Yoko stretched in the tangled mess of the duvet, noticing that she was basically in a cocoon, but when she turned to mumble an apology to the person she slept with last night, she immediately noticed he wasn't there. "He did say he wasn't going to stay," she muttered as she swung her legs over the bed. "I wonder if he waited until I fell asleep." She quickly dismissed the thought because she didn't think Nishi was that considerate and thought he was probably just already awake. Yoko scrambled out of bed and tried not to think about what they did as she grabbed her robe to wrap around herself.

When Yoko left the bedroom, she found Nishi sitting on the couch, seemingly watching the news; he didn't say anything at first, only spared her a glance when she entered the kitchen to start making coffee, and she wondered if maybe he wanted to pretend their interactions the night before didn't happen. It made her feel grateful instead of annoyed, and then his eyes wandered to the coffee mug in her hand before looking at her. "Tired?" The small grin he gave her made it easy to realize what he was referring to, and she couldn't stop the blush forming on her face as she avoided his gaze and Yoko mumbled a retort about how it had 'been a while,' and she heard him chuckle quietly before sitting down beside him.

Nishi was quick to relay any information that might seem relevant from the news as if he was catching her up on the latest gossip; she didn't mind; it was nice to live with someone that would give her brain the kick start it needed since she was trying to pass college.

Nishi's eyebrow raised in amusement when two familiar-looking people appeared on the screen. "Oh look, it's the hippies, wanna make a bet as to how they first died?"

Yoko didn't remark about how morbid that was, but she found herself kind of wanting to play the guessing game anyway. "Overdosed, a hundred percent."

Nishi glanced at her with a grin. "Reason? Besides the obvious."

"Well, Gantz may erase some scar here and there, or in my case, my coil, and whatever wounds caused our death in the first place, but those two were high as fuck even when they got saved by Gantz. It was definitely an overdose."

Nishi actually huffed a laugh at her comment, which surprised her, and then replied, "Basing my theory off yours, I'd say they were most likely imagining things and just hallucinated to their death without even realizing; I mean, they applauded the fucking ball when it opened, you can't get more embarrassing than that."

Yoko giggled when she recalled the moment Nishi referred to, almost wishing they made it back just for entertainment.

- A man and a woman, both to be around twenty-five, have died. The cause of their death has been determined by the coroners. There was a severe LSD dosage in their system, which can cause dangerous hallucinations, and the two were likely not aware of their death, having wandered off a bridge, falling to their death, and drowned almost instantly. The bodies were found early this morning by a fisherman. –

Yoko's eyes widened slightly, and then she chuckled, "Wow, we were both right, we should solve crimes," she joked. Her mind started to wander when she thought about the words falling to their death, and her face contorted into a solemn expression; before she could stop herself, the words came out of her mouth, "Nishi, when you said you fell before, were you pushed?"

Nishi stiffened and then turned to look at her, not quite the furious expression she was expecting, but he was frowning and clearly not happy with her question. She wanted to explain the reason for it, wanted to say it was because she couldn't picture someone as smart as him merely, 'falling,' to tell him that a compliment was fully intended, but he stood up and said, "Don't ask me that again." He had his back to her, so she couldn't see his expression, not that he would let her see any openness anyway, but she didn't reply; she respected his answer. It was a delicate subject, so Yoko couldn't bring herself to pester him.

Nishi eventually turned to face her, his expression back to neutral. "I need your key, I need to go somewhere for a while, but I will be back before your college ends."

Yoko found his statement odd, having been against staying here for even one night, now it seemed he was particularly comfortable with their living arrangements to the point where he didn't bat an eye when asking for the key. Yoko smiled. He didn't even want to open the door when I first invited him here.

"Are you deaf?" Yoko blinked and realized she had yet to answer him, and he was now just looking at her with this irritated expression while holding his hand out.

Although she flinched under his gaze, hunching her shoulders, it wasn't out of fear but more from embarrassment. "No problem," she replied and quickly stood up to retrieve the key from the tiny bowl on the kitchen counter. She turned back and gave him a sheepish smile as she placed the key into his palm. "Here you go, I guess I should probably get one cut for you."

