The next three days were fine, or as fine as they could be when two people pretended to be baka-siblings, and one of them was being investigated for possession.

Ren, for his part, enjoyed the anonymity as much as he could. There were benefits to the situation, obviously, like taking the girl he loved to a restaurant or shopping, but they tended to gather just a little too much attention. Most of the time going out was nerve-wracking, so they ended up staying in rather than going out.

As it turned out, those were the best times.

They would get groceries, then Kyoko would show him how to make a simple dish. On the next meal, it was his turn to try and cook. It actually wasn't that bad, if he could ask her about any of the tricky bits. Then they would settle with a movie or three, alternating between running a commentary and being struck speechless by some of the scenes. And, of course, there was that one time when he tricked her into seeing a horror movie, and she spent the rest of the night lashing out whenever he spooked her.

And, perhaps the most significant change of all, once they had completed their evening rituals, they would get in one of the beds and curl up together. Neither tried to fight it anymore – they had separated the first night, but, after being unable to sleep, Kyoko had simply migrated, pillow in hand, to Ren's waiting arms. In the morning, they acted as if waking up together was nothing out of the ordinary, and then just kept up the arrangement, quietly accepting that it was the only way to keep the nightmares at bay.

That wasn't to say that Kyoko didn't think about it – on the contrary, her mind was all too happy to jump down that road whenever she had a free moment.

Oddly enough, something that would have sent her into a downright existential crisis once had lost its teeth. Perhaps it was her determination to help her sempai in any way she could, perhaps it was her mind being filled with bigger problems, but she could no longer make a big deal of something that was, essentially, offering comfort to another human being. There was nothing shameful in it, and if someone thought differently, then that didn't concern her.

Except… there was one little thing.

There were times… and she was almost sure she imagined it, but she did catch Ren looking at her with that gentle gaze of his that tended to turn her insides to jelly. The expression bothered her, because it had nothing to do with Cain Heel – that was all him, and she knew it. But why would he do that?

The only explanation was that he was thinking about this other girl – the schoolgirl he was besotted with, and whom he could not make a move on because of his crippling self-loathing. His dilemma made her heart bleed – not just for him, but for herself.

Because if he was truly thinking about this girl, it was very likely that he was using her, Kyoko, as a stand-in.

And it hurt. That last lock on her heart was hanging by a thread, and she could barely muster the energy to reinforce those walls she built so long ago. The heartache of rejection was inevitable – so much so that she could already feel the wound opening.

She couldn't stop the tragedy from happening, she couldn't turn away. The only thing left was to just floor it and get it over with as fast as possible.

Which was why, early on Monday, she was up making breakfast and practicing her lines under her breath.

"Good morning, sempai, I hope you slept well… no, that's not right. Good morning, Nii-san…. No… Hey, Ren-sempai…"

"I like the last one," he said, making her yelp and whirl around, knocking a pot in the process. Once both had apologized and he helped her clean up, he went on, "You know, it's odd. We've been spending so much time together, yet when we're not in character we refer to each other by surname."

Yes, Kyoko thought, they were "friends", after all. In fact, they were more than friends, given that she spilled her guts to him at every occasion, and that she'd seen him in a… well, in less than it was publically acceptable.

"People don't know that, though," she said. "They would surely jump to conclusions."

Ren winced. "Yes. And we don't want that to happen."

"Misunderstandings can be tricky to manage. Which is why… Um, sempai, I need to talk to you about something."

He raised an eyebrow. "On one condition."

"What is it?"

"You start calling me by my given name… in private, of course."

"Alright. Sempai…"

"Ren."

"Ren-sempai, this is really important and I would really appreciate it if you didn't interrupt me." He raised his hands in surrender and sat down. "It's about this investigation. You know… and the President told us… that there's nothing we can do but wait. Is that right?"

"Unfortunately."

She took a deep breath. "What if I told you there was something that could be done?"

Ren narrowed his eyes. His first instinct, of course, was to say he'd take it, no questions asked. But the way she asked him made him pause.

"I don't want to inconvenience you in any way," he said. "And you shouldn't get involved directly into this."

She smiled humorlessly. "It's a little too late for that, don't you think? If Cain Heel goes under a serious police check, then so would Setsuka."

Humbled, he nodded. Kyoko went on:

"There might be something that we could do. Not to influence the investigation directly, but it might help." She wasn't sure she had understood completely what Kato-san had told her, but so far, the lawyer had been nothing but correct, so she chose to accept what he said and hope for the best.

And speaking of…

"I don't understand," Ren was saying. "Kyoko, I understand your motivation to help clear Cain's name, but the way things are right now, you can still get out unscathed. You never perpetuated any crimes, and as for the drug charges, you can deny them easily. But if the police realize you tried helping me, they can assume you knew from the start, and then they will slap you with a charge for enabling faster than you can blink."

"I know that," she said. Oddly enough, saying it calmed her down. "I understand what the dangers are. But what if the police learn I'm here without permission from my guardians? Right now, I'm just as interested in saving Setsu as you are in Cain."

