Lemons, salt, oregano, garlic powder, butter, mizuna. That's everything… and then there's... I couldn't contain an internal groan that roared throughout my very soul as I regarded the big, fat, whole salmon that lay expectantly upon the cutting board. Thanks mom.

It's dead, unmoving, perfectly round eye seemed to look up at me… terrified, awaiting the final demise it knew was coming. Glancing over to Shuichi standing next to me, it seemed he was feeling similarly to myself. We continued to stare at the hulking slab of dead animal, hoping that maybe…. A magic meteor would fall from the sky, smash into the fish, and a delicious grilled salmon dinner would simply be there. Unfortunately, whatever god in charge of such occurrences seemed to be inconspicuously indisposed at the present time. So no luck on that front.

I clenched my mouth tight and balled my fists. This was ridiculous! There's a wonderful meal inside that thing just waiting for us to go in there and find it! We need to take action. We had to! I absolutely refuse to have the very beginning of our day together ruined before it could even start! It's time to get medieval on this trout(or whatever)! I turned to Shuichi, raising my fists in the most encouraging power stance I knew how to muster.

"Okay Shuichi! We're going to do this, alright? This is happening! Right here, right now! You and me, against that fish! Mano y aleta! Are you ready to do this thing?" I needed to not only get myself pumped, but I needed to hype up Shuichi as well. There was no way I was going to be able to handle this on my own, so I need him to be here with me! There were about a hundred ways that this situation could have gone right, and of course, my mom figures out the one way to make it go wrong. But what's done is done! This is the situation we have to deal with now, and oHO were we going to deal with it!

Thankfully, my words seemed to have the desired affect on Shuichi as I saw his conflicted look morph into that wonderful determined smile he gets when he's steeled his resolve. When he does it, he has these super cute, little dimples that pinch the corners of his lips and his eyes look so full of confidence, when normally they look so apprehensive most of the time and—Hey, HEY! Piano freak! Focus here, alright? Keep your eyes on the prize!

But I am!

Not THAT one, the fish! Before you can get at any of that, you need to take care of this first!

Ah, yes, you're right!

I know I'm right! Now get in gear Akamatsu, and make that 'lovely salmon lunch out on the patio, basking in the warm sunshine while birds chirp and sing and you two would laugh and talk and talk and not realize how much time had passed until you both look to notice the sun setting, turning the sky a beautiful cascade of purples, pinks, and oranges while a delicate, cool summer breeze flutters your hair and you look over to notice how handsome he looks while gazing dreamy-eyed at the horizon until he turns and notices you looking at him and his dreamy eyes stare deeply into yours as you both lean forward across the table and finally come together in a tender moment of pure bliss' happen!

Taking the briefest of moments to shake off my reverie, I returned Shuichi's conviction. With a nod of camaraderie between us, we both turned our gaze back upon the animal corpse laying before us. Where once, our eyes held only apprehension, they now flared with the fires of purpose! I know, that so long as we stand together, there is nothing Shuichi and I cannot overcome!

OH GOD, THE SMELL!

It was all I could think as I retched into the trashcan while Shuichi continued trying to dislodge the intestines of the fish into the sink with his knife. His cheeks were puffed with the air he refused to release and fresh. Without thinking, and due to the exhaustion brought upon by my body's aversion to the horrid odor, I accidentally breathed in through my mouth.

OH GOD, THE TASTE!

My uvula shuddered at the offending stench and a fresh wave of gags and retching into the stainless steel bin ensued. I don't precisely know what it was we were expecting, but it definitely was not this. Maybe we thought all there was between 'raw salmon' and 'tasty dinner' was chopping the fish into smaller pieces. At least, that's what the extent of my culinary capabilities assumed. Why didn't I pay attention when Kirumi tried to teach me some cooking techniques? Maybe they wouldn't have applied specifically to fish, but SOMETHING would be better than nothing at all!

I could hear Shuichi finally exhale a bursting gasp before his own vocalizations of pain and disgust became entwined with my own. Our duet of repugnance and revulsion, augmented by the acoustics of my kitchen, rang true and pure in the face of this enemy that lay dead and inoffensive on the counter with Shuichi's hands inside it. Oh sweet Jesus, God, Atua, I don't care who, but SOMEONE end this suffering! Shuichi gave a grunt like the snap of a rubber band as he pulled the knife from the belly of the beast and let it clatter into the sink.

