"Heh~ Shion's still here?" Shion woke to the sound of Shin's voice. Nobu hushed him.

"She's sleeping and I don't want to wake her up."

"But it's almost noon and she's laying right where I usually sit."

"Then sit somewhere else!"

She stirred, rubbing her eyes as she sat up; blankets shifting off her, revealing her to the cold.

"Nobu? Shin? Ohayou."

"Ohayou." Nobu was in the kitchenette. "I don't really have a lot of food right now. What do you usually have for breakfast?"

"I don't eat breakfast." she said.

He stared at her. "You've got to eat something in the morning. You seriously don't eat something before you come to work?"

She shook her head and he sighed. Shin sat next to her, shoulder to shoulder, nudging her further and further away from where she had been sitting until he had reclaimed his usual spot with a cheeky smile.

"Looks like Nobu's worrying about you again. What did you guys do after I left?"

"We watched a movie." she told him. "It was… nice."

Nobu was focused on making toast and said nothing. Shin winked at her, "If you were with me it'd be more than just 'nice'. Ow~!" he pouted when she playfully hit his arm.

"You always tease me!" she complained.

"But it's so easy to do." he said. "Your reactions are even better than Hachi's." His eyes lit up when Nobu came over with a plate of toast and he reached for a piece before getting his hand swatted away.

"This is for Shion, not you." The blonde man said firmly.

"But I'm starving to death! Please, please let me have a piece~" his pleas went ignored by Nobu and so Shin turned his attention to Shion, who had already taken a small bite out of the other piece.

"Shion? Shion-chan? Shion-san? Shion-sama~?"

She blushed and without another word pushed the plate towards him. He laughed and took a large bite out of the bread. Nobu watched their exchange in disbelief.

"Now you've spoiled him Shion."

"That's fine by me." Shin said, still chewing. The three of them sat around the table, and she finished her meal while listening to Nobu and Shin banter with each other. Not long after that, there came a knock at the door. It was Hachi. The reason for her visit became obvious when Nobu invited her to sit with them, and she began her explanation. She had been speaking with Misato on the phone and had discovered that Hojou Ren - the guitarist for TRAPNEST - had once been a member of BLAST. With so many questions, Hachi had come seeking answers from Nobu.

"So that's why you came to my place." Nobu said, his face morphing into a mixture of sadness and nostalgia.

"Please tell me Nobu!" Hachi begged. "You know lots about it. I promise I won't sell the information to a magazine!"

Shin chuckled and went to light a cigarette but Hachi snatched the packet away from him. "You'll stunt your growth." she told him. "And why do you look so laid back? I thought you were a fan of Ren."

"Because I already knew." Shin said.

The three of them stared at him in surprise. Nobu in particular, was a mess.

"How? Don't tell me that's the reason you joined BLAST? Were you planning on following in his footsteps?"

"How conniving!" Hachi said.

Shin smiled. "No. You told me about it when you were drunk, Nobu. I guess you don't remember after all."

Nobu's face was frozen in horror. "Me? It can't be… when? When was it? I don't remember."'

"It was right after I joined. Yasu-san hadn't joined yet."

"Ne, Shin! Why didn't you tell me when you found out?" Hachi said, her eyes showing how hurt she was.

"Because no one usually talks about Ren." he replied, going to the fridge and pulling out a bottle of mineral water. "I thought it would probably be better if I pretended I didn't know anything."

Nobu looked at Shion, his face still guilty. "I'm really an idiot. I've got to stop drinking - it shouldn't be that hard!" She just smiled.

"You're so mature, Shin-chan." Hachi said. "If I knew, I wouldn't have been able to pretend I didn't know anything. I get excited right away - like today."

"That's what makes you cute, Hachi."

"Don't make fun of adults, Shin-chan!"

"But I'm not making fun of you."

"Oi, Shin. What exactly did I tell you?" Nobu said, sounding sheepish. "As soon as you tell me, I'll tell you everything. And since I was drunk I might have said nonsense."

"Ren was BLAST's previous bass player. He was dating Nana and they lived together. But two years ago he was asked to be TRAPNEST's guitarist, and he went to Tokyo alone… There hasn't been any news since then."

