I've been using an iPad to post updates which is troubling. I'm just glad to be using a laptop again.

"I think you might be overreacting just a bit." Endou told.

"Well, you're always saying how I should be cautious." Fuyuka said.

"Cautious, not paranoid." Endou said. "Just because a man looks scary doesn't mean he's up to something. What does he look like anyway?"

"Big, burly…he actually makes dad look like Kogure in comparison." Fuyuka answered, astonishing Endou a bit.

"Woah." He said. Anyone who would hear this would definitely be surprised.

"Plus, he knows the Dr. Itsukura." Fuyuka added.

"Dr. ?" he said.

"Yeah. He forbade us to do anything except watch him. He doesn't even let us do check ups him." Fuyuka said. "If you ask me, that's really suspicious. Hey, are you listening, Mamoru?"

"Huh? Oh yeah. Of course, Fuyuppe!" Endou nodded quickly. Now probably wasn't a good time to tell her anything just yet. Besides, he needed to figure out who this mysterious stranger is and he wasn't sure about but he had an idea but he just wanted to be sure first.

"So, um, Natsumi's been asking about you lately." Fuyuka said. "And she's really, really mad."

A shiver went through Endou's spine. He already knew what was coming and so he really didn't want to talk about it now. In an attempt to change the subject, he remembered something.

"Wait, the team came back yesterday, right?" Endou said. And Fuyuka nodded her head and within the one minute, she summed up yesterday into three words.

"It was bad."

There wasn't practice today. It got cancelled because none of them could even feel their legs to kick sand, much less play properly.

Of course, some of them were expecting to be scolded harshly again like last time but for Coach Kiduo just said that they had until tomorrow to take in the shock. The response was mixed but everyone just wanted to get their heads together. Hikaru gazed worriedly at his senior, Amagi who had suddenly gotten quiet and rather distant.

He saw him leaving with Kuramada and he quickly said goodbye to Tsurugi who remained where he was.

He was the former captain if Kuro no Kishidan but even then, he hadn't cared or worried this much over, probably because he barely knew them. He knew he was supposed to but at the time he couldn't stand soccer. He never visited them, got to know them, all he literally knew about them was their names and faces and nothing more than that.

He found it odd that he cared a bit more for the team he had only spent a few months in rather than the one he had spent years in but then again, if he hadn't been forced by that person to continuously engage with them until he finally he didn't have too, his lifestyle as a loner probably would have continued. And now, even more strange, the thought of that actually continuing was a very scary thought now. It was almost surreal that he used to find it so comforting and that he spent some time looking up at the ceiling of his bedroom, wishing he hadn't even-

He shook his head. That was where he drew the line now.

"I'm going." He said as he left. Shinduo gave him a cold glare, possibly the angriest he had ever in a very long time but whether it was for his unusually calm nature was something he wasn't sure of. Maybe he was angry at Tsurugi because of what happened before he had left…

"But I want to stay!" Tenma yelled at him.

"And I don't want you to!" Tsurugi yelled back.

The two were arguing for a while, Tenma wanted to stay behind out of guilt and Tsurugi just wanted some alone time, one he hadn't had in a while but Tenma didn't understand and thought he just wanted him to go with them out of the nonexistent goodness of his heart that Tenma had made up in his head.

"I. Want. To. Stay!" Tenma yelled.

"And I'm saying, GO AWAY!" Tsurugi yelled at him.

"Hmm…" Kariya thought rather fondly, making Kirino curious because whenever he was happy, it meant someone else's misery.

"Whatever you're thinking, go ahead." Kirino told him. "Just don't blame me if Tsurugi kills you."

"What, I'm not thinking of doing anything!" Kariya said but in a low enough tone that no one could hear them. "It just that have you noticed lately that whenever those two fight, Tenma is the one who usually wins the argument now?"

Kirino was about to contradict him when he began thinking back the last few days. "Now that you mention it, Tsurugi has been a little softer lately."

