Disclaimer: Same as always.

Chapter 15: Interludes

Beneath the veiled darkness, she could hear faint murmurs surrounding her. Small, lingering pricks of pain shot through her arm as she slowly bent her fingers. The weight of something attached to the back of her hand and the soft hums of a beeping machine next to her roused her from her foggy state, as some coherency began to filter into her drugged consciousness. Slowly, heavy eyelashes over closed eyelids fluttered open, letting in the dim glow of light. She instantly squinted her eyes closed, trying to reacquaint them to the seemingly overbearing brightness.

"Tsukushi," a voice whispered into her ear.

She recognized the voice instantly, and her head lolled to the side, in the direction of her name being called. A lazy smile crossed her lips when she pieced together what had happened last night. Her hand lifted from the side of the bed and rested on his. "Morning, sunshine," she wryly laughed.

"I thought you were never going to wake up," he sighed in relief. A hint of annoyance was in his voice at the way she seemed to take his all night vigil as something funny. He pulled his hand away, and ran it through his disheveled hair. A large, heavy wrapping of bandages covered his slightly mummified metacarpal. "We've been taking turns all night, waiting for you to show some signs that you were alive."

"It takes a little more than a riot to kill a tough bitch like me," she giggled. "You should know that better than anyone, Rui."

"Yeah, well don't worry us again like that, okay? Shit, I had a hard enough time trying to explain to Kaya why she couldn't come to the hospital to see you just yet. Tama took her back to her place. I was planning on having her stay with me a few days until you get out of the hospital."

"That's good."

For moment, Rui had to do a double take at her reaction to Kaya not being able to visit her in the hospital. Aside from the IV bag's contents filtering through the tube stuck in her hand, the nurses had come in every few hours to administer a small dosage of morphine to numb the pain. It left her in a state of small moans of pain followed by relief every few hours, when the stuff wore off and more had to be given. Nothing but being doped up on the stuff could explain her laid back attitude about everything.

Tsukushi barely registered what Rui was telling her. Her arm ached a bit, but there wasn't the intense pain like there was the night before. It was more like a dull tingling throb now. All in all, her body felt rather heavy and sore. She heard a few important words about Kaya staying with him and her not being able to visit, but nothing really stuck.

Kaya... safe.... good...

"I'm going to get a nurse in here. They told me to inform them when you woke up. I'll be right back. The others are waiting outside for you too."

"Mmhmm," she contentedly sighed, snuggling deeper back under the covers. All her senses seemed to be noticeably dulled with the mysterious clear liquid being drained into her system, "You go do that." That earlier feeling of lethargy seemed to be beckoning her.

"Okay..." Rui shook his head, trying to hold back the laughter. His mischievous side wanted to take the opportunity to ask a few things from her, knowing that with her hindered sense of judgment, she would agree to anything. However, he was better than that and decided to forget about it.

If she ever found out that I took advantage of her, she would kill me.

He padded out of the pristinely sterile hospital room in search for the nurse he had met earlier that morning during the change in shifts from the night to day shifts. With his hands dug deeply in his pockets, he took to his languid swagger.

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Akira placed another card down on the table. His fingers scraped over the tops of the cards in his hand. "You're not going to win this round, you know?"

"Are you that sure of you hand? From what I can see, you're down to your last tootsie roll." With a lollipop stick dangling out of his mouth and a cheeky smirk to match his mood, he patted the rather large amount of candy on his side.

In return, Akira threw in the last of his sugary savings. "This is for everything."

"Fine," Soujiro acquiesced. "He shoved the his entire pile into the pot calling his bluff.

"I love you ladies." He kissed his hand before placing it down on the table. "Full house queens and tens." With a triumphant smile on his face, he leaned forward wrapping his hands around the pile pulling it closer to him.

However, a hand stopped him. "Full house kings and aces." Soujiro slapped Akira's grubby hands away from his winnings and slammed the cards down in front of his face. "Take that, sucker."

"No!" Akira's arms flailed in the air with exaggerated defeat. "I need the candy! The cruel horror of it all!"

"Keep it down, will ya?" Tsukasa grumbled. His eyes were half closed in a useless attempt to get in a few minutes of sleep after enduring the sounds of Soujiro and Akira's poker game.

He sat on the farther end of one of the unoccupied couches in the empty waiting room. Sakurako slept soundly beside him with her head resting neatly on his chest. She tossed a bit in her sleep, mumbling something incoherent before tugging his arm over her shoulder and snuggling in closer for more warmth. A garbled gasp sputtered from his lips, and he turned his head away trying to hide the telltale blush creeping over his cheeks.

"You're just a sore loser. We cleaned you out ages ago," Akira gloated. His hand snuck to the side of the table snatching a starburst and cramming it into his mouth.

Soujiro reclined in his chair, stretching out his aching muscles. He plucked the lollipop from his lips and released a long, suppressed yawn. "How long has it been already?

"She's been knocked out for at least fifteen hours now." Tsukasa carefully peeled himself away from Sakurako letting her head fall on his folded jacket, making a make shift pillow. He strolled over to the windows, watching the patter of rain hit the streaked glass. "It's funny how the weather can be unpredictable. Yesterday it was like an inferno, and today it's trying to drown us all."

Akira and Soujiro tossed down the rest of the deck of cards, deciding to abandon their card playing, and glanced out at the impending flood outdoors.

"What can you expect? It hasn't rained in over a month." Soujiro kicked at his dripping wet umbrella beside him. His fingers brushed through his slightly damp hair. He wondered to himself what the point of running home to shower and change that morning was. The moment he stepped out the door, he was engulfed in the torrential storm that seemed to captivate the city in an apocalyptic dousing of absolving rain.

"It'll only make it harder for the cleaning crews to get all that water out of the club." Akira sighed to himself. "We still have to wait for the insurance adjuster to take a look at all the damage. Right now, Last Resort is indefinitely closed. There's no way we can open up within the week."

His mind was still reeling at the numbers running through his head to be paid for the cleanup of all the damage incurred the night before. The bar could pass for barely salvageable. Their entire sound system and the band's equipment were completely demolished in the fray. Rui would be mourning the loss of his piano if he knew what condition the instrument was in. Most of the furniture was trashed, as well as the floors with the flood of water. From what he saw that morning, if they didn't clean the water up any faster, it would have spread to the basement, destroying all of their inventory kept down there. The rainy day fund did live up to its name, paying off the first of the repairs that were in dire need.

"I think we should hold off on telling Tsukushi about that. She has enough to worry about, with the police asking questions. Aren't they supposed to be back today to get her statement?" Tsukasa asked. His eyes remained trained on the droplets of water streaming down the windowpane.

"One of them left a number to call when she woke up. They need her statement for the police report to submit to the insurance company. It won't look good for us when we try to explain how the bar caught on fire. They could see it as reckless arson. She may have cleared out the place, but at the same time, she endangered so many, too."

"Which is why we won't say she did it, Jiro," Akira defensively argued. "None of us have spoken to the cops yet. We'll just say someone else did it. With the amount of damage that happened between the fire starting and them getting there, there is no real proof as to how it started. We just tell them that someone else must have started the fire. The bar was so fucking trashed there is no trace as to how it all started."

