When Ryo and Kaori reached the door of their apartment, it was already dark outside. Ryo's mind was bubbling with joy, but as a person he was, he couldn't show it out. Kaori as usual opened the door with keys from Ryo's breast-pocket and stepped in the apartment. And then she switched on the bulb of the sitting room with the forefinger of her left-hand out of habit. Nothing's changed, but no sooner did she switch on the lights, she shrieked! The reason was evident. The whole room was full of dust. The carpet on the floor was dusty, the glass on the small center-table had a thick layer of dust, and the stack of hassocks close to the kitchen door was dusty as well. She covered her mouth with the palm of her right hand and went towards the kitchen. There were the utensils just as she had left it. The cauldron on the gas was just she had left it. It seemed that no one used this house for nearly a year. Kaori was puzzled. She went up to Ryo's room. It was all the same there. Her brother's gun was still on the dusty bed, but it was a sure thing that the gun hadn't been used for about a year. The room was full of dust and cob-webs on the floor as well as the walls. "What the hell had happened while I was away?" she retorted, and then with an anger wailing up inside her, roared "RYO!", and as she did, a 1000 ton hammer appeared in her hands as she glided down the stairs to the sitting room where Ryo was still standing unmindfully.
Ryo felt so normal and so mentally at-ease when Kaori took the keys from his breast-pocket. He felt like he could fly into the clouds if he wanted to. Kaori stepped in and switched on the lights of the sitting room. He followed her close-by. The time is gradually nearing; he had to be prepared for the moment. Kaori finished inspecting the sitting room and went towards the kitchen, he was on her tails. And when she went up the stairs, he knew that he was gonna be dead. He recalled the old memories:
When Saeko blurted out the news while he was at the café, Ryo's world darkened in a moment. He was sitting there with a client, but after hearing the news from Saeko, he forgot everything and rushed to the hospital she had taken Kaori to. The hospital authorities refused to show her body at first, but on his constant request, showed him. Ryo still remembers the corpse; it was as if stained with blood. The face was too badly injured to be identified, but the corpse had the locket on her neck when she was brought in the hospital according to the authorities. Ryo took out the necklace from the hip-pocket of his trousers and looked at it. It was the same locket Makimura had left for Kaori. After seeing the locket, Ryo had no further doubt that it was Kaori lying in front of him. His World had no meaning for him anymore. What use was he to the world after losing the person dearest to him, even more than his own life? Ryo repented for days for not being able to save Kaori, but after losing her, he never came back to this apartment, not even for once. He thought that of he did, he could suffocate to death here in this apartment. "Kaori's memories are lingering everywhere in here. Without her I can't stay here." And after that this apartment had never been opened since then. Ryo didn't return here, instead he went back to the rooftop of the deserted skyscraper he lived on, when he knew no one in Shinjuku. It was there that Kaori loved to visit….. Ryo was thinking all this, when he heard the angry voice of Kaori calling out his name. "There goes the normal Kaori. Welcome back Kaori. God knows how much I've longed to hear your voice" thought Ryo, as he saw Kaori gliding down the steps with her famous 100 ton hammer clutched in both her hands.
He came back to his senses and making an idiotic face, asked "I have something to tell you" and then with a serious, darkened brow finished "We need to have this conversation now Kaori…" Kaori was not at all prepared for this, she was taken aback. Never had she seen Ryo to be such serious in the previous six years she was with him. To tell the truth, Ryo is never serious except when it comes to shooting. He can top the best of shooters easily, but what have happened to him. Kaori observed him closely for the first time after having woken up from the never-ending sleep. His face was full of beards, seemed like he didn't have a shave for quite a while. He has become pretty thin. His face, although looks serious, his eyes are glowing with anger. He was serious in his face but his lips had a very faint smirk. "What is going on here?" thought a surprised Kaori.
Ryo closed the apartment door behind him, went near the kitchen door towards the stack of hassocks and drew two hassocks. Then he went towards the window which has full of cob-webs and dusted them well through it. Then he placed them near the center-table and called Kaori to sit on it. Kaori was so surprised that she didn't answer anything, just followed his instructions. After she had taken her seat, Ryo sat facing her and both of them looked at each other's eyes, perhaps for quite a while. When both came back to their senses, Ryo was the first to speak "Kaori, I need you to listen to me patiently and carefully. This is serious. Are you ready to know what happened while you were away?" Kaori nodded in approval.
Ryo started "On that fateful evening, after your accident, Saeko came running to the café to give the news that you're dead. I went running to the hospital, but the authorities won't show me… you know….." There was a long pause, Kaori finally broke the silence "What do you mean by 'That day'? Wasn't it just yesterday Ryo? I got hit yesterday right?" Ryo didn't answer, instead he stood up and motioned to Kaori to do the same. Kaori stood up without a word and followed him. He went up to Kaori's room, and brought a dusty cloth from the cupboard. Kaori recognized it instantly as her most precious top. Ryo proceeded to the big mirror beside the bed in her room, and wiped the dirt of the mirror. It shone again, clean(more or less, nearly) as a diamond. After cleaning off the mirror, he went near Kaori, and tore of both the sleeves of the yellow top she was wearing. Kaori's face flushed with anger, she roared "Ryo! What do you think you're doing? Don't think I can't…" She couldn't finish her sentence as Ryo pushed her in front of the mirror. She could see herself alright, but what are these marks on her arms and wrists? And what is that scar on her forehead? Kaori gave Ryo a questioning look "What happened with me Ryo?" She asked, afraid of the unknown….