Somewhere in the dark realm of her mind, there was the best feeling of contentment. Right now she felt like staying right where she was. There was nothing playing out in her mind - her dreams were blank this time, but the darkness was comforting. There was a small knowledge she was smiling due to this happy state. Even though she couldn't see herself, she knew.

Then the utter annoying screech of her alarm jolted her to conscious.

She jumped and immediately gained an adrenaline rush at finding a barrier around her waist and back. A sleepy, protesting groan at her moving jolted everything back.

Wide eyes stared as best as possible at Inaki's arm still around her waist...felt the slight weight of feet entwined with hers. But most of all, that ever present warmth keeping her more than toasty.

A full out blush lit her face, but the incessant beeping needed to be halted before it woke up her...bed companion. She did NOT want to deal with that aftermath right now. As quickly and stealthily as possible, she detangled arms and legs and crept over one edge of the frame. Mere seconds later the beeping shut off and wary eyes shot back to the other side, spearing his face to check on any signs of waking. Thankfully...there were none. She slouched in the quiet in relief...then heaved a big yawn.

DEFINITELY not enough sleep.

But she was not allowed to sleep in. As much extra time as she had to go back to bed, she couldn't afford to have Sam walk in and see Inaki. That's ALL she needed! Sam tried to get them together enough as it was...the last thing she wanted was to be praised for getting Inaki closer than Sam would ever be able to nudge.

An utter annoyed look crossed her face. She could picture that happening. And to halt that, she inched over Inaki's legs as carefully as possible to keep him from waking up. He didn't need to get up just because she was going to work. She would let him sleep in, but there would be no fun and games after they got back. It would be best if he not hang around to keep asking questions.

She stopped just off the bed when his form shifted in the quietest of protest groans. Her limbs tightened in apprehension as he scooted a closer to where she had been...subconsciously wondering where she'd gone to. The arm that wrapped around her slowly moved over the mattress a few times before he gave up and ended up snuggling his face a little closer to her pillow.

She couldn't help it...she smiled. Her face softened a little as she looked at him and couldn't help to stare...even for a little while. He was handsome during the day, but when he was asleep it turned into devilishly good looks liberally sprinkled with innocence. She suddenly found herself kneeling somewhere near his waist to watch him.

He was a heavy sleeper that was for sure. Sleeping through her alarm, her getting out of bed and the loss of being in it didn't faze him. If that was the case, she felt a little safe at putting some weight to take the pressure off her legs. But as she moved, she found herself leaning forward with the side of her face pressed against the upward curve of his ribcage.

There wasn't one peep or shift from above, and she gave in to a secret moment...if only to show a small sense of gratitude in one of the few ways she knew.

He was still here. He hadn't snuck off in the night with no answer or pulled away from her at all. He even offered kind words, though she still didn't want to believe them. Her face fell a little. Better than he was? Not so likely. After all...how long did it take for her just to utter a simple syllable??

She slouched back and stared at the hands in her lap. She was so confused about his behavior. Every other time was simple tell-and-run procedure...what made him stay around?

"I don't mean caring as in friendship. I mean...I CARE."

Green squeezed shut. She couldn't believe THAT. Why did Inaki care about her like THAT? So confusing...

Part of her knew she was wasting time and stood. There was hours to dwell on this if the morning was slow enough. And provided she could slip it by Sam. A small smirk appeared as she quietly grabbed work clothes from their resting spots. She got PLENTY past Sam...this wouldn't be too hard either. It wasn't that she didn't trust her best friend, but she wanted to deal with this on her own. She didn't want help...plain and simple.

Was it selfish of her to think that? Blame the independence factor, but it influenced her greatly. Her head shook in dismissal as she stared at the form facing the wall and bit her lip. Dare she chance changing with him in the room?? He was a deep sleeper and she could change directly behind his head so even if he woke up, she would be able to tell him to stay still.

So long as she didn't do anything to help his imagination along.

The pants went first as there was no possibility to get around changing there. The one good thing about being a woman was inventing new ways to change clothes in front of others and still be able to keep your dignity and modesty. With a little maneuvering, her work shirt was successfully swapped with the one left on from last night...both shirts on her body at the same time in the process.