"Kaede, I got it! Quick, bring the trash can!" I forced down the nausea that was stacking up in my gut, for I was being called to action. This was my moment. I had been all but useless up to this point, but now it's here. This is it, something that only I could do! I grasped both sides of the bin like a mighty beetle crushing it's prey between it's mandibles(I've been talking to Gonta too much...)and hoisted it into the air and dashed it across the 5-foot no-man's land battlefield from my position over to Shuichi.

Everything had slowed to a crawl, and all sound had faded from the world. There was no sound, no time, no now and then, nor here and there. The very concept and notion of space, time, and reality melted away. All that there was in this moment was movement and determined drive. A drive that motorized those movements towards a single point. This meeting place between Shuichi and I, as profound and astral as the space between God and Adam's fingers, with only one key distinction: that the two of us would actually meet, to light the world and eradicate this evil from the face of the earth once and for all.

And with this final note of triumph and hallelujah, I peeled open the gaping maw of the wretchedness's imprisonment, and with a mighty heave befitting the mythic heroes of old, Shuichi slammed the blight down within the deep, dark chasm of polyethylene. Then, and only then, did I deliver the final note before the bold double bar line of our duet of misery, suffering, and redemption and slam down the stainless-steel seal that would forever hold behind it's threshold The Thing That Should Not Be.

All at once, the world returned. Our cosmic stage, upon which the two of us came together to vanquish a mighty foe, was gone. And what replaced it, unfortunately, was still the remnants of it's unholiness hung in the air like an invisible, evil mist. While not nearly as strong as before, it was still enough to tickle the back of your throat with the delicate threat of vomiting. I set down the trash can and bolted towards the back door leading out onto the porch, swinging them both open with such force. I was immediately greeted with the divine salvation of a cool breeze, carrying with it the scents of wholesome things: trees, flowers, grass, open air; rather than livers, hearts, intestines, and egg sacks. The breeze bypassed me and flooded into our kitchen and living room, casting out the remainder of the stench. I breathed in deep the smells of goodness and purity and relished the breeze at it hit the sweat that had built upon on my forehead and cheeks. Turning around, I faced Shuichi. He was panting slightly, no doubt also filling himself with the wonders of summer. I came in to join him back in the kitchen.

He turned towards me and we looked into each other's eyes, both of us feeling as if we needed to say something, yet also feeling that there really was nothing to say. This ordeal, this trial that we faced together; it didn't need words to convey between us the understanding and synergy that existed between Shuichi and I. Our shared experience; we both knew what happened. There was no need to recap nor be retrospective. And the experience alone said all that ten-thousands words could and more. I smiled at him, and he smiled at me. Neither of us could contain the mirth within us from boiling over. A slow, coy giggle and light chuckle soon turned into a wonderful and soul-cleansing laugh shared between us.

The worst was over now, and we could breathe again.

Where once there were cries and gags of pain and agony, now there were guffaws of elation and relief. To me, the sound of Shuichi's laughter entwining with mine, carried in a delicate waltz around us by the wind… it was one of the most beautiful harmonies I had ever heard. None of the great masters of old could possibly ever conceive of such harmony existing between two sounds. It made my heart swell and my head felt as if it were lighter than air. In the back of my mind... a vague notion that I was not even conscious of began to take shape.

That notion was of the future.

Our future.

One that held countless possibilities that have not yet come to pass. Things to do, places to see… touches to savor; it was all there, and yet not, at the same time. But that's what made my soul soar even higher. Knowing that all our possibilities and what-ifs were to start here, with the two us laughing together.

Eventually, my beloved harmony began to quell as we came down from the clouds we had ascended ourselves into. I wiped the advents of tears from the corner of my eyes as the last chuckles departed from my body, the only reminder of them left behind being my smile that I felt pulling my lips back towards my ears. It met Shuichi's as we gazed into each other's eyes and I couldn't help but find myself lost in his. The color of an overcast day, the kind that you would spend curled up in a warm blanket, watching TV, and drinking some hot tea or cocoa.

