"You're out of your bloody mind. BOTH of you!"

McGill settled back more comfortably in his chair and stifled a yawn. Across the table, Doumyouji Tsukasa glared at him malevolently as though he'd committed the worst crime in the world, but McGill wasn't fazed. He had a right to feel tired, didn't he? Jet lag? How huge was the time difference between Japan and England? They were practically on opposite ends of the earth!

The plane ride had been comfortable, of course. Somehow, in some quirky way, he wasn't in the least surprised to discover that Nishikado owned his own private jet with his own exclusive service crew. After all, Nishikado didn't seem the type of person who would endure suffering in First Class, being served by incompetent idiots and having to put up with a lousy menu.

"I'll say it again. Both of you are bloody insane."

McGill tried not to yawn again, but as is usually the case, his trying to stop himself only made it worse and the yawn that he let out drew both Nishikado and Doumyouji's eyes on him.

"If you want to sleep, why don't you go back to the hotel?" said Doumyouji irritably.

"He's not at a hotel, he's staying at my place," said Nishikado mildly.

"Enough!" Doumyouji roared.

McGill sat up straight and took his first proper look at Doumyouji Tsukasa since Nishikado had dragged him over to the Doumyouji mansion. Here was a man who had everything – wealth, good looks, power, influence, a business empire at his feet…and yet, there was something that had brought all those frown lines between his eyebrows and that lifeless look in his eyes. The living dead, McGill thought. He hates himself and his life. Why? 

"Tsukushi and Rui are both dead," Doumyouji was yelling. "There's no reason why you should drag up the past again, remind us all of them…just when I'd forgotten them!"

"Forgotten them?" Nishikado let out a bark of laughter. "You've never forgotten them. None of us have. Admit it, Tsukasa. You've been haunted by their deaths as well. In the back of your head you've always known that there was something behind them dying like that."

"I don't," said Doumyouji stubbornly.

Suddenly, an image of Tsukushi smiling and holding out her hand to him rose in his mind – the same image that appeared to him every night – and, simply to keep the tears back, he pushed it out, clenched his jaw and turned his head away.

McGill and Nishikado shared a look.

"If you don't want any part in this, then it's okay," said Nishikado quietly. "You know I won't ever force you to do anything you don't want to. But I'm going ahead with the investigation whether you like it or not, because if you loved Rui, then so did I. If you felt badly about Tsukushi's death, then so did I. I cared for them too." He pushed back his chair and gestured for McGill to get up too. "If you ever have a change of heart, then call me up."

"Aunt Akina won't agree," muttered Doumyouji, his voice strained.

"Sort yourself out first," was Nishikado's answer before he led McGill off.

"Who is 'Aunt Akina'?" McGill asked as they got into Nishikado's shimmering silver BMW.

"She's…was…I don't even know which tense to use." Nishikado paused. "Rui's stepmother," he said at last. "Rui's mum died at his birth, and four years later his father married Aunt Akina. She's a beautiful woman – product of plastic surgery, of course, but beautiful nonetheless – from one of the most prominent families in Japan. Fifty three to a day, but still looking like thirty three. I don't know much about her…only saw her a few times around the house, spoke to her even less, and Rui never said much about her. But she was a good mother to him. Practically brought him up all by herself, and loved him even more than if he was her own son. Rui cared more for her than anyone else in the world, even F3."

"Come again?" McGill said.

"F3…it used to be F4, when Rui was still alive. A nickname we call ourselves – 'we' being Tsukasa, myself, Rui and Akira. You'll see Akira later."

McGill tried unsuccessfully not to yawn again.

"I'll bring you to the Hanazawa place tomorrow to meet Aunt Akina," Nishikado informed. "I spoke to her over the phone and she didn't sound too elated, but said okay. I have a sneaky feeling that she doesn't like me."

"But she barely even knows you," McGill pointed out.

"Right. She doesn't. Even less than Doumyouji Kaede, Tsukasa's mother. Now there's a nutcase if you're looking for one. She'd most probably graduated from the University of the Barmies." Nishikado snorted. "Anyway, like I was saying, don't be too shocked when I take you to the Hanazawa family home."

"No two-room cramped apartment, I presume?" said McGill dryly.

"Let us put it this way, Mr. McGill," Nishikado paused for effect. "They would be the ones owning the block of two room apartments."

"Why is everyone so rich?" grumbled McGill, disgruntled.

"You're talking about the four richest families in Japan, mister. What do you expect to find, us living in holes?" Nishikado retorted. "The Hanazawa family owns three major companies – Hanazawa Enterprises, which owns stock in any huge profitable company you can name; H. Property Insurance, which mainly insures ships and aeroplanes; and the Hana, which is a chain of huge departmental stores. That's all I know. Hanazawa Mareo keeps everything very hush-hush. No one has the faintest idea of how rich he really is."

"No one really knows how rich Bill Gates is either," McGill commented.

"After Rui died, Uncle Mareo just about worked himself half to death," Nishikado said. "He had doted on Rui, given him all the love he was capable of." He sighed. "Strange to think how one person's death…or in this case, two…can affect so many people."

McGill yawned widely. "I'm sorry, but I would like nothing better than a bed right now."

Much later that evening, when McGill was getting his desired sleep at last, Nishikado received a call from Doumyouji.

"I've been doing a lot of thinking," said the latter directly. "And…you're right. I have been thinking about it a lot. Sometimes I've even doubted like you have. Maybe we should…I'm still not fully for it, but if you want to go for it, then I won't go against you."

"You'll have to get over her some time, Tsukasa," said Nishikado gently.

He was met with a harsh laugh. "Get over her? It's as possible as you asking me to walk on egg shells and not crack any of them."

Nishikado said nothing. He knew, just as well as Mimasaka Akira did, just how much Doumyouji had loved and devoted himself to Makino Tsukushi. A spoilt, rich brat, he'd never known what it was to truly love someone until Tsukushi had blazed into his life and took over his mind and body completely.

"And if I'm going to agree," said Doumyouji, "tell that man to get a bed every time he wants to sleep. There's only so much I can take of his yawning."

---

Thank you all so much for your reviews…I know I've been a bit sluggish in updating the next chapter. The truth is, I've been having a bit of trouble deciding what to write in it [even though the third and fourth chapters are completed!].

Windsoffortune: Thank you for dropping by…I'm not certain if my writing style is that great, but I'm perfectly happy for you to think so, lol :P

GreenCookie: I'm glad to know that the first chapter was enticing. Thanks for commenting.

Fake-star: You're the first one to say that my writing is British, and I'm very flattered! Don't worry about the R/T thing, the fic will be more concentrated on the crime instead of couple complications. And hey, Tsukasa is a fantastic criminal!

Cuppajava: The store will empty itself out…hopefully…if I actually finish it! ;)

Jeanna: Thanks! I'll try to maintain the standard.

BlackAmoria: Rui and Tsukushi are, in fact, the main characters :) The dead can talk…

ErieDragon: Thank you so much! Really glad that you liked it.

Sheilapiglet: Frankly, I can't wait to see where this fic takes me to!

Abyss: Thanks for reviewing.