Disclaimer: Same as always.

Chapter 11: We do what we do

Tsukushi lay curled up on the living room couch, reading one of the books that she had picked up from the bookstore the previous week. It was Kaya's last week of school, so she still had a little time to enjoy her last few days of alone time. Soon the little girl with enough sugar pumping through her blood to make a diabetic cringe would be bouncing off the walls 24/7. Stretching her legs out, she sighed, content with the peaceful lull of the late morning. Placing the book down on the counter, she smiled to herself remembering the origin of how the book came to be in her possession.

I have to admit that Kazuya guy is one sneaky bastard. I just can't seem to put this down.

It was a constant reminder of him. She flipped onto the first page and stared down at the seven digits glaring her in the face with the neat script writing, inviting her to call him anytime.

I have to give him points for knowing how to get my attention.

After a few moments of pondering over reading some more, resulting in more lingering thoughts toward that mousy haired young man, she stood up and placed the book back on the shelf with the rest of her collection. Glancing around the room, she felt a little nostalgic of the surroundings. Everything in the room was just a constant nagging reminder of a different era in her life. Perhaps it was time for a change in her life. Of course, she would never go as far as to enter into a life-altering relationship affecting her child, herself, and everyone else around her. If she was going to let go of the past, it would take baby steps and she knew the first place. Her eyes stopped at the closed door down the hallway. It would all start there and with him. Progress is inevitable, so you might as well roll with it. The first step would be her new 'friend.'

Tsukasa lazily rolled over in bed, liking the feel of the soft satin sheets against his naked body. Even with the air conditioning on at full blast, it wasn't enough to escape the putrid heat. As he turned onto his side to stare out the window, trying to focus on the haze that settled between the fiery orange sun and the deep blue sky, the door to his bedroom swung open.

"Are you decent?" Tsukushi cheerily shouted, holding a hand over her eyes.

Stumbling to pull the sheet over his waist, Tsukasa frowned. She was being rather chipper this morning. That was never a good sign.

"Now I am," he grumbled.

"Very good," she smiled, peeking through a slit through her fingers. Turning around she procured a few large boxes from the hallway and dropped them into the middle of the room with a thud.

Tsukasa raised an eyebrow. "Are you kicking me out? Hey, I thought we agreed to try to be civil or friends or whatever that shit that Akira and Soujiro suggested."

She slowly lowered herself onto the corner of the bed, making sure she did not touch any part of him, naked or covered. "Hey, I never back out of a promise. When I give my word I stick to it. We shook on not trying to kill each other anymore." Her head turned, surveying the room with a critical eye. "I was just thinking how it might be uncomfortable for you to have all this stuff in here. I was going to move all of it into storage. It would clear out more room in the closet for you and you could make yourself more at home. This is your room now. I should have done this a long time ago anyway. It's like a fucking museum in here," she wistfully smiled. "There's no use living in the past."

He stared at the back of her head, trying to picture the look on her face as she spoke. Her voice quavered a bit at the last sentence. Without even realizing his actions, a tentative hand reached out and touched her shoulder. He could feel her entire body tremble at the sudden contact. "How about I help you? Those boxes might get heavy."

Keeping her back facing him, she put her smaller hand over his resting on her shoulder. "That would be nice." Her bare feet shuffled against the carpet as she made a hasty exit after making a mumbled excuse about getting some trash bags and more boxes.

Lifting the sheets from his body, Tsukasa stalked across the room, slipping on a pair of boxers he had thrown onto the chair. He was confused, trying to figure out some sort of rationalized answer as to why he fumbled in to comfort the woman. It was just very uncharacteristic of him to do such a thing. It was always his preference that when women fell into one of their emotional fits that he distance himself and let them sort through it on their own.

Awkward. I hate that feeling.

A light knock at the door met him as he wriggled into a plain white t-shirt that he had grabbed from his duffel bag underneath the bed. "Come in."

"Well, it looks like we're going to have a long day cut out for us. I might as well clean out some things from my own room since you've offered your slave labor."

'Who said anything about me being slave labor? I thought I would be compensated for my efforts in some way?"

"Hmm. How about I take us out to dinner later?"

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully at the proposal. "You've got yourself a deal," he nodded, extending a hand to shake and seal the deal.

Taking back her hand, she flung the doors open to the large walk-in closet and dove into the farthest corner, pulling out hangers filled with suits, shirts, pants, and any other article of men's clothing imaginable. "And I thought we women were bad," she laughed as she laid out the outfits sealed in the garment bags. The long screech of the zipper being pulled open revealed a brand new Armani suit. "I don't even think he wore half the stuff he bought." Holding it up against Tsukasa's body, she smiled approvingly. "You were about the same size. We could get a tailor to let out the jacket and pants a little bit. You're a little bit bigger. You never know when you might need a good suit."

Taking the hanger from her, he held up the suit against his body, admiring it in the mirror. "It's not half bad, but I don't think so."

"Well, if you find anything else in the piles you like, just take it. I'll call Akira and Jiro over later to see if they want anything before giving the rest to goodwill."

Tsukasa walked up behind her as she folded the clothing sprawled out on the floor. Picking up a box, he reached for the small piles Tsukushi folded and loaded them into the cardboard box. A small smile remained on her face as she sorted out the clothing by season and neatly folded them away. Being surrounded by his things lifted her heart a bit out of the doldrums. Quietly she hummed a tune to herself as she worked. Turning to see how Tsukasa was progressing with the pile of sweaters she threw in his direction, she burst out laughing. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like? I'm folding clothes!" he defensively yelled back. He chucked the rumpled mass in his hand into the box before laying out another shirt on the ground. His hands worked multiple folds, resembling the steps one took in making paper cranes.

"Do you always fold your clothes like that?" she asked incredulously. From what she had previously noticed, Tsukasa never wore anything remotely wrinkled or unclean. "That reminds me. You never asked me for an extra key to the laundry room downstairs. What have you been doing with your dirty laundry?"

"I send it out to the cleaners."

"Why bother? You could always do it downstairs for free. The dryers and washing machines are really easy to use. I leave the detergent and everything in the linen closet."

"I've never done laundry before."

"What?! How old are you and you've never done laundry before? Didn't your mother ever teach you?"

"So what if I don't know how to wash my own damn clothes? Why do something that someone else could be paid to do?!" he growled. "My mother didn't have a domestic bone in her scrawny body." The rumpled shirt remained tightly gripped in his hand before falling onto the ground in a crumpled heap. He crossed his arms over his chest and resigned himself to sit against the wall sulking. "If you're going to criticize me, then fold everything yourself."

Sensing that she had hit a sore spot, she stopped laughing and picked up the shirt, smoothing out the sleeves. "I didn't mean to laugh at you. Honestly, I didn't learn to do my own laundry until after I had Kaya. I'm not much for domestic work myself. Tama taught me how to cook and clean a little. The rest I just figured out myself."

His resentment was not easily appeased. He hated to be laughed at, but then again he couldn't outright defend his lack of skills due to the fact that he was waited on hand and foot by a personal staff of thirty maids. That would surely raise her suspicions at his presumed status of a street urchin.