I'm sure I must have had a really dopey look plastered on my face at that moment, as Shuichi began to wilt beneath my ogling gaze. Blushing, he looked down at the ground and brought his hand up to do that cute thing where he plays with his hair again. My goo-goo eyes instantly froze over as his hand came up to scratch at his scalp. His wet, bloodstained hand. No doubt feeling the wetness now stuck in his hair, he brought his hand down, confused. He instantly matched my own expression of a deer caught in headlights as we turned to survey the scene.

A grisly sight of pooled blood, no doubt forever staining our cutting board, and blood smeared across the counter top and in the sink. The wickedly sharp knife covered from tip to tip in blood laying menacingly inside of the sink, stained pink. We then simultaneously regarded the gutted remains of the once pristine salmon. Gnarly, inexperienced, haphazard cuts scored the fish into piled of chunks of silver and pink. The fishy smell, while nearly diluted completely by the wind, still lingered enough to send us right back into that place where we could probably never return. With a grimace, I turned a hopeful eye to Shuichi.

"How about we just order pizza."

After ordering our pizza, and after my mom giving me a light scolding over the state of the kitchen(I knew I could have brought up how it wouldn't have happened if she had just gotten precut salmon like a regular human being, but I didn't want to get into it with her in front of Shuichi), Shuichi and I had made ourselves comfortable on the couch. Thankfully, the earlier incident, along with some food in his belly, appeared to help him ease up a bit.

He seemed much more relaxed. His shoulders weren't as squared and the constant look he had carried, as if he were waiting for something to jump out at him at any moment, was now replaced by one that I recognized from back at the academy. The same look he would have when we would just walk around the grounds and talk. Talk about things that I couldn't even remember. They seemed so trivial, so mundane, but we could find little nuggets of one another in those conversational ores. And that made them more meaningful and engaging to me than even the most profound and spine-tingling aria.

As he reached over for another slice, I decided that it was time to put my incredibly ingenious, on-the-fly plan into action. Back at the academy, I was only able to ask him a couple questions about himself, one of which he totally punked out on by giving the most wishy-washy answer possible! But not this time, you got no where to run and no where to hide Saihara! Detective Kaede Akamtsu is once again on the case! I had mentally prepped my brand new batch of questions that I was going to get a definite, concrete answer to. Unfortunately, I didn't have my handy, dandy notebook with me to jot everything down, so I was going to have to try to commit everything to memory.

"So, Shuichi, you like to read, don't you?" I pried. Shuichi nodded as he finished off chewing his bite of pizza before speaking.

"I do. I love reading, actually."

"Do you like reading more than watching movies?" He brought his hand to his chin as he pondered for a second.

"Well, you sort of get a different experience with each of them. Movies are all visual and audio stimulus. They say 'a picture is worth a thousand words', and it's really incredible how you can convey so much abstract into simple imagery. And the visuals go hand in hand with the audio and music to create an emotional package that raises the material above what it could be only as visuals or audio."

I nodded, "Mhmm, I know, right? I absolutely love film scores. To be honest, some of my favorite pieces are actually from movies, rather than back during the Romantic or Baroque eras."

"Really? Any in particular?" He sat up straighter.

"Well, I mean, of course all of the big franchises; like the one with the little guy carrying that ring around, or the one with the little boy wizard, and also that one with the laser swords are all staples of most people's lists. But there are other scores that are a bit more under the radar that I think are absolutely beautiful. To be honest though, they're mostly all from movies from my childhood. Like this one about a boy who befriends a whale! Lots of people just think of it as a cute movie family movie, which it is, but there are some really memorable pieces in that one that have stuck with me ever since I was little!

"Oh, and there's also this one animated movie about this mouse, hedgehog, and mole who go on a journey to find a cure for their sick little badger friend. It's not very well known, but when I was kid, I just remember being so entranced by what was happening on the screen, and I'd say about, like 80% of it was because of the music. It's so full and broad, yet also so light and delicate. It's like a children's fairytale made into sound! Oh, and then there's"—Wait a second! I'm the one who's supposed to be running this interrogation! Curse you Shuichi! You and your exceptionally attentive listening skills that make it seem like you're actually interested and invested in what I have to say! This is no time for you to be showing off; I'm trying to work here!