Nishi slipped the key into his black pants. "I wouldn't bother if you're planning on changing the locks."

Yoko wanted to slap herself for such an idiotic comment, but she shrugged and nodded in reply. Nishi rolled his eyes at her before making his way to the bathroom. "You're going to die if you space out like that in Gantz." He said it as a fact, and Yoko watched him disappear behind the door with a gaping look on her face.

Once the two were ready, they met by the door, and neither one of them comment on the fact they had their suits on underneath their clothes; actually, they barely spoke one word as they exit the apartment and Nishi locked the door behind them. The two descend the steps in complete silence, and now Yoko was second-guessing her happiness toward his acting like their sexual encounters didn't happen, which made her realize she didn't want it to be a one-time thing. Oh god, what am I thinking? She groaned quietly and said a short goodbye to the boy, to which he replied with a grunt, and she then got into her car. She didn't ask him where he was going today because she knew what his reply would be. He would tell her to fuck off and mind her own business.

Yoko at least tried to look like she was listening to the lecture her teacher was giving her, she had her pencil in her hand, mindlessly tapping it on her notebook every few seconds, looking straight ahead directly at the teacher, but her mind was on Nishi and what he might be doing because he wasn't attending school. "Damn," she mumbled. "Why does he have to be so closed off." Yoko sighed; if something of a relationship did end up forming between them, she would have to forget about the usual kind that everyone else hoped for, the romantic and openness type, the dating lovey-dovey stuff she used to want. Don't get her wrong, she wasn't the type of girl who gushed and thrived on those things, but she wouldn't reject them; it was just that with Nishi, she probably wouldn't have a chance to reject them or not. "It's not a big deal I guess, just look at how we ended up together in the first place, that was hardly normal."

Nishi's thumb hovered across the button of the GPS he had taken from Gantz inside the pocket of his hoodie; he disappeared when his feet touched the steps of his house and sidestepped to the window. He just wanted to see her to know that she was okay, he hadn't seen her since coming back from his first experience in Gantz, or more accurately, she hadn't seen him since the day of his jump. Nishi remembered that morning, her smiling face, telling him how proud she was of his school achievements because he would get into an excellent high school with his results. He also remembered thinking how it didn't matter since he made up his mind already – she really didn't know how much it hurt to keep trying to live in this world when there were so many conflicted feelings. Nishi didn't want to disappoint her, but his dad was a useless alcoholic asshole, and Nishi was afraid of becoming just like him one day. The fact that his mother could love both of them when his dad was a deadbeat, and Nishi tried hard every day to be someone who wasn't just another loser adding to the society he hated so much, it confused him because he didn't know where the line was between what's meant to be right and what's acceptable as if they're just all the same. Nishi didn't blame her; she was probably trying to protect him in her own way, from what exactly remained unknown. Nishi remembered thinking he was leaving her with a positive memory due to his results, but now, he just felt guilty. How could he leave someone who cared about him, understood him better than anyone without so much as a hint of disapproval? I didn't even tell her I loved her. In his rush to leave, because he didn't want to see her smile anymore, knowing what he would do when the school day ended, he didn't say a word to her and just left.

Looking at her now, the way she was just staring ahead with a heart-breaking expression, and tear stains on her cheeks, not knowing that he was even alive, Nishi's usually cold heart broke for her because he knew it was his fault. Nishi's fingers brush across the envelope in his other pocket; after his first mission, Nishi wrote a note encase he never made it back, but every time he thought they'd get a call from Gantz, Nishi always hesitated to leave it somewhere she would find it, because what if he did make it and she found his note, and he just showed up one night, unaware of the missing time and or even writing the note. Nishi wasn't entirely sure what happened once he was free; would he change his mind about suicide, or would he just try again later? Nishi shuddered because it would be an endless cycle if it were true, so he held onto the hope that he would at least remember enough to regret wanting to die. I promise I'll come back, mother, just – just don't give up hope.

