Takuya's friends were at Takuya's house, helping Takuya to get together again with Zoe.

"Sheesh. Zoe's really scary when she's mad." Koji commented.

"But I don't understand. What happened at your conversation?" Koichi asked.

"Is there something we're missing?" JP added.

"Is she going to forgive big brother?" Shinya questioned.

Koji's face was serious, worried at once. "I tried to do my job, guys. I tried to convince her, but she was so stubborn."

"What did she said?" Takuya asked.

"Takuya, pal, she's right about one thing—I'm Takuya's side. Maybe she's too hurt to forget what you did so easily—trust me, she'll forgive and forget about it, but not today.

Takuya stared at Koji blankly for one second before he understood. Then the blood drained from his face and a thin, wordless cry of horror broke through his lips.

He nodded. "By the way, why did you order me to talk to Zoe? Of all people? Can't you do it yourself?" Koji questioned.

"Nothing," Takuya replied. "Just checking if she's still and at me."

Koji blinked twice, and cocked his head to one side. "You mean…what I did was for nothing?"

Takuya tried to sort out the chaos in his head so that he could answer. "You know—look on the bright side. The information you gave me is came pretty handy…" the words came out in wondering tone as it all sunk on. "Now that I got the information I want, time to move to plan B…"

"Pizza Delivery!" Shinya announced, making everyone to proceed to the kitchen.

"Oh, so there's plan B?" JP grinned, a tight fierce grin.

Each grabbed their pizza. "What if she doesn't give you second chance?"

Takuya shuddered. "Think positive," Takuya snapped.

"What if?" Koichi repeated.

"Then I'll have to get over it. I'll have to move on—"

A laugh interrupted him. "Takuya, that's what you get for being a bad boy," Koji said.

"This will be easy," JP exclaimed.

"I'm gonna have some fun!" Koichi added.

"That's what you think," Takuya smirked.

"When are you going to learn to give up?" Shinya asked.

"Now, I'm not counting on that giving up thing," Takuya said quickly. "I don't' give up easily."

"Really?" Koji, Koichi, JP and Shinya said at the same time.

Takuya nodded. "I'll put my full effort," he qualified.

"How are you going to do that?" Koji questioned.

Takuya's expression changed. "Good question. JP, could I borrow your pick-up truck?

"Why?" JP asked.

"Just answer the question," Takuya mumbled.

"Fine…" JP finished his pizza.

"Get Dad's acoustic guitar, Shinya—Koji and Koichi, may I borrow your stereo?" Shinya went upstairs to search for Nathan's old acoustic guitar.

"No problem," Koji and Koichi replied.

"I'll meet you guys back here," Takuya announced.

"Sir, yes, sir!" Koji, JP and Koichi replied. The three went back home to get what they were asked.

Shinya stumbled back into the living room handing Takuya the guitar. "Aw, serenade eh?"

"Yep." Takuya sat down, checking the guitar. "It's been a while since I haven't seen or used a guitar."

"I hope Zoe's in the mood for listening."

"This is my last attempt. If she doesn't accept, I guess I'll have to stop what I'm doing."

Shinya stared down at him, confused with relief. He started babbling, Takuya's eyes getting moist. "Even though she doesn't forgive you?" Shinya asked.

"Do I have a choice?"

"If you found another girl, just like Zoe—the girl you've been waiting for every day. Would you forget Zoe?"

Shinya sat down next to his brother, Takuya put one big arm around Shinya comfortingly. "I'll take my chances on my right girl. To be honest, I'm afraid. Which I didn't need to be."

"Yesterday, what I see around me is nothing but a lost and a law breaker kid…" Shinya mumbled, lost in thought. "Now, I don't' see any kid around here."

Takuya patted Shinya's head.

JP parked the pick-up truck holding a stereo in front of Zoe's house. Takuya jumped out of the truck holding the guitar. He plugged the chord of the stereo to the guitar. And then his fingers ran into the strings.

Koichi brought a tambourine which came in handy. JP tapped on his truck, using it as the beat of the song being played.

"Zoe, c'mon!" Koji yelled form the outside. "You gotta see this!"

Zoe peeked to the outside through her window.

"What is he doing now?" She groaned as Takuya started singing.

How can I find some thing

That two can take

Without stumbling as we

Walk into our futures wake

I'm like a broke record

I'm like a broken record

That you can play

Repeating as if it matters

Everything I want I want to say

I'll be all right

As long as it matters

As long as you're here with me now

Zoe looked confused for a minute, and then she went outside.

Koji came to Zoe. "Can you forgive him now?"

"NO!"

He looked at her with guilt-ridden eyes. "Why not?"

"Which you tell your friend to cut this out?"

