Naoto couldn't remember the last time he was nervous in a police interview room. Maybe when he was just training? Even then he didn't think he'd been nervous. He was too determined to worry. To focused. So maybe this was the first time.

He glanced at the clock on the wall. The Commissioner had only approved the interview on the grounds that they only discuss Ryuguji. His heart was racing. He hadn't seen her since she caught him off guard by coming into the police station for the second timeline in a row. He wondered if in asking about Ryujugi's death he'd learn more about why she came two years later. He knew he was duty-bound to stick to the topic at hand. After all, he'd promised Takemichi on the stairs of the fire escape he'd help however he could. Naoto could still see Takemichi's face, twisted with agony as he clutched the blanket tighter around his body.

When the door swung open Kaede stepped in alone. Lingering awkwardly in the door frame. She didn't look much better than she had when he'd last seen her. She was pale, her hair was still dull, and her eyes darted slightly around the room scanning it for any potential danger on instinct. When he noticed the yellow and purple bruising around her left eye he stood on instinct, startling her into taking a step back into the hall.

"I'm sorry," he blurted, "I just...hadn't heard about you receiving any injuries…"

She grew bashful, looking down as she stepped into the room and pulling the door shut, "It's okay."

She sat in her chair, handing folded politely in her lap. She focused on them instead of meeting his eyes. At least until he sat down across from her. It looked to be nearly healed. A crimson broken blood vessel streaked through her skin, the yellow and the purple were focused under her eye, and the white of her eye was still slightly bloodshot. But beyond that mark, he couldn't see any other signs of injury.

"I got hit at the train station, I think they wanted to do worse but I got away and onto the train," she offered, "Toman, I'm sure."

"Kisaki?"

She looked at him, surprised for a moment before a sadness took over her expression and she stared down at her lap again, "I hope…"

They stayed quiet for a while. Slowly, Naoto stood again. He circled to the back of the room and picked up the coffee he'd grabbed from the convenience store before coming in and set her's down in front of her. She blinked, "For me?"

"It's at least marginally better than ours."

She smiled weakly and took a sip. The surprised look on his face made him swell the pride. At least despite all the changes she still liked her coffee the same way. She gave him a suspicious look, though she smiled and took another sip.

"I am a detective," he offered, casually drinking his coffee to mask the smile that spread on his face. "And speaking of that I should get to work. I'm sure they told you but do you mind answering some questions about Ryuguji Ken?"

She sobered, setting her cup on the table, "Sure but...it's been so long...why now?"

He took a deep breath. He didn't mind answering but he wasn't sure what he could say that wouldn't make him sound crazy, "We're trying to get a better grasp on the trajectory of Sano's life. It certainly seems a little unorthodox but for the level of criminal he's become it seems a little...severe."

"You think if you understand him you can catch him?"

"Something like that."
"Don't you think I understood him?"

He paused, looking up at her. She frowned at him, pain etched across her face as if to say for all she understood him she hadn't been able to stop him from becoming a monster.

"I'm sure you understood him better than most but your relationship with him was vastly different from the police. And so were your resources. You didn't do anything wrong...but this...could be a chance to do something good."

He sighed, rubbing his forehead, "Sorry. I know. That's why I came here I just. I feel so stupid. I waited so long and so many horrible th-"

"Kaede," he said, floundering slightly at his use of her first name, "it won't help you to think about that now."

She nodded weakly and rocked, holding herself. Naoto waited. He made his movements slow. Sipped his coffee and set his pen down on the table quietly. Anything he could think of to come off relaxed and willing to wait for however long she needed.

"What about him? Ken, I mean."

"Could you tell me about when he died? Not the specifics or anything like that but, anything you know about who might have done it and how it affected Sano."

She nodded and gazed at the ceiling, seemingly trying to pull her memories from all those years ago back, "I don't know who. You see...there was a fight. Within Toman, I mean. It...ah...it was so complicated even then and remembering it all now…."

"Of course, don't stress yourself...but whatever you can remember would help."

"It wasn't...it wasn't Manjiro. I mean. There was a fight between the two of them but they never actually hurt each other. At least not seriously. I think they had a hard time realizing how much they affected the group, you know? They were so young they weren't ready for the leadership role they accidentally gave themselves."

"So they argued about something and then-"

"Toman split. Some agreed with Ken and others with Manjiro. They couldn't bring themselves to swallow their pride and things got out of hand far too quickly."

"Do you remember the cause of the fight?"

