AUTHORS NOTE:
I'm so sorry for the late update. I kinda lost the files and had to re-write the last few chapters. :-(

Anyway, my thanks to those sweet ppl like janeyluvsyou, chocolate drop (Well, okay your dream is just freaky... Bloodshed would be nice... twisted but don't worry, Syaoran shall live. He's far too adorable.), silentLurkerNoMore, Ecuagirl, the evil ms. evil (your interesting reviews never fail to crack me up... hahaha!), and Tadpole (Ermmm yeah, a Ford Mustang, aye? I gave it to Touya. A blue Mustang Cobra... Very very nice! Hehehe.) for their kind reviews. Thanks.

And since, I've taken more than 7 days to update, I shall upload the next chappie tomorrow!

CHAPTER 3: No love lost or no love gained?

-

Having a family is like having a bowling alley installed in your brain.

--- Martin Mull

-

-

It was supposed to be a wonderful evening, but now she wasn't so sure.

Akizuki Nakuru sat on the cold stone bench with her elbows propped on her knees, cradling her chin. The sun was just setting and the sky was a beautiful canvas of dark pink, red and blue streaks. With all the neon lights radiating from the mall a short distance away, the whole area looked somewhat weirdly colourful. But definitely lovely in its own right.

She glanced down at the bags of groceries and then at her watch. She bit her lower lip, wondering if she should take a cab to the Kinomoto's and get started on dinner. Touya was supposed to have arrived twenty minutes ago and time was running out.

He was late again. Sigh. He was not a usually a tardy person, though. No, but he's always late, and only when it comes to you... Or maybe he just totally, conveniently forgot.

Her beloved boyfriend was supposed to accompany her shop for groceries, but - as usual - last minute circumstances had forced him to pull out. So, once again, she had slapped a smile on her face and let him attend to other more important issues that demanded his precious time. It was the proper thing to do, of course; his whole world did not necessarily revolve around her.

Ironically, evading shopping trips made him happy; and if he was happy, she was happy.

Nakuru pushed her negative thoughts away and finally came to a decision. She blew out a long exhausted breath and stood to gather the bags at from the ground when a blue SVT Mustang Cobra abruptly pulled up along the roadside with a loud screech.

"Nakuru!"

She looked up and saw Yukito step out from the passenger door and came to her assistance. The pale, cheerful man took some bags from her grip and smiled at her apologetically. "Gomen, the meeting ended up later than we expected."

He was such a sensitive man with a sweet disposition that she couldn't help but smile back in appreciation. "Iie, it's all right Yuki-chan. Nan demo nai."

Touya then came into view and took the remaining bags from her. "Hey." He kissed her cheek in greeting. It was a little chaste, but enough.

Wrapping her hands around his neck, she ignored the tiny pang of disappointment and grinned widely. "Touya! I never thought you'd come…"

"I'm here already, aren't I?" He asked in mild amusement, slowing easing from her hug. "Come, let's get going. Get in the car." Both he and Yuki loaded the bags into the back next to Nakuru before getting into their seats.

"By the way, Nakuru," Touya said while driving, "Yuki and I have decided to help you prepare dinner tonight. It wouldn't be fair to let you do all the cooking by yourself." It wasn't really a complete lie, but he wouldn't tell his girlfriend that her cooking could corrode their intestines, not when she was only trying to do something nice for them.

"Hai, we will help you. Saves more time." Yukito suppressed a smile, not wanting to hurt her feelings.

"Honto ni? Yokatta! I could use the help. Domo arigatou!" Nakuru squealed from the backseat. She was about to bear-hug them from behind when Touya threw her a glare from the rear-view mirror.

"Nakuru…" He warned. "I'm driving."

Nakuru faked a pout. "Mou! You're no fun..." She ignored the chuckles Yukito gave them as she remembered an important detail she had conveniently forgotten to mention. "By the way, I've invited one more guest for dinner tonight, so there's more food to prepare."

"Who else did you invite? Daidouji-san?" Yukito asked her.

"No." Nakuru pretended to inspect her painted nails. A part of her was feeling apprehensive about the extra guest, but another part of her had said that it was the rightful thing to do. Families are supposed to be together, afterall…

"Who, Nakuru?" Touya asked with an edge to his voice. It wasn't like her to hesitate or hide anything from him.

She swallowed hard. Here goes… "Ahhh… Amamiya-san."

