(A/N): Happy 20th Chapter! Wow, I can't believe we've reached 20 already! Although, this chapter felt like it took a while to write...

Anyway, thank you so much for the reviews! I really appreciate everything you've been writing :) I'll try and keep updating at a regular basis, but now I'm back at school, I'll have to spend a lot of time doing homework and revision (my GCSEs are this year - eeek!)

Thank you so much for reading my fanfic, for all the reviews, favourites and follows, and for sticking with me all this time. Things are heating up...

For the rest of the evening, I spent most of my time with my hand down my back. The information we had found out plagued me; I was constantly thinking about the FBI agent, the woman in the autopsy report, and the mark on my back.

A scar. Branded there. It would never go away. Maybe the mark would fade over time, but it would never fully disappear. The scar would always stay.

At first, I could not touch it. The thought of the dead, burnt skin repelled me. I had managed to catch a glimpse of it in a mirror, the red, angry mark spelling out a number. 9. Yet as the evening went on, the mark began to irritate me. It felt painful, like someone was jabbing hot needles into it. As it got worse and worse, the pain becoming more unbearable, I found myself scratching the skin where the mark was. Somehow, the pain of that stopped the needle-like pain, and was much more bearable. I kept on scratching the mark, dragging my fingernails roughly back and forth the skin, until I withdrew my hand and saw the traces of blood on my fingertips. Even so, I could not stop myself, and the blood on my fingers became thicker and thicker.

Takigawa noticed, of course. Back in his apartment, Kazuya and Lin had joined us as we tried to grapple with what we knew and discover more information relating to Mattaku. We had tried to ring Sinead, but again, she would not pick up. Therefore, we had decided to set to work with identifying the woman with the number on her back, based on the information in the autopsy report. So far, not even Lin's thorough research had yielded any results. On the other hand, we had had a lot more luck with the FBI agent.

"I recognise him." Kazuya had been saying. "The man in the picture, I recognise him. I'm sure I've met him somewhere before. The missing persons' report stated he disappeared two years ago, yes?"
"Yeah, that was it. In September, I think." I answered.

Kazuya frowned as he overlooked Lin typing on a laptop. "…Lin. Do you remember where we saw this man?"

"Unfortunately, I can't. We have met him before, though."

This information was intriguing. Takigawa immediately began to inquire. "You've met him before? But why would you be talking to an FBI agent?"

"That is completely unrelated to what we are investigating here." Kazuya made it clear this was not open for discussion, so Takigawa dropped the issue.

"Kazuya." Lin had stopped tying and was looking at a website now. No, not a website…it was a long document, filled with information. "It looks like Forcit-san wasn't just investigating the circumstances behind Chekskov-san's transfer."

"What do you mean?"

"He was researching…a smuggling ring, it looks like."

Kazuya leaned closer to him, peering at the screen. As he read it, he murmured,

"Yes…it looks like it got very messy. A few cases of murder here and there, but evidence always had a habit of going missing. Most of it was only circumstantial anyway, so the suspects never had a hard time escaping conviction. But Forcit-san and his partner finally managed to find a witness that would help bring down one of the main players in this smuggling ring. And that witness…was Andrew Williams."

"Wait…that's the man that Chekskov-san saw getting 'transferred', right?" Takigawa asked.

"Yes. It looks like, three years ago, Forcit-san and his partner finally managed to convince Williams-san to testify against this suspect, but when he was diagnosed with severe Diogenes syndrome, he had to be admitted to a psychiatric ward. It looks like it was so bad, he was on the point of physical collapse and mental breakdown."

"What is Diogenes syndrome?" Takigawa asked.

"It's a disorder where an individual begins to severely neglect themselves." I explained, scratching the mark. "They often become apathetic and socially withdrawn. Sometimes, they even start hoarding garbage. However, they often refuse help, so it is not usually diagnosed until the person begins to reach the worst stages of the disorder. This generally happens to people who have experienced stress, although it normally only occurs much later on in life. I think Williams-san was only in his mid thirties, but there have been exceptions."

