HEEERE'S CHAPTER 95 :D! Thanks for everyone's reviews :D! Heheh…I bet this chapter will make "some things" clearer ;)!

Chapter 95: When that boy met that girl and then some

Yuriko couldn't believe that this boy was actually talking to her. Why would he talk to her anyway? Did he want anything from her? Was she special enough to be talked to? But then, as she looked at him smiling at her, she realized that this was not the time to question his intentions. After all, he didn't seem like a threat to her.

She could see it in the young man's eyes. She could tell that he was a good person. And she had never been wrong. He seemed like the last person who could ever harm her… unlike that Logan, who saw pleasure in making those around him feel threatened. In fact, this young man was like a good escape for her. An escape from the world of grown ups and formality and science and facts and 'work'.

A soft chuckle escaped from Yuriko's lips and she replied. "I guess you are talking to me." She said. She now realized how stupid she must have looked, staring at him like a ghost just a while ago, looking like a fool when the boy was trying to strike a conversation with her.

The boy chuckled again and nodded his head. "Uh huh." He said in a joking manner as he looked at her. He could see her tanned cheeks blushing, making it obvious that she felt embarrassed for the way she had acted towards his earlier inquiry.

"Anyway, uh, as I've said before, I've never seen you around here before." He said, continuing his prior train of thought. Now that he'd finally gotten the attention of the only person his age, he might as well speak with her. No use in wasting precious seconds staring at her like a silent little fool. The tongue should always be put to good use that's what his father always said.

Yuriko smiled and felt her cheeks flush again, almost causing her to bow her head down to hide her reddening face. "Yeah." She replied shyly. "In fact, it's my first time here in New York. I've never been to the Americas before…Well, until now of course." She said with an innocent smile.

The young man smiled back and held out his hand. "By the way, before we talk about more stuff, I guess it's proper to introduce myself first. Junior's the name, well, not really, but that's what my dad calls me." He said, nudging his head towards the military man standing right next to him.

/"No wonder they look so much alike."/ Yuriko thought to herself as she heard the boy refer to the military man as his father.

"Well, if that's the case, then you can call me Riku." She said, greeting Junior's hand with a handshake and a hearty grin. "Like you, that's what my dad calls me." She glanced at her father as she referred to him.

Junior gave out a subtle laugh and put his hand back down on his side. His other hand though, was still busy holding on to his toy plane. "You got dragged into this too, huh? Because I can see your dad knows my dad."

Yuriko furrowed her eyebrows and looked at him curiously. "What do you mean dragged into this? Dragged into what?" She asked, unsure of what Junior was talking about. There was also something suspicious in the boy's voice.

The boy opened his arms, and looked around. "This. You know…they come here every year to talk about work. It's like a yearly thing." He followed his words with a shrug. "I've been going here since I was five, and trust me…it gets more and more boring with each and every passing year. Jeez, I barely understand half of what's going on!" He said, sounding quite disgruntled.

"And the people who come here are always the same. I almost know everyone's names. That's probably why you stuck out like a sore thumb when I first saw you, because I've never seen you or your dad around here before." He continued. "Well, there's that and the fact that you're the first person I've seen who's in my age range." He chuckled. "Unless of course if you're as old as them and you're just not telling me". He said with a joking tone in his voice.

She giggled and covered her lips with her dainty hand. He was actually quite funny. And she liked him. She really did. There was also something about him that reminded her of herself. After all, both of their fathers were in the same line of work, whatever that line of work was. And he was also the first boy her age that she'd ever really talk to...really talk to like this…Talk in a way that she didn't have to keep any secrets, or be careful with her words. In fact, he was probably the first child she'd ever talk to like this. After all, it seemed as if they both belonged in the same world. No wonder she felt such an immediate connection with this 'Junior' boy.

"Trust me. I'm eleven as an eleven year old girl can be."

She said, giggling.

Junior raised his eyebrows and looked bewildered. "Ah, so I guess I am older than you…Just turned twelve a couple of months ago." He replied. The friendly smile on his face made his innocent, boyish looks shine through.