When Yoko returned home, it was weird to knock on her own door because Nishi had the only other spare key; it might look suspicious if she asked her friend for her own key to borrow. As usual, Nishi was watching some sort of news channel, but after letting her in, she noticed he was sitting at the counter with a bowl of ramen, and Yoko couldn't help but think how cute that was. While Yoko picked out a packet from the cupboard to fix some for herself, Nishi surprised her by asking about her day. Yoko quickly got over the shock and told him about the lecture she only half paid attention to and the study guide she wrote to use for her essay. She noticed his attention was divided between her story and what news was being broadcast and started to figure out his real reason for asking. To confirm her theory, she said, "I saw Yui by my car today, probably trying to cut the breaks."

Nishi's attention shifted directly to her, and his face contorted into surprise. "Did you kill her?"

Yoko gaped at him with the words, 'what the fuck' waiting to pass her lips. "No, fucking hell. I never really saw her there, she wasn't even in college today. If you wanted to know what she was up to, you could have just asked."

Nishi shrugged. "I was trying to be polite, but I guess I don't care either way." Yoko placed her packet of noodles into the now boiling water and leaned against the countertop. "Didn't answer my question," said Nishi as he placed his bowl into the sink.

"Which was?"

Nishi looked at her with a deadpan expression; Yoko could feel his arm brush against hers since the sink was close to the stove. "I'll rephrase it now, would you have killed her?"

Yoko raised an eyebrow, wondering if his question was out of concern, asking her if she was willing to kill someone to save herself. "Well, I certainly wouldn't have stood there and watched her try and sabotage my car."

Nishi stood back as he huffed a laugh, but she noticed he wasn't amused. "Right, you'd just let her off with a warning, something like, 'I caught you trying to cut my breaks, I forgive you, just don't do it again,' does that sound reasonable to you?" Yoko jumped when his fist hit the side of the refrigerator, he was suddenly angry now, and she wondered what the reason was. "Don't let your past friendship with her be the thing that kills you." Yoko stared after him as he left to disappear into the spare room.

"What the hell." Yoko sat down on the couch with her bowl and sighed; although she wasn't sure what her reply to his question was, it was strange to think such a thing upset him.

By the time Nishi came out of the room, Yoko was dressed in her work uniform; she looked up at him. "Be willing to kill to keep living, was that your way of telling me not to die?"

Nishi placed his hands in his hoodie and frowned. "It wasn't concern, it was advice, if she is willing to kill you, then you need to be ready to kill her."

Although she didn't agree with him entirely, Yoko nodded because if it really came down to her or Yui and there was no other choice, she would act. "I have work now, but before I go, I got you something today." Yoko turned and pulled something from her bag and handed it to him; it was a phone. "Sorry it doesn't have internet, but it was the best one I could afford, I got myself one too, so no one knows these numbers except for us."

Nishi looked at the phone and turned it over in his hand; he didn't care if it were the latest phone available; the question would still be the same. "Why?"

"Because I think it's necessary, if there's a problem, or if either of us are in danger and-"

Nishi's laugh interrupted her, "What makes you think I would depend on you for something like that if you can't truthfully answer my question."

Yoko stared at him in confusion, wondering if she'd ever figure him out. "What do you mean?" She knew he hated depending on people, but maybe….

Nishi rolled his eyes; it annoyed him that he had to explain himself when he wasn't even sure he cared about the answer; it went against every belief he had. "Answer me this, putting my previous question to one side for now. You tell me to call you if I'm, as you put it, 'in danger,' but what if that situation occurs and you have no choice but to kill the person endangering my life; let's use the mercenary as an example, he has a gun to my head, I'm defenseless, I have no suit to protect me, would you pull the trigger of the gun in your hand to save me?"

Yoko frowned when she remembered the previous mission and the vow she made to never let him die, and she replied without further hesitation, "Yes." Despite the circumstances, she realized it was an awkward thing to admit to someone. To tell a person you'd kill for them was the same as telling them you cared about them, wasn't it? Yoko didn't really know, and Nishi's reply didn't surprise her either.

"I don't believe you, but I'll accept the phone."

Yoko nodded with a smile. "Oh, the locksmith came and changed the lock while you were in the bedroom, so here's the new key." She placed the key in his other hand and kissed him on the lips before he could avoid it and jogged out of the door. Nishi sighed and wandered back over to the couch.