"Oh, ok…wait, but then why was Williams-san in Kyoto Psychiatric Ward? I mean, he sounds like he's from somewhere in the west, right?" Takigawa guessed.

"I believe he was English." Kazuya confirmed.

"Then why was he admitted to a ward in Japan?"

"It looks like he had been living in Japan for some time, and he witnessed the incident while in the UK visiting some relatives. He had already travelled back to Japan when Forcit-san began to persuade him to testify."

"Ok, then what happened?"

"They were waiting until Williams-san was in a more 'stable condition' to testify, but he was 'transferred' before that happened." Kazuya explained. "It seems like Forcit-san then received a message stating that Williams-san had refused to testify again. Forcit-san tried to contact Williams-san directly, but he was unable to, it seems."

"So…do you think he heard about the incident at Kyoto Psychiatric Ward, when Williams-san and Chekskov-san disappeared, and he began trying to find Chekskov-san and ask exactly what happened?" Takigawa asked.

"Yes. Then Forcit-san disappeared."

"What about his partner? You mentioned he was investigating the matter with a partner, right"? I asked.

Kazuya nodded. "Yes. Her name was Sophia Shole. It looks like she was originally the one who began investigating the smuggling ring and trying to persuade Williams-san, and Forcit-san was partnered with her later on."

"So, she was an FBI agent as well?"

"Yes."

"Do you think we can speak to her? Maybe she knows what's going on." Takigawa asked.

Lin typed briefly on the laptop. "It seems not. She hasn't said a word for two years."

"What?"

"Around the time Forcit-san disappeared, she was in a large car accident. Though she didn't die, she ended up in a coma and hasn't woken since the incident. The cause of the crash is unknown, partly due to the fact the car was destroyed beyond examination in the pile up, but I think we can assume it was another case of 'failed brakes'."

"Where is she now?" Kazuya asked.

"In Boston, in a hospital."

"We can assume that she will be safe for the time being, then; colleague-san has no reason to go after her now."

"So…we have no leads." Takigawa pointed out bluntly.

"Not exactly." Kazuya stared at me, and his gaze made me feel uncomfortable.

"Woah." Takigawa did not sound happy. "I hope you're not planning to do your hypnotic suggestion, are you? Remember what happened last time!"

"No, I was not. On the contrary, what I suggest is simple. Sleep."

"Huh?" I tilted my head in confusion.

"You seem to remember things more when you are asleep. So sleep."

"I can't sleep now, it's only 5 o'clock." I pointed out.

Kazuya did not answer, but instead pulled on his coat and headed to the door. Lin closed his laptop and followed him.

"We're going to do a little bit of research. Make sure you stay alert." With that, he and Lin left. Takigawa hurried to lock the door again when they were gone.

"Now I really know how Mai-kun feels." I remarked, scratching the mark.

It was later on when Takigawa began to ask about the mark, or rather, how I kept on scratching at it.

"Is it irritating?" He asked suddenly as we ate a rice dish.

"Um, I guess." I quickly tried to rub the blood from my fingers, running them against my jeans in desperation.

It was in vain. "Hey, is that blood?"

"Ah, no." Panicked, I closed my hand into a fist, trying to hide the traces of blood on my fingers. Takigawa did not look convinced by my lie.

"Can I see your hand?" His tone was calm, yet firm.

"Umm, why?"

"If you've nothing to hide, then there shouldn't be a problem."

Reluctantly, I slowly opened up my hand and showed him. He took it and examined my fingertips.

"…You've been scratching at that mark, haven't you?" He already knew the answer.

"…Yes."

"You really shouldn't do that, you know."

"I know." I sighed. "It's just…it feels…"

"It's all in your head." Takigawa reassured me. "Just try to stop thinking about it."

I pursed my lips. "It's not that simple."

"Why do you keep on scratching it, then?"

"It hurts. A lesser pain distracts me from it."

Takigawa frowned. "How does that work?"