"Nani!" The two men exclaimed in surprise, both staring at her for a split second.

"Hey! Watch out for the motorbike!"

Touya swore under his breath and swerved the car just in time to prevent a collision. He took a deep breath and refocused on the road. "Did my father mention anything about not attending tonight's dinner?"

"No, he did not. Of course, he'll be around."

"Then Nakuru, please tell me you did not invite my grandfather over for dinner."

"I did." She glanced at him. Touya still kept his gaze on the road -- probably not trusting himself to speak without bursting in anger -- but she could see that his face had darkened and his jaw muscles clenched. He was definitely not pleased with the arrangement.

"Touya, listen, I have a perfectly good reason to --"

"I know what you're trying to do, Nakuru. God knows, it's not the first time we've been through this." He cut her off in a curt manner, his voice firm and yet, tired.

"Touya -"

He gripped the steering wheel tighter. The last thing he needed was to be goaded into screaming at his family-deprived girlfriend. Patience…

"Oh, hell. You've already invited both of them, and there's nothing much we can do now. I do not want to discuss this anymore." His voice quickly softened at the tiny sound of her dejected sigh. "I mean it. Don't say another word." Anticipating Yukito's tendency to intervene, he quickly added, "The both of you."

Yukito threw a worried glance at his best friend, who was too busy fuming and concentrating on driving cautiously at the same time. He then turned back to look at a guilty yet determined Nakuru. Hmm, dinner would be somewhat interesting later on…

-

-

"Konbanwa, Eriol-sama." A cheerful old man with a rounded physique, greeted his young master by the door.

Eriol greeted his butler with a small appreciative smile. "Konbanwa, Rinshun. Is my father home?"

"No, he isn't. He has a dinner appointment with a client."

"Ahh, so desu ka…" He nodded to himself, not at all surprised at his father's absence. It wasn't unusual for Andy Hiiragizawa to be rarely around, what with his business appointments and meetings and all. Eriol suppressed a tiny, rising pang of dejection. Come on, Hiiragizawa. You know how it is.

Being the sympathetic man he was, Rinshun added, "He wanted me to tell you that he was sorry and that it was a last minute plan." He spoke gently, his eyes full of warmth and support. "Would you like to have your dinner now? I cooked your favourite."

"Iie. I'm not that hungry yet. Maybe later, about an hours' time." He replied before running up the main stairs leading to the west wing, somewhat eager to get to his bedroom, to escape the strangling coldness creeping from every corner of the mansion.

"By the way, arigatou, Rinshun!" He called out over his shoulder as he bounded up the stairs, grateful for his servant's subtle display of care and concern.

Once in his room, Eriol dropped his bag and moved towards his bed, letting his body fall backwards in carefree abundance. He then stared up at his ceiling with his hands tucked under his head.

Black. It was painted black, just like his four walls. And with the curtains drawn, it gave his room an eerie, gloomy atmosphere. Despite that, the room didn't exude coldness and emptiness, like the rest of the manor.

In fact, was the only place that felt like home to him.

He laid there for the next few minutes, unmoving, unthinking. Numbness and fatigue from the past few years was finally taking its toll on him, settling in his bones and mind, and bleeding him dry. I'm going to die a lonely, unhappy man, just like my father will.

Then, something gleamed at the corner of his sight, catching his immediate attention. His view dropped towards his desk, and landed on a small trinket that oddly stood out amidst the dimness of the room. A tiny, sentimental ornament that was missing its mate; One half of a pair of earrings, in fact.

And it had belonged to a doleful stranger. A nameless, doleful stranger. Eriol chuckled. How Cinderella-like...

He walked over to his desk to pick up that delicate stuff which no one in the world would ever guess he would possess. And he scrutinised the earring again, just as intently as he had done so hundreds of times before.

It was such a light and dainty little thing, made of white gold and three small amethyst teardrops - two tiny ones with a slightly bigger one in the centre. The brilliant-cut gems were blessed with a deep rich purple that glittered to a lighter hue when exposed to light.

Despite his lack of knowledge in the jewellery department, he could tell that it was of a Grade 10, genuine and definitely expensive. He juggled it carefully in his right hand, watching the teardrops sparkle and fade as light bounced off their facets.

