Yoh walked aimlessly down the hallway. His body felt numb; he couldn't clear his thoughts. He wanted to decide what would be best to say to Tamao once seeing her awake, but nothing significant came to mind. As he speculated her reasons for wanting to see him, a terrible chill traveled down his spine. He was still shocked the woman was awake. Knowing she was waiting for him was unbearable. He increased his pace and turned a right corner onto a shorter hallway. The patient rooms were empty and dark as he passed them. After clearing the third space he stopped walking. Ren stood several feet in front of him. He wore a new pair of black trousers and a short sleeved, blue collared shirt, an outfit that had been brought in earlier that morning. He didn't notice Yoh staring at him until he walked in his direction.

"Yoh!"

He tightened his jaw.

"It's true then? Your girlfriend's awake? You're such a lucky man."

Ren's words were saturated with sarcasm, and he didn't change his cheerful expression.

Yoh wasn't prepared to handle a confrontation, but he couldn't control the heat flushing his face. His lips twisted into a disgusted scowl; he curled his hands into fists. Ren walked down the hallway until an arm's length away and glanced at his hands.

"Ah, yes, I remember," he sighed. "You were going to smash my face in? For what, exactly?"

"I should kill you for what you did to Anna."

"You shouldn't throw empty threats like that around, Yoh," Ren replied. "Strangers would possibly think you're serious, but we both know you don't have the balls to even attempt such a thing."

Yoh bared his teeth and closed his eyes as the annoying sound of the man's voice irritated his ears.

"You should thank me for helping you choose between Anna and Tamao. You weren't being fair to either of them, were you?"

"Are you that unstable?"

"I understand you're resentful," Ren answered. "That makes sense. I think you've only kissed her maybe once. Did you really think she wouldn't grow tired of you?"

He took a deep breath, but it didn't help. The heat in his face traveled along his torso and through his limbs.

"You've never seen her naked either, have you?" Ren's eyes narrowed as he spoke, but the smile remained painted on his face. "She's absolutely stunning."

"You're going to pay, Ren. I'll make sure of it."

"Don't you get sick of being pathetic?" He tilted his head. "You sound so bitter and sad. It's eating you alive. You can't stand the fact I've touched her in places you've never seen."

His breathing elevated, and he took a step forward.

"They're warm, Yoh. So warm."

Yoh grabbed his shirt and slammed him hard against the adjacent wall. Ren's smile faded into a blank stare, but his tone didn't change.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "You seem tense."

"I talked to Hao," Ryu said. "Yoh should be here by now."

He sat in the waiting room slouched in one of the chairs. Manta sat across from him and tapped his fingers against the armrest. Pirika paced slowly between them briefly before sitting next to Ryu. She was still irritated from the conversation they had in Tamao's room but didn't mention it. Tamao's awakening overshadowed everything else; she felt stupid for bringing it up now.

"I'll go look for them."

"I want to go with you," Manta replied. "I haven't talked to Yoh, and I think I should."

"Pirika," Ryu asked, "will you be okay?"

"Go find him. I'm waiting for Horo."

Within minutes of their departure, Pirika heard her brother's voice nearby. She smiled and stood from her chair, but when he emerged her disposition shifted into a frustration. Horo and Anna were walking together talking about something insignificant. She wasn't bothered by her being there. Her face grew hot from the image of that woman holding her brother's hand. Although the contact was loose and brief, it was enough to fill her mind with rage.

"Hey, Sis. Where's Yukari?"

"They're running tests. We can't see her yet."

"Okay."

"I need to talk to you, Anna." She brusquely left the waiting room. Anna followed her down a short hallway into a room filled with medical supplies positioned neatly on free standing metal shelves. She turned on the light switch once they were inside and closed the door behind them.

"What is it?"

Pirika clutched her hands into fists. She clenched her teeth briefly but then relaxed her jaw and stared at the floor.

"I think you're a liar," she said.

Anna was confused by the accusation but didn't respond.

"I don't know why I believed you. Maybe because you were crying, and I didn't think you were capable of doing something so human."