I stopped myself and cleared my throat, trying to take back the reigns of this conversation, "Well, you get the idea, haha. But anyway, so what's your favorite book, Shuichi? And your favorite author too. And your favorite genre! Is it mystery, or detective novels?" Back in the saddle again. He recoiled slightly as I leaned in to press him, waiting expectantly for his answer. He averted his eyes away from mine as he began to think.

"Um, well… yeah," he chuckled at himself as he continued, "I guess I'm just that boring and predictable, you know? A detective who likes mystery and detective novels."

"There's nothing boring about that!" I fired at him, "It's perfectly reasonable that a professional, especially an Ultimate would surround themselves with their work or talent. I mean, I like to watch musicals and listen to classical; does that make me 'boring', since I'm a pianist?" I had only meant to make a point, I didn't think anyone would think I was being it serious, but Shuichi seemed to.

He turned back to me, straightened himself up, and leaned himself toward me. He looked me directly in the eye, showing that he was completely serious and convicted in what he had to say, "No! Absolutely not! Kaede, you are, without a doubt, one of the most interesting, fun, talented, and sweet people I have ever met! Please don't ever think of yourself that way, because it is not even within the same realm of existence as the truth."

And now, he was now the one making me recoil. He kept boring straight into my eyes with that sharp, intense gaze of his. It pierced deeply into me, to the very core of my being. I vaguely noted how I could feel my cheeks heating up. I didn't know exactly what I felt in that moment, but what I did know was that, as I gazed into his eyes, there was no way I could bring myself to disagree with him. Something about that look of his… it made me feel as if what he said was an absolute truth. It was not a hypothesis, a guess, or even a theory; it was a plain and simple fact, a fact he was trying desperate for me to realize as much as he did.

Finally finding my voice, lost somewhere within my throat, I said, marginally above a whisper, "O-okay Shuichi. I mean, I wasn't actually saying that I'm boring, I just wanted you to understand that... liking to indulge in what you're good at or passionate about doesn't make you boring. That's all. Okay..?" He regarded me for a moment, as if trying to search my face for some trace of falsehood or doubt. With a few blinks of his eyes, he set his back against the armrest of the couch. Clearing his throat, he once again let his eyes drift downwards as a small pink glow bloomed from beneath his porcelain skin.

"I- I'm sorry, Kaede. I didn't mean to be so… forceful." As he tried to busy himself with returning to his pizza, I could still feel the heat in my cheeks, and was now acutely aware of the thick, broad thumping of my heart. It was quick and it was heavy, and it made me feel slightly out of breath and lightheaded. Straightening myself back up again, I placed a hand over my chest to try and quell the drumming beneath my skin. What was… that? I… why do I feel so… hot?

I had never seen that side of Shuichi before. He was so intense, so ardent, so…. Passionate. The heat in my cheeks felt as if it radiated out to engulf my eyes and travel up and over my head. I felt a tingling across my entire body, like a weak current of electricity buzzing just beneath my skin. And the heat continued to rise ever higher as my mind flew away from me, imagining so many more iterations of that expression, in so many more….. scenarios.

"I should be self-deprecating more often..." I muttered.

"I'm sorry?"

"Huh!? What?"

"I- I couldn't quite hear what said."

"Oh! Nothing, absolutely nothing! Yep, totally nothing! I was just... muttering to myself, you know? About ahh…. Pia- pianos! That's right! Yeah, y-you know me, good ol' Piano Freak!" I rapped my knuckles upon my head and stuck out my tongue in an attempt to illustrate my dopiness, hoping it would be enough to convince the Ultimate Detective. Or at the very least, get him to drop the subject.

I don't know which one it was, and I didn't care, because he thankfully seemed to accept my slippery excuse. I quietly let out a haggard sigh, feeling as if I had just narrowly avoided being taken out by a speeding train. Keep yourself together, girl! He hasn't even been here two hours and you're already letting your mind go THERE? I shook that, and all previous thoughts from my head and took a couple huge bites of pizza, hoping perhaps the shock of the carbs might get this interrogation, that had gone way off the rails, back on track.

Swallowing the greasy, cheesy, saucy mush, I felt the invigoration begin to rise up from my gut and I put my game face back on, "Okay Shuichi!" He jumped slightly at my sudden outburst.

