Plastic containers topple over themselves, book pages whirl in a rush, pencils thrum against hardwood in sporadic phases. Feet anxiously shuffle across the carpeted floor, hurriedly pacing back and forth through the suddenly crowded room. What have I done? A sharp inhale is taken in. GOD WHAT THE FUCK HAVE I DONE?! A hand pulls at clumps of hair, nearly ripping entire fistfuls out. I need to call back. I need to call. I need to. Legs crumble to the ground, making no move to get up. Eyes dial to the ceiling. I can't do it though. I can't do it.

Rei gets up and sits on her bed, her elbows on her knees and her face in her hands. I just made the biggest mistake of my life. There's no way I'm surviving tonight. She looks around at all the things in her room; the sight of it all only makes her more anxious. Her alarm clock sits over on the nightstand: it's almost six. Everything feels like it didn't happen, or maybe that's just wishful thinking. Her eyes flicker to her email, closing in on a single word. It's definitely just wishful thinking. Her hands wrap around her phone. It's still possible to fix this. But I can't. She rubs her hands into her face. I wish I could, but I just can't.

She lifts her head up and breathes through the opening formed by her hands. I can't do this. I need help. I need. I need someone. The weight of the phone on her lap nags at her, as if it knows what the answer is. She picks up the piece of technology and stares at it. If there was ever one person who can help her. Names fly by on the screen until a certain one pops up. She bites down on her lip, her finger hovering over the screen. With the press of a button, the call is sent.

The phone rings once, twice, a third time. The AC shuts off right in time for every succeeding ring to be that much clearer. I knew it; of course she'd be too busy. She lowers the phone from the side of her face. "Hello," a strong and clear voice answers. The phone nearly falls to the floor as an unexpected wave of emotions crashes into her like a tsunami. "Rei, hello? Are you there?"

"Yes," a meek voice answers back after a while.

From the other side of the world, a twenty two year old woman laughs as she gets up from her office chair. Her black and gray business suit unfolds itself as she stretches herself out. Her soft, light green eyes bounce from the European city below her to the short violet hair striking her view in the window. "Wow, it's been a while hasn't it?"

Back in Japan, the girl sits in her room, hanging onto every word that's being said. "Yeah. I can call back some other time, if –"

"Hey," the woman's voice takes a more serious tone. "I'm sorry, I really am. I know I should reach out to you more than I do, it's just," a deflated sigh leaves her lips. "There is no excuse. You're my sister, and I am absolutely not too busy to talk to you. Please tell me you know that."

That voice, it's the perfect blend of their parents'. Elegant like their mother's, stern like their father's. "I know," the girl replies in a monotonous tone. This isn't the first time they've had this conversation.

The woman's face tightens, something is off. "Hey, what's going on?"

"Suzume." The word hangs in the air, the rest of the sentence having dissipated well within her brain. Perhaps there's breathing on the line, she can't really tell. Either way time is running out. "I've withdrawn my enrollment from university."

Saying it out loud is vastly different from anything else. Before there was even the slightest possibility that it was all in her head, but now it's completely out there. It makes her want to cry and scream and bury her head deep into her pillow. A sudden and dragging weight is the only thing that's keeping her locked to the ground. Is it regret? Maybe. I have to do it though. I can't quit my job. I just can't do it.

The silence on the line persists. The older sibling finds that even she isn't sure what to say right now. Her initial reaction would be to laugh and ask if she was serious, but this is Rei she's talking about here. Her sister would only do this if she were serious. "Okay," Suzume draws out the word as she thinks of what to say. "Do mom and dad know?"

"I'm still here, aren't I?"

"True," the woman nods. "Do you want me to say something to them first?"

Rei leans back onto her bed, that would be nice. Suzume has always been infinitely better at talking to their parents than she has. "No, I can do it myself." It wasn't until after she left that Rei found out how dependent on her sister she became. And not just when it came to their parents; she used Suzume almost like a crutch. "I'm going to tell them when they get here tonight."

"So you have a plan?"

"Yeah. I'm going to die."

"No, you're not. Dad's practically cheating on mom with the law, so you're fine in that regard." She eyes various things around her office as she slowly walks around it. "Now, let's go over the basics. Breathe, keep calm, maintain eye contact. Don't be timid, but do not instigate anything, adding fuel will only make the fire worse. Remember, you cannot let them get to you. If they see that your resolve has weakened, then they've already won."

Rei nods and takes a deep breath as she takes in the advice that's been given to her. "You're right, thanks. I think just telling someone else really helped. That was a pretty big weight in and of itself." Her eyes roll over to the clock again. "I just want to bite the bullet already and get it over with."

