"Where's Lyserg?" Ryu asked. "I haven't seen him in a few days."

He was sitting in a chair positioned against the wall. The small patient room was cramped given the size of Tamao's bed, causing seating to be scarce. Manta was sitting in a crouched position on the floor a few feet away and didn't respond immediately to the question.

"I don't know if he's still here," Pirika answered. "I haven't talked to him either."

She leaned her body away from the chair she sat in and rested her head against the side of the bed. They were accustomed to seeing Tamao's limp body now, and her unconsciousness was no longer uncomfortable. She made no sound except for her shallow breathing, and now that the obtrusive apparatus was no longer needed it was much easier for them to look at her.

"He's probably looking for Ren." Manta stared at the floor. "He said he needed to talk to him."

"About what?" Ryu asked.

"I don't know."

There was renewed silence in the room as Pirika folded her arms over the mattress and rested her chin on top.

"Did you hear about what happened?" Manta asked.

"No," Ryu replied. "With what?"

Pirika didn't speak. Manta was sitting behind her; she didn't turn around.

"Ren was admitted here the day Tamao was brought in. I don't know what happened, but Anna was with him."

Pirika tightened her hands and stared at the thin blanket covering Tamao's legs.

"She was with us," Ryu said. "We left her with Yoh when we brought Tamao here."

"No, I mean after that," Manta said with a rushed tone. "The nurses were saying she asked to see her husband, and they took her to his room."

Pirika tightened her jaw but didn't move.

"Why would Anna do that?" Ryu asked with a frown.

"I don't know," he replied. "She stayed there over night and left with Horo the next day."

"Why would she spend the night with Ren?" Ryu rephrased his question and folded his arms tightly over his torso.

"I don't know what's going on with them. I mean...I thought he..."

Manta paused and stared at Pirika's back with apprehension. He hadn't discussed this with anyone except for Ryu and Lyserg, and he didn't want to say anything to upset her. Ryu glanced at Manta briefly and nodded. He seemed aware of Manta's hesitation and scratched his elbow.

"Maybe there's something we don't know," he answered. "We're always in the dark these days."

One of Tamao's fingers twitched as Pirika leaned against the back of the chair with an exaggerated sigh.

"Any other woman would stay as far away from him as possible," she said.

Manta stood and paced slowly behind Pirika's chair. Ryu stretched his legs and bit his bottom lip.

"One of them is lying."

"About...what?" Manta asked.

Ryu was visibly surprised by the question, and he stared at Manta with frustration.

"You were with Anna in the hospital, Manta," she said. "She must have told you the same thing she told me."

"She didn't tell me anything."

"Ren is an arrogant jerk. He's mean, aggressive and violent. But rape is a stretch, even for him."

"Where is this coming from?" Ryu asked the question because this was something he didn't want to talk about.

Tamao's fingers curled softly into a weak fist when Pirika stood from her chair and kicked it with her foot. The chair only moved a few inches, but they were aware now of her anger.

"Anna wouldn't lie about that," Manta said.

"Neither would Ren."

"Have you talked to him about this?" Ryu asked.

"Yes. He denied it."

"Is it possible that they're both telling the truth?"

Pirika glared at him angrily and sat in the chair.

"None of us know what happened. Could there be some kind of misunderstanding?"

"Anna knows the difference between sex and rape, Ryu."

"There has to be an explanation," Manta mumbled.

"I believed her." Pirika's anger elevated her tone. "I thought she was telling the truth because she was crying."

"Pirika, I don't think she was lying," Ryu sighed.

Tamao's eye lids began to crease slowly as faint blinking revealed a sliver of magenta behind them.

"Why would she spend the night with him if he raped her, Ryu?" Pirika's outburst startled Manta, and he stopped pacing. "Manta just said she called him her husband! Does that make sense to you?"

"We don't know anything. That's what I'm saying. We don't have all the facts. All we're doing is speculating, and that won't help."

"Horo might know something," Manta said. "Maybe she's talked to him."

Pirika jumped quickly from the chair again and stormed to the door.

"Where are you going?" Ryu asked.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore," she said without turning around. "You'll take Anna's side no matter what. That's the way it always is."