Now that, Tsurugi heard well and clear.

"Ow!" Kirino yelled in pain as a soccer ball flew and hit him in the head. Kariya chuckled but then a second hit him, making Kirino smirk.

Kariya glared back at Tsurugi who seemed content about the results. Kariya was going to tell him off but he took one step when Tsurugi darted at him one of his famous death glares that made him stop in his tracks. Tenma however was still angry slapped him in the head which astonish majority.

"That's not nice!" Tenma said.

"Oh, shut up!" Tsurugi said. "Anyway, just stop being so stupidly obstinate and go!"

"No!" Tenma said and Tsurugi had had enough and just stormed out. Pretty much everything became quiet and Tenma seemed mad but the anger quickly faded and Tenma returned to his usual self and then he suddenly began to recline a bit, obviously feeling a bit guilty, naturally because of his over caring nature.

Shindou noticed this and looked to where Tsurugi had left.

…

"…stupid little…" Tsurugi grumbled, kicking a nearby pebble. "I already lost my Lightning TRH-R0002…he doesn't have to make things worse for me by staying and annoying me all day! Can't that stupid moron get a hint?"

He was so angry that he didn't even care that he was walking against a crowd of people, bumping rudely into many as he gripped to himself.

"Tsurugi, wait up!" Shindou called from behind which Tsurugi deduced was him coming to tell him off which irritated him a bit since he had been on his case since he tricked him and Kirino into wasting three hours of their lives searching for Tenma when he was already safely at home, something he still hadn't regretted.

"If you're going to tell me off about that idiot, then go away." Tsurugi said. As much as Shindou would like that, that wasn't why he was here.

"Of course not." Shindou answered. "You all ready that that's how Tenma is. He won't stop until he gets what he wants. So no matter what, you do know he's staying either way, right?"

Tsurugi just kept on walking, trying to drown him out within the noise of the crowd. "And you do also know that he only means well, don't you?" Shindou asked. "And if he knows he's done something wrong, he'll try to say sorry but you know how bad Tenma is with that. He just tends to get nervous about it and he won't be able to find the right words to say it unless you give him a push."

"And what?" Tsurugi said. "You want me to push him by saying sorry first even though I didn't do anything just to make him feel better?"

Shindou just looked at him and then left without a word, deciding to leave up to him...

What happened after that, he didn't know and he didn't care. He just wished he had gone after Tenma instead and convinced him not to go instead of siding with him. That way, maybe this wouldn't have happened and then he would be fine and then he would be here with them and everything would be all right and the same as usual.

He jolted when he felt a tap on his shoulder and he saw his two closest friends standing there.

"Uh, Sangoku have to go run some errands." Kirino said.

"Do you want to come with us?" Sangoku asked.

Shindou just looked at the two before his expression finally softened for what felt like the first time.

"Thanks." he said.

"That's what friends do, right?" Sangoku said back. They had to look out for each other. Kirino was happy that his best friend was smiling when he heard the door click shut.

"Uh, wait here for a second you guys." Kirino said before rushing out and he was right, there was Kariya close by, heading to the field towards the basket filled with soccer balls.

"We're going to go run some errands now." Kirino went to tell him. "You can join us if you want."

Kariya didn't say anything and just threw the soccer ball up on the ground before kicking it up into the air to juggle it on his knee.

"Kariya…" Kirino said and the ball fell as he lost focus. He grumbled and went to pick it up, ignoring his teammate completely.

Kirino sighed went towards him, not the least irritated but concerned that he wasn't his usual, mischievous self. He was so quiet and he hadn't heard him even say a word since yesterday.

"Kariya, if you need someone to stay with you-"

"Shut up!" he yelled without warning, startling Kirino. "I don't someone to stay with me! I'm perfectly on my own!"

Kirino gave him a sympathetic gaze but then Kariya suddenly bolted off, stunning his senior more.

"Kariya!" Kirino called and quickly ran after him, following him behind the school. "Kariya…*pant* I swear-!"

