I own nothing, Monika does. please read the author's note at the end because I have a question for you guys.

Sayori's eyes opened to the view of an apartment. The room's appearance was right in the middle of dingy and fancy; simply put, an incredibly plain room. Brown walls with no fixtures complimented dark brown floors. A television silently played the news a few feet away. The couch Sayori was laying on was a simple black leather. It was all rather drab. However, Sayori was thankful to find that a familiar face was not too far away from her.

It was Akechi, the young man who had saved her life just a few hours prior. "Oh, you're awake. I was starting to get worried." Akechi said with a tender smile.

Sayori rose up with a yawn, confused. "Where are we?"

"We're at my apartment. Home sweet home, in Tokyo. That's why we got on the bus, remember?" Akechi continued to smile.

"Oh." Sayori looked disappointed in herself. "I'm sorry for asking such a silly question."

"Not a problem. You've had a bad day, to say the least. I don't expect you to have yourself in order just yet. Now, let's see what we can do about that bruise." The detective offered, gesturing towards the bathroom. Sayori nodded her head in agreement.

The disinfectant stung quite a bit. Sayori was uncomfortable during the whole procedure, shaking and recoiling in pain all the while.

"Hold still, please. I can't heal the wound with this twitching!" Dr. Akechi, MD was having a tough time trying to treat Sayori's rope burn, after fashioning together a makeshift doctor's office in his cramped bathroom.

"I'm sorry. I'm not used to things stinging like this."

"Oh, it's no trouble. I wanted to help you, remember? You don't need to feel sorry." Akechi kept on smiling. Sayori couldn't look him in the eyes. Why did she deserve to be helped by such a nice guy?

A few minutes passed, and Sayori's treatment was almost complete. "Well, that's that. Time for the bandage." Akechi procured a medical wrap from his kit and began to cover the disinfected wound. "So, Sayori, where're you from?"

Sayori felt a deep pain in her head as she searched for an answer. She couldn't remember where her home was. "I… I don't know. I'm pretty sure I'm from Japan, but…"

"Not a hint, hmm? Perhaps that's just the pain from the accident talking. I'm sure something will come to mind in the coming days." Akechi began to ponder as he worked.

Why am I still helping this girl? She doesn't know who she is, where she came from, or why she was on that bench. I have more important things to be doing. No matter. I can't exactly drop the case now. Hmm…

Well, she doesn't know where she comes from, and she's got quite the ambiguous face. Her name suggests some kind of Asian origin, but Sayori is a pretty rare name for a Japanese person. The pink hair must be dyed, no way in hell is that color natural. A shower should wash away any makeup and hair dye she has on. Maybe then I can try to pin down a race or a country of origin. It's all I have to work with, honestly…

This really isn't the kind of detective work I was expecting to be doing today.

Sayori felt much better with her wound covered up. Now she wouldn't have to worry about any wandering eyes on the street. "Thank you. I really appreciate all that you've done for me." Sayori let out her first true smile all day.

"Well, the day isn't over yet. I imagine that you're feeling quite tired. It's clear that you don't have anywhere to go, and you hardly know who you even are. I suggest that you spend the night here. You can get a shower, something to eat, and a bed," the detective offered kindly, knowing it sounded like he was advertising a bed and breakfast.

Sayori looked at him for a few moments, contemplated her options, then made her decision, with a small smile firmly in place. "That sounds like a great idea. I accept."

"Splendid! I'll order us something to eat. In the meantime, I recommend taking a shower. I think it'll be quite refreshing for you." Sayori nodded in agreement once again. Akechi gave her some of his clothes to borrow, grabbed his wallet and walked toward the apartment door.

"I'll be back in about twenty minutes! The TV's yours to watch if you want!" He closed the door and headed out into the Tokyo night, confident that he was one step closer to solving the mystery.

Akechi returned to the apartment, Big Bang Burger meals in hand. As he entered his home, he was shocked to find Sayori, fresh out of her shower, but still with perfectly pink hair. There wasn't a single sign of it being washed off.

"Oh, welcome back. That looks delicious," Sayori said with a clap of her hands, eagerness in her voice.

"Uh, yeah, i-it is. Big Bang Burger is great." Akechi could hardly get the sentences out through his shock. How the hell is her hair still pink!? Do they make hair dye that doesn't wash off now!?

"Ooh, I can't wait to try it!" Sayori squealed.

"I-it's nothing special, honestly. Just your typical fast food burgers, heh," Akechi tried to appear casual, despite his obvious confusion.

"You sound nervous. What's up?"

"Nothing, nothing. I just, uh, saw something weird on the way back home."

"Like what?"

"A, uh, a talking cat…?" Akechi attempted to cover his shock and immediately felt like face palming.

"A talking cat," Sayori said with a deadpan voice.

"Yeah, a guy dressed as a cat. He was jumping around on buildings and stuff."

"Really now?" Sayori gave Akechi the most sarcastic of smiles. It was clear she didn't believe a word he said.

"Yea- ugh. Okay, I'll be honest. Your hair freaked me out. You just took a shower and it's still pink," Akechi confessed sheepishly.

"It's always been like that."

"Well, it doesn't seem natural to me. I was expecting for it to turn out to be black or something."

"I'm sorry to disappoint, then,"Sayori seemed genuinely apologetic at that point. Akechi sighed, wondering if the girls apologies would be a regular thing.

"Please stop apologizing for every little thing. Are you always like this?"

"Yes…" Sayori looked away, suddenly hit with a wave of sadness.

"Oh, no. Sayori, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I just don't think you need to be so sorry all the time. You're not hurting me and you're not hurting anybody else. Why do you have to be sorry?"

Sayori looked back at him, truly perplexed. He's not mad at me? But I keep getting in his way!

"Listen, we've both had a long day, together. If we're gonna be roommates for a while, we need to figure out bed plans. I'll take the couch."

"Oh, I can sleep on the couch. I don't want to mess up your routine."

"No, I insist. It's a one person bed, and I'd much rather that you took it."

"But you've been so kind to me, it's only natural that you take the bed and be happier."

"I'd actually feel much happier if you took the bed. I want you to be comfortable."

Sayori could tell that this back-and-forth was getting both of them nowhere. She opted to count her blessings and take the bed. Despite their small squabble, both of them managed to sleep soundly that night.

I'm really proud of how this chapter turned out. Now for the question. In a few chapters, the rest of the main cast is going to start showing up. My partner and I have run into a dilemma. What should we call the protagonist? Ren or Akira? Because of this, we decided to let you guys decide. Leave your answer in the reviews because we like the ones we've gotten so far and would appreciate more. R&R and see ya next week