"Cool." He said as he nodded his head. Then he breathed in and looked as if he were about to say something important, or rather, something risky. "So, I was wondering… Since your dad and my dad are going to be busy talking about their 'stuff' for the next two days," He quickly rolled his eyes as he said the word 'stuff' "Maybe you'd wanna, you know, hang out or something. Like, have fun. I dunno, whatever." He shrugged and looked at her, waiting in anticipation for a reply.

Yuriko tsked, then she exhaled and glanced at her father from the corner of her eye. "I dunno, Junior. My dad told me that he was going to take me around the city for the next two days. So I think I won't be able to have enough time to hang out with you. But if you want, if I do end up having some free time, I could "

"Oh trust me…" He suddenly said, interrupting Yuriko. "He may have said that, but, well, I don't want to be quite frank so excuse me for what I'm about to say, but your dad's not going to have enough time for you for the remainder of this trip."

Young little Riku furrowed her eyebrows in an angry and confused manner when she heard the boy's words. "What do you mean? Why are you saying that?" She asked, sounding rather irritated. "My dad's going to spend time with me and I know it. He told me that this was going to be our trip and that he was going to take me to see the Statue of Liberty. He promised me that and I know he's going to keep that promise like thousands of his promises before." Her voice was defensive and firm.

Then after that, she heard her father speak. "Darrow." He said, calling out to the muscular man who drove them to the hotel. "Me and William are going to go ahead. Please take Yuriko and our belongings to the room, okay?"

Agent Darrow, the gentle giant, as Yuriko thought of him, smiled and nodded his head. "Yes, Doctor." He replied. Then he walked around the car toward the trunk, and took out Yuriko and Kenji's remaining bags.

Kenji looked down at Yuriko and gently ran his fingers through her hair. The smile on his face beamed as he looked at his beloved little girl. "I'm going to go ahead now, okay, honey? Darrow's going to bring you up to our room and you can relax there for a while. If you want anything, just tell Darrow and he'll go fetch it for you, okay, Riku?"

Yuriko forced a subtle smile on her lips, but she didn't know what to say. Her father was just going to leave her with Darrow on the first day of her trip? She trusted Darrow, of course, but she preferred to have her father by her side. That was how she pictured it her and her father, walking side by side, hand in hand in the streets of New York. And as Kenji leaned in to kiss her on the forehead, she suddenly felt a pang of loneliness in her heart, and a hint of disappointment in her throat. She felt as if she was about to cry.

"I'll see you later, okay?" He asked with a smile. The smile on his face remained as he looked at her for the last time that afternoon. Then he pulled away, stood up straight, and nodded at Logan and William. "Shall we, gentlemen? We only have two more days to discuss matters of such utmost importance, so time is of the essence."

The senior Stryker chuckled and smiled back. "Agreed." He said firmly. Then he turned to Logan. "Logan.". He spoke his name as if Logan's name alone was enough to tell the hostile-looking stranger the message that he wanted to convey.

Logan looked back at Stryker with his dark, piercing, wolf-like eyes and only said two words. "I know." He replied. His voice, like always, was low and gruff, making his words barely understandable.

Stryker breathed in and placed his hands behind his back. "Then we're off then." He smiled at Kenji, and the three of them, all tall and proud, walked into the Hotel Barclay's glamorous front doors. William Stryker was greeted by all the attendants. From the way he was treated, he was like loyalty. Everyone in the hotel seemed to know who he was.

"And there they go…" Junior said as he watched the three adults walk into the hotel. There was a hint of contempt in his voice. Then he rolled his eyes and sighed. By the looks of it, he had already seen that scene a million times before and he looked sick of it.

"Look, I don't know what you're getting all grumpy about, but my dad, he's going to be with me no matter what." She said firmly, looking at her disgruntled friend. "He told me he'll see me later, and that means that after all their talks are done, he's going to spend all of his free time with me. And we're going to tour New York togeth".

Junior grunted and frustratingly ran his fingers through his hair like an aggravated little 12-year-old would. "Fine." He said, interrupting her again in mid-sentence. "If your dad says he's going to give you New York, then I guess he will. But if I were you, I wouldn't get my hopes up much." His voice was a little softer now.

