A/N Thank you for the follows and reviews!

"Fujimon, be a good boy and go and grab us some coffee." Training his gaze on Tachibana, Midori's lips curved upwards into a beaming smile. "My sweet Tachibana, how do you take your coffee? Do you like it black and bitter or with a little bit of cream and sugar added?"

"Black, no sugar." She said bluntly. Even though she was utterly furious with him, she could never turn down a free cup of coffee, it was the nectar of the gods after all.

Fujimoto nodded his head and ran off into the distance to grab their drinks, leaving the two of them alone. A heavy atmosphere hung between them, one that was mostly being caused by Tachibana's rage at being dragged out of the hairdressers, it had been a mortifying experience for her.

Now, her patience had all but worn out as she waited for Midori to explain himself but instead of apologizing he just continued to smile down at her.

She had noticed that no matter the situation he found himself in, he would always have a smile on his face. What was he hiding?

"Are you going to explain yourself?" Her voice came out strained as she tried and failed to contain her annoyance. Midori's innocent smile soon transformed into a smirk and he tugged the bottom of her school skirt down slightly.

"I don't like this, all these people can see your bare legs. Why don't you stick to the male's uniform? It's surprisingly flattering on you."

Baffled at his subject change, she ran her hands down the pleats of the skirt and sighed.

"I don't like it either but I've been told that if I want to continue to attend that school, I have to wear the uniform that matches my gender."

A displeased look appeared on Midori's handsome face and his eyes darkened. "Would you like me to accompany you so you can purchase a pair of leggings to wear underneath?" Shaking her head softly, she tried to decline his offer. "I think I have some at home that I can wear, but that's not the point. Why did-"

"Oh no." Midori said softly. "My apologies, it wasn't a question. I don't wish for anybody else to see your bare flesh." Taking her hand, his large one easily dwarfed hers, it tightly gripped hers as he dragged her along the high street towards a women's outlet.

Ten minutes later, they had emerged with ten different pairs of black leggings, his reason for buying so many pairs was very simple and also very annoying. It was so she would never have an excuse not to wear them. Midori even covered all the costs.

Tachibana couldn't help but ask herself the same question over and over again, why was this guy interested in her all of a sudden?

Before she had left Japan for America, all Midori cared about was inflicting pain on others and laughing at their suffering. It was so ironic because his job was to make people feel better. After their face off at TGC, she had sworn to herself that she would make the sadistic doctor pay for all the hateful things he had done to her teammates and to herself.

But after everything that had happened, her sense for justice had all but fizzled out and died.

The bitter aroma of a fresh brew of coffee wafted underneath her nose, fully grasping her attention. As her gaze followed the imaginary scent trail of the heavenly smell, her face scrunched up into a look of someone that was not impressed. Fujimoto had returned at some point with their coffees and Midori was gently blowing over the open top of one of the drinks, to send the scent in her direction.

"Ah, there she is. I thought i'd lost you for a second there." His eyes were almost twinkling with amusement as she snatched the drink out of his grasp and took a tentative sip. All too many times had she been too eager to take a sip of a coffee and burnt her lips because of her enthusiasm.

The warmth of the drink trickled down her throat and she let out a low moan of pleasure.

"Is that coffee up to your standards?" Midori's voice was low and gravelly as he spoke, she liked the sound.

"Yes, it is very nice." Peeking over the doctor's shoulder, she winked at the giant of a man standing behind him.

"Thank you very much for getting us such lovely coffee Fujimoto, you'll have to let me get us some next time. I know where all the best coffee shops are."

The scowl that appeared on Midori's face from her thanking Fujimoto instead of him was almost too much and had to try her hardest not to burst out laughing. A grown man pouting was far too cute.

The three of them spent the rest of the afternoon sat talking about what she had missed in Japan in the year she had been away. Hoshishiro were still reigning champions of TGC and the strongest team in the country. They had been given invitations to attend tournaments in all sorts of different places, such as France and Germany but because of how demanding their jobs were, they had to decline.

With Midori being such a highly sought after doctor, they could only ever attend events in Japan.

Not that the trio overly minded. Some people played Survival Games for a livelihood, relying on winning to earn money to live on. Others, like Team Hoshishiro, simply played on the side of their real lives just as a bit of fun. That was part of the reason why they were so feared and hated by the other teams that competed against them. They didn't practice or compete half as much as they did and they were still miles better than them.