His thoughts slowly drifted to the back of his mind, where he hid that odd memory spawned four months ago. And with his eyes still transfixed on the amethyst earring, Eriol reminisced with a pensive smile on his face…

-

----------------- Flashback ----------------

-

It was late; just a little after midnight. The full moon was shining brightly and the night breeze was gentle, yet cold.

He had decided to take a midnight drive along the streets of Tomoeda, speeding along any roads randomly just to blow off some steam, and finally ending up somewhere in Central Park. And since it had seemed like a good time to take a midnight stroll, he parked his car and walked along the long paths that meandered within the big park.

He had only walked for several minutes, basking in the silence and tranquillity, when he stumbled upon a figure huddled up underneath a blossom tree, just across the field to his right. Only the concrete path was illuminated with small lamps whereas the rest of the park was dimly lit by the glow of the moon.

He squinted his eyes to confirm his suspicions. Judging from the small size and the faint, muffled sobs, it was obviously a girl.

She kept her head down, her long dark hair shielding most of her body like a curtain. Her knees were drawn up and she was hugging them tightly to her body. She was sobbing to herself, so involved in her misery and oblivious to the stranger watching her from a distance.

It was truly a pitiful sight. And it tugged at his heart, for the life of him he didn't know why. Still rooted in his spot, Eriol wondered if he should leave the mourning stranger to herself. He sure as hell would like to be left alone if he were in her position. And it was obvious she did not wish to be disturbed. So, mind your own damn business, Hiiragizawa.

He could walk away. He should walk away. And he wanted to walk away. But for reasons unknown, he did not. No, you do know why. What he had heard was not cries of anger or frustration, not tears of a broken-hearted, but something else. The girl was showing signs that he recognised all too well, for he was no stranger to them. The signs of loneliness.

Without much thought - and before he even realised it - he had moved across the field and stopped a mere few feet away from her. He stood there for several seconds, waiting for her to acknowledge his presence.

It took her quite a while to register the fact that she wasn't alone, and when she did realise, she gasped out in horror, startled at the pair of feet in front of her. She started to scramble up from her sitting position.

He took a step back. "Sumimasen, I did not mean to frighten you. I won't hurt you…" he trailed off, only to realise the reversed effect of the last sentence on her. She gasped even louder and backed up into the tree, blending further into the darkness. Great, Hiiragizawa, try not to sound like some stalker, will you!

He quickly added in a softer, gentler voice he didn't know he could summon, "… Honto… I was just taking a walk and saw you crying, and I thought you might need someone to talk to… or something…"

"Just leave me alone." Came a soft reply. Her voice was strained and sad, but it sounded like music to his ears. A sad melody.

"Hai, I respect that. I'm so sorry to disturb you. Really… I just… I-I don't know what I was thinking… Gomen. Goodnight." He bowed politely to the dark figure and turned away, silently berating himself for intruding a private moment. Well, there, Hiiragizawa. I hope that satisfied your male ego. A white knight, indeed!

He started to make his way back to the concrete path when he felt her touch his elbow gently from behind. "Matte..." Came that soft voice again.

He whirled around to face the sad stranger who had finally decided to step out of the shadows.

Then sapphire met amethyst.

For a short moment, it seemed like the whole world was just a blurry figure, and time had ceased to be. And all he could see was her face, mere inches away from his. His heart caught in his throat and his mouth felt dry.

Her face was finely shaped and bore a demure, innocent look. The pale, flawless complexion, a cute, straight nose and tempting pink lips were alluring. And her eyes… They were of mixed shades of purple, intense and shiny, looking at him with a flicker of gratitude.

And for the first time in his life, Eriol Hiiragizawa was struck dumb by a beautiful face.

He wasn't sure of the passing seconds, but he was fully aware that she was silently scrutinising him back. No, it was way beyond that. There was something deep in those amethyst orbs that was staring straight into his naked soul. Not probing, not intruding, but just looking. Really seeing him. Understanding. As if to say, 'I can see right through - to you. I know you.'

He gulped hard, fighting the rising uneasiness in his chest. Since he wasn't wearing his shades - which would be pointless, given the present hour - he could either try to intimidate her, or look away, which would only admit his uneasiness.

But he did not want to look further into her eyes. And neither was he one to admit defeat. So he raised his inner walls higher and broke the moment with a convincing cough.

"Gomen. I didn't mean to be rude." She blushed and gave a small smile, a glint of amusement present in her eyes for a scant second. Clever, clever girl.