Tsukasa wearily listened to Akira's plan. He agreed with him on the point that no one would probably be able to figure out how the fire had started. When he and Akira had dragged the two bodies away from the bar towards the back office, the place was still raging in the chaos consuming the place. It was only when he led the paramedics to the injured, that he saw the true consequence to the wild night. The entire metal grid above the bar had collapsed, falling onto the bar. All that was left was bits and pieces of the counter, shattered glass, and a few thick streaks of blood.

What am I getting myself into? I can't get caught in this mess.

"You're going to lie to the cops?! What if they find out?" Soujiro shot back. His voice was laced with disapproval of his friend's decision.

"I'm second in command behind Tsukushi. Shizuka wasn't there. They can only ask Tsukushi and me about what happened since we manage the place. All we have to do is get our stories straight. We don't have any other fucking choice. You know how the government has been dying to close up a few of the clubs in the neighborhood with all that disturbing the peace shit. We'll be crucified as an example. It was a good thing that everyone who could actually talk got their asses out of the place. Everyone else they arrested was too drunk off his or her ass to be able to give a decent statement. It's our word against theirs. And if they want to avoid any charges of inciting a riot in a peaceful area, then they'll agree to shut their mouths about it." He folded his arms across his chest resolute on his plans. "We can't lose the club. Anyway none of the rest of you can get implicated if we get caught."

"And what if you do?" Tsukasa asked.

All those years spent learning the business didn't make him anything short of an idiot. Lying is lying, and that is what he knew. Then again, he can't say he wasn't a hypocrite when it came to the growing number of lies he had already told them.

"Do you realize what could happen if they found out you guys were lying? You've got to think about the kid. Plus, there's the fact of that guy in the room a few doors down from her room. He's a witness to it all."

"Oh, him," Akira derisively spat. A distinctive vehemence was apparent in his face. "We have to take care of him. I don't know why he did it, but we can't trust him."

Soujiro shook his head. "He fucking saved her life, Akira. We can't assume he did it for other reasons." His logic wasn't making much of an impression, though. "You know who he is, don't you?"

"His name is Aoike Kazuya," A mumbled voice finally spoke up. Sakurako rose from her laying position on the couch, and rubbed the sleep out of her bleary eyes. "We can trust the guy. Stop being such a prick. Akira. The guy did a good thing, and he's not out to get her. Well, not in the sense you're thinking."

"Fine, then tell me this. Isn't it a bit too coincidental that he happened to be in the club the night when all this happened? I asked around, and Junpei said he never saw the guy before. I know for a fact that Tsukushi never tells people where she works. Sounds like the guy was stalking her or something."

"You're being paranoid. Sure, a guy will go flying into a glass mirror to protect someone he wants to take advantage of," she snorted. "It happens all the time. You save their life, then fuck them over."

"How do you know who that guy is?' Soujiro asked.

"Well, we met him in a bookstore a few weeks ago. The guy took a few classes with her at school. It was sort of cute to see the poor idiot with an obvious crush on her. Tsukushi shot him down even though Yuuki and I told her to go for it. It was a dumb mistake, considering how loaded the guy is. His family owns the Crown Resort in Atami. I think he sincerely liked her, too. Tsukushi's always an idiot."

"Oh, so now I see why you are so against him, Akira," Soujiro knowingly concluded.

A figure walked into the open room, and stopped to see why exactly its occupants were having such a heated conversation. Rui remained passive in his demeanor, watching all of them automatically stand up. They all watched his face for any indication of what news he had to bring, but as always, were unable to tell. Being her watcher the entire night, he was their only source of news.

"What's wrong?"

"She's awake," he curtly replied.

They all moved to rush into her room at once, but Rui raised an arm, blocking the doorway.

"Get out of our way, Rui," Sakurako demanded.

"The doctor said only two visitors at a time. She's still a bit out of it. She may be still asleep when you get there. Those drugs knocked her out pretty good." His eyes moved from each person in the room. "Tsukasa and Sakurako, you go first."

They nodded their heads and passed the doorway. Soujiro saw the look in Rui's face, understanding that he wanted to speak to Akira privately. He mumbled something about making a call to tell Yuuki about Tsukushi's condition, and brushed past the both of them.

"What are you doing, Rui?" Akira asked.

"I heard what you guys were discussing."

"And? You're going to tell me I'm crazy, too?"

He leaned against the doorframe, molding to the structure in his usual laconic manner. "No. I was wondering about that guy, too. I heard the nurses say he declined them calling anyone to come see him in the hospital. I think we should have a chat with him before we draw any conclusions."

"Good cop, bad cop, huh?"

"No. We just need some answers."

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Thomas rolled over, groaning as the harsh sound of thunder in the distant sky awoke him. His eyes cracked open a bit to stare down at the hands of his watch, noting that it was about four in the afternoon already. Knowing as how it was impossible to return to work after the previous night's fiasco, he buried his head deeper into the pillow. However, the scent of something resembling a mixture of freshly laundered clothing and rain hit his noise, making it crinkle at the foreign scent?

Something wasn't right.

"Mmm..."

A small, ruffled groan came from his side. Slowly, fingers trailed across his chest dragging lower towards his stomach.

Okay, something definitely wasn't right.

Slowly, he turned to his side, and his eyes widened. It was hard to contain his shock when he fell out of the bed with a dull thud.

"What?!" Yuuki groaned as her body lifted off the bed to find the source of the sound. She turned to her left and caught a glimpse of a rumpled, shirtless Thomas splayed on the ground. She instantly lifted the sheet up to her chin, and her mouth fell open.

"It's not what you think!" Thomas protested. He rubbed his head, fighting off the small headache that was forming. "I was the one that brought you home last night. You asked me to stay with you until you fell asleep, and I guess, I fell asleep, too."

She proceeded to peek under the sheet and sighed in relief to find herself clothed in a pair of sweatpants and an old t-shirt. After the brief panic subsided within the pit of her stomach, she let the sheet drop. "Oh, okay." She tossed the sheets aside, and looked down at her arms seeing the lingering scabs of scratches on the pale skin. Her mind seemed lost in a haze not really being able to focus on more than one thing at a time. "I hope they don't leave a mark," she muttered to herself.

Thomas got up from the ground and crawled across the bed to peer over her shoulder. He grasped her arm and took a close inspection of them. "They'll heal nicely. You probably won't even have any scars."

She nodded her head in satisfaction, and her gaze remained away from his, facing the wall. A part of her refused to rehash the memories of how those scratches appeared on her body. However, last night was like a huge wall in front of her face refusing to be ignored. "So, what's the verdict on the club?" she whispered.

He settled himself back against the large amount of pillows, resting his head against the headboard. "Akira said we would be closed for a few weeks. The damage was pretty bad."

"What about Tsukushi?"

"Last time I checked, she wasn't awake yet. Rui said it was just a deep cut on her left shoulder blade and a few bruised ribs. They gave her a few stitches, and there shouldn't be any problems other than that. The guy that helped her is awake and recovering nicely, too. No one's spoken to him yet."

"Thank god none of us were seriously hurt."

"Yuuki?' he hesitantly called out her name. "Are you okay? Last night you were...'

"I'm fine," she cut him off. "Last night just brought out some bad memories. I'll be fine."

He didn't want to prod her any further, but something inside of him was gnawing away at the curiosity of the strange things she was whimpering in her sleep. He decided against pressing her any further, seeing the obvious distress in her.

"Okay. How about I go make us something to eat? Take a shower, and I'll come get you when the food is ready."

