Yeah. I'm updating. Now, go. Read. Now.

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-beep-

'Hi Kuki. It's Rai. Listen, um… when's your shift gonna be over? There's this gig 'round town and I scored tickets and all, and… I was wonderin' if you'd like to go, you know, if you're not too busy. Well, I gotta practice with my band, so I like, gotta go. I'll pick you up at eight, alright? Bye.'

-beep-

'Good afternoon, Kuki Sanban. If you don't know yet, this is Artemis Fowl Jr. I called you to inquire if you would want to fill in the reservations I have for us at the Swan Lake Restaurant. I am quite disappointed that you couldn't answer me right now, but no matter. Make sure you look beautiful, as I am certain you will. The limousine will arrive at your residence at precisely 7:30 sharp. I shall see you then.'

-beep-

'Hey, Kooks. Stefan here. I've got tonight free, so I'm up for anything. I'll meet you at the lobby of Cleveland General. I'll get there at around 8, but I'll give you five minutes to fix yourself up and change out of that nurse uniform. Wear your cherry-honey lipstick. It's my favorite.'

22-year-old Kuki Sanban rolled her eyes at the aforementioned messages, nearly chucking her cell phone in the nearest trash receptacle in disgust after she heard her voice mail.

Really, it was partly embarrassing, and partly a turn-off how men would trip over themselves to go out with the nearest possible single women. She knew she should be over it by now, but it didn't help the uneasy feeling in her stomach whenever guys she'd only just met tried to hook up with her. Her co-workers told her to entertain at least a couple of the more decent ones that showed interest, but she always declined. She was never one for desperation, which was probably why her love life was dead as of the moment.

But there was another reason she was uncomfortable with shameless flirting and picking up random guys on the street. It made even her feel weird to think about it, but she just knew those guys weren't right for her. She just knew, even before that dream that had plagued her sleep, ever since she became an intern.

It was raining hard that cold September night, and only the flickering bulb lamppost was the primary source of light in the nearly-abandoned street. She was assigned the late shift that evening, giving her a problem of how to make it back to her apartment. There were few cabs around, and those that were present were hogged by burly men who shoved her out of the way after coming out of a pub.

She scoffed. Did anyone ever hear of the word 'gentleman?'

So now, the least she could do is to pull her wet moss-green coat to herself and hide the shivers that ran through her body, mud puddles splashing her boots as she walked the cracked cement streets.

She turned to take a shortcut through a dark alleyway, but halfway into it she realized her mistake and turned around to go back to the more lighted and safer area.

Before she could, however, a gloved hand clamped over her mouth, its owner pushing her back into the nearby wall, pinning her arms to her sides.

A tall man in a trench coat was all she could make out of the body that pressed into hers. She felt her purse being snatched from her as the man's mouth hovered above her ear.

"You shouldn't be out here this time of night, sweetie. Bad things happen to pretty ladies who disobey their curfews."

Her mind started to spin as fear got a hold of her. What was he going to do?

Her question was answered as she felt him push his groin into her thighs. He trembled in his arousal, and she started to squeal against the hand over her lips.

"No one can hear you, babe." He taunted, replacing his hand with his mouth over hers. She fought the rising nausea in her, even as his fingers found its way up inside her shirt.

'I'm going to die… violated,' was the thought that rang through her head, her tears mingling with the rain on her skin.

Before the would-be pervert could unclasp her bra, however, she saw another man out of the corner of her eye raise his foot and swiftly connected it to the head of her attacker.

The man fell on his back, looking confused, the dazed expression on his face turning to anger as a figure stood before him. Her savior, or another bad egg?

"Keep yar filthy hands off the lady, ya bastard," said a voice with a faint accent.

Kuki couldn't help but sigh in relief. A rescuer!

The man in the trench coat snarled at him.

"You're going to wish you hadn't done that!"

He threw himself, along with two clenched fisst, at the accented rescuer, who caught his fist in one hand and pressed a nerve in the back of his neck with the other. For the second time that night, he fell to the ground, unconscious, but not before a powerful blow connected with his shoulder.

Accented Rescuer picked up the discarded purse on the ground, took one of her hands, which was raised to her breasts as if to protect, and closed her fingers over the leather handle.

"Are ya alroight, miss?"

The voice was smooth, and the accent Australian. Definitely Australian.

"T-Thank you," she choked out, still in shock. She noticed his palm was cupped over the ball of his shoulder, where the assailant struck him.

"Are… are you alright? He seemed to have punched you pretty hard there," she said worriedly, laying a hand over his palm.

There was the faintest hints of a smile on his face as he took off his own coat and draped it over her shoulders.