He was just about to yell at him when he saw something he never expected to see Kariya of all people do, cry. But though the tears were visible, Kariya kept his head down though, keeping away from eye contact.

Kirino wasn't sure but slowly went forward to him, hoping he wouldn't run away this time and fortunately he didn't. He sat beside him but the barely looked even looked at each other.

"…Kariya-"

"I don't want to hear it!" he snapped. The two got quiet and Kirino looked at him but he didn't say anything. He never saw his junior this distraught before but he couldn't help but that think there was something more to it and maybe that's why he needed someone to stay with him the moment.

Kirino dialed something on his phone before putting it into his pocket. Kariya looked back at his senior.

"Aren't you going to go with them…?" he asked.

"We'll catch up with them later." Kirino said and Kariya looked away.

"I don't want to go." He said.

"Sure?" Kirino asked.

"…..fine." Kariya said. The two sighed in unison as the stagnant air surrounded them. It felt strange. How long had it been since the wind blew so merrily?

"Maybe we should buy her a new cage?" Kuramada suggested. The three were at the pet store, scouring for a new toy to satisfy Hikari. He didn't need to but he just spoiled her so much and it was about the only other thing they could do to get their minds away from worry other than homework and they certainly didn't want to do that.

"What's this wooden thing for?" Amagi asked a worker.

"Oh, you see, rodents' teeth tend to grow fast and they don't stop. To keep it from growing to long, they continuously teethe on something hard like this treat." He explained.

"Really? Maybe that's why she keeps biting on her cage!" Hikaru said. "I'll take on- Oh, I don't have enough money."

"Uh, I'll help pay for it." Amagi offered to Hikaru's surprise.

"No, it's fine. I can come back later tonight." He said.

"Well, this is a twenty-four hour store." He said. "But it can be dangerous coming late at night, are you sure?"

"I'm-"

Before Hikaru could say anything, his two companions interrupted abruptly, both saying simultaneously, "We'll pay for it now!"

Hikaru was taken aback a bit. They were acting very oddly since…oh. Maybe it was something he should have realized.

As he stuffed it into his bag, he looked at the two. "Everything's going to be all right, you know."

Once he said that, the two looked at back him but their faces weren't just plated with surprise, it seemed like, that was something they needed hear.

Hikaru smiled at the two but then his expression changed.

"Oh! There's Kurama, Hayami, and Hamano over there." Hikaru pointed out and when they looked back, sure enough, there they were.

"Guys! Hey!" Kuramada yelled. Hayami jumped like a mouse and it had been a while since he was this rattled.

"Ah, oh, what are you guys doing here?" Hamano asked in a forced tone. The three decided to overlook it. It would probably make things awkward if one of them pointed it out.

"We were looking for a new toy for Hikari!" Hikaru answered. The three looked at each other when Amagi explained, "She's the new rat in the laboratory."

"Oh." They said unison. "Well, we just came here to get our minds off…you know." Hamano answered.

"We could have just done our homework." Kurama muttered but no one said anything but Hikaru spoke up.

"Well, mom says that I should have some friends over some time." Hikaru said. "Maybe we can do our homework together or something?"

Hikaru was forcing it to. He could stand to see everyone so down. Five people was a lot but…

Kurama looked at his junior and grumbled a bit.

"Fine, why not?" he said. Hamao looked towards Hayami with a tired smile.

"Sounds like fun. Can you feed all five of us though?"

"Um-" Hikaru said. Amagi noticed and just decided to go with it.

"We might as well go find something to eat then." He said. The five agreed and went off.

As they walked away, they failed to notice two other children in the bookstore.

"...hm." Ichino sighed. "You know, I don't really feel like buying this book anymore."

The book was a best seller. It was a mystery novel about a London gentleman who investigated strange events. This issue had something to do with something related to his friend's death some time before which now, sounded awful.