"Y- yes?"

"I'm still waiting for an answer."

"A what?"

"The answer to my question…..s! What's your favorite book and who's your favorite author? Come on! Gimme the goods, punk!" Shuichi leaned back as I pressed forward with my questioning. There we go, THIS feels more familiar.

"Um… well, ah… I guess, off the top of my head… I'd probably say, the one about an FBI profiler tracking down a serial killer, with the help of another serial killer that he caught, who's also a cannibal." My face set into a look that probably perfectly illustrated the notion of, 'WTF'. Shuichi, noticing, scratched at the back of his neck with a nervous chuckle, "Ah, sorry. I know it sounds pretty gruesome, and in a lot of ways… it is. But I just find the way the book illustrates the bizarre and psychologically complicated relationship that criminals and law enforcement have with one another really fascinating," He then looked back at me sheepishly, "I hope that doesn't make me seem… I don't know; creepy, macabre, disturbed, you know..."

I quickly snapped myself to attention, flailing to get him off this train of thought I could tell he was already beginning to barrel down, "I'm sorry! No, I don't think that at all! I mean, sure, that does seem a bit… dark, but there's nothing wrong with having tastes that are a bit edgier than others. In fact, I think it's really cool! I've never even heard of that book before, but once you get past the initial shock of the premise, it does sound interesting." I flashed him with the most reassuring smile I could muster, desperate to keep him on the path of ease and contentment that he had been on for the past half hour. Luckily, it seemed to do the trick, as he gave smiled back at me, "And what about your favorite author?"

"Mm, well I kind of have different favorites depending on which genre we're talking about. I can't really pick a single one out of all of them. Like, if we're talking about mystery then it's hard to go wrong with Agatha Christie. Some people might think that's clichéd and boring, but her books are classics of the genre for a reason. I really like Neil Gaiman's style of fantasy. It's more grounded in every day life, rather than the tales of some hero in some far off, fantastical land, which makes it fun to think about how it could actually really happen.

"With general literary fiction, I enjoy a lot of Margaret Atwood's books. She has a real interesting way of looking at social norms and holding a mirror up to society and asking them why it is they are who they are. For more classical literature, I'd say Victor Hugo would be my favorite for that. I can kind of relate to his characters who feel marginalized, and show that a lot of times, people's misfortunes are not entirely their own fault. Sometimes, things that are outside of your control just happen to you, and no matter how much you fight… sometimes you just can't escape it.

"With science fiction, it's sort of a toss up between Dan Simmons and Harlan Ellison. Usually it depends on what I'm in the mood for. Then there's horror and-" Shuichi stopped mid-sentence, as if just waking up from a dream and not quite sure whether he was awake or still asleep. He looked at me, my head propped up on the heels of my hands, resting on my crossed legs, completely entranced by his nuanced, detailed reasoning and the depth of his appreciation for literature.

Unfortunately, he seemed to have decided that that was enough, as he coughed into his fist, "Well um, you get the idea." I frowned. I honestly wanted to hear more. I could have listened to him ramble on about his love of books and reading all afternoon! But, I realized that I have a list I need to adhere to. If I kept letting myself get sucked in by every explanation he could give, I wouldn't be able to get through even a third of it!

Disappointed though I was, I forced it down and pressed on. Eyes STILL on the prize! "Wow Shuichi, I had no idea you were so enthusiastic about reading!" He smiled.

"I just like exercising my brain. Things like puzzles, maps, figuring out the murderer in those games about that ace attorney before the characters do; I loved that sort of stuff when I was a kid. I do really enjoy movies, but when you read a book, it's up to you to imagine the world, the characters, everything that exists and everything that happens. It engages you a lot more and you can make the world as rich or shallow as you want.

"A movie will always look the same to everyone who watches it, but everyone has slightly different ways of thinking about what characters or settings in a book look like. So… yeah, I just think it's fun to get the motor in my brain running whenever I can." I nodded my understanding to him.

"I think I get what you're saying. Every piece has the same notes, the same number of rests, the same number of beats to sustain a note, but true musicians are able to take those pieces and make them into something unique to them. Something about the way they play, the energy they put into it, whether they decided to play some passages piano, and others forte; they can turn even the strictest of pieces into something that only they would ever think to play."

