"Aw, hell!" JP grumbled. Everybody's gaze flickered toward at JP at the sound of hid voice. They could just see his bright eyes around Zoe's elbow, focused on her. "What the heck was that for?" he complained

"JP, you were drooling," Takuya arranged the pillows and blankets.

"Right." JP remembered his nightmare. "I'm alive?" JP's fingers were on his stomach. "I'm alive!" he exclaimed.

Everybody rolled their eyes on JP.

Koji blinked at Shinya, and both of them smiled at each other and looked at JP.

"Will you two stop staring at me like that?" JP dropped his smile.

"One. Two. Freddy's coming for you." Koji tried to sound like an angelic voice.

"Three. Four. Better lock your door," Shinya added. "Five. Six. Grab your crucifix."

JP gulped. His arm hairs were standing up.

"Seven. Eight. Better stay up late." Koji followed.

"Nine. Ten. Never sleep again." Koji and Shinya said at the same moment.

They can see the JP was shivering in terror.

"HE'S IN THE HOUSE!" Koichi shouted. After making sure that JP believes the horror movie again.

JP jumped up and screamed like hell.

Everybody roared into laughter. Koji and Shinya rolling over and over on the floor with laughter. Takuya sounded like a choking bear. Zoe forcing not to laugh. Koichi almost crying.

"You should've seen your face!" Takuya smirked.

"Oh, just shut up!" JP threw the pillow to Takuya and went to the kitchen.

The phone rang, distracting everyone. Everybody looked surprised; Takuya was already walking forward, reaching hopefully for the phone.

"Hello?" Takuya asked. "Yes, we're having fun here." Takuya held the phone. It's Mom, he mouthed.

"Koji and I are going to make breakfast," JP said.

"Zoe, Shinya and I will clean the house," Koichi said.

"Thanks, I'll catch up on you guys later," Takuya whispered to his friends.

"Hello?" Takuya checked.

"Takuya?" Takuya sighed. He'd been expecting this, though he'd tried to make his message as unalarming as possible without lessening the urgency of it.

"Calm down, Mom," he said in his most soothing voice, walking slowly away from the living room. He wasn't sure if he could lie as convincingly with their eyes on him. "Everything is fine, okay? My friends sleepover here last night, we'll clean up our mess, I promise."

Takuya paused, surprised she hadn't interrupted her.

"Mom?"

"I'll be there in one any half hour." The voice was very pleasant.

"Now, you have a lot of explaining to do Mom." Takuya paused for a minute while he listened to his Mom.

"Yes, eat your breakfast already." Her voice was less than a whisper.

"I can see this is going to be a long day." Takuya's voice was amused, light and friendly.

"I love you, Takuya, I'll see you soon," the voice was thick.

"Take care," Takuya replied. Then she hung up.

Takuya held the phone to his ear.

"Mom is coming home. But its okay," Takuya's voice was lifeless when he came into the living room.

"Is everything fine?" Zoe asked.

"I'm having a bad feeling about something," Takuya gulped.

"We'll make sure everything will be fine," Koji said while serving.

"Takuya, don't worry," Koichi pushed Takuya in the kitchen.

Takuya looked at Zoe.

"Guys," Takuya said slowly, without smiling, keeping his voice level. "Thank you so much."

There was a dead silence.

"You're hungry, aren't you?" Shinya broke the silence.

"Yeah, I guess I am," he quickly answered.

"Then let's get crazy in food!" JP announced.

When Takuya's Mom (let's call his Mom now, Claire) got home, she got to see Takuya's friends before they go home, it was pretty nice. Takuya introduced Zoe as his girlfriend.

The night was not as bad as Takuya thought, after he'd heard the perfect voice of Claire. The Kanbara family talked at the living room.

"Now. Explain," Takuya demanded.

Shinya looked at Claire and Takuya, confused and wary.

"Takuya, I found a job." Claire replied.

"So…?"

Takuya folded his arms across his chest.

"Mom!" Takuya snapped.

"I am working as a receptionist in Los Angeles," Claire murmured.

"Los Angeles?" Takuya yelled.

"Oh boy," Shinya mumbled to himself.

"Hey, don't use that tone to me," Claire scolded.

"For how long will you be in Los Angeles," he demanded in a growl.

"We have the right to know," Takuya muttered, still glaring at Claire.

"Hey, hey," Shinya said, adding slightly hysterical chuckle. "No fighting, remember?"

Nobody paid any attention to Shinya. Takuya and Claire glared and glowered at each other. Claire's face was suddenly thoughtful.

"Its okay, Takuya. You actually have a point," Claire finally said.

Takuya did not relax his position.

Shinya was sure the suspense was going to make his head explode in about one second. "Will you please relax big brother?"

Takuya stared at Shinya, and then turned to Claire, evidently having chosen to let Takuya hear.

"This is for your own good."

"You're leaving us?"

"No."

