Nowaki laughed as he, Emiko, and the two men who had performed the autopsy clinked their champagne glasses together. He flopped down onto the couch, tipping his head back against the back of it. Emiko plopped down beside him, sipping her drink.

"You are one lucky son-of-a-bitch, Kusama. Dodged HIV, and now you've been proven innocent. A certain someone up in the sky must be watchin' you," Emiko said cheerfully, patting Nowaki's back with her free hand.

"What did he die of, anyway?" Nowaki asked, lifting his head. One of the men, Jun, spoke up.

"SCA- Sudden Cardiac Arrest. He had coronary heart disease as well as AIDS," Jun said.

"That guy was dying long before you touched him, Kusama," the second man, Toshiyuki, said as he grinned. Nowaki nodded, then frowned down at his champagne.

"What's wrong, Kusama?" Emiko asked. Nowaki shrugged.

"Dunno. I just feel a little… just a little!... bad. He told me that it was my fault that he was the way he was," Nowaki said, pursing his lips. Emiko was silent.

"That's the mentality Nagasaki tried'ta use against'ya. Don't forget that he's killed hundreds o' people. That fuck didn't deserve life. I say, if someone's gonna take an innocent person's life on purpose, then that person don't deserve'ta live."

Nowaki glanced up at Emiko, then sighed.

"You're right. Sorry."

"Don't apologize, Kusama. Feelin' sorry for what happened means yo' a normal person. Yo' family should be proud to have ya'. Ya'll have my blessings," Emiko said, smiling.

"Thanks, Hiroshi-san."

They continued their little celebration long into the night.

When it was finished, Nowaki was left alone in the room, one hand in his pocket as he held his drink with the other and stared out a nearby window. The lights were dim, and as he thought, Nowaki didn't hear the sound of a door quietly opening and closing.

"Kusama?"

Nowaki looked over his shoulder at Emiko, who brushed a lock of ebony hair behind her ear as she approached.

"Hey," Nowaki said, setting his drink down on a nearby table and turning to face Emiko.

"What are ya' doin' up still?" Emiko asked. Nowaki shrugged.

"Thinking, I guess."

"About what?"

Nowaki thought for a moment and put his other hand in his free pocket.

"I guess I'm just a little troubled. I thought I'd be upset about seeing Hiro-san in person and not being able to talk to him face to face, but for some reason, I'm… content, I guess. I mean, of course I still feel a bit of loneliness from separation, but it's not painful anymore," Nowaki said. He looked towards the window again, his eyelids lowering. "I think all of the anxiety I was feeling was because I didn't know who was terrorizing us. I was terrified. I mean, what if the culprit had been Miyagi, Shinobu, Akihiko, or Misaki?"

"A subconscious fear," Emiko added. Nowaki nodded.

"Exactly. So now that Nagasaki is gone… I know my family is safe. Without Nagasaki's mind games, hopefully JOAA will kind of fade away on its own."

"It will. JOAA was like a beehive. Without the queen, it will die," Emiko said. "Yo' family ain't gonna face no trouble from them ever again."

"I'm happy," Nowaki said. He shut his eyes briefly. "I really am."

There was a short period of silence.

"Today, you showed us a remar-kee-ble amount of bravery. If you'd like, I can recommend ya' to the Japanese CIA. I know you ain't much into fightin', but perhaps you'd be interested in becoming a medic for us at our Swedish headquarters? We can offer'ya yo' degree right now, and we can send'ya to yo' fiancé, too."

Nowaki turned back to Emiko, blinking.

"As in, if I accept, I'll-"

"We'll turn this jet around and send'ya home."

Nowaki stared at Emiko for a few moments before a slow smile spread on his face.

"I'm sorry, Hiroshi-san, but it's my dream to provide emergency medical care to children. As I've said to Hiro-san before, if I accept this, it'd be the case of the tail wagging the dog."

