A few opening words: Sorry for the long delay, there's a lot going on round here. I have also been writing another fanfic on the side, which has sorta interfered a bit with my schedule for this one. Anyway, I won't keep you waiting anymore. Enjoy…

Sakaki stood, her hands on her hips, in the doorway of the storage room. Looking over her arsenal, she mentally listed the weapons and the situations they were most effective in. After running through the list several times, she decided that the knives would be the best weapons to take when she and Chiyo went shopping. Their shape would make them easy to conceal, and they were quiet, unlike a gun. Even though Sakaki herself didn't know how to use them effectively, her body did, and she trusted her body. She figured that she must've had martial arts training in the past, and her training became part of her instincts. This would explain why she was able to use them without knowing how.

Sakaki shifted her thoughts to how she would conceal the two knives. They had 8 inch blades, and the handle was roughly 4 inches long, making the whole thing about a foot in length. She couldn't strap them to her thighs, there was no way to conceal them there, nor did she have any tall boots to hide them in. If her hair was still as long as she had been told it was, she might have been able to use it to hide the knives. Sighing, Sakaki reached up and ran her fingers through her hair. Raising her arms up, she stretched her tired muscles. The two girls hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, for obvious reasons. Glancing over at her raised arms, it hit her like a ton of bricks. The perfect way to hide the knives.

Sakaki dashed inside, and into the bedroom where they put their clothes. Even though she didn't have any of her own, aside from what she was wearing, they were able to make due with a few pieces of Chiyo's mom's clothes that fit. It wasn't much, a pair of slacks and a few T-shirts. They hadn't bothered trying the underwear, Chiyo had insisted that they wouldn't fit Sakaki's 'physique' as she had put it. It didn't matter, they'd get some when they went shopping. Rummaging through the bags, she quickly found what she was looking for. It was a shirt with sleeves too long to be a T-shirt, yet too short to be long sleeved. They would come down to just past her elbow. Good, she thought, it's the right length. Sakaki ran back towards the garage, but stopped briefly as she passed by the living room. Chiyo was hard at work, so much so that she didn't even notice Sakaki run by. From what she could see, Chiyo had most of the rifle already assembled; she could see the rifle leaning against her shoulder. Deciding not to bother her, Sakaki continued to the garage.

Sakaki walked into the garage at a brisk pace, throwing off the long sleeve shirt she was wearing long the way, knowing full well she wasn't wearing any underwear. It didn't bother her though, there was no one in the house other than Chiyo, and she was a girl. Sakaki set the shirt aside and grabbed one of the knives, the blade secured firmly in its sheath. She took it, sheath and all, and held it against the inside of her bicep, handle towards the elbow . It was the perfect length. She wound the attached straps around her arm and pulled them tight, strapping the other to her other arm. Sakaki swung her arms around; it wasn't overly uncomfortable. The blade end of the sheath rested against her armpit, but not so much that it was uncomfortable. The handle came down to just before the elbow, unnoticeable unless someone looked closely. Sakaki pulled the shirt on, and was pleased to find that it fit loosely on her arms, helping concealing the knives well. The sleeve length was good too, covering the knives with some room to spare. She crossed her arms and took hold of the two knives. In one fluid motion, she pulled back her sleeves and drew them, one in each hand. Reversing the motion, she sheathed both at the same time. Sakaki repeated the exercise several times, until she was comfortable with it. Perfect.

Sakaki returned to the living room, where she found Chiyo looking through the rifle's scope. The weapon itself was complete, minus the scope, and was sitting upright on the table, supported by the attacked tripod. Chiyo turned and looked at Sakaki through the scope.

"Hehe, I can see your nose hairs Sakaki!" She laughed.

"Was it easy to put together?"

"Yeah, took less than a minute once I figured out how it worked. It seems to be built like this, so it can be taken apart and reassembled easy, like the ones in those spy movies. The scope has tons of zoom too!"

"Less than a minute? What have you been doing the rest of the time?"

"Practicing assembling it. Also, I was tinkering with the scope. It was a little out of focus, but I fixed it." She quickly attached the scope to the rifle. "I hope you don't have to use it, it looks quite deadly."

"Me too, Chiyo-chan. Now, what do you say we go do some shopping?" Chiyo's eyes lit up.

"Great! I can pick up some groceries to fill the fridge, and-" Sakaki cut her off.

"This place has a fridge?"

"Yeah, the people who moved out must've left it here. As I was saying, I can get some stuff and make us some real food!" Her expression darkened. "But didn't you say we shouldn't go out? That the Grey Men would be looking for us?"

"We won't have to worry. They wouldn't be stupid enough to try anything in public, in the middle of the day. Besides," She paused, and quickly drew both knives, falling into a fighting stance at the same time. "I think I can protect us."

So far, all their shopping had gone as planned. They had picked up everything Chiyo thought they would need – and a little more – at the grocery store. They had also picked up a small LCD TV, only 18 inches, a DVD player, some movies, a few books and board games. The store clerk at the grocery store was nice enough to let them have a shopping cart too, so all they actually had to carry was the backpacks and what was in them. Looking over their supply of food, Sakaki still thought it was a lot. When she queried Chiyo on it , she answered "Because Sakaki-san is a big girl, and big people need more food." Her tone made it sound like a mother talking to a child. Sakaki was in awe of the girl. She seemed so innocent now, yet at other times showed the maturity of someone twice her age, particularly the night before. Sakaki checked her mental list; all they had left to do was pick up some clothes for Sakaki, and something that could conceal weapons easily. She didn't let Chiyo in on that last detail.