"What are you talking about?" Anna asked with a frown.

"How long will you pretend to be a victim?"

Anna glared at her with disdain for several moments, but when her eyes went blank, Pirika continued.

"When we were dating I couldn't keep Ren away from you. It was an addiction. You drove your claws so deep he couldn't focus. But you pretended to be oblivious, making me out to be paranoid and jealous. Why would this be any different? It would have been the perfect opportunity to use him, right?"

Pirika bared her teeth as Anna stared at her with her mouth agape. Silence filled the room with tension thick enough to suffocate them. The women remained locked in heated eye contact for several moments.

"...What?"

"You probably seduced him."

Confusion clouding Anna's brain was quickly obliterated with anger. She stepped forward and bared her teeth.

"What...is wrong with you?"

"You're what's wrong with me! Men gravitate to you. They can't help it, Anna. You have Yoh, Ren...even Hao, but now it seems you need more attention..."

She paused and punched a box on one of the shelves. Anna glared at the woman but didn't speak.

"You won't take Horo away from me! You won't poison his mind. I won't let you dig your manipulative claws into him like everyone else!"

"This is so ridiculous." Anna rolled her eyes.

"I understand now why Tamao wanted to get rid of you. She was sick of you controlling them, and I'm sick of it too."

"Pirika, you're delusional," Anna sighed. "You made this up in your head."

"I know who you really are. Your power doesn't work on women."

"I'm not having this conversation with you." Anna held her face gently with the palm of her hand and wearily rubbed her temple as she turned for the door.

"It makes me wonder what you do with Hao when no one's watching!"

Anna didn't turn around immediately. For a few moments she glared at the door handle. Pirika's elevated breathing disturbed the silence, and she could hear her mumble something hateful under her breath. Anna went back and slapped her hard in the face, sending her to the floor without resistance.

"Are you trying to provoke me?"

"You're closer to Hao than Yoh. Isn't that odd?" She rose slowly to her feet unaffected. "Yoh never touches you, but Hao does without hesitation. I wonder why?"

"You don't know anything about him."

"I can see it in your eyes, Anna. You're sleeping with him."

Horo entered abruptly. "What's going on in here?"

"You're just in time," Pirika replied. "Anna's going to tell me the secret to keeping Hao so loyal."

Anna charged her without warning but Horo restrained her by the arms.

"Whoa, stop!"

"I really want to hear it," Pirika said with a laugh. "My brother would too."

Horo glanced at her with a frown, but his discomfort went unaddressed.

"You're such a whore."

"Pirika!"

"Let go of me." Anna jerked away from his grasp.

"Does Yoh know about this?"

"You're being irrational and stupid," Anna replied. "I don't have the energy to deal with this."

"I'm not a servant you can dismiss, Anna. I'm calling you a liar. I'm calling you a slut."

"Anna, wait for me outside," Horo said.

Anna walked away with an exaggerated moan and rubbed her eyes. She wanted to choke the woman with her bare hands, but fatigue overwhelmed her. This day needed to end.

Horo stared at his sister with confusion and didn't speak.

"If you take her side in this, Horo, I swear—"

"What the hell is wrong with you? Why would you attack her like that?"

"You don't know her like I do," Pirika replied.

"Whatever this is about...I don't care," he said. "Stop acting like a child."

"You're taking her side. You don't even know what happened, and you're taking her side."

"Just stop it, Pirika. No one needs this aggravation right now."

"You saw her with Ren. You saw them together, didn't you?"

He didn't answer.

"What were they doing in that room?" She ignored his silence. "I know you saw something, Horo. Tell me what you saw."

"I won't do this with you. Stop, Pirika. I mean it."

"I knew it!" She shook her fist in the air. "You caught them in bed together?"

He clenched his teeth and turned away. She grabbed his arm.

"Just tell me what you saw! I need to know!"

"You almost died..." He jerked his arm away. "The only thing you can think about is chasing Ren around? I know you're not that immature."

"It's not that simple."