"We're not taking sides—"

She left the room quickly and slammed the door, interrupting Manta's sentence and leaving them with awkward silence.

"Let her cool off," Ryu said. "She's stressed out. We all are."

Tamao's eyes opened completely. The magenta blankness surveyed the ceiling tiles with an awareness mostly obscure.

"Anna couldn't lie about something like that, could she?" Manta asked.

"Ren is unstable," Ryu replied. "I didn't want to say that in front of Pirika. I think he could do something like that without realizing it."

"You mean...like a blackout?"

"No. Ren and Anna could be seeing different things in the same situation. I'm saying he just doesn't see it the way she does."

"If you're right about that, he's more than unstable. He's out of his mind."

"Yoh?"

The frail voice startled Ryu out of his chair, and Manta held his breath as they both stared at the bed. Tamao didn't move from her position against the bed, but her eyes were open, and the fabric of the blanket was clutched beneath her hands.

"Tamao?" Manta's voice was uneven.

Ryu stared at the woman in shock. He was unable to move and couldn't turn away from her ambiguous expression.

"We have to get Yukari," Manta said.

"Yoh?" she said again. "Where's Yoh?"

Yoh watched the two way mirror with great uneasiness as he waited for Nakashima's return. His hands trembled against the table, and he tapped his foot against the floor in a random pattern. He took a deep breath and scratched his nose before gasping when the door suddenly opened.

"Sorry about that," Nakashima said with a grin and sat in the chair across from him. "There were a few things I had to take care of. You don't mind, do you?"

"No." Yoh rocked his head slowly and stared at the table.

"So let's talk. I want to remind you that you're not in custody. You're not even a suspect at this point. We just have a few questions. Understand?"

Yoh nodded and glanced at his chest. Nakashima's age and authoritative presence were intimidating; he didn't have the courage to give eye contact. The man was old enough to be his father. He didn't want to be scolded or chastised in any way.

"You were staying with your brother for a few weeks. Is that correct?"

"Yes," Yoh said then cleared his throat.

"Why is that?"

"I had an injury..." he paused. "...from an accident."

"What kind of accident?"

"I fell off of Hao's motorcycle and...hurt my leg."

"I thought he sold that thing."

"No, he kept it. I was riding it and fell off."

"So all of those scratches and cuts are from that?" he asked and pointed at him.

"Yes."

"What happened with your leg?"

"I hit a railing. There was a piece of metal that cut me."

"So you were recovering there?"

"Yes."

"I'd like to see this wound sometime," Nakashima said and narrowed his eyes.

"It's my thigh," Yoh said and pointed to his left leg. "I'd have to take off my pants."

"That's fine."

"If you don't believe me, you can ask my doctor. His name is Sakamoto Akira."

"So back to the day in question," Nakashima continued with a dismissive wave. "Why was Tamao there?"

"She came to visit me after hearing about my leg," he answered.

"At six in the morning?"

"She wakes up at four every day. She's an early bird."

"So, take me through the shooting." He leaned back into his chair. "What happened?"

Yoh took a deep breath and clasped his hands together. Nakashima studied his expression carefully with a blank stare.

"There was a man..." Yoh paused and squeezed them. "He was trying to steal something...but he didn't know we were in the house."

"And you startled him?"

"Yes. He ran away."

"How did he get into the house?"

"He came in through a back window."

"When he noticed you in the house which direction did he run in?"

"Down the hallway...the front door."

"Are you sure it was the front door?"

"Yes."

"When was Tamao shot?"

"While he was running," Yoh replied. "He pulled out a gun and shot at us."

"He shot at you while he was running away?" Nakashima repeated.

"Yes."

"What did this man look like?"

"I don't know," Yoh said. "He was wearing a mask."

"Was he dressed in black?"

"Yes."

"You didn't chase him?"

"I can't run because of my leg."

"I see."

Nakashima stared at him silently for several moments. The eye contact increased Yoh's discomfort.

"I want to make sure I have this right," he said. "Tamao came to visit you that morning because you injured your leg in a motorcycle accident. During this visit there was a masked man who broke into the house through a rear window with the intent to steal some of Hao's belongings. He was startled when discovering the both of you in the house and shot at you in his attempt to flee, hitting Tamao in the chest. He escaped through the front door, and you were unable to chase him...since you're injured. Is that the story?"