Shuichi smiled at me as I finished talking. It was that same warm, gentle smile he had when I told him about my dream to compose music for movies and games. He was the first person I had ever told that to. And to hear him say that he believed I could do it… I felt like I could have just floated right out of the room. The same way I feel I could now, "W-what? Did I say something weird..?" I clutched at my elbow as I fidgeted under his benevolent stare.

"No, not at all Kaede. I just really enjoy listening to you talk about music, is all."

"Oh… really? Oh wow, thank you. Nobody's ever said they've enjoyed listen to me talk about music, particularly the piano. People usually just either want me to play or to just shut up about it."

"I would never do that, Kaede. Listening to how enthusiastic you get talking about it; I find it really endearing." How is he doing this!? I'M supposed to be in control here! This is MY interrogation! Why does he have to be so damned charming!?

I clutched the hand holding my elbow, clutching up a fistful of my sleeve, "How… how can you just casually say such embarrassing things like that?"

"What was that?"

"I SAID, next question! So we discussed your favorite book and author, what about movie?"

"My favorite movie, huh? Well, let's see… there's is this one about a Catholic priest that everyone loves, but the principal sister of the church's parish school is convinced he's molested one of the students. The whole movie really gives you just enough reasons to believe that he could or couldn't have done it. It's a really interesting and engrossing demonstration of how difficult it can sometimes be to discern what is true and what isn't. I guess, as a detective, that sort of story really resonates with me."

I could feel my eye give a little twitch, but I kept my smile up. Another trip into Dour Town, courtesy of tour-guide, Shuichi, "I-I see. That does sound pretty… enthralling, haha." I'm gonna hurry up and get us past this part of the tour, "Alrighty then, let's try a simple one this time; what's your favorite color?"

"Do we really need to be talking so much about me? What about you?"

"Oh, no no no no no, I don't think so. You are in my house, Saihara, literally! I rule this domain, therefor, what I say goes. And what I say, is that we are going to talk about you and only you!" Thankfully, that seemed to nip any delusion he might have had that I was going to let him turn this around on me in the bud, "Now then, favorite color." I fixed him with an expectant gaze and the cockiest smirk I could muster. Exerting my home-turf authority was pretty satisfying, actually. I got this.

"My favorite color? Well… um…" He was beginning to fidget in his seat. He reached his hand up to toy with his bow tie, which I found confusing. How in the world could his favorite color be something he could get embarrassed about? "It's ahm… y- yellow."

I was shocked. Considering his other tastes and the way he dresses and his overall personality, I thought for sure it would be something darker or cooler, like blue, or black, or maybe even purple. I was definitely not expecting yellow.

"Really? Huh. Well, I gotta admit, I wasn't expecting that. What makes yellow your favorite color?" I could swear I now could see steam rising up from his ears and face. He crossed his arms in front of himself and began scratching at his cheek, refusing to look at me. I tilted my head, confused. I definitely wasn't expecting this question of all questions to be the one to get such an intense reaction from him. I leaned in towards him, partly out of curiosity, partly because I was actually a tiny bit concerned about him, "Shuichi? Are you okay?"

He seemed to tense up even more, seemingly very interested in the texture of our couch. Then I heard him mutter something. It was a breath above a whisper, like the air displaced by a butterfly's wing beat, "What? I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you." His bangs hung down as he seemed to tense up even more, if that were even possible. Again, he muttered something, slightly louder this time, but no where near coherent enough for me to decipher, "Hmmm?" I leaned in even closer to him, now barely more than a foot away from his face.

"It's the color of your hair…"

My mind went blank. I leaned back into my original position and just kind of… stared at him. I was aware my mouth was hung open and that I was attempting to form words, but it was as if there was a drain plug, stopping anything from exiting. I blinked once, twice, three times, four times… I stopped keeping track after that. Shuichi kept himself tightly wound up, no doubt wondering what I would say next. I too was wondering about that as well.

I felt as if I wasn't actually me. I was inside my body, but my body was not actually me. Everything I saw and felt felt as if I was experiencing it auxiliary. Like being in a car, knowing that you're moving, but you yourself are not actually going anywhere. At last, I felt a crack in the dam of my throat, and one squeak was able to leak out, which immediately broke down the remainder of the structure.

