Riddle me this

Written By: Lady Lunar Phoenix

Beta:

A/N: I have been sitting on this chapter for a long time now... It's what I want, yet for some reason I can't make it feel 'right' being spoken... I guess it's because the set up is so vastly different.

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He felt numb as he walked along the road back to the house, his brain was on autopilot unable to receive any messages from the world around him. The keys were pulled out of his pocket before he opened the front door of the house, knowing it was empty. No one was home anymore, Nanako was fighting for her life in the hospital, and Uncle Dojima was still under the doctor's care. So the lights were off when he walked through the front door. No voices greeted him as he entered the house once again by himself.

The silence made him feel sick to his stomach, as he slumped against the wall while tugging off his shoes. Ever since Nanako had been kidnapped he had kept his frustration at letting her down inside. There had been no way to explain to his uncle about the warning letter, he couldn't just shove his hand through the TV, not after the last time he nearly got pulled in. Especially after Teddie had bit him just by seeing a hand in there. But that resulted in him being locked up and unable to protect Nanako when the murderer came. Or was he the murderer? There was something that wasn't clicking in Souji about that whole affair.

In the first day of her absence he had found himself running the group nearly raw, to the point where they had to hold him back. Everyone had been driven to rescue his little cousin, but at the same time there was a limit to how far they could go. It wasn't until Naoto pushed him out of the way of an attack and was knocked out for it that he called it a day. That moment, seeing her out cold had froze him to the core, even as the others tiredly helped her up when she came around. He couldn't do this, not to her nor to the rest of the group. Despite her protests that she could carry on he couldn't anymore, the risk being taken was just too high for them. It broke his heart to leave Nanako behind, even for a day, she was innocent of any wrong doing. Targeting her because of him bothered him far more then he was willing to show the others.

He personally looked after Naoto, the others had their families to look after them, but Nanako was so young she couldn't even leave the hospital. The personal beating he gave himself came nightly, listening to the silence of the house. Cooking dinner was hell, if he turned the TV on he forgot that Nanako wasn't there, that Dojima wasn't returning. If he turned it off he remembered that they weren't there. How could anyone consider him a leader, when he couldn't even look after his own family? The guilt of that failure followed him through the hospital corridors when he visited her. Only when he was with his friends could he forget for a while that he had let her down.

Today however; had been pure hell even though it started out rather well. With Naoto coming to present him with a suspicion she had on where the next of her stolen items could be. She had put the walls back in place once she had recovered, so those quiet moments when her feminine side truly showed were gone again. But he knew they were there, under the surface thus he indulged in every chance he got to be with her. He couldn't go to her, not with Kanji's over protectiveness instead she came to him because of a case. He savored every chance to meet her, invited her once for lunch on the roof and was pleasantly surprised to find she loved California Rolls.

Most importantly, he saw that he had weakened her walls around him. She was more prone to laughter, tears, more human responses then what that cold robot would have wanted them to believe. When she showed her concern and protectiveness towards him, it made him smile as well. She skewed gender roles so easily, wanting the male role of protector. Though he understood that there were risks that were involved in trying to win her to him. As she disregarded a love letter out of hand, going so far as to willingly shred it without a glance. On one hand, she had spent so many years fixated on being a detective; that she probably didn't realize how it would hurt the person to be so casually disregarded. It made him think of Ai in fact. But on the other hand, by her point of view, a love letter to a stranger was a fools hope. That the person should know 'her' before they assume they 'love' her.

Thus he had stayed quiet and waited for openings to her heart.

"I'm glad you're a girl." Her surprise had been worth saying that. "Perhaps what I think is selfish, but I'm glad. I realize that you've had a hard time growing up because of this, but I can tell you that not all guys think like those others. Some of us get bored with vanilla." He watched her fumble with that, blushing and looking down nervously. The more he pulled her towards him the happier he became.

They had found the supposed Phantom Thief, only to find it was the very same man that had given him the first card. Concern overrode everything as he wondered if he had slipped up again and brought danger to Naoto's door by giving her the first card. The knife the 'Phantom' had produced worried him, but before he could do anything Naoto's voice called him back. The knife was fake she said and sounding very agitated as she spoke. He backed down as the stranger ran off, yet oddly Naoto didn't seem the least bit interested in stopping the thief. Didn't she want her property returned to her?