"Yes."

"That's impressive. Really impressive."

Yoh glanced at his face with slight confusion but didn't respond.

"This man managed to get into a rear window of the house despite the fact that Hao keeps all of his windows locked. He concealed his identity by wearing black clothing and a mask. This disguise was so magnificent he was able to flee the house through the front door, and none of your friends saw him. I mean, they didn't see him or they would have mentioned him in their statements, right?"

Yoh remained silent as his knees trembled.

"He's extremely accurate too. He was able to flee the house while shooting Tamao twice in the chest at point blank range...probably without slowing his pace and without leaving you with so much as a scratch. This guy must be Superman."

Yoh scratched his neck and stared at the door.

"You can change the story if you want," Nakashima said. "Or, do you want to pretend I'm stupid?"

"I told you what happened," Yoh said and briefly closed his eyes.

"Oh, you're done? That's it?"

He didn't respond.

"Kyōyama Anna is your fiancé, right?"

Yoh darted his eyes to the man's face with a frown but didn't answer.

"Then it makes perfect sense."

Yoh was confused. He couldn't hide this at all in his expression, but he was too nervous to say anything else. Nakashima shifted his weight and rubbed his chin before continuing.

"Let me tell you what I think happened. You can correct me with the details, but I think I have the gist."

Yoh mumbled something but was ignored.

"You've been sleeping with Tamao for months. Faking an accident to meet her at your brother's house is from the infidelity playbook."

Yoh's mouth stood agape in an uncontrolled action, and he stared at him with startled eyes.

"No one visits that early. She was probably sick of you lying about leaving Anna or something trivial like that and threatened to blab the affair. You had some kind of heated argument that turned violent, which would explain those wounds. She probably took a knife to your balls, missed and hit your thigh instead. Something inside of you snapped. You took your brother's gun and shot her twice in the chest. Meanwhile, Anna was on her way to the house with her friends. Maybe she found out about your affair and wanted to confront you. But she got there just in time for the gunshots, and there you were...standing over Tamao while she was bleeding to death."

Yoh stared at the table again and clenched his teeth.

"My story is better than yours, isn't it?" Nakashima asked. "Much more interesting."

Anger overclouded his fear suddenly. He felt the itch to punch Nakashima in the face. His accusation was offensive, and he wanted to defend himself as much as possible.

"We're not lovers. She's family."

"Come on," Nakashima sighed heavily. "She was adopted. You can't give me that lame excuse, Yoh."

"That's not what happened."

"Are you more offended by the accusation of you cheating on your fiancé or the fact my story is more accurate than yours?"

Yoh closed his eyes with his teeth clenched and didn't speak.

"I think I hit a nerve. If I'm wrong, why don't you tell me what made you angry enough to shoot a defenseless woman? And don't say you didn't."

"I don't have anything else to say to you," he said.

"Do you have any idea what will happen to you in prison, Yoh?" Nakashima stood from his chair and sat on the edge of the table directly beside him. "You won't last a week."

He placed his hand on Yoh's shoulder and stared at the wall behind the chair. The contact tensed his shoulders, and Yoh stared into his lap.

"My partner thinks you're a good kid. I happen to think differently. You've had all the training in the world to be a criminal. You're Hao's apprentice. Maybe this was your first test. Maybe you've done this before. It doesn't matter."

Nakashima squeezed his shoulder and glanced at his hair.

"You're not above the law, Yoh, and neither is your brother. You're nothing but a filthy cockroach, and it's only a matter of time before I put you out of your misery with my mountain boot."

He released him and stood from the table. Yoh didn't look at him.

"I'll give you time to come up with a better lie," he added then slowly exited the room.

Yoh stared silently at the table and rested his hands against the surface. As he considered Nakashima's words the anger bore through his stomach, and his heart raced with the pressure. He tightened his hands into fists then leaned his back against the chair. The door opened again, although he didn't veer his focus away from the table.

It was Takeda this time, and he said nothing until sitting in the chair Nakashima left vacant. Yoh knew the younger man was staring at him, but he didn't return the gesture.