By seven in the evening, Nishi's eyelids were heavy, and he started to close his eyes; the boredom was getting to him, he thought, there was only so much television he could watch before even the news got boring. Just as he closed his eyes, the sound of his new phone startled him awake, and he reached over his head to grab it from the side table, answering the call with an equally bored tone, "What do you want?" Nishi knew it would only be Yoko since she was the only one who had the number.

"Yui is at work, even though she didn't go to college today, she showed up at work."

Nishi rolled his eyes; at what point did he give Yoko the impression they engaged in small talk? Yoko was obviously on her break. "And?" What did she expect him to say?

"She's acting really nervous, I even tried talking to her and she barely said two words, she just kept looking at her phone, she's planning something else, right?"

Nishi sat up with a frown and told her to just act normal before he hung up.

Yoko huffed in annoyance and glared at the phone. "Great advice, Nishi."

…

Yoko groaned tiredly as she trudged up the last step and unlocked her door. "I'm home," she grumbled as she entered the apartment. Yoko looked up to find that Nishi wasn't on the couch as expected, and a puzzling look crossed her face. After checking both bedrooms and the bathroom, it was obvious he wasn't home; under normal circumstances, she would shrug it off, but given their encounters recently with the mercenary, she started to worry. Immediately, she pulled out her phone and called his, to which he didn't answer. "Okay, no need to worry so much, he has his suit and probably his gun too, he's fine." Yoko couldn't help the bad feeling forming in her chest; she chewed her lower lip and tried his phone again.

Two hours later.

Yoko couldn't stand the worry anymore and grabbed her phone, keys, and jacket. She decided to go look for him, and just as she was about to head for the door, Nishi walked in like everything was fine. Yoko frowned at him and tried her best not to shout, "Where the hell have you been!" She failed because damn it, she cared about him, whether he laughed at her or not.

Nishi toed off his shoes and shut the door; of course, he gave her a smile of amusement as predicted, then said, "I went for a walk." Nishi left Yoko gaping by the door and headed for the bathroom without giving her a chance to argue with him.

Friday night.

Yoko tilted her head up from Nishi's lap, he had his hands hooked over the back of the couch, and she could tell he was a little uncomfortable with her gesture for casual contact, but he wasn't shoving her off yet. "What kind of alien do you think we'll face next?"

Nishi glanced down with his usual deadpan expression even though Yoko could see the irritation behind his eyes because of their position. "Who cares, it doesn't matter as long as the points are high."

Yoko smiled at him and turned her head back to the television.

After a few minutes, there's a knock at the door and then, "Yoko! It's me, I'm ready for our girls night, what's with the door, I can't get my key to work."

Nishi and Yoko looked toward the door, and she immediately jumped up from his lap. "Oh crap! I forgot again!" Yoko turned to him with a guilty expression. "Sorry, I'll send her away."

When Nishi shrugged and told her not to worry, Yoko gaped at him in surprise. "What?"

"Go ahead," he grinned at her and waved his hand in the direction of the door. "Don't mind me."

Yoko frowned skeptically at him and then rushed to the door when the knocking got louder; she smiled nervously at her friend and wondered if everything she had been through with Yui was a dream when her friend held up wine and a bag of what could only be the smell of Chinese cuisine. Just like old times, she thought. "Hey Yui," Yoko stammered before stepping to the side. "I kind of-" Yoko looked at Nishi, his calm attitude worried her, and she knew that grin too well already. Yui stepped into the apartment, and when she saw Nishi on the couch, she immediately turned to Yoko, whose shoulders hunched with slight embarrassment. "Forgot again…"

Yui didn't bat an eye and smiled widely at her. "The more the merrier! This night just got better." When Yui turned back to Nishi, he was standing now, and she skipped over to him and held her hand out. "I can't believe she hasn't told me about you yet, you must be serious. I'm Yui Kazumi, Yoko's best friend obviously."

Yoko glanced at Nishi, expecting him to be frowning and not grinning as he took her hand in greeting. "Yui," began Yoko. "This is Joichiro Nishi."

Yui smiled before retracting her hand. "A pleasure, she didn't mention you were this cute."