A few hours later, the jet landed in Japan, where the sun was just beginning to set. Nowaki was so exhausted, though, that he nearly fell out of the plane. He was assisted by his new friends, who helped him down the stairs. Nowaki was half-carried, half-led to a car that awaited them. He was driven back to Akihiko's apartment, where he was greeted with frantic voices asking him where the hell he had been. After explanations, Akihiko and Misaki agreed to keep quiet about the whole ordeal. Goodbyes were shared between Nowaki and Emiko, Jun, and Toshiyuki. They left, and Nowaki had a chance to heave a sigh of relief.

…Until his phone rang.

Nowaki picked it up.

"Hello?"

His eyes widened.


The next day, before his scheduled video chat session with Nowaki, Hiroki hummed as he tidied his living room, adjusting the bandana holding his hair back every few minutes. Nearby, on the living room floor in nothing but a diaper, Fuyumi lied face-up on her baby gym. She suckled fervently on her pacifier as she bicycled her legs and stared with wide eyes at the hanging toys that floated above her.

"Ba!" she announced as she spit out her pacifier. "Ba, ba, ba!"

"Papa's busy, sweetheart," Hiroki replied. Fuyumi gurgled in protest. Hiroki smiled down at his daughter as he passed her with a laundry hamper in his hands. She jolted and smiled widely back at him, bringing up her hands to shyly touch her lips. Hiroki's knees nearly buckled with adoration towards his daughter, and he promptly put his hamper down.

"Aba, ba?" Fuyumi questioned, bicycling her legs even more as her papa sank to his knees in front of her.

"Hi," Hiroki said playfully. Fuyumi flapped her lips at him as he covered his face. He heard her start to pant, wondering where Papa went. Hiroki giggled quietly. "Where's Papa?"

Fuyumi squealed, and Hiroki sensed a laugh coming on.

"Where's Papa, Fuyumi?" he asked again in a sing-song voice. Fuyumi gurgle-squealed again, and she suddenly burst out into high-pitched baby giggles. Hiroki laughed with her and moved his hands away. "Here's Papa!"

Fuyumi writhed on the blanket of the baby gym, reaching out for Hiroki as he stooped over her. He took up one of her feet and gently nipped her big toe.

"Om, nom, nom, nom," Hiroki teased, pretending to munch on Fuyumi's foot. Fuyumi laughed hysterically, squeezing her eyes shut and flapping her arms. Hiroki blissfully continued to play with his baby, laughing at her every reaction. He tickled the sides of her bloated baby tummy with the tips of his index fingers, drawing more cackles.

"Ghhh!" Fuyumi gurgled. Hiroki looked up just in time to see Fuyumi spit up. Her smile faded as her face contorted slightly. She coughed and more spit-up followed the first wave.

"Oh! Let me get that, honey," Hiroki said. He reached to the side to grab a nearby spit-up towel. He gently held Fuyumi's head with one hand and wiped away her spit-up with the other. When she was clean, she cooed in content. Hiroki sighed and lied down on his side beside her, holding out his finger and allowing Fuyumi to grip it. Hiroki smiled tenderly and craned his neck to kiss Fuyumi's cheek. She turned towards him, her lips parted questioningly. Hiroki stuck his tongue out at her. "I love you, Fuyumi."

Fuyumi smiled at her papa's funny face, and released his finger to reach for his face. Hiroki affectionately brought Fuyumi closer to him and curled up around her. He kissed her forehead with the utmost love and adoration.

"I love you so much," Hiroki murmured. Fuyumi reached up to pat Hiroki's lips. Hiroki kissed her tiny, tiny palm. "Mmm…"

Their cuddling was interrupted as Hiroki's doorbell went off. Hiroki groaned irritably and sat up, looking towards the kitchen. He frowned down at Fuyumi, who held out her arms for her papa. Hiroki scooped her up into his arms and hauled himself to his feet. He walked down the entrance hall to the front door. He grabbed the handle and opened it.

He only caught a glimpse of the two figures that stood at his doorstep before a hand lashed out and struck him sharply across the face.

"What the fuck!" he cried out as he recovered, holding his cheek with one hand as he cradled Fuyumi protectively in the other. He whirled to face the figures again, unrestrained rage on his face. However, as he straightened, his eyes focused better on the figures, and his heart nearly stopped.

"Mom? Dad?"