Soujiro insisted on driving on the way back to Shigeru's retreat. Much to Tsukushi's horror, the boy drove much the way he lived his life. At a seemingly reckless pace, he careened around dangerous curves and raced at breakneck speed down narrow mountain roads. In reality, he was a very skilled driver; always in control, always calm, spinning the steering wheel with practiced ease. He never took any risks he couldn't handle.

Nevertheless, sandwiched in the backseat between Akira and Rui, Tsukushi felt her stomach flipping over with each hairpin turn they executed. Nervously, she gripped the seat, until her knuckles grew white with tension. She was convinced they all were about to die, at the hands of this road-rage-driven maniac. Rui and Akira, long since grown used to Soujiro's particular driving style, just grit their teeth and endured the nausea-inducing ride. Actually, Akira fell asleep—he was that tired still, from the past few days.

"It helps if you close your eyes." Rui leaned over Tsukushi and whispered in her ear, as he gently pried her clawed hands way from their death grip on the seat in front of her, and enfolded them in his own slender palms.

Obediently, Tsukushi squinched her eyes shut, and concentrated on not thinking about her imminent demise as pieces of flattened roadkill. Even now, when her emotions were all in upset because of him, Rui still had the power to calm her, and sooth her jangled nerves, as his cool hands embraced hers. Slowly, she relaxed, leaning into his shoulder, lulled by his gentle caresses and soft murmurs in her ear, into a sort of hypnotized daze.

Watching in the rear view mirror, Soujiro shook his head and gave a wry snort when he saw Tsukushi fall asleep on Rui's shoulder.

"How does she do that?" He directed his comment to Rui.

"Do what?"

"Go from miserable wreck to falling asleep like that."

Rui shrugged slightly, "Sleep is a better option than watching your driving."

"I'm a perfect driver," Soujiro replied, viciously slamming the car through another 170 degree turn, "You just don't appreciate my style."

"Nor you, mine." Rui replied, unperturbed.

"No. I don't." Soujiro knew just what Rui was referring to, "What were you thinking?"

"Does it matter?"

"Yes, of course it does. Why did you have to steal Tsukasa's girl?"

"I love her. He doesn't."

"Well, if he wasn't busy being all amnesiac, he'd disagree with that." Soujiro refused to be swayed, "Besides, what about her feelings?"

"It's my fault," Tsukushi murmured unexpectedly. She hadn't really been asleep after all, "Why are you so upset at Rui? . . I led him on. . . I just wanted to forget. . ." she sighed, "I just need more time. . ."

"You two are completely insane." Soujiro scowled, flinging the car into its final turn before Shigeru's estate. "Are you sure you're not bipolar, Makino? Anyway, we're here."

-----

Doumyouji woke once again to the dull throbbing in his side. This was definitely getting tedious. Flopping his head back down on his pillow, he tried, unsuccessfully, to re-immerse himself in the dream he'd been having just moments before. Someone was yelling at him, in a voice so elusively familiar that, at any moment, he expected to be struck by a bolt of recognition. Yet always, he was awoken too soon. And thus, this moment of comprehension, so familiarly elusive, slipped away again.

"Ugh." Unwillingly, Doumyouji opened his weary eyes, only to immediately squint them shut against the glare of the blinding sunlight that glared through his room. "Who the hell opened the blinds in here?"

"Time to wake up, sleepy head," Shigeru's relentlessly cheerful voice sounded at the doorway. "How are you feeling today?"

"Like shit." Doumyouji grunted irately.

"But it's such a beautiful day out! Look at that sunshine!" Shigeru chirped, "I'm going jogging. I'd invite you to join me, but the doctor says you can't. . .So I brought you breakfast instead! Now eat up, and I'll go send Akira and Soujiro into entertain you." She smiled sunnily, and bounded off. How could one not be simply filled with energy on a day such as today?

Doumyouji shook his head, and scowled at the tray she'd left him. She could at least have stayed to eat with him. It was very lonely being confined to bed like this. Everyone else was so busy doing their own thing, that no one really had time for him. He was abandoned by everyone. Almost forgotten at times, it seemed. The F4 should all be here with him, but Rui had vanished—no one would say where, and Soujiro and Akira seemed preoccupied with something. And what that was, they wouldn't tell him, either. Tsukasa felt completely left out of the group secret.

Morosely, he poked at his food. Well, at least Shigeru had thought to bring him something to eat. Though he would have rather stayed asleep instead. And speaking of which. . . She'd said that she'd send in Akira and Soujiro. Where were they? They were so damned slow sometimes. Hell, they'd probably forgotten him again as they immersed themselves in . . . whatever it was they were up to.

And where was Sakurako? Doumyouji could've almost sworn that girl was avoiding him. OK, so maybe he'd forced her to kiss him. So what? Soujiro had made it plain in a number of his jokes that she was no prude. And she hadn't really seemed to mind at the time—well, ok, except for that slap—but still. . the second kiss had been very enjoyable. Tsukasa smiled slightly at the memory. It had almost been worth it. So why was she avoiding him now? She seemed more the screaming type than the sulking one. And even the screaming had almost brought some memories bubbling to the surface. Perhaps if he could provoke her more—something would finally jog loose? At any rate, it was worth a shot, and in the worst case he'd get to spend time with the cute little girl. How could that be a bad thing?

Now, he just had get her in here.

-------

Sakurako was sitting in front of her mirror brushing out her hair, and admiring the way it shimmered in the warm morning sunlight, when Shigeru burst in.