But as she began to explain the knife's history, he could hear the coming storm in the way her voice trembled. It amused and flattered him that she would react so strongly towards his actions. Then the storm broke as she tore that hat off her head and started chewing him out. It was nothing like their first fight, she was trying to dance around the issue of her anger while trying to get her point across.

Kanji had found them, the sound of Naoto's shouting must have alarmed him. But in that moment Naoto took it to gather herself up emotionally and storm off in her fury. Leaving Souji to explain that Naoto was in the middle of another case. It wasn't a welcome break up from their 'fight', he had found the moment when he could tell Naoto how he felt only to be interrupted. Which left him with an overwhelming desire to throw Kanji into the TV. Not that Kanji was all that thrilled with Souji's nearness towards Naoto.

That being said, it didn't take away his loneliness as he looked about his home from the entryway. With that he walked forward into the living room as he flipped on the light switch. He wasn't hungry, hadn't been seriously hungry since Nanako was put in the hospital, so he went after a small bag of crackers for his dinner. All the while wondering if he had another chance to tell Naoto his true feelings before he would leave. Once he had his chips he sat down at the table and listened to his inner voice complain about all his short comings.

His whole body felt pain, had been feeling pain as he hadn't bothered to properly seek medical attention. His body was a map of bruises from his battles in the Other World, that made it painful to do much of anything. Between that and his mind, it took a moment before he came to realize that someone was knocking on the door. He brushed it aside, unwilling to deal with any form of company. Except this person was apparently not going to take 'no' for an answer.

"Open this door Senpai! I am already aware that you are in there!"

Naoto called through the door with a firm, demanding voice and as much as he loved to be around her. Right now his mood was so dark he couldn't trust himself around another person. Much less someone he was in love with that was blind to it. The noise stopped and he was grateful that he wasn't going to have to deal with Naoto. Only to hear the sound of the front door opening then closing, which left a resounding 'what the...' in his head. She couldn't have. She was a 'detective' there was no honest way that she would resort to...

He was out of his seat and at the hall leading to the front door when he found her. Patiently removing her shoes and putting on a pair of existing slippers as though she had been formally invited. Like she didn't just pick the lock to the front door. He didn't say anything for the first few seconds then he braced his hands on either sides of the hallway.

"I had no idea that you were into breaking the law."

"When you are as small as I, as young as I, you learn to bend and or break rules to get your point across." She replied crisply as she started walking down the hall towards him. "Now considering the fact that you openly ignored my polite attempt at entry. May I assume that this is going to be as it was when you came to see me pre-kidnapping?"

"You come any further into this house, then maybe it will." He replied his tone flat, unamused and unenthusiastic.

She walked right up to him, unafraid of any potential repercussions and gave a mere polite, "I see. Very well then, I guess tonight is another fight."

With that she ducked his arm and walked into the house itself, removing her hat as she did so. He watched her as she moved, her pure spunk making him smile to himself despite her rude way of getting to him. Anyone else would let him stew in his own despair, use soft words to try to enter his private world of grief. Trust Naoto to kick the door down and stroll in like she belonged in his world. Stroll in like she owned 'him'.

He pushed back from the hallway and began to follow her, watching as she place the hat on the table before unbuttoning and sliding the coat down her slender arms.

"Tsk, chips are all you plan for dinner tonight? That is not healthy Senpai." she pointed out as she draped her coat neatly over one chair before she undid the cuffs to her shirt and began rolling up the sleeves. The next thing to go was the hoister for her gun, and he couldn't deny how hot it was to see her removing all of this with such professional calm.

"Sorry, I didn't realize I would be having guests. Should I try to make a suitable three course meal for you, Shirogane-sama?" He replied his voice tight, hinting at his annoyance at her. Then again what could he do with her being here. All the while the walls he kept around his own feelings were at their thinnest.

"If you plan to do so, do it for yourself. I'd rather not see you starve yourself over these events." she replied while her hand went up to her chest, fiddling with something.

"Don't patronize me, Naoto-kun. I can take care of myself." He pointed out as when she lowered her hands and seemed to relax. A soft sigh escaping her lips and the sight of her shirt shifting just so, indicating that she had undone the binding bra.

"Can you? I have begun to doubt that in all honesty." She replied turning to face him, his guess proven right. She had undone the binding bra, making her delicate build even more evident then before.

