Blooming Azalea

SORRY FOR SUPER LATE UPDATE! I had left half of the chapter in my laptop at home while I went on a two month summer trip… so I was unable to work on it until I got back… sorry!

Also, I wrote out this long, awesomely descriptive opening for summer in Okinawa, and then I realized something. It's supposed to be December. So I had to delete my awesome opener and research the weather for December there. Grr.

Another note: 'Shisa's are statues that look like guardian lion-dogs; they're on every roof or gate. One has its mouth open to catch good fortune; the other has its mouth closed to keep good fortune in.

Anyways, enjoy~!

Chapter 5: A Deal

"A girl?"

Chilly wind bites at people strolling outside, clouds overhead making the day dim and unappealing. A gloomy atmosphere dominates the small islands of Okinawa, December having a firm hold over the residence. A certain russet haired man was leaning against a building, a cell phone pressed securely against his ear and shivers rolling off his shoulders. He tightened his arm around the light jacket he had on, protecting himself from the unforgiving cold of the wind.

"Yeah, and she seemed reluctant to answer any questions I asked." Kai had these phone calls outside to protect the listening ears of the girls. Right now though, he wished he could be inside, away from the wind.

"What kind of questions did you ask?" he could hear David's disapproving tone, probably assuming Kai had lost his temper and started screaming at her.

Well, he wouldn't be completely wrong to assume that.

"I asked where Haji was and why she was answering the phone… that kind of stuff." his eyes wandered to the Shisas on the roof's corners of Omoro. They were old and their paint was fading, chipped in some places. He wondered if he could have them fixed up…

"Kai!" he snapped his attention back to the phone call, apologizing quickly.

"Sorry David,"

"Stop daydreaming and pay attention," you'd think at his age, David would soften up or become friendlier. Wrong. If anything, he got more rigid the more he aged. Oh well, he wouldn't be the David Kai knew if he wasn't strict. "knowing you, you probably got irritated and yelled at her at some point." he opened his mouth to protest, but shut it quickly, knowing he couldn't fool David. "I'll call, but he could have just moved places again and the girl was the current owner of the apartment."

"David, you know Haji always informs us when he's moved to a new location. Why wouldn't he-"

"Haji can take care of himself, Kai. He survived the bombing at the MET, I think he'll be alright with a troublesome, queen-less chevalier." he made a grim line with his mouth. The MET. Haji had never revealed how he survived, but David and the others had made assumptions. He could have regenerated slowly by drinking the blood of rats or other animals over time, too weak to move but just strong enough to catch critters that passed by.

The only person Kai could imagine Haji would tell… was Saya.

Quickly diverting his thoughts from his dormant sister, he continued talking to David.

"Well, I would hope so."

"Have faith in him, Kai." said man was silent for a while, the topic seeming to close.

"How's Julia?" he quizzed, starting a new subject as he pushed himself off the wall, fed up with the nipping wind.

"She's doing well. The illness is seeming to dissipate; we're expecting a full recovery soon." David responded in a more positive tone.

"That's good. Tell her I said to feel better." a bright red ribbon appeared from behind a building, twirling through the breeze. It flipped and summersaulted through the air, Kai's eyes following it lazily as he approached the entrance to the restaurant and bar.

"Will do. I have to call Haji now, tell the girls I said hello." the ribbon carelessly twisted and turned, finally ending up in the open Shisa's mouth on Omoro's roof.

"Alright. Take care David." he snapped the cell shut, his eyes still on the ribbon hanging from the lion-dog's open mouth. "Good fortune hu?" he mused to himself, slipping the phone inside his jeans pocket.

A white knight sat proudly on its square, surrounded by allying pawns. A black knight was clearly threatening the opposing knight, on a route of attack. It was alone though, its allies sat behind him, seemingly protecting two pawns. The only piece that tagged along with the black knight was a black pawn.

"Well," the lone player of the chess game stated, rolling a black bishop between his pale lengthy fingers. "this is certainly a turn in events. The black knight is now protecting a pawn while trying to advance on the white knight." the man speaking to empty air harshly placed the black bishop on a square. "Will the black knight notice if…" he lifted the white knight, placing him around the darker horse, now aiming toward the two black pawns that were so heavily protected. "…it was replaced?" the black bishop slid in the spot the knight had previously resided in. "Or would it even be able to stop the advance, being so distracted by enemies?" A deadly smile curved on the man's face as he moved his pawns closer to the knight, closer to the pawn the dark horse was protecting.

"Your move, dark knight."

"I have to… leave?"