She robotically nodded her head. "I'll be out in a few. I've got a fully stocked fridge." Yuuki smiled weakly, and brushed past him, heading towards the bathroom.

Her mind went into autopilot as she turned the knobs, turning on the water to full blast. She listened for the sound of Thomas's footsteps before seating herself on the toilet. Suddenly the simple act of breathing seemed to be a daunting task. She greedily fought for a precious few gasps of air as her chest heaved. The tears would not come out. She would not scream. The time for that had come and gone long ago. Her head fell between her knees, and she rocked back and forth with her eyes closed, counting from a hundred down.

"One hundred, ninety nine, ninety eight..."

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"Is this his room?"

"Yeah, that's what the nurse told me." Rui extended an arm to block Akira from barging in. For once, his cool, collected manner would be imperative to this delicate matter. The last thing he needed was to let Akira ruin it by going off on him. "You need to calm down. We won't get anywhere with that look on your face."

He turned his face away from Rui, knowing that the scowl was evident. The urge to protect what was his was overwhelming his better judgment. His arms shook at his sides and long, deep breaths were taken to calm his nerves.

"I'm good. I can handle this."

"Are you sure?"

"When it comes to my shit, I take care of it."

Rui nodded his head and knocked on the door. "Just watch what you say around this guy. Last thing I need is to blow this. Shizuka is already hard pressed as it is, when the cops showed up asking her questions."

"Fine," he grumbled like the big man-child he was.

The door was gently pushed open as an act to avoid infringing upon its occupant's privacy, since there was no answer. Rui took the first step inside, taking note of the solitary figure lying in the bed, propped up by pillows, with his eyes closed. The room was more or less the same sanitary stark white as Tsukushi's, with the neutral tones of the chair and table beside his bed on either side. The only difference was the lack tubes attached to his body. A small machine sat beside him, humming and beeping every few seconds, measuring his heart rate and blood pressure.

Akira nudged Rui forward and they both separated to the opposing sides of the bed, giving the man the once over glance. Akira rudely decided to prod at one of the buttons on the machine.

"I wouldn't touch that. The nurse got pissed when I decided to see how it worked before," a deep masculine voice reprimanded him. His eyes remained closed, yet he seemed to have some kind of sixth sense to know exactly what Akira was doing.

"You're awake, I see," Rui flatly stated. He pulled up one of the chairs next to the bed, and looked on at the man in the bed, bringing them at eye level.

Kazuya opened his eyes and turned towards Rui and spared Akira a quick glance. "I recognize that as the guy I saw at Tsukushi's apartment building. Who are you?"

"I think we are the ones who deserve to be asking the questions," Akira grunted. "Like how the hell you got into the club? Or maybe, what you want from Tsukushi?"

"Akira."

"No, he's right." Kazuya motioned for Akira to take a seat, but the gesture was firmly declined. He sighed to himself, resigned that he would not be winning over that one anytime soon. So, he instead focused his attention on Rui, who remained impassive in his seat. "May I at least know who you are?"

"Hanazawa Rui."

"Rui?" He tapped his finger on his chin, trying to remember why that name was so vaguely familiar. Realization struck him when he blurted out, "You're Kaya's father?"

"What the fuck? How the hell do you know about Kaya?!"

"Tsukushi told me about her daughter with him." Kazuya smirked cockily, knowing that the expression would drive Akira a bit more insane. He could tell right away that the man had no intentions of going easy on him. Therefore, he saw no point in trying to be reasonably polite to him. "She told me the day that she dropped Kaya off with her father overnight for the first time. Tsukushi was a bit distraught over it, so I took it upon myself to comfort her."

Akira wasn't exactly sure what the guy was implying, but he in no way, shape, or form liked the way he said 'comfort'. His arms crossed across his chest, he resigned himself to leaning against one of the walls. A permanent scowl seemed to have etched itself on his face.

"Oh wait, I shouldn't forget my manners. We haven't been formally introduced. My name is Aoike Kazuya. Nice to meet you." His eyes fell upon Akira, but he made no show of playing along with the pleasantries.

"He's Mimasaka Akira," Rui answered for him. He silently observed the way that Kazuya expertly played Akira into taking his baits. The conclusion was soon made that to get any headway in the conversation, would be to act diplomatically and just get straight to the point. "We didn't mean to come barging in here to attack you or anything. It's just that Tsukushi just woke up about a half hour ago..."

The news instantly made Kazuya jolt up in the bed. His face contorted in pain from the sudden movement, but the good news quickly soothed to pain. "How is she? I asked the nurse to tell me the moment she got any news."

"She's fine. She needed a few stitches and some broken ribs, but more or less, she's okay. She should be getting out of here tomorrow."

"Thank god. I was worried when I saw all that blood."

"I'm surprised. You lost quite a bit of blood yourself."

He glanced down at his bandaged right arm, seeing the faint red tinge in the white bandages wrapping from around his hand up to his elbow. He had a few cuts and scrapes on the rest of his body. A large patch of gauze had been strapped onto the side of his head, for the cut on his head. Thankfully, he didn't get a concussion. The cracked rib hurt like a bitch too, but the pain was nothing compared to the worry of whether or not Tsukushi was fine. Now that she was, the pain was beginning to come into focus. "It's nothing much. I am just glad that she wasn't seriously injured." Leaning back in the bed, he heaved a sigh of relief.

"She's a bit out of it, but the doctor said a few weeks of rest and she'll be back to normal. How about you?"

"They said I could leave as early as tomorrow afternoon."

A pregnant pause ensued, breaking up the barrage of question and inane conversation. They all avoided the topic at hand, referring to a certain young woman a few doors down.

"So, what is it you want from Tsukushi?" Akira bluntly asked. "Do you think that by doing this, she'll go out with you or something? Do you think she'll be in some way indebted to you? I don't see why a guy like you would do something like that. Seriously, what is it you want? 'Cause I can't fucking see one reason why you would do something for someone you barely know, unless you think you can scam something off of her. Just tell us the damn truth. Tsukushi never tells anyone where she works. Is it that coincidental that you happened to go to the club that night out of so many? I bet you've been watching her like some sort of fucking stalker."

"Akira," Rui growled.

"No!" he insolently fought back. "I want to know the fucking truth. What the fuck are you up to, 'cause I swear to god, I will beat your ass if you think you can screw with Tsukushi."

"You're right."

Rui's eyes visibly widened, shattering his composed exterior. He gripped the arms of the chair, replaying the words in his head, hoping he was mistaken. He wanted to give the guy the benefit of the doubt, but he swore to himself that if Akira's insane presumptions were true, he would tear the bastard limb from limb. Any threat to Tsukushi was a threat to his daughter, and that was something he could never afford.

"You fucking bastard!"

"Shut up, Akira!" Rui instantly snapped. He turned a cold glare on Kazuya, trying to read exactly what the hell he was doing. His hand shot out and gripped him by the neck, pushing him up against the back of the bed. The pressure forced a choked cough out of him. "I would choose my words very wisely if I were you. Why were you at the club?"

His hand shot up to grip the one wrapped around his neck. All of the humor he once found in messing with the two dwindled at the apparent danger in the quiet one. "It was a fucking coincidence, okay. I decided to check out the club because one of my friends said his brother was going to have his bachelor party there. I heard that the place was the shit, so I decided to go check it out with a few of them. I swear, on my mother, that it was the first time I ever set foot in Last Resort. If you don't believe me then maybe you will recognize the name, Yasunaga Hiro. He's planning his bachelor party a month from now."