"It really is that simple, Pirika. Do you remember Tamao? Your friend who had a breakdown? She's more important right now than anything else. Attacking Anna won't help anything. Ren doesn't want to be with you. If he did he would be. If you want to keep acting like a brat just go home."

Pirika held her chest. His words were physically painful to hear. She stared at him with weakened, wet eyes and didn't respond. Horo walked to the door but paused. There was nagging heaviness in his chest. When he slowly turned around, Pirika noticed the sadness in his eyes. She knew he was angry; she didn't want to fuel the flames any further.

"She was crying," he said finally. "He was lying on top of her unconscious, and she couldn't move him to free herself."

Thick tears quickly escaped her eyelids. She could no longer repel them, and her mouth stood agape as he continued.

"When I took her home she went straight to the bathroom and puked for ten minutes."

"...What?"

"We're not talking about this anymore." He raised his finger in the air. "If you ever bring it up I swear I won't talk to you again."

He left the room hastily and slammed the door. Anna was waiting in the hallway when he entered. He glanced at her with softened eyes before quickly looking away.

"I'm sorry."

"You don't need to apologize for her," she replied.

An awkward silence interrupted the exchange immediately. Anna wanted to defend herself; for some reason his opinion of her mattered. She didn't want to lose his respect. It was something she greatly cherished.

"I'm not...sleeping with Hao," she said.

He was surprised by the declaration and hesitated before responding. She stared at his neck as anxiety attacked her stomach with small pangs vibrating through her torso.

"...Okay."

"I trust him." Her tone was stressed. "I can depend on him, no matter what. Yoh always understood that and accepted it."

"Okay," he repeated.

"He's my..." She interrupted her own statement as her eyes filled with thin tears.

"You don't have do this. I get it."

Anna closed her eyes and smiled. She took a deep breath but was startled when he gently held her hand.

"Let's take a walk."

"This shirt is really expensive," Ren said. "Why don't you save this testosterone show for a more appropriate time?"

Yoh released him and took a step back while glancing down the hallway. Starting a fight there would draw too much attention and give the police reason to arrest him. That was a headache he didn't need. There was a long pause between them; Yoh glared into his eyes with wrath. Ren folded his arms over his torso as he leaned his back casually against the wall.

"If you're trying to care now about what Anna does in her life," he said, "you're late to the party."

"You think you'll get away with this? Do you really think I'll let that happen?"

"Anna is just as aggressive in bed as everywhere else. Did you know that?"

There was a delayed response in his brain. Yoh opened his mouth but no sound came out. Ren was completely ignoring him. His demeanor increased Yoh's anger.

"You see, that's the problem. You really know nothing about her. Perhaps that's why you're angry."

"I warned you to stay away from her, Ren, and now you'll—"

"No," Ren interrupted. "If I remember correctly, you sent the message through your brother. You never have the courage to confront me in person, so you always beg Hao to do it for you."

There was a brief pause as Yoh paced in front of him.

"That's not pathetic at all," he added sarcastically.

"I'm not afraid of you." Yoh was immediately defensive; the conversation became confusing. Ren's language was often manipulative and misleading. He could change the subject so effortlessly the diversion was often unnoticed. Yoh knew this but never countered it well.

"I'm assuming Pirika lied to you. She took advantage of Anna's amnesia and gave her the same story. I'm so disappointed in you, Yoh. If you think Anna would allow me or anyone else to force her into something she doesn't want, you really don't know her."

"You're a liar." Yoh stopped in front of him. "You always have been."

"For instance, did you know her inner thighs, neck and back are extremely sensitive? If you touch them her face turns bright red. Especially if you lick—"

"Shut up. You've really lost it if you think you can—"

"You're so clueless. Anna was your fiancé, and you didn't know her. It's really a shame," he sighed. "But that's fine. I'll let you in on a little secret."

Ren stepped away from the wall slowly and dropped his arms. He stared into Yoh's eyes with an expression of great amusement and whispered:

"She's a biter."

