Exhausted from the detrimental duties from his own duties, Nao had himself lean against his desk. He let out a long yawn as he let the warmth of his small desk lamp creep over him. Groaning at the sight of his workplace, he glanced over to the phone that lay ideally by for anyone reaching out to him for inquiry. He continued to stare at it, waiting…just waiting.

He reached over to one of his desk's drawer's and pulled out the music box that John gave presented to him. Analyzing it in the grip of his thumb and forefinger, though it appeared rather aged, it still appeared to be very in tact. Opening it, the tune that played was something that he recognized.

"The Dango Daikazou?" He thought aloud.

The phone began to ring, causing him to react hastily as he closed the box and placed it on his desk under the light of his lamp. He picked up the phone, and gave his standard introduction as he expected himself to.

"Principal Nao speaking."

"Hello Nao. It's been a while. I'm on my way as scheduled. You still have it in your possession, correct?"

"Correct. I'll meet you at the front gate."

"Excellent."

It was already reaching the hour of five. Tomoyo and John slowly walked the streets together as Tomoyo continued to keep John by her side, in her line of sight.

One stop needed to be made before they needed to depart to her home. John needed to pack and lock up properly before he could say his goodbyes. Mainly he stuffed a duffle bag with clothes and that was all.

He took his time upstairs though he caught his eye on the pack that he used on the trip. Kneeling down and pushing his hand against it, something hard pressed up from inside. Unzipping the pack, he recognized the object…

"Fuko felt funny when she picked it up…almost as if she knew what or who this belonged to."

Leaning his head against the small bit of plastic he held, letting out a sigh, he decided to put the robot back in the bag, doing so through tears building up in his eyes, the same tears he attempted to hold back.

"John…?" He heard a knock at his door.

He kept his mouth shut and quietly placed the pack in the corner. After a few sniffles, he managed to come back to himself in what he considered normal and stable.

"John, you okay?"

"I'm okay…" John uttered, sitting down up against his bed's surface, with Tomoyo sitting next to him. "I just…" He sighed.

"You're gonna miss this place."

"It's only been a few months, but this is where I spent my time while landing in this country. Even if Dad hasn't been around, and I'm not sure if he even is gonna come around, it was still my own place to take care of. You know what I mean…? You just…" John gulped while clenching his teeth. "You make memories and some things you don't forget. You have to hold onto them. You know how what I mean?"

"I do." Tomoyo said, gently placing her palm over John's hand. "You asked me before what those Cherry Trees near the school meant to me?"

"It's a special place to you…" John sighed.

"It's more than that." Tomoyo replied. "And this is the reason I'm trying to become Student Council President. Why I transferred to that school in the first place."

"Don't tell me they're…planning to remove them?" John gasped.

"They are…those Cherry Trees mean a lot to me, and to my family…" Tomoyo spaced out momentarily in reflection. "John…what were like before you came here?"

"I was…well, I'm the same me. But before that, I didn't really go out much, I avoided people, I didn't really have a passion to follow." John replied. "My best friend in the entire world back home, Jeffrey. He's the one that pushed me to do athletic things and get out more. Him and my Dad always advocated for me broadening my horizons, even if both of them had different approaches."

"I see." Tomoyo smiled. "Well…" Tomoyo exhaled, leaning her head back. "I really resonate with that answer because back then, I was a weak person. I had strength but I used it for the wrong reasons. I took out my anger on anyone I could find, anyone I thought that needed to be taught a lesson."

"Hmm…"

"But the person who opened my eyes was my little brother, Takafumi."

"What's he like?"

"He's a very kind-hearted person. He helped me open my eyes and…" She was lost in thought, realizing the repetition of her words, then refocused. "He was always a good kid but I was a bad sister to him. I never once seen him smile back in those days. And he was…"

"So what happened?"

"My parents weren't exactly on good terms a few years ago. Both Takafumi and I were caught in the middle of our parents about to get a divorce."

"Oh no that's…I'm sorry."