"Please change your story," he said. "We know you're lying. You don't want to do this."

Yoh didn't reply and matched his worried gaze with an irritated glare.

"Maybe you felt you had no choice. If you could explain it to me—"

"I have nothing to say to you," Yoh interrupted with a scowl.

"Tell me what happened, and I'll do everything in my power to help you."

"I want to see my brother." Yoh stared past him at the mirror as his eyes went blank.

"I can't help you if you won't talk to me." Takeda took a deep breath.

"Where is my brother?" he asked.

"You're not in custody. You're free to leave at any time."

Yoh abruptly stood from the table, bumping the edge of it against Takeda's torso, and stormed toward the door with a brusque pace.

"If you walk out of that door, Yoh, you'll make this worse. You'll be an official suspect, and Nakashima won't rest until you've been convicted of attempted murder."

He abruptly left the room and slammed the door. Hao was waiting for him in the hallway, and his eyes immediately filled with tears.

"Don't say anything until we get in the car."

Horo pushed his head through a white t-shirt and draped it over his torso as he stared at the bed. Although he went there to sleep for a few days he was unable to. He couldn't remember ever spending this much time with her. In fact, he could barely recall any extended conversations with the woman. This was new territory. He wasn't sure how to proceed. There was a soft knock on the bedroom door.

"Horo, are you hungry?"

"No." He opened the door. Anna stood in the hallway with frustrated eyes and took a step back when he appeared. "Thank you."

She walked away without addressing his gratitude but stopped short before exiting the hallway. He joined her at the end of it, and for several moments they stood silently staring at the floor.

"You should eat so you can keep up your strength."

"It's okay, Anna," he replied. "I feel fine."

She entered the dining room and sat in one of the chairs while staring at the table. Anna wasn't nervous, but this was an awkward situation, and she knew she had to discuss it somehow. Horo joined her, sitting in an adjacent chair an arm's length away, and remained silent.

"You didn't ask," she said.

"About what?"

"Ren."

Anna didn't look at him as she spoke. She rested her gaze on her hands that were clasped tightly against the table. His expression would have been uncomfortable to observe. She wanted to know what he was thinking, but he didn't give her any indication of his feelings.

"I don't really care," he said after a long pause. "It's none of my business."

She exhaled weakly and leaned back against the chair. His response was relieving; the awkwardness began to subside.

"Thank you for helping me with...that," she mumbled. "It's...complicated."

"You don't owe me an explanation. It's like I said...none of my business."

Anna smiled and rested her hands. The one thing she always liked about Horo was his simplistic view of the world. He never complicated things; he was never dramatic. Horo was able to give his opinion unfiltered and unbiased. It was something she knew but simply forgot in the midst of the chaos surrounding them.

"Are you going back to the hospital?" she asked.

"Maybe later."

The next pause was longer than the first. Anna could sense the change in his demeanor as he stared at the table, and she lightly narrowed her eyes.

"I don't know what I'm doing," he said with frustration.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"If she survives, what then? There's nothing I can do to help her. She doesn't even want my help. What's the point?"

"You want her to get better. There's nothing wrong with that."

"I shouldn't even be talking to you about this. You've been through hell because of me being an idiot. I'm...sorry."

"This wasn't your fault." She tapped the pads of her fingers against the table. "Tamao's the one to blame."

Anna clenched her teeth briefly as she finished the statement and darted her eyes to her hand.

"But I helped her get away with it," Horo said. "That was my mistake."

"We all make mistakes. You didn't want to believe she was capable of trying to kill me, but it happened. I didn't want to believe Yoh was capable of stabbing me in the back, but that happened too."

She didn't intend to make the last statement aloud, but her irritation forced the words out without a buffer.

"You're still mad at him?"

Anna lifted her eyes from her hand long enough to notice him staring at her, but she didn't respond.

"Good. You should be."

"Yoh is a victim in this too," she said evenly. "She almost killed him."

"Please don't say that to me."

Her expression softened as she stared at him in silence.

"Yoh single-handedly created this mess. He's not a victim."