A-ah um… I uh… I… excuse me, I- I really need to use the restroom. Is- is that okay, Shuichi?" He finally looked up towards me once again, a beam of slight confusion beaming through the clouds of his embarrassment. He no doubt was wondering why I would ask for his permission to use my own restroom. Particularly after my whole little 'this is MAH house!' spiel. Nevertheless, he nodded, and even managed to breathe out, "Yeah."

"Thank you. I'll be right back, okay?" I rose from my seat and felt my legs, that were also not my legs, wobble for a split second. I caught myself on the couch's armrest before turning to head down the hallway towards the bathroom. Even though it only took me maybe about ten seconds to get there, it still surprised me to find myself already standing in front of the door. I felt as if I had been walking on air, never once feeling my feet connect with the floor beneath me. I reached for the knob and, at first, knocked my knuckles into the door just beneath it.

I didn't even look at the knob. I just couldn't do anything but stare right into the smooth, sanded, white tundra of the door. Finally, I felt my hand flop, like a mangled frog, around the knob and swung the door inward. Once inside, I grabbed the knob with both my hands, behind me, walked backwards and shut the door.

Leaning against the door, on my own, away from Shuichi; everything I think I was meant to have felt in that very moment, but for some reason, somehow, got delayed some where along the way, suddenly came running up from behind me like a hulking, powerful lioness springing forward to take down it's prey. She grasped me with her enormous clawed paws. I could feel the weight of her mass upon me, forcing me down to the ground. The pressure she brought down upon me was sudden, strong, and terrifying. Then, her powerful jaws came down upon my jugular, and unfortunately… that spelled the end for me.

I sucked in an enormous breath through my nose, inflating my lungs as quickly as a helium tank does a balloon. Then, from deep within my diaphragm, with the pressure of a fire hose, a shriek erupted from within me that, had not muffled by my lips that I had clamped tighter than lock, any vice, any skull crushing jaw in the animal kingdom could ever hope to match. The heat. My ears felt as if they both had the muzzle of a hairdryer directly upon them and every inch of my facial real estate above my mouth was ablaze with the fury of a thousand suns.

I slid down until I came to a kneeling position, resting against the face of the door. My face was in my hands, but even their relative coldness soon melted against the heat of my face, which felt like you could probably fry an egg on at this point. Now, my thoughts finally could take form.

How, HOW is he able to do this to me!? Where the hell did that even come from? He shows up in his prom outfit, barely able to move once we get inside, NOW he starts shooting off nonsense like THAT? This isn't fair! At this rate, I don't even know if I can handle getting through the rest of my questions. Now that I've entered into dangerous territory. Who knows how many more land mines are waiting around for some unsuspecting piano freak to oh so confidently and brazenly come waltzing through, thinking she's got everything figured out and under control!

Just….GAGH! Why is he so! Freaking! CUTE!? Is it illegal to be that adorable? It sure as hell feels like it SHOULD be! Every moment I spend with him is just one more opportunity for him to show off how absolutely, irritatingly, unbelievably wonderful he is! How can I even hope to get through the rest of this visit? Officer down, officer down! Detective Kaede Akamatsu, requesting backup!

A/N: Holy shit. I went into labor to deliver this chapter. It is by far, the longest chapter I've ever written for anything. 6000+ words. Jeez. Unfortunately, I'm the sort of writer that doesn't fully know what they are going to write until they actually sit down and start. It makes the whole process unpredictable. But I guess, at least, it's never boring.

I don't know where I was or what I was doing with the beginning of this chapter. I think I was just desperate to start getting something onto the page, so I went with something that I thought would… do something. Anything! So long as it wasn't nothing and it could get the ball rolling. Thankfully, it accomplished both those things. Well, so with the way I seem to be writing this, there's a possibility this may end up being more than 5 chapters. Unless I make ALL of them as long as this one. Who knows, maybe I will do that. But whatever, it's 1AM, I'm tired, I think I'm slightly buzzed on kombucha, and I'll probably regret how informal and haphazard this note is once I've finally gotten some sleep, but that's future me's problem.

Anyway, as always, please tell me what you guys think, both positive and constructively negative. Thanks for reading, have a fantastic day/night.