"Is this right?"

"As much as I would love to watch you hold him like that for a bit longer, he's right. Hiro was a friend of Susumu's and is still in touch with Junpei. Is that how you got into the club?"

"Yeah. Hiro's brother, Ryo, got us in on the list. I followed the group inside. I didn't even know Tsukushi worked there until I noticed her serving some drinks across the room. The place was so packed that I didn't even get a chance to talk to her."

The grip Rui held on Kazuya's neck slackened a bit. The deadly glint in his eyes flickered to a mere simmer, but his intent still lay beneath the unspoken connection between the two. "So, you decided to play the stupid hero, huh?" His patience had completely waned. Slowly, he removed his hand, allowing a large gasp of air to be inhaled.

Kazuya reached for his neck, knowing that when he checked after, the imprint of his hand would still be there as a reminder. "I did. My friends took off as soon as the first punch was thrown. We've been to too many parties to know that the cops bust anyone and everyone once a fight breaks out. I was about to bolt too, but then I saw her hanging over the damn bar. I thought she was fucking crazy to be there. Why should she risk her life for a fucking job? I never realized she needed to work in such a sleazy place to pay for her kid."

Akira snorted, breaking out into a caustic laugh. "Someone buy this guy a clue."

"Before we tell you this, we need to know something."

"What?"

"Did the cops come to get your statement yet?"

"Yeah, they did," he quickly answered. His hand rubbed his neck, trying to ease the stiffness Rui had left with his tight hold. "I told them what happened."

"Oh, fuck!" Akira groaned. He slapped his palm against his forehead, shaking his head. "Did you tell them exactly what happened?"

Kazuya looked confused as to what the big deal was, with telling the police the truth as to what had happened the night before. "Of course, I told them the truth. I just told them that Tsukushi was hanging over the bar, about to fall onto the burning bar, but I jumped over it to push her out of the way. I explained how we crashed into the glass mirror, and that was why we got banged up."

"Wait," Rui interjected. "Did they ask you how the fire started?"

"They did, but I couldn't tell them how. I didn't notice the fire until I saw the flames go up. With everyone running around like maniacs, I wasn't really focused on what was going on near the bar. I was more concerned about getting the hell out of there in one piece."

"Perfect. This is fucking great news, Rui." Akira instantly perked up, after affirming what he needed to hear the most at the moment. He broke out in what resembled a maniacal laughter. "We didn't even need to come in here to talk to him." He turned his gaze towards Kazuya, wiping away the permanent frown that had once adorned his face. "Sorry to bother you then. Thanks for taking care of Tsukushi and all, but I guess now that everything's settled, we'll be going." And like that, he was out the door, whistling a happy tune to himself without a care in the world.

However, Rui wasn't as dense as Akira chose to be. He sat back into the hard armchair beside the bed, and pointedly stared at Kazuya, never breaking eye contact. "So, what did you really tell them?"

Kazuya shook his head, inwardly laughing at how right he was about the two men. One was obviously too easily willing to be deceived, but he knew better than to second guess the man who had ever possessed the heart of a woman like Tsukushi. A gut instinct told him that the guy had to be something incredible.

"I told them that load of bullshit I just told your friend there. I'm not fucking stupid enough to tell them the truth, knowing full well that they would be pressing charges like arson against Tsukushi. That fire wasn't an accident. For someone with enough problems like Tsukushi, she looked like she needed a favor, even if it was an illegal one."

"Thanks. You're doing us a big favor."

"What I don't understand is, why she would risk her life for a damn club. I wouldn't risk it all for a stupid job."

"It's not just a job to her, okay," Rui interjected. "Tsukushi owns Last Resort. If the place went down, she would have nothing. You've already met the girls, but there are a few more of us that depend on that place. Tsukushi wasn't only saving the club; she was trying to save all of us."

"Oh," he so eloquently uttered in response.

Rui leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "I think I might have told you more than I should have, but let's just get one thing straight. I'm not making any judgments like Akira and the rest of them. All I know is that you saved the mother of my baby, and I have that to be grateful to you." The small smile that crossed his lips faded with the lowering of his voice into a harsh whisper. "But, don't think that I won't be keeping an eye on you. Anyone who fucks with Tsukushi affects Kaya, and I sure as hell won't stand by and let that happen. So for now, I won't stand in your way if you have any real intentions for Tsukushi, but if you step out of line, I will be down on your ass so fast you'll be shitting in your pants. Akira might not scare you, but there are a few more guys like me who will kill the shithead who hurts Tsukushi."

And with that said, Rui straightened himself out, as he rose from his seat with the same rigid regality of someone of his disposition. He neither bothered with the civilities of a curt goodbye, nor even the courtesy of a wave of his hand. When all is said and done, the message is the same.

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"I don't think you should have done that?"

"Why? I don't think they will even notice that a few flowers are missing. Besides, we might as well cheer up this place a bit. I hate the smell and sight of hospital rooms. It brings back too many bad memories."

"But still... It's a bit morbid to take some dead guy's flowers," Tsukasa argued. His voice lingered on a bit of disapproval. "We could have just gone to the gift shop downstairs."

"Psh! Did you see the prices they're charging? If they don't kill you up here, they'll kill you with the prices down there."

"Whatever. I give up trying to argue with you."

"What trouble have you two gotten into now?" a groggy voice asked from the bed.

"Tsukushi!" Sakurako squealed. She instantly shoved the mangled bunch of flowers into Tsukasa's hands and jumped over to the side of the bed. "Wow! You look like shit."

A small laugh fell from her lips, but was soon followed by a pained look from the protesting of her insides. When the small pangs subsided, she weakly smiled. "Ya know, coming from anyone else, I would think be insulted."

"Well, it's a good thing I brought my makeup bag with me. There are some hot doctors here, and we all know you want to look your best when an MD is around." Ignoring the look of disbelief on Tsukushi's face, Sakurako set to work hitting the button on the bed elevating the incline.

Tsukushi felt the slow rumble of the bed beneath her begin to shift, and she nestled herself deeper into the covers, knowing it was useless to protest to Sakurako's obsessive need to groom her. She knew that it was only Sakurako doing what she could to try to lighten the situation. Slowly, her body eased at the light stroked of Sakurako's nimble fingers combing through her hair, massaging her scalp. A contented moan fell from her lips.

"So, how are you feeling?" Sakurako whispered into her ear.

"Better now. How about the others? Is everyone else okay?"

Sakurako's hands stilled for a moment before they set out to work through the mass of hair in her hands. "Thomas took Yuuki home. She was pretty shaken after everything. We found her locked up in the dressing room by herself." She paused, but continued to comb through the hair absorbed in her own actions. "She wouldn't stop mumbling to herself. It was like she was lost in her own world. I just spoke to Thomas a while ago after you woke up. Yuuki was exhausted and passed out last night. She seems okay, but she's a bit off."

Tsukushi placed a hand on the red head's knee. "I'll talk to her when she comes."

"I think that'll be the best for her."

"So, what about the club? I cringe to think about how bad it might be."

"Shizuka is down there overseeing things. Junpei, Kin, and Tsuyoshi offered to monitor the clean up, too. It's pretty damn bad, though."

"Just tell it to me straight."

Another person entered the room, interrupting Sakurako. "All of the sound equipment is shot to hell. None of the tables, chairs, and pretty much any furniture were salvageable. The water mixed with the rain flooded the ground floor, so even after we clear all of that out, we'll still need to redo the floors. The bar is basically ashes."

