AN (23/08/04): Apologies the pub is actually a club. I got mixed up between the 2 terms – silly mistake! Sorry.

AN: Yeeesssssss! Finally caught up with my weekly updates – one that's on time … … A more serious (boring?) chapter … … feedback provided is much appreciated as always ;)!

Chapter 8 – The Calm before the Storm

Tsukushi sat at her desk, leaning her cheek on one hand and holding a pencil in the other as she poured over the sheets. Beneath the dim yellow glow of the dusty lamp, the dark figures seemed to be jumping out at her in time with Susumu's rhythmic breathing. She rubbed her forehead absent-mindedly with the hand gripping onto the pencil, narrowly missing her eye as she added up the list of figures again. Tsukushi chewed her lower lip nervously and frowned when she arrived at the same horrifically high total for a third time.

Heaving a quiet sigh, Tsukushi glanced at the clock and wearily buried her head in her hands as she felt the starting of a migraine. It was already close to midnight and she still had to work the next day. She knew that Tsukasa attributed her strangely detached behaviour at work to her small breakdown in his office the other day, but the main reason was because she was consumed with worry about Susumu's health and their financial status.

The doctor had informed her that Susumu's veins were too small and thus a graft had to be created for the dialysis. This meant that Susumu had to undergo a small surgery where an artery and vein in his forearm will be joined together by a soft synthetic tubing. However in the meantime, the doctor had temporarily attached a small tube near Susumu's collarbone to start the dialysis treatment.

The sheets of figures became blurry and Tsukushi had to brush away a few errant tears when she recalled how her younger brother had endured the pain stoically and even tried to comfort her by telling her that the treatment was uncomfortable but not painful … …

She was further warned that Susumu might need dialysis on a permanent basis if his kidneys were irreparably damaged. The cost of the impending bi or tri-weekly visits to the hospital or nearby haemodialysis centers, additional medication and other miscellaneous expenses came to a hefty monthly figure, and that excluded the one-off cost of the operation and subsequent short hospital stay. There were also the options of peritoneal dialysis or having a kidney transplant to be considered … …

One step at a time, Tsukushi told herself as she firmly pushed back the panic. The first thing to do would be to take on a part-time job to contribute towards their increasing expenses. She decided to talk to Miranda's cousin, Kevin, after work the next day regarding job vacancies in his club or other similar positions in another club. Her nose wrinkled in distaste at the thought of moonlighting as a waitress at a smoky, sleazy bar. However, with her limited qualifications, it was extremely difficult to get other jobs that would pay reasonably well and had the flexible hours required to fit in with her current schedule. With this resolution fixed firmly in mind, Tsukushi finally went to bed and surrendered to the clutches of slumber.

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It had been a week since Tsukushi started working at "The Den" – a rather exclusive club that the rich and sometimes famous frequented. Kevin had pulled a couple of strings to get her the job. Cleve, the owner, had been his ex-schoolmate and Kevin told her that it paid better than his place and was relatively less sleazy for a club. She worked there from seven pm to midnight twice a week on allocated days, and from seven pm until they closed in the early hours of the morning on Fridays and Saturdays … …

Tsukushi discretely tried to pull the short skirt a bit lower as she waited for the next tray of drinks. Their standard uniform was pretty classy for a club, consisting of a short black skirt that ended five inches above the knees and had a small slit at the back, and a thin white shirt. To make up for the severe cut of the latter, they were instructed to leave the first three buttons of the shirt undone, showing just the slightest hint of cleavage. However, she really had to hand it to the designer because the result achieved was a rather "smart" look with just the right touch of seductiveness.

"Tsukushi, table 15," one of the bartenders yelled.

"Thanks, Tom," she carried the laden tray to the respective table with a smile. She was learning to read the customers. The ones who wanted to focus on business and preferred to be served in silence, the ones who were relaxing or looking for company and thus appreciated a friendly word or two, the lecherous ones who were hoping for a grope which you had to fend off. It was surprisingly how useful this skill was and the difference it made to the amount of the tips she received.

"One 'Hawaiian Sunrise', one 'Passion on the Beach', two vodkas, one martini and … …" Tsukushi looked up as she was putting down the last of the drinks and froze when she found herself looking into a pair of familiar brown eyes.