That done, she put last night's clothes in the hamper and pinned her nametag to finish the job. She had very little time to spare before she risked the possibility of Sam barging in...but again spent it staring at his slumbering form. There was a small part that felt bad for leaving him like this without telling him she was going to work. She would be back by noon and knew without a doubt he'd still be here. As much as she wished...it wasn't over.

Her gut told her it wasn't.

She sighed, wishing there was going to be a way to bury this after last night. She poured her heart out, he hadn't left, open and close. But now she felt awkward. He knew a good portion of her life story...more than SAM did. She placed that much trust by saying anything. And she said it ALL. So what did that say about her opinion of him?

Hands covered her face. 'I just don't KNOW...' Confusion and frustration...not something she wanted to deal with while at work with people she was supposed to be chipper and polite to.

Whipping around, she strode for the door and cracked it open. Sam's door was still where she closed it and she heaved another sigh of relief. Slipping out, she closed the door after and headed to the stairs for breakfast.

The second she turned past the wall on the bottom step, she loudly gasped and a hand automatically slapped against her chest. "Don't DO that!" She quietly hissed, glaring.

At least this hadn't changed...

Light blue blinked when their eyes met. "What?"

Giving a bored look, she strode over and tried to open cupboards and anything that would make a ruckus as silently as possible. Her behavior eventually gained Sam's curiosity...which she knew was bound to happen.

"What're you doing? There's no need to worry about waking the neighbors."

'Oh yes there is...' She wanted to smile, but bit her lip to hide it. She didn't try to lie to Sam on purpose, but this was not something she wanted to go into right now. Inaki's car was out front, she would have questions the second the inside door was opened.

"It's...nothing." She muttered, putting on a show of looking tired. Breakfast was thankfully noiseless and she trooped around with a few wary eyes on her door.

"Why is your bedroom door closed?"

Drat again! Why was Sam so perceptive at not even seven in the morning?? She gave her friend a tired look and shrugged before going in to brush her teeth. Sam accompanied her in with an even expression, which didn't say one word about what she was thinking.

"You have everything?" Sam questioned, zipping up her coat.

"Khakis, work shirt, and nametag. Check, check, and check." She dryly answered, slipping gloves on.

"Okay...let's go get this day over with. I have studying to...do..." Could she peg her friend or could she peg her friend? If she wasn't so worried about the onslaught for the next few hours - what she KNEW wouldn't cease until Sam was threatened with bodily harm or having to clean the breakfast area - she would've laughed. "Isn't that...Inaki's car?" Sam slowly pushed the screen door open and stopped at the steps.

Hastily, she locked the door behind them and started for the car. "Does it look like it?" She bypassed, not looking at her friend.

Sam blinked wide eyes before whipping them to the back of K's head. "Inaki...is here? Right now? In this house??" A hand pointed to the building.

Leaning against the car, she sighed and crossed her arms for warmth.

The two locked eyes and Sam forced herself to rush over and get in her friend's face. There was no denying going on...but deep green stared at the ground with a pensive face. Blue widened until it became painful and Sam hopped the steps. "Inaki's here! I don't believe it! He stayed the night!? He wasn't in the living room..." A light bulb turned on. "Your door was closed...you stashed him in there??"

She met Sam's eyes, but didn't speak. She knew they would answer for her.

Sam almost stumbled back a step. "I...I don't believe this..." A wide smile broke through. "I'm so proud of you! I knew you had it in you! There had to be some feminine seduction left in there somewhere!"

She glared when Sam's hand clapped her shoulder. "We're going to be late." She bit out. A hand moved and a thumb jerked behind her to the car. "Mind unlocking this thing? I haven't been late yet and I don't intend to be."

There was a dim in the Sam's mood from her friend and also the fact that they WOULD be late, if not for the fact that they lived only blocks away. "Ah, right...right. You can tell me all about it in the car."

'Not so likely.' She darkly thought. She tried not to slam the door and immediately looked out the window. There would be no squealing of any kind over what went on last night. She wasn't proud of how much control she lost and how much rage she showed concerning her family. Sam didn't know how badly she spited her father and never would. The girl wouldn't understand...she loved her own too much.

The rapid-fire questions didn't cease, but she ignored them by not answering and all but plastering her face against the window. Sam was not going to be happy about her knowingly housing Inaki where she couldn't get details or the chance to tease her about it. She had enough to deal with without THAT happening.

