Witch's thoughts: my computer died. permanently. I lost all my writings. let me go back to my corner and cry a little more.

Bell over door chimed melodically.

Ryouta looked around from under wet fringe. His hair was in the way and besides he was holding the girl with one hand, while trying not to hurt his injured hand more. The only thing he managed to notice was that the shop was very brightly alit and it was warm. In the next second, a colourful whirl of skirts appeared before them.

"Oh my!" exclaimed the whirl in high, squeaking voice. "what happened? Mina, you're all wet! And your knee! Did someone..!"

"Minami, what is the matter?" asked another voice, this one deeper and calmer. Its owner pushed away the squeaking whirl, which turned out to be a blond girl in airy, colourful clothes and with a ponytail on each side of her head.

"I got caught up in rain, Miss Naoko." Ryouta felt that the girl that up until now was leaning on him, now tried to stay on her own two feet. As she couldn't regain the balance, it was quite futile. In place where they were standing formed a small puddle of water. Ryouta felt it running down his leg.

"What a unfortunate accident." Miss Naoko looked like stiff, old-fashioned teacher, with glasses, lack of smile and a bun from her hair. It seemed natural to call her "Miss" with a capital letter. It just felt right to address her this way. Her face was continuously grimaced. But she didn't seem displeased. "Anyone could get drenched in this weather, I suppose. But who is this? Another wet cat, Minami?"

The girl called Minami, who walked with Ryouta to this shop, already went forward, towards the curtain at the back of the room. Her path was signed by a trail of water, dripping from her hair and clothes. Looking as she limped forward, Ryouta felt himself being friendly, but firmly poked in the side. When he looked there, the girl with two ponytails was observing him curiously.

"What are you doing, Mr. Cat? Go with her." Said Miss Naoko sternly, but her voice held no hostility. She just gestured in the direction of the curtain, from where sounds of quiet cursing were coming. He blinked, when basic good manners kicked in and he wanted to refuse the kindness. Miss Naoko looked at him.

"You are dripping on our door mat."

What could he say to something like that? He just slouched and followed the wet trail, already regretting coming here. In warmth, his hand started to sting and Ryouta made a painful face. First this deceptively good weather, then this troublesome talk, violent rain, getting drenched, knocked down and now brought here, between crazy teacher who apparently thought he was a cat, a crazy blonde girl and mysterious Minami. Great. This day was just getting worse and worse.

Ryouta dragged himself to the curtain and waited there patiently for some sign that he could come in. as a model, he was super-sensitive about one's privacy or about lack of it – as the changing room for models usually meant there were few of them. Not that it bothered him, but he knew that majority of people didn't like being watched while changing clothes. Especially damp clothes, he thought grimly.

Finally, the curtain moved. Actually, it flew up, when Minami grabbed his arm and took into a room covered from eyes of someone who would just walk in. Ryouta lost his balance and sat heavily on a nearby chair.

"I'm sorry it took so long." Said Minami. She had on a T-shirt and loose pants that looked like a gym wear. Her hair was tied up, apparently wringed out and dried up. "I don't have anything dry for you to wear, unfortunately. But first things first and you could use a towel."

Ryouta tried to defend himself.

"It's really alright, Minami-san… and I think I really should go now."

"Nonsense." She spat. "You are dripping wet, outside is cold and you don't even have an umbrella. Above all, you are hurt and don't make such big eyes, I'm not going to kill you!"

After a while, his hand was cleaned and bandaged, and Ryouta come to himself as he fainted for a moment when Minami poured neutral spirit directly on his cut. The blonde girl popped in her frizzy head curiously, but was quickly shooed out by both others, what she did with a pout. Then popped back in, asking about health of "Mr. Cat". Ryouta blinked.

"Is it a joke I don't get?" he asked. Today he felt a little dumb, stunned and especially not himself. He had no power left to joke and smile, so his voice turned out to be tired, sunless. Minami threw him a quick, surprised look. Then frowned. And then remembered she was asked a question.

