A week has passed since Touko started having issues with coffee's smell. She didn't say a word for the meantime, but since she was extremely fearful of anything with a strong smell –besides herself in the old days, Togami didn't pay much attention to her complains.

Something the blond wasn't aware of was her constant dizziness in the morning. She was hiding it very well, because when she was in the bath, the young man was preparing breakfast. It took him a while to learn how to cook an egg, and even more to prepare pancakes. But once he mastered it, he actually found it quite relaxing.

"Touko, you look tired." Said Kyouko Kirigiri. The girls bumped into each other at the cafeteria, and were in the corner near the air fan that kept the place with the perfect temperature. That was, far from the coffee maker.

"I-I'm okay.." whispered the brunette with a weak smile on her face. Her friend was right, she was tired.

She had no intentions of worrying Byakuya with something that unworthy. It must have been something she ate; it wasn't unusual for her to have a delicate stomach. Touko remembered the last time she told the blond she wasn't feeling very well. A whole team of specialists to diagnose a cold was called immediately.

The detective never speaks when she's eating, and to be honest that was bliss at the moment. That doesn't mean, of course, she wouldn't stare for what Touko thought to be hours. Was she analyzing her?

"I won't push you, Touko." said Kirigiri with a soft smile before eating the last berry in her yoghurt. "But just in case, remember to call me if you ever have any doubts. We are friends now."

Kyouko left the cafeteria without expecting an answer from the brunette, leading to the department where something more mysterious than Touko Fukawa's innocence awaited. The first despair student finally decided to speak about despair.

There she was. Placed in a secure room where she couldn't harm other or herself, Sonia Nevermind surely didn't look like her virtual self. Her hair once gorgeous was tangled, her face was less rounded and her eyes didn't have the usual sparkle.

"What is her behavior?" asked Kyouko to the brunette standing in the observing room, on the other side of the tainted window.

"She… demanded to see him. In private."

Asahina Aoi sighed with frustration, refusing to face Sonia much to Hagakure's displease. The fortune-teller crossed his arms and stepped forward to Kirigiri. "She won't eat until we show her what happened with Gundam Tanaka and the others. She hasn't showed any despair symptoms yet, or any weird behavior. Uh… I dunno, perhaps we should just tell her he is un—"

"Oh stop it, please. Don't be so insensitive." hissed the swimmer with coldness.

"I think Hagakure is right. If she wants to cooperate, we might as well grant her that request. It's only fair, besides we have enough protection around the students. She won't go by herself."

The young man scratched his head, now neatly styled with a ponytail. He was trying to grow a beard, which gave him a morning look that made almost impossible to take him seriously, according to Byakuya Togami. "We should have a meeting with the others… y'know, to discuss who will take her and stuff."

Asahina rolled her eyes. It was always like this. Hagakure was a coward with situations that required some guts. He was great handling with normal citizens under despair influence than anything related with the despair itself. Those students. The first time Sonia Nermind moved a finger the whole department ended in chaos because of him.

"Fine. I'll go pick up Naegi and tell Togami and Touko as well."

Kyouko Kirigiri stepped outside the room and used her phone to call the brunette. After a few seconds the sound of his voice reassured her.

"Hey, Kyouko. Is everything okay?"

During that time Touko had spent her evening debating with Byakuya about a new strategy he planned to put into gear as soon as possible. A new method to sell air masks, pretty similar to the days he used to sell socks. It was no mystery for the rest of the Foundation that he started a new emporium fabricating and selling survival kits. Of course, with the new World, the prices were much lower than what they would be in normal conditions.

Someone knocked on the door, ending the discussion about whether it was a good idea or not to sell different colors in addition to different sizes.

"What is it, Kirigiri?" inquired the blue eyed with a serious look.

"We have an urgent meeting. The six of us. Naegi will join us as soon as possible but we need to discuss an urgent matter right now."

"I guess we have no choice. But I really hope it's important, you people know how much I hate when you disturb me and Touko's agenda."