Ray had had to hide his reluctance when Yumi brought him with her to dinner and then a club. He promised himself to charge her higher rates for making him help her entertain her female clients as he responded politely to two women who had been blatantly trying to flirt with him all evening. He was grateful for the respite provided when their drinks arrived, but blinked in shock when Tsukushi appeared in front of him. He held his breath as she stared at him for a heartbeat and then inwardly heaved a sigh of relief when she recovered quickly and continued to serve them without giving any other indication of recognising him.

Sometime later, he excused himself when Tsukushi passed by their table holding a tray of empty glasses in her hands. He followed her to the back. When she finally noticed him, her eyes widened in surprise before she gestured towards the back exit located near the toilets. He nodded and headed off in that direction.

"I'm taking my break now," Tsukushi called out to one of the bartenders. She found Ray leaning against the wall, staring at the stars in the sky.

"Hey," she said softly, feeling her knees go weak as he turned and smiled at her.

"Did you just start working here? I haven't seen you here before."

"Yup, just a week ago. Do you come here often?"

"Usually when I'm escorting my clients."

"The lady in the black dress sitting on your left?" Tsukushi guessed and Ray nodded.

"How's your brother?"

"He's starting dialysis. We're waiting for the final results." No further words were exchanged between them as they watched the stars in companionable silence for a while longer before Ray had to return to his companions.

When she was clearing the tables, Tsukushi's mouth fell open at the huge tip that was left at his table. She put it aside carefully, resolving to return it to him the next time she saw him.

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"Tsukushi?"

"Yes?" She placed the bowls of rice and miso soup in front of both of them and sat down. "Itadakimasu."

"I want to get a part-time job." Her head shot up. There was a worried frown on Susumu's face, but his gaze was steady.

"You're working too hard, I want to help out."

"No." The tone of her voice left no doubt regarding her feelings on the matter.

"But … …" her brother tried to protest.

"No. Your duty is to do your best in your studies and to take good care of yourself so that you recover as soon as possible."

"But … …" he tried again.

"You're only eleven years old! The jobs available to you now are limited and they pay very little. When you get better and when you're older, I won't refuse if you want to work a few hours then." She tried reason.

"I don't want you to have to work so hard to take care of me." His voice was small.

The words brought a sudden lump to Tsukushi's throat and she had to clear her throat a few times before answering rather gruffly, "don't be silly. The job pays really well for just serving a few drinks." She kept her fingers crossed beneath the table – a childish habit that somehow made her feel better about her little white lie.

"I'll make you a deal," she continued as Susumu looked at her expectantly. "I'll retire early and let you take care of me instead when you grow up. How's that?" Knowing that this was the best compromise he would receive from his stubborn sister, Susumu had to nod reluctantly in agreement and was rewarded by her lovely smile.

"Hey, stop messing up my hair!" He protested indignantly against her subsequent actions. She reached for his ear instead and tugged at it playfully. Between his loud complaints at her sadistic behaviour, Susumu quietly promised himself that he would work his hardest to get the scholarship and do all the housework to relieve as much of her burden as he could.

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"We need to talk," was the ominous greeting she received from him.

"I can see that you are exceptionally glad to see me again after these years … …"

"Don't even start," the terse words cut her off. "And don't pretend that you are happy with current situation."

"Maybe I am?"

He blinked in surprise and before letting out a harsh bark of laughter, "like hell. As much as you like being a puppet."

"So what do you propose?"

"That the agreement be terminated." His tone brooked no arguments.

"And it can be done just so easily," she said a trifle sarcastically.

"So you are going to help me to persuade them."

"I am? And why should I?"

"Don't you want freedom … …" He began.

"Freedom has always been over-rated and in my case it doesn't exist. If not Plan A, then Plan B." She shrugged, "I can assure you that the same applies in your case."

"If we never try we'll never know."

"We?" She lifted an eyebrow mockingly at him.

"Fine, what do you want for your cooperation?" He bit out.

"Hmmm … …" she looked at him speculatively. "For my help with something so … … big … … I have to think it over."

"Just don't take too long and keep in mind that one of your biggest rewards is getting rid of someone who despises you and gaining an ally instead." He reminded her coolly and left the room. All pretense of calm vanished when the door closed behind him.