She shook her head slowly, "No...it...there's just been so much since then and...even then I had so much myself my family and school and Toman I...it had to do with Moebius. I remember that because that was the first time, I mean...the first serious time, they dealt with another gang. Since we were little Manjiro and Keisuke have been fighting bigger groups of older guys but...Moebius. That was the first time Toman really seriously fought another gang. It didn't go how they wanted and then everything spiraled out of control too fast for any of us to understand."

Naoto nodded, quickly jotting the word 'Moebius' down in his notebook, "Thank you. Even that is a big help to me, Ms. Eijiri."

"It's...you can call me Kaede. It's okay. I like that better anyway."

"Can I ask you something more personal?"

"...sure."

"Are we providing you much protection or support? If you've been assaulted at the train sta-"

"I'll be okay," she smiled, "the Lieutenant said he'd have someone watch the place I'm staying."

"Which is?"

"Ah," she looked down, a flush coming to her face, "well...uhm. A love hotel for now. Just since...it's a little more...private by nature. And it's cheaper...you know. I've been trying to find another place but it's hard. It feels like Toman is everywhere and...if Manjiro ever finds me I don't know what will happen."

"You're afraid of him? Specifically?" it turned his stomach with a sick mixture of rage and jealousy. He couldn't imagine ever hurting her. Knowing that Sano supposedly cared for her, that he was with her for so long and he could frighten her like this infuriated him. It was the same cold hate he felt when his sister died a drive to kill Sano to avenge Hinata and protect Kaede from any more suffering.

Kaede's expression was soft; kind and resigned to her fate, "Yes. Manjiro...I know it's not right. I know not to make excuses for him but I can see it, you know? I always have. I can see when the man I know fades away and he becomes something else. I've never seen anything like it, it's like, he can only feel one emotion and he feels it so intensely he's got to do something. When he's like that he doesn't think about what his actions will cause. He just...acts. I don't think he wants to kill me but...I think he could. I think he might."

Naoto swallowed hard, coughing and looking away from her. He didn't know how he could bear it, losing his sister again was already a weight that settled deep in his body. He couldn't lose her too, even if she'd never remembered their past, "Can I help you? Find a secure place to stay, I mean."

She sipped her coffee, smiling slowly, "I won't say no. Thank you, Detective Tachibana."

"Naoto," he corrected too quickly, settling back in his chair, "you can call me Naoto."

It was silly to offer. He was going to give Takemichi the information he needed and soon, he'd send him on his way again. This various of Kaede, bruise and all, would cease to exist, replaced by yet another shadow of the woman he loved. He knew if Takemichi was successful then it was likely Kaede would stay with Sano. Maybe they would get married, or maybe they would break up and young couples do and she would find someone else. But whatever happened in the future, for now, he wanted her to know he would help her, he wanted her to feel at peace and he wanted to know no matter what that eventually things would be better for her.

"Emma!" Kaede yelled, looking into the windows on the karaoke club. People frowned back at her for interrupting them. She huffed, quickening her steps. Emma had been talking about doing this for a while and Kaede had always told her no. She knew Emma would regret it, the poor girl was so bent out of shape over Kenchin it wasn't worth it to have sex with some random boy. Moreover, it could be dangerous if she wasn't careful, and in all of her years of knowing Emma cautious and thoughtful weren't really the words that came to mind when Kaede thought of her.

She'd hoped that she wasn't being serious or that if she did try she'd back out before she took things too far. But the cheeky selfie Emma had sent her half an hour ago told her differently. Kaede stopped in the middle of the hall and pulled out her phone looking at the photo again, Emma stuck her tongue out at the camera, her shirt half shrugged off her shoulder with a blonde boy facing away behind her, looking at the menu on the wall. She didn't care about them though, instead, she studied the photo for details of the room.

She'd known the place right away. She and Emma would come to this karaoke all the time when Toman was meeting and they wanted to kill time away from the boys and their meetings. In all honesty, Kaede was a little upset Emma chose their as the place, though she guessed it made sense at their age. It's not like they had many other places to sneak off to. She bit her lip. All the rooms looked the same more or less but at least looking at the door she could tell it was on the left. She hurried down the hall but before she got much further a young blond boy came barreling out of a room right at her.

"Takemichi…?"

Takemichi's eyes went wide. He fumbled against the wall and for a moment he tried to brush past her, "S-Sorry, Bunny I just-"

Kaede stepped wider, leaning into Takemichi's face and watching the sweat bead on his brow. It was him. The Boy in the photo was Manjiro's new friend. A boy with a girlfriend. This was exactly the sort of trouble she was trying to stop Emma from getting into.