"And how are you today, Akira?" The small lilt in her tone teased Akira as he entered the room, choosing to splay himself beside her on the bed.

He nuzzled against her side with the utmost care, making sure to not cause her anymore discomfort, much like a dog would, having returned faithfully to its master. He crinkled his nose in disgust at the smell of the sterile hospital room, resembling that of bleach and ammonia. "I'm just peachy."

"That's good, 'cause you know you'll be busy the next few days while I rest up."

"What?!" he cried in horror. "I have to take care of things on my own? What about you?"

She shook her head. "I need at least a week of bed rest. It's doctor's orders. It'll be okay," she sighed. "You'll do just fine. If you need any help just come over and we'll go over the progress reports."

"Stop whining, Akira. You know you could fix the place up in a week with enough motivation," Sakurako scolded. She finished tying the ribbon into a perfect bow, pushing the long braid she had created over Tsukushi's shoulder. "All done."

"Thanks."

"No problem."

Her attention turned towards Tsukasa, who shifted from one foot to the other, noticeably acting like a lost little boy. "You can put the flowers down, Tsukasa. Come sit over here." She shoved Akira to move a bit, making room at the corner of the already full and narrow bed. Trying to make a sad attempt at humor, she jokingly teased him. "I warned you ahead of time that working for me wouldn't be easy. I never thought I would be such a heavy bleeder. Don't look like someone killed a puppy. I'm fine."

"You shouldn't have done something so damn stupid," he grunted. His voice rose a bit, revealing the small bit of contempt he held for her at the moment.

Akira and Sakurako knew right away to remove themselves from the bed; They carefully tiptoed their way towards the door.

"Umm...I think I'll go downstairs and grab us some edible food."

"Good idea. I'll go with you."

Tsukushi didn't bother and care much for whatever they said. All she could see was the very irate, curly-haired man glowering at her like she had committed some heinous crime. "It wasn't stupid. Someone had to do something. I don't understand why you are so pissed."

He wrung his hands, trying to fight the urge to scream, but the pent up aggression was building in him. Ever since he was a child, his temper always got the better of his emotions. "Did you know how scared out of our minds we were when we saw you fall?!" The volume of his voice rose by a few notches. "I don't care that you got lucky this one time. It was fucking dangerous what you did. What would you have done if that guy hadn't pushed you out of the way of the fire, huh? What would you have done if Akira and me hadn't dragged you away from the bar before it collapsed."

"But nothing bad happened. I'm fine."

"That's the fucking problem!" he bellowed. "You act like none of this was a big deal!?! Don't you see the bigger picture?"

She shook her head in disbelief that he would be the one to lecture her on being responsible. Maybe from Rui or Tama she expected this speech, but never from him of all people. Listening to his rant made her blood boil. Usually when she was being lectured, she brushed it aside like it was nothing, but hearing the words of reproach come from him unnerved something in her.

"I see the big picture, okay?! You don't think I was fucking scared when the fight broke out? You don't think I know how fucking scary it was what I did? But you know what, I would do it again. That club is my life! If I didn't do something to save the place, it would have went down and everyone else with it. In this kind of life, someone has always had to make the sacrifices. No one else stepped up, so I did."

He abruptly shot up from the bed and began pacing furiously around the room. "It's just a damn club! You should have waited for the cops. Do you know what kind of deep shit you've gotten yourself into? Akira is talking about lying to the cops. There's some strange guy lying in a hospital bed after saving your ass last night. God, I can't even begin to tell you how it felt to carry you with all that blood coming out of you."

"It's not like it's the first time we've covered something up," she vehemently spat back.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"We laugh, and we make work seem like fun and games, Tsukasa; but have you ever wondered how we manage to pull everything off?" A disheartened and almost mocking laugh rumbled from her chest. Her fingers played with the worn edges of the standard hospital issue sheets. "We've all done a few things that we probably shouldn't have, but you have to understand. Family helps each other out. We live and we die for each other. And to do that, we've done some things we aren't proud of."

"I don't think I even want to know. I can't get involved in this shit," he mumbled to himself.

Her features softened, and the fierceness in her died out, leaving in its wake a calm, composed aura. She just didn't feel like arguing over something that he couldn't really understand. "You can leave any time you want. If you walked out that door right now, and never came back, none of us would blame you. We know as little about you as you do about us. What I'm offering you is a safe haven. Whatever it is you are running away from, know that we'll back you up as long as you back us up. Do you understand?"

He nodded his head, and slumped down on the edge of the bed. He could hear the faint rustle of the sheets and feel the shift in the mattress as she leaned over. Her chin rested firmly on his shoulder. Her soft breaths tickled his ear.

"I think I do."

"I'm sorry for scaring you."

"Just be careful next time. You've got to think about the kid."

"The kid would be fine without me," she half-heartedly replied. Her anger subsided from a boiling fury to a simmering annoyance. "Relax and just lay here with me. Since Akira and Sakurako decided to run off, there's no one to keep me company. I can't sleep in strange places."

He agreed, and leaned back into the bed, slipping himself to lie rigidly on the edge of the bed, hoping to leave her as comfortable as possible. Her incessant shifting ceased after a few moments when she decided to pull his arm around her shoulder and rest her head against his chest. The steady, rhythmic beating of his heart left her feeling a bit more secure of her surroundings.

"All you have to do is trust people some time, Tsukasa," she sleepily mumbled into his chest. "All I ask for is a little faith in me."

He closed his eyes momentarily, sinking into the pleasant feeling of her warmth. There was something so indescribably calming about this woman that he had yet to figure out. One moment, she could tear apart his insides with worry. The next, she could ease away all his fears with her mere presence. It was something he hadn't felt in a long time, a bit reminiscent of the turbulent emotions only his sister was able to evoke of him. The inkling of a bond he felt compelled him to want to stay, whether it is to his detriment or not.

"Do you still not trust me?"

"I don't know. It's more like I don't trust myself to stay out of trouble. How about you? You're willing to trust someone you barely know?"

"That's my greatest flaw, I suppose. I still have too much faith in people, good or bad. Everyone deserves the benefit of the doubt, until proven otherwise."

"It's an idealistic approach."

"If you stay with us, you might find what you're looking for. Sometimes fate hands you something and it's up to you to decide to take it for what it is, or for what it isn't."

"Maybe. I guess I'll just have to stay to figure out what it is."

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

Thomas sat hunched over the kitchen table, furiously scribbling away on a piece of paper he had probably stolen from the note pad that Yuuki recalled keeping next to the phone for taking messages. She smiled briefly to herself, thinking how cute he looked furiously scribbling away. The scratching of the pen hitting the piece of paper on the table resonated in the room, breaking the peaceful silence. Every few minutes, he would stop to tap the pen against the table, forming some kind of beat, and then return to jotting down whatever it was that seemed so important. His bowl of cereal lay half eaten and forgotten. From the looks of it, his Frosted Flakes were now a puddle of soggy mush floating in the sugared milk.

"What are you doing?" she innocently inquired, taking a seat across from him.

His body jolted a bit, reacting to the sudden intrusion. His left hand firmly planted itself over the paper, covering whatever it was he had written. "Nothing."