"Watch me," she gently suggested, talking to him in a voice that a mother uses with a young child. "First you smooth out all the wrinkles by laying it flat out. Then you fold the two sleeves in like this and fold the bottom up. Voila!"

She tossed him a polo shirt and instructed him to do as she had just done. After a few failed attempts he triumphantly held up a perfectly folded shirt. "I got it!"

"Good, now you can fold the other twenty over there."

The smile on his face fell. "Crap."

"My mother was never much of a stay-at-home house wife," she nonchalantly stated, as if she were talking to herself. "She was more the socialite. It was always about spending days at the spa, ordering the latest designs from Italy and France, and most importantly, the parties. She always told me it was more important for a lady to learn to order the maids to do the work rather than learn to do it yourself. She was too scared of chipping a nail doing menial labor."

"You had maids?" He was rather shocked by her little tirade over her mother's lack of housewife skills. It was the haunting fact that her description fit his mother perfectly.

"You haven't figured out anything yet, have you? I thought you would have gone through the stuff in this room and that is why you never asked."

"I'm not some kind of thief going through other people's things."

"You have more self-control than I do. I would have ransacked the place for information," she half laughed.

She pushed herself off the ground and sauntered towards the nightstand, and opened the drawer. She pulled out the familiar wristwatch that Tsukasa had found the first day in the room and tossed the watch at him. "Whose name is engraved inside of it?"

He turned the watch over and traced his fingers over the characters. "Shinimori."

"That name used to have more meaning, a name signifying money. It was a family that had established itself in investing in oil refineries all over the world. Did you ever hear of Shinimori Koishijiro, the oil tycoon?"

"Sort of."

She settled herself next to him against the wall and took the watch from his hand, pulling it over her tiny wrist and clasping it on. "He was my father."

"I thought your last name was Makino."

"You've got me there. You have been paying attention, haven't you? All this time I thought you were too self-absorbed to care about anything or anyone else."

"Hey."

"Sorry, let me get back to the point. My real father's last name was Makino. Shinimori-san was my stepfather. He was a good man. We were dirt poor from what little I can remember, but to a child money and wealth really has no meaning. We lived in a tiny little apartment with one large room where we slept, ate, and lived. The only bathroom on the floor was shared by three other families."

"Sounds like a dump."

"It probably was."

"So what happened?"

"My real father died when I was about five. I still remember how my mother woke me up in the middle of the night and dragged me down to the hospital. It was rather stupid how he died. He was leaving the office late after staying to do some overtime. He was probably overexerted and half asleep walking to the bus stop. The driver of the car showed blood alcohol levels that showed no sign of real coherency. It was a DUI." Tsukushi clapped her hands together, breaking the deathly silence. "Sometimes I think to myself what it looked like. . . That moment of instant realization that you're going to be hit and nothing in the world can save you. I can only guess what his last thoughts were before the hundreds of pounds of steel slammed into his fragile body."

"I'm sorry."

"What are you sorry for? You weren't the one driving. No one could have known what was going to happen. I barely even remember him now. His face, his voice, they're all but vague memories that I have. All the man ever left behind for me was a few happy memories and life insurance equaling a few thousand dollars. My mother became obsessed. She was always on the selfish side from the beginning. Part of the reason she married my father was because he was a computer programmer. She thought he showed promise and would make a fortune with the technology wave. It was the Internet boom around the time he died. He was one step away from completing a program that ended up making millions. He was the primary programmer of Tsumaki."

Although she wasn't looking at him as she spoke, Tsukasa's face visibly paled.

Tsumaki? It can't be. Tsumaki was invented under the Doumyouji Corporation. It's one of the reasons why we hit the mark entering the top 25 wealthiest corporations in the world. That database program is used in every single office in the world as the standard system. With that program we set the bar for the competitors in database mining.

"Did you know that program is used worldwide as the protocol database system all over the world? You would think the mind who invented it would have made millions. He was young and probably too involved with the love of his job to realize that the people he was working for were just using him. It was his baby, named after his own child. All the work he did was under the name of the company he worked for, the Doumyouji Corporation. For all the work he had done, they provided a small death pension and a typed memo of condolences. 'His contributions to the Doumyouji Corporation will be sorely missed'," she sneered. "He made them millions. They gave him shit."

Tsukasa swallowed the lump in his throat. All those times it had always been nothing more than a piece of paper bearing some vague words he barely stopped to process. They were cold and unfeeling, but when you run a mass multinational corporation, one death will not stop the cogs in the corporate machine. The pensions were a whole other joke for that matter. His employees were like lab rats running in the wheels until exhaustion took over, taking their lives, all for a greater good, his own personal good. They funded his new Mercedes every year, the trips to Aspen in the winter, the whole fucking disgustingly luxurious lifestyle he had been raised in. The blood, sweat and tears of others allowed him to peacefully slumber on the king-sized bed in a room out of the hundred rooms of his mansion. Disgust. The acidic bile-like taste rose in his mouth.

"Within a year we had used up all of our funds. That same year my mother remarried. Not for love, not for convenience, but purely for money. She always said that the second time around she would make sure she would be taken care of."

"She?"

"Yeah, I was just a leftover accessory from a failed marriage. I was an accident. At the same time, I was the pawn in her intricate game to seduce men. Older men will always fall for a pretty face, a young mother struggling to support herself and her child. Sadly enough Shinimori-san was her victim. He was always kind to me. Although he was wealthy, he believed in living a good life. When he married my mother, he adopted me as his own daughter, but allowed me to keep my father's last name out of respect. He offered us the world, asking for nothing more than our love in return. I grew to love him as much as my own father. With my new father I also got a new brother, Susumu. This was his watch." Absentmindedly, she picked at the nonexistent lint on the pants laying in her lap. "I overheard Kaya telling you about him yesterday. . . Do you have any siblings?"

"Yeah, an older sister, Tsubaki," he found himself grinning. In his mind, he could faintly hear her shrill voice as she screamed at him to get his act together before launching a practiced kick into his stomach. "She was a real bitch, but I knew she acted that way 'cause she cared."

"Then you must know what it's like to have the protective older sibling. Even though we weren't blood, Susumu treated me as if we were really brother and sister. I rarely saw him over the time his father and my mother were married. He spent most of his time away at school. It was his own choice and my mother's greatest victory that he never came home except for family functions. It wasn't until Shinimori-san died that things kind of went downhill. He was rich, but little did the world know his investments were all failing and that his company was barely above filing chapter 11 bankruptcy." She paused briefly, recalling the downward destructive spiral she and her mother faced after finding that once again their provider had left them with nothing. "

"What about your mother?"

"I wouldn't even call her that after what she did. I was one of the few lucky ones that had somewhere to go. Susumu took me in, but that's a story for another time. Tsukushi's brief lapse of reminiscence ended as quickly as it began and the walls were built up again. "We should hurry up. I have to pick Kaya up at school in an hour."

Taking that as his cue to leave her be, he quietly continued folding the pile of shirts next to him.