"Just what, Hanagaki?" Kaede said, voice low and threatening.

Takemichi forced an awkward laugh, leaning back from her, "No- just singing! You know! Karaoke. Fun times, haha!"

"You know your girlfriend seemed like a really nice girl," she could see the pain and regret wash over him. She didn't understand boys. It was clear he felt bad and wished he hadn't done whatever he had, so why do it? It was too stupid for her to even understand.

"Takemichi?" Emma called softly from a room up ahead of them.

Kaede's eyes fell back on Takemichi and for a moment he looked like he thought she'd punch him, "Go beg at your girlfriend's feet for forgiveness."

Takemichi nodded rapidly and rushed up the hallway, Kaede sighed, straightening up and walking right into the room where Emma still sat in only her bra and panties, "What is wrong with you?!"

"You followed me here?"

"Of course I did! You're so stupid, Emma!" Kaede whined, "Did anything happen?"

Emma sighed, "No! He rushed out while I was asking for them to extend our time."

"Good!"

"No, it's not! If Draken doesn't see what he could lose he's never gonna care!"

"Or," Kaede said loudly, "he'll think that's what you want and leave you to it because that's exactly his behavior."

This quieted Emma, who slowly shrugged her shirt back on.

"Ugh, honestly Emma," Kaede fussed, yanking Emma's shirt on for her and starting to button it herself to give her hands something to do as she processed her feelings, "are you even prepared? Do you have a condom or anything like that? You're only thirteen!"

"And you're only fourteen!"

Kaede drew back, squinting at Emma, "What does that have to do with anything? Do you- you think? Look, Emma. Manjiro and I have known each other since we were little. I think I was what? Maybe eight when I first met him. And guess what? Whatever you think has happened hasn't."

Emma blinked, "wait seriously?"

Kaede could feel herself blushing at the suggestion. Of course, she'd thought about it, though she'd never admit that to Emma. Manjiro was beyond handsome, strong, and confident. She trusted him and loved him and even then she knew she wasn't ready to have sex. The thought of being in her underwear in a karaoke booth mortified her even if it was with Manjiro and not some random guy and despite how disappointed she was in them both; for Takemichi's cheating and Emma's laissez-faire attitude about protection she was a little jealous. She'd never been able to be that careless, that out of her head. She was always thinking about what chores she had, what work she needed to do for school. Things for Manjiro, whatever was going on with Toman, her brothers, her father's next appeal. It wasn't like Emma had it easy. In a lot of ways, Kaede felt like Emma's life was more complicated so why was Emma able to behave like a teen when she wasn't?

"Hello. Kaede? You in there or are you fantasizing about Mikey?"

"Shut it," Kaede bit back, "Look I'm serious. I know you're your own person. But. I'm your friend and I don't think it's a good idea and if you are determined to do this...please at least be safe about it."

Emma pouted but slowly smiled, "Fine."

She stood and pulled on her skirt smiling easily at Kaede, "I can't believe your torturing poor Mikey like that though. I just assumed...you know."

Kaede's face grew hotter, "I'm not torturing him."

"Maybe not intentionally."

"Not at all."

"You don't think he wants to?"

Kaede paused, staring at Emma. Briefly, she thought of how Manjiro kissed her, the way he held her pressed close against him. How no matter what they were doing his lips found their way to her skin. Maybe he did want her. Worse, maybe he was teasing him and she didn't know about it.

Emma smiled, poking Kaede's cheek, "Hey, I was just kidding. I mean...he definitely wants you cause I mean," Emma gestured to Kaede laughing when Kaede rolled her eyes, "but he's Mikey you know. He doesn't speak his mind much unless it's about fighting."

"Yeah...I guess."

"Hey," Emma said, suddenly much more serious, "don't worry about it okay. I didn't mean anything by it I was just...wrong I guess. But...you're probably right. Thank you for coming."

Kaede smiled, "Sure...you're welcome. Now. Get dressed. We're gonna go meet up with the boys and then we can go to the arcade."

Emma finished getting dressed and as they walked from the karaoke to the Toman meeting she told Kaede about her next 'get Kenchin attention' scheme and how her classes were going but Kaede was distracted, thinking about what Emma had said harder than she wanted to admit.

Takemichi wanted nothing more than he wanted to go to sleep. Between coming to in the past underneath a beautiful blonde girl that was friends with Mikey's girlfriend. Running into Hina. Getting called to a Toman meeting only to find out that the beautiful blonde was a girl named Emma who was far more involved in Toman than he'd hoped and of course in love with none other than Draken.