With the awkward trance-like moment finally over, he'd thought to say something lest the unpredictable, beautiful creature decided to walk away. "It's no problem… Would you like to borrow my handkerchief to wipe your face? It's very clean. I've not used it." He instantly fished out a dark blue hanky and handed it to her before she could protest.

Surprisingly, she accepted it without hesitation and immediately wiped her tear-streaked cheeks. "Arigatou."

He suspected she kept her gaze downward to prevent eye contact, rather than in shame. So, he glanced at the rest of her instead. She was slender and petite, her head only reaching his nose. She was wearing a fluffy, violet angora sweater, and tight black jeans and white sneakers. A pair of sparkling amethyst earrings dangled from her earlobes when she tried to rearrange her unbound hair. It was wavy and as black as ebony, in contrast to her pale skin. It reached up to the middle of her upper arms, where it curled inwards. Eriol strongly resisted the urge to touch a loose tendril.

He then frowned a little, mentally slapping himself. Stop it, Hiiragizawa! What the hell's wrong with you?

He cleared his throat, slipping on a passive facial expression. "Do you have a transport home? It isn't safe for a girl to be out by herself at this time and place."

"Don't worry. I can take care of myself."

He raised his brows at her roundabout answer, not missing the protective tone in it. Was she hinting at him not to offer a ride home or was she just plain insulted by his sort-of chivalrous remark? He couldn't tell. In his humble opinion, girls usually liked to say something vague and expected guys to interpret accordingly.

So, he simply kept quiet and waited for her to finish making herself a little more presentable, although he didn't think a little mess would made her any less alluring.

Once she was done, she looked up with an expression of uncertainty. "Umm… I guess I better get going." She nervously glanced at his wet handkerchief in her hands and back at him, hesitating to return his goods in a damaged state.

He took pity in her propriety, "Nevermind. You may keep it." He'd rather suggest that they meet up again so that she could return it to him cleaned, but feared his intention would be transparent to her. Therefore, he could only hope for her to suggest it.

"Arigatou." She gave him a smile that almost took his breath away and slowly backed away, nodding her head politely once again. "Arigatou. It was nice meeting you."

A sudden wave of desperation ran through him. He'd hoped to talk to her a while longer, or at the very least, keep each other company for a short moment, if only to ease their loneliness.

And apparently she had probably been too nervous to think about returning his hanky some other time, too.

"Matte," he whispered, but in vain. She had since broken into a run, down another path and out of the park. Away from him and his bleak existence. Damnation.

The urge to pursue her was great, but the last thing he needed was for her to think him a deviant or worse still, scream "Rape! Molest! Murder!" in fright. So, he did nothing but stand there dumbly, watching her retreating figure until it diminished into a tiny dot.

Sigh. So long, stranger…

It took him about ten minutes to finally shake out of his stupor, and when he did, something glittering under the path lights caught his eye. He went to pick it up, and recognised the earring almost instantly. Under further inspection, it was a beautiful piece with amethyst stones that reminded him of her eyes…

Eriol straightened and peered into the direction where she took off one last time. It would be fruitless to find her; she would've been far away then. Too far for him to catch up. And if she had a vehicle nearby, the chances of getting to her were none.

He lingered for several more hours, hoping she'd realise her missing jewellery and rush back to retrieve it. But lady luck had indeed fled, and the hour had grown so late. Running his hand across his short hair, he heaved another tired sigh. What a weird night…

He slowly walked towards his car, but not before looking back one last time. And when he reached his car, it struck him that he didn't even get to know her name.

-

END OF FLASHBACK

-

He had revisited the park the next night and many following nights as well, wandering endlessly, and hoping to return the earring. There were even some days when he came directly after school, wishing that they would bump into each other. However, there weren't any signs of her. After three long weeks of sleepless nights and restlessness, he finally gave up.

Sighing loudly, Eriol placed the earrings back onto his desk and dismissed the thoughts of her. She did intrigue him, but there was nothing more to it than curiosity; that's all. There's no place in his life for romance and love. Of course, Hiiragizawa. Do you want to find love only to lose it later? Your grandparents had certainly thought it was worth the pain. So had their forefathers. Would you want to try the same fate? Or take up your father's advice?

