I didn't know where I'm going in this chapter, so just treat it like an introduction to Hamako's life. I'm a sensitive person, please don't hurt my tiny heart. (I lost a follower *sniff*) o3o Please don't mind Suzume, I might expand her story when I have time. Review replies' times (PMing those that I can access with PMs)

AFK: Thanks! Of course I know Children Record! Why did you even ask :D Naaaah it's not long at all, very much appreciated in fact C: *glomps* By the way, may I ask what does your name means? For some weird reason I kept reading it as Away From Keyboard...

DarkFlame Alchemist: I don't think I ever replied you here, buuuuut I love yaaaaaaa! Thanks for reading and understanding my fail attempt of suspense...

All Hamako could see was darkness. It was impossible to even the hand she had raised in front of her. The same dream again then, she thought as she sat down and sighed. The water under her rippled from the movement.

The silence was slowly eating away her soul. She splashed the water with her legs, getting the weird combination of floating, sitting on water. The dream always lasted from the moment she fell asleep until she woke up, just one dream for almost all her life.

"Who would save me from this place," Hamako wondered out loud. From a far end of the abyss was a rustling noise. Then she knew the dream had ended and the nightmare had started. She always prepared herself beforehand yet she would always still wake up in a shock. Vulnerable me, she thought.

Crash! The loud noise broke the dark dimension and out came walls of blood splattered on them. She was no longer standing on clear water but pools and pools of blood. There were gigantic trees that loomed over her short being, intimidating her all the way. There were some crowd noises, a cold sensation that ran down Hamako's spine.

She dropped to the floor and hugged herself tightly, clearly traumatized by the events flashing through her eyes. Why? Why was she dreaming about this? Why this again? Her lungs contracted a moment, temporarily slowing down her breathing rate, suffocating her until she woke up with cold sweat and eyes filled with fear. On the verge of spilling tears.

She sat on the bed for a while as she grabbed a drink. It was around six in the morning and she couldn't go into sleep anymore. She stared out at the window, finishing her drink and taking her materials to get ready for work soon.

The flowers and wrappers she bought were as fresh as yesterday, her preservation had been good. Hamako smiled as she worked through a few hours and wondered what new customers would she get today.

Izaya was reading the file he had made for the information he had gotten for Hamako Hitomi. It piqued his interest when he started arranging the information into groups.

'At age twelve, Hamako was officially adopted by the Hitomi family.' Yet he couldn't find any information that concerned her before that timeline. It was like she disappeared for twelve full years. He briefly wondered again if Amano was Hamako since she died when she was twelve but remembered the birth certificate that was under Hamako's name.

"Hamako Hitomi, born on 23rd of August 1989, currently age 23, owns a florist in Ikebukuro named 'Hanging Gardens of Babylon'...? Hm... time to pay a visit to my beloved humans again!" Izaya sang in high pitched, grabbing his trademark fur coat and literally flying out of Shinjuku.

Hamako changed her 'close' sign into 'open' sign as she peered out to the crowding city. She was wearing a simple short apron, having no keen interest in getting her clothes dirty from cleaning the shop. Not that it was that dirty of something, it was just a clean habit she had gotten from young age.

"Oh, that's fast." she muttered as she cheerfully welcomed her first customer. It was a young woman that was only slightly shorter than her. She looked perfect in Hamako's eye, filled with agile and elegance until she spot her eyes were staring forever at the same spot, barely turning to her direction.

"Oops, sorry. Didn't know you were there." she mumbled as she turned towards Hamako, looking with her pale hazel eyes. It was then Hamako knew she was blind. She helped her to a tall chair and tended to her customer. It was very usual routine, with the young woman, now known as Suzume Sen, promising she would come back every once in awhile for new stocks.

The chime at the florist's door rang again.

"Welcome!" She said out of habit.

"Oh, oh, what a paradise here!~" Hamako's head snapped towards the voice owner's direction at once. Oh boy, she wasn't wanting to seek any trouble with this man, either now or forever! Izaya made his way and self-serviced himself to sit on the soft chair.

"Never knew you own a pretty little florist, Mako-chan!~" Izaya proceed to make himself comfortable in her florist despite the brunette's obvious uncomfortable fidgeting.

"S-So, what are you looking for?" She stumbled again! Why must she be so clumsy around people like him? It must be that he kept noticing her, even when she always kept to herself in every possible ways. Although she must say, she is barely noticeable among the crowd, never ever stood out in any ways.

"I'm looking for you~" Izaya grinned, enjoying the red flower creeping into her cheeks. She felt like a kettle, over boiling itself. She hated the attention, she wants to just hide in a corner and disappear from his sight.

"I-I don't think I have such a flower named 'you'." She managed to fumble out some words that hadn't been burnt from her mind.

"Oh sure you do~ So, so, where were you when you were twelv-" Izaya's intended purpose dropped when he saw Shizuo looked into the glass window of the florist, spotting him. The glass windows barely filtered the loud voice.

"Izaaaaaaaaaayaaaaaaaaaaaa-kun!" And the angry Shizuo began marching towards the florist. Hamako panicked, a bit relief when she saw Suzume, trying to talk him out of it. Izaya jumped off the chair and headed outside.

"Bye bye Mako-chan!~ I'll see you later~" and he turned to Shizuo. "Hi Shizu-chan, wasn't expecting you near here, I never knew a monster that actually would want to be near any flower shop~"

And there goes another chase, with Hamako dumbfounded and Suzume panicking.