Haji's expression stayed neutral, nodding firmly. I chewed on my hair, trying to think of something to say as my mind scrambled. I had to leave. He was kicking me out.

Sounds of morning entered through the open window, the familiar curtains billowing softly. Cars driving by, honks, birds and the bustle of a Monday morning served as background noise to the two figures, one sitting up in bed, the other standing next to it.

A square of muddled light rested on the hardwood floor, proclaiming that the sun was just starting to crawl into the sky. An icy chill was set in the room due to the window that Haji had opened before approaching me. He delivered me lunch, and I scarfed it down without a second thought as to what I was stuffing in my face. When I was done he stated that he needed to change my bandages, and did so; smearing some wonderful cream over it and telling me I didn't need the wraps anymore, since I was mostly healed. He removed the bandages…

Then he told me I couldn't stay with him anymore.

'Was it something I did?' I wondered, abandoning my hair and chewing instead on my already chapped lip. "Why?" I meekly questioned, dropping my eyes to the bed. It was hard for me to make direct eye contact with him; he almost seemed like he was dead. His eyes were hard, void and lifeless.

"…" I felt his icy gaze boring into me, and I was extremely uncomfortable, repositioning myself so I was sitting back on my ankles. A stab of hurt twisted inside of me at his silent answer, and I sat quietly, mulling over what to say. Might as well tell him about the phone call…

"Last night… the phone rang and it woke me up. So… I answered it…" I peeked at him through my eyelashes. He seemed stiffer, but his face betrayed nothing. "some man wanted to speak to you and I told him you were asleep and he got angry… so I hung up…" I lowered my head even more, fearing a scolding from the man. "I'm really sorry…" there wasn't much more to say besides that, and apparently he didn't have anything to say either.

"I will drop you off at a hospital and they will take care of you." his voice was flat as ever, but somehow it hurt her more than the others. He was going to drop me off with someone else, to be somebody else's problem. I fought back the tears and felt shame wash over myself. I wanted to stay with this man strange enough… maybe it was the fact that he had saved me or that he had taken care of me all this time. Maybe it was the fact that he piqued my interest… if I was being completely honest with myself, I wanted to learn more about him. I wanted to investigate and know his secrets, why his hand was bandaged. 'He could be in a gang,' the excited voice in my head offered, 'maybe he lost a finger in a gang war! If he's in a gang, maybe that blonde guy who had broken in was an opposing gang!' my imagination soared, and fear inched into my heart as the possibilities grew. I didn't know a thing about this man, what was I doing staying at his apartment? It would be better if I left…

Unexpectedly, my mind's eye shoved me into a lost memory.

The box was dropped with a plop, heavy books and magazines occupying this cardboard square.

"Isn't this the last one?" the girl whined, kicking the box childishly. Her mother glanced at her over her shoulder, carrying in a much larger box labeled in black marker as "KITCHEN APPLIANCES".

"No, and you know it."

Oh… the young girl was me.

"Why do we have to move here? It's foggy, windy, cold… nothing like Okinawa! I hate it here!" her temper flared and she pouted, crossing her arms and glaring daggers at the moving truck outside the window. Her mother gave a long tired sigh, dropping the box carefully and brushing her mahogany strands from her face.

"Your father's job is very important; Paris, France is where he was required to go. You know this A-"

"Mother!" my vision blurred and I gasped, snapping out of my memory. It hurt. It hurt so bad. I gripped where my heart was, chocking back a sob as tears betrayed my weak resolve not to cry. "Why can't I remember?" I exclaimed, tasting frustration in the salty water. "Damn it!" my hands went to my head as I slammed my eyes shut, a headache pounding against the walls of my skull as I tried to retreat back into the flashback. "Remember… remember!" I cried hoarsely, feeling myself peel apart layer by layer.

A cold hand and smooth bandages firmly grabbed my wrists, pulling them down. I cracked my eyes open and sniffed sadly at seeing Haji staring at me. He was like a fallen angel, dark and mysterious and maybe even dangerous… but something pulled me to him.

"Stop." he ordered, holding me in his gaze. "Deep breaths." I did as I was told and took one shaky breath, slowly exhaling.

'Calm down!' I ordered in my mind, embarrassed at my sudden outburst of emotion. I took another slow breath and counted to ten in my head, feeling the previous emotions evaporate.

"Alright," I hated how my voice broke, how I couldn't even control my own emotions. 'I can't do anything right… that's why he's passing me on to someone else.'