Eriol's thoughts drifted towards his father. Andy Hiiragizawa was an intelligent and practical man, definitely bred to do business. He had married only for the sake of continuing the family name, treated his wife and heir with decent courtesy and manners, and offered them wealth and freedom, but never his heart. To many, it would seem that he was a stonewall, incapable of loving, however Eriol knew better.

Seven years ago, on the very day they watched his mother being buried, Andy had explained to his son their family history, and his selfish reasons for shielding himself from any emotional ties. Being his father's sensible son, and having experienced the pain from the loss of his mother, Eriol had finally understood his father's intentions. And from that moment on, his life had completely changed.

His life really sucked sometimes. Stuck in a remote, gigantic manor, with three servants and an absent father. There were times he wished he were living with his relatives. Syaoran, Meilin and Yamazaki lived together in a posh apartment near school. Sure, things could get a little crazy and noisy living with three people of different personalities, but it was definitely better than being alone at home.

He rubbed his forehead to ease his mind. Stop moping around, Hiiragizawa. You can't change your cursed life, he chided himself for the hundredth time in his life. Some things can't be helped and the only way to survive is to move on forward.

He grabbed his towel and headed to the bathroom. A cold shower would be nice. It would wake him up real good.

-

-

The silence, though highly expected, was almost intolerable. And tension was slowly mounting.

For the first time in his life, Touya discovered that one decorum of family dining had finally come in handy; the heads of the family were required to sit at the opposite ends of the table, and that meant having his father and grandfather sitting on opposite ends. Never mind the fact that they were both too eager to be positioned as far away from each other as possible, anyway.

Dinner had started as a pretty formal affair, with the usual curt - and superficial - pleasantries exchanged between the two grown men. It had then elapsed into nothing but silence, dreadful enough to make one self-conscious of one's eating habits in front of one's own family.

The only consolation for him was that they both were smart enough not to argue today. He suspected that they were finally too tired - and emotionally exhausted - to bother exchanging insults anymore. It was one hell of a long family controversy.

Touya darted his eyes left and right again before looking down at his food. It was becoming a routine for the past twenty minutes, and he was going to have a splitting headache. Nakuru, Yukito and him had tried to engage a light conversation by politely enquiring after their day, and asking for their opinions on the food served. But both men, equally capable in socialising as their careers entailed, had simply smiled and gave brief praises in return. Then another stretch of silence began.

And it was beginning to drive him nuts.

He frowned at Nakuru, who was facing him. She was deliberately avoiding his gaze, looking anywhere but his direction. He glanced to his right to confirm his other suspicion. Yukito was happily occupied with his meal, oblivious to anyone else. Sigh. Time to handle this myself.

He kicked Nakuru's legs under the table. Hard.

Unfortunately, she was about to take a sip from her glass. "Hmmmmrrpphh!" Startled, she choked on her drink, and coughed out loud.

"Nakuru! Daijoubu ka?" Masaki Amamiya, president of Amamiya Corp. and head of the Amamiya Triad, reached out his left hand and patted her back furiously, wearing a concerned expression on his face. "Take it easy…"

"Nakuru, daijoubu?" asked Fujitaka Kinomoto from the other end of the table, his brows also wrinkled with worry.

She gasped for more oxygen. "Hai, hai. Daijoubu. It went down the wrong pipe, that's all." She nodded enthusiastically and thumped her chest several times. At the rate things were going, maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to choke and end up in hospital. It could be the perfect escape… She smiled reassuringly at everyone, but revealed a glint of malice in her eyes when Touya came into direct view.

Touya smiled at her apologetically, though he didn't look like he was sorry at all. Then, his mirth was quickly replaced with a heavy frown, silently commanding her to handle the awkward situation. He gritted his teeth. It was her idea to invite both of them for dinner!

He frowned at her even harder when she started to look away, dismissing his order. In a last desperate attempt to get her co-operation, he began kicking her leg again, not giving up until she gave him her attention.

Finally cracking under pressure - and under Touya's murderous glare - Nakuru sighed and nodded her head subtly. She wrecked her brains for some sort of damage control measures. She needed something to enlighten the atmosphere. Something that wouldn't upset any of them. Something that both stubborn, old men agree on... Aha!