"What makes you think you can make that call exactly? I think you're forgetting your place in our group or who the Senpai here is." He replied firmly standing over her, looking down and trying to decide what to do with her.

"I know that you are my Senpai, my Senpai and leader. I know my duty to respect you as my Senpai, and obey you as my Leader, but as your follower I am also tasked with ensuring your safety as well." She held her head up high, proud of who she was and not the least bit ashamed to show it. With those words she had lifted up her hands and grabbed the top button on his shirt. "And I do not like what I see here Senpai."

She was undoing his shirt, which hid the numerous bruises he gained from that battle against Namatame. He never did ask to be healed, his own personal atonement for making Nanako wait so long for him. But he didn't want Naoto to see them, she was interested in strong, intelligent men. How could he keep her if he was anything less then that? So he reached up his hands, grabbing hers and forcing them down in answer.

"You've taken off your coat, undid your bra and now you're trying to undo my shirt. Perhaps it's me, but I could very easily misread this as you coming on to me." He pointed out his voice a low, more husky tone. He expected a blush and her looking away, it was her typical response to anything he said or did that indicated intimacy between them. But he didn't get both, her face took on that modest shade of blush, but her eyes stayed focused on him and quite defiant.

"You may be bigger then me, stronger as well. But I'm not backing down on this Senpai and if we have to fight it out then I will do it." She replied her voice firm and defiant.

"You may be smaller then me, more delicate. But I'll take you down so hard you'll wake up next week." He retorted returning her words with a threat that she scoffed at with her expression.

"I've seen your strength Senpai. I think I am more then capable of handling it." She informed him with some form of confidence that he couldn't fathom. She had intentionally discarded several things that she used to reinforce her male persona. Making him notice her as she truly was, a girl in boys clothes. They were steps, small steps, but steps away from her normal rejection of her gender. It was incredibly alluring and if not for the current situation...

Her fingers were at his shirt again, trying to undo the buttons as he stood there which made him have to stop her. "So apparently I've become a disappointment to you Naoto-kun, care to explain in what way I've failed you?"

"As a leader you have done fine. You have led us through to every victory we've had, however; you have allowed yourself to suffer injuries that could easily be mended." She pointed out though she didn't try to pull back her hands that he held.

"They're not serious injuries Naoto-kun, Yukiko's magics should be spent on more serious ones." He replied intending to comfort the smaller detective only it didn't seem to reassure her in the slightest.

"Why will you not show me your chest then." She didn't ask, her tone implied she knew why. Three buttons down and she was quite the determined detective. "Why do you keep throwing yourself into life or death situations with no concern for the consequences?"

"I thought you said the knife was fake." He pointed out quite willing to return to her original ire of him from earlier. Watching as the corners of her lips turned down in recollection of their previous situation.

"It is a fake, however; foolishly throwing yourself in front of a potentially lethal situation is not something you should shrug off so easily." She retorted looking up at him, the disapproval in her eyes clear as day. It occurred to him then, for the first time in fact, that she was much smaller when she got out of her shoes.

"Foolish? You mean that if someone threatens you with a knife I should just stand back and let it happen?" He asked his voice suddenly dropping into icy tones as it caused a memory to return. "Maybe like how I let Namatame take Nanako-chan and put her in the TV?"

"The knife and the case are two different things! You can not be blamed for the case. The letter threatened if you rescued one more person, it doesn't make any sense that he would come after her before another victim was chosen in the first place!" She retorted, staring up at him fiercely though it did cause him to store that bit of info into the back of his mind. After all, if Namatame 'was' the murderer why send him a threat then carry it out the same night before giving Souji a chance to back down? In a day or two he'd think on it, but for now all that registered was that Naoto was being difficult, invasive, and trying again to take off his shirt. Proving that Souji had, in fact, started developing a masochistic way of handling his grief.

"They may be different, but they are linked. It's my actions that are being called into question." His eyes were narrowed as he spoke, his tone sharp stating his anger indirectly. Leading the group was exhausting, chasing Naoto was mentally exhausting as well. Tired and drained he didn't know how much more he could give so being called into question like this only left him with anger. "Tell me, Shirogane-sama, why did you 'really' come here?" His voice low, a growl as he pushed past her and stalked his way to fridge to grab a drink.

"I came here because I am concerned for your safety. It upsets me to see you endangering yourself for things outside of your control." She answered following him, determination to get this resolved almost something he could hear in her soft padded footsteps.