He'd spent far too much of the meeting worried about what Hina thought and as the others tapered off to go to the arcade he'd hung back trying to call her only to be told he'd have to wait for her to feel like hearing from him again. He knew it shouldn't be his goal. After all, he was in the past to keep her alive not to romance her but he couldn't stand that she was mad at him. He half thought about skipping the arcade but that felt selfish when it could be an opportunity to learn more about Moebius and what was going to happen between Draken and Mikey. So instead he rallied and headed out.

The arcade was almost painfully loud, flashing lights from the machines dancing through an otherwise dark room, a strange haze hanging in the air that reminded Takemichi of the seedy clubs he tried to look cool in during his early twenties.

Luckily, despite the club-like atmosphere, it wasn't hard to spot the gang. They were rowdy disruptive and many of them were wearing their uniforms even here. A whole corner of the arcade had cleared out, giving their group a wide birth to do as they please. Mikey was perched on a pinball machine, one foot pulled up on the glass and the other dangling above the ground, he lifted a hand in their air in greeting when his eyes caught Takemichi's.

"Takemitchy!" he shouted, grinning though the bored expression of his eyes didn't change.

"He-hey, Mikey," Takemichi smiled back, he glanced around the group. He still wasn't used to being included in Toman functions. He worried that at any moment he might do something wrong.

"Takemitchy," Draken said, patting him on the back and holding a soda out in front of him in offering, "we thought you ditched us."

"Uh...no...I…" he sighed, "I was just trying to call...Hina so...

Mikey laughed, "She's that mad, huh?"

"Haha...yeah," Takemichi drew out, awkwardly sipping his drink, "but I'm uh...here now so...what...are we doing?"

Draken sucked his teeth dismissively, giving Mikey a chiding look that he curtly ignored, "You didn't even tell him." Mikey smiled vaguely but didn't speak so Draken continued, "Bunny was sad so she asked to go to the arcade."

Takemichi listened, then squinted when Draken didn't provide any more detail.

"That's it," Draken shrugged, "you'll figure it out eventually but Mikey's a sucker for Bunny. He does anything she asks."

"Not true," Mikey pouted, "I don't cook."

Draken laughed, shoving Mikey though he didn't move much.

It was nice, at least, to know that someone as tough and, in the future, as ruthless as Mikey could have such a soft spot that he'd call the whole gang to cheer up his girlfriend. At the same time, hanging out and playing games didn't seem like it was a difficult ask on Kaede's part. He blinked, glancing around the room. He hadn't seen her yet, not since she caught him with Emma. He worried she'd say something to someone, not just for his one pride but for the effect it could have on his mission. After all, it wasn't him who decided to mess around, it was past Takemichi who by all accounts was an idiot and a half. When he met eyes with Mikey he seemed to know that Takemichi was looking for her and nodded toward a crowd into his right.

The music, the tapping of plastic and metal, the constant repetitive noises of the rating system as arrows flashed across the screen. A sudden wave of nostalgia rushed over him, forcing a smile on his face. He walked toward the crowd absent-mindedly, peaking between shoulders as people shuffled back and forth in front of him. Sure enough, there was Kaede tapping away beside Emma and winning by a decent amount. The figure that danced on the screen was animated much worse than Takemichi's memory recalled but he remembered the song by heart. Though he'd never been good at it, he'd spent many nights of his childhood playing with Akkun and the others. Kaede was much better than he was, though she often missed the perfect marks or the arrow altogether she didn't grip the back bar as he did, instead, she was dancing around, genuinely trying to imitate the character's movements. She laughed, spinning around and rapidly crossing and uncrossing her feet. Beside her, Emma was trying to tap the arrows. She seemed very conscious of how she looked as she moved, something Takemichi found relatable, and he thought he saw her glance in his direction a few times. He looked behind him where only Mikey and Draken were. When he turned back the song had ended and the crowd cheered.

"In a shocking turn of events, Bunny wins!" a tall boy with long dark hair said, reaching up to give one of Kaede's pigtails a tug like he was ringing a bell.

Kaede's head tilted to the side and she slapped his arm off, "Shut up, Keikun."

He laughed, a deep booming laugh that didn't sound like the voice of a fifteen-year-old boy, "How ya doin', Emma?"

Emma, frowned, "Ugh. I knew it would be hard but you're really good at that game."

Kaede beamed, "Wanna know a secret? Someone who's really good at the game even though you wouldn't guess."

