A/N: Sorry for the big delay...sorry, sorry! I might update before the end of the year but I can't promise much...still, hope you enjoy this rather small chapter.

31 / Commercial Barbecue

"Good morning, ladies...and company!" Kotaro Tatsumi walked with purpose, chin held high, not a care in the world. A few bandages decorated his face, a reminder of previous events. "Today is your lucky day!"

Silence.

Kotaro made a face. "Well!? Aren't you curious why today is a very lucky day?"

"No," came the chorus from Saki, Ai, Lily and Genji.

"Lucky, lucky, indeed!" the man went on, completely ignoring the naysayers. "An old sponsor called! We are doing...wait for it...another commercial!"

"Another...commercial?" Renoir repeated, glancing at the girls sitting nearby. Ai nodded.

"Yeah...we had to act in a commercial to be able to afford some clothes for performances," the bandaged zombie explained, before blinking. "Wait, wait…are we doing another commercial for Drive-In Tori?"

"Drive-In Tori!? Hell yeah!" Saki let out a loud cry, jumping out of her seat, excited. "We get to see Kokko-kun again!" Tae let out a small cock-a-doodle-do from her seat. Genji glanced at her with a raised eyebrow, Renoir blinked, unsure, while Sakura and Yugiri smiled at their friend.

"Yes, indeed!" Kotaro replied, grinning. "The owner has enjoyed some increased business the past few months since your beautiful performance and wanted to get a special commercial done for the upcoming holidays!"

"Question," Genji said, raising a hand.

"What!?" Kotaro growled back.

"What is this Drive-In Tori you're talking about?"

"WHAT!?" Saki yelled almost getting in his face. "What do you mean you don't know what Drive-In Tori is!?"

"I've been wondering, too...I do remember seeing a video of it but I can't recall..." Renoir began only to be cut off by an angry ex-biker.

"What do you mean you don't know!? You two totally fail at Saga!"

The two young men exchanged looks, one rather bored, the other mildly confused.

"I really don't care," Genji said.

"I'm from Tokyo...so…" Renoir said.

"Grrgh…" Saki growled.

"Well," Sakura suddenly interrupted. "We...didn't go out much when we were younger…"

Genji's gaze hardened. "Yeah...we didn't have the time…" Only Yugiri and Saki caught Sakura's rather sad smile.

"Oh!" Sakura suddenly gasped as if remembering something. Everyone turned to stare at her. "If Kokko-kun is going to be there...do you think Tae might try to eat him again!?"

"Oh shit," Saki replied, while the rest of the girls sighed.

"Kokko-kun?" Genji asked.

"Oh! That's probably that chicken guy from that video!" Renoir replied, nodding. "So, that's his name...wait...why would she try to eat him?"

Genji shrugged. "He is a chicken."

"That's a guy in a costume." Renoir deadpanned.

"Still a giant chicken."

"It's not like it matters, though," Sakura sighs next to her brother. "I already told her that...doesn't stop her from chasing the poor man…"

"Guess we'll just have to keep her on a short leash or somethin'," Saki replied, shaking her head. "Hey, Shades, when are we leaving?"

"Hmm? Oh! In about...ten minutes...filming starts in an hour."

Saki Nikaido was dead, was alive, was something.

Reiko didn't know anymore.

Days ago, she wouldn't have dared questioned why Number Two and Saki looked so much alike but now Reiko didn't know what to think. That doctor had said her dead daughter looked like Number Three.

What a funny coincidence.

Dead girls here, dead girls there.

Reiko knows she probably jumped the gun on that one.

But it had explained so much.

The woman had never forgotten Saki's voice, her face, her brand of craziness. Only Saki Nikaido could pull off that kind of crazy shit and come out on top. That's how it was when Dorami was still alive.

But Saki was dead.

Saki had told her she wasn't going to die and she went on and did, like a fool, and Reiko's rebellious spirit had died with her.

That game of chicken had been her biggest regret. Saki had been too extreme for her own good sometimes but they wereーhad beenーDorami, they were at the top...and then, Saki Nikaido had hit rock bottom and died.

Had Reiko wanted Saki alive so much she had just accepted that her old friend was alive again when those people came to her door? It had made sense, somehow, someway.

Saki had died when her bike broke through the railing and flew off of that infernal cliff and Two...well, she had pulled the same crazy stunt and come out of it alive. She had had a few scratches, a bit of rips in her clothes, and finally the red mark on her cheek from when Reiko punched her.

But Reiko knew that girl couldn't be Saki, right? Saki wouldn't have put up with that idol crap...Saki was tough, extreme, not an idol.

(but nothing made sense, Saki was dead...so what was Two?)

Reiko let out a loud sigh; nothing was getting cleaned. Dishes had piled up, trash still in bins, dust everywhere.

It wasn't fair.

"Saki...you bitch," Reiko whispered, a few tears fell again before the woman brushed them off.

...Okoba was that reporter's name...right?