"I called Sakura-chan up the other day. Talked to her for a short while…" She glanced around to gauge their reactions. True enough, both men snapped to attention at the mention of their youngest family member. She inwardly cheered. "Sakura-chan is fine. She said life is as normal and she's looking forward to spending her weekend with everyone. She also sends her love to all of you…"

Fujitaka beamed. "Hai. That's good. I'm planning to call her tomorrow, anyway. She seems pretty busy lately, what with the cheerleading practices and tests."

"The senior girls hockey season is about to start in two months' time and she told me that they have to cheer at every game," Masaki added, not wanting to be missed out, and proudly showing his faithfulness to his granddaughter with his updated knowledge of her life.

Touya smiled approvingly as Yukito and Nakuru joined in the conversation, offering their two cents worth on hockey and cheerleading. Unfortunately, they both had different views on the merits of hockey on foot, and hockey on skates, starting a small debate among the five of them. He had sided with Yukito, his father had sided with Nakuru, and surprisingly, his grandfather had decided to be the most diplomatic and agreed with both sides.

Feeling a little more at ease, the two men then asked about their university activities, triggering a hyper Nakuru who was too eager to relate to them about the upcoming school play she was directing, and the conversation soon snowballed into something warmer and pleasant.

Nakuru, after having deliberately offered conflicting views on hockey just for the sake of communication, could see that everyone was slowly warming up to the topic of academics. Maybe it wouldn't be that bad, after all. The rest of the dinner wouldn't turn into a fiasco only if they refrained from talking about the Amamiya Triad business, and the late Nadeshiko-san. And she would make sure they talk about anything but that!

She caught Touya's eye and smiled smugly. It was a small step, but a progress all the same.

Touya gave a curt nod in return, his eyes showing a flicker of appreciation and satisfaction. Once again, his girlfriend had amazed him with her ability to handle small inconveniences that she herself had caused.

It was a pity that she still couldn't see the obvious after knowing Amamiya-Kinomoto clan for two years. He understood her intentions to bring his family closer, but the damage had been done a long time ago. And some things were just not fixable.

He knew he ought to be mad at her for meddling, but she was an orphan who had always longed for a happy family. And for that alone, he'd forgive her for anything.

-

-

It was past midnight and Club 13 was at its fullest, blasting with the tripping electronic music of Orbital. The atmosphere was loud, hip and colourful, as befitting the funky clubbers.

He leaned against a dark corner of the bar, with one foot tapping to the fast beat and watched the milieu intently from afar. It wasn't as packed as the weekend throng, but fairly tolerable. And since it was 'Ladies' Night', the dance crowd was a definite pleaser. The majority of them were females in skimpy outfits shaking their booties to the rhythm of the night.

He smiled to himself. It had been a great night, and he had already made several good deals. Maybe he would take on one last customer before hitting home. Selling too much to too many people in one night would defeat the purpose of being secretive; he would be found out that way. Besides, it was a long ride home and he hated hanging around this area of Tomoeda.

Scanning around the club for a potential client, he made eye contact with a pretty girl, who looked to be about nineteen years of age. She had jet-black hair, green eyes and lots of body piercing. He could even see the outlines of a nipple ring through her paper-thin blue shirt.

He grinned. Perfect. It wasn't her rocker outfit, but her loud, carefree attitude that had attracted him. She had the bearings of a possible junkie; the way she tried to happily drown herself in alcohol and lose her body to the loud music. And he hoped he was damn right.

He flicked the joint butt onto the floor, and stubbed it with his heel. Time to make good business. He patted his pockets to ensure that his goods were still present and happily made his way towards her, unaware of a pair of eyes watching him keenly from above.

-

-

A young man leaned against the tinted window of the office that overlooked the entire club floor, holding a pair of binoculars in front of him. He had long stayed away from the close-up of various sexy female dancers - specifically, their assets - and focused on his prey.

Hori Jyuken cussed under his breath and he paused for a moment to take a swig from his beer bottle. He hated spying since it required too much concentration and his eyes were already feeling sore from all the squinting and straining. However, a job was a job and he was nothing but responsible.

Besides, he had to report to his so-called boss, a pretty shrew, five years his junior.

The object of his espionage was currently busy engaging in a flirty conversation with a dark haired rocker girl. They chatted for at least twenty minutes before he saw them passing something under the table. It was so fast and discrete that no one around them noticed it. But he did. And he knew what that small package and money exchange meant.

He continued watching the pair converse as if nothing had else had transpired between them. Hori smiled bitterly, despite himself. The bastard's a pro… Hmm. But not for long.