"What did you remember?" he questioned slowly, still holding my wrists and my gaze. I couldn't look away from his frozen eyes. They were hard and emotionless, but under the surface I could sense a whirlwind of things. Things that I was sure if I peered into, I would fall deep into a rabbit hole I wouldn't be able to crawl out of. It sent shivers down my body and I forced my eyes to look away.

"We were moving here from Okinawa, Japan. I was angry, I didn't like it. My mother was there…" I tried to go back as far as I could without giving myself another pounding headache. "It was recent because I didn't look too much younger…" that would explain why I was in France… Haji stayed quiet, simply observing me as I awkwardly avoided his gaze.

"We should make our way to the hospital." with that, he released my wrists and stood. My mind fumbled over itself all over again, feeling my time for questions slipping away.

"H-Haji… who was that blonde man?" the room's silent as he doesn't miss a beat and retrieves his cello case off the wall, slinging it over his shoulder and holding onto one strap effortlessly. I suddenly connect the coffin like thing on his back to the music last night. "Was that you playing the cello outside last night? Oh, and where did you-"

Wordlessly, the man turned and exited through the door. I blinked, my sentence trailing off to a question mark as I absorbed his rejection. At the slam of the front door, I tumbled out of the bed and hurried after him.

"I'm sorry if I asked too many questions! In fact, I'm sorry about bothering you with everything, I'm sure you don't want your life pried into! Um- could you at least answer one of my questions? Please?" the cello case with legs halted in front of me and I had to put on the brakes to avoid colliding with him. He turned and I started biting on my hair again as his icy stare locked with mine. "Just one?" I was hoping I could pull maybe one answer out of this man, and tried to ignore the warning flags in my head telling me I might not want to know.

"One question," my face brightened up before hardening to try to pick out the most important answer I wanted. That blonde man seemed at the top of my list, but right under that was why he was kicking me out. I weighed them heavily; the blonde man, Nathan, would maybe put another piece of the puzzle together, satisfying some of my curiosity, but on the flip side, I also was hurt by the sudden ejection from his home and yearned for an explanation.

"I want to know…" I tasted blood and scrunched my face at the realization I had been gnawing on my lower lip, apparently enough to draw blood. "... who that blonde man was last night." I let my gut make the decision, and figured maybe I could squeeze another answer out of him if I was slick.

"Someone who is very dangerous and should be avoided." goosebumps ran down my arms, and my mind's eye replayed the image of his dark smile and odd talk. He had been there looking for Haji, and had instead found me. Was Haji in danger? Was I in danger?

"… That's why you're making me leave, isn't it?" he silently stared down at me and I had her answer for the second thing on my list. "Am I in danger?" concern seeped into my core. My mind tsked at me with an annoying 'I told you so' reverberating through my skull.

"Not as long as you are away from me." my mouth ran dry and he seemed unaware, turning back around and striding away from me. "Follow me to the hospital."

Pairs of shocked eyes stared into a room that looked like a tornado tore through it.

"The printing stations! How are we going to get the newspapers made now?"

"What happened here?" Nathan strolled in wearing his reporting outfit, looking less than overjoyed.

"Someone broke in and tore the place apart! The pictures and story you brought in are trashed, along with everything else!" a frantic employee explained, looking as if he was going to rip his hair out.

"Hm," 'Well played Haji.' It seemed after regenerating from the fight last night he had destroyed the news station. A little overdramatic, but he got his point across. 'So the game is on then.'

"What are we going to do?" the man was still wailing next to him, and Nathan smiled none too warmly.

"New strategy my dear," the employee furrowed his brow curiously and turned to question Nathan's meaning, but the blonde had disappeared.

In all of my time spent in this dreary place, I had never encountered this door unlocked. The handle turned easily for me, a chill kissing my palm.

"Who left this unlocked?" I hissed, looking over both of my shoulders. That ignorant newbie, most likely. I scoffed and released the door, turning my back and starting to walk away. Something made me halt in my tracks though.

If I went through that door, I could explore new places. Experiment and try out everything I was capable of. With no deadbeat workers or an infuriating blonde man looking over my shoulder at everything I was doing. A cynical smile curved my lips and I tipped my head to the side, sharp emerald eyes staring at the door. It sounded exciting. Something I could enjoy and take pleasure in.

"Sure beats this hell hole." I spun on my heel and approached the door again, my hand embracing the metal knob. It sent electricity through me to know there was more to do, and although I would have to deal with the dirty and unpredictable, I was more focused on the fun things. I hadn't felt this kind of jolt through my body since I cut that scientist. Who knew how much more of it I could greedily enjoy?