"You…never mind. You wouldn't understand."

Later on, when it was completely dark outside and sleep was beckoning me, I found something in my bag that made my heart jolt with guilt. A pair of black, leather gloves. They were slightly bigger than my normal hand size. Kazuki's gloves. I held them in my hands, just staring at them. Somehow, these were absolute proof for me, proof that this mad situation was not a nightmare, but reality. Maybe, somewhere along the lines, I had begun to doubt myself, doubt the credibility of all this. Was I in some strange coma dream? Was I making this all up? Was it all in my head? Not just the pain in the scars, but everything I remembered? No. These gloves proved it. I wasn't mad. Whether I liked it or not, something had happened to me.

As I curled up in the corner, ignoring the bed spread out on the floor, I held the gloves close to me.

Something had happened to me. Something bad. But I knew that my co-workers…no, my friends, would not allow it again.

Takigawa was worried about John. The young man had been very quiet ever since the brand on his back was discovered at Kazuki's apartment. Well, of course he would be, after finding out something like that. But his behaviour…scratching the mark? Takigawa could tell he had made it bleed, pretty badly. As John had been changing before they slept, Takigawa had glimpsed him standing in the bathroom, his shirt off, dabbing some antiseptic onto the skin, where he had scratched it raw, before hastily bandaging it up again. Takigawa did not understand why John was doing this. Was it fear? Regardless of whether fear was a factor or not, Takigawa knew it was unhealthy to keep these kinds of feelings bottled up. Yet at the same time, trying to pry into these fears was dangerous. Thinking back to the incident when Kazuya attempted hypnotic suggestion…trying to delve into these fears would only cause John harm. It was a difficult situation to solve.

The next day, Kazuya had suggested that John try to remain in his normal routine as much as possible, to prevent the constant feeling of wariness and anxiety that he would get if he stayed cooped up all day. Today, John had gone to Church for a service, albeit apprehensively. Takigawa could sense his unease at being so exposed. Despite this, Kazuya was still convinced that it would be healthier for him.

Now, Takigawa waited not in the Church, but outside it. After the Kenji incident, Takigawa felt…uncomfortable being in the Church grounds. The fact that the body of a child had been undetected for 30 years unnerved him. What's more, Takigawa felt almost as if he was…trespassing. This site was not of his religion. He had no right to be there. And his presence felt intruding and disrespectful.

The time was 4 o'clock, and the service had only just begun, according to what John had told him. Leaning against the Church gates, he found himself watching the hands on his clock inch slowly by, waiting for the service to end. Whatever Kazuya said, Takigawa could not help but feel uneasy about waiting out in the open. This vulnerability was hard to shake, no matter what he told himself.

The service was only about half way through when the car came stalking own the road. Automatically, Takigawa did not pay it much heed, although he watched it with a brief curiosity as he wondered where it might be going. It was white and black, with a red light on top – a police car. However, the siren was not on and it was not driving particularly fast, so its business was not urgent.

It was only when the car parked outside of the Church did Takigawa feel a spark of nervousness inside of him. The car opened, and two officers got out, clad in their uniform. With them was a man, wearing a white jacket. The officers began to walk towards the Church gates, while the non-uniformed man waited by the car. But as they approached, Takigawa realised with almost anticipated dread that they were not interested in the Church. Instead, they stopped in front of Takigawa.

"Takigawa, Houshou?" The first to speak was a tall, thin woman. Her hair was tightly drawn into a bun, and though her posture created an impression of confidence, the way she kept on glancing at the man without uniform suggested otherwise.

"Yes, that's me. Is there a problem?"

"Tokyo Police Force." The woman's companion, a shorter man, spoke with a tone that displayed his uneasiness clearly, as he held up his badge. However, it was not one of fear, like the woman's. No, from the way his eyes were solely fixed on his companion made Takigawa guess that the woman had more experience than him, as she held up her own badge also. Perhaps he had very little at all.

"What about?"

It was the woman who took control of the unofficial interrogation. "Where were you on 25th April?"