"If you don't stop purposely slowing down so the drive takes longer, we're going to be late." She ground out, leaning her head against the glass. She was so tired. Even if she was used to getting anywhere between six to eight hours normally, it was always nice to get more. And not getting enough to satisfy her schedule was going to make her cranky enough without having to deal with Sam's whining.

"Spoilsport. You're NOT getting out of hiding that boy in your room right under my nose. When did he tiptoe in? How quiet WERE you?? I had my door open after all."

Green widened as her face flamed. At least Sam succeeded in getting her attention... "We did nothing LIKE that!!" She screeched, fists clenching. Thank God for gloves... "Get your mind out of the gutter and take the turn into the driveway!"

"Prude." Sam muttered. Sam's whining halted as she took initiative and set the breakfast area up. She took extra care in making sure everything looked pretty to keep from being in the employee area. The last thing she wanted was facing those inquisitive blue eyes and questions when the phone didn't ring or she was pulling stuff from the fridge.

After that, she started right in on getting what laundry hadn't been folded overnight and putting it away...forcing Sam to watch the front and keep an eye on the phones. She smirked and put one of the many fluffy white towels on the pile. There were ways around anything.

She sobered and hands paused. She gave the towel a blank stare, mind humming. So how was she going to deal with what awaited her at home? How was she going to get around THAT??

What would await her at twelve thirty?

~*~*~

Brown fluttered open and stared at dark cherry wood and a white wall. He shifted with a groan and rolled over, vanilla blasting him. The night flooded back...all of it.

Solemn eyes stared at the ceiling when he flopped to his back. Suddenly, he sat up and stared at the bed he was in...K's bed. Thankful he was alone, he flushed a little. It was strange to be sitting in her bed - though he was fully clothed - and under the covers. A slight smile appeared as his right hand roamed over where she slept last night. Her form fit rather nice against his, he had to admit. Not many girls he slept with in that way managed to do that. Even as tired as he was, his brain was able to recognize that.

There was a quick thought of her coming back to the room, but he spied the clock and brown widened. It was ten thirty! A hand slapped his forehead. What was it with him and sleeping in so late here??

He sighed and pulled the comforter away, missing the warmth but resolved to get up. He had things to ponder over and digest. Last night - or more like this morning - was heavy and he hadn't been able to deal with it. Sam was right in one big case though.

"If you don't want to open Pandora's Box, you'd be best to let it go."

Brown hardened as he stared at his hand on the door. His body froze as guilt washed over him.

"What is so godly important that you would make her go through all that?? That whole decade is something she'd rather NEVER live through again."

The words washed over him. For his own selfish greed of wanting to know...he indeed made her live through that again. Guilt ate him even more, and a little self-directed anger as well.

He pulled the door open and headed for the bathroom. He was such a bastard and this was one of the many ways. His ignorance and not listening to advice at times - like now - was one of his downfalls. Being stubborn was another and both of those combined were dangerous.

He headed downstairs and looked around. Of course the two would be at work, but the quiet seemed heavier than normal. 'Perhaps because of what you just learned baka.' He berated.

He couldn't hide the fact that K's past unsettled him a little. How could it NOT? He didn't think something so horrible would ever happen to her. Especially not something she would let get to her so much where she would try to take her own life. Not someone as strong as K. He just couldn't picture her with a razor in her hand, ready to let it press into her skin and drain her life away.

I don't want to fight with you on this because it's not worth it to know. Honestly, there's nothing good about my past to ask, so I don't even have the good parts.

His head bowed in shame, bangs covering his eyes. Why hadn't he listened to the one person who knew what she was talking about? A hand came up and lightly bopped him on the head. Total baka...he couldn't stress that enough. With a sigh, shaking his head at his own massive stupidity, he headed into the kitchen and scoured the fridge for something to take outside.

He couldn't think in here.

He sat on the back porch, huddled up in the sweatshirt that didn't keep him warm enough. Had he known it was going to be a little colder today - even forty plus miles south - he would've packed an extra coat. He sighed and tiled the tall glass with dried cereal...the only thing that sounded appealing.

There wasn't much for a view like there was at home, but he wasn't out here to look. He was out here to think and even being out in this small of a yard would be fine. It wasn't his spot, but it was nature.

Gods how did he take this now? He didn't want to feel sorry for her, but he did. It must've been hell raising herself without family. He tried to imagine what it would've been like without HIS and quickly discarded the thought. His family was so precious and deeply rooted in his life, it was impossible to think of what he'd do without any them. Which he couldn't.