"Well, I'm glad you're feeling at least a little better. God, I'm glad you called me" a laugh travels through the line, "if you can't talk to me about your problems, then I have completely failed you as a big sister."

"Well, you were a pretty big help today, thank you." Even just hearing her voice helped immensely. Suzume is so much more like their mother than she is, in appearance and especially that laugh.

"It's no problem, really." The line goes quiet again, but neither of them ends the call. The older of them stops moving, unsure if she just didn't hear the line disconnect or what. It's very unlike her sister to wait out a call like this. "Rei, is there something else?"

The younger sibling bites down on her teeth. She doesn't know what she was expecting with that, but it still unnerves her nonetheless. She gets up and walks around her room again, not sure how she would ask about this, or even if she wants to. It's a thought that on one hand makes her sick to her stomach, but on the other… those lips, that tongue, his fingers. It's disgusting. But maybe that's part of the allure. Days in and days out, spending hours at a time there. Tangled in an air conditioned room, away from the summer heat. His hands roaming wherever they please. His head sinking lower and lower and her moans rising higher and higher. It's a sickness, and at this point she's not sure if she's even looking for a cure anymore. "Have you ever been afraid of doing the wrong things with the wrong people?"

Suzume props herself against a cabinet, a muddled expression on her face. Now that's a cryptic question. Rei isn't normally one to play mind games like this, but she could mean practically anything by that. She waits, but the seconds tick by and it becomes clear that that's all the information she'll be getting about this. "Well, from the ample details you've given me," she mindlessly ruffles through the things on her desk as she tries to formulate a response. "Look, I'm going to be honest here. You are one of the most morally uptight, ethically upholding, law abiding people I know. Actually, I would say the most. As far as doing the "wrong" things with the "wrong" people is concerned, I trust your judgement way more than I trust mine. But, and I'm saying this as someone who loves you, who fucking cares? You're seventeen, don't you want to live a little? It's okay to mess up and make mistakes, that's life. When I was your age, I did all sorts of wrong things with all sorts of wrong people, and you know what? I'm a better person because of it." She sits back down in her chair and props her legs up on the arm. "You're a good person, and a smart one too, if a situation were really that bad, you'd know."

It takes a moment for that to register, and even then Rei isn't sure if it's truly sunk in or not. Good person? I don't even know if I can be called that anymore. As far as judgement goes, she'd honestly trust her sister's more at this point. For as many bad choices as Suzume may have made, and there have been a lot, she's pretty sure her sister has never gotten involved with a mob boss. "Thank you, for all of this, really." Even within this one conversation, Suzume proves yet again that she knows just what to say. "I'll talk to you, sometime."

"Yeah, most definitely," a rueful voice at the end of the line echoes. The call disconnects and Rei falls back onto her bed. She rolls over and checks the time again; it won't be long until the reckoning hour tolls.

The stairway is dark, but that doesn't matter. Each step is laid like bricks onto the ground. Voices faintly carry conversation from the kitchen. Is it some weird kind of irony that the kitchen is the only room with the lights on? She draws closer to the end of the hall, readying herself for what's about to come.

It's like any other night, her parents are standing over by the stove, preparing dinner she'd imagine. "Hello Rei," her mother greets her as per usual. There's no response, and immediately the flags are raised. "What is it?"

She faces them, making sure to keep her head level. "I'm not attending university in the fall." The looks on their faces, the way they don't say anything even though she knows they want to, what would you call that? Anger? Disbelief? Disappointment? It's tough to say really. "I don't want to go to university anymore. I want to stay at my job. I withdrew my enrollment earlier today."

"No, you didn't."

"I did, right before you guys got home."

"What is this, are you trying to be rebellious or something? You are absolutely not serious about this. You are going to go and apologize and –"

"I don't want to go to college anymore, not right now." She observes the unmoving expressions on their faces; she may as well be talking to statues. "I need to stay in Yokohama."

"I knew that job was a mistake," her dad sneers to his wife.

"Why? Because you can't stand me being happy?"

"Rei." Her mother's tone strikes something within her, making her want to sit down, but she knows that that would be a mistake. "Why are you so insistent on throwing away your future like this?"

"I'm not throwing away my future. My job is amazing and I absolutely love it. What reason do I have to go to college right now? There's nothing I want more than this job."

"Stop," her dad interjects. "We've heard enough of this. You are too young."

"Too young to what?" she interrupts him. "To think for myself? I'm not saying that I'll never go to university. It's just that right now it's not what I need."

