It's midday now as the late summer Sun holds in the sky. Softly, a breeze whiffs through the streets, doing all it can to dissipate the light humidity in the air. "Alright, we're here," a tall blonde haired man skirts to a stop once he's reached the edge of the lot. His breath is short, and his hands collapse onto his knees.

A girl runs up from behind him, coming to a halt once they're standing side by side. She catches her breath and surveys the lot with an uncertain perplexity. "Um, Mr. Kunikida sir," she says as she begins to walk around the area, "there's nothing here." Indeed, the area is rather empty. Along the perimeter there are a few buildings, but that's pretty much it. The lot itself is nothing but paved cement with a few posts around and some shrubs along the edge of it.

"It appears so," Kunikida regains his composure and takes a few steps forward on the pavement. He examines the scene with a keen scrutiny, surely they're missing something. There aren't even any signs that someone's been around there recently. When the agency got the call, it was said to be an emergency, that they had to have agents sent immediately. There was supposedly a violent gang outbreak, but that hardly seems to be the case. The blonde's eyes narrow in at a post in the center of the lot.

"Sir, over here, there are some tracks." He stops as he's midway to the post to check out his partner's discovery. Certainty enough, there is a faint track of mudded footprints along the end of the lot, right near a short tuft of grass. "There's only one set of prints though. I thought K6 was notorious for being a pack gang." Rei kneels down closer to the prints, "look at how faint they are."

"Yes, but also notice how clean they are," the older man speaks in a deeply pensive manner. "Every step is laid out perfectly ahead of the one before it."

"A cover up?" the girl offers.

"It's inconclusive," he shakes his head, knowing that the tracks don't present any kind of definitive answer. He only gives them a few more seconds of thought before wandering back over to the post. "Look here, something was taken off of this board."

Rei makes her way over to the post. Every part of it is covered with papers, except for a blank spot right in the center. "A missing poster?" She stares inquisitively at the odd section out. The papers surrounding it aren't anything of note, just some personal ads and fliers for businesses. They're mainly for shops in central city. She examines the area around the lot again, this is really the only thing astray, if it can even be considered that. "Could this have been a set up?"

The scowl on Kunikida's face deepens as he paces in the area between the post and the footprints. "It could be, but we shouldn't be drawing any conclusions yet. Let's regroup with the others before making any conjectures."

The girl nods in agreement with her superior, and then they turn around to head back to the agency building. As they're leaving the lot, a low, but not so quiet, grumbling sound gears the blonde's attention towards his subordinate. He gives her his usual look of impatience, though this time it's accompanied by the slightest hint of amusement. "Aha," she replies sheepishly, "sorry, I guess I didn't really have that much to eat this morning."

A second stomach rumbling comes about, though this time it's not from her. Kunikida's face reddens as now it's Rei's turn to give him an amused look. "I guess I didn't either," he speaks in a composed manner as his face returns to its usual color. He checks his watch, "I suppose we have time to get something on the way back; we'll have to wait for the other's finish anyway."

A bell rings inside the bubbling shop, signaling the arrival of some new patrons. From the colorful furniture, to the energetic pop music, to even the pattern on the floor, the entire atmosphere can only be described as vivacious. The bright fluorescent lights bounce around the room, making the vibrant neon pink and green walls pop while highlighting the assortment of framed paintings on the wall. The place is packed; there are only about three tables left in total between those in the building and the ones set up outside. Ample conversation resonates in and out as Rei stares at the big overhead menu, her eyes sparkling with wonder. "Wow... this is… this is more incredible than I had ever imagined. I feel as if I'm experiencing religious enlightenment." Ramen, udon, soba, somen… there's just so many, and it doesn't ever seem to stop.

"I'm surprised you haven't been here before," a deep voice next to her comments. "It's been open for at least a week."