Takuya and Shinya felt the color drain of their faces. Their stomach lurched. "I'm working far away from you to earn money for your future," Claire chocked out.

The Kanbara brothers watched silently, reading unconscious play of emotion on Claire's face. They were rooted in place, and yet not completely still. All were trembling.

"But—"

"Your future," Claire interrupted Shinya in a whisper.

"Will you come back?" Shinya asked.

"Of course, yes."

"For?" Takuya questioned.

Claire nodded, understanding his question. "Every time I have time."

Takuya tried to swallow.

Takuya's expression was disapproving. Shinya could tell Takuya didn't like discussing this in front of his mother, but he had something he needed to say. "We can't let you come that far. I can't protect Shinya enough."

"You've proved that already. By the time Shinya was born," Claire said her face suddenly desolate. "But it doesn't matter, where ever I go, I'll always be at your side. There still hope, and someday the two of you will know why I'm doing this."

"No!" Takuya and Shiny whispered.

"Mom," Shinya mouthed her name. "Please, don't go."

"That won't help. It's not like we're dealing with a bad premonition. I'll come back. I always come back."

"When Dad didn't come back—what if you won't come back like Dad?" If Shinya's voice hadn't been so hoarse and strained, it might have been shriek. "What if you do that to us?"

"I'll come back. I always come back, remember?"

"We understand," Takuya realized he has to be brave. "Right, Shinya?"

Shinya curls up under Claire's arm—he doesn't fit the way he used to. He has to fold in on himself, his long, gangly limbs poking out in sharp angles. His arms are starting to turn hard and sinewy, but in this moment he's a teenager, shaking, cowering for a long time. Shinya wants to be brave, to be like Takuya.

"I'm not scared anymore," he whispers.

Claire kissed his chocolate-brown hard. Even here among the sharp resinous trees, it smells like dust and sun. It feels like he is part of her, that to separate them will tear the skin where they were joined.

"You'll be fine with Takuya."

"I know that."

"I promise everything will be fine. I'm coming back. Promise. You know I won't break a promise, Takuya, Shinya. Not to you two."

The conversation slows. They believed her. They trusted her.

"Oh please, Shinya's likes thirteen years old already. He can take care of himself," Takuya joked.

"That's right; I'm not a kid anymore!" Shinya jumped up.

"Still acting like a baby," Takuya corrected.

"Will you stop calling me 'baby'?"

"Oh I'm sorry, BIG BABY?" Takuya teased.

"Give me now and one big happy hug, boys!" Claire pulled his sons into a group hug.

"I love my family," Shinya sighed.

"Not as much as I love Zoe," Takuya smiled and never knew what name he said. "I mean, Mom and Shinya!"

And they all laughed together.

On Monday, before Takuya could get home from school, Shinya was cooking. Takuya's eyes narrowed suspiciously at seeing his little brother cooking for the first time.

"Where did you learn how to cook?" he asked during dinner.

Shinya chuckled. "I already knew how to cook."

"Since when?"

"Four years ago," he answered quickly.

"Then why weren't you cooking since four years ago?"

"Mom was a house wife, remember. I can't cook because of her. She's blocking my way."

"You didn't answer my first question. Where did you learn how to cook?" Takuya asked skeptically.

"I watch people cook," Shinya pointed out.

Takuya glared at Shinya, unconvinced.

"A copy cat?" Takuya teased.

"Something liked that."

"Can you copy a boy jumping from a building?"

"Ha!" Shinya snorted. "Very funny."

"Well, be more careful if you don't want to set this house on fire," Takuya warned.

"I will," Shinya promised, surreptitiously crossing his fingers under the table.

"Honestly, Shinya's more mature and proper than Takuya," Koji teased Takuya when he told how good Shinya can cook. They walked at the park after school Friday.

"Maybe you should study how to cook." JP saw Takuya's objecting expression an added, "At least for a week or so. You could stay at the house for a week, right?"

"One more insult, I swear…you're dead," Takuya threatened.

"Relax, Takuya, it's Friday, which means everybody's on the good mood," Zoe cheered him up.

"What are we going to do today?" Koichi griped.

Takuya smiled cheerfully. "What ever you guys want."

Everybody thought about that for a minute—about what they wanted.

They hated the idea of losing even their brief seconds.

Zoe could think of one place where that might hold true. One place that would always belong to her and Takuya and no one else. A magic place, full of light. The beautiful meadow she'd seen only once in her life, lit by sunshine.

"What are you guys thinking about so hard?" Takuya asked.

"Well…," Koji began slowly. "We've got nothing…"

"Do you guys wanna hit the mall?" Zoe said with confident helpfulness.

"Cool." As always, the boys loved Zoe's fun, cool and great ideas.

"Okay!" Takuya stretched his hands.

So, everybody ran straight to Mall of Shibuya, they tied shoes' laces—checked if they've got a lot of money to hang out at the mall—grabbed each other, and went inside the Mall.