At the question, Takigawa froze, his heart and body paralysed with panic. That was the day he, John, Mai and Yasuhara had gone to the abandoned house.

"Umm…that day, I was with a co-worker. We had a few things to finish in the office." The woman gave no hint as to whether or not she believed him. She went on to ask,

"Well, do you recognise this house?" She held up a picture. It was the abandoned house.

Takigawa swore in his head. "Uh…oh, I had a case there once."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah."

"The thing is, we have reason to believe you went there after your case, without permission. We believe you have been trespassing."

Takigawa tried to feign shock, while hiding his anxiety.

"What?!"

"For one, your fingerprints were found there."

How had they gotten a record of his fingerprints? "Well, there would be. Like I said, I was there on a case, with permission, so of course my fingerprints would be there." Takigawa seized the flaw with relief. However, it was short-lived, as the woman went on to say,

"That's not all. A car was spotted outside the house during a break-in, and the registration plate was taken. It matches yours." Takigawa's heart sank. "Houshou Takigawa, you are under arrest." The woman pulled out a pair of handcuffs, and locked Takigawa's hands together.

"But…" He could not say anything, in sheer disbelief.

"You'll have to come with us, Takigawa-san."

Takgiawa did not dare resist to protest, although his mind held a thousand arguments, and he struggled to contain them. He allowed the police men to lead him across the road, where the man by the car was waiting. As they approached, the man looked up and stared at Takigawa, his arms tightly crossed.

"…Just him?" He asked bluntly, addressing the officers but not lifting his gaze from Takigawa.

"I'm sorry, sir?"

"I just expected there to be a few more people." Takigawa realised he meant Mai, John and Yasuhara.

"No evidence was come to light that there were other people." The woman, although she did not look at him directly, refused to sound as if she lacked control in the situation.

The man said nothing, and looked Takigawa up and down one last time. Irritated, Takigawa did exactly the same to the man. Tall and sturdy, his face was a contrast to his muscled arms and scarred hands; it was gentle, and somehow violence coming from this man seemed unlikely, despite the gnarled hands that suggested otherwise. Strangest of all, the man wore a lab coat. Was he a doctor? If so, what was a doctor doing with the police?

The man turned around and got inside the car. Takigawa was pushed in after him.

The questioning room was cold and dark. A light hung above Takigawa, but was faded and dim, casting the faintest of shadows that made little impact to the darkness of the room. It was somewhat intimidating. Then again, Takigawa found himself wondering, was it meant to be? It was a thought he did not think about for long, as his mind was racing with other worries and anxieties.

Left to wait for what felt like a very long time, Takigawa was beginning to let the fear creep inside him and scatter panic through him when the door finally opened. Into the room came the female officer and the man with the lab coat. The presence of the presumed doctor puzzled Takigawa, but he was too distressed to notice it particularly.

The female officer sat down opposite Takigawa, holding a note pad and pen. She had told him her name briefly, as had the male officer, although Takigawa had already forgotten it. The man with the lab coat had said very little, and his identity remained unclear. Right now, he stood leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, watching everything in interest.

"Takigawa Houshou." The officer wrote hastily on her note pad before she started. "I want to ask you about your movements on the 25th April." She did not hesitate to start the interrogation.

"I want a lawyer." Takigawa spoke bluntly.

"You have the right to one." The officer acknowledged. "Meanwhile, answer my questions: where were you on April 25th?"

"Fine…" Takigawa saw he did not have much of a choice. "Wait, what time?"

"The whole day."

"Ok…at about 10am, I went to the office where I work."

"What is this office called?"

"Shibuya Psychic Research." The officer wrote this down, and Takigawa continued.

"Then I went to a café with some of my co-workers. We stayed there for…an hour? Then we headed back to the office. I stayed there for a while, then at around 6, I went to a scrap heap with one of my co-workers. We arrived back, and headed home."

"Do you have any proof of that?" The officer challenged.

