Fuji was glad to be back in their familiar offices. Atsushi's desperation filled his apartment, and it wore on him. "I don't know how to keep him out of Saeki's hands," Fuji said to Mizuki and Jirou when they'd gotten back to the office the next afternoon. An lay on the couch behind him, fast asleep. Jirou looked like he wanted to join her. "Any suggestions?"

Mizuki shook his head. "I don't really have any," he said. "Sorry."

Jirou tilted his head. "What if you can't?"

Mizuki stared at him.

"We need to slow him down, to give us a chance to get Ryou out of here," Fuji said.

He knew he wasn't at his best; the conversation with Saeki had given him some clues, but nothing that would help now. He knew he wasn't thinking clearly, either; they'd had a busy day on little sleep. He didn't have time. He had maybe a bit more than he had before, but it wasn't enough.

"I can try to dream an answer," Jirou offered.

"No," Fuji said, and Mizuki said it at the same time. It almost made Fuji's smile real. "You need to sleep," Fuji continued. "No trying to dream, Jirou. Go to sleep with nothing in mind but getting sleep."

Jirou nodded and sat down in one of the more comfortable chairs, a recliner. He was asleep before he'd finished laying it out.

"Do you think we can get Ryou away from Saeki, permanently?" Mizuki asked.

Fuji let his breath out in a sigh. "I don't know. I don't even know if we can do it long enough to find out what Saeki is looking for," he admitted. "I hate to admit it, but I don't know if we can save him."

Mizuki nodded, not as surprised as Fuji thought he should have been. "How do we do this, then?"

"I don't know that," Fuji said, trying not to sound as despairing as he felt. "I don't know if anyone does."

It was frustrating, knowing he couldn't stop this from happening. Knowing the victims and the 'criminal' made it worse. He just didn't see a way to stop this.

"He's not safe at Atsushi's," Mizuki said, breaking into Fuji's thoughts. "I think he is during the day but once it gets dark he's fair game."

"I know," Fuji said. "I didn't even hear the window open last night. I don't know how Atsushi woke up that one time."

Mizuki rolled his eyes fondly. "He's got some sort of weird connection or something - a twins thing, he said. Seemed to know when Ryou was in trouble all through school."

Fuji sighed. "I don't think that's anything we can use, either," he said, and shook his head. "I'm tired. I think I'll join them. Maybe I can think of something while I'm asleep."

"I'll stay awake," Mizuki said. Fuji nodded, and settled into the other recliner in his office. He slept immediately.

Fuji woke hours later with a horrible feeling that something bad had happened, and looked around. Mizuki sat at the desk, phone to his ear, eyes wide. Behind him, the sky was dark, the sun long gone. "Wait, Atsushi. Slow down. You need to repeat that."

Fuji got up and nudged An awake, and then Jirou. Jirou looked at him, and then rubbed his eyes. "What is it?" he asked, his voice barely working.

"I don't know yet," Fuji said.

Mizuki hung up. "Atsushi said he couldn't find Ryou when he got home from work."

"No note?" An asked.

"Nothing," Mizuki said, and picked the keys up off the desk. Fuji held his hand out for them, and Mizuki tossed them to him. "Let's go."

They'd just reached the door when the phone rang again. Fuji stopped dead, knowing they had to answer that. Not they; Mizuki. He knew better than to ignore those feelings. He grabbed Mizuki's arm and swung him back toward the phone. "Answer it."

Mizuki started to protest, then dashed across the office. "Hello?" He listened a moment, said something softly, and hung up. "Ryou just got home. But he doesn't remember anything. I told Atsusi we were on our way."

"Good," Fuji said. "Let's go. I want to make sure he's okay."

The drive was silent, but Fuji could still feel their tension. An played with her sword, as if she wished she had a whetstone to hone it. Jirou stared out the window without really seeing anything. Mizuki mouthed words - probably talking with Kippei - in a conversation no one else could hear. Fuji sometimes wished he could talk to Kippei without Mizuki present. Fudomine's most famous tennis team captain would have a lot of insights Fuji knew he could use.

It seemed to take too long for them to get to Atsushi's. Fuji knocked, and Atsushi opened the door so fast he must have seen them come in the building. "I'm glad you're here. He's really scared."

Fuji nodded and led the others into the apartment.

Ryou sat in the same chair he'd been in before, hands clenched on the arms. He looked up when they came in, and let out a sigh that revealed how much stress he'd been under. "I have no idea how I got where I did, or how I got back. I don't remember anything." His voice trembled.

Fuji sat next to him and took his hand, trying to figure out what might have happened. This skill was not as well developed, in some part because he didn't know how to read people like he sometimes could read objects. Reading people was a completely different skill. "When did you realize something was wrong?" he asked.

Ryou didn't pull away. "When I got home and stood in front of Atsushi's door. I couldn't get in because I hadn't brought my keys, which made no sense. But I knocked, and he let me in."

"Do you remember anything about Saeki?" Fuji asked.

Ryou's eyes drifted shut. "He wanted me to meet him somewhere," he said, his voice oddly dream-like. Fuji opened his eyes just a bit. He hadn't done that.

"Where?" Atsushi asked softly, trying not to intrude. Fuji nodded his thanks.

"I met him in an alley, just after the sun went down, and he drove. I didn't see where we went, but I know we didn't stop. He talked to me, about life, about a new life, that he couldn't wait for me to join him. And then..." Ryou shifted. "He kissed my hand again."

"Same one?" Fuji asked.

"No. The other one," Ryou said. "He was pretty insistent. He seemed to think you would try to keep me away from him. You are, aren't you?" he asked stronger, his eyes fixed on Fuji a moment before sweeping the room, looking at the rest.

"We are going to do our best," Fuji said. "I think, though, that we'll have to wait until daylight to talk about it. At night, he can follow us." He looked at Ryou and opened his eyes. "I don't want you to think about it anymore. Don't ask. I don't know if he's listening, or if he can, or what. Sleep if you can. In here, I think." He turned to An. "Can you stay with him?"

"Yes. And Mizuki, please?" she asked, looking at Mizuki.

Interesting. But good. "Yes, that's fine with me," Fuji said.

"I'd be glad to," Mizuki said.

Fuji looked at Atsushi. "I would like to see Ryou's apartment."