--------------------------------------

Tsukasa picked up the last of the boxes and placed it in the corner with the rest of the stacks. Tsukushi had left a few minutes ago to pick up Kaya at school. It was weird. Maybe it was karma or some sick twist of fate. Everything was slowly coming back to bite him in the ass.

All those times I just signed the papers in front of me. I never once stopped to read them. It was always a matter of form 10-A, sign on the left and date, form T-10, sign and initial on the lower right corner. They were just meaningless words to me. Everyone gets the same contract with enough legal jargon to leave anyone confused. That was the plan all along anyway. Work for the Doumyouji family and sign away your soul. This shit hits a little too close to home for me.

Deciding to take a break, he dusted his pants off and walked out the room. A cold beer would help clear his mind. The best time to think about anything with depth was through the delightful feeling of inebriation. Everything just seems so much better through those foggy, blurry glasses of drunkenness. He helped himself on the couch and tossed his head back, taking a long swig. The cool liquid slid down his throat, alleviating that small nagging headache in his mind. Suddenly the inner confines of the apartment were becoming a little too much for him. Seeking some fresh air, he grabbed his keys and walked out the door.

It's strange how you always spend your entire life complaining about how much you wish you had more free time to do this or that. It's a sick joke that we always desire that elusive free time, but when we finally reach that goal we're lost. I knew that all those hours spent in management courses at college would come in handy. I am a victim of "goal behavior." Now that I've finally discovered this free time, I don't want it anymore. I want anything but this torturous unknown. Fuck, I'll even take sitting in that office on the fiftieth floor, on my ass yelling into the speakerphone for the videoconference to London. Yep, I'm bored out of my mind.

Tsukasa meandered down the rather desolate streets, trying to find anything to do to get his mind off the little tidbits he had gathered from Tsukushi earlier. In a way, what happened to Tsukushi wasn't his fault. It was the work of his parents that screwed her over. Then again, he was their offspring and his name carried the guilt that went along with the crime. Nothing mattered now. As far as he was concerned, the day he left was the day he left behind the Doumyouji name.

His gaze wandered to the building his legs stopped in front of. His body instantly shuddered at the realization of where he stood. Twenty paces and he would be back inside of the box. When and how he got there was a mystery to him. All he knew was that he now was teetering on that threshold of life and death. There were two choices to take. One, he could storm inside and take back his rightful place at the top of the corporate hierarchy. Two, he could turn around and walk far, far away pretending like he had no idea what kind of things went on inside that building.

All it took was one deep breath and he walked forward slamming open those doors. All heads turned around to look at the loud intruder. When they saw the man dressed in nothing more than a simple t-shirt and jeans, they redirected their attentions to the prior conversations and activities they had engaged themselves in. Tsukasa took no notice of their disinterest in him and marched right up to the counter slamming his fist down.

"Give me a beer."

So what if I'm a coward? All those years I spent in school taught me to not be an idiot.

In all honesty, he had the intentions to walk through those giant glass doors of the office. However, his feet had a different idea and took twenty steps to the left, away from those doors, and led him in front of the bar next door. Those damn feet had a mind of their own.

His head turned from side to side, taking in his surroundings. Everyone around him was obviously from the office next door. There were the tell- tale signs everywhere to indicate who their employer was. It was that zombie look he knew all too well. After spending all of his high school and college years interning at the office, he could spot a Doumyouji employee from a mile away. All the signs were around him. The dark rings under their eyes, the opened top buttons of their shirts and loosened neckties around the neck, that dazed look, and of course the little hunched-over and huddled position. They were the kind of people that looked like they were hoping for some righteous person to put them out of their misery. He could tell they were nearing the end when they got the shakes, like the guy next to him that spilled more of his beer than drank it every time he held the shaky glass to his lips.

"What happened to you, Hiro? I heard you got called in to see the boss man."

"I'm so fucked!" a twenty-something man cried out, sobbing into the bowl of peanuts in front of him. "Do you know the Makimachi account?"

"Yeah. The merger was supposed to take place today. Weren't you in charge of finalizing the contracts and having them delivered to be signed yesterday?"

"That's the one!" he wildly waved his hand around. His face fell to the counter with a loud thud. It was either he was completely pissed drunk out of his mind or depression that allowed him to ignore the pain and continue. "My wife had the baby yesterday."

"Congratulations!" his companion yelled, slapping him heartily on the back. "Shouldn't you be at the hospital with your wife and baby right now?"

"I would if I had the guts to face my wife and tell her I just got canned. How can I explain to her that I got fired because yesterday when I was supposed to hand deliver the contracts to the Makimachi Corporation, I chose to give the job to my secretary, Naru, and meet my wife at the hospital to see the birth of my child. I should have known better than to let someone else do my job."

"Did she forget to drop off the contracts?"

"No. She got there on time and early, too."

"So what was the problem?"

"Doumyouji-san was there."

"Shit! So he fired you for not being the one to hand deliver the contracts?"

"No. Naru called me at the hospital like I told her to right after she dropped off the contracts. She said that Doumyouji-san was there when she left and that he was fine with her delivering the paperwork. He even invited her out for a drink to celebrate the birth and the merger."

"So why did he change his mind and fire you?"

"This morning I got a call into the President's office. His wife was there and she handed me my pink slip. She said that because I did not do my job as I was supposed to, she could not tolerate it. When I went to my desk to go pack my things and ask Naru what happened, I found her desk cleared too. I've tried calling her home to see what happened, but she hasn't been answering her phone. I don't know what happened."

"That's rough."

"Do you know how expensive it is going to be to pay for all those hospital and doctor's bills? I have no job and I just spent most of our savings on buying the new house. Now that I've lost my job I have no income and no medical insurance. I'm beyond fucked."

"Sorry," his companion patted a reassuring hand on his back. Although the look on his face was sympathetic to his friend's plight, you couldn't mistake that trace of relief that at least he had had saved his own ass and dodged the bullet.

Tsukasa turned his attention away from the broken man. He couldn't bear to look any longer, and in some way was glad no one would recognize him as a Doumyouji. With his past position in the company, he had spent most of his time locked away on the top floor office, away from the minions. His parents were the figureheads for the press. In a way, it was a blessing he stayed in the shadows.

The moment he heard the little tale, he knew what had happened. It was all too common for secretaries to mysteriously disappear from the office after bumping into his father. They probably had a nightcap followed by a romp in one of the local hotels. By now, Tsukasa knew better that his mother had eyes everywhere. All it would take was one of her informants following him to make the call and the poor hapless girl would be gone. Sometimes he wondered to himself where they all went. By now his father had accumulated enough liaisons to fill up their entire mansion, and then some.

It would be funny to think that there are enough to form some sort of weird harem out on one of our islands in the Mediterranean. The lucky ones get away with maybe some public humiliation, a ruined reputation on the eastern hemisphere, and don't forget the blackmail to hurt their loved ones. That's the real kick in the ass. The not so lucky ones. . . I don't even want to think about it.