"Yes. Ask any of my co-workers."

"How do I know that they aren't lying?"

"Why would they be lying?"

"To protect you. Also, there is the fact that your car was spotted at the house in question."

"Well, maybe someone made a mistake when they reported the car plate." Takigawa argued.

The officer was about to speak when the door opened. Her companion, the male officer, poked his head into the room.

"Um…Fujita-sensei?" His voice was quiet and nervous.

Fujita-sensei, as she was apparently called, exhaled impatiently. "Yes, Toma-san?"

"I, um…you're needed for a few minutes." Rolling her eyes, the officer stood up and followed her companion out of the room.

It was not long before the man wearing the lab coat stirred. He stood upright, and walked over to the table. Pulling out the chair, he sat down, and crossed his arms once more, staring at Takigawa.

Irked, Tagiawa muttered, "…and who might you be?"

For a moment, the man ignored his question. Only after a minute had passed did he speak up.

"My name in Manzo Ueda. And you are Houshou Takigawa."

Takigawa waited for the man to explain himself further, but he did not.

"…You're not a police officer." Takigawa pointed out.

"No, I am not."

"Then why are you here?"

"There is something I am interested in." The man declared vaguely.

"Oh? And what might that be?"

Again, the man remained silent for a little while. Eventually, he spoke up.

"I am interested in your friend."

"I have a lot of friends. You might want to narrow it down a bit for me."

The man smirked slightly, for a fleeting second.

"John Brown."

"…I'm sorry?" Takigawa struggled to clamp down on his shock and panic.

"The Australian priest. John Brown."

This man…did he work for the colleague? Takigawa swallowed his dread.

"Why are you interested in him?"

Smirking, the man leaned back in the chair. "Haven't you realised?"

Now, anger began to rise up in Takigawa. "I don't know what you mean." He muttered through gritted teeth.

"It's not what you think. Not what you think at all." The man leaned forwards again. "You think that I'm going to try and hurt your friend, don't you? Or something ludicrous along those lines."

At these words, Takigawa froze.

"If that's the case, then you are a fool. Don't you realise how long you've been tricked for? How long you've been played?"

"What?"

"You see, you're a nice man. I can tell that. But you're no expert. Whereas I am."

"Expert on what?"

"You're a victim. You've been pulled into this madness. Trust me when I say this."

Once more, Takigawa felt irritation gnawing at his bones. "Why should I trust you? Who are you?"

"I told you. I am Manzo Ueda. And it is within your best interest to trust me."

He glanced down at his watch. "Hmm. I better get going, I think. I have a job to do." He rose from his seat, then hesitated.

"One more thing. I would reconsider what you know about your so-called 'friend'. Reconsider this mad situation. And ask yourself the questions you've been doubting and hiding. Whatever you thought you knew about your friend is wrong. And there's something wrong about this situation. You're a clever man. You'll figure it out."

With that, he left the room, leaving Takigawa perplexed.

Mass was over, and I had just left the Church and was walking briskly through the courtyard when my phone began to ring. Checking the screen, I realised it was Takigawa.

"Hello? Wait a minute, I'm almost at the gate."

"I'm not." His tone was sullen.

"What?"

"I've been arrested."

I almost dropped the phone in shock. "What?! Why? What happened?"

"Remember April 25th?" That was the day we broke into the abandoned house… "Well, someone reported my car being at the abandoned house. I've been arrested for trespassing."

"Oh my God…but-but they don't have strong evidence, do they?"

"Apparently they do."

"Oh God…what…what should we do? What will they do?"

"Well, I'm going to need to get bailed out. I'm in a holding cell right now."

"What? This is terrible, how much is the bail? I'll come to the station –"

"There's no need, I already called Lin-san. He's on his way, and then he said he'll go and pick you up. In the meantime, stay where you are. Stay in the Church. Don't leave, just wait for Lin-san to pick you up. Got it?"

"Ok."

"Right, I've got to go. Bye." He hung up quickly.