The scowl on her dad's face only worsens. The lines on his forehead crease, his lips become tighter, and his arms are struggling to keep still. He breathes through his nose, and she swears she can see steam coming from his ears. He slams his hand on the counter, then marches straight past her to the phone. The device is yanked from its holder as he takes it and storms into the other room.

Now with her father gone, Rei takes a seat at the table. Her mother paces around the kitchen in a way that makes her more than uneasy. It's never a good thing when she gets like this. "Not what you need, huh?" her mother stops moving and stares right at her, her hands splayed out on the countertop. "What's going to happen in months or years from now when you change your mind again?" She crosses her arms over her chest, "I just don't know what's gotten into you. You used to talk about this incessantly; over and over again you'd say that this is exactly what you want. You graduated this spring just so you can start a year early."

"I know," it takes everything in her to hold her mother's gaze. "It's been what I've wanted since before I can even remember." Her voice solidifies, "but I've found something that I want more."

"And then what?" her mom shakes her head. "What happens when you once again find something you want more? Do you ever think about these things?"

Rei stays silent, not sure what to say. Ever since the start of the summer, things have been so different for her. It's all just been happening with little time in between to really think about it. This is what she wants, isn't it?

Her father comes back into the room, phone in hand by his side. Not a word is spoken as they watch him put it back. He turns around and stares down his daughter. "You're set in this decision?"

It has the inflection of question and the tone of a statement. She stands up to face him, "yes."

"Alright then," his voice comes out shakier than he'd hoped. "Pack your things."

The beat in her chest is the only thing she can hear as she looks from her father to her mother. Her face matches his: settled and unwavering. Maybe in the back of her head she knew that this was what was going to happen, but even so, it did nothing to prepare her. Her face tightens up, and she has to turn away from them to stop whatever reaction it is that's clawing at her. She stares down the darkened corridor, only giving them a single head nod before heading out of the kitchen.

With only the light from the hallway on, her room looks bleak and grayed out. She steps inside and flips the switch on. It looked better before. The door shuts behind her and she feels herself sinking against it. She sits on the floor, her hair hiding her face. I've done it. I've really done it. I've ruined my entire life in the span of a single afternoon. What am I going to do? Maybe if I beg admissions, if I beg my parents. Tears build up in her eyes, ready to leave at any moment. She wipes at them and gets up. No, not here. I can't cry here.

All the things she's known in her life, the walls and curtains she's taken for granted. It's so surreal, knowing that this may be the last time she sees them all. Laid before her is a suitcase, a backpack, and her messenger bag. One by one things are discarded into the bags; for every item that's put in, there are at least three more that she picks up and puts back down. Is it sad? Is it melancholy? Oh, it definitely is, but that doesn't matter now. Every memory of every thing, it gives her a new understanding. There's no way she could stay here. She packs the things she can take and steps out of the door frame. Looking back at her now childhood room, all the feelings of the day fly at her; the longer she stares, the worse it gets. She turns out the light and shuts the door.

The lights in the halls of the house are on now, even if it feels like they aren't. At the bottom of thestairs she meets her parents. Their arms are crossed and their stances are firm. But she knows them too well. It's the sadness in the silence, that's what speaks for this moment. A nod and a bow, that's all that's left to give before she opens the door.

It's still summer, is it not? She walks down the stairs, unable to tell if it's the late afternoon breeze or not. Halfway down, a lock clicks behind her. She stands still, having to force herself to not look back. It's only a pause though, and she soon continues on her way.

The twilight sky hangs in the air, but the streets feel pitch black. The street lights overhead glow softly, preparing for the night that's about to come. Are the sidewalks always this empty at this time of day, or is just in her head? It's a scary feeling, wandering these streets with no destination. She's lived in this city for her entire life, yet she's never felt so lost before.

As a child she loved going to the park, but now it's so empty. The playground is vacated, the wide field where people played all sorts of games is deserted, it's all so hallow. She plops herself onto one of the benches. As soon as her body connects with the cold wooden structure, a tear falls onto her lap, then a second one falls, and then a third. Within seconds she's crying like a crazed person wallowing to themselves in a public park. "I-I I c-ca-can't d-do th-th-this-s. M-my par- my p-parents were right-t." It was all a mistake. A giant failure of a mistake. Thinking that she could somehow do this. That she's not just some dumb kid who has no idea what she's doing. Her hands scratch at her face, trying to keep some semblance of dignity. There's nowhere to go; she may as well fall asleep on the park bench.

What time is it? Who knows really. It could be minutes later, it could be hours. Eitherway it's night now. The sky is black and the city is illuminated by building lights. All those people with somewhere to be. The tears are gone and her face is dry. She gets up and gets her things, it's going to be a long night. The street lamps act as her guide as she heads off to… somewhere.