"What do you mean? I really don't know what you're saying…" She said. Though at the back of her mind, she did, somehow. There had been countless of times that her father had promised her that he'd be home early, only to end up coming home at the crack of dawn. But this time, this time, she knew that it was going to be different. Her father was going to be with her and they were going to have the greatest time of their lives. He promised her, and she was looking forward to that promise.

The boy exhaled, causing some of the hair over his forehead to flutter with his breath. "You really don't get it, do you?" He asked with a sad smile.

Yuriko looked at him confusingly and shook her head from side to side. "No."

The innocent look on Yuriko's face almost made him want to shake some sense into her. "Look," Junior continued. "Ever since I was six, my parents always promised to take me around the city every time we came here. But guess what, it's never happened, and I'm already twelve!" He said, sounding rather disappointed and angry. "Hey, don't get me wrong. My parents are really nice people. It's just that, well, I don't like it when people break their promises. I really hate that, you know."

Yuriko exhaled and looked deeply into the eyes of the young boy who stood in front of her. "I hate that too." She said, reflecting the pain in her friend's voice.

Then he smiled and gently patted her on her upper arm. "But hey, maybe your dad's different. Maybe he really will spend the next two days with you, so who knows, right?" He shrugged and gave out a frail chuckle.

Yuriko giggled and nodded her head. "Right!" She said happily. The boy smiled back at her, and she was about to say something else, when another voice interrupted their conversation. It was a woman's voice, a middle-aged woman's voice.

"Junior!" She shouted, calling out to the young man as she waved her gloved hand in the air. She was standing by the entrance of the Hotel, where her husband, William Stryker, and his companions, had just entered a short while ago.

"Oh!" Junior exclaimed as he heard her mother calling for him. He glanced at her and found her by the entrance. Then he looked back at Yuriko. "Um, anyway, I gotta go." He said apologetically. "Hey, maybe we can hang out some time. You know, just in case you want to." He said, following his words with his wide smile.

"William Stryker Jr., come here this instant!" Catherine Stryker shouted. "Your father prefers that we board our rooms as soon as possible!" Though she was shouting at her boy, there was still motherly love and concern in her voice.

Junior smiled at Yuriko for the last time and motioned his hand in the manner of saying goodbye. "Bye, Riku." He said. With the toy plane in his hand, he ran towards the direction of his mother, and gave her a small hug.

Little Riku couldn't help but smile when he saw Junior's mother run her fingers along her little boy's sweaty hair. The mother held him close by her side as she and Junior walked into the hotel. But it somehow made Yuriko's heart sink when he didn't give her a last glance before disappearing from her sight. Was she ever going to see him again? She really hoped that she hadn't lost the chance of having a real friend for good.

"Miss Riku." Said a deep yet gentle voice.

Yuriko spun around and saw Agent Darrow standing behind her. He was holding their baggage and seemed eager to head into the hotel. Like Kenji, and Junior's mother, Darrow also knew the risks of staying visible in the public eye for far too long. It was a well-proven fact that no one related to the CODs would ever be safe.

A good friend of his, the late agent Hawkins, only took a day off to spend some time with his personal life, his family in particular. But he was never seen alive again. The last person who saw Hawkins alive was his wife. She saw him through the kitchen window while he was taking out the trash at six o' clock in the evening. She washed some of the dishes on the sink, and when she looked outside, he wasn't there anymore. As if he had suddenly disappeared. She didn't even hear a sound…not a sound of struggling, or a yelp, or a cry for help. There weren't even any traces that anyone was there outside their house by the time Hawkins was abducted. It was like Hawkins suddenly disappeared. Neither Hawkins' body or the clothes he wore that night were found.

Yuriko looked up at the looming figure who towered above her and she smiled back at him. "I know, Agent Darrow. We have to go inside now." She said politely.

Darrow raised his brows and grinned. "Oh yes, we do." He said in a cheery tone, trying to amuse the young little Yuriko Oyama.

The COD agent had no problem carrying Yuriko and Kenji's baggage across the glamorous lobby of the Barclay. After all, he had the height, weight and stature to carry such weight. Yuriko, on the other hand, was at awe as she looked at the hotel. It looked like the inside of the castle she had read in the books that her father had bought for her. Her eyes widened with delight and her dainty lips smiled in wonder. She felt like twirling around in a beautiful dress while the light reflected on the smooth marble floor.