Yuuki lifted an eyebrow, not buying his story for a moment. "I don't think that was nothing. So, what is it? Actually, when I come to think of it, I see you scribbling down things a lot when no one is looking. What is it that you are so adamantly scratching away at, Mr. McKay?"

He decided to turn the tables on her, seeing as how she had suddenly taken a drastic change in moods. "Well, what do I get if I show you what I've been working on?"

She delicately tapped her finger on her bottom lip in great concentration. "I don't know. You pick."

"You know that's a dangerous offer to make."

"Not really. You're too much of a boy scout to do anything bad. You're a lot of talk, but little action."

"Sadly enough, you're right. I blame my mother for trying to instill those good values in me. I'm bound by the code to be a proper young gentleman." He leaned back in his chair, sheepishly raking through his tousled hair. "Oh, I have some good news." His quick thinking thought of a nice change of topic to steer her away. "Tsukushi just woke up about an hour ago. They said she's up and talking now. We should head over there after we finish breakfast."

Her eyes fell upon the digital clock on the stove behind him, and she giggled. "I think breakfast passed a long while ago. Maybe we should have cooked some dinner. It's almost five now."

"Hey, the day doesn't begin until you have breakfast," he countered. "It is the most important meal of the day."

She raised her elbows to the edge of the table, and her chin fell to rest on her hands. "You still didn't tell me what it was you were writing. Although it was a good attempt to change topics."

"I have to remember who I'm dealing with." He looked expectantly up at her with a newfound shyness. "You promise you won't tell anyone about this? I mean, no one knows about this except for maybe Tsukushi. Every once in awhile, she helps me out when I'm stuck." He waited for her sign of agreement to his request before sliding the paper over.

When Yuuki looked down, none of the scribbled words, symbols, or marks made much sense to her. Her English had always been above average with the help of Tsukushi, but it was just enough to get through a simple conversation or song. Most of the time, the girls had to run to Thomas, Tsukushi, or even Rui for help in deciphering the words to the English songs that were the most requested in the club. Due to Thomas's influence in the musical arrangements, their club had notoriety as playing a majority of eclectic sounds from American pop culture. Looking down at the hastily scribbled words, she could make out a few of them. The main focus of the paper, however, was on the neatly etched musical bars and staffs. Notes danced on the paper, forming some sort of melody that her untrained musical prowess could not fathom.

"What is it?"

"It's a song I've been working on lately. Actually, it's more like one of the many songs I've been working on over the years."

"Could you play it for me one day?" she asked hopefully.

Her curiosity got the better of her, hoping to be able to take the many markings transcribed, turning them into the wonderful sounds that Thomas was so well known for. She knew that Thomas' pride was all focused on music. Anything that had to do with music was as if it had been touched by the hands of a god. It was a well-known fact among them that Rui and Thomas were the two reasons for the club's success. Although they were both trained differently, Thomas self-taught and Rui classically trained, the combination was a powerhouse.

Thomas awkwardly grinned. "You wouldn't want to hear it anyway. Everything I've got so far is really rough. Trust me, I'm doing you a favor by not letting you hear some of the messes I've composed."

"How long have you been doing this? I mean, writing music. You've never even mentioned this to anyone."

He nervously looked away like some dark heinous secret about him was moments away from being revealed. "I've been writing ever since Susumu died, I suppose. I needed something to fill my free time. When he was alive, it was always fun and games, screwing the days away doing dumb shit, but then after he was gone, everyone sort of fell out of place. I mean, we'll always be tight, but not like before. I tried taking on more classes during the day, but it just wasn't enough. It sounds silly and all, but I never intended to stay in Japan so long. I once had aspirations for something greater than this, better than just being one of the top local deejays. I didn't want to just play and mix music. For once, I realized I wanted more. Haven't you ever thought about life after Last Resort."

"I don't know." She shook her head. "I've always just worried about today rather than tomorrow. I've never thought much of life after this. I've always been content where I am."

A frown marred his perfect features as he absorbed her admission. There was a hint of something ever so slight as pity in what he felt towards her. I mean, who was he to judge her own aspirations against his own, but much like everyone else, he always considered Last Resort as a temporary stay. The notion of staying forever was ludicrous. At some point, they all had to grow up and leave the safe haven they had built.

"Is it really that bad that I've never thought about what I would do outside of the club?" she sheepishly asked. She despondently played with her spoon on the table, twirling it between her fingers.

"You must have something else in life that you've always wanted."

"What do you think a girl like me would want?"

"I dunno. You seem the type who deserved the house with the white picket fence, the husband coming home every day from his nine to five job, and the two kids running in the yard chasing after the dog."

"Sounds like a nice little dream, but I'm not really sure I could imagine Jiro as the nine to fiver type of guy."

"Who ever said anything about it being him?"

"That's besides the point. I want to hear more about this music your writing." She quickly averted the topic to something she was more comfortable with. "You promise you'll play something for me one day?"

"Only if you sing."

"It's a deal then." She hesitantly stirred her spoon playing with the few pieces of cereal bobbing up and down in the milk. Her eyes lingered on the pattering of rain pelting the windows with such ferocity. Unconsciously her body shuddered in realization of the slight chill in the room. All were just more reminders of the cruel harsh world outside of the comfort of her home. "Do you think Tsukushi would hate me terribly for not going to see her right away?" she weakly asked keeping her eyes trained out the window. The dancing shadows of the branches of the tree outside her window scratched against the side of the house with a grating sound.

His head lifted from his writings with eyes peeking out under sandy blonde bangs. His pen fell to the table with a dull thud. For a few moments silence reigned as he stared at her with his head cocked to the side in a contemplative manner. His chin playfully rested in his chin until finally he lightly slammed both palms flat down onto the table. He leaned over the table stopping his faces inches from Yuuki's. Yuuki dumbly stared back with her lips slightly parted. With one push forward he let his forehead rest against hers, and their noses touched. "Have you ever listened to the rain?" he asked with such ease and surety as if he were inquiring for the time.

"No."

His hand grabbed hers, and he rose from his seat pulling her out of her own. Spotting a small throw blanket draped on the back of the couch he lead her into the living room and took the newfound time in his other free hand. With a firm grip, he pulled her to one of the armchair taking the seat himself and pulling her onto his lap. The blanket was thrown over them cocooning them in a small tent. His head fell backwards and his grip tightened around her waist as an unspoken signal for her to relax her body. She did as he instructed leaning her entire being into him huddling into his lap much like a little child tucking her head beneath his chin. She could hear the faint flutter of his heartbeat beneath his shirt.

"Close your eyes," he calmly whispered. A small smile graced his lips. "Can you hear it?"

Her eyebrows furrowed in frustration as her mind tried to process exactly what he was trying to do. "What am I supposed to be hearing?"

"You're not trying hard enough. Close our eyes and shut off the rest of your senses. Don't think about it. Just listen." He grabbed her small hand and placed it over her chest where her heart lay. It beat furiously in her chest.

Slowly, she did as he told letting her mind go free of any thoughts. She settled her head against his chest and listened to his heartbeat mixed with the rhythm of the splattering rain against the window. Ever so gently her heartbeat fell into the same rhythm of the other two sounds joining in the synchronous melody. Suddenly she could hear so perfectly what Thomas was telling her to hear or what she thought it was.

"I used to do this a lot when I was a kid. My mother would always hold me like this and make me listen to the rain when I was scared to go outside 'cause of the thunderstorms. She said the world seems less scary when you stop thinking and just feel. Since then I always stop to listen to the rain during the really bad rainstorms. It always makes me feel better than the gloomy weather. It puts everything into perspective everything outside isn't scary, but can be beautiful as well. It sounds crazy, doesn't it?"