Hori committed the dealer's appearance to memory. The dark haired man had a baseball cap on, and was dressed casually in T-shirt and jeans. Given his ordinary looks, it was difficult to recognise or remember him. Hence, the reason why some of Hori's boys couldn't give him a good description of the clandestine interloper.

After about another ten frustrating minutes, the dealer soon left the urban-rocker chick and melted easily into the crowds. Far too easily, in fact. He was good at blending into the woodwork. And that would make catching him even more difficult.

Hori narrowed his eyes. Years of serving the Amamiya family had taught him good use of his instincts and he knew the bird was about to flee the nest. "Sneaky bastard…" He muttered under his breath and took another swig from the bottle. "I'll bust you the next time."

He picked up his phone and pressed an auto-dial button. "Ken, the bastard's leaving. Blue baseball cap, black shirt and jeans. Take a good look at his face when he exits," he ordered the club bouncer.

"Hai," replied the man compliantly before he hung up.

Moments later, there came a knock on the door. "Hori! It's us - Ken and Jun."

He opened it and let his most trusted errand boys in.

"Hori," the taller youth, Ken, grinned. "I managed to speak to some of his clients."

"And?"

"He sold them some amphetamine, heroin, coke and LSD."

"So, it's true then. He's been selling hardcore drugs in our club." The other youth added.

"Fucking hell. And to think that I just found out about it last week! How the hell did this happen?" Hori sat in his chair and rubbed his face. It had been eating him ever since he found out about it. And it had also enraged him that something had slipped under his sharp nose.

"We were either too careless or ignorant. Not to mention that those he selected were not really our regulars," Jun offered. "Well, at least we do know about it now."

"Smart bastard. Now that I've finally seen his face, I'll be sure to break it when I see him in here again."

"You do that, man. I'll be happy to assist. And I predict it'll happen sometime next week." Ken smiled gleefully. "We can take turns in bashing his head and then steal his money! He'd really deserve that. The perfect punishment."

Hori rolled his eyes and muttered something about bloody drug dealers, beer bottles and death. What a nuisance. Hell, he'd probably also steal the bugger's stash and flush them down the toilet out of spite!

Ken and Jun chuckled at their boss' exasperation. They were too comfortable around him that they needn't take offence at his brutish behaviour. Truthfully, they revelled in annoying him to death at times.

Jun then sobered up and folded his arms across his chest. "You know, we should have busted him when we had the chance just now."

Hori shook his head. "Perhaps... But I want to be damn sure before we do anything. Don't worry, we'll get him when he strikes again. That's a promise. Now, if you'd excuse me, there's something else to be done…"

Ken raised an eyebrow. "Gonna report to her? At this hour?"

"Obviously. She's the overall in-charge here, remember? And she insisted on getting the updates, regardless of time and place."

"Good luck." Jun grinned and moved to the glass window, pretending to watch the dance floor with much enthusiasm.

"Oh, you're just dying to hear this conversation, aren't you?" Hori threw them a mock glare as he picked up the phone and dialled a familiar number. Since it was almost one in the morning, disturbing his overseer with bad news was not a good thing.

Indeed, Mihara Chiharu would be damn pissed.

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Next chapter...

He snatched the offensive tool away from her before she could do any damage. "The last time you helped me with my engines, it ended up disastrous! The biker almost had his head run over by a truck when he skidded along the road!"

"It wasn't me! Sakura meddled with it after I fixed it!" She huffed out, glaring at Sakura for ruining her chances of working freelance with BT Automobile Services.

"I did not!"

"Don't deny it, Sakura… And thanks a lot. Now, I can't even enjoy giving his engines greasy lube-jobs!"

Benji rolled his eyes in exasperation. Leave it to Chiharu to make automobile services sound like something else… "It doesn't matter who did it. None of you are touching anything. I don't want your uniforms to get dirty, anyway."

Tomoyo raised a delicately shaped eyebrow in question. "And why is that so?"

He cleared his throat and assumed an innocent look. "You jolly well know it's impossible to get the grease stains out. Your uniforms are rather expensive, right?"

"And?"

He could feel his neck and face warming up under her intent gaze… One could never escape the Daidouji lie detector.

Oh well, maybe they won't deny his small request. And after all that he's done for them… What's a tiny favour between friends, right?