"Oh, that. Well, yes, that's a kind of joke. " she said inattentively, as if thinking about something else. "Some time ago I got caught in the rain with my brother and when I brought him here with me, Mirai said I adopted a wet cat. That's all that is to it."

"I see."

Ryouta wanted to sigh, but even that turned out shaky and weak. He rubbed his eyes impatiently.

"Sorry to trouble you, Minami-san, but I really should go now." He said firmly, getting up abruptly. " Thank you for…"

"Wao, what a pretty kitty! You got a really nice one this time, Mina!"

Not knowing why, because of what and even why now, Ryouta felt that it was enough. Really, really enough. This day was too much for him to bear and he just didn't have strength to deal with anyone anymore. So it was not surprising that looking at happy, grinning face of Mirai, he felt a tear running slowly down his cheek.

"Whoa, what's wrong?"

"I didn't want to upset you! Sorry!"

Hearing a lot of noise and seeing that the other two couldn't handle the situation properly, Miss Naoko entered the backroom with a tray in her hands.

"Tea, anyone?"

/

Snip, snip, snip.

"I see."

Ryouta sighed. Actually, he wasn't sure how it turned out that he agreed not only to stay, but also allowed them to trim his hair. Now, sitting on the proper stand, he tried not to shudder every time he felt blades of the scissors.

"Well, I agree that's one nasty situation." Minami made a face, preparing another pair of scissors and held them, where Miss Naoko could reach it. They had teeth.

"Soooo, Ryo-chan, you went to talk to him*?" Asked Mirai curiously. She had arms full of hair conditioners that she was arranging on nearby shelf.

Snip, snip, snip.

"Yes." Ryouta closed his eyes, when a strand of hair fell on his nose, tickling. He still felt like trash, even more so when remembering all this bad things from morning, but somehow, talking it out loud helped. Just a little tiny bit, but that was something.

"And it went badly?" Minami looked critically on his fringe and grabbed a big hairclip.

His eyes stung, but Ryouta controlled himself. He was very good at it. Models had it in them; when you cannot act, you shouldn't be a model.

"Very badly." He whispered.

/

The silence was uncomfortable.

Since he entered, Ryouta felt that something was not right. Kasamatsu-senpai was usually calm and composed, but right now, he showed an unusually shaky attitude. And he refused to looked at Ryouta.

"You wanted to talk, Kise. Then talk. I don't have whole day."

"Senpai." Ryouta whined a little, trying to see, how serious the situation is. "I want to clear the misunderstanding that somehow appeared." Kasamatsu didn't move from his spot by the window. Ryouta saw with sadness that it was really far from where he was sitting. "You wanted to know something from Aominecchi, right? Why didn't you ask me, whatever it was?"

Kasamatsu tensed visibly. Ryouta saw that too and it saddened him even more. Did something happened between yesterday and today?

"You would lie to me." Senpai's voice came put strangled, nearly incoherent.

"What?"

"You would lie to me. Like you already did. Or maybe you would deny everything? Who the hell cares."

"Senpai" Ryouta felt at loss. "what are you talking about?"

"You were fucked by that bastard Aomine and god knows who else. You sleep around? Or no, don't tell me, I don't want to know. Just don't assume I'm one of you guys. I'm normal. I don't lie."

Ryouta looked at his senpai with disbelief in eyes. What was going on? What happened to turn it like this? He couldn't believe his ears. What nonsense was that!

"Senpai, I don't know who told you such things!" he exclaimed, when Kasamatsu took a breath. This sentence was designed to prove his innocence, but somehow, it resulted in Kasamatsu senpai getting even angrier.

"Lies! You models all lie! And for what? What am I to you Kise? Why did you hang up on me? You would get nothing from blackmailing me! Why the hell'd you jump me then?!"

Ryouta stilled. Senpai's angry face was red, he was shouting his lungs out, but that was not important. The words that were said rang in Ryouta's ears like annoying flies. He? Sleeping around? Fucked by Aomine? Why! Who would…?

