Aren't you lucky? Two chapters at once?! Well, I know last chapter wasn't really a Shizuko chapter, but it was cute anyways. Now enjoy! Drama starts to happen in this chapter…real bad drama.

Before I knew it our days in the Maldives were up and we were packing our bags to leave. I had never had a real vacation before, and had never known what an amazing experience it could be. To say I was lucky and grateful was a horrid understatement.

I gently folded my possessions, carefully placing them individually into my suitcase. Next to me Haruhi was doing the same, counting her items as she stacked them to make sure she was not forgetting anything. I grabbed the last of my shirts from my drawer and folded them as well, then double-checked our shared bathroom for any lost articles of clothing or other overlooked belongings. Once I was satisfied everything was tucked away in my case, I zipped it up and propped it near the door to the room.

"I can't believe we're already leaving. It feels like we just got here yesterday, right?" Haruhi fell back onto her bed. I shook my head sadly. I knew it was necessary to go back to Japan, but there was so much more I wanted to do and see here. This one trip had sparked an interest to travel, to get out and see more of the world. After eight years in an orphanage, I felt I deserved some time to travel anywhere and everywhere.

A knock on the door pulled me from my thoughts. Haruhi and I looked up at the same time to see Mori standing in the doorframe.

"The boat is here," he stated. If I was not mistaken, I could hear a hint of remorse in his voice. So Haruhi and I are not the only ones sorry that our time is up.

Haruhi and I looked around the room that had been our home for the last few days and smiled, then smiled at each other, each knowing we had made some great memories here. We each grabbed our respective bags and wheeled them out into the main living space where the rest of the group was waiting.

The boat that had taken us from the airport to the resort the few days prior was waiting at the end of the dock to make the return trip. We loaded our belongings one by one then took a seat in the small ferry. As I looked back out over the clear blue waters I felt Mori's hand slip into mine, giving it a quick squeeze. He idly let his thumb brush over the back of my knuckles in a comforting manor, and I lay my head on his shoulder. A member of the resort staff released the moorings and moments later the boat was speeding across the water to the airport once more.

"Shizuko! You're home!"

Chizu immediately pulled me into a hug as I stepped through the door. Mere moments later I felt two pairs of small arms wrap around my legs.

"ShiShi's home!"

"Don't ever leave me again!"

I giggled and scooped Umeko up into my arms for a big hug. I planted a kiss on her cheek then set her down and repeated my hug and kiss combination with Akane.

"Alright darlings, why don't we let Shizuko go say goodbye to her friend? We can take her bags upstairs in the meantime ok?" Chizu picked my suitcase up and ushered Umeko and Akane out of the room, leaving me alone with Mori.

I crossed my arms and walked over to him. He pulled me into a hug, resting his chin on top of my head and rubbing my back. I wrapped my arms around his waist and hugged him back, sad to be leaving him after the days we had just spent together. I was slowly falling in love with the feeling of having a boyfriend, although that might have also been me slowly falling in love with Mori. He kissed the top of my head and I reluctantly pulled out of his grasp. I took my turn, standing slightly on my toes to move my arms from around his waist to around his neck, and placed my lips against his. We stood there in the lobby, our lips moving together gently as we embraced. My heart was racing, beating a million miles a minute, and that was when I knew I was indeed falling in love with the man in my arms. I realized we had only been a couple for about a week, but something inside me just knew I was meant to be with Mori.

Behind us I heard some small giggles and some coughs followed by an "ahem". Mori and I pulled apart, sporting matching blushes across our cheeks.

"Thank you Mori for delivering Shizuko back to us, but it is getting late and I think you should be on your way," Chizu smiled at us.

Mori bowed his head and gave me another quick hug and a peck on the cheek before leaving through the front door. As soon as the door fell closed behind him, I turned back to Chizu and pouted, my arms across my chest. Chizu burst out into laughter, serving to only make me pout more.

"Oh you are so much fun to tease!" Chizu continued to laugh, making Umeko and Akane laugh as well. A smile soon worked its way onto my face too; Umeko and Akane's giggled were just too cute. Eventually all laughter died down and Chizu shepherded me into the dining area, telling Umeko and Akane to go finish their schoolwork.

We sat and drank tea while I told her all about our vacation, as well as showed her a slideshow of all our photos that Hikaru and Kaoru had put together during the flight back.

"Well, it looks like you had a marvelous time. Still, it is nice to have you back. Jin and I didn't realize what a help another pair of hands was until you left!" Chizu smiled at me, wiping a hand across her brows. She pulled me into a hug, which I returned gratefully. Suddenly she pulled away with a quick cry of, "Oh!"

I looked at her curiously, waiting for her to explain.

"Roísín called a few days ago and asked me to send you over to her apartment for some more lessons before school started again on Monday! I had almost forgotten!"

I smiled, excited at the prospect of seeing Roísín again. It had only been a week since I had last seen her, but I had definitely begun to feel a distinct lack of bubbly personality in my life.