Nobu lowered his head in shame. "I really told you everyone."

"Wait!" Hachi said. "What do you mean there wasn't any news? What about Nana?"

"They tearfully parted and that was how things ended between them." Shin said. "Right, Nobu?"

"Exactly." Nobu said. "I don't really have anything else left to say."

"But they didn't have to part just because Ren was going to Tokyo, right?" Hachi said.

"That's true." Shin said. "You had a good long distance relationship with your boyfriend and stayed a couple."

Hachi's eyes shifted around the room until they met Shion's for a brief moment. "Yeah… well, it ended as soon as I got here, but…"

"Huh? Ended?"

It was of particular interest to Nobu. "You broke up with your boyfriend, Hachi?"

"But we went to see him at work a few days ago!" Shin said.

"Yes, but…" she looked to Shion for help.

"It happened afterwards." Shion told them. Hachi nodded.

"I'll complain about it later to you two over a glass of alcohol."

"Ah, I think I'll be quitting drinking after this." Nobu said.

"Something happened for you to complain about?" Shin probed. "Did he cheat on you." Hachi froze and she exchanged meek looks with Shion. Shin sighed. "Right on, huh?"

"Right now it's important to focus on why Ren and Nana split up!" Hachi insisted, cheeks pink.

"I think you should talk to Nana directly about it." Shin said.

"Absolutely not!" Nobu's voice made them all turn to stare at him.

"Why?" Hachi said, clinging on to him as she pleaded with her eyes. It took him aback and he mumbled his words.

"You know… we, uh… all have wounds that no one can touch."

"It is such a painful memory?" Shion asked. She hadn't spoken during this discussion - feeling out of place due to her own romantic inexperience. But now she was curious. How did romance manage to seperate people like Nana and Ren?

"If they parted with tears in their eyes, then that means they were fine together until then, right?" Shin said.

"Yes, but…" Nobu trailed off. "How do I put it? I don't especially hold a grudge against Ren and I don't want to say bad things about him but he decided to leave BLAST and join TRAPNEST without talking to either Nana or me. Yasu-san was the only one who knew. So when I learned the news, I felt like we were being betrayed and it was a big shock for me." Before she knew what she was doing, Shion had placed her hand over Nobu's and he squeezed it gratefully.

"As a rock musician, my pride was wounded." he continued. "I was disgusted. But Nana and I were conscious of Ren's capabilities and we respected him. We could see it would be better for him to be a part of TRAPNEST and that's what happened. So I think it's alright that way. She could've followed Ren to Tokyo when he left. Instead of choosing to be happy as a woman by his side, Nana chose to protect her pride. I think that's why she absolutely wants to become successful in music. She wants to reach the same level as TRAPNEST and Ren someday. Sometimes when I look at her my chest tightens."

Hachi was hanging on to his every word and he sighed. "Frankly, I don't know if Nana still loves Ren. But for me and Yasu-san, it's hard to talk about him in front of Nana. We didn't particularly intend on hiding this story from the rest of you… so you guys too, you don't have to pretend not to know but I'd be happier if you didn't ask her about Ren."

"Okay." Hachi said. Her face showed her conflict clearly. "I understand."

She looked as though she was about ready to leave when she looked at Shion again and something seemed to click. "Shion! You didn't come home last night." she clapped her hands over her mouth. "Don't tell me, you stayed here?!"

"We had a movie night last night, Nana-chan." Nobu said. "Although Shion did fall asleep on me halfway through."

"Sorry." Shion muttered, but he laughed it off.

"It was cute actually - I never thought you were the snoring type."

"I don't snore!" she protested, and he almost choked on his laughter as he gasped in between breaths "You do! You do!" She pushed him away, still smiling and stood up.

"Just for that, I'll leave with Nana-san."

Hachi also stood, looking as though she'd witnessed something truly scandalous. "I've got to get back to work. Are you going home?"

"Yeah." she said. "Is Nana home?"

"Maybe. I'm making dinner tonight to make it up to her. I was really rude to Misato-chan and Nana got upset with me. I apologised to her too," Hachi added quickly. "That was how I found out about Ren. I promised I'd tell her about your future live shows."