I waited anxiously in the Church, sitting on one of the pews. No one was there apart from me. At the votive, a multitude of candles were flickering gently, as the flames ate away at the wax. The stained glass windows were dim and cast faded colours onto the floor of the Church, duller and paler than normal from the lack of light outside. It was cold, and I wrapped my jacket around me tightly. In the Church, my shirt felt much thinner than normal. The stone walls did not do much for warmth, and the only heat source was the slowly dying candles.

All I could think about was poor Takigawa. I could not believe he had been arrested, and I felt responsible. It was because of me that we went to the abandoned house. The reason we investigated was because of my situation. And now, Takigawa was in a holding cell. I knew that, it Japan, there were no Miranda rights, or none that I had heard of, and while suspects had the right to a lawyer and were told this, often an interrogation would take place without one being present. What's more, bails were not taken lightly, and holding cells were much more secure than in other countries.

Agitated, I stood up and paced down the aisle towards the altar. Automatically bowing before walking onto the raised platform, I headed past the altar and to the stained glass windows behind it. The lights slid onto my skin, darting away as I walked by. Standing right by the windows, I peered through the glass. Outside, I could see no one.

Sighing, I turned around.

Promptly, I froze. A man was standing by the doors, watching me with his arms crossed. He wore a lab coat.

Already filled with alarm, I called hesitantly.

"…Hello? Can I help you?"

The man said nothing. He began to walk forwards. In response, I walked to the altar, my hand on a heavy candle-holder. Just in case.

"Huh." As the man got nearer, my blood ran cold. I recognised him. It was Saburou.

"How paranoid of you. Do you really think I would just openly attack you in a place of worship?"

"Yes, I do." I shot back. Smirking, Saburou came closer. My grip tightened on the candle-holder.

Finally, he reached the altar, only two meters away from me. "You've learnt well, I see. But you're wrong if you think I'm here to kill you."

I laughed bitterly. "Really? From what I've been told, I'm very sceptical of that."

"You're right. I look forward to killing you, after what happened." He smiled without his eyes. "You know, the last time we saw each other, you almost killed me."

His words panicked and confused me, but I hid it. "Well, it's a shame I almost killed you. I would sleep a lot better at night if I really had."

Saburou tutted. "Such violent words form the priest of a religion based on peace and love. I'm surprised. To be fair, I did try to kill you first. Strangulation didn't work. I should have just shot you in the head. Now, there are two ways we can do this." Saburou walked forwards, and at that moment, something in my brain clicked. A reaction fell into place. My instinct was to attack. Not from malice, but from fear. A survival instinct. I lifted the candle-holder and swung it around in one swift movement. It contacted with Saburou's head. It made him stagger, but did not fell him. Instead, he lunged back with frightening speed that took me by surprise. He tried to swipe for my arm, but I moved back and retaliated with the candle-holder again. This time, he expected it, and avoided it narrowly. I saw the side of his head was gushing with blood. Baring his teeth, he lashed out. The blow did not hurt me much, but pushed me back into the altar. The candle-holder, old and damaged from my previous blow, snapped in two as it collided with the stone.

Grinning, Saburou seized the opportunity. He lunged forwards grabbed me, then turned me around roughly. His arms locked around my throat.

"All I need to do is move my arm, and I'll break your neck." He whispered into my ear.

Struggling, I kicked at his legs, although it made no difference.

Saburou swore. "You know, if it had been anyone else you were hitting with that candle, they would be out on the floor. If you'd hit them in the right place, they'd be dead. It looks like you forgot that I'm a bit different."

To this, I dragged my hand across his face, digging into his skin with my nails. He did not make a noise, even though there was blood underneath my fingernails.

"It won't work." Saburou tightened his grip, and I stopped struggling. "Whatever you do, it won't work. You see…"

He whispered in my ear.

"Your time is up."

Something sharp pricked my shoulder. Everything slipped into darkness.

