Emi, by hospital procedure, was being wheeled out by a nurse in a wheel chair to the edge of the sidewalk where her father was waiting in his car. Her father was leaning against his car, with his wide brimmed hat tilted down in an aggressive fashion. Rage hung back behind the wheelchair a bit nervously. He had never met any of EMI's family besides from Walt. The boy ran to his father and threw his arms around his father's legs in a hug.

"Hello there Walt. How have you been?" he asked, not seeming to particularly care. He kneeled down and took his hat off in a graceful motion and looked at EMI, who seemed a bit nervous of the man. Rage didn't know if he should introduce himself or not. " Well EMI, you seem to have gotten yourself into a pinch." he said. Rage noticed how the man's eyes were a cold, steel blue, and showing no emotion or care for his daughter. EMI nodded slightly. Rage cleared his throat and EMI's father looked up and noticed rage for the first time. "Hello young man. I assume you are Ray?" he asked, getting up and extending his hand. Rage shook it.

"I preferred to be called Rage sir." He said, a bit nervously. EMI's father smiled.

"Tsugaru, then, for me." Tsugaru said, smiling emotionlessly. " EMI, Walter, are you ready?" he asked looking down at them. Walt and EMI nodded together and Tsugaru smiled. "All right then. Lets--"

"Sir.... Tsugaru, please, I can take care of them." Rage said, interrupting Tsugaru. The man frowned, then smiled.

"Dear boy," he said, stressing the boy. "I am their father, and I know what is best for them."

"But EMI should continue being in an environment that she knows. It may make everything worse if you move her away like this." Rage argued. Tsugaru frowned deeply disliking Rage. EMI stood up quickly between them.

"I'm ready papa," she said, with her head lowered. Tsugaru nodded sharply and turned around. Rage grabbed her arm gently, but tightly.

"EMI, please, don't go." Rage begged quietly. Emi looked up at Rage and shook her head.

"Ray--I don't even know you..." she said, pulling her arm away. Rage looked at her desperately, trying to make her understand right then and there.

"Afternoon Mr. Tsuga! Heya Walt!" Ecks yelled, running up the sidewalk, tapping Tsugaru's hat and ruffling Walt's hair. "And how is my favorite couple?" he asked, draping his long, pale arms around the shoulders of EMI and rage and grinning.

EMI looked unsure. She trusted Ecks all her life, but he was saying a man she never even met was her boyfriend? This was absurd!

"Ecks...I..." she sputtered. Ecks smiled and straightned up. Rage was still a bit confused, along with Tsugaru and Walt.

"You were going to stay in your apartment with Walt and Rage and I live close enough to help you with anything you need!" he said, smiling brightly. He leaned in close and said, so only Rage and Emi could hear: "You really don't want to live with him. I mean, you've been fighting against it since you were 14. Think on it" He straightened, tapping EMI on the shoulder. EMI jerked, glanced to the side at her father and nodded.

"Um...yes, I forgot. There was a school project, I think..." She said, trying to go along with Ecks's plan. Rage wraped his arm around his girlfriend's waist.

"Where I am your partner. Which reminds me, I left the project in your living room the other day." he said. "Is it okay, Tsuga?" he asked, putting a tone of disrespect into the Tsuga. Tsugaru nodded.

"Just fine Ray." he kneeled next to Walt. "Call me on everything that happens. Every fight and every slight insult." He stood again, tipped his hat and got into his car and drove away.

Rage hugged Emi close, but she was still confused and didn't want Rage near her.

"That was close." he said, smiling down at her. Emi didn't smile back and tried to move away from him. Ecks was busy getting her suitcase into his own car. Rage frowned and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright Emi?" he asked. She didn't answer and got into the passenger seat in Ecks's car. Ecks slammed the trunk shut and got into the driver's seat. Rage reluctantly got in the back with Walt.

"Don't worry about Tsugaru, Rage." Ecks said, adjusting his rear view mirror. Rage leaned back and grinned. " Tsugaru is probably just aching for a reason to have Emi and Walt move back in with him." Ecks stopped talking and looked over at Emi, a bit embarrassed for talking this way. "Sorry Emi." he muttered. Emi smiled at him and lightly punched his shoulder. Rage sunk down in his seat, a bit jealous from this show of affection.

About 30 minutes later, Ecks parked into Emi's apartment parking lot, grabbed Walt's bag and moved aside so Rage could take Emi's bag. The four walked together into the building and got into the elevator silently. After dropping everything off, Ecks had to run off for work. Emi sadly waved goodbye to Ecks. Rage wrapped and arm around her waist.

"Ray!" she gasped, taking his hand off of her, panicked. Rage blinked and Walt looked a bit worried. "Don't do that..." she said. Rage's eyes opened wide.

"But Emi..." he started. Emi shook her head. "Can you at least call me Rage? I don't like being called Ray." he said. Emi looked away and sat down on her couch. Rage moved to sit next to her.


"Don't you have to be someplace?" she asked. Rage paused and inhaled sharply. He really didn't like this change in Emi.

"Emi, I'm sorry about the accident, I promise you that I will make it up to you!" he said, sitting next to her and holding both of her hands in his. Emi looked off. he sighed. "Well, we have to finish our Child Development project together." Emi sighed and nodded. This time, there was no uncontrollable laughter. Rage did the exercises while Emi watched and noted them down. Walt went to bed at his normal time after getting his homework done and just as the clock showed 9:12 on the microwave, Rage took the stomach off.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow Ray." Emi said simply. Rage sighed, forgetting that it was Friday night and Emi didn't remember that he always slept over on Fridays. Well, they slept together--but Emi fell asleep first, curled up to Rage, who was still watching whatever movie was on. rage walked forward to Emi, placed his hand gently under her chin and gently made her look up at him.

"Its Rage." he said, and kissed her on the cheek quickly and lightly. Rage walked quickly down the stairs and out the front door to walk to his own apartment. Emi sat on the couch and flicked on a movie and quickly realized something was wrong. After gathering pillows and a blanket, she couldn't shrug off the feeling that something wasn't right. Bored, she decided to write in her diary and looked at the random date she opened to. It was a Saturday, and she had written that once again, she fell asleep before the movie ended and how Rage held her close all night long. Emi slammed it shut and collapsed on the bed. She had spent nearly the whole night trying to figure out what was wrong, and all of it was in the diary she was now too scared to read.