"No it doesn't." She shook her head violently disagreeing with him. "It's perfect."

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

Rui heaved another groan as he struggled with the car door, trying to shut it while carrying a five year old in his arms. The struggle was quickly ended when he managed to use his foot to kick the door close. The day had been rather busy for Kaya, seeing as how she expended most of her energy exhausting Tama. She was left a little more than discontented at being dropped off with her babysitter while being left in the dark about her mother's whereabouts. To make up for her frustration, she took it out on the poor elderly woman until they both fell asleep on the couch in exhausted heaps. Tama was more than willing to get home to her own bed when he had arrived.

And so, he was privileged with a few moments of peace with his daughter sleeping in the backseat of the car while he drove them to the club to check up on his fiancée. The distressed call from Shizuka only added to his heavy burden at the moment, with Tsukushi out of commission.

He bypassed the few figures walking in and out of the building towing a heavy hose, which was probably used to siphon out the flood on the dance floor. At the moment, the weather decided to be merciful, halting its stormy onslaught for a mere drizzling. The crack of thunder above warned of an impending break in the armistice.

His eyes slowly adjusted to the dim lighting of the interior, and he scanned the area for Shizuka, only to come up empty. However, Junpei, Kin, And Tsuyoshi were already knee deep in charred wires that formerly were imperative to their sound system. Kin slowly traced the wires, jotting down a few things here and there in his notebook after which Tsuyoshi would make an assessment to the damage. Junpei had taken it upon himself to aid in the hauling of the debris.

"Hey, Rui!" Junpei yelled from across the room.

Rui raised a finger to his lips, shushing him from any further yelling. He shifted the bundle in his arms, turning her over to rest her head on his shoulder and stalked over to the damaged stage. His eyes lingered on the large crack that streaked down the center of his beloved imported Steinway. As a man and music aficionado, he wanted to cry for the poor piano's demise.

"How's it going?"

"Not so good," Tsuyoshi sighed, adjusting the wire-rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose. His foot kicked the burnt wires on the ground. "We were only able to salvage a few parts of the drums or whatever wasn't kicked in. All of our instruments are scrap wood. The speakers and the amps are dead, too."

"So we basically have nothing."

"Well, we did manage to save Thomas' tables. Jack that puppy up with a few speakers, which we could run around the room." His hand waved through the air, reflecting the perfectly mapped out designs in his head. "I've got my other bass I could use. We all know that Thomas has another guitar. I've already called in a few favors to hook Kin up with some drums. The piano is a problem, though. We both know that it took us a year before you settled on that Steinway and the amount of time and cost to have another shipped over will take too long."

"I can settle for the keyboard for now. If worse comes to worse, we'll just have a few nights of Thomas spinning instead of the live band. I don't even know when we'll be opening up. Tsukushi just woke up this afternoon, so until she's out, the club is closed until further notice. Just keep tallying up the damage and give me the breakdown before you leave. I've got to see Shizuka."

"Okay, man." Tsuyoshi patted Rui on the back and returned to his survey of damage. "Let's hurry up, Kin. I wanted to go stop over at the hospital to check up on Tsukushi."

Rui turned around, stalking towards the office where he recalled seeing Shizuka slip into a few minutes ago. His arms began to tremble a bit from the weight of Kaya in his arms. Using his foot, he kicked the door open. The door let out a long wailing groan as he took in the sight of his fiancée scrutinizing papers scattered on the desk. She looked up and a slow smile crossed her lips. She nodded towards the couch, directing him to put down the sleeping girl. The moment he did so, she rushed over and wrapped her arms around him from behind, resting her head on his shoulder.

"God, I've been wanting to do this all day," she groaned into his shoulder. Her voice was slightly muffled by her mouth pressed against his back. "I was never really cut out to do this kind of thing. That's why I let Tsukushi take care of managing the place."

He spun around, resting his hands on her hips, pulling her closer into him. His forehead tilted down to rest against hers. Playfully, he shifted his head, kissing her on the nose. "It'll be okay. Tsukushi's letting Akira take over from you. She never even mentioned leaving you to handle all of this. As hard as it is to believe, Akira has become quite good with the managing side of the business."

"When can he come in?" she laughed. "I don't know half of the stuff these contractors are talking about. I couldn't even tell them where the main water valve to shut off the sprinkler system was. They spent an hour alone trying to trace the pipes to the main source." Shizuka arched her back into him, hearing the small little cracks in her vertebrae from the soreness in it. "I've been here since five this morning on one cup of coffee after finishing up a long night recording in the studio."

His hands went to work on her shoulder, kneading the intricate sets of knots embedded within them. Taking her hand, he led her to the unoccupied section of the couch. The large blanket that he had taken from his car to cover Kaya with was pulled a bit to cover Shizuka. With a light kiss on her forehead, he tucked her in. "Get some sleep. I'll take over for now, until the clean up crew finishes."

"Thank you, Rui," she yawned. Her voice fell into a raspy whisper as she drifted off into the land of slumber where Kaya was already running rampant. Soon her soft snores echoed through the room.

He stood there in awe for a few moments, at the sight of the two most important girls in his life. They both slept ever so peacefully, unaware to what was going on in the world. Kaya was completely knocked out from her long day, and so was Shizuka.

Nothing in my life could be more perfect with them in it. I don't know what I would do if anything bad ever happened to them. I would lose it all, my mind, my body, and my soul. They're all I'll ever need.

It was times like this that he cherished the most, seeing them in their complete unawareness. When it was just him and them, everything seemed right. He sighed heavily, turning his head around to give a quick once over on how the clean up crew was doing. From the looks of things, Shizuka would get a few hours of sleep in. It didn't matter much to him, though. It would probably be the most peace and quiet he had gotten in the last few hours after running around checking up on Tsukushi in the hospital. Closing his eyes and clearing his thoughts, he closed the door behind him, releasing that heaviness in his heart and the breath he had been holding the entire time.

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

It was late into the night and the halls were empty except for the few night nurses making their rounds to check up on the inpatients. He popped his head out of doorway sneaking a glance down the hall to see if there was anyone patrolling his corridor. He recalled hearing her room number repeating it over and over again in his head intent on finding her. He had already watched silently as the last of her friends departed from her room at the call for all visitors to vacate at the end of the designated hours. During the time in between waiting for them to leave he had busied himself thinking over the question that plagued him as much as it did her friends.

Why did he do it?

He shook his head at the thought that it was all for some personal gain, perhaps to finally break into her good graces convincing her he was not the mad stalker that he knew he probably had originally come off across as. The faint traces of memories of their last encounter ran through his mind replaying his own impetuous idiocy of pushing her so hard. It was just too damn frustrating for him, too painful of how close she hit close to home in the similarities.

However, now wasn't the time to be thinking of such things. Now was a time to act and to make reparations for his attack on her personal choices. He wanted to believe his act as a good Samaritan stopped at that place alone, but there was always that underlying voice in his head that spoke of more, of desire.

"Now's the time to do it," he heartily cheered himself on. His hand rested on the doorknob of the closed door. Silently he wondered to himself if the jelly like feeling in his legs was due to his head trauma or the anxiety of seeing her. He wasn't even sure if she knew he was in the hospital or whether or not she would recall his rescue at all. He chose to take the risk and wander into her room, for better or worse the outcome.