Ren sighed. "I understand. I just… I wish there was a way I could take this fall by myself, without dragging you along."

"You can't," she said, firmly. "You might as well get used to it."

That brought a smile on his face. A small one, but still a smile. It encouraged her for what she was about to say next.

"There is something we can do, but we have to act fast. Today, if possible. And… you need to trust me."

Takarada Lori was in a sour mood, and even the costumes couldn't make things better. How could they? There was no "Breaking-bad-news-to-your-best-friend" suit, was there?

He'd waited for three days, barely restraining himself from crowing with annoyance. Of course, Ren's secret identity prevented him from directly enquiring, but Konoe had kept him posted about the police investigation, and his updates were less than promising. From what he could gather, the only thing slower than Tokyo's finest on this case was a snail.

A snail in a desert.

A snail in a desert who had lost about half his length and now moved around in a wheelchair.

Basically, things were in the shits.

He didn't relish what he was about to do, but Kuu had to learn sooner or later, and even if sooner was not better than later, it would be slightly less horrible if it came from someone he knew.

"He WHAT?"

Lori winced. "Thank you, Kuu, I really didn't need that eardrum. You heard me – someone framed him for possession."

On the other side of the world, Hizuri Kuu let out a stream of curses… quietly. After making sure he hadn't woken his wife, he hurried to the other side of the house. "How's the investigation going?"

"How do you think?"

"Slower than the public transport on a rainy day?"

"Exactly."

"Damn it. This is going to kill Julie." Kuu rested his head against the wall. "How's he handling things?"

"Pretty well, all things considered. He didn't beat up the guy who he thought was responsible, even though he would have been fully justified in doing so."

"If I was there, I would not only let him do it, I'd hold his coat for him," Kuu said.

"Don't go changing his mind. The girl's with him, so she's been keeping him sane."

"How is she?"

"Pretty much kicking ass as a bully, and then kicking his ass when he wallows. I saw them on Friday – he looked more serious than ever, if that's even possible. She grounds him, Kuu."

The younger man sighed. "This is all my fault, Boss. If I hadn't been so focused on my career… if only we had more time to spend with him… we would have seen it. We would have prevented it."

"No use crying over spilled milk, Kuu," Lori said, while looking out at the Tokyo skyline. "Believe me, I know that better than anyone."

"I know. I just… nevermind. I'll do my best to spare Julie, but… Boss, we have to prepare for the worst. If he's under investigation, he may not be able to travel here, and…"

"I know. I know. I'm sorry." Takarada hesitated. "Look, Kuu… don't blame yourself. Or at least try not to heap too much of it on your shoulders. All of us had a role to play in this."

There was a long pause. Then the other actor said, "Alright," and hung up.

Takarada sighed and put the phone down. As he did so, his eyes slid over the pictures on his desk – Kouki, his wife, and Maria, he and his wife, a snapshot of Kuu and Julie before Ren was born… there used to be more, but he couldn't bear to have all of them up. Those smiles that once warmed his heart and got him through the worst of days were accusing him now.

So many mistakes… if he started counting them now, how many sins would he find? Enough to guarantee that he was reborn as a dung beetle in the next life, that was for sure.

Parents and children… it was so ironic that he of all people would be insisting on Ren to go back to see his parents when Takarada and his son hadn't been able to speak to each other for a full ten years after his wife's death.

And that was definitely Lori's fault.

The intercom buzzed, and the secretary told him his ten o'clock meeting was here. Takarada pulled himself together. There was no time for this. He had a company to run. Trips down to "What If" land weren't going to make things better.

Asakura Yoshi was used to working for weirdos. Rich people tended to be like that, and his friend Kato only had rich customers. Rich, bored customers who either needed proof to get a big allowance from a cheating spouse, or to have said proof destroyed. His life was pretty much spent staking out in front of cheap motels.

So he wasn't that surprised when a punk-rock princess and her boyfriend approached him in the park. Kato hadn't described Setsuka Heel as anything other than "intense", and the girl fit that to a T. She and her cohort barely said a word until he led them to his van. Once there, she explained the situation to him in more detail.

"So you're saying your brother was framed, but the police are dragging their feet?" Yoshi summarized. "Are you sure about that?"

Then man spoke for the first time. "I'm clean."

He didn't look it, but it wasn't his job to ask. "Alright. Well… I told Kato what I can do. I can't promise it will work, but it's the only thing we can do in order to offer the police a lead without making it seem too… on the nose. How much did he tell you about this?"

"He said the police make background checks on everyone involved in a case," Setsuka said. "And that they investigate those who seem suspicious, even if the cases seem unrelated. He also said that if an investigation was run on Murasame, the police would question him a little bit more about my brother's case."

"Precisely. Now, you mentioned that he was a gangster when he was young, but the problem is that all of his crimes were committed before he was seventeen. Upon completing his time in juvie, those records were sealed away and his public record was wiped. That's standard procedure," Kato said, slowly. "So far, he's kept himself out of the fire. However, you mentioned he was… a little inappropriate with you once?"