Her eyes gloss over the large block of text as she tries to decide which item to pick while her ears barely pick up on what was said to her. She looks off from the menu to the man standing by her, surprised by how close he is; though it's not really surprising considering that he'd have to be that close for her to hear him. "Really?! I heard they were opening a shop in Yokohama, but I hadn't realized it'd been a week," her voice raises itself naturally. "I've been meaning to go, but I've been busy with the move and stuff." In front of her, one of the registers opens up and she dashes right over to it.

Kunikida watches on with worn eyes as she gives her order. Was it the right decision, to have her join the agency? It was, but at what cost? He's known her for years now. He knows that she's smart, but her naivety gives her an odd childlike quality. I had never meant for this job to come between her and her parents. A buzz vibrates in his pocket, taking him away from his thoughts. His eyes quickly read over the message before he puts his phone back and walks up to Rei at the counter. "Get it to go. Yosano and Tanizaki are starting to head back."

The office door swings wide open to Rei's not so gracious hand. She waltzes in rubbing her stomach, "man, those were some really good noodles. Don't you think so Mr. Kunikida?" She throws her cup away and plops down onto her seat.

"Yes, they were surprisingly quite good," Kunikida agrees as he walks in after her, disposing of his trash and taking his seat as well.

Across the room, there are two girls sat by a stack of papers, and a young blonde man sitting on the couch tending to an apple. Naomi and Haruno peek up from their desk. "Oh hey, you guys are back." The brunette clerk walks over and sits at the opposite end of the younger agent's desk, "how'd everything go?"

"Well, Mr. Kunikida and I went to the new Noodle Crown down in central city. It was so amazing! They had such a wide selection. There so many different types of noodles, flavoring, toppings –"

"Yeah," the soft spoken girl chuckles at her coworker, "we kinda figured you'd be excited about that."

Naomi takes a seat next to Haruno, her eyes more so focused on the pensive man sitting at the other desk. "How was the case?"

The detective follows her line of sight over to the blonde man, but then traces back to her desk. "It was… nothing really. There was hardly anything out of the ordinary, certainly not what I'd consider to be a crime scene."

The two clerks eye each other inquisitively, but whatever they were going to say is stopped as the office door whirls open once again. Tanizaki and Yosano step into the room, their expressions just as muddled as Kunikida's. The older agent studies them as they walk over to their desks, already knowing the answer to his question, "what were the results of your mission?"

"It was rather weird, in all honesty," Tanizaki tries to formulate an answer.

"We got to the store," Yosano picks up for him, "and nothing seemed out of the ordinary. So then we looked at the tapes from the security cameras, and it just made things more confusing. There was a group that was there just minutes before we arrived. They were wearing Storm's emblem, but they didn't act like Storm members. All they did was walk around for a bit, then they left."

All eyes in the room switch from the duo to Kunikida in the wake of the subsequent quietness. "Our case was similar in nature. All that was there for us was a missing piece of paper and some footprints."

The agency members present gather around in a circle as they try to get something from all of this. "You think they're related?" the orange haired man poses the question that's on all of their minds.

"What?" Yosano questions back, "these gangs doing really dumb and useless things? This can hardly be considered anything."

The older woman brings up a valid point, but Rei can't help but get an unsettling feeling from all of this. "Why would we get calls about this though?"

The clerks sit side by side, whispering possible solutions to each other as the agents discuss the cases. "Maybe there's something else going on, or they're trying to distract us," Naomi offers.

"Like they're collaborating?" Rei asks in a doubtful manner, "but these gangs hate each other."

"So there has to be something to make it worth it to them," Yosano thinks aloud as she tries to put things together.

"Maybe there's another party, like somebody making them work together." Haruno gives her piece, though her voice is much quieter than the rest of theirs.

"But what is there to gain from it?"

Kunikida clears his throat, shifting the attention in the room to himself. "Let's not make any definitive assumptions, there's just too little for that. We don't even know if these are cases in and of themselves. I'll do the write-up and present it to President Fukuzawa. Until we can make a statement, just be cautious in case this is a string of related cases."