Yoko groaned inwardly. Yui would freak if she found out how old he is.

"Yoko doesn't talk about the guys she is serious about."

Nishi placed his hands in his hoodie and smirked, his eyes wandering over to Yoko even as he replied to Yui, "Funny, I know all about you."

Yoko paled slightly, and before she had a chance to change the subject, Yui turned to her and held up the wine. "Let's get this night started then, I got this wine especially imported, haven't even tried it myself yet."

Nishi rolled his eyes at the coincidence, which Yoko couldn't see because she was too busy considering her friendship with Yui. Nishi stepped beside them when Yui told Yoko to pour the wine, and he snatched the bottle from the girl's hand. "Why don't I pour the drinks and you two can catch up," he told them both, hiding his displeasure with excellent proficiency.

Yui giggled and clapped Yoko's shoulder. "I like him already!" Yui pulled Yoko to the couch. Yoko sat down with her friend while figuring out what Nishi was up to and soon forgot Yui's intentions on this visit.

Nishi gritted his teeth in annoyance; he couldn't believe Yoko's stupidity as he listened to their conversations while making sure she didn't reveal anything too personal about him. "I should just let her die," he muttered as he opened up a cupboard to find an open bottle of alcohol, assumed it was a shot drink, grabbed two small glasses from a different cupboard, and set everything on the counter. Frowning, Nishi twisted off the cork from the wine bottle and sniffed the contents; he grimaced and proceeded to pour the drinks.

When Nishi brought the tray of drinks with him, Yui raised her eyebrow and grinned when she saw the extra drink, to which he told her it was his own blended shot. "You certainly know how to start a night Nishi," she winked, and to his relief, she took the two shot-glasses, handing one to Yoko. Nishi almost chuckled when Yui lifted her glass and said, "To success."

Before Yoko shared Yui's toast, Nishi stopped her by placing his hand on her wrist, stopping her from drinking, and she gave him a worried look.

Yui set her glass down and joked about Yoko's low tolerance for alcohol before complimenting Nishi on his drink. After another minute, she took Yoko's glass and said, "Fine, lightweight, I'll take the shot for you." Yoko smiled at that, and Nishi clenched a fist unseen; it angered him that Yoko was buying into her act.

She's completely forgotten about the threat; perhaps she's not as smart as I thought. Soon, Yui started to show signs of fatigue, and not long after, complained about feeling sick; her body curled over, and just as Yoko stood with an offer to get her water, Nishi started to speak. "If you knew Shin overheard your conversation with your hired mercenary, don't you think it was just a little too obvious that you showed up here and acted like her friend?" Yoko blinked in surprise at the sudden hostility, his change of attitude from his calm one was abrupt and unexpected. Yui tried to lift her head to look at Nishi when he continued, "Did you think she was truly that ignorant? The mercenary you paid for killing Yuuma Daikai, the same one you sent over her two weeks ago was rather shocked to find me here wasn't he? So much so, that as payment for your mistake, he told you to do the job yourself. That's why you're here, even though you probably already thought about it anyway." Yui stared at him with fear in her eyes despite her fatigue, despite her body feeling incredibly weak. Nishi frowned at her as he stepped closer. "A new wine? One conveniently imported specially for this occasion, please, how pathetic are you. By the way, the mercenary won't be coming to help you either even if your plan did work. You were actually surprised to see me here tonight, right? He gave you the 'wine' which was technically just poison in a bottle, told you to give it to Shin while he took care of, 'the other one.'" Yoko stiffened and couldn't help shaking, she was trying to follow Nishi's explanation, but her head was swimming with confusion. Nishi pursed his lips. "I assumed the other one was me so," he grinned at Yui's fainting form, even though she was still trying to listen. "I beat him to it, and trust me, the cops will never solve that case in a million years."

Yoko's eyes widened in shock, and suddenly Nishi's words hit her hard. When he asked if I would pull the trigger to save him, I didn't expect – I didn't expect him to return the sentiment, did he really kill someone for me? Yoko shook her head, not willing to believe that. He only killed the guy because the guy was going to kill him.