Koji looked down. "No way…"

Zoe thought about that carefully. "Fine, I'll do it for you." Zoe shoved Koji out of her way and pulled the chord of the guitar.

"Aw, I was having fun," Koichi whined.

"Koji, tell Takuya to get out of here," Zoe ordered.

"Why would I do that?" Koji eyed Takuya and Zoe. "Takuya's right beside you."

"He's right," Takuya agreed.

"Would you just all leave…please?" Zoe almost shouted.

"Not without a talk," Takuya face dropped lower.

Zoe sighed. "Koji. JP. Koichi. Leave." Zoe gulped.

"You heard the lady," Koji jumped on the truck, followed by his twin. JP went into driver's seat and roared his truck to life.

"Good luck, Takuya," Koichi waved good-bye.

"Thanks," Takuya muttered as he handed the guitar to Koji. And then they were alone.

"Now. Explain." Zoe folded her arms across her chest.

"There's more than one reason I'm here, Zoe. I wasn't supposed to cheat on you, and that's a bad thing. I know you're mad…upset—"

"Why are you here?" Zoe interrupted.

"I came to apologize."

"I don't accept!" She walked away from him. Before she opened the door, Takuya grabbed her wrist.

"We're not yet finished."

Zoe slapped her hand away from Takuya's hold on her wrist.

"What you saw, what I did was pretty stupid of me. I should have a better hold on myself. I swore it would never happen, no matter what. I…don't want to lose you…when are you going to accept my apology?"

"What would happen…if I said after one zillion years?" she whispered.

"So be it," he whispered back.

She rolled her eyes. Then she sighed, and was serious again. "I can't take care of myself. I can keep a special eye on myself—I won't let anything happen to myself. Why don't you do the same? For Shinya and your friends?"

Something very, very obvious, something he should grasped at once—but he'd been so distracted by Zoe's words, that he'd come so completely missed it at the time—occurred to him only then, when Zoe used the present tense again.

I can take care of myself.

It wasn't over.

"Sorry," he gasped, and Zoe's entire body went ice cold.

"Sorry?" Zoe asked anxiously. "Is that all you can say? Sorry?"

"Sorry…I mean—"

"See!" Zoe pointed, interrupting him. "Sorry!" She punched Takuya's shoulder. "Why do you keep saying sorry even though I'm not accepting it?"

"Because I have to…so I'm sorry."

"Sorry." She repeated. "Everytime you say sorry…ugh!" she groaned. "You just make me so…you make me so…MAD!"

Zoe laughed.

"Hey, are you okay?" Takuya asked, worry creasing his forehead.

She looked up at him, the tears running down on her cheeks. "Why in the world would I be okay, Takuya?"

Anguish replaced some of the bitterness in his face. "Right," he agreed, and took a deep breath. "Crap. Well…I—I'm so sorry Zoe." The apology was sincere, no doubt about it, though there was still an angry twist to Zoe's features.

"I didn't ask for you to apologize, Takuya."

"I know," he whispered. "But I couldn't leave things the way I did. That was horrible. I'm sorry."

She shook her head wearily. "I don't understand anything."

"I know. But before I go would you even turn to say I don't love you?" His voice faded until it sounded like it was coming through a long tunnel; he couldn't make out the individual words anymore. Their forehead dewed with sweat and their stomach rolled.

Zoe turned away from him quickly, and leaned at the door. Her body convulsed with useless heaves, her empty stomach contracting with horrified nausea, though there was nothing in it to expel.

Her head spun sickeningly.

"Takuya," she gasped as soon as she could catch her breath around the nauseous spasms. "I don't love you," she said "Like I loved you yesterday…like I loved you the day I first met you…like I loved you the day you confessed!" She shouted. "I sick and tired of your apologies," she explained in a whisper. "Now, leave me alone," she demanded, frantic. "Get out!" she hissed.

She pushed Takuya away from her without him fighting. She pulled the door and shut it closed. Zoe shoved herself into the wall, into the floor. She could hear her own sobbing, loud as it was, until she could go no farther into the crowded and the sound of her thrashing stopped. Tears gasp of agony.

She was horrified at herself, at the violence she'd allowed to flow through her body, whether consciously or not, but that was not why she was sobbing. She was sobbing because she was lying, and, stupid, stupid, stupid they were, and she lied.

Takuya was writhing while he walked home, and it was hard make sense of the pain. He felt as though he was dying because it was not real; he felt as though he was dying because, to him, it had felt real enough. In all that she'd lost since the end of their world, so long ago, he'd never before felt this. When his father didn't kept his promise, as well as his mother. There was no betrayal, only grief. His parents were died.

"I lied," She railed at herself. He wanted her pain to stop. It was too much, the extra burden of her agony. Hers was enough.

