Oh god I'm so sorry that took forever and a half, but I couldn't find the right proverb for the scene and it needed to be perfect or else it just would have all fallen apart. Real life also kinda kicked my ass, but I swear with two weeks of vacation and then another two weeks before school starts I'll try to work on this. I'm really sorry! I'm already working on the next chapter, I swear! I'll try to have it out by Friday night but I have no guarantees!

Also, thanks so much to those that reviewed. I'm really grateful!

Disclaimer: Do not own.

Warnings: Unbeta'd spoilers up to and always including the most recent chapters.

Chapter 2

"Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" Satsuki stood in her room, calling out for her mother repeatedly, expecting her to appear any moment.

Hachi was running around the house, trying to get everything in order. She had been up late working on a new pattern for her work and, when she woke up, she had been appalled at the mess she had left. So on top of making lunch for herself and Satsuki, she also had to clean the apartment's living room.

And now Satsuki was making it even more difficult by continuously calling out.

"What is it hunny?" Hachi asked, bending over to pick up another set of scissors. Why had she needed all these scissors the night before?

"I can't find my favourite socks."

Hachi's face turned into a smile. It was stupid, to be so happy to hear her daughter complain about little things, but she never took Satsuki's little quirks for granted. She was so like her after all.

"Are you talking about the striped ones Uncle Ren bought you?"

"Yes! And I can't find them!"

"That's because I'm washing them. Don't you have another pair of striped ones?" Hachi already knew the answer, but she enjoyed indulging her daughter.

"Yes. But they aren't the same." Hachi heard Satsuki's resignation though, and knew she'd be seeing her daughter in no time, dressed and ready to be taken to school.

Hachi was finishing up with her cleaning and just about ready to finish packing up the bentos when Satskui came flying out of her room, skidding across the floor and flopping down to put on her shoes.

"Come on Mom! We'll be late!"

Hachi only smiled as she calmly continued to pack up the lunches.

"Will you excuse me? Excuse me. Hey, are you even listening?" Hachi realized she was mostly talking to herself as she tried to push away from the reporters that crowded her. It had been almost eight years, why did they still bother her? She glared as she gave a rather forceful push and finally made it into her office's front door. The security guard looked slightly sheepish but Hachi just waved him off.

"Sorry Ichinose-san, I don't know where they come from."

"It's alright. I'm just wondering why today?" Hachi gave a glance over her shoulder to look outside at the flashing photographers. "Looks like I'll be eating in for lunch though." She gave the security guard an open smile and made her way up the stairs to the studio where her co-workers were already hard at work, stitching together the patterns for a dress they had been commissioned to do.

"Hey Nana!" Hachi's co-worker Minori stood from her sewing machine, looking concerned, and even more mouse-ish than she already was. Hachi wondered if she had been harassed by the paparazzi on her way in, or if something else had made the usually well-groomed, if not plain girl, so frazzled. "I'm glad you got in fine. The photographers came out from no where."

Hachi sat down at her own station, shifting through the designs that had piled up in the few hours she wasn't here. "I was fine. I've gone through worse."

"Yes, but…" Minori seemed unsure as she sat down, going back to work.

"I'm just interested in why today? There's nothing important going on that I know of. What have the paparazzi got to with a small design company like ours?"

"Maybe it has to do with one of our worker's famous husband?" Another of the women called, and though the comment stung, Hachi knew it had been meant to be teasing.

"Maybe." She muttered to herself, plastering a smile on her face as she began to draft the patterns.

The day dragged on longer than it should. Hachi mused that if she had been younger it would have been more painful, but she had things to occupy her mind as she worked. Things such as what she would cook for dinner, or how this new dress would turn out. Mundane things.

Definitely not Nobu.

Hachi smiled a little to herself just thinking about him. But she dutifully shook her head like good wife she was supposed to be playing to the public eye.

She hadn't spoken with Nobu since he went back to his family's hotel a couple weeks ago, and while they both had agreed it was best to not speak to each other outside of necessity, wasn't it good to call your friend once in awhile? But that had been the problem last time. She had gotten too excited and had jumped into a relationship with him before ending it with Takumi.

"What are you thinking about, Nana?" Minori asked, sitting down next to Hachi as they both ate their lunch.

"Oh, just how long this day is going. It's never ending." Hachi took another bite of her lunch. "And what I'm going to make Satsuki for dinner."

"Such a doting mother aren't you?" Minori gave an envious sigh. "I wish I lived your life sometimes Nana."

Hachi looked into her lunch, not sure how to respond. She had always wanted to be thought of as someone to envy. She had had dreams of being looked up to at one point, but now… her life wasn't really all that great in reality. Certainly parts were good, but other parts.

"Beep!" Her phone jiggled, bringing Hachi out of her musing. She picked it up, Minori looking at her with interest.

"Nobu?" Hachi whispered the name of the person who had sent her the text, and immediately she flipped her phone open, reading the words with fervor.

"A good husband is healthy and absent."