"I w…will go to see h…her tom…morrow," I replied with a nod, and a yawn. "R…right now I n…need sl…sleep."

Chizu stood up and put her hand out for me to take hold of. I grabbed onto it, letting her pull me up from my seat, and leaned down to hug the shorter woman.

"Yes, yes, you've had a long day and you deserve some rest. So off to bed missy!" She gave me a slight pat on my back as I turned towards the door. As the door was about the swing shut behind me, I heard her call out, "And actually go to sleep! Don't even think about starting a new book tonight!"

I smiled and giggled. She knew me too well.

The next day I woke to the sounds of little giggles before being pounced on. I sat up and pulled the tricksters down on top of me, eliciting more giggles from Akane and Umeko. Eventually we all rolled out of my bed and I helped the young girls into their uniforms. As I was going to see Roísín today, I didn't need to wear mine and instead quickly dressed in a pair of forest green jeans, brown knee high boots, and a loose tan sweater (all provided by the twins), before sweeping my hair into a styled side braid and grabbing my normal messenger bag. I hurried downstairs to grab some breakfast and found Chizu and Jin already warming up copious amounts of food. I smiled and sighed – it was nice to be home.

I helped Chizu set the table while Jin finished putting the last touches on breakfast. Around 8:30 the rest of the children started to pile in and rush the table to get a seat. I grabbed an apple and took this as my cue to head out.

"Here's her address, she's only a few blocks away so you should be fine to walk there!" Chizu handed me a slip of paper. I looked at it briefly then pocketed it, the address already cemented in my brain. I picked my bag up from the back of my chair, gave Chizu a hug, and swiftly left the kitchen. Moments later I was outside and headed down the street, my messenger bag swaying at my side and the breeze playing with the few strands of hair that had fallen free of my braid.

As I walked I ate my apple, thinking on everything that had happened to me since I had met the hosts – and that was quite a lot. I had gained friends, a proper education, a boyfriend, most importantly my voice back. I owed then so much. I turned a corner and an apartment complex came into view. Block B, Floor 3, Apartment #12, I thought to myself.

I walked past block A and found block B easily, then climbed the stairs to reach floor 3. Soon I was knocking on the door of apartment #12. A few moments passed before the door swung open and Roísín, with a mug of steaming tea in hand, ushered me in.

"Please, place your bag anywhere! You can leave your shoes by the door and take a seat on the couch! Do you want some tea?" she rattled off quickly.

I nodded and answered with a polite, "Yes please."

Roísín clapped her hands together and squealed. "You sound so good Shizuko!"

I smiled and blushed, the complement meaning a lot to me. I would not have been where I was without her help, anyways.

I sat down on Roísín's low, cream-colored sofa and waited for her to return. She came back into the room with carrying her mug, another pale blue mug in her other hand. She placed them down gently on the table in front of us and pulled a chair closer.

"So, how was your trip?" she wiggled her shoulders and winked at me.

I blushed, knowing what she was implying. She just laughed and tapped my knee. "Don't worry, I'm only teasing you."

I rolled my eyes. It seems like everyone wants to tease me recently. I picked up my mug and took a sip as Roísín finished laughing.

"Alright then, should we do a little work?" she sighed, finally composed. I shook my head and she clapped her hands together again.

For the next hour or so we carried conversations, practicing with different speech patterns and such as we usually did. We refilled our tea mugs frequently, chatting like old friends, interspersed with rhythm, jaw, and vocal chord exercises. Eventually we decided to break for lunch.

"So, Shizuko, is sush…" A knock at the front door cut Roísín off. "Hmm, that's odd. I wasn't expecting anyone else today. Shizuko, think about food while I go check on whoever is here. I'll be right back!" She left the room and I, phone in hand, was about to search for sushi shops nearby, when all of a sudden I heard her gasp and in a hushed cry call out to me, "Shizuko! There's a door just to the side of the couch, go hide! Quickly!"

My heart started to race as my eyes darted around the room, falling on the only door in the room. I leapt up, pulling the door open swiftly and pushing myself as far back into the coats and boxes as I could. I held my breath and pushed farther back into the corner as I heard Roísín pull the door open.

"Tatsuo, what are you doing here?" I could hear her asking, her voice steady but nervous.

"Oh Roísín," a deep, gruff voice answered, "I just came to see my favorite daughter. Why don't you let me in?"

That voice…why does it sound so familiar? I thought to myself. I took quiet deep breaths, trying to calm my speeding heart. My vision started going black and I started getting dizzy as I was hit with an onslaught of memories of the last time I had hidden in a closet. My mother waking me up…crashes…crying…can't breathe, can't breathe…two frightening men…my mother being stabbed…my mother dying in front of me…blood…sirens…gone forever…

And that was when I realized why the voice was so familiar. This Tatsuo…Roísín's father…he was one of the men who had murdered my mother all those years ago.

DUN DUN DUN