The other six members nod in agreement as they break away. Each of them goes back to their desk and starts packing up for the day. As the members begin to file out of the office one by one, Haruno skips over to Rei sitting at her desk. "You're not leaving?"

"Huh? Oh, I just want to finish up some things before I go."

"Oh, okay, I just wanted to make sure nothing was up." The brunette clerk taps along the edge of the desk as she asks her next question, "are you all settled in? Do you need any more help moving stuff? We're both free, if you need it."

The detective responds as the other clerk gets her bag and walks over to them. "Oh no, I'm all settled in." A warm feeling rises in her as she thinks about how nice and accommodating her friends have been these past few weeks. "Thank you guys, really. It was really nice of you to help get the furniture situated and everything. I know I've made things kinda hectic lately."

"Come on now, we're your friends, of course we're going to help you." The three of them smile at each other, happy to share even just this moment together. The two clerks each give her a small pat on the shoulder before turning to head out for the day. "Bye Rei."

"See ya," she waves after them and they leave. The brown office chair rolls back slightly as she leans into it, not really sure what to make of all of this. Centered on her desk is a stack of papers, but honestly she doesn't care for doing paperwork right now. The only sounds in the room are of that coming from the ventilation. Normally she'd find the silence rather nice since it helps her concentrate better, but for some reason today it feels like a bug that's flying around incessantly. The chair swivels as it pans the opposite way, out towards the window. Should I go? It's not like there's anything for me back there. She sighs and rolls back to her desk to get her things and leave.

The wooden door of the agency building closes softly, the manner of it unorthodoxically calming. Hardly a step is taken down the stairs before a light tap hits her head. She looks up, and there's another tap, and then another one. Oh no. Her hands shuffle around in her bag, but of course she hadn't thought about bringing an umbrella. There weren't any signs that it would rain all day. She walks now with her bag held close to her, not daring to get her papers wet.

The individual drops begin to form into a coalition, now acting as a steady falling mist. The pace of her steps quickens into a light sprint. Her eyes are steadied on the sidewalk in front of her, at least the streets are mostly clear. Traction begins to pick up, but it all gives under as her left shoulder is met with a force coming from the opposite direction. "Oh, sorry," she steps out to the side.

The image of a man crosses her line of vision, and the first things she notices are his pale blue eyes. Their color is soft and gentle, but their shape is sharp and knowing. It's at the same instant that they stop, her with her sprint, and him with his stroll. It's only for a moment, but a moment is all that's needed. He looks older than her, but not by that much; she'd figure he's in his early twenties. His faded brown hair is groomed at the top, but it becomes much less so as it reaches his shoulders. His facial hair is light, and his clothes aren't anything spectacular: a gray sweatshirt and navy blue jogging pants. If it weren't for his strikingly calm demeanor, she'd probably think he was homeless.

He gives her a smile, one that makes her think he's rather not used the sensation. "Sorry about that, miss," he dips his head slightly, then turns to continue on his way. She watches on after him, particularly at the way he's walking; it's so leisurely for being in the rain. The rain. It showers onto her, now in a transitioning phase from a mist to a pour.

Water ripples from under her shoes, each step sending a faster and more violent wave than the last. Her arms are hugged tightly around her bag, trying their damndest to make sure that her work doesn't get ruined. Though that hardly does her any good when she trips over a crack in the ground. Her legs sweep to the ground and her arms fall in front of her. Rain cascades down the sidewalk, running against the side of her shins. She dips her head down and stares at the individual drops falling, her bag still being held against her chest.

The drops in front of her aren't falling anymore, instead a shadow has taken their place. She swipes at the area above her head; there's no water hitting her hand. The sidewalk right in front of her is clear, but even just two feet away the rain is still hitting it. She gets up and turns to the figure standing to her right, "thank –"

The pause between the two simple words extends for much longer than it ever should. Is it stupid and overly optimistic? No, or at least it shouldn't be. Yokohama is a pretty big city after all. Either way, it doesn't matter now. "– you." In an ideal world this wouldn't be anything, a casual run in of two strangers. In an ideal world she would've been past him by now. But if knowing him has taught her anything, it's that this world is far from ideal.

