Ties that Bind:

Chapter Three:

One week later:

"Yuki, I'm leaving for work now!" Shuuichi called from the front door and waited a few seconds for a reply before sighing. 'I guess he's done being nice…' The pink-haired singer thought of how for the past week the writer hadn't let him out of his sight unless he was with K or Hiro—he knew Yuki wouldn't admit it, but the novelist was scared something else might happen to him.

But it seemed the novelist was over that fear now, after a week of nothing else happening to Shuuichi.

"Bye!" Shuuichi called out again, this time opening the door without waiting for a response.

"…isn't your manager supposed to pick you up today?" Yuki's sudden voice startled him, and Shuuichi glanced back to see the novelist standing against the wall by the door that led into the hallway they were both standing in.

"I'm walking today…nothing else has happened since the break-in so K doesn't think it was anything more than that now…."

"…."

"Are you worried about me, Yuki?"

"In your dreams, brat. Now go or you'll be late."

Shuuichi sighed as the novelist turned away, and then he left through the door, walking down the driveway and toward the bus stop—he said he'd walk, but he didn't feel like walking, plus he'd be late if he walked.

"Yuki…." He closed his eyes a bit as he turned the corner toward where the bus stop was, out of the view of the novelist's house.

"Shindou-san."

"What? Who?" Shuuichi jumped at the sound of his name, praying that it wasn't some crazed fangirl. That's when he saw someone wearing a baseball cap and a white baggy shirt standing behind him, leaning against a fence.

"C'mon, I know it's been three weeks, but you do remember me, don't you?" The person in the baseball cap smirked. "You're using my lyrics as your own, remember?"

"Sa…Saya?" Shuuichi calmed down hearing that and finally saw the familiar eyes when the girl looked directly at him. "I wasn't expecting you…."

The girl smirked again, and stepped up to the singer, placing her hand on his cheek; A gesture that made Shuuichi cringe uncomfortably.

"I'm…not…."

"Oh, I know all about your lover, I just wanted to make sure those thugs didn't hurt you too badly." Saya purred, stroking Shuuichi's cheek as she spoke. "During the break-in."

"No, they didn't….hey…." Shuuichi glared at her suspiciously. "Seguchi made sure the media didn't review anything about that…how the hell do you—"

Suddenly Saya grabbed him around the neck and pulled a switchblade to his throat, and dragged him more into the shade, away from any onlookers.

"How do you think, hm?" Saya purred and then narrowed her eyes. "'Make a commotion and you're dead.' Does that ring any bells?"

"GOD! YOU! But…I don't…." Shuuichi fought against her until she pressed the blade closer to his throat; He trembled feeling the cold metal so dangerously against his skin. "What do you want?"

"We're gonna talk, you owe me for that song lyric you used. Remember?"

"Yes…but you don't have to do this…I would've paid you if you just asked…."

"Not as much as I want, you wouldn't."

"Yes, I would, anything, I…."

"A hundred million yen."

"WHAT! Saya, that's—" Shuuichi fell silent when the girl scratched him with the switchblade.

"You'll pay me that much, and anything else I want or I'll tell the media about you using copyrighted material for your latest song."

"Copyrighted…but you said…it was your original….you wrote it there…." Shuuichi felt his heart pound faster as he gulped—'Those lyrics were copyrighted? Oh shit….'

"They under my name….and I say you don't have permission to use them." She took out a MD single with the song on it and a date many years earlier, showing it to Shuuichi who blanched.

"What? You said I did…I had your permission to…."

"Do you have proof of that? Where's the written proof of that, hm? Besides, you announced it was your own work—even with having permission to use it, that's illegal…and I do believe the boss of your label doesn't care for plagiarists."

"God, Saya, you wouldn't tell…."

"Not if you pay me. You have a week to get me the money; otherwise I'm going to your label boss and then the media." Here she let him go and smiled innocently. "Your bus is coming, have a good day at work. See ya!"

With that she snuck back into the shadows, away from Shuuichi's sight.

'Oh, god, what am I going to do?' Shuuichi trembled as he barely noticed the bus stopping and then leaving without him. 'She…oh, god….'

A/N: End chapter, please review (I'm trying to update as much as possible).