.

Her grandmother had even suggested home schooling, Mia was likening to the idea every day. She couldn't put her finger on what she would miss- the horrible awkward silence at her lunch table and herself and Lilly had a mental standoff and they carefully ate and chatted to everyone but each other or weirdness between herself and J.P. She'd neglected to actually label their relationship. He'd tried to near the subject once but she quickly changed the topic.

J.P was nice – she couldn't put her finger one why she wasn't madly in love with him. He was good looking, articulate, came from a good family and wasn't phased by the whole princess thing. She still felt an ache accumulate in her belly whenever she entertained the thought of naming J.P her boyfriend. She wasn't sure if it was because she was scarred of because of a certain boy with floppy Beatles hair – halfway across the world.

To make matters worse that phone call from her father had been about her first official tour. Not like a weird world tour – Princess and Guitar. Like those tours Princess Mary and Fredrick did around Denmark or Australia. She was supposed to go to China to overview their nuclear power ideas and meet research teams and calculate risk and sit in on parliament meetings and whatnot.

The limo and halted a block from school and as usual the most determined paparazzi were awaiting her arrival – she as gracefully as possible tried to exit the car and walk through her school doors keeping her head down with Lars by her side.

"Mr. Michael, Mr Michael? Mr. Michael please wake up!"

Michael stirred slightly from his most uncomfortable position with his chair half tilted his head resting on one shoulder and a leg tucked under him in one of those tall plastic chairs which were quite painful to sit on for long periods of time.

He pulls his head up from his shoulder – an action that seemed so easy not too long ago but he could swear his head weighed a few million pounds today. Harder still was opening his eyes. When he regained his focus he made out the outline of Kow looking rather pale and panicked.

"What is it Kow?"

"Mr Michael? Mr Michael – Mr. Takinawa is coming here! He wishes to see you – he says that you need to fly out for a very important project in a month – please Mr. Michael, you must get up!"

He hurriedly opened the door to let in a collection of Michael's research assistants and hospital workers. Several off them were laden with coffee and seaweed soup. He smiled to himself, when he first got here he had to eat some to not be disrespectful to their hosts and it looked like a strange snot puree but after actually eating some it was rather wonderful. That, the beef sushi and sherbet green rice sweets thing were about the only things he lived on – all he could order too. Now he was careful to pay attention to anyone who was ordering the food that day and make mental notes of whatever they got.

He smoothed his hair back and practically inhaled the two cups of coffee presented to him.

"So Kow? You said something about flying out for a project?"

Dun, Dun, DUUUUN
What will happen next?
Sorry about the weird updates I'm doing my VCE right now.

Much Love to the reveiwers.

Don't own..