She finds herself looking into irises of darkened honey, hating the way his eyes are able to capture hers. The last time she saw them was weeks ago when they – She tears her eyes away from his, all of a sudden unable to hold his gaze. "I'll walk you back." The words fall from his mouth as if they were being laid onto stone. Normally she wouldn't be surprised by Dazai speaking with such finality, but considering the last time they talked…

Rei turns, not really to him, but more so to the umbrella being held above her. Would it really be that bad? The answer is yes, but… She looks down at the bag strapped around her torso. These papers are important to the agency. It's a moot point, the outcome of this meeting has been decided for minutes now. Not even bothering to give him an answer, she simply saunters along while he walks by her side.

The walk back is as uncomfortable as most would imagine, luckily for them it's not all that long. The steeled stairs rumble under their weight, but it all falls still once they're standing at her door. He lowers the umbrella and stands by as she unlocks the door. She turns back to him, making it so that her gaze matches his.

"It's up to you," he tells her. What a simple sentence, and yet it irritates her anyway. Her eyes glance over at her door. She hesitates, of course she does. The door creaks open at the gentle push of her hand. The sound of him walking in pervades her mind even though she's looking in the opposite direction. Turning back, it's so weird. The image of him in her home. He knows where I live now. She steps into the room and closes the door behind her.

His back is still to her as the door closes, and he only notices her presence after she's already walked past him. She sets her bag down on the chair by the TV, then heads over to her room. "I'll be out in like a minute, you can just, whatever." It's a brief line thrown out there for no reason; she's pretty much resigned at this point.

Her apartment, he's never been in a place quite so… homely. It all feels so close together, which contrasts starkly with his more spacious abode. Most of the furniture is laid out in muted earth tones, something he finds much more pleasant than he thought he would. He runs his fingers along the top of her couch, the corduroy cover feeling very different compared to his leather one. Everything about it, from the tables, to the seats, to the walls, it's all clearly very new. There's some muffled shuffling behind him, the sound itself adding to the mood of the room. "It's nice."

She stares blankly at his back, now suddenly feeling self-conscious about him being in her apartment. Her eyes jump around the room; her place is so different from his. It's less sleek, less pristine, even though her furniture is newer, it doesn't look it. She traces back to him; he's now standing by the old radio on the wall. "I'm not sure if that thing works or not. I've tried it a few times, but I haven't gotten it to play."

She sits on the couch and observes as he fiddles with it. He's so acutely fixated on the device. His mouth is drawn in a tight line, his eyelids flutter in distinct blinks, and his hands move, ever so delicately, around it. His efforts aren't for nothing though; it's only a minute later that the radio comes to life. Music spills from the speakers, its presence changing the tone to match whatever song that's on. The stations switch in a tempoed succession; from pop, to rock, to dance, each song only plays for a few seconds.

Dazai's hand stills on the radio. A slow and soft beat plays. It drops to his side. A guitar thrums through the speakers, though it's barely louder than the rain. He closes his eyes and leans against the wall as the melancholy melody effuses through the room.

"Porcelain.

Are you wasting away in your skin?

Are you missing the love of your kin?

Drifting and floating and fading away."

"Nice song, don't you think?" His eyes are still closed, and tips of his fingers are just barely touching the wall. He looks so at peace, as if he too were part of the song. The ends of his hair are still damp, and the edges of his clothes are just the slightest bit darker. It's got to be one of his more irritating traits, his looks; not even she can stand and say that he's the most unattractive person out there. It's been weeks since they'd last seen each other, and to be honest, she hadn't thought of him all too much since then. Of course she did at first, but after a while everything began to pile up, and the thought of him started to slip her mind. But now that he's standing only meters away in her living room, she has to wonder, could she ever really forget? She leans into the couch, matching his relaxed stance. It is a nice song.