Tachibana had a huge amount of respect for Team Hoshishiro, their teamwork was stunning to witness. They were like three cogs moving in perfect synchronicity. One day, she hoped that Toy Gun Gun would be able to work like a well oiled machine.

It was her goal.

"Before we leave you Tachibana, this another gift for you." Midori handed over a bag that she had somehow missed that he had been holding. The logo on the bag was identical to the sign of the shop that the two men were inside of when she had seen them earlier on in the day. The women's costume shop.

She eyed the bag suspiciously and tried to peek inside but Midori gently pressed the material of the bag closed, tutting loudly at her. "No peeking, try it on later and send me a picture." His finger trailed to her chin, hypnotizing her with his powerful gaze, his hand moved to behind her head and tangled his fingers into her wavy hair.

"It's a special outfit for you to wear at the TCC next week and you having long hair would definitely complete the image."

His eyes turned dark as he tugged on the long strands that were captured in his hand, it was gentle enough for her not to be in pain but strong enough that she knew not to move away from him.

"I will be very angry if you decide to cut this off, so be a good girl for me and stay away from the scissors."

She felt herself nodding, complying to his request. Seemingly happy, Midori's hand delicately caressed her scalp, almost like he were fussing her and allowed his hand to fall back to his side.

"Midori." Fujimoto's voice pulled her out of the trance like state she had been pulled into. It was like a splash of cold water in her face and she took a few steps back, away from this man who had a strange hold over her. The one thing that Tachibana hated more than anything was feeling powerless.

Midori's pale green eyes narrowed, he knew his time was up with this current game and he too took a step away from her. "Ichi had sent me a message to say she is at the shop, shall I message back to say we'll be leaving soon?"

Smirking at Tachibana, Midori looked over his shoulder to his friend and nodded. "Let her know we're on our way." Fujimoto slowly began tapping the screen of his phone that seemed far too small in his oversized hands, she cleared her throat and held her hand out for Midori to shake.

"Thank you for the coffee and the clothes. I will pay you back when we meet at TCC." Laughing at her formality, Midori took her hand and squeezed it gently. "Don't talk such nonsense. It was my treat."

As he turned to leave, he pointed once again at the bag that held the costume he expected her to wear for the tournament. "Don't forget, I want a picture." A thoughtful look appeared on his face as he eyed up her hair. "Make sure your hair is tied up. I like girls who wear their hair up." And with those parting words, the two men left.

Walking on wobbly legs, she somehow made it up the stairs of her apartment complex and into her room without any problems. She was minorly shocked that she hadn't run into anybody on the way, every day without fail she would at least see one of her neighbours standing outside, be it for some fresh air or having a smoke. It felt kind of lonely not being welcomed back by them but she was kind of thankful that it was today of all days they all happened to be inside.

She didn't want to be seen like this. All shaken up. By Nagamasa Midori of all people.

After changing out of her uniform, she slipped into her most comfortable and also her most ugliest clothing she owned. The t-shirt was one that Yukimura had left over one time he had crashed in her living room and the shorts were from Haruki.

When Toy Gun Gun had stayed over at a training camp for the night, she had forgotten to bring any pajamas so Haruki had chucked a pair of shorts at her head and grumbled that she could keep them.

So she had kept them both for emergencies when she needed to be in utter comfort and look like a slob. Collapsing onto her bed, she eyed up the bag that held her TCC costume.

She still hadn't worked up the courage to actually look inside. What if it something awful like a maid outfit? Or something stupid like a pair of rabbit ears and a tail? Midori liked to tease people, Tachibana especially.

Her mind flashed back to their encounter in the hot springs, how he had teased her to the point that she had actually given him her first kiss.

Squealing loudly, she rolled around in her bed until the offending thoughts dispersed and hopefully never returned. That was not something she wanted to re-live.

The shifting of her sheets unearthed a masculine scent that she was unfamiliar with.

'It must be Haruki, he did fall asleep here.'

The scent was earthy, mixed with a faint hint of body wash? Or perhaps a cologne. But she didn't see Haruki as the type of guy to wear cologne. It was an intoxicating smell none the less and she felt herself pulling the material of her bedding up to her nose.

"You okay in there?" A loud knocking at her front door caught her attention along with an unfamiliar voice. Chucking the material away like it was on fire, she ran out of her room to her front door and turned the handle, what lay beyond was the face of her school's new student council president. He stared down at her and frowned.

