A/N: I apologize for the preview of the chapter. I promise to replace it with a fully edited and completed chapter, and hopefully by the end of the year.

I have been busy with real life and stuff, especially the education area. There was a lot of ups and downs during the hiatus. Mental health is important kids, if you get burnout from studying, take a break if you can. If needed, breathe and tell yourself you can make it.

Personally, the journey in this chapter had been a whole lot of rollercoaster, despite not writing, I've brainstormed during my free times regarding the story and characters, especially on their dynamics. Reflecting back on the already posted chapters, I realize what and where are the faults. If I have more time, I would like to reupload the chapters with a better flow and story for an introduction. Fun fact, chapter 4 has been rewritten thrice, I didn't like the way it went.

Thank you for supporting me despite my inactivity in writing.

Forever grateful,

JusKIdding

...

What happened? was the first thing Azami questioned as she drifted back to consciousness. With an appropriate amount of rest, most people would have felt better, maybe entirely refreshed. Unfortunately, Azami Hashimoto felt worse than before.

Her mind felt foggy, strained to its utmost limits as if she had planned thousands of plans for execution for all manner of different scenarios, with another set of backup plans in case of failure; juggled altogether at the same time, vainly trying to hold and identify numerous crumbling pieces of a huge jigsaw puzzle slipping through her fingers. Her head pounded like a sledgehammer had smashed into her brain, discouraging any attempts to open her eyes.

Her entire body still felt sore, aching in places she never knew. Her back felt heavy and warm, too warm for a bag and yet, too small for a human. She felt a buzzing, yet stinging sensation on her palms and knees while her left wrist felt like it was squeezed and released in a quick two-beat rhythm.

There was no way she can forget the sensation of pain. Pain; one of the few words which felt akin to someone dumping a cold bucket of water onto her body, shocking her enough to remove the fog in her mind.

How did she get injured? She was normally careful. Was she captured by the authorities? Or by the shadier community of Japan?

She dismissed those possibilities after a minute of consideration. The former tried once and failed while the latter rarely attempted unless they were willing to provoke the wrath of the other groups, especially her…benefactors.

Only the foolish, ignorant, careless, and suicidal people would dare to provoke their ire. Their reputed wrath and efficiency echoed within the darkness of the country, deterring most attempted head-on attacks and forcing most of their clients to rethink their betrayal towards the Beasts.

And the Beasts were protective of their own. If they caught word of what had happened to her, they would just dump the Dog on her. That annoying, suicidal, bandaged man was ridiculously hard to shake off.

Her train of thought screeched to a sudden halt when she heard a foreign something through the constant howling wind. She listened more keenly than before and waited with a bated breath.

A soft snore was heard after a few seconds, at the same moment, Azami felt a shift of movement on her back. It took every single willpower to rein in her urge on grabbing the intruder and throwing them across the room they were in.

"A...ra. We..." were the words spoken before they dissolved into incomprehensible mumbling.

A kid? With her?!

Azami swore colourfully under her breath, her mind shifting into a higher gear as it went a million times faster with questions.

What happened to her? Where was she? What time was it? How long has she been out? Why was there a kid with her? Did someone sell her out?

Fuck, she was in the dark in both literal and figurative sense.

She tried opening to her eyes, wincing as her headache punished her in its full force, accompanied by bone-aching exhaustion. What should be a simple movement became an arduous task.

When was the last time she felt this tired?

She has to get up. Time has never waited for anyone.

"Merow?!" an unfamiliar voice squeaked in a pitch that her ears rang. Praying the kid has not noticed, she stilled her movements and faked her deep asleep breathing. She felt certain parts of her back were more pressured as the kid stood up.

Thankfully, the weight of the kid was light. In less than two seconds, the kid slid off her back, screeching in his unmodulated high pitch. "Where- Mementos? How? What?! Where's everyone? Joker?! Skull?! Fox?! Panther! Are you here?!"

The owner of the voice hopped in front of her, pacing back and forth, sounding more and more frantic with each step. Finally, the kid stopped its irritating pace and yelled, tinged with a hint of fear. "This is not funny!"

Azami bit her tongue. If she wasn't so tired and dealing with an equally worsening, splitting headache, she would have been impressed by the vocal range of this kid who had become even squeakier as he descended into a pit called panic.

Then, he went silent, his footsteps suddenly approaching closer, almost sending her heart rate to new heights.

Almost immediately, she felt a familiar creepy, crawling feeling from both her back and front. She was being watched, observed. Not a good sign. She could hear his breath, coming closer and closer...

And then a pressure, on her right shoulder.

Despite her exhaustion, Azami struck fast, grabbing the kid's wrist in a vice grip and pulled, ignoring a twinge in her own left wrist. The kid yelped, from fright or surprise or both, she wasn't sure. In a split second, she felt a flash of pain on her left hand, but she held on, rivulets of blood slowly cascaded down her hand, staining the floor red.

"Don't," Azami paused. "Touch me. Understand?"

"But you're the one who grabbed me first!" He spoke indignantly. "And let go of me! It hurts!"

She smiled blithely and released him. "Sorry."