His eyes flicker open as the song draws to its end. He waits a moment before turning off the radio and walking over to sit on the other end of the couch. It could be an awkward moment, but it's not really. There's just too much there and not for anything really. "Rei," that single word, it constricts her like a rope, wrapped and pulled. "Did you sleep with me because of what happened between you and your parents?"

A pause wafts through the air, its silence harmonizing with the rain storm now ensuing on the other side of the wall. Her eyes wander about the room; it's obvious that she lives alone. What is there to say to that? Is there even anything to tell? At most all she can tell him is what she knows. "I don't know." Memory, it's such an unfair thing. For weeks now, she's been trying to bury them, but now that he's there, all of that has gone to waste. From why it happened, to what had happened, to what happened afterwards, it's all coming at her just as hard as the rain is to the ground. "Do you regret it?" The question slips from her, even just asking it again is more painful than it should be. But she has to do it, she has to hear him say it.

"Yes. I regret it, all of it." They are words, that's all they are. Yet she still has to wonder: does it hurt less, being slapped when you know it's going to happen? His words burn through her, but why then does it feel like she's drowning?

"Then why today did you –"

"I saw you and I just had to, go out there." His voice is distant, as if he were out in the storm while she's still sitting there in the living room.

"Osamu," she speaks in a tone akin to a Lily petal drifting through the air, "I think you should go."

It doesn't take but a second after she said it for him to get up. He walks to the door and gazes out at the sheets of rain slamming onto the ground. Lightning cracks the sky. His eyes are contemplative, reflective in a way. "Why do you think it is, that I regret it?" It's said so quietly that she barely registered that he said anything at all. Dazai turns around. They're now standing across the room, face to face. "Why do you think I regret having sex with you?" This time she does hear it, loud and clear, but she doesn't say anything. How can she? He takes a step away from the door. "Do you think it's because I don't want you? Or that I'm not attracted to you? Or maybe because I just didn't like it?" She backs up. "Do you think I haven't spent several days these past few weeks thinking about the way you felt, or what it was like having you under me?" He's now a mere arm's length in front of her. "If you want me to leave, I will. But I'd be damned to say that I don't want to have you a second time."

There's a thudding, and she's not sure if it's from her head or her chest. What is he saying? What does he mean? Everything is way too frazzled for any of this to make sense. What happened to just a few minutes ago? What happened to the whole of these past couple of weeks? "I – I don't understand."

"You don't have to." He's now standing so that they're barely not touching. "Rei." She lifts her head. "Push me away now." She can feel his breath on her, his fingers dancing along her back. Her hands rise and splay themselves on his chest. All it would take is a simple push. It'd be so easy. She looks up at his face. Would it really though? He peers down while she looks up, and doesn't take five seconds for them to meet.

It's a simple back and forth as their lips push and pull against each other. His hand slides onto her cheek while hers reach around his shoulders. They move about each other in an increasingly hungered pace. The rain and thunder outside feel but miles and miles away. She breaks for air, her body trying to catch her breath while her mind tries to catch everything else. "What –"

"You know what." His response is fast and dismissive. He pulls her by her waist and kisses her again. His hold is tighter this time, gripping her so that their bodies are forced against one another's. He backs away slightly so that he can cup behind her legs and lift her onto him. She wraps her legs around him and her fingers wind themselves into his hair. They continue their heavied kiss as he walks them off.

Her head leans back as her back flattens against the wall. His lips plant themselves all along the side of her neck. The feeling of it makes her sigh in a warm bliss. He continues onto her chest, breaking away only to get her clothes off. Hot, open mouthed kisses dance all over her upper body. Her back arches as a series of soft moans escape her lips. By Gods does she hate him. Distantly, she can feel her pants sliding down her legs along with her underwear. The sight of him on his knees does more for her than she'd ever care to admit. A hand taps against her leg and she cooperates and steps out of her pants.