"Nanako-chan isn't someone who was outside my control! Nor are you!" He shot back turning to look at her. Which was a bad move, allowing him to see her in her version of righteous fury.

"I am under 'no' man's control, I do as I will when I will, and no man shall tell me otherwise." She retorted heatedly as she stormed up to him in her rendition of getting into his face. If not for the fact that she was so small that the top of her head reached his shoulders.

"I myself will tell you otherwise Naoto-kun. Get out of this house before you drive me to do something that I may deeply regret later on." He opted to abuse his height over her by leaning forward, looming in fact.

"I'm not like the other girls, I am not backing down nor will I break from anything you show me Senpai. Do your worst I can take it like a man even if I'm not." She retaliated reaching for his shirt again. In answer his own hand snapped out and he fisted her shirt as he yanked her towards him even closer then before.

"You touch these buttons again Naoto-kun and I'll start taking off your shirt." He threatened coldly and watched the dispute in her eyes. A man would have no trouble, they could take a shirt off without question. But a woman, ah a woman with those breasts of hers couldn't. So the ball was in her court.

She stood there frozen for a moment, debating something inside her head that he could see behind those lovely eyes of hers. Fear and determination waged a battle in her mind as she stood before she set her jaw. With one hand she reached up and undid the first button to her shirt herself. The second was the next to go, her courage faltering as her fingers danced against his hand and the third button. Even if it scared her, he could see in her eyes she planned to follow him all the way down.

But he couldn't take her there, which only angered him more as he struggled to redo her buttons while she looked up at him. They didn't know after all... When Namatame's Shadow took control of their minds... They didn't remember turning on him, attacking him en mass, though they saw Teddie taken over. It should have been obvious that any one of them was vulnerable for such an attack, only the whole 'team' being taken over was another story. Rise-chan had avoided the attack just by her not being a combatant, and apparently opted not to tell anyone else. Which he 'preferred', only Naoto was struggling to find out about it. Of all of them, she was the last person he wanted to view the results of being a victim of an 'all out attack'. "Take your coat and your gun. Go home Naoto-kun you can't help me so just get out."

"You just have all the answers don't you Senpai? Without even giving me a chance you've already done like every other man in my life and written me off." He felt so tired as he heard her say that, as though the weeks they had spent together just never registered in her. "Just like any other man, you think you can push me around, just have your way with me. I think I have given you by far, more credit for consideration then you deserve." She stated before turning towards her things, but her words made him see red.

It took two steps to catch up to her, wrapping his arms around her smaller frame possessively. "If I had you my way Naoto-kun, you'd be on your back with less clothes." He forced her around to face him, not giving her a chance to retaliate for the comment. His hands at his shirt, with his fingers undoing the remaining buttons. What he revealed when he dropped the shirt was enough to alarm Naoto into backing up a step.

There was a huge swath of flesh on Souji that was the sickeningly fresh pink of a burn victim's new flesh. Three long bruises ran along his body from his upper stomach down towards his him that were lost to his pants. A thick ugly bruise seemed to run down his back in the shape of a shield that was shown upon him turning around. While twin bruises from a thin blade trailed down one shoulder dipping into a large circular bruise right over his heart.

"This one? This came when that mind charge that Yukiko got fired off onto me with her Agidyne." He tapped the pink flesh before dropping down to the three bruises below it. "This? This came from Teddie. While under my pants is a nice large bruise from when Chie tried to punt me out of the battle." From there his hand slid up to his shoulder to point to his back. "Kanji gave me this one while I barely avoided Yosuke's attempt at my throat." His fingers lifting up to play against the bruises on his shoulders. While Naoto was trying to take in all the injuries he took her hand and forcibly opened it just to press it over his heart. "And this beautiful Naoto-kun is where you shot me at point blank range."

He could see it in her eyes, the shock and disbelief, her mind losing focus as she tried to recall this moment in such a battle. The internal battle she fought finally ending in her jerking her hand back and her eyes growing wet with tears. "How dare you Senpai! How dare you imply that I would willingly turn my gun against you! I'd sooner shoot myself then bring harm upon you!" She fell back her eyes filling with tears as she repeated "I would never," like a mantra.