The wooden barrier swung to the side, revealing the street I had memorized through a window. Now there was no glass. My sock covered foot took one step out and I took a careful breath of the new air.

"Smells like filth," I sniffed, wrinkling my nose. "just as I thought it would." Oh well, there was much fun to be had. A man, not looking much older than Nathan, strolled down the street, glancing sideways and then doing a double take. An idea popped into my head and I strolled out of the building, apparently stunning the man in his tracks. He wore average looking clothes, middle class most likely.

"Where you headed girl?" I narrowed my eyes at the rude man, quickly digesting his attitude before spitting it out in sharp words.

"Trash, my name is not girl." he snorted and waved me away, starting to leave.

"Get home before a bad man snatches a pretty thing like you." his tone was nothing like how I had ever been addressed before, and it drove me absolutely mad. Before I could blink, his arm was twisted in the completely wrong direction, his scream erupting around me.

I tossed him to his knees, releasing his arm. If this was how everyone on the outside acted, I would readily put them in their place. Although, if Nathan caught wind of a rouge girl with vibrant green eyes breaking peoples arms I was sure it wouldn't take long for him to catch me. I sighed and glanced over at the doubled over man, cradling his arm and sobbing.

"Shut up, before I rip your worthless tongue out." his fear and horror made a smirk replace the disgruntled frown on my face, and I decided to play with him a little more before leaving him. I crouched down and snatched his chin off the ground, forcing him to look at me. "You will not tell anyone of me. You say it was someone else, I don't care who, but if I find out you described myself, I will find you and make your life hell." he nodded while trembling, tears and snot rolling off his face. I released him and stood up, trotting away from his body as I decided to explore every inch of this city.

The towering white building in front of them spelled 'Hospital', from what Haji told me, in wide black French letters. For me, it spelled 'Abandon'. I sighed and snuck a peek at Haji next to me, his gaze fixed straight ahead. He had bought me a jacket earlier since it was cold and undesirable weather for what I was wearing, and I now tightened it around my small frame.

It was obviously time to go, and I tried to put together the thank you I had been attempting to organize in my head on the way here. I cleared my throat and he peered at me from the corners of his eyes.

"Haji, I just wanted to say thank you for helping me. You went through a lot of trouble for me, and all I ended up doing was causing you trouble." I laughed lightly, but it felt forced as I swallowed the sudden lump in my throat. Disappointment seemed to be an emotion my current memory and a past memory apparently connected on, since a feeling of familiarity overcame me. Had I been constantly disappointing someone who I didn't remember anymore? My family? A friend? A memory played at the edges of my mind but I snapped back to the present and urged myself to finish. "I'm in debt to you, and I'll never forget you. Once I get my memory back, I'll find some way to repay you next time we meet."

"We won't meet again." his answer came out flatly, and I couldn't help but feel he was rejecting my offer. He just wanted me gone.

"Okay then, if we meet again." I offered a smile but again it felt forced. I just wanted to crawl in a hole and die right now.

Haji didn't respond, but held me in a slightly softer gaze than the icy one I was accustomed to. With a slight nod, he turned and started to leave. Something popped in my head and I suddenly yelled out to him.

"And I'll have to hear that cello if we meet again as well! You're really good!" he seemed to falter a step, but I could have imagined it.

Once he was out of my sight I let out a long breath and pushed back the wild onyx mane on my head. I was alone now. I would check into the hospital- maybe they could do something for my memory loss… they would know what to do. My parents or whoever was missing me would come retrieve me and I would meet Haji again and repay him somehow and my life would go along normally.

Somehow, I couldn't see that happening.

Pushing my thought to the back of my mind forcefully, I pivoted and headed through the sliding glass doors into the small white building.

"Bonjour, bienvenue à l'hôpital Cœur en santé. Comment puis-je vous aider?"

I cursed under my breath, realizing there may only be French speakers here, and that I could have to act out what I needed. Feeling ridiculous, I spoke in Japanese hoping the woman at the counter was bilingual. Unfortunately, the only response I got was a furrowed brow and a head cocked to the side.

"Do you have… any translators?" my hands made motions to signal the woman what I was talking about. She made a small exclamation before pressing a button and speaking into the intercom, French again. I waited patiently as the woman dressed in white held up a finger, signaling someone should be here soon.

"Ah, we have an Asian tongue here, do we?" smooth Japanese came from behind me, and I tightened my grip on the jacket as I turned. A short man dressed in scrubs approached me, smiling warmly. "What might be your name miss?"