"Tachibana?" He sounded unsure as he spoke, his deep blue eyes were penetrating her very soul as he examined her scruffy appearance.

"Yes?" She'd had enough for one day and having another meeting with this obnoxious man was not high on her list of things to do. After hearing her speak, his mind was settled on whether it actually was Tachibana.

"Sorry, you look a little different than you do at school so I was a little unsure as to if it was you or not." His eyes examined the other apartments on either side of hers and he grimaced. "I wouldn't have imagined you to have lived in a place like this. People drinking outside and smoking."

This caught her attention and she peeked over his shoulder and saw Yukimura and Matsuoka sitting with their backs against the railings, mumbling to each other. Yukimura's hazy gaze drifted over to Tachibana's open doorway and they suddenly lit up like a christmas tree.

"Tachibana, is this your boyfriend?"

Haru's eyes widened and he looked across at her as if to say "You actually know these people?" Laughing nervously, she waved off Yukimura's drunken question and within two seconds had yanked Haru into her apartment and slammed the door in her teammate's face.

Yukimura's numb fists tapped against her door for a few seconds but then she heard him stumbling back to Matsuoka's side.

"What do you want? Don't come here so casually." Tachibana hissed out. This was her one place of solitude and an insect had somehow snuck in. His face dropped slightly but quickly composed himself and shoved a bag against her chest.

"I asked Kanae for your address so I could bring over the rest of your uniform ready for tomorrow. I won't return, don't worry." Yanking open her door, she stuck her tongue out at him. "I won't worry, bye."

Bolting her door as if it might keep away anybody else from bothering her, she walked into her room, throwing the bag containing her new uniform into the corner of her room and retrieved the one Midori had given her. His words echoed in her mind.

"Don't forget to send me a picture."

She was feeling a little bit naughty tonight. She'd send him a picture alright.

"Midori are you even listening?" Ichi's usually soft and pleasant sounding voice was grating on Midori's last nerve. Was she always this needy? He didn't like things that couldn't survive on their own. They were quite useless in the end.

"Please excuse me for a moment." Managing to escape the table that he was sharing with his two fellow team mates, as he turned the corner leading away from the restaurant to the bar section, he allowed his mask to fall away, revealing his true face.

It simply said, I cannot and will not put up with your shit so leave me the fuck alone. He needed a whisky and he needed it now, without the whine of some annoying female. As he approached the bar, he grimaced as the barmaid eyed him up.

All the women he encountered were all like starving lionesses that saw him as the most delectable thing on the whole planet. People were so shallow, they had no idea what he was really like but because he had a pretty face, they loved him.

He despised most women because of this fact. But Tachibana, she was on a different level to these sheep. She wasn't afraid to call him out on his bullshit and size up to him despite their difference in stature and size.

She was truly one of a kind.

"What can I get you handsome?" The woman's drawn on eyebrows rose seductively, or what she assumed was anyway.

"My number maybe?" Midori visibly grimaced at her words and shook his head. "Just get me a whisky and then as far away from your company as soon as possible."

The wind was practically taken out of the barmaid's chest at the stinging insult but for Midori, it felt amazing. Actually being able to say what he felt, it was fantastic.

"Asshole." She grumbled as she practically chucked the drink across the bar at him. Laughing heartily, he placed a twenty note on the counter and walked out into the fresh air of the night. Just as his lips were about to meet the cool surface of his glass, a gentle vibrate in his pocket distracted him.

His heart fluttered ever so slightly at the prospect that it may be the picture he had made Tachibana promise to send him.

As he flicked open his screen, his face dropped and the scowl quickly returned. Ichi couldn't be without him for five fucking minutes.

As he was about to reply, another message pinged through. This time, from the person he wanted. His finger floated over the message title.

From: Tachibana

Subject: Good enough for you?

Attachment: Image

Pressing down on it, his heart constricted at what lay inside the mail and so did something a little further south. She was wearing the outfit he had given her and had her hair secured in a tight ponytail high on her head. It swung down her back, begging to be yanked by him.

This girl was dangerous.

Quickly tapping a reply, he shoved the phone back in his trousers and downed his drink. Feeling rejuvenated, he made his way back inside to his team mates.

'A ninja outfit was definitely the best pick for little Tachibana.'

Feeling like a fool almost instantly after sending it, her heart leapt into her throat when her phone signaled that he had replied. Her eyes squeezed shut as she pressed on the reply.

From: Midori

Subject: More than good enough, love the hair. See you soon.