People. They weren't peasants anymore. That was Byakuya's Togami change in a nutshell. They made their way behind Kyouko's in silence. When they arrived at the elevator, Touko grabbed Byakuya's hand. Of course, Kirigiri wasn't even facing them so she didn't notice, but the blonde firmly held his partner's hand. Touko Fukawa hated closed spaces.

Everyone had a seat around the table in the meeting room. Hagakure and Asahina finally stopped their argument by then.

"Your time is running. Talk. " hurried Togami.

"As you were informed, a despair student woke up and wants to help us. Let me say first that she is asking to see someone in particular, but we don't know what she can do if she contacts someone with the same despair condition as her. She has been under vigilance from Aoi and Hagakure, but it seems they can't have an agreement."

"Oi, don't say it like that! I just think she's still a psycho… W'knows man."

"Hagakure. Shut up and allow me to think about this for a moment."

It was well known that Togami had a better understanding of any situation than Hagakure, but was too cold to interact with patients. That meant Byakuya Togami had no interest or skills to socialize with others.

Touko had been listening in her corner, biting her thumb in silence. She was afraid of what could happen if the rest of the comatose students woke up. She had read the files concerning each one of them beforehand; she knew what horrors they committed in the past.

"I think we should give her a chance."

"You're not being rational, Kirigiri."

The swimmer interrupted the other two. "But she's saying she wants to help us, right? I mean… I've been watching her and she seems a nice person. She only wants to see Gundam..."

"Sonia Nevermind is totally nuts Aoi! C'mon! I betcha'—

"You're being a fool again, Hagakure. Let's just think about the consequences, if we let her out it might be dangerous for everyone, isn't she the one who enslaved her own country? Everyone in this room should understand what power can do in the wrong hands. She's a leader, she's a—

"W-Why does she wants to see Tanaka?"

A heavy breath accompanied the silence between those walls. Apparently Touko wasn't aware she had just interrupted Togami, which brought uneasiness for everyone and a slightly irritated grimace from the blond.

Byakuya Togami brushed a hand against his hair and adjusted his glasses. "I can't think about something else besides love interest. That means she remembers something. "

"Togami, I've been thinking her subconscious is the key in this although her behavior has been purely instinctive. Sonia Nevermind doesn't seem to remember what she has done. It was us who erased all of that after all" muttered the young detective with a small wrinkle between her eyebrows.

"For God's sake Kirigiri, don't get emotionally involved just because you think she is like you!"

Everyone but Togami and Kirigiri gasped in atonement. Perhaps his words went too far this time, but the girl with lilac hair remained unchanging. After a few minutes of awkward silence, Togami gave in and offered an apology.

"I'll be in my office if anyone needs me, I'm tired. Touko… feel free to stay and discuss this if you feel like. I'm going ahead."

The door opened in the moment Togami stormed outside the room without a word, almost pushing Naegi the time he just arrived.

Unfortunately for the spike haired guy, everyone decided to postpone the meeting. Asahina and Hagakure left for good and Touko stayed with the "detective couple" a little longer while heading to Byakuya's office.

"Touko, are you sure everything is okay? You seem a little different."

"W-Why of course, Naegi! I'm just a little bit tired, like everyone."

Her lips curved in a smile for her friend, who received a glance from his girlfriend and quickly gave an excuse to leave the girls.

They were almost three corridors away from the office when Touko stopped and grabbed Kyouko by her shoulder to avoid falling.

"Touko! Are you okay?"

"I-I don't know… I feel dizzy. B-But I've been eating better, I promise!"

Kyouko quickly checked her pulse and helped her to sit. She cleared her throat and gently stroked her face with a serious expression. "Listen… We have been friends since that time. But I need to be honest with you and you need to visit a doctor. "

"N-No… I mean… I d-don't want to worry Byakuya with things like that. I c-cant."

In his office, Byakuya Togami was locking the strong box with the despair case files after hiding Sonia Nevermind's in his suitcase. After a while waiting in his chair he decided to look after Touko, it was getting late and the sun was setting, creating the best ambiance for chaos and danger.

Perhaps he said too much that evening. Perhaps he made a mistake leaving her partner's side. He felt uptight thinking about Touko agreeing with Kirigiri's childish idea and hurried. Apparently he was the only one in the corridor, judging by the silence that soon was broken with two familiar voices.