Aoyama looked worriedly at his friend. He had been an avid fan of this series, even watching the show. He spent months saving up for it and now, he just looked terrible.

"You know it's not real, right?" he said.

"It says it's based of real events in a place called Monte d'Or fourteen years ago." Ichino said.

"Oh, come on. I'll show you." He said and they went to a computer in the bookstore. They knew the store clerk well so she practically let them do whatever. Unfortunately, it seemed he was wrong.

"Dark Miracles in Monte d'Or Stump Police…The Mask Gentleman, Who is He?…" Ichino followed as Aoyama felt worse. He had just proven that everything in that did in fact happen, including about his friend dying. Ichino must be feeling terrible now and it was all his fault now.

Ichino clicked another button and after a while, he smiled. "Hey, Aoyama…"

"Uh, yeah?" he asked.

"Thanks. I might get this book after all." He said before leaving, making Aoyama confused. He went to the monitor and there was another article.

"Another Mystery Solved. A True Miracle! Young archeologist, Hershell Layton solves another baffling mystery that plagued and stumped even the best of Scotland Yard it seems this mystery held another miracle, just specifically for him. Randall Ascot, an acquaintance of Mr. Layton who was thought to have died many years was in fact alive. The two are now sharing a happy reunion…"

Aoyama didn't need to read the rest. He quickly followed Ichino once he called for him. He was just happy to see him smile again.

There was another knock on her door. She swore, if it was another, grubby reporter…

"Good evening, Aki-san." Aoi and Shinsuke greeted in together with a box in hand. "We made cake."

Aki smiled and went to hug them. "Thank you so much you two. You don't know how much this means to me."

"I think we do." Aoi said.

"We sort of need this too." Shinsuke said, making Aki nod as she understood.

"Could you two go up to play with Sasuke then? He's been pretty lonely lately." She said. "He's barely touched his food bowl."

"We will." Shinsuke said. The two went up but once they opened the door, Sasuke came up barking happily but upon seeing them, he stopped, as if disappointed and he went to the corner of the room, sulking with his food bowl filled and untouched.

Aoi went over and pet him, making his tail wag and more so when Shinsuke joined, rubbing his stomach.

"He must be lonely without Tenma." Aoi sighed.

"I've never seen him so sad before." Shinsuke said. "I guess he needs the company too like us."

"Dogs are a lot more sensitive to some things." Aoi said before sniffling a bit. Sasuke cocked his head up at her and suddenly rubbed up against her.

"…thanks." She said.

Shinsuke smiled too and kept on petting the dog.

Tsurugi was walking home, grumbling to himself when he felt a presence from behind.

"There's no use skulking around, I know you're there Tenma." He said.

Tenma was shocked and stepped out in amazement. "How'd you guess I was there?"

"You're just noisy." He said. "Now go away."

Tenma didn't talk back but kept on following him but he seemed more fidgety this time.

"…U-um, so, I…" Tenma said. He looked close to tears. Tsurugi remembered what Shindou told him earlier and sighed. He looked at Tenma one more time and scratched his head.

"I-I'm sorry…" he finally said.

Tenma seemed surprise but he calmed down and nodded.

"Tsurugi…I-I'm really sorry…about earlier I mean!" Tenma said. He was still nervous but at least he was smiling as usual.

"How about we just call it even?" Tsurugi suggested and Tenma jumped up and nodded.

"Okay!" Tenma said.

Tsurugi didn't know exactly himself what he did right but he was this situation would be just as easy to fix at that. The next day, the team left and two got into another heated argument, one that ended rather quickly as well and then after that…

Tsurugi just sighed, closed his textbook, turned the lights off, and pulled the covers up. He had to thank Nurse Fuyuka for this later.

"Night, Tenma." He said, knowing full well haw wouldn't answer back this time.

Coming up with names is tough. Feel free to name the parrot will you? If you have any critics, please tell me coz I've been off for a while and it's been a long time since I wrote decently. I need something to help me get better.