"Just because he lacks common sense doesn't mean he started this. He didn't tell her to come after me. He didn't convince her to shoot your sister or stab Manta. She did those things because she snapped, and he didn't help her."

"I know this is none of my business, and I have no right to say this to you..."

Horo paused and closed his eyes. His teeth were clenched, but he relaxed his jaw when he opened his eyes.

"Yoh is going to use Tamao's breakdown as an excuse to win you back. If he's seen as a victim, you would have sympathy for him."

Anna tilted her head and frowned but didn't respond.

"Don't let him weasel his way back into your life. Tamao had a breakdown, and everything she did was horrible, but it doesn't change what he did. He betrayed you all by himself, and he can't blame her for that. Don't let him win. You don't deserve that."

The tapping of her hand slowed, but she remained silent.

"You deserve to be with someone who will love and treat you with respect." He gazed intensely into her eyes. "You deserve loyalty, compassion and strength. Someone who will keep you safe and always put your needs first. You should be with a man who would sacrifice everything for you. A man that would gladly give his life for you without a second thought. Yoh is not that man, Anna. And...if you take him back...I won't respect you anymore."

Anna's eyes widened, and her lips parted when a shallow breath escaped them. His words were greatly unexpected, and she was momentarily unable to respond.

"You're one of the most beautiful women I've ever met in my life. You're so smart and strong. You can be kind and patient, but you're not afraid to be bossy. Any man would be stupid not to appreciate you. Loving you would be easy."

Her face felt hot suddenly. She covered her mouth with her hand as the skin flushed with a rosy hue. He darted his eyes away upon noticing her discomfort.

"It's none of my business," he said. "Forget it."

"I'll make a deal with you, Horo."

He glanced at her face again, noticing it was still bright red, but her eyes didn't reveal any emotion.

"I will promise to stay away from Yoh if you promise to stay away from Tamao."

Horo didn't respond immediately; his hesitation warranted an address from her.

"She doesn't love you and never will. You've always known this, and there is nothing else you can do."

"That's not the same," he replied.

"It's exactly the same. You're saying Yoh isn't good for me. I'm saying Tamao isn't good for you."

Horo rubbed his face with both hands and slouched into the chair without speaking.

"You deserve to be with a woman who isn't obsessed with someone else," she added. "You're not destined to be alone unless you want to be."

"If I stay away from her," he sighed, "You would stay away from Yoh...for good?"

His cellphone began ringing suddenly, and he glanced at her while taking it out of his pocket.

"Answer it," she whispered.

He stood from the table and walked into an adjacent hallway. Anna heard his voice but couldn't make out what he was saying. The call ended abruptly, and he resurfaced with a pained expression.

"What is it?" she asked with mild concern.

"Tamao's awake."

There was a long pause as they maintained eye contact.

"We should go back to the hospital." Anna stood quickly from her chair.

"We can't." he said.

"You would want to say goodbye. You should do that."

"I'm going to prison."

Hao stared at the steering wheel as he listened to his brother's rambling for several minutes. The air in the cabin was stuffy since the ignition was turned off, and his silence increased Yoh's anxiety.

"I don't know what to do, Hao. I don't know what to do."

"You need to calm down," Hao said finally. "Just breathe."

"I can't..." He held his chest with his hand. "I can't...breathe...I can't..."

Yoh held his chest tightly with his hands but couldn't stop himself from hyperventilating. Hao turned and watched him for a few seconds but quickly slammed his face into the passenger window with his hand.

"Get a hold of yourself."

He moaned when his head made contact with the glass, and he rubbed the side of his face while mumbling under his breath.

"You're stronger than this," Hao sighed. "You can't just fall apart."

"What should I do?" Yoh asked then took a deep breath. "They're going to arrest me."

"If they could they would have already. They need evidence, and they don't have it. Nakashima wants you to confess. That's the only way he can arrest you now. So calm down, and stop looking guilty."

Yoh closed his eyes as his breathing leveled, and he leaned his back into the seat.

"I'm taking you back to the hospital." Hao made the statement as an afterthought.

"Why?"

"Yukari called. Tamao's awake. She refuses to see anyone but you."

Yoh didn't open his eyes, but hearing the woman's name forced his hands to violently tremble.

"...Okay."