The two girls bid Shin and Nobu good-bye, and once they'd walked to the end of the street, Hachi and Shion split up. "See you tonight, Shion-chan!"

She nodded. "Mata ne~"

•─────⋅雨⋅─────•

Hachi was obsessed with the love story of Nana and Ren. Shion knew she was going to struggle keeping the story Nobu had to them to herself the moment they all sat down for dinner that night. Hachi brought up the matter of the TRAPNEST concert at the end of the month - she had three tickets and had invited Shion and Nana to go with her. Shion had accepted rather eagerly - the concert was in Hachi's hometown which meant she'd get to meet Hachi's family. Nana had been more reluctant about it, stating she'd go if she was in the mood.

Except when Hachi brought up the matter at dinner, Nana agreed to go. It rendered Hachi speechless.

Almost.

Hachi's hometown was an average-sized town in the country, surrounded by mountains just as she had described it. The moment the three of them stepped off the train, a large woman began to wave at them madly. She had the same lovable enthusiasm as Hachi but looked slightly older. It had to be her older sister.

"Thanks for having the disdain to pick us up." Nana said. Disdain? But Hachi's sister paid no attention to the strange choice of word.

"It's nothing! I'm not working so I had time. Here, when we don't have a car, it's difficult to get from place to place."

Hachi leaned forward. "By the way, could you drive us to the concert?"

Her sister nodded. "That's fine. Where is it?"

"Idea Concert Hall. We'd like to be there around 6 so we'll have to leave at 5:30." Hachi's smile brightened tenfold when her sister agreed to the plan. "Yay! Thank you~ I love you Nao-nee~!"

"Hai, hai. No need to flatter me."

A few moments later Hachi had her hands pressed up against the window. "Look Nana! Shion! This is the school I went to. Those were the good, old times~"

"The good old times?" Nao-san laughed. "You were only here a year ago, Nana!"

"Oh yeah." Hachi said. "It just feels like it was ten years ago."

"You went to an art school?" Shion asked. "Did you enjoy it?"

"Yeah! I realised early on I wasn't skilled at art - but I enjoyed every day and it was really great with Junko and Kyousuke and-" Her eyes went glassy. "We were always together." Shion didn't need to be a genius to know that coming back to her hometown must have triggered many memories about Shouji.

"By the way Nana," Nao-san said. "Nami says you're living with your boyfriend. Is that true? It's that guy, right? The one who always came over to our house when you were at that art school. Shouji…?"

"No!" Hachi said, no doubt reluctant to explain the story of her break up again.

Instead, Nana helped her out. "There was a misunderstanding," she said smoothly. "Since Shion and I are Hachi's flatmates."

"Oh? Really?!"

"If you want, come over to our apartment." Nana said. "Then you'll understand."

Nao-san seemed embarrassed. "That Nami! She's talking nonsense again. What a troublemaker."

Hachi had disappeared into her own world again. Shion reached out and held her hand. No matter what, Hachi had been kind and gentle with her ever since they'd met. It had helped Shion tremendously and now she wanted to be the one to support Hachi.

•─────⋅雨⋅─────•

Shion and Nana were met with a warm welcome once they arrived at Hachi's family home. Her mother was a firm, but warm woman and it became clear that Hachi's kindness had come from being raised in a home full of love. Shion couldn't help but feel bittersweet when she quietly bowed her head and introduced herself.

"She's so cute!" A girl with heavily tanned skin and heavy makeup - a gyaru - squealed in delight. "Can we trade Nana for her?"

"Nami!" her mother scolded. Shion stifled a giggle. Whether or not this was her family, she felt immediately at home. She couldn't help but wonder what her own mother would have been like - how different would her life be if she had lived? If her father had never remarried would he still have gone to America by himself? She was still thinking about it when Hachi showed them upstairs to her bedroom they would be sharing.

"I'm sorry we're such a noisy family." Hachi said.

Nana shook her head. "It's great! Natsuko's even better than I thought. I'm touched."

"Greater? She's a normal woman."