Today is the 17th February. I am walking home from the hospital, and the night air is freezing. A few fading street lights are the only things lighting up the streets as I walk to the bus stop. This is always the most dreaded part of the day for me – walking home in the dark. The fact it is dark is not really the problem; the people I sometimes encounter during this walk is what worries me. Sometimes, I walk with another nurse who has a late night shift, but today I am alone. After five minutes that seem to stretch for an hour, I finally arrive at the bus stop. No one is there, apart from a man waiting with his arms crossed impatiently.

Shivering, I pull my jacket tighter around me, put on Kazuki's gloves, and wait with the man, standing a safe distance from him.

The bus is late. Normally, it is only a minute before it arrives, but it has already been another five minutes and I am still waiting.

The man next to me speaks up. "Is the bus normally this late?"

"No."

Sighing, the man scowls into the darkness. His hair is shaved close to his head, almost military in style.

"Where are you from?" He asks, giving me a curious look. "Not from here."

I shuffle uncomfortably. "Australia."

"You do know how to use the buses here, right?" His tone is very patronising.

"Yes." I try to hide my growing unease, and keep my answers short to avoid encouraging conversation.

A ringing noise cuts through the air. The man reaches into his pocket and pulls out a mobile phone.

"Hello?" As he talks, I notice his hand. It looks like it has been scarred or cut several times, all along the back and the fingers. As he moves his other hand, I see it is the same.

"Yeah, it's me." He glances at me, and I avert my gaze. For a while, he does not say anything, instead listening intently to whoever is on the other end. Eventually, he walks a few meters away from the bus stop and begins speaking in such fast Japanese that I can't quite catch what he is saying – not at this hour, anyway.

"John?"

I turn around. To my surprise, Kazuki is walking up to me. What is he doing here, at this hour?

"Kazuki?" He reaches me. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same."

"It's 1am, I'm heading home from my shift. Why are you wondering around here?"

"I was, um…meeting someone."

"Meeting someone? At this hour?"

"Yeah, it was a last minute kind of thing." He is not very clear about it, and his excuse as to why he would be meeting someone at 1am in the morning is not particularly convincing.

"Oh…were you meant to be meeting here?"

"Actually, no. I was going to take a bus to our meeting place."

"Who is it?"

Before Kazuki can answer, the man with the scarred hands hangs up his phone and walks back. When he sees Kazuki, he pauses, stares at him in disbelief, and then grins.

"Brooks-san?" He laughs. "I can't believe this."

"Oh…hi." Kazuki seems a lot less enthusiastic.

"Don't tell me, you were planning to get a bus to the meeting place too?"

"Yeah." Kazuki smiles weakly. "This is a coincidence, isn't it?"

Frowning, I look between Kazuki and the man. They know each other?

"Wait, is this who you were planning to meet?" I ask Kazuki.

"Yeah, it is. This is Saburou Osaki."

The man, Saburou, stares at me. Although he does not look bad natured, his gaze is very intent and it makes me uncomfortable.

"Is this a friend of yours?" He asks Kazuki, without taking his eyes off of me.

"Yes." Suddenly, Kazuki's tone is very sullen. "Yes, he is. Hey, now that you're here, shall we just head somewhere else? Instead of having to take the bus?"

"Ok, then. But somewhere private. We have something very…important to discuss."

At that moment, the bus finally arrives, and pulls up in front of the bus stop.

"Oh, I'd better go." I turn to Kazuki. "I'll see you around."

"Yeah." He nods. "Be careful, ok?"

"I will do."

As I step onto the bus, I hear a snatch of conversation from the two men.

"You've been off work for a while." Saburou Osaki says. "When are you coming back? Soon?"

"…Yeah. Soon, I guess. What exactly did you want to talk about?"

I am not able to hear much more, as the bus driver waits impatiently for me to pay. One last time, I stare distractedly out of the window. This man, Saburou…does he work with Kazuki?

As I watch, Saburou turns around and stares back at me. Something about his gaze makes me uncomfortable, and I avert my eyes.

Saburou Osaki…there is something about him I do not like. Not at all.