Yumiko awoke up from a panic attack. Energy surged through her veins as the blood started rushing to her head. Her limbs jolted back to life and her fingers popped back up as if someone pulled a switch. Her chest thumped wildly, and it was getting harder to breathe. A small spot in the back of her head started throbbing against her scalp. A migraine.

Yumiko reached up to pat it. They hurted a lot of times, but she was convinced it was no big deal once it subsided quickly. The pains come and go. Just like love.
She moved her fingers around until she had a better feeling of them, allowing the blood to flow normally.

"Miss Redway?"

She sprung up, scanning the room wildly. It was a girl's voice. Who called for her?

It was then when she realized, she was plopped on a king sized bed. She twisted around to check the headboard. The styling.. was too fancy. A golden finish completed the bed frames. The pillows were fluffed, with some feather ends bulging out. Yumiko stared at it. As a child, she always hated them. The way they poked at her when she tried to sleep at night.

She pulled it out, but twinged as she saw it slip from the holes and into her hand. How could something glide easily out of such a miniscule opening?
The pink casing of the pillow didn't seem comfortable. The fabric looked too uptight and firm. Plus, the sham looked like a grandmother's dress. Totally out of style, totally distasteful.

Yumiko crawled to the left side, peering down at the bed skirts. It wasn't until then that she realized... the bed was super huge. The ruffling draped down like a long wedding gown. They weren't too bad, compared to the pillows.

"Miss Redway?"

There was the voice again! But how on earth was she going to get down? The floor seemed like a good four yards away. She loitered along the edges of the cotton bedding, careful not to slip down accidentally. This room was a rainforest of expensive but old fashioned furniture. And she felt more like an ant than ever.

"Miss Redway?"

This voice was different. It was more mellow, softer, and manlier. Crap, it's Tykki Mikk.

Yumiko gritted her teeth and searched around for a hiding place. Should she jump down and hide under the bed?- No way, who knows what lives under there.
She scampered, heading toward the headboard of the bed and dived into a neverending pile of prickly goose feathered filled pillows. Ha, he'll never find her in there!

The mechanism of the door clicked opened and the light thumping of signature Victorian shoes. The sound of the thumping continued on until they reached the end of the bed. Someone sighed- the voice of the little girl- and she felt the weight of the furniture shift toward one side. Just about how much does she weigh?- and how does she get up on such a tall bed?

"Miss Redway, I know you're in here," Tykki sang lightly.
"It is him!" Yumiko wailed, the corners of her mouth frowning.

Suddenly, the pillows she was using were flung out of her face. Feathers flew in every direction possible. When the mess subsided, she quivered.

It was Tykki Mikk, and a little girl who looked like his younger sister.

"Ah, there you are Miss Redway," She smirked. They had the same golden eyes, "We were worried about you."

Tykki stayed quiet, but the same glisten in his eyes never left.

"U-uh," Yumiko stammered, in a trance. She was lost in Tykki's eyes.

"Why were you hiding?" The little girl tilted her head to the side and pouted. Yumiko frowned. She knew exactly what tactic the youngster was using.. because she did the same.

"I-I was..." She paused, trying to think of something convincing other than the truth. She couldn't say, 'I was hiding from you!'. That would be too inappropriate. Besides, if the little girl's looks could kill, Yumiko could burn in hell for saying that.

"I was checking to see if these were all, um," Yumiko grabbed a random pillow and smiled forcibly, "Goose feathers."

"Well, I think some are swan," She smiled, thrusting her little chin up in the air.
"Road," Tykki started.
"Miss Redway," Road chirped, "Why is your uniform so hideous?"

Yumiko's jaw dropped slightly, left eyebrow twitching with dismay. Did she just.. diss her?

"Road," Tykki's started again, his voice raising with disapproval. However, it was still calm.

Her little arrogant chin was thrusted up again, but the smirk never left her face. She looked back at Yumiko one last time, and marched out the door.

"She's a little devil, isn't she?" Yumiko mumbled quietly enough, careful to not let Tykki hear.
"Indeed," Tykki chuckled. It didn't surprise her that he heard.

He climbed up the bed with ease and removed his top hat, holding it close to his chest as he rested his head on Yumiko's shoulder. He was pretty tall, considering the length of his dark frock coat. His suit stretched over the bed, and his legs dangled.

"I know," Tykki said, eye closed.
"What are you, Mister Thick Glasses Man?" Yumiko gulped nervously.
"I am what I am," He replied casually as if it was a sunny picnic day at the park.
"That doesn't make sense, Mister Thick Glasses,"
"Please, call me Tykki, Yumiko,"
"Please, call me Ms. Redway," She looked across the room at the door, so tempted to burst through them and cry for Kanda like an abandoned child for his mother. But then again, she'd rather be cooped up in here than meet that Road girl again.

"I thought you preferred Yuu,"

Yumiko felt him smirking again, and his head moved to look at her face. But she kept looking in another direction, praying that he'd go away.

"My comrades call me that," She said quietly.
"Not the samurai," He said slyly, hinting a move.
"Because he's more than my comrade," Yumiko responded without thinking, but quickly, she recovered herself and sputtered, "H-he's my friend."

"Tell me, Miss Redway," Tykki said, lerching closer to her neck, "Did you really kill that boy?"
"I-" She stopped to flinch at the physical contact. This was sickening.
"You...?"

Yumiko was tired of this.

"I did," She said, pulling herself away from him. This time, she looked at him in the eyes, "I killed Hiroshi, but I didn't do it for the reasons you think. It was an accident."
"Driving a knife into your brother's stomach," He said, picking his words carefully, each sentence dripping with sarcasm, "Is definitely an honest mistake."
"It was," Yumiko insisted, pursing her lips together, "You believe what you want to believe, but all that matters is that I know the truth."

She felt good about herself. Yeah, that's right, she knew the truth. People could bull shit, but the only thing that counts is if you know that they don't matter.
Tykki's left lip tugged into an upward curve. He smirked again, and nodded. He took his gloved hands and clapped lightly.

"Well done, Miss Redway," Tykki smiled.
Yumiko took a second to let the moment sink in. She inhaled deeply, then bobbed her head slightly,

"Please, call me Yumiko."