Even with a pitch black backdrop, all it takes is a single light to recognize the building. Traffic lights flash in a curious syncopation. Cars brake, and perhaps the rest of the world does too. Each step feels laid in cement as they head toward the solely lit room on the fifth floor.

Yukichi Fukuzawa sits at his desk, lulling over some miscellaneous papers. The ceiling light shines on, but still he keeps a candle burning at his desk. The window is cracked open and a black and orange cat strides in and out of it leisurely. A knock resonates against the door. He sets his pen down, but doesn't say anything. The cat jumps down from the window and perches itself on top of his desk. The door creeks open and the unexpected visitor enters the room.

"President Fukuzawa." It's her regular greeting, but it sounds different this time. It's meek and nervous, much more like when they first met. "Are there any rooms available?"

His eyes reflect like steel, sharp and cutting all the way through. The cat hangs its tail off the side of the desk, swinging it from left to right. The atmosphere of the room is calm and serene even though the rush of city nightlife can be heard loud and clear through the open window. A wooden drawer slides open and a small manila envelope is taken out. On it is "204" written in sharpie. She gives him a polite bow after he hands it to her, then takes her leave.

The door closes with a whisper, the ambiance of the room unshaken. The agency president watches it, but only for a moment before he returns to his writing. The cat strolls back to the window, weaving in and out of it. Like a picture, the same in the beginning and the end.

A key falls from the envelope into her hands. She gazes upon the door marked with the matching "204". A breath is taken to steady herself as she turns the lock.

The light flips on, and maybe a breeze along with it. This is my home now. Everything about it is different from Haruno's place. Comparing the two, she wouldn't even believe that they belonged to the same building. Even with the light on it's not all that bright, though there is a window right by the door, so maybe that's where the light's supposed to come from? Everything is plastered in either yellowish white, yellowish green, or yellowish brown. She examines the room for a bit, quickly making a note to go shopping in the morning.

There's a coat closet to the right when you walk in, and the kitchen is also on the right right after it. On the wall between the closet and the kitchen is an old radio. The kitchen has all of the standard appliances already in it, and a counter that separates it from the rest of the room. The rest of the space is a living room, with a couch, a chair, and a TV from maybe the 1990s. There are no lamps, or rugs, or anything of that sort. Two doorways lead off from the living room, one in the back and other to the right.

Heading straight back leads to a bedroom. It's structured exactly like the living room, except there's bed and a dresser instead of a couch and TV. The bed feels cold, and not just temperature wise. The covers feel as though they've been stuck in a freezer, which is especially weird considering it's nearing the end of August. And it's not only the bed, the entire room just seems so… sad.

She gets up and leaves the room to check out what's behind the other doorway off of the main room. This leads to a small hallway with a door at each end. To the right is a bathroom with the standard shower, toilet, sink get up. It looks a little run down, but nothing too bad. Through the other door is an empty room. Nothing's there but the floor and the walls. She shuts the door and heads back out to the main area.

Alright, it's not too bad, it just needs some fixing up here and there. Her hands swing back and forth as she walks into the kitchen. This is manageable. I can handle this. She opens the refrigerator door. Oh right, I have no food. The door shuts tight and she walks over to the living room and flops onto the couch, wherein she immediately learns that this couch is not one that's meant to be flopped on. She lays there in the dimly lit room, listening to all the nothing that's offered. The door and windows are closed, barricading her from the outside world. It feels secluded, and isolated, and lonely. Is that the worst part? It's not being afraid, or unprepared, or sad, it's loneliness, just loneliness. For all the times she's been alone, this is the first time she's truly felt alone.

She gets her phone out and scrolls through it. Haruno and Naomi are sure to still be up. Her fingers dance between the two contacts, waiting for the command to call. They eagerly hover over the screen, but their eagerness is cut short as they simply lock the phone and put it away. The dim overhead lights cast down on her, only adding to all of it.

She gets up and walks over to the radio on the wall. The buttons don't work and the music doesn't play. A deflated sigh escapes into the air. From out of the window, the city looks so clear. The lights of the skyline seem as though they're only there to mock her. How nice would it be, to have company? It's amazing how close yet distant it all is. Haruno lives on the other side of me. I could just walk over there. The silence and darkness of the room contrasts beautifully with the vibrancy of what's right outside of it, beautifully at least to some people that is. Rei casts the sight away and leaves the window to get something from her suitcase. The door sways open and she looks back, her face devoid yet cracked. The light shuts off and the door swings closed.