The rage she displayed made him want to shiver, and not from the cold. He didn't know someone like that could be filled with such anger...and definitely not toward the one who gave her life! Even though he didn't spend much time with his otousan, he had a lot of respect and treated Omo as he should be for helping to put him here.

But still...the disrespect and humiliation put upon K and her mother was enough to give them reason for such hate. They were betrayed by a man who couldn't control his own lust.

Pathetic.

Her dating record wasn't much, but it was filled with guys who manipulated her physically and emotionally...which angered him. Even shy, she was still a great person. His words last night were true. She was all those things...but when she denied them, he felt sorry that she didn't believe him. It made him want to seek out this Arthur guy and beat the shit out of him for twisting K's emotions around without thinking what he was doing. The damage done was amazing and severe...and it was astonishing that K was ABLE to pull herself from it and be stronger because of it.

Not to mention all she went through from the betrayal with Brad. Someone she loved that much...gave that much time and emotion to...only to have it thrown back in her face... His fists clenched to the point of his arm shaking.

Someone that didn't love her back with the intensity that she did - with as pure of a love for her age - was inexcusable. Even an eighteen-year-old high school boy had more on his mind than sex.

She was more amazing than he originally thought and his relatively high opinion of her grew double.

Brown gravitated to a wrist as he stared. His eyes slowly narrowed as the hand clenched to a tight fist. "Kisama-ra...boku wa zettai yuresanai." He growled. For what they did, he would hate them for her, as she seemed unable to hate those she loved.

His head thumped against the siding as he sighed. His mind blanked for a while and time warped. The wind blew regardless and continued to steal whatever warmth he tried to keep. After a while, not reaching a conclusion enough for his needs, he was forced to go back inside.

He just shut the door and locked it when the faint jangle of keys gained his attention. His body whipped around and brown landed on K. Even with Sam standing next to her giving a rather gleeful, questioning glance...brown couldn't leave the reason he was here.

In the blink of an eye, it all became clear. Staring across the way with deep green eyes faintly tense gave him the answer he was seeking. There was no way to 'take' it. There was no reason to feel awkward for knowing, or to be ignorant and go back to the way they were. They COULD go back to the way they were - as he preferred that - but they would go FORWARD, not back. He would not turn away from this knowledge...not while seeing her emotionally vulnerable and trying to sidestep it.

"Hey Inaki...didn't know you were here. She hasn't told me details and she's been cranky all day long. I'd advise you to get while the getting's good."

While Sam was rather tactless, she was correct about him leaving. It was past noon, as stated by the stove clock, and he should be getting back before his shinseki worried themselves to death.

He smiled a little and headed for the front door. "Aa...you're probably right." Having a good view of K's face made him feel a little bad for seeing her let down a bit. His hand lightly rested on her shoulder. "Will you see me to my car please?"

Green blinked a little wide, but she nodded and grabbed her coat. Wordlessly, she let him pass her on the porch and followed to the car. So this was it...perhaps he WAS leaving after all. Not temporarily, but permanently. Seeing him in the kitchen gave her no clues to his behavior or thoughts, but she was tense upon laying eyes on him. She didn't know how to handle this now or go back the way they were, the way she wanted to go. She gave him the information he wanted and now she desperately wished he'd forget it and they could go back to the letters and occasional visits. Tears formed in her eyes and she tried blinking them away, but he stopped and turned...noticing before she could cover them up.

He felt bad...knowing he hadn't explained himself enough for her tastes and couldn't help but hug her. Not to mention he replied to Sam's statement which was put entirely wrong. He was a little relieved when her arms latched onto him as tightly as they had last night.

"So...you're leaving? This's it?"

The waver in her voice tore at him, but he would set that right immediately. He pulled back far enough to look into her eyes and gently smiled. "Only for now. I think you have a letter to write me. It's been a long time and I wrote the last one. A month or two, I think...it has been a while hasn't it?"