"I think you really should try, Touko. It's better for you and Togami to know what's exactly happening to you."

"… I-I never thought about that. Maybe you are right, Kyouko. I'll think about it, okay? B-But don't say a word to him! I don't want to worry anyone about something as futile as me."

Having heard enough –yes, he really hated when she started talking less about herself, he made a noise from a moderated distance so the girls would stop their chat and notice someone was coming their way.

"Touko, I thought you would stay in that group of mockery lovers."

"I'm sorry. I was about to go to the office, it's kind of messy and I have to arrange some papers."

"Leave the paperwork for tomorrow. Kirigiri, we're leaving. I'll be waiting another meeting this week if possible. And make sure that fool of Naegi is included. Perhaps he'll disagree with all the nonsense."

Togami took Touko's arm with care and left the detective on her own. His girlfriend didn't even try to put up resistance, she actually wanted to go home and start thinking about her friend's words. They weren't reassuring ones. In fact, they made things worse. Touko already decided she wouldn't do such thing, there was no way Kyouko Kirigiri would be right.

Not in a biological sense, but life never granted Touko's small wishes or hopes until she met Byakuya Togami. Never has luck smiled upon her until the day she was cornered in the huge library of the Togami's and kissed by the scion. Being a best-seller writer only gave her a small fortune that hardly bought her any happiness.

Girl talks were preposterous. Why would they talk about 'something' he couldn't be informed about? He, of all people, would never admit he was hearing someone else's conversation, and the heated argument of that evening wasn't going to help, he couldn't admit defeat to someone like Kyouko. She was the smartest person he knew besides himself.

At home, Touko went straight to her desk and checked a small agenda when Togami was taking a shower. There was a calendar every girl had somewhere in her belongings, and hers was written right there, in the last page of her purple pocket notebook. Something was slightly out of time, but she never was a 'regular' person, not even concerning things like periods.

But the doubt was still alive. All the way home she tried to think about something else, but it couldn't be helped. The small possibility was running down her spine with shivers. She bit her lip and decided to make a call while she was still alone in the studio.

"Touko, you scared me. Is everything okay?"

"… K-Kyouko. I need your help. I… I might do that test you mentioned. But I need someone to buy it for me… D-Do you think you can meet me tomorrow in the cafeteria?"

"I wasn't expecting you to take my advice. Of course I will. Tell me, is Byakuya already aware of this?"

"N-No! I mean… Not yet. I don't want to scare him. I just… made up my mind. I need to know."

"Fine. I'll be there at lunch. Meet me at our usual spot. Make sure to drink a lot of water beforehand, okay?"

"…"

"Touko, it's important. Please. Don't do anything stupid, everything will be fine, okay?"

"…O-Okay. Thank you. I—

Someone opened the bathroom's door and the steam started to dissipate outside the chamber.

"I have to go! See you tomorrow."

Byakuya had only a towel around his waist, and steam had left small drops of water in his torso. He took a can of cold coffee from the kitchen, taking more time than usual to think about what he could hear through the door. Touko was hiding something from him.

He joined the brunette without even bothering to change, sitting in the couch with his drink in his left hand. He was so used to his own apartment he could wander around the house without glasses, but not for longer. He knew his girlfriend was looking at his body. And he never minded.

"Touko, look at you."

"…M-Me? What is wrong with me?"

"You didn't take a shower in the morning. You said it was too cold and I—

"D-Do I smell that much?"

"Stop interrupting me. I allowed it back then at the meeting, don't expect me to do it again. Let's take a bath together. It's been a while since we used the Jacuzzi."

"What if I… What if I sneeze?"

"You have sneezed countless times since you live with me, and she hasn't showed up since I scolded her the next day we moved in. I guess you just suppressed her. Let's not talk about it, shall we? I have more important things to do, like spoiling you in a bath full of bubbles and all that scented girly things you like."

She smiled. Scared and happy at the same time, Touko Fukawa was certain she could not go wrong as long as she stayed by Byakuya Togami's side.