"This is a really beautiful, Agent Darrow." She said as she glided across the floor. She tilted her head up and looked at her burly protector. "Have you been here before?"

Darrow looked down at her and smiled. He continued to walk with Yuriko by his side. "Oh countless of times before, Miss Riku. And yes, it really is a beautiful place. Very big too. I wouldn't wander around much if I were you." He added, smiling.

Yuriko giggled. "Don't worry, Agent Darrow. If I do any wondering around, it's gonna be with my dad. He's very good with directions, you know. I never get lost whenever I'm with him." She said happily.

They stopped in front of the lobby elevator, and Darrow gently placed the baggage on the floor. He pushed the up button on the classically designed console beside the elevator doors, and the doors soon opened to welcome its two new passengers.

"Ladies first, Miss Riku." Said Darrow as he motioned a hand towards it.

Riku flashed him a smile and proudly strode inside the intricately designed elevator. She had never been inside an elevator before, so like New York, this too was very new to her. But out of all the elevators she'd seen in movies and in books and in magazines, this had to be the most beautiful one. Darrow soon followed her inside with their baggage, and the elevator doors closed. He pushed the 'close' button by the control panel, and the doors closed.

Yuriko almost jumped when the elevator started to rise towards the 14th floor. She felt as if her stomach did a little somersault. But she had soon forgotten the queasy feeling as she marveled at the intricate and unique designs on the elevator's walls. She found it rather amusing that its design and motif were similar to that of the lobby's. It's like everything in the hotel matched. Then she looked up and watched the floor number as it went up from one floor to another.

"Wow. I can't believe I'm actually riding an elevator." She said softly.

Darrow chuckled softly and looked at his little companion. "Well, Miss Riku. You're going to do a lot of elevator-riding while you're here in the hotel. After all, it's the easiest way to go up and down the building. Unless of course if you're willing to go up and down fourteen flights of stairs." He said jokingly.

Yuriko smile back, then she walked around the ascending elevator, running her hands on its smooth, lavishly decorated walls. "Oh. I'm fine with the elevator." She said happily. "I doubt that I'll be riding one soon when we get back to Japan anyway."

The number above the elevator doors changed from 13 to 14, and the elevator made a small chiming sound as it went into a slow stop.

Yuriko's almond-shaped eyes widened as she felt it go into a halt. The elevator seemed to have stopped moving. And the stopping motion made her stomach do a little somersault again. "It stopped." She whispered, looking at Darrow.

Darrow lightheartedly laughed as he looked back at Yuriko. "Of course it did." He said with a smile. "We're here." The elevator doors slid open and revealed the extravagant lobby of the 14th floor.

A huge smile spread across Yuriko's face as she followed Darrow out of the elevator. Her eyes wandered at the designs on the hallway as they made their way to the room. She still couldn't believe how every part of the hotel matched. Everything, from the lobby, to the elevator, to the doors and the doorknobs and carpets had matching designs. Even the lights that littered the hallway matched the motif of the hotel.

Yuriko's hallway sightseeing eventually ended when Agent Darrow stopped in front of a room with the number 685 etched on its door. It was the room that the COD had reserved for them, the room where they will stay for the rest of the trip. All of the COD's guests and employees were reserved the finest rooms in the Barclay. Its people were always given the best of what it can afford…and apparently, the COD can afford anything. In fact, it had fully rented nearly three fourths of the Barclay's finest rooms.

Darrow placed the baggage on the floor and pulled out a keycard from his suit's inner pocket. "Now this is where you and Dr. Oyama will be staying." He said as he inserted the keycard in the slit above the bronze-colored door knob.

The small red light beside the slit turned green and the door emitted a small beeping noise. Yuriko watched in awe as she witnessed the little technical miracle.

"Is it nice inside? She asked curiously, watching Darrow as he turned the door knob.

Darrow grinned as he picked up their bags. "Oh trust me, Miss Riku. You're going to love it in there. In fact, I'd bet you'd rather spend your time inside rather than hang out with all those boring grown-ups downstairs." He said with a chuckle.