"Come on, Ah'll walk ya home. What's yar street called?"

At first, she had been cagey of the question. But then, he seemed like a pretty nice guy, and besides, he did save her.

"7th Heaven. The complex."

She could have sworn she saw him smirk in the dim lighting of the alleyway.

As they walked in the rain, he wrapped an arm around her shoulder, and strangely, she felt at ease with it, though it clashed with her nature.

She kept quiet, staring blankly at the pavement, when a squeeze on her shoulder brought her back to her surroundings.

"Hm?"

"Ah… Ah meant we're here."

"Oh. Oh yes. You walked me home?"

She knew he was looking at her funny. "Yeah."

"Um… thank you."

"Yar welcome."

As she fumbled around her bag for her key and went to insert it in the lock, she turned to him again.

"Hey. I never did catch your name?"

The heavy rainfall had been reduced to a light shower, so she didn't know what caused the bright flash of lightning that streaked between them. All she knew was that it had come from his direction, and as he raised his face to the light, the illumination was so powerful that all she saw was a pair of brilliant jade eyes, eyes she was sure she had seen before, before everything went black.

As the thunder followed, she wasshaken awake and she sat up in her bed, panting, clutching at her sheets like a lifeline, shivering, alone, and haunted by the memory of the most dazzling green eyes she had ever seen

"Hey, Kuki, you okay?"

The voice of her friend and fellow intern, Janet, snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Oh. Yeah. Of course." She offered a half-hearted smile. Janet shook her head.

"Didn't you hear me awhile ago? You're needed at Emergency Room 4!"

"Oh! Sorry, sorry! Thanks, Jan!"

She began to rush to the nearest elevator, trying to balance her clipboard, her mobile, and a cup of coffee in her hands. Fortunately, she made it before the door closed. She was on Floor 3, while E.R. 4 was on the first, and she hoped she wasn't too late. Once the elevator made the 'ding' sound, she scurried out amidst the small crowd that pushed against her.

She dropped the phone in her pocket and set down the coffee and clipboard at the receptionist desk.

"Look after my stuff, won't you, Vicky?"

The receptionist smirked. "Sure. Now you better go before the boss screams her head off at you." The Head Surgeon was known as Julia Rialtos, and she wasn't known for her lenience; anyone who as much as displeased her was sent a pink slip. Kuki worked hard for her internship, and didn't want to go through the hazards of applying again.

When she reached the E.R., fortunately, Julia wasn't in a bad mood. She had just finished writing down something and enclosed in a folder. When she saw Kuki her face was stressed but relieved.

"Sanban! Good thing you're here. I just finished with this guy. He'll be alright now. I'm assigning you to be his nurse."

As Julia briefed her about the patient, Kuki sensed he was no ordinary E.R. call. Only about a few months older than her, it was his fourth time to be sent in in six months, and for the same cause: drug overdose. He claimed that it was an accident, and his doctor recommended the sleeping pills because of insomnia, but now, even the hospital staff, including Julia, was wary of his case. As Julia talked, Kuki thought she'd have a look at this mysterious guy already. He was on a gurney behind a green curtain, and it felt cold and slippery beneath her fingers as she tugged on it sideways.

What she saw lying on the bed was something, or someone, she didn't expect. She anticipated perhaps some bum-like kid from the streets. Instead, the patient looked pretty well-off, decent even. Shaggy dirty-blond hair that covered his eyes, tall and well-built, judging from the muscles on his bare chest and abdomen (she smacked herself mentally for thinking that), wearing denim pants and Converse sneakers.

"Wally?" She suddenly said aloud as she studied the face. Her hand slapped her mouth at what she had just uttered, and Julia's eyes widened.

"Hmm? I guess you can call him that. Wallabee…"

"Beatles."

She cocked her head. "Yes, his name's Wallabee Beatles. Have you ever tended to him before?"

Kuki appeared confused. The name had just struck her out of nowhere. "Um… no. I think." Actually, she was sure she'd never heard of this guy before, but if she told Julia, she might become suspicious. The Head Surgeon cleared her throat.

"Anyway, I'm trusting you with this, Sanban. Now, the least you can do is take him to Room 343, until he wakes up. Make sure to read his files thoroughly; something tells me he'll be here a while."

As Julia left, she placed the bulging folder on a side of the bed and positioned herself behind the bed, ready to push it outwards.

'Alright, Mr. Beatles,' she thought. 'Time to see where this takes us.'

-

Yeah, this chapter couldn't have been more vague. Well, it's all gonna clear up in the next chapter… maybe. If you want to find out, you better go

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