It was also a well-known fact that his mother liked to take out her anger on the men that hired the secretaries. It was like a distribution of the blame on part of her husband's wandering hands, mouth, eyes, and a certain other body part. The poor scapegoats never saw it coming. They were all the same nameless faceless people to him, singing the same old song thousands of men before them had sung. It hurt like hell the fact that now was the first time he was seeing a guy who had a story to him and a face that was right in front of his own.

Guilt sucks.

Feeling thoroughly disgusted with himself, the small buzz from the amount of beers he had managed to consume in the last 15 minutes all went to waste. He pulled his wallet out of his back pocket and threw a twenty down on the counter, hoping to forget all that was said and heard. It seemed that everybody had some pathetic sad tale to tell, like it was a contest to see who was cursed with the most dismal existence. He, for one, could never complain. Money is what kept him safe and sound away from all this newfound guilt and brutal reality. At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to go home to his own room in the mansion on the big hill, to bundle himself in the superficial world of greed, power, and status.

His life was a current dichotomy of sorts. On one part, he was the spoiled rich boy that wanted nothing more than to run home to mommy, his mansion, cars and endless limit of credit cards. On the other hand, he had oddly found himself living the life of "real" people. It's funny how he had managed to fall from one circle into another with little difficulty. It's beside the point that his first week out he felt like he would die on the street after realizing he had spent more than half of the money in his wallet. It was worse when he broke down and used the ATM. He was weak, but in his own weakness and fall into oblivion, he had managed to get through somehow.

"Keep the change," he muttered to the bartender behind the counter foolishly trying to scrub the stains out of wood. "Try using some lemon and bleach," he suggested.

Smoothing out the wrinkles in his shirt, he rose to walk out the door back into the bright light of the late afternoon. However, something stopped him halfway to the door.

If my parents won't do the right thing, I will. Screw karma. I'm going to fix what damage I can now. Akira and Tsukushi helped me, so I guess it's all a matter of my turn.

As much of a stupid idea as it was, something had to be done. He walked out the door and headed for the bank across the street.

"I hope this still works," he muttered to himself. He punched in the familiar code that probably had been imbedded into his brain from the countless number of times he found himself with empty pockets.

It was a long walk down the long strip, stopping at every ATM possible to gather the amount of cash he needed at the moment. By the time he had finished, the small plastic bag he had procured was brimming with cash. There was no way he would be arrested for taking obscene amounts of money out of his own bank account. All he could hope for was that the poor schmuck would still be alive and drowning his sorrows in the bar.

By chance, he was still there. His friend was still pitifully trying to console him, while he downed another shot. Now was the perfect time. Kicking his briefcase out from underneath the chair, Tsukasa snapped it open and shoved the bag into it with a small note attached. It was anonymous, but to the point, bearing the simple words, "Someone once helped me, so now I'm helping you."

"Come on. I'll drive you home."

"H.o.me?" a slurred voice asked. He stumbled out of the seat, grasping onto his friend's shoulder for support. "God kill me now!"

"Yeah, I don't think we're all that lucky. You just need to sleep this off."

"Let me help you," Tsukasa eagerly offered, grabbing the suitcase and helping haul the drunkard out of the establishment.

"Thanks. The poor guy has had a rough day."

After helping the man into his friend's car, Tsukasa watched the car drive away in the distance. For once things were looking up. Good had been done. Maybe this was why Tsukushi and Akira helped him. The euphoric feeling of helping someone was in a way fulfilling. He just learned something new about himself.

Hmm. I do have a conscience.

---------------------------------------

"Are you going to be okay here?" Tsukushi warily asked as her vision grazed across the empty apartment. Rui languidly leaned against the open fridge as if looking for something that would suddenly jump out at him and say "eat me."

Kaya emphatically nodded her head up and down. "Yep!"

"Well, okay. Remember if you need anything you can call Mama's cell phone. I don't care if it's four in the morning, I'll come get you."

"Uh huh."

"I want you to listen to your father and be a good girl, okay?"

"Geez. Don't be so paranoid, Tsukushi. I have taken care of her on my own before," Rui sighed as he popped his head over the fridge door. "Kaya's always good when she's with me. Do you know our kid? Look at her."

Kaya innocently sat on the windowsill by the window overlooking the rooftops of the neighboring apartment buildings. Her small legs dangled over the edge while she sang some song that made absolutely no sense. She lightly smiled, watching the birds fly through the blue sky and continued singing to herself.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm more worried about you than her. Are you sure you can handle her on such short notice? Maybe I should take her home with me and bring her back tomorrow to spend the night."

"You can go now, Tsukushi," Rui yelled back, exasperated by the hour-long lecture he had to endure prior to this long farewell between mother and daughter.

"I still can't believe that the school cancelled the rest of the week on account of this weather."

"Well, it's cruel to lock up a bunch of kids in a building without AC."

"You're right. I expect you two at the apartment at noon tomorrow. We need to go over the plans for the club next week."

"Gotcha." Rui sprung up from behind Tsukushi who seemed to have locked their daughter in a vice-like grip, afraid of letting go. "You've got to let her go sometimes, Tsukushi," he whispered into her ear. "It's only for one night. How are you going to do it when I take her away for two weeks next month?"

"I know. It's just hard for me to do this. I'm too used to waking up with her in the morning and saying 'goodnight' each night. The apartment feels so empty without her at night."

"How do you think I feel every time I drop her off at your place and come home to this quiet place?"

"You're right. I'm not being fair," she shrugged. "You can borrow her, but I want her back in one piece," she laughed.

"I know. If she doesn't come back the same you'll tear me limb from limb. Did you bring her bathing suit?"

"Yeah. You do realize that she's only five?"

"So?"

"Well she's still young and plenty of parents bathe with their children. You do know it's perfectly acceptable?"

"I don't care what people say. Something about a naked little girl and me makes me uncomfortable. I don't want to be seen as a child molester. My clothes stay on while she wears the bathing suit in the tub."

"You're odd."

"No I'm not."

"I do recall you not having a problem sharing a shower with me."

"Oh yeah. That's different. I never knew you were such a pervert to think about stuff like that anyway."

"Damn! I've been spending too much time around Akira and Sakurako."

"You know you're still cute when you blush like that."

"Ass."

The sudden mirth in his face faded for a second, bearing signs of seriousness. "I guess this actually might work. It's been a long time since we've been able to be this way. The way we used to be."

Tsukushi cupped his cheek with her palm, forcing him to look into her eyes. "I'm trying. It'll take small steps, but I think we can go back. It won't ever be the exact same way, but we can try," she weakly smiled. "We promised ourselves we could do this. We can be friends."

----------------------------------

Tsukushi left Rui's apartment with a heavy heart. After twenty minutes of Rui's pushing her out the door and three checks to see if Kaya had all her things, she found herself walking away alone. She had to be brave. If not for herself, then she had to be for Kaya. It wasn't exactly the first time she had left Kaya alone with Rui, but it was the first time she would stay with him overnight. They were taking the baby steps in an attempt to console her worries about her spending those two weeks in Atami with him.

"It's not like she's going to be gone for a year," she mumbled to herself.