I opened my mouth before closing it slowly, my mind running into a wall again.

"Well you see, I can't remember my name or too much of my past right now. I fell and hit my head, and when I woke up I didn't even know where I was." I explained quickly, feeling childish and scared. Everything was so unfamiliar; it made me ache to have something secure and familiar, like Haji. Even if I had just spent one day with him, he was still more comforting than this place. Plus he had saved me from getting killed… well, that was his side of the story. Would I ever know the truth?

"Amnesia… I see. Well we ought to give you a name so we're not just calling you girl. What temporary name would you like to be called?" the man stroke his smooth chin, looking over me.

A name? What would I liked to be called for now? I hadn't thought of that before… just making a name up for myself. In my mind I browsed through fun names, cool names, cute names and unique names until I finally picked one that stood out.

"Hana." I smiled at the way it sounded on my lips.

"Its meaning is blossom or flower. It's beautiful, stupendous choice." the man returned my smile and tapped his nametag. "My name is Doctor Chi, and I will be your doctor since I'm pretty sure I'm the only doctor in this facility who speaks Japanese. Since you suffer from amnesia I don't see any use in having you fill out a form since you don't know less than half of the information… come with me to a room."

I stayed close behind the man, scared I may get lost in the bustling people. I could hear French all around me; elderly and young sitting in chairs or going to and fro. Once they entered a long white hallway with many doors, I could smell the sterile cleaners and it made my stomach churn, wishing I could have some of the yummy food Haji had brought me this morning.

'Stop thinking about him, he's gone and not planning on coming back!' I scolded, and found myself licking my throbbing bottom lip, abused, chewed on and sore.

"Here we are Hana; room 14. Step inside and make yourself comfortable, I'll be back in a second." I nodded and crossed the threshold to the light blue room, a hard looking bed in the corner along with a sink, counter and a few chairs against the opposite wall. I decided to lie down on the bed and relax for a bit, clear my mind. My eyelids felt heavy as I curled up in the coat, imagining Haji's cello playing me to sleep.

After roaming the streets and finding civilization underwhelming, a certain smell caught my attention.

"I know this scent… blood." I froze in the middle of the sidewalk, my head snapping to the side. A large white building with the words 'Hospital' on it reeked of the crimson liquid. My mouth watered at the thought of it streaming down my throat, the warmth erasing any hunger or thirst I had.

Was this what I was supposed to feel? Is this what made me different, as Nathan had said? From the books I read, creatures that thirsted for blood were called vampires. Monsters with fangs that thrived on blood, immortal and couldn't survive in the sunlight. I don't recall ever drinking blood though… although… in hindsight; this explained why I was so enthralled with slicing that scientists arm and watching his blood escape. As for being immortal, it was possible. I had spent several years being poked and prodded, so maybe that was true. Couldn't survive in sunlight was false, for I was in direct sunlight at this moment.

I stood in front of the building, my long black hair whipping around me as the winds picked up. Wind! How odd it felt! I relished in the sensation until it stopped, moving my hair back to its rightful place. There was so much to do, to learn! Maybe people were boring, but everything else was not.

My thirst returning, I entered the white building, referring to my book knowledge to what purpose this place held. Taking care of ill and injured people, was what I read. The first thing I noticed was the place was extremely white. The floors, walls, hell even some of the people were dressed in all white. Strange, but something new. Brushing my knee length olive green dress, I made my way through all the people and followed my nose.

I never had this feeling before, but maybe it was because there wasn't spilt blood all around me besides my own. Now, as I smelt all the different spilt blood, my senses increased almost as if it released a more primal side of myself.

"Excuse me, miss? You have to check in." assuming the comment was directed towards me, I swiveled around to face the woman behind a counter. "You have to sign in," she repeated.

"For what?" raising an eyebrow, I tapped my foot, having limited patience.

"Well, what are you here for? Are you visiting a relative or checking in?"

"Nothing of the sort. Now if you excuse me," I curtly replied before turning back to the hallway and striding away, ignoring the calls from the woman. 'Don't bother me again if you want to keep your head.'

Unfortunately, I could hear the woman pursuing me. Annoyed and at my wit's end, I made a decision, turned a corner and entered the first room I saw, room 14.

"Miss, you have to sign in…!" the lady passed the door, unknowingly passing the girl she was searching for.

"I don't feel like getting found out by Nathan just yet, so I'll let you live." mumbling into the door, I turned to find a girl staring back at me wide eyed.