"Thankfully they didn't end up getting a divorce in the end. I mean, I would've been fine with what would have happened if they did but the price we had to pay that night almost cost my brother's life…"

"Damn…"

"He put his foot down and refused to go with either with them. He said that if they were going to get a divorce, he'd jump off a bridge…"

"What the fuck…?" John mouthed so Tomoyo couldn't hear him.

"I've gotten over the incident but at the time, it was shocking and painful. None of us, not even my parents wanted to lose him. To this day, I can't understand why he did it. I doubt even he understood why he did it. We rushed him to the hospital as fast as we could, and it was because of what he did, our family became closer than ever. The wedge that drove us all away, suddenly just seemed to fade away."

"Is that when you…walked down that Cherry Blossom path?"

"Yeah. That following Spring, we walked down that path together when my brother was released from the hospital. I remember just as we were walking, he told me and my parents that he wanted to see those cherry trees together as a family every year."

"Tomoyo I'm…I'm at a loss for words. I'll do my best from here on out to support your campaign. I don't want to see your family fall apart again. Hell, I'm not gonna let the place my Mom wanted me to see all these years suddenly burn to the ground."

Having the courage to reach under her arm, he pulled her close to him and held her in a warm embrace. She accepted the invitation immediately and hugged him back.

"Things are going to get better, John. I promise."

With his head slumping down as hesitation held him in place, he gulped and exhaled as he felt chills run through his body. Running the back of his hand over his forehead, he looked up to Tomoyo at his side.

"Welcome home, John."

Reacting with a gulp, John moved closer towards the door as Tomoyo slowly opened the door and continued to gesture him to move inside, welcoming him into this new environment.

Turning back towards the door, he slowly pulled his feet out his shoes and layed down his bag that he had been carrying over his shoulder. He stretched his arms outward, relieved to have the weight off his back, then heard a young man's lightly toned voice.

"Is…that him, sister?"

"Yes!"

Glancing at the sight of Tomoyo embracing his brother, a sense of security washed over him as he could feel the warmth in the household spread through family that he was admittedly nervous to embrace.

"John, this is my little brother." Tomoyo gestured, slightly nudging him to walk up to John.

"John…?" Takafumi appeared startled.

"Hey there, buddy." John greeted.

"Uh…"

Takafumi stood in silence, shying away from him but accepted the fact that he was going to be a proper guest in the house, so he'd have to get used to him being there eventually. Hearing about the guy that was almost close to his sister's age was already a handful to take in, but now seeing him in the flesh was an even bigger challenge.

"I'm sorry…" Tomoyo snickered.

"I'm sure things will click as soon as time passes," John peered over Tomoyo's side. "Am I right, little man?"

He could visibly see Takafumi's initial distrust with what appeared to be a gulp, but John could feel in that moment to be persistent enough in his introduction, but without pushing too hard so that the kid would start pushing back.

"Uh-" Takafumi was stunned, looking up at his sister. "Okay um, sure…sure."

"Speaking of which." Tomoyo turned around to greet her parents. "Mom, Dad, this is-!"

"The kid." Haru spoke.

"Welcome dear!" Akira smiled.

"Thank you for taking me in. Really appreciate the offer."

"It is…our pleasure to have you with us, young man." Haru huffed.

"Now Tomoyo, dear, would you kindly show our guest his new room?" Akira requested.

"Thanks, Mom!" Tomoyo replied, gently taking hold of John's wrist.

The room he was guided towards was a serviceable space. It was admittedly much smaller than the space he had back at the other house, but John however was already laying out his take on the space he was being provided with.

"Not bad. I really like it! You sure I can stay in a room like this?"

"Well, if you're going to be staying here, might as well get comfortable!" Tomoyo smiled.

"Heh heh…"

Plopping down his bag on the floor near the bed, he simply let himself fall onto the matress and lay there on his back with his arms open.

"Ooooooh, good to be home. I dunno if I'll ever be able to thank you enough…"

"I couldn't let you stay in that house of yours forever, alone, by yourself." Tomoyo gulped.