Seeing as how it was still early and feeling rather gloomy, she decided to stay out a bit longer for a little pick me up. For now, she just wanted to wallow in her own panic attack. Somehow her legs carried her away from the towering condominium and towards the shopping district. She barely even noticed the tinkling of the bell over the entrance to the bookstore. In a dejected and defeated sort of way, she ordered her coffee and slumped down into one of the couches. Her body melded with the marshmallow-like cushions swallowing up her petite frame. Just for a few minutes, she would have some peace and quiet to clear her head.

"I didn't think I would see you around here?" a voice asked, sitting down beside her.

She slowly opened her tired eyes and allowed her head to loll to the side, taking in the man beside her. Concerned honey-colored eyes stared right back at her.

"Hi. I just stopped by to take a little rest." With that said, she proceeded to close her eyes once more and listen to the soothing sound of pages of books being turned and the light aroma of coffee beans in the air. "You have a very bad habit of interrupting people when they come here to escape."

"You know I was hoping I would see you here again? Have you reconsidered my question?"

"Don't get ahead of yourself. I don't get it. Is the bookstore a new pick up place for guys or something?"

"Sshh! If you say that out loud everyone will learn my secret." Kazuya rested his chin on his arm spread out on the back of the couch. He put on one of those sad, pathetic 'please take me home' looks on his face. "Come on, give me a little credit here? I usually take my business to the supermarket," he smirked. "Then again none of the women here pale in comparison to the market."

"Flattery will get you nowhere with me."

"And your indifference won't get anywhere with me either."

"Touche."

"Can I ask you something?"

"If it's the same question you've been using previously, my answer is still the same."

"Nope. I've got you there. This is actually a professional question."

"Shoot."

"How do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Where do you get the ideas for the stuff you write? I've been practicing at this for the last six years and I still have got nothing close to you. Sometimes I don't think it's fair that I'll spend the rest of my days trying to get to the level you're on while you go off and just drop it like your talents are no big deal. In a way, I'm a little jealous. It's just the way you describe the characters, the settings, and those undeniable raw emotions you evoke. It's all just so. . ."

"Real?" she arched an eyebrow.

"Yeah, real."

Tsukushi pushed herself up to sit straight and turned towards him. "Because it all is, in some form or another. I don't try to put on the façade of being the angst-stricken starving artist or the dreamer wanting to write the next great novel of our generation. I write what I know."

"Then you know a lot more than me, I suppose."

"I'm just an old soul trapped in a young body. You should be glad you're still growing up. If only I had that luxury."

He shrugged his shoulders, not really grasping the truth in her words. "My mother always said, 'You're only as old as you feel'."

"Well, I must be a hundred then," she sighed, rubbing her tired eyes.

"I'm hungry," he said to himself. "I could go for a little snack right about now."

"Okay, I guess I'll see you around." She stood up to grab her purse, looking out towards the door. "I should get going, too." She began to proceed towards the door, but was stopped by a hand wrapped around her wrist, tugging her backwards.

"I think you could use a little something too," Kazuya knowingly smiled. "It'll be my treat."

"I don't know." She shuffled her feet against the ground like a little kid kicking some invisible rock.

He proceeded to drag her out of the establishment, ignoring her screams of protest. "More walking and less talking. I'm hungry."

------------------------------

She dug her heels in the sand, watching them make two fine lines in the unmarred ground. Her hands gripped tighter to the chains by her side as her body swayed back and forth in a smooth pendulum motion. Strands of hair whipped in her face as the horizon fell and dropped in front of her with each upward and downward rise and fall. Slowly, she lifted her legs up, steadying her balance to stand on the thin piece of plastic she had used as a seat. Her legs straightened as she stood upright on the swing, watching the world rise and fall. A feeling of liberation and exhilaration filled her heart with the rush of balancing herself on the ride.

Kazuya ran up the hill holding two bags in his hands, gasping to catch his breath. He felt a lump catch in his throat as he watched the woman suddenly jump off mid-swing. She gracefully fell to the ground with a soft thud in front of him and bent over to peer into the bags that slipped out of his fingers.

"I'm a little hungry now myself. What did you do, buy the entire grocery store?" She peeked into the plastic bag for a closer look and pulled out an ice cream bar. "You should eat the other one before it melts," she suggested, ignoring the dazed look on his face.

Finally releasing the hand from his heart, he seated himself on the swing beside her and peeled open the paper wrapping from his ice cream. "You shouldn't jump off the swing like that. Didn't anyone ever tell you that's dangerous?"

"Eh," she shrugged. "I was just testing to see why Kaya loves doing it so much. I have to admit there is a rush there." She nibbled on her ice cream bar, wiping away the crumbs that fell into her lap. "Sometimes you'll never understand why people do the things they do unless you try it once."

"Who's Kaya?" He rummaged through the bags and pulled out a bottle of Coke dripping with condensation on the outside of the bottle. He took a long swig before taking another bite of his sandwich.

"She's my muse, my reason for living, and the biggest love of my life."

The tipped bottle to his lips remained still and a streak of soda dripped down his chin to his pants. "What?" His eyes widened as if this new information had suddenly caused a notion to dawn upon him. "Oh geez, I'm sorry. I didn't know you were. . . If I did I would have never asked in the first place. You could have just told me that was the reason why you refused. Well, you know. . ."

Tsukushi burst out into a fit of laughter after realizing what he was fumbling to say. She grabbed the bottle out his hand and placed it on the ground before his lap could become more saturated with the sticky liquid. "No, you have it all wrong. Kaya is my daughter." She reached into her purse and pulled out her wallet pulling out a flip-out of pictures. "She's my baby."

He took the wallet, inspecting the photos looking at them from up to down. Each picture was a slow progression starting with a little wrinkly looking thing swaddled in a pink blanket to a little girl wearing pigtails, blowing out her birthday candles on her cake. A small smile appeared on his lips as he carefully examined each one. "How old is she now?"

"She just turned five about two months ago," she bragged. "She's the cutest kid in the world." She took back the wallet and held out the photographs in front of her face. "I would do anything for her."

"Who's that?" he asked pointing towards the man holding the baby in his arms.

"That's Rui. He's the father."

"Oh." He kicked a stone near his foot, contemplating the situation presented to him. "Did you just get divorced or something?"

"Nope. We never even got close to getting married. I was the girl mothers always warned their daughters about becoming. I was only sixteen when I had Kaya. I was lucky considering how I finished high school and continued a little bit into college. She's getting older now and she'll be starting to have full days of school next year. What I want has to take a backseat to what's good for her. It'll be nice giving up the juggle between work, school and a kid. Now all I have to focus on is work and Kaya. I don't even know why I'm telling you this. You must find this boring."

"No I don't." His face showed no intentions of swaying away from the sincerity and truth of his words. "Anything that matters to you is important to me. Is he the reason why I found you looking like you wanted someone to put you out of your misery this afternoon?"

"I guess you could say that. I'm having trouble letting her go. She's only spending the night at her father's, but it's tearing me up inside knowing she's not with me."