The whole time they were shopping, Sakaki's head was on a swivel, constantly alert for any sign that they were being watched or followed. It was unnecessary, but she didn't want to put Chiyo in any danger. To tell the truth, she was a little worried that they might be spotted, but she didn't tell Chiyo. Almost at random the small girl stopped walking. They were standing in front of an arcade, and out front was a Crane game filled with stuffed animals. Sakaki looked at Chiyo quizzically. Chiyo looked at the machine, then back at Sakaki.

"Is something wrong, Chiyo?"

"No, nothing. It's just that, before what happened, you used to be all over cute things and stuffed animals. And now, you've changed. You're more serious, and talkative, than you were. You're still you, but it's like something's missing. It's just…different…"

Sakaki sighed, and knelt down beside Chiyo. She put her hand on Chiyo's shoulder. "Look Chiyo, no matter what happens, I'll always be me. Even if I've forgotten most of my past, and all about you guys, that doesn't mean it's lost forever. I'm sure I'll recover my memory eventually, so you shouldn't worry." Chiyo seemed to cheer up a bit. "Anyway, I think I see a store with what we're looking for up ahead."

Sakaki had been right about the store. It did have everything she was looking for. Right now, she was looking for the last item, the one she didn't tell Chiyo about. Chiyo was currently saving their place in line at the cashiers, a line that was quite long too. Sakaki looked through a coat rack, frowning. There was nothing that would work. But then she turned, and saw exactly what she wanted. Worn by a mannequin was a long black fabric trench coat, only a few pockets on the outside, but had tons on the inside. It seemed to be the only one the store had, so she pulled it off the mannequin and put it on herself. Sakaki smiled, it was a perfect fit. Sakaki made a few quick movements, similar to what she would be doing in a fight, and was pleased to find that the lightweight fabric didn't restrict her movement at all. She was about to take it off to go and pay for it, when she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"Ya look dangerous there, miss Sakaki." Sakaki turned, and was met with the usual vacant stare of Ayumu Kasuga, more commonly known as Osaka. "What do you mean, Ayumu-chan?"

"Something about the way you moved back there, and your eyes…" She stared into Sakaki's eyes. It was an odd feeling, it was almost unsettling. Now I know why dogs hate this, she thought. "Hey, you just called me Ayumu-chan!" Sakaki was floored by her comment.

"Um…yeah, that is your name, right?"

"Yes, but everyone calls me Osaka. Call me Ayumu though, I like it more."

"Sure, Ayumu. I better get going, Chiyo-chan is probably waiting. You want to come?"

"I can't, I have important business ta take care of. I'll see you guys tomorrow, with everyone else."

"Bye, Ayumu-chan. See you…" Sakaki didn't bother to finish. Ayumu wasn't listening. She was in deep concentration, apparently unable to decide between the two shirts she held, despite the fact that they were the same in every way. Sakaki shook her head in confusion, and headed for the cashiers.

Sakaki arrived at the cashier and was pleased to find that there was no longer a line. She set the coat on the counter, and went to take out her money.

"You wanna buy this?"

Sakaki stopped, and looked at the woman behind the counter. She wore a card that said Manager on it.

"Yes. How much?"

"It's very expensive." She showed Sakaki the price tag, which she hadn't seen. Sakaki didn't have nearly enough money. She sighed, and went to take it back to the shelf, but was stopped by the manager.

"Wait. You're the first person I've met who wanted to buy this and didn't even hassle over the price. Christ, that thing's been here for years. Tell ya what, I'll give it to you."

"Really?"

"Sure. I've grown tired of staring on it. And you're also the first girl I've seen that might actually look good in it too."

"Wow…thank you!"

"Just be sure to come back whenever you need any more clothes, ya hear?"

"I will. Have a nice day!"

"You too dear!"

As Sakaki left the store, she heard the store clerk mumble to herself. "Such a nice girl…"

Chiyo was waiting outside with their cart, humming to herself. Sakaki approached, and she looked up.

"Did you find what you were looking for, Sakaki-san?"

"Yes. Lets head back, shall we?"

"Hai!"

Sakaki fell into step with Chiyo. The small girl hummed to herself, not a care in the world. Sakaki on the other hand, was ever vigilant. No one would be stupid enough to attack them. Not on her watch.

Author's notes: I don't like how this chapter ended either, but I couldn't think of anything else at the moment. Anyway, the next chapter might be a while, I'll be away for the weekend (family reunion). I'll try to write some while I'm there.

Also, in the next few minutes, I'll be posting the prologue to the fanfic I've been writing on the side. It's for Azumanga Daioh also, and takes a different path than both of my other fics. Anyway, it won't be updated as often till this one and the other are done. Basically, I just wanted to put up something. Keep an eye out for it if you like.

Anyway, till next time…