The smile she gave was worth the apology. She nodded and hugged him even tighter than before, which he complied with. "I...I don't know...how good it'll be though..." She mumbled into his sweatshirt. "You know how boring I am and -"

In the blink of an eye, he pulled away and directed her face to his with a hand. His eyes were kind, but his jaw was tight. "You are about as boring as I am. I am the one who leads the basic life of work and home." His fingers squeezed. "You just gained more interest than before...so don't discount yourself." She immediately flushed even more than just being out in the cold and looked away with an embarrassed smile. All she could give was a small nod. "And I hope from now on you don't feel you can't tell me anything. The step you took last night was the biggest you'll ever take, and now that you passed that...you can conquer anything. Please don't ever close up like that on me again."

Their eyes met, hers wide and innocent...his serious and concerned. This moment he would engrave in his mind forever. His arms tightened to tug her closer to his body and his head drooped.

She received the biggest shock of her life and could only stare at his neck when his lips met her forehead. Sure they kissed her bangs...but she could care less! His grip was the only thing keeping her from sliding to the ground. He sure did an effective job of speeding up her heart and keeping her from being cold!

Pulling away, he gave her a small, sheepish grin. He wanted to laugh at her flustered look and the constant blinking...as if she were trying to connect her vision again. He gave a quick squeeze before detangling and pulling away. "You should get inside before you get a cold. You don't need that with school and work. I'd feel guilty for keeping you out here."

Her mouth opened to retort that he was just being silly, but all she could manage was a shake of her head. She stepped back a bit, a hand going to her cheek. "No...I - I'm fine. I'm warm enough now." Green widened. "Uh - I mean...I'm -"

He waved her off, grin stretching. "I get it." With a quick wink he opened the door. "I'll be seeing you K."

Her heart fluttered at his insinuation. She didn't need to wonder about it because his proof was the friendly smile and look in his eyes.

And the kiss? That was something she put away later to dissect.

Stepping back, she rounded to the sidewalk and returned his wave. After a minute, he pulled away from the street. She ran a little bit after the car, arm waving goodbye the whole way. She couldn't help the easy laughter that escaped. Arms hugged herself in sheer glee. She couldn't believe her luck! The gamble paid off and for the good!! Inaki was still around and - by the sound of things - they'd go back to normal!

Nearly floating to the front door, not in the mood for any kind of homework, she opened the door and found Sam jumping back from the curtains. She bypassed it and grinned. "Get your coat back on...we're going out for lunch. I'm buying."

Ash blonde brows shot into her scalp, but never one to let a free food ticket go to waste, Sam hurried for her coat. "And shall I inquire as to the reason for us hustling our butts in the cold again?"

She playfully glared at the tone of voice. "You've been spying probably the whole time so don't give me that." A finger wagged as Sam grabbed her keys, smiling as well. "I'm not telling you everything, but I will say that everything smoothed out and will go back to normal."

Blue blinked in shock. "Really? Wow...what changed his mind? Did you finally have it out? Was that why he was here?"

Sam could either mean fighting or she finally relented and talked. She wasn't going to go into detail with her mood on cloud nine, so she shrugged. "It's done and over with. I'd like to use that as a learning experience and go on record and say this...Inaki is raising my opinion of men."

Sam dropped her keys as she opened the door again. Blue stared at her exit before finally snapping to and picking her jaw off the floor. "No way..." Sam muttered, ash swishing in disbelief. "She COULDN'T have told him...but what else could she've done for him to make her this happy? A kiss on the forehead isn't going to do it with someone as tossed around as she's been... Him remaining her friend is the only reason."

"Sam! Shut the door and hurry up!"

"You owe me DETAILS!" Sam retorted, swiping her keys off the carpet. Whatever it was...Sam's opinion of Inaki rose from the last conversation they had. She was glad she didn't have to be mean and hate him for what he did to Kalie in the past weeks.

Now she could get back to getting those two together.

That kiss was something she could read better than K, having been on more than enough dates and given the experience to male emotions. They were all alike, so ethnicity didn't count. That was more than just a reassuring, friendly kiss...that held feeling behind it.

A wicked grin appeared as Sam locked the door. She would HAVE to start her matchmaking plans again...

...Inaki would need all the help he could GET!

**I am a BEGINNER Japanese learner...so if these are not 100% correct...please let me know if you care to do so. I only have a web page to learn from, a dictionary, and a few months experience to work with.**

Translations: Kisama-ra...boku wa zettai yuresanai-I definitely won't forgive them (Kisama is vulgar 'you', -ra makes it plural)

Aa-Like hai in agreement (For males only, female is Ee) Shinseki-Parents