He nodded his head listening to her. "I understand that look. You have that same look on your face my mother did whenever she left me at my father's for his weekend visitation rights."

"Ah, so you're not so perfect, are you?"

"Take it from someone who sees it from the third party point of view. My parents divorced when I was about four. After that it was always the pass between two parents for holidays, graduations, birthdays, and weekends. In the beginning, they pretty much hated each other taking barbs at the other. Their animosity started rubbing off on me and, I got pretty fed up with them, too. The whole thing was draining on the three of us. We ended up going to family therapy, and from there things started getting a bit better. My parents even started to like each other again as much as even calling the other a friend. That was the point where we settled into the comfort of just being some kind of family. Take it from me when I say that the best thing you can do is to just let things happen." He paused momentarily, revealing the pensive look on his face. "I thank God that they got over themselves and learned to just be friends to deal with the situation. The worst thing you can do to a kid is put them on the spot, having to choose between one parent over the other. In the long run, what you're doing for your daughter is good for all of you. He may have her for one night, but you'll be her mother forever."

She took a sip of her ice tea, focusing on the setting sun in front of them. A small smile crept over her pink lips. "Thanks," she whispered.

---------------------------------------

Her long polished ruby red fingernails raked across the linoleum table. Silently she stared out into the pedestrians whizzing by. Every one had a place to go. That is, everyone except for her. She languidly picked up the straw in her milkshake, ignoring the person sitting across from her. Her mind was completely lost in the mix of her contemplations.

Hiro? Haru? Hideaki? I know it's something with an H. Wait, maybe it's not an H. I think it starts with an E.

"Enichi!"

"What?" The bewildered young man smiled at his date's current enthusiasm to shouting his name. A little spark of hope lit up inside of him. For the last ten minutes, he had been going over the finer points of good bookkeeping in terms of receipts for tax breaks when his date suddenly interrupted him by yelling out his name in the quiet little diner.

"Huh?" Confusion was written all over her face. She tilted her head to the side trying think of something to say. "Could you pass the salt?"

"Sure." He readily grabbed the salt and handed it over to her across the table.

"Thanks."

Oh god, he's talking about debits and credits again. Apparently I got his name right since he acknowledged me. Rule number one of real dating- remember your date's name. Gotta remember that.

Here we are again. I don't get what the hell is wrong with me. Here I am with what appears to be a perfectly fine specimen of the male species and I feel like I'm talking to a piece of wood. I just had to let Yuuki set me up with these guys. An accountant! A fucking accountant! I usually pass on these number crunchers that get turned on by the slightest whir of their financial calculators. I'm used to models, actors, pretty boys. Fuck, I've had one of everything. Who am I kidding?

Focus, Sakurako. You can do this. He has nice hair. I do remember him saying he owned his own house and car. That shows stability. He's pretty toned. Must work out quite a bit. A normal date would have us sweating, panting and groaning as our bodies pounded against a mattress. I'm too perverted for my own good. Then again, the idea does sound promising as a means to shut him up. Self-control. Must have self-control. I will not sleep with him on our first date.

She raised a hand, silencing him in mid-sentence. Putting on a sickeningly sweet and innocent smile, she picked up her purse. Glancing down at her watch, she calculated how long it would take her to get home through the mid-afternoon traffic. "It's getting a little late. I don't mean to be rude, but do you think you could take me back to my place? I need to get ready for work," she lied.

He seemed puzzled for a moment before slapping down some bills on the table, taking care of the bill. "Sure. Let's go." He extended a hand to help her out of the booth and escorted her through the door, keeping his arm around her waist like the chivalrous knight he appeared to be.

Sakurako blindly allowed him to open the passenger side door for her. She looked down at her date's attire, wishing she could reach home faster to peel off the clothes and crawl into bed. She was relatively conservatively dressed for the date. Deciding that it be better to show up on the first date comfortable, she threw on a pair of low-rise denim jeans and a white halter top. She reached behind her neck to unfasten the strings to retie them since they seemed to be becoming loose. Her hand froze the second she felt his over hers.

"Let me help you with that," he whispered into her ear, leaning over the stick shift to grab the two thin strings. Slowly, he dragged the tips of the strings across the cool flesh of her back in a teasing and taunting manner. The simpleton's face he had worn earlier vanished with the appearance of his predatory smile and the knowing gleam in his eyes. His left arm brushed against her chest, rubbing the soft cotton of the top against her hardened nipples.

Instinctively, she raised her arms to fold them across her chest, It was all in a desperate attempt to push his lingering hands away from her. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing," he smugly replied. He leaned over closer to her and began to pry her arms away from her chest. Her top slowly slipped downwards, revealing the white lacy strapless bra underneath.

She shivered underneath his hungry gaze. The air conditioning in the car made it worse, sending goosebumps over her exposed flesh. From one point of view she was a little turned on by his aggressive behavior. Better judgment would have ruled her sexual need to be spurred on by the refrain from such a behavior in previous days and also the bad boy complex. As sad as it is, no woman can resist the charms of the wolf in sheep's clothing.

His offending hands slipped down lower, rubbing her thighs. Fingers looped through her belt loops, tugging at the waist of her jeans.

She reached to raise her top back up, holding onto the strings to support the flimsy top in a small attempt to retain some decency. Her eyes locked forward through the windshield, realizing that the parking lot was rather empty for this time of day. It was about the lull of the day between the after work rush and late lunch goers. Out in the broad daylight where any passerby could waltz past the car seeing her indecency, she affirmed what had to be done.

"I want you to take me home," she commanded. "I think this date is over. I'm not about to have sex with a guy I just met in his car. This is only supposed be a simple date and nothing else."

"Come on, you know you want this. All the guys at work told me about the good time you showed them. I assumed I would be given the same courtesy. I like a girl in virginal white." He slid a finger over her bra teasing the small ribbon bow in the center. "A dirty girl like you pretending to be all sweet and innocent isn't right." He leaned in closer letting his hot breath tickle against her neck and ear. Just low enough to be heard underneath the hum of the air conditioning he whispered, "I know what you really are. You're nothing but a fucking whore."

The tough skin she had acquired over the years crumbled with those words. It's amazing how one man could destroy a woman's self-esteem with that one word. It was the label that separated the two types of women in the world. There were the women they wanted to be seen in public with and brought home to their mothers. The others nothing more than a good fuck until the good girls came along. All the years of running in the wrong circle left no chance for redemption, for some shred of dignity. She would forever be one of those women, a whore.

"Get away from me!" she shrilly screeched, pushing his body away from hers. "Get your filthy fucking hands off of me!" Her nails came out like talons, scratching at any bare flesh that came her way. She slashed downward scratching, leaving a long trail of blood dripping down his face. Not caring about the consequences she grappled with the door trying to get it unlocked, but soon found out he had set the auto lock for the passenger side.

"Bitch!" he yelled, grabbing his cheek. "I'm going to make you pay for this." His fist made instant contact with her face, knocking her head against the window.

"Fuck!" she groaned, grabbing her head where a lump was starting to form.