"Ironic, don't you think?" Yoko snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Nishi's voice again as he picked up the bottle from the tray. "I wonder if this was the same poison he used on Daikai, it probably was, and since we know it can't be traced, the cops won't solve this case either, they'll just say you died in your sleep." Nishi smirked, "Just like the reporter." Yui shook with horror; her plan failed, and she knew she was going to die. "It's funny, even though you were surprised to see me, you didn't suspect me at all and that's why you failed to kill either of us, too bad."

Yoko watched as her best friend, or rather, ex-best friend, eventually collapsed to the floor, and she could barely speak. "Nishi…what – what did you do…"

Nishi looked away from Yui to give Yoko an unreadable expression and said, "It was either us or her. You're welcome by the way."

Yoko covered her mouth. "She's dead…she's really dead."

Nishi gritted his teeth, and he grabbed her arms, causing Yoko to stare at him with wide eyes. "She was going to kill you! If I didn't do anything," Nishi pointed at Yui's body, "that would have been you, then I would be next and I-" Nishi was suddenly cut off with a kiss before he felt Yoko's arms wrap around him and it surprised him because it wasn't the reaction he was expecting considering he was responsible for killing her childhood friend. Nishi didn't attempt to hug her back, but he let her hold him and asked, "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

Yoko huffed a small laugh even though she was crying and pulled back to smile at him. "You misunderstood my surprise, I'm not mad that you killed her, and I should be upset because I've known her a long time, but she tried to kill me, so I guess our friendship didn't mean much after all." Yoko took his hand for a moment. "What surprised me more, was that you killed someone for me, twice in fact, and now thanks to you, I don't have to worry about either of them anymore…. It's a horrible thing to feel, but I'm happy…why is that?…."

Nishi now understood her reaction and gave her a small grin without trying to pull his hand away. "Because you want to survive, and you're glad it was her and not you." Yoko nodded. "She only brought this on herself."

Yoko turned to Yui's body. "How did you know she would try something tonight? And how did you find out that the mercenary was going to try and kill you too?"

Nishi shrugged. "I told you, I went for a walk," he grinned when she looked at him. "I followed her the night you called me after your shift ended, neither of you saw me because I was using the GPS to hide myself. I followed her and she led me to the mercenary, I overheard everything and then followed him, waited until the right moment and I killed him."

Yoko slightly stiffened at the casual tone he was using but shook it off; she felt nothing but relief because they were both safe. "So you knew the wine was actually poison, and you put it in the shots? Is that why you stopped me from drinking it? Why didn't you just put it in one glass?"

Nishi grinned at her. "I did, but I forgot which one I was supposed to give her, that's why she didn't react from the first shot. Haha, lucky you she drank yours as well."

Yoko gave him a horrified expression, and Nishi laughed. "I had the poison drink to start with?"

Nishi shrugged. "I was debating whether or not to stop you from drinking it, it would have served you right for acting so fucking naïve. I knew you forgot she was a threat, so you're lucky I didn't kill you."

Yoko shuddered, but she couldn't even be mad at him for it, even she was angry at herself. "I just – for a moment, everything was normal, for a moment, she was my friend again." She looked up at him with a smile. "Thanks for not killing me."

Nishi rolled his eyes. "Let's just say you owe me one, although I hardly doubt the favor will be returned, so I won't count on it."

Yoko ignored his blunt statement and looked back at the body and asked, "What do we do now, I mean, I don't know how to get rid of a body."

"We won't have to," Nishi replied, and when Yoko looked at him with a questioning gaze, he elaborated, "You wait until tomorrow morning and call an ambulance as though you've found her like that, no one will suspect a thing."

Yoko smiled at his quick thinking before closing her eyes to rest her head on his shoulder. "Getting one hundred points won't erase this."

Nishi shrugged her off and said, "It will erase the memory and that's close enough." Nishi left her standing alone in the living room and retreated to the bedroom.

Yoko knelt down to her friend's side and took her hand for a moment. "Goodbye Yui, and I'm sorry. I guess we both did what we needed to do to survive."

Hearing her phone bleep, Yoko pulled it from her pocket and read the message from Nishi. 'At least we don't have to cook, sort out the Chinese, I'm hungry.'