"What's the matter Naoto-kun? You wanted to see this, so I gave in again, showed you what you wanted. It may be ugly, but it's the truth." He pointed out as he slowly bent down to pick up his shirt, putting it back on as muscles stretched. The cold air of Japanese winters were never kind to his injuries. "Aren't you happy that you beat me into obeying your wishes?"

"Happy?" Her eyes were shut tight, her whole body trembling with some suppressed emotion. "Happy?! How can I be happy? All I have wanted was to protect you, to be your champion! All my efforts have been to be of use to you, to make you value me and need me! Now you tell me.. Now you tell me I'm no better then anyone else."

He stood there with his shirt unbuttoned as he watched her in her agitation. Words washing over him in waves confirming his suspicion that perhaps his feelings were reciprocated. But even if that was the case, her gender conflicts had reemerged. Hands reached out, gently grasping her shoulders and pulling her close to him. "I don't need you as my champion." He lightly brushed her bangs to the side but she jerked her face away.

"Of course not, I'm a failure. For all the cases I have solved, I should have been more thorough in my observations. Any of you can err on the side of inexperience, but not I. The clues were right there and I ignored them. The very thing I can bring to the table is my detective skills, yet instead of being an asset I've proven myself as a waste of time!" She argued in anger and he frowned at her self accusations. "Not only that, but apparently my mental state is not only damaged to the point of disgrace but so frail that I could be seduced by the enemy."

"Naoto-kun?" Souji called her name, wishing she would ease off her sense of guilt.

"All these years, all the cases I worked on and now when I can't even hope to fall back on the others in the station..." She had pulled away in her agitation, stalking back and forth in the living area her self verbal attacks growing more heated.

"Naoto-kun, I'm the one in charge of this case, not you. If anyone has failed it's me, so please stop attacking yourself like this." He leaned against the wall before sliding down so he was sitting on the floor.

"You don't understand Senpai. You have given me so much, more then I ever expected to receive my whole life. But all I can offer in return is my skills as a detective and even then I fail. What can I possibly offer that is worthy of your kindness then if not that?"

He extended his hand to her as she spoke, waiting to see if she would notice, as well as understand what he meant by the gesture. Palm raised, and a look that pleaded for her to come to him. He needed her to be by his side, not emotionally tearing herself apart, but close to him. Thus when she relented, returning to his side obediently before resting her hand in his as she sat beside him he felt more at peace. Pulling her close to him, the soft touch of her hair under his chin and feeling her snuggling up to him.

"This... this is too girlish..." She muttered causing him to smile as he reached down and pulled out his cellphone. "What are you doing Senpai?"

"I'm going to call Kanji up, tell him to meet me at the river, he and I can have a full on brawl. That should make you not feel 'girlish' right? Nothing like a knock down drag out last man standing to take all the softness out of..." Naoto snatched his cell from his hand and slid it along the ground out of reach before glaring at him.

"Senpai you are in no condition to have any sort of battle!" She snapped, but as the phone slid along the ground he could hear her muttering. "My feelings for him are complicated enough, I need not anymore drama involved."

He felt like he had been sucker punched the feeling of frustration, betrayal and defeat swirling in a whirlpool that was dragging him down. "Your feelings?" He asked and tin ear or not. There was no way to miss the bitterness and pain in his voice. He couldn't even look at her as he continued talking, "I'm sorry, am I in the way? Maybe I'm just holding you up for your date?" He got up to his feet abruptly without looking at her. Refusing to break down in front of her as he felt his heart breaking and the Persona's that served him trying to hold him together with their words.

"Date? What are you talking about Senpai?" Naoto was getting up beside him as he tried to get upstairs to his room. Her hand landed on his arm but he yanked his arm free sharply stalking to the stairs in his effort to get away from the detective. "Senpai? What is the matter? I don't understand, what date you're speaking of." Her tone was surprisingly pleading. It was a tone he never heard from her lips before as she dashed between himself and the stairwell leading to his room. "Senpai, make sense I can't follow your line of thought on this matter!"

"Why am I not surprised. No matter how hard I try to reach you, it turns out to be impossible after all."

"You sound like Kanji-kun." She snapped growing angry at him for some reason though the only person who had any right to be angry was him.

"Don't you dare insinuate that I'm anything like him!" She refused to back down to him while he bore down on her, furious at being liken to a rival, the rival who had beaten him no less. "I've let you strip me down to my pants, I've let you pull me along like a dog. Teddie may think that being abused it part of my job description, who knows he may see all that I go through day after day and think I enjoy the exhaustion. All I am to you is an errand boy huh? Just someone who could help with your case and with no thoughts to my feelings." He pushed her down so she was laying upon the stairs that led to his room not taking a break from his tirade.