/

"Ouch" said Minami, rubbing styling mousse in her hands "that one hurt. He really thought that? Who would be a bastard enough to tell him that?"

"That was mean!" Mirai wrinkled her nose funnily. "And cruel! But did you explain it was just a misunderstanding? Because it was, right?"

She got hit with an apron.

"Of course it was! He's just a first year of high school!" barked Minami.

Snip, snip… snip?

Ryouta could feel that Miss Naoko hesitated. Her hand stopped weaving through his strands, as if she was going to say something. Ryouta felt his muscles tense, just thinking about it. But silence over his head remained silence and the hand continued to arranged his hairdo.

"Well, that other person seriously thought Ryo-chan slept around, so either he was strange or Ryo-chan has rumors flying about him." Said Mirai, unexpectedly firmly. With her '10-years-old-kid' look, it sounded creepy.

"I wonder." Minami on the other hand, sounded unfocused, as she rummaged through drawer, looking for a lost comb.

"If I may point something out" Miss Naoko put down the scissors, finished with Ryouta's hair. She took one strand between two fingers, as if trying to asses it's length. "this person seemed unusually focused on models and their guilt. Did something unpleasant happened to this person involving someone from this profession?"

" I don't know." Ryouta said. He felt hollow inside, so personal questions didn't bother him much. In a state like this, he would tell everything to the person that asked. He was way beyond shame. "Is that important?"

"I am not exactly sure." Said Miss Naoko. She fell silent for a moment, styling Ryouta's hair. But when Minami went to the backroom and Mirai was far enough, she bended a little, to his ear. "But I know a guy in a neighbourhood whose sister was a model."

"What does it…?" Ryouta began, but was quickly cut off. Mirai was humming to herself while sweeping the floor.

"The sister was a good girl, but she got swept into a show-biz." Continued Miss Naoko quietly. "She got into conflict with her family because of that. But met her brother often. And told him many lies, how good her career was."

Ryouta blinked in the mirror. That was getting ridiculous. What the hell was going on with this day?

"And one day, she didn't show up for the meeting with her brother. The police came and it turned out she was drugged and raped by her work colleagues." Miss Naoko pretended to arrange his bangs, but could clearly see the horror in Ryouta eyes. "She got scarred really badly on her body and couldn't work as a model anymore. The family didn't want her back, especially the father, if I remember correctly. But her brother was really agitated that time. I think they still contact each other, even if the sister has to work as a normal hairdresser and the brother is just a high-school student."

"Miss Naoko! Where can I find the conditioner for dyed hair?"

Minami's entrance caused Ryouta to shudder. He clearly saw scars on her arms, when she changed from jacket to a dry T-shirt. They were white and old, but nonetheless something terribly embarrassing for a woman. Going from the hand up to the sleeve of the shirt, it looked painful. And cruel. Besides, if what Miss Naoko said, was true, did Kasamatsu senpai hated him for something like this? That models lie? What logic is that? What did it have to do with him…?

Ryouta looked in the mirror at Minami-san's smiling face. She waved to him shortly, when noticed he observed her. She tied her long hair up into a ponytail and looked really young in slacks and some slippers in place of her wet, damaged shoes. Yet so much history was hidden behind those steel eyes. Ryouta sighed mentally and closed his eyes, lowering his head onto the headrest. Would he be the same? Would he hate everyone that had something to do with hurting his sibling? Even if only a job?

Witch: this chapter was rewritten in a rush, so it's not what it should be. sorry for the OC, but well, had to change the story to prolong it a little. we're coming to an end, though. sorry for the delay, but I really couldn't help I'm stupid and didn't even had acopy of my disk for a time like that. I hate myself sometimes.

*in japanese there is some gramatical rule that when talking about someone, you may cover that person's sex and talk about certain person, without saying 'he' or 'she'. I used it here, but it would be confusing and too long to write to go around about 'certain person', so I just wrote a note here ^^'