The stronger man began to climb over the middle of the car towards her seat. His hands worked their way on the zipper of her jeans. His own belt and pants were already loosened for easy access. "I was going to go gently with you, but a hellcat like you needs to be taken roughly. Shut the fuck up while I take what's mine. It's not like you're uncharted territory."

Her vision was blurred and her mind spinning. It was as if everything had divided into twos. Her hands trembled, but she could feel the impending presence of a body pushing her back against the seat. Something big was leaning in towards her. She panicked. Shaking her head, she tried to clear her mind.

Shit! I'm not going down without a fight.

She grasped for the rod that she knew resided in the center. Her fingers fumbled around the hard elongated object. Finally, getting a firm grasp she jerked it.

A groan echoed through the car. Wrong stick.

Her hand instantly released the piece of male anatomy she had mistakenly grabbed as the stick shift. This time she found the right one and yanked it downward. At the same time, the stick shift shifted out of park and into reverse, but not before hitting something in its way.

Enichi yelped in pain, feeling the stick shift ramming into his pelvis. The brief moment of pleasure he felt when her fingers wrapped around him quickly died out to be replaced by the shooting fiery pain in his crotch. "Oomph!"

Taking this as an open chance, she leaned over his slumped form to push the auto lock off. Grabbing her purse, she pushed the car door open. Her body hit the hot asphalt as the car rolled backwards. "If I ever see your face again, you son of a bitch, I'll make sure to cut your dick off and feed it to you!"

She ran as fast as her stiletto heels could carry her. Stumbling and tripping along the way, she quickly tied her halter top back on and ran out into the main street. Two dark streaks of black marred her face from the tears intermingling with her mascara. The salty black mixture flowed down across her cheeks onto the sidewalk. Her body could take no more until finally she slumped down against the brick wall of a building in an alleyway.

------------------------------

Tsukasa hurried home, hoping that he would not be late to meet Tsukushi. They had agreed earlier to meet up at home at about 7 for dinner. He clutched the parcel in his hand, which he had picked up at the convenience store down the street. Oblivious in his haste, he barely caught the faint whimpers from the dark side street he passed. Normally he would have ran by without a second glance, but the small "fuck" he heard muttered over and over again was a little too familiar.

Cautiously, he stepped into the narrow passage. "Sakurako?"

She raised her head, wiping away the tears with the back of her arm. "Shit," she muttered to herself. She quickly stood up trying to compose herself. She reached up and felt the sore spot on her head through the matted mess of hair that once was tied in a neat French twist. She popped open her purse finding a hair tie, and pulled back her hair, wincing in pain after touching the sore spot. The best she could do about her make up was wipe away the gloppy mess on her face, smearing it across her pale skin with the tissue.

His steps were small and cautious. There was something about the way she slumped against the wall that didn't seem right. Her entire body was trembling. Her clothes and hair were disheveled coming undone. It was almost as if. . .

"What the fuck?"

"Tsukasa?"

Dropping the bag in his hands, he rushed forward, catching her before her knees gave way. He gripped her shoulder, attempting to prop her up. "What happened to you?' He reached up to brush the few stray bangs out of her eyes.

She hissed at the sensation of his fingers dabbing at the purple splotches forming around her eye. "That hurts like a fucker."

"I can tell. What the hell happened to you?"

"It's nothing," she slapped his hand away. "I just got into a little trouble on my date." She brushed him aside and dug her hand into her purse, looking for some sort of relief from that pounding in her head. Pulling out her pack of cigarettes, she patted the bottom into her palm before flipping the top open to let a single stick fall out. The cigarette was soon slipped between her lips, dangling from her mouth. Her heavy labored breaths were not helping her maintain the single flame in the palm of her hands sprouting from the silver lighter. The flame illuminated her face, only enhancing the damage inflicted upon it.

Tsukasa cupped her chin and raised it upwards for a better look. "If you don't put something on that eye it's going to be swollen shut tomorrow."

Finally managing to light up, she took a slow labored drag. "Thanks for the concern, but I don't need it." Flecks of ash danced in the air as she waved her cigarette. The jerky movement in her hands only added to the ash flying everywhere around them. "I'll remember that the next time some bastard decides to show me some love with his fucking fist." She shoved him away and ambled out of the alleyway. Her steps were disoriented and her feet dragged across the pavement. Her purse was slung over her shoulder by one hand while the other held her the cigarette between her slender fingers. "Don't tell anyone about this. I can take care of myself."

He was dumbfounded for a second, pondering what to do. It was all a matter of letting her go or run after her. He chose the latter.

"You aren't going anywhere like that," he demanded, pulling her back and spinning her around to face him.

Her balance was unnerved momentarily, but she regained it upon placing her hands against his chest. She was furious.

Why can't he get the fucking point? It's not like this is the first time some guy has decided to screw me over. Why does he fucking care? I'm nothing more than a cheap whore.

"I can't let you go like this. You need some help."

"Why do you care?"

"Because."

"Because what, damn it? Don't you see what everyone else sees? If you haven't noticed, you're the only one offering help. Women like me don't need guys to come to their rescue. I can damn well take care of myself like I always have!" Her fists were now pounding against his chest, trying to push him away from her. She didn't want to feel comforted. She didn't want his pity. She just wanted to be alone. Her protests faded into nothing but a small whisper. "Just leave me alone. Why do you care?"

He blinked, contemplating a proper answer for the posed question. It looked like the day was turning into a save everyone type of day. He knew the answer. It was a fact that he had tried so long to deny himself of. No matter how hard he tried to distance himself, he knew the truth.

"Because I'm your friend."

She gripped his shirt in her clenched fists. For once in a long time, she felt that fire inside die. Her eyes glazed over in defeat. Slowly, she released his shirt from her deathlike grip. "I don't want to be. . ."

"Don't want to be what?"

"Alone."

------------------------------

Akira rushed around the apartment, barely dodging the small piles of magazines, clothing, food wrappers, and other miscellaneous items scattered on the ground. He snatched up what appeared to be and smelled like a clean shirt off the couch. It was questionable whether or not it was clean, but on short notice it would have to do. Slipping it over his bare upper body, he buttoned the shirt up, humming to himself. He grabbed his keys and wallet from the kitchen counter, stuffing the wallet into his back pocket. Taking one last look around, he tore out the door.

I can't believe my luck. Akira, you are one lucky bastard. I've been waiting a few weeks for Naru to finally give up her silly ideals of marital monogamy. Those flowers I've been sending everyday must have clinched it.

He hopped into his car and revved up the engine. Hearing the small beep of his cell phone he looked down to realize there was a voice mail message left for him. He lifted the phone to his ear after dialing into his voicemail.

"Hey Akira! It's me. Look, I was going through some of Susumu's things today and decided to finally move the stuff into storage or give it away. I called Jiro to come over, too. You two can go through his clothes, since he has more than goodwill would be willing to take. I'll be going out to dinner at about 7, but just give me a call when you want to drop by today. If not, you can just pick up some stuff tomorrow. Ja ne!"

You're a lifesaver, Tsukushi.

He quickly dialed her number and waited for her to pick up while he maneuvered the steering wheel with his other free hand.