She lay awake in bed staring at the small beams of shadowed light racing back and forth on the ceiling. It was upon the overly fussy nurse that the others were forced to leave. Akira had offered to stay and keep her company, but his offer had been turned away with the excuse of the patient needing rest. Now laying in the utter silence of her hospital room, Tsukushi could just lay there blankly watching with slight interest the dim lights dancing across the white spotted ceiling.

The small creak of the door opening caught her attention forcing her to roll her head to the side to see who her late night visitor could be. Her eyes widened in recognition and a feeling akin to dread fell to the pit of her stomach. She wished for a second she still had some of those very soothing painkillers running through her system to get her through this confrontation. The decision she had come to seemed like something an insane person would choose. She hoped she would not regret her choice.

"Hi," he whispered from the dimly lit hallway. He suddenly felt stupid with his lack of eloquence only finding some stupid monosyllabic greeting to fill the awkward silence.

"I was wondering when you would come and see me, Kazuya," she breathed. She struggled to lift herself up on her arms to sit up in her bed. With a small bit of mirth in her eyes, she motioned for him to come in. She would face their conversation head on.

He entered her room slowly with a bit of trepidation as if he were impinging some sort of rule by entering. Seating himself in the chair beside her bed he smiled boyishly. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm good. I'd probably be a lot worse if it hadn't been for you. I think a thank you is in order for what you did for me."

"It was nothing," he blushed. He hoped that she would not see the not so masculine tinge of crimson paint his cheeks. "I'm just glad that you're alright. I couldn't sleep not knowing whether or not you were really okay."

"It's a nice thought," she replied in a tone marked only by indifference. Her entire demeanor seemed to be oddly serene with an obvious change with the large degree of fatigue. She tired was tired of a lot of things in general. Seeing Kazuya was just another chore added onto her list of things to take care of. " I thought I wouldn't see you again after your little outburst."

"I'm sorry about that. I didn't mean to pressure or criticize you like that."

"It's okay. I've been told much worse things in my life. In the end, the message is always the same. Why can't I just suck it up like an adult and move on?" Her head jerked to the side to completely face him dead on locking their eyes. "To everyone else, it looks like I'm holding onto to something that was lost a long time ago. It's funny the way things look from the outside. Just because I don't decide to drastically run out in search of a man, change my career, and start living a life that I supposedly should have doesn't mean that I haven't tried. You think you know me, but you don't."

"I see someone waiting for that tide to come in that will change her life."

The grim expression on her face faltered. "You've got me there. And do you think you have some key role in this change I should take?"

"I've already told you. I still harbor some romantic feelings for you, but I'm willing to settle being your friend. Why do you refuse to even let me be close to you in the capacity of friendship? What did I do to make you refuse such a simple offer?"

"Can I ask you something? I want you to answer me in all honesty?"

"Fine." He nodded eagerly hoping he had made some leeway in the conversation.

"Why did you help me?"

He swallowed that lump in his throat. His hand fumbled in his lap as he thought of a good answer to her question. It seemed as if everything hung on the balance of the simple inquiry. "I really don't know. I can't be completely honest to say I did it out of purely good intentions. In some aspects, I selfishly hoped that if I saved you, you would see as more than that weird stalker from school. Maybe I hoped you would see me as your knight in shining armor to rescue you. All in all, I guess, what I hoped was that if I saved you from death you might reconsider that date with me."

Her lighthearted laughter filled his ears. They fit of giggles refused to stop as they poured from her lips.

"You're a funny little man."

He sat there open mouthed trying to figure out what had just transpired. One minute, she was ready to toss him out of her room, and the next she's laughing in his face. "What's going on here?"

"I think it may be the lingering drugs in my system, but I think I can't take much more of this. I give up trying to get rid of you. I've tried to find reasons to not want to be in contact with you, but something just keeps bringing you back. I think it might be some sick twist of fate or a sign from someone up there. Nothing seems to drive you away."

"My mother always said I was a persistent sucker."

"You are certainly are one. I guess it's too late to try to dissuade you from wanting to be around me. You know too much. It's either we become friends or I kill you. The latter is a bit too messy for my taste."

His eyes lit up at the surrendering of her defenses. "So, are we friends?"

She put out her hand for him to shake. "Friends."

He kept his hand grasped firmly over hers, and smiled to himself. "Do you think we could move on to something more than that in the future?"

"Don't push your luck."

"I can settle for that. But I have one question. Same rules apply. I want full disclosure."

"Go ahead." She folded her arms over her chest awaiting his all so important question.

"Why did you change your mind about me?"

Tsuksuhi sighed, and laid her head back onto her pillow. "I guess the biggest reason, which I know I will live to regret admitting is that you got under my skin. You confuse and amuse me at the same time in that good and not so good way. I've never met someone quite like you."

"I can accept that."

"I'm happy my answer is acceptable," she mockingly agreed.

"One more question. I saved your life. That's a very big deal. So, can I at least have one date for that?"

"You're not going to give up are you?" She exclaimed in exasperation.

"Not when I'm willing to risk everything for what I want."

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Okay, I have no idea what this chapter is for. I'm just biding my time until I actually find a good place to jumpstart some plot. Too many characters and perspectives is very dangerous thing. Take pity on my slow updating. My brother just got married on July 3 where I was very involved with planning a 300 guest affair, and had to run away from the evil looks of relatives complimenting how beautiful I've grown up to be and asking how old I am. When I sense the "evil blind date set up" (or for those who are Chinese, the yum cha aka set you up with some guy who claims will one day be a doctor and look how good you two would be), I run like the fiery flames of hell are at my feet, even in four inch heels and a fluffy gown. Maybe if I hide in my room for a few days people will forget that I clean up nice.

And so we end chapter 15 on a light note with no cliffhangers, but a lot of confusion on where these relationships are going. Let's try something new, a snippet of chapter 16- "And They Fall A Little Deeper"

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She watched them line up one by one into a perfectly straight line. Her lips curled into a cruel smile as she felt herself submerging completely in her element. It was moments like these, that she felt satiating feelings of her lust for power. Every inflection in her voice was steeled to a fine perfection as she leisurely strolled down the line with her clipboard in hand pointing at girls to step forward. "Those who step forward are out. Do you fucking bitches think you can just walk in here without me knowing? You, get yourself together 'cause I can see those railroad tracks hiding underneath that concealer on your arms. Here's a fifty to cover what you owe your dealer. And you with the red top, tell your pimp, if I see you or any one of his other sorry ass bitches walk into this club I will not hesitate to fucking mess you up."

"Who the hell do you think you are?! I am not a prostitute."

"Don't make me laugh. I have every right to call you on what you are. The rules were simple for the call we made. No drugs and no sex. I haven't met a single prostitute who agreed to the latter. They always want that extra big tip at the end of the night."

"How do you know what a prostitute looks like?"

Tsukasa watched in morbid fascination as the young woman tore into them. He was starting to regret taking her invitation to go out later, but feared her wrath for canceling on short notice more than anything. Regret for letting Tsukushi talk him into the silly date hammered in his head. He was more than shocked when he heard her response. Perhaps he had fallen a bit deeper than he would have liked.

"Easy, I was one."

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Now where did that come from? Review if you wanna see more. Review if you liked what you saw. Heck, review just to make me write a little bit faster.