Hachi stared at the phone for a good long minute, unsure how to react to the message she was reading. Her phone beeped again to tell her there was another text message. She opened it.

"I didn't mean to send that!"

Hachi laughed then, as she could almost imagine Nobu's expression of horror at knowing he had sent her something so… suggestive. Minori looked over her shoulder, trying to peak at the phone Hachi was now clutching tightly to her chest as she laughed.

"Hey, hey? What are you laughing at?" Minori continued to peak over Hachi's shoulder as Hachi began to text back. "'Are you busy?' Heh? Who is that? Your husband?" Minori was looking at Hachi's side profile.

"No. A friend."

Her cellphone beeped again and she read Nobu's next text.

"Just sitting at the front desk. Are you?"

Minori watched Hachi's face literally break into a grin as she moved through her address book, and calling Nobu's cellphone.

This time Hachi was able to envision Nobu's reaction.

"You're so implusive Nana." His voice sounded over the phone and Hachi had to stop herself from letting out a squeal that was much too young for her age.

"But you're not busy, and I'm not busy."

Nobu sighed. "How have you been?"

"Bored. Nothing exciting has happened."

"I hardly believe that's possible, what with Satsuki." Nobu sounded fond as he spoke.

"Well I guess she's exciting but nothing otherwise. What about you?"

"Just learning the business of being a good host." Hachi laughed. "I did start a night job, going to the local clubs and bars, places Blast used to frequent, and have been listening to the sound of the underground music here. It's pretty good. I've started to offer lessons."

"For free I bet." Hachi was all smiles, thinking about Nobu teaching teens some better tricks to composing and playing. She knew he would have never been able to give it up all the way. That was why him and Yuri had dissolved so spectacularly. That was the reason why she and him had ended.

"Well they don't have money to pay and it's not like I'm particularly strapped for cash, what with not needing anything."

"You need things."

"Not like you Nana. Who needs something new everyday." It was meant to be teasing but Hachi got defensive.

"I've gotten better Nobu!"

She could see him nodding as he probably fidgeted with something. Well, actually, he probably didn't fidget anymore; Nobu was more mature now. He probably only looked neutrally at whatever he was holding in his hand. "I'm sure you have Nana. I was the one who contacted you first after all."

Hachi nodded, thinking long and hard about that fact. He had been, so that meant he was missing her as much as she was missing him. Maybe even more. Well, actually, Hachi wasn't sure it was possible for anyone to miss someone as desperately as she missed, but it was probably close.

She heard Nobu sigh. "I was wondering… this is stupid sounding I know, but maybe, in a month or so you and I could meet up. Maybe around the end of November. My parents are letting me take a weekend off right before the holidays and I was hoping on coming to Tokyo and seeing Shin and Yasu, so maybe I could stop by and see you and Satsuki as well. Have dinner or something, I dunno."

Hachi's ears picked up, and her whole body surged forward as she stood and began pacing the lounge. "I, I would really like that."

"You don't think…" Nobu cut himself off of that train of thought quickly. Hachi wasn't controlled by Takumi. He was barely ever home to control her.

"Dinner is dinner Nobu." Hachi didn't sound too sure, it almost felt like she was asking him a question.

"I won't let you drink." Nobu tried to reassure her.

Hachi felt her arms hug herself and she shook her head to clear it. "I'd like to see you again."

She couldn't see, or even feel how much Nobu's face lit up at that declaration. "Then it's a date."

"Yes." Hachi clutched the phone tightly, trying not to regret the wording. "We'll stay in touch, right?" Being positive made it harder.

"Of course." Nobu's voice reassured her that this was how it was supposed to be. "I'll talk to you later, okay? Tell Satsuki hi for me."

Hachi nodded as her hand grasped the phone tigher. "I will. Bye Nobu."

"Bye."

They both hung up at the same time and stared at their phones. Hachi was brought out of her thoughts though, but Minori's soft voice.

"Is it hard?"

Hachi's head swung around and she almost collapsed against the wall, clinging to her phone, staring at the mousish girl.

Minori took a step closer to Hachi. "You aren't so perfect, are you, Nana?"

Hachi shook her head, putting on a fake smile as she did. "Nobu is a friend. We used to date, back when I first moved to Tokyo. We were friends first though, and so friends we stay." She began to collect her lunch as well as herself.

"He makes you happy though." Minori seemed questioning.

"He makes everyone happy. It's in his personality." That's right, keep telling yourself that it's not something he does to you alone. Just like Yasu, and Shin. Yasu protects everyone. Shin makes everyone feel like a princess. It's the way they are. Nobu makes everyone laugh. She wasn't special.

She just needed to focus on that to remind herself that happiness wasn't everything.

"You probably envy people with simple relationships."

Hachi laughed harshly at that, wrapping herself in what Junko labeled her "Takumi armour." "Minori, I don't really know if I want to envy anyone. Everyone has secrets after all." Even her. Even Nana.

Minori wisely kept her mouth shut, as Hachi cleaned up her tray.

End Chapter