Yoh punched him without thought. As his fist connected with the side of Ren's face a stinging sensation rippled through his entire arm. The force was enough to knock Ren to the floor, but he kicked Yoh in the leg, causing him to lose his balance. Ren rose to his knees as Yoh fell and punched him in the stomach. He hurled over and grunted something intelligible but tackled Ren back onto the white tile. Yoh punched him several times in the face and head, but Ren kneed him in the groin. He fell over and hit his shoulder against the wall. Before he could recover, Ren grabbed a large section of his hair and slammed his head against it. The blow stunned him for several seconds. He blinked his eyes slowly a few times while trying to readjust his line of sight.

"That was stupid," Ren said. Irritation saturated his voice. "Did you really think you'd win?"

He grabbed him roughly by the neck as he knelt in front of him, digging fingernails into the skin. Yoh grabbed his wrist with both hands, but the pressure weakened the grip in his fingers.

"You're not strong enough to beat me, Yoh. I thought you knew that."

Yoh's face turned red; his eyes watered as he struggled to breathe. Ren released him but followed the move with a hard punch that connected with his eye, leaving an overwhelming burning sensation. There was a disturbing cracking sound that echoed in the air. Yoh couldn't hide the pain in his expression.

"So, are we done here?" Ren asked. "Or do you want to try again?"

"I'll kill you." Yoh's voice was low and frail. Ren barely heard the statement.

"Another empty threat? Sure, Yoh. I'm looking forward to it."

"I'm going...to kill you."

Yoh slowly rose to his feet while sliding most of his body weight against the wall and leaned his back against it. He paused before taking a step away from the hard surface and staggered his feet apart to keep his balance.

"You want to try again," Ren repeated with an exaggerated exhale.

"I'll never let you go anywhere near her again. You'll die first."

"Here's the truth, Yoh. I can do whatever I want, and there's nothing you can do to stop me. In fact, I'll even tell you what I'll do."

Yoh clenched his teeth and took another step forward.

"I plan to see her again very soon," Ren said with a smile. "The details of that meeting are none of your business, but I promise it will be extremely satisfying."

There was a blaring sound of sirens hindering his brain. His field of sight blurred into a crimson blob as he felt his body advance forward. Ren didn't move, although he saw the attack coming. This time was different than before, however. Yoh grabbed his neck with both hands and strangled him as hard as he possibly could. Ren didn't panic; he pushed his face back with one hand and managed to grab a thick section of Yoh's hair with a fist.

"Yoh, stop it!"

Ryu and Manta entered the hallway seconds after the contact, and Manta yelled at him as Ryu ran to pry the two men apart. Although he managed to place his leg between their bodies, he struggled to pull Yoh's fingers away from Ren's skin. Ren wasn't fighting back, but he held Yoh's hair in a death grip, causing an awkward bend in his neck.

"Let go of him, Yoh!" Ryu pleaded. "Stop!"

Yoh heard the voices, but his vision was filled with a fog of red he couldn't see beyond. He squeezed harder until his strength waned. Ryu grabbed one of his hands and pulled it roughly away from Ren's neck. The other arm bent from the pressure, causing Yoh to release him completely, but Ren kept the hair in his hand. Yoh's neck jerked as Ren pulled him forward. He punched him brutally in the head four times before he was pulled away. Ryu wrapped his arms tightly around Yoh's waist and dragged him back a few feet as he began swinging his arms in the air.

"Get off of me!" Ryu's height was a great advantage. His long arms held Yoh secure despite his vain attempts to get away.

Manta stared at him with great worry and scratched his head. He wanted to say something but knew Yoh wouldn't listen to anything at this point. His attention was diverted when he noticed Ren watching Yoh silently with enraged eyes. There were brown strands of loose hair in his fist. Manta stared at it with widened eyes but then glanced at the man standing beside him.

No one noticed Lyserg enter the hallway, but he was successful in pulling Ren away from Yoh. Manta knew if Ren had been allowed to continue punching Yoh in the head he would have blacked out. Ryu pinned Yoh's arms down after several attempts and squeezed his torso.