"No, it's hard to become like her. She's an ideal mother." Nana said, lighting up a cigarette.

"I thought the same." Shion murmurmed. The two girls looked at her and she met Nana's eyes. Ever since they met, she and Nana had shared a quiet understanding of each other. It was what put her at ease when they were together.

"You've never mentioned your real mother, Shion-chan." Hachi said. "What was she like?"

"I don't know. She died when I was born." Shion said.

"You said at practice that playing classical music made you feel connected to her." Nana said.

"She played the violin. She was actually a professional. I began playing because I wanted to feel closer to her, and that was when I started aiming to enter the music university she'd graduated from."

"You never did tell us why you started working after high school rather than go to that university." Hachi said. "Even when Nana asked you to join the band, you had your heart set on playing classical violin, didn't you?"

"I… couldn't afford it." Shion said, looking away.

"But I thought your mother was a professional! She didn't leave you any money after she died?"

Nana now shot her a warning look. "Hachiko."

"I just don't understand." Hachi sighed.

"It was my stepmother." Shion said. "She… she convinced my father that it would be a waste of money sending me to study music. I was told that moving out would be good for me… and that's how I came to move in with you guys. They used my university fund to move to America."

"America?!" Her two friends stared at her in total disbelief.

"I thought you went to a family dinner last month?" Hachi said.

"That was when they told me they were moving."

"But you've got other family in Japan, don't you?" Hachi said. "Grandparents or something?"

"My father's parents died when I was small and he was an only child. My mother's parents disowned her when she decided to play violin."

Before she could say anything else, Hachi had smothered her in a hug, blubbering nonsense until she managed to take deep breaths. "We'll be your family instead! You'd be such a nice younger sister - I'd trade Nami for you anyday!"

The hug took her off guard and she was touched, "Thank you, Nana-san."

Shion looked to Nana who watched the scene fondly. "What was your mother like, Nana?"

"I don't know." she said. "I can't really remember her."

"What's this?" Hachi said playfully, "It hasn't even been six months since you left home."

"No, it's because I haven't seen her since I was four." Nana said. "She found another guy and started over. Maybe she's dying somewhere." The comment rendered Hachi speechless.

"Did you live with your father?" Shion asked.

"Did you have siblings?" Hachi wanted to know.

"No." Nana said. "I never knew my father. I was left to my grandmother, but she died when I was 15. That's why it makes me dream a bit, Hachiko. The atmosphere of an animated family like yours - since I've never known that, it amuses me."

Hachi's tears were flowing again already.

"Ah, sorry." Nana said quickly. "Sorry to have said such things."

"No." Hachi sniffled. "It's just I was a bit surprised. Sorry I asked these questions without much thinking. But I'm glad. Up till now you hadn't told me anything about you. I was wondering why. I found that so sad. I'm glad you're telling me this. That you both told me your stories."

"I see. I'm sorry." Nana said. "The thought you could feel this way didn't even cross my mind because up until now I've never had a girl friend. I always have a hard time trying to figure out how to act and I hate talking about myself or talking first so there are plenty of things I haven't been able to tell you."

The two of them shared a moment. "But if you ask me, I'll tell you anything you want. All right? Don't be sad." Hachi began to giggle, and the giggle turned into laughter. It was so contagious that even Shion had to stifle a laugh.

"What's so funny?" Nana barked.

"It's just that," Hachi gasped for air. "Why do you always act like a guy? You seem more like a boyfriend than a friend! My heart beat so fast!"

Shion saw Nana blush. "Argh, it's embarrassing if I made your heart beat."

"You'll really tell me anything I want?" Hachi would have wagged her tail if she had one.

"Yeah."

"You're not kidding?!"

"I'm not."

"Do you still love Ren?" Well so much for keeping quiet about it. Shion wondered how bad Nobu would freak out if he could be here now.

"So you knew." Nana said. Her eyes flickered over to Shion. "Did you know too?" She nodded.

"I'm sorry for pretending I didn't know." Hachi said.

"You brought me here because you knew." Nana said, and the smile that followed was illuminous. "Thank you."

•─────⋅雨⋅─────•