Emma eyed Kaede suspiciously for a moment, then nodded and Kaede grinned, cupping her hands over Emma's ear and leaning in to whisper to her. When she pulled back grinning widely Emma turned to her in shock, "No way."

Kaede nodded vigorously, "I wouldn't lie to you."

Emma's mouth broke into a smirk, "Oh I've gotta go tease him."

Kaede laughed, giving Emma a playful push off as she hopped down from the dance machine. As Emma rushed past him, wafting a powerful floral smell behind her Kade looked out over the crowd, "Anyone else wanna play?"

"This is some of you all's only chance to dance with a girl," the tall boy Kaede called Keikun shouted to cheers and jeers from the crowd.

"Takemitchy does!" Mikey said, suddenly appearing at Takemichi's side.

"He doe- I mean...I do?" He was sweating already.

"Of course," Mikey smiled, "you stare at her all the time, might as well dance with her."

"I don-" before he could protest, two identical-looking guys save their pink and blue hair were dragging him over to the machine. Kaede stood on her platform watching as he struggled like a cartoon villain. The weight of what she knew hung between them and he could feel his stomach sink.

"Don't hurt him!" she fussed suddenly, shooing them away. She stepped forward, one foot on each platform, leaning in to whisper to him, "if you don't wanna you don't have to play."

He paused, a little taken aback by the consideration, a virtue he hadn't noticed to be very strong in Toman and one he didn't expect from her given what happened earlier. She gave him a gentle smile, a parental sort of softness in her eyes that brought a flash of her older self through his mind. He shook his head, "No I'll...I'll play. I like DDR I'm just…"

She smiled, stepping back and letting him step to his platform, she gave him a fast playful bow, "good luck!"

He bowed back too slowly, fumbling back to a standing position as the music started and the machine yelled at him for missing steps. Behind him, he could hear Toman jeering. Taunts and harsh laughter that none of them dared to direct toward Emma now targetted at him. He gripped the support bar behind him.

"Oh! He's a professional!"

"Back up everybody!"

"Take notes!"

It didn't bother him to hear it but it was distracting. He kept missing arrows. Beside him, Kaede laughed and spun around stomping quickly as she moved. In the flashing lights, he could see a thin veil of sweat beginning to plaster small sections of her bangs to her face, a gentle flush across her cheeks from the workout. He wondered how long she'd been dancing for before he arrived. If she was tired or sore she didn't show it. She moved almost thoughtlessly, as though she wanted to forget everything but the arrows and the loud music around her. Every now and then, when he could steal a glance he thought he could see her eyes pressed tight as she stomped around. She was more confusing than he expected and it worried him.

She spun again and again, eyed squeezed shut. She started moving faster than the character on the screen but she didn't lose her footing.

"Hey Bunny, watch your skirt!" Keikun yelled from beside her, hand reflexively raising to knock the twirling fabric down.

Kaede stomped her foot, stopping her spinning forcefully and giving Keikun a sharp look that he rolled his eyes at before she continued to dance. She glanced at Takemichi, then his score. Then he realized she was throwing the game. He stumbled with the realization but quickly tried to get back on track, managing a combination of the last five arrows that kept him at a respectable lead as the song tapered out.

The boys around them erupted in jeers and cheers.

"Bunny has been defeated!"

"I can't believe it! Who is this guy?!"

"Our hero!"

"Hey!" Kaede shouted at them, though she was smiling. She grinned, grabbing Takemichi's wrist and lifting his arm into the air as the boys around them cheered. She looked at him quickly behind their arms a serious stare that sent a chill up the back of his neck, then she released his arm and suddenly dropped off the side of the platform.

Keikun stepped in quickly, catching her in the crook of his arm. She looked up at him with a mocking smirk, "Stop doing shit like that."

"Like what? Falling?"

"Fall my ass," he said, pushing Kaede back up to her feet on the floor though his arm lingered around him.

"Hey, can you buy me a soda?" she said walking toward the snack section.

Though the boy was frowning at her he followed immediately, "The hell? That's Mikey's job."

"You were the one touching my skirt, freak."

Takemichi could hear Keikun loudly protesting but couldn't make out his words as the Toman boys gathered around him.

"Hey, hey," the smiling twin that had guided him to the DDR platform called beside him, "let's see how you are with a shooter."

"Oh...okay," Takemichi said, following after him. He glanced over his shoulder at Kaede perched happily on a high seat as Keikun shoved his wallet back in his pocket. She lifted her drink toward him in recognition as the next game rang to life.