"I am here 'because' I am thinking only of your feelings!" She countered trying to push him back so she could get up. "I am here, because you are never far from my thoughts, thus my worry over how you have been handling the recent developments. I will prove myself as your most valued member, even if I have not been around as long as the others."

"And how do you plan to do that? All you're doing is ordering me around, telling me what to do." He countered grabbing her hand and harshly shoving it back to the stairs.

"I see no one else looking after you! No one else ensuring your health!" She returned sounding nearly imperious in tone with a glare that reinforced her own determination.

"So you're saying if I had a girl here you'd leave me by myself? Is that it? If no one else cares you'll just do it as something that has to be done?" He asked his heart breaking and his temper rising.

"So long as you are healthy and happy then so am I, regardless of who is the one keeping you that way." She snarled at him, still trying to break free of his control.

"Happy? How can I be happy when my family is in the hospital?!" He countered ignoring her attempts.

"I am not skilled at this! I'm a detective not a nurturer I don't know how to help you or make you happy." She countered the light from the living room casting her shadowed tears with a slight sparkle.

"How are you going to make me happy when you come here confessing to be in love with someone else."

"'In love with someone else'? For starters I have made no such confession, only that I am having difficulties with one person. Secondly what is 'someone else' supposed to mean? Who am I supposed to be in love with!?" Her breath could be felt hot against his lips as she leaned up as high as she could go from where she was forced to lay.

"Me!" he retorted having lost enough self control to finally admit something he didn't want to say anymore. "I've been trying to get you to fall in love with me and apparently my best efforts aren't good enough!" He felt her grow still under his body, though she didn't back down from him. A slight tremor that ran through her body was felt though.

"Which me? I asked him before that question. He asked me to go to Okina with him so I did, which was an utterly painful trip. We don't talk much, can't in all honesty due to how easy it is for my words to fly over his head. It's painful and in a way it embarrasses me that I can not communicate on the same level as others my own age. During one of our brief narratives I expressed my frustration over being born a girl. As I did with you that time before, yet he gave me a different answer then you did. He said he was happy with me just the way I am." He felt her turn her head away, as she laid down on the stairs. Heard the soft bitter chuckle that rose from her voice while he moved quietly back, resting on one step while she laid there still.

"Well, he's had a crush on you since he first met you before his kidnapping." Souji noted, watching as she sat up finally.

"Oh really now... Me, or the facade I carry?" She asked which gave him a pause. "When we first met, I thought he had a complex due to his awkward behavior towards me. So is he attracted to the woman beneath the clothes or the Detective Prince? I grew up feeling that only a male Shirogane could be accepted. In saying that my..." Her voice dipped into a bitter tone though her way of thinking became more clear to him. "...damaged frame of mind, caused by years of this way of thinking is 'fine'... is no better then telling an addict that their problems are fine and not to be worried about." She looked up at him with a mildly expectant expression on her face, half hidden in shadow. "Am I to be expected to live this lie just to make another person happy?"

He reached out to her, touching her face gently with the tips of his fingers running them against her face towards her ear. For which she answered by resting her face into his hand, while his thumb stroked her cheek. "No, you should not have to live a lie."

"Which is why I can not choose him, but how to explain that to him is the problem." She replied looking down at her hands as they folded onto her lap.

"Tell him you're spoken for, tell him that someone else has won your heart for themselves."

"How? I do not wish to be rude..." There was a sudden ring that wasn't the house phone from somewhere. Naoto got to her feet before walking out of his sight, making him get up to follow her. The sound coming from her cellphone apparently as she answered and began talking to someone else. Nothing more then a quick apology for being gone so late, then as he stood there he watched as she began working on getting back into her Prince role. "Yakushiji-san is waiting outside for me. I need to go."

Watching her fluttering akin to a butterfly, rebinding herself from practice without even undoing the shirt, slipping on the holster, the coat and hat. All done with such speed and efficiency that he was left watching her slip on her hat while rushing to the door. Before he knew it she was at the door promising to see him again the next day while putting on her shoes. Then she was gone, leaving him alone while a sudden realization dawned upon him.

"Naoto? Do you love me back?"