"Yeah…" John sighed. "Needed a change in scenery, I guess."

He shot himself back up and remained idle as he sat up on the bed.

"I just hope Dad comes back."

"Hey…" Tomoyo scooched over to sit beside him. "Everything will be okay."

"And from the looks of it, me and your family have some bonding to…well, get started on." John chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Hey, no need to rush."

"I hope didn't seem too…awkward with your brother. I know that kid means a lot to you, so I just…well, I guess I can't be Jeffrey."

"Just be yourself." Tomoyo advised, patting his shoulder. "Open and honest. And don't be afraid to ask any questions if you have any."

"Well I do have one now, actually. What does he like to do anyway?"

"He used to run track believe it or not but my brother just…well, he hasn't dedicated to it since the accident. He keeps himself healthy, but he's become a bit more into computers and games, which I was completely in support of since he couldn't really do much while confined to that wheelchair."

"You think he misses running?" John asked.

"I think he does." Tomoyo sighed. "I've been encouraging him to get back out on the field but sadly, we just haven't been able to put the effort into it like we used to. I appreciate the support that he, my parents, yourself, and the others have been putting towards me but I just wish…"

"Well its not too late for him. He can start again but maybe he just needs someone to show him how just like…" Leaning forward into his palms, he pondered. "How am I supposed to go back to the Drama Club like this?"

"You can always start again too, John. It's not too late for us, but all you have to do is take as much as time as to yourself. You can't help others unless you've learned to help yourself."

The familiar associate he was meeting with was welcomed through the gates and back into the school, into Nao's office. In hopes of privately discussing some matters of importance, he showed the man the tiny music box as he removed his coat and inspected it.

He was hoping that this meeting was going to be a quick one since it was already in the dead of night.

"A pleasure to see you my old friend. I wish it was under less stressful predicaments, but let's get down to business."

"Of course." Nao said, shoving the Music Box gently across his desk. "So I went through all that trouble to cover my student's tracks for a music box. Explain yourself."

Carefully inspecting the box, twisting and turning it to make sure it was up to code, he then carefully chose his next words carefully, maintaining his calm composure.

"Kotomi Ichinose's parents were responsible for important research. Research that we had failed to recover after they had passed away. As her guardian and as someone who worked closely with her parents, we have been trying to pick up the pieces since then."

"You left two scientists' work in the hands of…my student? Why Johnathon? Why now?"

"There are some things I myself am not certain about, but what I am certain though is John's mother was special. She had dreamt of an extraordinary world. You know what I speak of."

"Yes, yes, I am aware. Go on." Nao sighed.

"Your student carries that gift. It may not seem like it but he's the answer we've been looking for, a Key so to speak. He has already agreed to work with me in the future, though I can't tell him everything until he's of sound mind."

There was a long silence drawn from a nuance radiating from Nao.

"You knew he was going to break, didn't you?" Nao snarled.

"We were anticipating drastic results, but from what you've reported on, I did not expect this magnitude of stress. He wasn't ready, but we can get him ready."

"Ready for what?"

"Trust me when I say this. There will come a time that things are going to get very confusing, but the only one that's going to be able to make sense of the mess is John by himself. I'm anticipating that after he graduates, he will fully commit to us. All you need to do is keep an eye on him. We've been over this many-a-times, Nao. We work out of sight, since this kind of knowledge cannot be handled by the general public."

"Are you sure you know what you're doing, or are you intentionally being vague with me?"

"The instructions will reveal itself in time. I will meet you again, but for now, I must say goodbye and take my leave."

"But…what am I supposed to do? Lie? I can't do my job properly if you don't tell me what's going on!"

"Return the music box to him. You have to trust me."

There were no more exchanged afterwards. The man had simply gone up and left, drifting Nao into his weary state of mind as he lay on his desk, staring at the Music Box as adrenaline tugged at him like a swarm of sharp needles.

"Good night, Johnathon. I hope this works."