She sobbed, beyond control.

When Takuya got home, he went straight to the couch.

"Can you hear us, Takuya?" Koji asked.

"Big brother?"

"I think it didn't go well," JP sighed.

"I don't know is she's lying," Takuya moaned into Shinya's shoulder. "But why does it feel so real to me even though I knew it's a lie...?"

"Do you need some water?" Koichi questioned.

"A doctor?" Shinya followed.

"Tell us what to do," Koji demanded, anxious.

Takuya rolled his eyes. "I'm not sick—just broken," he almost shouted. The word broken didn't really seem to cover it.

Koji patted Takuya's back. "You mean you're scared?"

"What do you mean scared?" Takuya jumped up.

"Oh c'mon, big brother, you said it yourself…you're scared," Shinya blurted.

"Let me tell you a story," Koji pushed Takuya down. Koji began circling Takuya.

"Oooh…I bet this is going to be good," JP rubbed his hands. JP, Koichi and Shinya sat on the couch with Takuya.

"I've got this friend, his name was Kyle. I told him once that his a coward because he let go of his girl friend easily without a talk or a fight. He told me, he wasn't a coward and he's brave because he accepted the pain and the truth that no matter how he put up a fight just for the girl he loved, he still loses."

"Takuya?" Koji snapped. "Courage or coward?"

Takuya nodded, shuddering.

"I'm scared, okay? Are you happy now?" Takuya raised his hands in the air.

"That's it, don't keep it inside," Koji replied.

Takuya trembled again, and whimpered. "I'm afraid because I don't wanna lose, Zoe."

"How do you know you don't' wanna lose her?" JP raised an eyebrow.

"Because I love her. I'd do anything for her," Takuya explained, automatically snapping his hand.

"And she want you to move on," Koichi sighed.

"We know she's important to you. So let Zoe go," Shinya shook his brother's head.

"Oh not you guys, too," Takuya whispered. "Whose side are you guys? Mine or Zoe?"

Everybody's eyes filled wide, and then narrowed into slits. "Nobody's side." They said at the same time to Takuya.

Shinya left the discussion and decided to call Zoe.

"I can't let her go," Takuya whispered. "No…not yet. I'm gonna make her regret for breaking up with me. Think positive. Not giving up. I still know, I guess—that…that…" he swallowed hard. "That she still loves me. For me."

The guys were distracted by that, their faces torn between several different expressions.

"And I'm gonna need your help, are you guys helping or not?" Takuya almost growled.

"Admit it. You're nothing without us," Koji explained, shrugging weakly.

"Okay. I'll make you guys a deal—"

"Please," Koichi moaned. "Please. No more."

Takuya hesitated. "But this is a good deal."

"It better be important," JP said again, his face all business now.

"I wanna talk to Zoe. Us only. Alone. No flirting like this and that. Serious…joking…talk…"

"Continue," Koji cleared his throat.

"After that, I'm never gonna bother her. I'll move on whether she forgives me or not," Takuya promised.

"Okay," Koji agreed. "Are you guys' fine with the deal?"

"Fine," JP answered.

"No more after the talk? Why not?" Koichi grinned.

"And I just know how?" Shinya jumped in.

"Spill," Takuya cleared his throat.

"Well, when I called Zoe, Mr. Orimoto was the one who answered. He told me that Zoe's going to Thailand for one week. Zoe told him that she misses her grandparents there so she's going to pay them a visit for one day then she's going on her own," Shinya explained.

"What do you want us to do?" Koichi questioned.

Koji smacked Koichi's head.

"Ow…hey!" Koichi cried, rubbing his head.

"It means, we've got Zoe cornered. We're following her," Koji cleared. "Besides, Sem-Break. It means, no classes."

"That's the best idea you've ever came up, Shinya," Takuya admitted. Giving Shinya a bear hug.

"Best idea I've ever had so far," Shinya corrected.

"We're going to Thailand?" JP exclaimed.

"Yeah. First thing in the morning tomorrow," Takuya pointed. "Are guys coming or not?"

"Of course!" Koji and Koichi answered.

"Sorry guys, I can't," JP apologized. "I'm attending a dance lesson starting tomorrow."

"That sucks," Koji commented.

"Shinya, I think you should stay home," Takuya bit his lip.

"You're my big brother, I'm your little brother, you know how I always got your back," Shinya spit.

"Fine," Takuya sighed. "After the talk, I'm leaving Zoe alone," he promised.

"Oh…I almost completely forgot," everybody's eyes snapped of Shinya. "Zoe's departing at six pm."

Everybody checked the clock, it's five-thirty.

"I'll meet you guys at the Airport," Takuya announced. "Thanks, guys," he added.

And then Koji, Koichi spun to the door.