"Damn," she swore loudly as she flung a crystal decanter into the fireplace, watching with no small satisfaction as it shattered into a million pieces.

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"Mr Doumyouji, the contract is … …" Tsukushi's voice trailed away when she realized that her boss was fully stretched out on the couch with his eyes closed. For a moment she was alarmed until she saw a glass of water and a bottle of pills on the small glass table beside the couch. So that was why he had been such a bear to work with recently, he had been ill.

She left the contract on the table and was about to leave when she noticed that his blanket had slid off and was half lying on the floor. Tsukushi smiled to herself in secret amusement, thinking how similar he was to Susumu who also had a habit of throwing off his blankets in his sleep. Her motherly instincts kicked in and she bent over and gently pulled the blanket over him. She almost leapt out of her skin when her left wrist was suddenly caught in an iron grip. Her eyes flew to Tsukasa's face and found his dark eyes staring at her with an inscrutable expression in their depths.

Tsukushi's voice had awakened him from his nap when she first stepped into the room. However, Tsukasa did not acknowledge her presence as the devil of a headache was still making its presence felt. He had finally opened his eyes when her footsteps stopped by his couch, curious to know what she was still doing in his office instead of departing immediately after leaving the contract behind. He caught her bending over in the action of drawing the blanket over him. Her small gesture touched a chord deep in him. Tsukasa could not remember anyone ever doing the same thing for him except for the nurse his parents had hired to take care of him. And it had always been duty then, and not a genuine act of compassion … …

As she continued to gaze at him like a startled rabbit caught in the grasp of a wolf, there was a subtle shift in his expression and Tsukushi found herself drawn inexorably towards him. She worried her lower lip in between her small teeth in a habitual nervous gesture, and then found it hard to breathe when his eyes darkened as they hungrily followed her small movement. His face was moving closer and closer to hers.

"Mr Doumyouji … …" She said rather shakily, breaking the spell that they had been caught in. Was that real regret that she saw flickering in his eyes before he reluctantly released her hand?

"Tsukasa."

"What?" She was jolted by husky tone of his voice.

"Call me Tsukasa," he repeated before dismissing her with a gesture. "You've earned it." Still trying to figure the meaning of the ambiguous statement, a very confused Tsukushi left the room.

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kensingtonkid: Wow, I really can't believe the effort that you put into writing all your reviews! Thank you thank you thank you. Immensely touched – really … … I actually didn't realise that you were such a staunch R&T fan! Sorry more T&T interaction – but somehow the plot kinda writes itself – you know how sometimes that happens ;)! I had to admit that I was quite surprised that there were S&A pairings. Where have I been? There was always a bit of playful innuendo in HYD, but being my usual oblivious self I have to admit I haven't been paying much attention to pairings and probably also coz I don't read many HYD fanfics! Thanks so much again for your kind and motivating comments!!!! It really encourages me to continue to write a story with a plot that is far from being the usual "crowd pleaser"!.:: Stacey ::. ): I'm so glad that you like the chapter!!! There's quite a bit of T&T focus in this story coz of the circumstances in the story I'm afraid. However, I'll always throw in R&T interaction when it's appropriate! Good intuitive guess – shall I leave it as such and let the events reveal themselves ;)? Thanks so much for commenting !!!sadness-reigns: I'm glad you liked the R&T interaction as well!!! I actually don't think the actual scene when she realises when Rui does will be that earth-shaking, so don't get your expectations too high :). Yes, that is a scene that I had planned almost right from the start. Thanks so much for your kind comments!

just a reader: Thanks so much for taking so much effort to comment in spite of the long time it took to submit the review! I really appreciate it so please don't even think of apologizing. The more reviews the merrier ;)! No, Tsukushi's kidneys are fine. Oops am I revealing too much of the plot? Thanks again;)!!!

HoMboii : Apologies for the unexpected. I promise that next time I will indicate upfront if slash is incorporated, it's just that for chapter 6 specifically I could not provide any warning because the main twist in the chapter is that Soujirou was actually making out with a guy! The shock effect will be gone if I were to provide a warning for that chapter. Thanks for your comments!