"Akira!"

"Yo. I just got your message. Can I drop by right now?"

"Umm. . . Sure. I'm just on my way home. I'll be there in about ten minutes. Tsukasa might be home to let you in, but if not I'll be there in a few. Okay?"

"Thanks. Bye."

"Bye."

He flipped the phone closed and sped up faster, weaving through traffic. Cranking up the radio he tapped his fingertips against the wheel along with the beat.

I wonder if she has Susumu's blue Armani shirt that I always liked?

-----------------------------------------

"I'll be there in a few, okay?" Tsukushi answered, balancing her phone between her ear and shoulder while glancing down at her watch. She picked the phone back up and held it up properly. "Bye." Hanging up her phone, she turned to her companion. "Sorry, about that. What were you saying?"

Kazuya lightly smiled, digging his hands back in his pocket. "Forget it. I was just saying how today turned out to be pretty cool. I mean it went pretty well, as first dates go and all."

She stopped and stared at him like he had grown another head. "Who said this was a date? It is not a date."

"Hmm. . . I'd have to disagree with you on that one. It was a date," he stated matter-of-factly. "Just admit you enjoyed our date."

"This is not a date," she growled.

"No, no, no," he waved a finger in her face, walking backwards in front of her. "According to the dating bylaws, what we just did constitutes as a date. It says so in section 149-A paragraph 3. An outing with a person of the opposite sex in which one party had a certain affinity for the other shall be deemed a date when certain actions are taken. The male shall pay for the said activities, a meal shall be shared, and conversations shall be mutually upheld. Therefore, what we just did was a date."

A look of incredulity was written all over her face.

He's insane.

She couldn't hold it in anymore and burst out laughing. The look of seriousness in his face remained intact, only fueling her laughter. "You can be such a cute idiot!"

His serious look disappeared to be replaced by a series of emotions crossing his face including nothingness, confusion, and finally a little hopefulness.

She instantly threw her hand over her mouth when she heard the words fly out. "I didn't mean that!"

His eyes gleamed with mischief. "Too late! You can't take it back!" he yelled, pointing at her. He began to jump around her in circles, pointing and laughing. "You said I was cute!"

Feeling rather stupid for letting those words slip out, she blushed and pushed him out of her way. She could feel her ears turning pink, a sure sign that her face was probably crimson by now. Every second his laughing and pointing increased, she quickened her pace home. "Laugh it up, buddy. I'm going home."

He stopped when he heard her making her fast escape. "Oh no you don't!" He grabbed her wrist, preventing her from making a clean break for it. "Admit you had a good time with me. I know I did. Come on, what's stopping you? You know I'm not some kind of homicidal killer after spending the entire afternoon with me. I've already shared some of myself with you. I'm healthy. I'm devastatingly handsome. I'm good with kids. I love books. My favorite book is Don Quixote. He's my favorite character because he's a dreamer, chasing after windmills, the unattainable. I have good hygiene. My favorite place and time would be out on the beach at sunset, sitting on my surfboard, watching the sun disappear in the horizon. I can be humorous at the right moments and serious when you need me. Most importantly, I like you and I'm not going to let you pass up something that can be good." He gripped her hand and held it up to his chest. "We could be something great."

For the first time in a long while, I questioned the first answer that my brain shouted I respond with. My heart was pounding and my head becoming a bit hazy in the moment. For once, maybe I didn't want to listen to my brain. A small part of me just wanted to throw caution to the wind and say, "Let's go for it." Life isn't that simple, though. There are too many things that complicate this situation. Looking up into his honey-colored eyes and the untamable sandy brown hair that fell into his eyes, I wanted to feel it between my fingers, brushing it away. That was exactly what I did.

"Maybe we could. Too bad we'll never find out." Tsukushi took back her dropped hand and walked away. She didn't even notice that they had made it back to the front of her building. Ignoring the statue-like boy left behind, she began to walk through the open doorway. She smiled up at the doorman.

"I never finished telling you the complete story about my parents, did I? You're probably wondering why I can't just let go of the fact that you don't want to go out with me, but there is more to it. After my parents divorced, my father got remarried. He had a few more kids after me. He'll be celebrating his ten year anniversary next month. My mother never remarried. She never even dated. She never moved on. Her life revolved around her child. Sometimes I see that look in her eyes when she looks at my father. She may not admit it, but I think she's still in love with him. She always said her child was enough love for her heart. Some men came along, trying to persuade her otherwise, and a few even proposed marriage. She never accepted. Now she's alone, and all she has is me, the only man in her life. I don't want you to end up like her. Don't push people away who want to be let in." He raised his lowered head, revealing eyes that pierced right through her, sending chills up her spine. "I see you in her. You're too young to sell yourself short. Someone out there wants to get to know you better. That someone is me. I'm not going to bully you into going out with me. The ball is in your court now. I'll be waiting for your call. If you don't call, well then today was incredible and I hope you'll remember it for what it was."

He ended his little speech and raised a hand to silence her. Her mouth hung open, ready to say something, but he moved quickly. He briefly smiled before turning and walking away. His back moved further and further away.

Tsukushi was baffled by the turn of events. His speech almost sounded like a rejection. It stung to be chastised by him. She turned around, only to walk into something hard. She rubbed her forehead, still trying to find her bearings.

"Akira?"

"Come inside, Tsukushi. You look like you need to sit down right about now."

"Uh huh," she dumbly nodded, allowing him to lead her inside the building and onto the elevator. His grip never loosened from around her waist and she leaned her head against his chest, "Do you think I made a huge mistake telling him to leave?"

"I don't know. I can't tell you what's right and wrong. From what I could see, that guy has got it bad for you just like the rest of the pathetic male species that has the honor of knowing you." He rested his chin on top of her head, sighing.

"Sometimes I wish I didn't have so much responsibility. Sometimes I wish I could be like every other 21 year old worrying about school, a job, and what club to go to each night. I'm tired of feeling so old. I want to be young again when things didn't matter. Risk is an option I've forgotten all about." She walked out of the elevator, leaving Akira to trail behind her. She didn't even stop to say anything more, but headed straight to her bedroom to lie down and dwell on the day's happenings.

Akira closed the door behind him and opted not to press Tsukushi for any more information about what she would do. He knew better than to push things. Heading straight for Tsukasa's bedroom, he walked towards one of the open boxes and pulled out a clean dress shirt, changing out of his dirty one. He tiptoed back out into the hallway and briefly paused in front of Tsukushi's door. He nudged the heavy door open a crack to find her sprawled out on the bed. Her hair fanned out around her body and her chest slowly rose and fell with each breath. Her soft breathing echoed in the silent room. She had fallen asleep.

He took one last glance at the woman sleeping peacefully a few feet away from him. He ruled against what he wanted to do, and shut the door behind him. He had a date waiting for him and probably an open bed.

"I'm no better than the rest. You don't know what you can drive a man to do."

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A/N: For anyone interested in Sailor Moon check out my first attempt "Taking the Plunge". And I said I would never write a sailor moon fic..