"Hey, want to go jogging?" Shigeru fairly bounced with vitality, but Sakurako only shrugged languidly.

"And work up a sweat? I'd rather not."

"Oh come on! You can't ask for a more perfect day!"

"Then you'd better not waste it." Sakurako hinted sourly.

"Is it just me or is everyone in a bad mood today, except me?" Shigeru wondered, almost to herself. "Fine then, guess I'll go by myself. . . Hey have you seen the guys this morning? I can't find them, and I told Tsukasa I'd send them in to him. . ."

"Nope." Sakurako shook her head, "They couldn't have wandered off far, though. . . I'll go take a look around in a bit."

"Oh will you? Thanks a ton!" Shigeru smiled again, and took off, eager to be out in the fresh air.

Sakurako turned back to her mirror, and continued her brushing absentmindedly, as she went back to the disturbing thoughts that had awoken her from her beauty sleep in the first place.

She'd started thinking last night, wondering why it was that Doumyouji's newfound interest in her hadn't made her happy, and the conclusions she'd drawn were not at all what she'd expected.

There had been a time when she would have been elated by his kiss. And she would not have hesitated to take full advantage of the opportunity provided to seduce him, lure him to her, possess him the way she had always wanted to.

But not any longer.

At first, she had supposed that she might have been picking up weird attitudes from Tsukushi. Strange opinions on how you can and cannot interact with others. Prudishness, or shyness—call it what you will. Maybe she'd been unduly influenced by these virgins who thought it uncouth, or morally wrong, to sleep with one you didn't love… she could have possibly accepted that—except—she loved Tsukasa, didn't she?

That was when her suppositions really started to upset her. Even now, as she savagely yanked the comb through her shiny tresses, she could not come to terms with the truth that her mind had unearthed for her.

Sakurako remembered the Tsukasa she had first known. The passionate boy, who didn't hesitate to plunge into any battle—who wasn't afraid to take what he wanted, say what he meant. She'd fallen in love with that headstrong, impulsive, wild boy. And he'd grown up to be that same force of nature as an adult. A reckless creature who stormed through Eitoku like a hurricane – heedless of those he left wounded in his wake. She'd loved that untameably fierce beast, admired the simple fires that poured through his veins, the pain that made him so strong. She'd not been afraid of his words anymore, nor of his strength—they had called her, drawn her back to him, again and again, despite his blatant disregard for her feelings, or her love.

But he'd changed.

Tsukushi had mellowed him. No longer was he an elemental creature, boundless in strength and heedless of the needs of those around. No, he'd softened, learned to listen to others, began to stop and think before acting. Hell, he actually went out of his way to be kind to Tsukushi's friends. Sure, in some ways it was admirable, but it wasn't the same. He just wasn't the unstoppable force she'd idolized, worshipped, shaped her life around.

It was quite a disappointment.

Sakurako felt let down. Now Doumyouji seemed more like an average guy. A bit dense, a bit clueless at times, but basically a normal, if excessively rich, boy. She could find herself a dozen of those before lunch time Hell, she could seduce half that number by dinner. What was the point? No, she didn't want Tsukasa anymore. Not if he was like that. Tsukushi had ruined him.

Sakurako sighed, and set her brush aside. She wondered if she should seduce him anyway, just to say that she'd achieved that ancient goal of hers? Sure, on one level, she knew she shouldn't—even if Tsukushi didn't care anymore, (and even that was a dubious supposition), Shigeru was still in love with Doumyouji, and she was Sakurako's friend too. She'd probably be upset if Sakurako went after him, and might even decide that that action nullified their unspoken pact to leave him be for Tsukushi's sake. But on another level, it would certainly give her a measure of completion—and after all, he was the aggressor here—he wanted her!

She peered in her mirror. Damn it, all this worry was making her face sag. Hastily, Sakurako applied a few subtle hints of makeup. That was much better. Now, should she see to Doumyouji first, or go look for the guys instead?

-------

Doumyouji got tired of waiting for someone—anyone, to remember his existence. Grunting at the stiffness and ache in his side, he levered himself out of bed, and wandered the vacant-seeming house. He found no one but the servants, and tiring quickly, settled into a luxurious chair in front of the now-cold fireplace in the common room.

Sakurako found him here a few minutes later, as she reentered the house.

"Damn those idiots!" she cursed, in a most unladylike fashion, "Where the hell did they go?"

"What?" Doumyouji looked up curiously.

"Nishikado and Mimasaka!" Sakurako exploded, "I can't find them anywhere! And one of the cars is missing!"

"They left?"

"Well it would appear so. Bastards should have told us before they took off! And where the hell did they go anyway! They can't just leave like that!" Sakurako was truly pissed. She did not want to be left here with just Tsukasa and Shigeru for company. Things would get uncomfortable around here pretty damned fast in that scenario. Of that, she had no doubt.

"Now, now. You shouldn't speak so ill of us." A teasing voice spoke from the doorway, as Soujiro sauntered in.

"Especially when we've been up since six. . . ." Akira appeared, and posed in the door, leaning his elbow nonchalantly on Soujiro's shoulder.

". . . .Working so hard for the good of all mankind." Soujiro continued dramatically.

"Or at least, doing our bit for the mental heath of absent friends."

"Or not so absent any longer, as the case may be." Soujiro finished, and the two boys moved aside to let Rui enter, towing a reluctant Tsukushi behind him.

To be continued. . .