She pursed her lips. "I wouldn't call it that, but he was definitely hostile."

"A sexual harassment investigation would be more than enough. Trouble is, those cases are very hard to prove, and without proof, the case might not even be considered. Does that make sense?"

She nodded. "So we need proof."

"Exactly. This is where I come in."

Yoshi dropped Setsuka off a block away from the studios, then parked the van directly behind the building. The mike he'd hooked under her jacket was pretty good, but it was better to stay as close to her as possible in case something went wrong and they had to use a back-up device.

Her brother hadn't said a word.

Keeping a year out to know when to start the recording, Yoshi decided to chat him up.

"So why does this Murasame guy have it out for you?"

"I don't know."

Helpful.

"Could it be that you provoked him in some way?"

"I told him to stay away from my sister."

Yoshi glanced at him again, raising an eyebrow. His sister… yeah, the first time he'd heard it, he hadn't believed it. He still didn't. The way those two held themselves, the way they interacted… it was weird. He imagined him acting like that with one of his sisters, and shuddered in disgust. Absolutely not.

"Short fuse, huh?" He didn't know whom he said this about. Both men seemed to fit the bill.

Just then, he heard Setsuka's voice, and another man's. Given how Cain tensed up, Yoshi guessed it was Murasame.

"…doing here?"

"I came to pick up the revised script," Setsuka said.

"You're awfully confident. What makes you think your brother's coming back here at all?" The man sounded cocky. Yoshi imagined him as good-looking, probably like some teen idol. He knew the type – the self-assured little asswipes who thought they were above and beyond everyone. He hated them more than the rich cuckolds he worked for – at least the cuckolds knew they sucked and didn't try to hide it.

"He's coming back," Setsuka said simply.

"Hey, wait a minute. Wait, I said. Don't pretend like you can just ignore me."

Silence, as if Setsuka was saying "Why not?"

"Your brother's a criminal. I know it's tough to hear, but you might as well get used to it right now. If you're smart, you'll stop defending him and try putting some distance between the two of you."

More silence. Yoshi winced – haughty looks were very expressive, but they didn't translate well on a voice-recording. She had to start talking, stat.

Luckily, she did.

"And by putting some distance, I imagine you mean closer to you?" she said.

"Why not? I can show you some good times."

"You wish."

A sound made Yoshi look up. Cain was leaning closer, listening to what she was saying. He was smiling, almost as if saying "That's my girl". Creep.

Meanwhile, Murasame was getting fired up.

"Are you denying it? He's a criminal. A freak. How do you justify something like that?"

"He's my brother. I know him better than anyone. He's not the criminal the police are looking for."

"Oh yeah? Were you temporary blind the other week? Did you not see what he did in the studio?"

"From what I heard, half of it was your doing. And those men were stupid to get mixed up in something which is not even their fight."

Murasame sputtered. "You're insane. Both of you are."

"Is that why you hate us? Because we're not like you?"

"I don't hate you specifically. But your brother is evil. He has to be stopped, and the police will do good to put him behind bars, once and for all."

Yoshi sat up straighter. Things were escalating. He could feel it. Setsuka could too, because the next thing she said was spot on.

"Even if he didn't do anything? Even if he hadn't smuggled those drugs in?"

"Even then."

There was a long silence. Then she said:

"You're sick."

Murasame laughed. From the corner of his eye, Yoshi saw Ren tense.

"Well isn't that just the pot calling the kettle black. If you think that the world's all rainbows and fairness, you're very wrong, little girl. Whatever happens to your brother, he did it himself. You should really find someone else to hang out with. What do you say? My offer still stands."

"Not interested."

"I can persuade you otherwise."

Yoshi's eyes widened. He wished he'd given her some kind of a two-way transmitter. They had what they needed, she had to get out. Hell, the sound of voices would have been enough to discourage that guy from doing anything funny. But she hadn't moved.

Next to him, Cain heel was gripping the chair, like he could barely restrain himself from bolting.

There was a sharp intake of breath from Setsuka's end, and then her voice, strained.

"Let go of me."

"I don't think so. You think you can just walk around dressed like that? It's high time you learned a few things about life, princess."

Cain was on his feet, when the next sound came. A loud "thack", followed by a kind of weird sound, like a mouse that's been stepped on. When Setsuka's voice came next, it sent shivers down Yoshi's spine.

"Don't. Ever. Touch me. You hear?"

Murasame only groaned in pain. The next sound was of Setsuka walking away, fast. Five minutes later, she slipped inside of the van, breathing deep.

"Did you get it?" she asked. Her face was red.

Yoshi nodded. Besides him, Cain Heel was wearing an expression that was equal parts shock, excitement and admiration.

For his sister.

Sickos, Yoshi thought, the whole lot of them. He really needed to think about retirement.

A/N: So, newest chappie. Sorry it took longer than expected - like I said, I've been offline for a while, and then I've been a little under the weather. But, I'm happy to say, this story is growing. And growing. It has quite a lot of plot potential, which can be good or bad.