"Just calm down,Yoh," he said

Yoh was yelling and squirming in his arms, but his outbursts were mostly incoherent. Lyserg stood in front of Ren and gently pushed him back with his hand.

"I'll kill you, Ren! Let go of me!"

Ryu slightly loosened his arms from fatigue, causing Yoh to wriggle free from his grasp. He grabbed one of his arms as Yoh charged toward Ren but struggled to keep him restrained.

"You won't touch him again," Lyserg said.

"MOVE!"

"I'm warning you, Yoh. Back off."

"Why are you defending him?" Manta asked but was ignored.

Ren didn't react at all to Yoh's attempt and continued glaring at him with narrowed eyes. Yoh jerked away, but Ryu didn't try grabbing him again. He stormed toward Ren with clenched teeth but before he was close enough to touch him, Lyserg kicked him stiffly in the face.

Yoh immediately dropped to the floor as the blow momentarily stole his consciousness. Manta gasped when Lyserg made contact; he stared at Yoh with widened eyes.

"He should cool off." Lyserg was staring at Ryu when he said it. "Get him out of here."

Yoh moaned audibly as he attempted vainly to return to his feet. Ryu and Manta assisted him until he was standing, but neither allowed him to walk in Ren's direction. He pulled away from them and attempted to walk on his own but stumbled. Ryu wrapped his arm around Yoh's waist and dragged him out of the hallway. Manta hesitated to follow. He was filled with confusion; watching Lyserg knock Yoh to the ground was jarring. He wanted an explanation, but Lyserg ignored him.

"That was unnecessary," Ren said quietly.

Lyserg glared at him but didn't speak. Ren bit his bottom lip and smiled before changing the subject.

"Did you get any rest?"

"I picked up the phone and came back," Lyserg sighed.

"So you haven't slept?"

"No."

"Then you shouldn't be driving."

"The medicine will wear off soon," Lyserg said quickly. "You need to get home and rest."

"I'm not taking any more pills."

"What is this?" Manta blurted.

This was the first time they noticed him standing behind them. Lyserg's eyes were empty when he stared at him, but Ren's expression was one of slight annoyance.

"Why are you here?" He took a step forward.

"Stop," Lyserg wearily pushed him back.

"What are you...doing?"

"Since you care now about things that have nothing to do with you," Ren replied, "he's taking me home. Is there anything else you'd like to know? Should I write a list—"

"Stop, Ren," Lyserg said. "Come on."

Ren slapped him with a firm backhand and clenched his teeth. "Don't interrupt me."

Silence filled the hallway abruptly, accompanied only by a small gasp revealing Manta's surprise. Lyserg lost his footing as the stinging pulsated through the entire right side of his face, but he stared at the floor without a response.

"I don't...understand." Manta didn't intend to say this aloud, but he was bothered by the exchange. Lyserg's behavior seemed incompatible with the man he talked to only days before. Did something happen he was unaware of? Was this normal for them? Perhaps Lyserg was right; maybe there were things about Ren he just didn't know.

"You don't understand the concept of him taking me home or the fact that you're a nuisance?"

"Ren, please let's just go."

He tossed the hair in his hand onto the floor and glared at Lyserg with irritation. There were no words exchanged as an extended pause lingered over them. Manta held his breath and swallowed hard. The silence was deeply uncomfortable. Ren's anger was intimidating. Lyserg countered it with a bizarrely docile expression.

"Get rid of him," he said and walked away. Lyserg waited until he disappeared around the corner before speaking again.

"What is going on?" Manta asked.

"Just drop it." He rested his eyes along the wall. Manta assumed he was avoiding eye contact on purpose.

"He hit you!"

"Let it go, Manta." His voice elevated.

"What...are you...talking about? I don't understand this!"

"It's none of your business!"

"Lyserg—"

"Go and find Yoh."

Manta stood in the middle of the hallway with a dumbfounded expression. He blinked his eyes slowly as he watched Lyserg exit. Most of the confusion in his brain was now overclouded with worry. There was nothing in Lyserg's language that was particularly alarming, but Manta couldn't ignore the fear he saw in his eyes.