"Who are you?" she spoke in Japanese, so I quickly adjusted my French to Japanese. It had been a while since I studied the language, but I figured I could converse with the girl.

"Who are you?"

She had long raven hair much like my own, and wide dark brown eyes. Her hands clutched a jacket tight around her frame, startled by the counter question.

"I'm… Hana." Hana did a one over of me, chocolate orbs swirling with curiosity.

"I have no name, but I would like to try something." I stepped closer, remembering why I had entered the building in the first place. I could smell the blood under Hana's lightly tanned skin, throbbing at her neck and wrists.

"What… uh, are you lost?"

"No. Now hold still." becoming impatient, I strode in front of the dark haired girl.

"Hu? W-Wait! I heard you mention the name Nathan while you were speaking French!" my arm half raised, I paused and peered at Hana.

"Do you know Nathan?"

"Blonde, tall, kind of creepy… dangerous?" Hana stumbled over her words, mahogany eyes switching back and forth between my raised arm and my face.

"Hm… seems about right. What do you know about him?" I put my hand down, instead crossing them and deciding to listen to this girl. She could know something vital about Nathan.

"I know he's got some kind of beef with Haji… do you know Haji?"

"No,"

"Oh… well I think Nathan and him have something between them… um, I think Nathan's a reporter, from the clothes I've seen him in. I've heard he's dangerous and not to be messed with…"

I scoffed lightly. Nathan's just as dangerous as a bag of kittens…

"Dangerous? How do you assume that?" I was becoming less and less interested, and instead gazing at her tempting neck.

"Well… it's from what I heard from Haji. Plus Nathan broke into Haji's apartment in the middle of the night just to speak with him last night, that's a little creepy don't you think?"

So that's where he was last night… at this Haji's. Could that have been whose blood he had on him?

"How are you connected to this Haji?" a plan started clicking into place, and I shifted my priorities from blood to schemes.

"Well... he took care of me yesterday when I was in trouble. You see… I've kind of lost my memory." she laughed awkwardly and I narrowed my eyes.

"Interesting…"

"….Y-You said you didn't have a name. Well, up until around 30 minutes ago, neither did I. I couldn't remember mine, so I made one up. Why can't you remember yours?"

"Did you not hear me? I didn't forget it, I never had one." her eyes got bigger, if that was even possible. She was just a scared little girl who lost her memory and way. But, she could be useful. "So you're telling me this Haji person you know is an enemy of Nathan's? A strong one?"

"U-Um I think so…"

"Where is this Haji now?"

"…" her eyes fell to the floor and she fidgeted.

"You know, the doctor will be getting back soon and I don't think you are supposed to be in here…"

"Don't test my patience," I snapped harshly, causing the girl to start. "answer. Where is Haji?"

"I don't know… he said it was too dangerous to be near him so he dropped me off here."

I cursed and ran a hand through my hair. If I wanted my plan to work, I needed him.

"Listen, why don't we help each other out?" Hana curiously tilted her head.

"How so?"

"I know a way to get your memory back. It's a procedure performed by professionals, and you won't find it in a place like this." her eyes lit up like the sun and she nearly jumped off the bed. "You need to do something for me first though. I need you to find this Haji and bring him to me."

This threw her of, and her smile faltered. "Find him? How?"

"Don't know, don't care. Just do it and I'll get your memory back."

"… why do you need him?"

"I could find him useful in something I'm trying to accomplish. Now, do we have a deal?"

Holding out my hand, a lopsided grin curled up my lips. She stared at my hand cautiously, the wheels turning in her head. She would do it. She would do it because she felt weak and helpless. Her memories to her were what would put the control back in her life, the normal. Even if it meant selling someone out.

"Alright," her hand clasped mine, trust given to me. 'Naïve girl,' I cackled inside my head. 'never put trust into strangers.'

The girl was gone just as soon as she arrived; giving me a street address, instructing me to walk through it with Haji once I had him. Along with the instructions was I was not to tell Haji about these arrangement I made with the nameless girl.

Sighing, I hopped off the bed and scurried through the door, back down the hallway and out of the hospital. Looks like I would be seeing him sooner than I had anticipated, although I wasn't exactly going to be paying him back.

'How the hell am I going to find him again? … I'll start with his apartment I guess.' wondering if I had made the wrong choice in making this deal with the girl, I jogged back the way I had came from.

THERE! AFTER MUCH PROCRASTONATION AND CHANGING, HERE IT IS!

Aww no Magnolia or Arashi in this chap. Oh well~! Things are about to get interesting!

Please review? I swear I won't give up on this story!