He trails kisses up her body as he stands back up. It's so nice. It's… A flip switches, and just like that everything changes. Her eyes bulge out and she nearly chokes on her own moan as two of his fingers enter her. They curl and twist inside her, and she can't see how they're anything but dripping wet. She leans back as he pulls them out of her, her eyelids heavy and her breathing stunted. He turns her head so that they're looking eye to eye. His hand raises right in front of her and he slowly sucks his fingers off.

Instantly, she rushes at him, only faltering slightly due to a lack of balance. Soon his jacket is torn off, his tie lays as a mangled mess on the floor, and the buttons of his shirt are being ripped apart by unsteadied fingers. The leather belt flies off of him, followed promptly by the rest of his bottoms. She lets out a huff of air. It all happened so fast, she hardly even realized what she was doing. Embarrassment would have to take a back seat though as something else has caught her attention. It isn't until now that she realizes that even though they had sex, she didn't actually get a good look at him.

"You want a picture, baby?" The sound of his voice forces her eyes back up. And embarrassment now has taken its rightful spot as the driver of the car. Her face becomes noticeably redder. She didn't mean to stare, but honestly, there was no way she wasn't going to. He rubs himself along her opening, causing them to groan in both pleasure and frustration. Light butterfly kisses pepper her neck, alleviating some of the tension she has.

He enters her in a smooth and fluid motion. The crack of lightning, the boom of thunder, what's going on out there isn't of consequence. Her fingernails instantly dig into his shoulders. Staggered breathing is all that's heard as she still has to get used to him. Her eyes open just a bit, and she sees that he actually has his closed. Weirdly enough, he mirrors her rather nicely. His breathing is staggered as well and his face looks way more pained than hers does. "Osamu." Dusky amber eyes fall onto her, and she swears her heart nearly stopped beating right there. "Move."

It's a request he doesn't have to hear a second time. His hips swing back as he forms a slow, rhythmic pace. Low moans leave her as the feeling of it all starts to build. She too begins thrusting into him, and things between them grow tauter and tauter. He shifts to position himself at a different angle, one that allows him to bury himself even deeper inside of her. Her eyes close as the feeling rises, that oh so decadent feeling. It grows closer as he moves faster and their sounds become louder. He can feel it too, just as he can feel her squeezing him tighter with each passing second. It's all so close to the end. His hand reaches down to where they meet and he strokes at her clit with a brazened determination. "Cum," his voice is strained and his breathing is weighted, "cum for me." And she does. She cums down hard on his cock, the resulting cry undoubtedly penetrating through the thin apartment walls. And he joins her right as she does. Warm liquid shoots into her as she clamps hard around him, losing himself completely to the blind exaltation.

They wind down from their orgasms and stay standing against each other, the air around them still thick and heavy. He pulls out of her, and she watches as the aftermath of their afternoon activity drips down her legs. "How messy." It's just two words, but it's apparently enough to get a chuckle out of him. His grasp on her loosens, and it doesn't take long for her to discover that legs have been rendered null. She slides down the wall and sits on the floor as he slugs himself over to the table and grabs some napkins. He takes a seat next to her on the floor and hands her some of them so that they can clean up at least a little.

Outside, the storm no longer rages on. Instead the rain has returned to its previous steadied rate. They stare out the window in silence, sitting in the repercussions of what they just did. "Why did that happen?" she asks. It's a good question, it's just a shame that he can't answer it.

The calmed rain slows to crawl. The Sun once again peeks out from the clouds, but it won't be long until it leaves again. "It looks like I've expended my stay." His voice returns to its usual somber way. He gets up and so does she. They gather their clothes and put them back on without speaking.

Dazai trots to the door and Rei follows him. It swings open, but he turns around. He leans in and places a kiss on the top of her head. It was only one moment, but it felt like it could've been an entire lifetime. Her eyes shift upward, but he's already gone by then. She closes the door and moves over to the window. A figure walks through the apartment lot, and her eyes follow it until it disappears past her view. A worried expression rests on her face as that one tiny peck plays over and over again in her head. This is not good.