AN: Jun's point of view.

Chapter 29: Jun's Revelation

Jun was glad when she finally spotted her mom in the tarrying crowd. She had managed to take only one luggage with her so rushing over to her mom wasn't quite as laborious as it could have been.

"Jun!" her mom called out to her loudly over the other voices.

"Mom!" Jun called back to make sure that the other knew that she had seen her.

After some dodging and evading, they finally made it to each other and Jun's mom was taking her out to the sprawling parking lot.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so glad you're here, honey. It's been so long."

"Don't sound so dramatic."

"It's been four years. That's almost half a decade. It's been too long, too long."

"Well, traveling back every holiday would have been a hassle. It took a while to get myself situated down there. I found a job there too, mom, so I was able to find a stable place to live outside of the dorms. On the holidays, I can't stay in the dorms—there's still a place I can live and that's still a lot cheaper than flying down here and flying back."

"Oh, honey, if I knew you were having money problems—

"No, no, mom. It's my job to worry about my money. If I don't start now, then when?"

"I guess you're right. You've always been so independent, Jun."

"Well, I learn from the best," Jun said as she smiled at the other.

Jun's mom laughed at this, "I'm flattered—really I am. So," she said as she unlocked the doors to the car and watched the other place her luggage into the backseat, "There's one thing I've been dying to ask you."

"Alright, Mom, spill." She didn't like the playful smile on her face.

"Have you met in cute guys?"

"Mom!" Jun said as she began to blush.

"Well, I'm waiting."

"Is this really something we should be discussing as soon as I get back?"

"Oh, come on, it can't be all work and no play all the way out there with no supervision. I was your age too after all."

"I see," Jun said climbing into the car.

Jun's mom followed in suit, "Well?"

"Since you're pulling my arm about it—yes."

"Great. I mean, there has to be a reason why communication has become sparse lately."

"I'm sorry—I've just been—

"Busy, I know, I know. Now I know with what."

Jun was blushing so much at this point that she had turned away.

"Wow, there must be a lot of boys."

"Mom, is this all you think about?"

"Listen, girl, we're both adults here, right? I've been single for years, you're just going to have to suck it up and give me details. It's a long ride back home so I have time."

"Who are you and what have you done with my mom?"

"She's treating you just like you want, like an adult. Now get to talking!" She said with a laugh.

"Well, I've had three boyfriends…"

So the conversation went as the two of them drove for miles upon miles all the way back home. Jun couldn't believe she had so much to say. It hadn't seemed like she'd done much at all in her mind, but when she was made to retrace her steps, she realized that she really had been busy with things besides her work and just hanging out. Jun would mostly attract guys that would eventually become too controlling. She was sweet and gentle and men with overbearing personalities would always go for something like that. They would at first think that they liked that under all that gentleness was fierce independence, but eventually it would become too much for them to handle and Jun would be forced to get from under them. Her heart wasn't really in it. Jun was someone who was pitifully attracted to companionship but not at the expense of her independence. Even if from the beginning she saw that there would be some major problems with the relationship, she would go for it anyways to see how long she could last—it was never very long, not in her eyes that envisioned eternity on a normal basis. It was naïve to hope that a relationship would last for so long after just one date, but that was Jun. Even six months didn't seem like a very long time for her and that was the minimum time she would spend in a relationship, the longest being a year.

She disclosed all this to her mom and somehow she felt much better afterwards. Sure, she had spoken to her girlfriends about it, but someone like Mom, someone who she respected over all else, was a different story. If she could understand, then she felt that she had really accomplished something. She found herself not even wanting to talk about the main reason she had gone off to college—to educate herself. That was a given anyways. She was a hard worker; she was going to do well in school. Her mom knew as much. All that they really did was talk about boys even Mom spoke on a subject she normally didn't which was her father. Not that she hadn't before, but not in this context. Jun learned more about her father then she ever had before—it was refreshing so was the girls night out that they had as soon as Jun put her luggage up.

Jun had missed her mom in fact, even felt sorry for her. She found that her mom had started dating again, but nothing had become permanent. How lonely it must have been in that house all alone and she hadn't been calling as much as she had promised Mom. She promised herself from then on that she'd at least call her once a week perhaps even invite her to the university whenever she had enough money or Mom did.

"That seafood was great, Mom, but you really didn't have to spend so much for me."

"Nonsense. I can treat my daughter every once in a while. You're only here for a weak, right? There's barely any time."

"Oh, Mom, you always manage to make me feel guilty."

"Now don't feel guilty. You have your own life now and you're allowed to live it. You make me proud every day. Every time I think of you at college doing what you love, it makes me happy. I want you to get the most out of life. It sounds like you're really happy at that university. That's enough for me."

They had already parked in the driveway of the house so it was alright when Jun bent over from the passenger side to give the other a hefty hug. A tear had sprung to her eyes.

"Thanks, Mom."

It took them a moment to even step out of the car. It was at that moment, that Jun noticed something different about the mansion across the street. How had she missed it? Jun's mom saw where her eyes were looking and sighed.

"It's been that way for a while," Jun's mom said before she could ask. There was a "For Sell" sign on the front yard. "Come inside, I'll tell you all about it."

"Why didn't he tell me…I mean, I called him a few days ago. He sounded like he was alright."

"Come inside, dear. Standing out here won't solve anything."

Jun followed her mom after tearing her eyes from the sign. Why didn't he just tell me…Why did he just lead me on like that…?

They went into the living room and took seats across from one another. Jun's mom took a deep breath before she started talking.

"Sweetie, there's a reason people sometimes don't say certain things—it's harder for some people so don't be so upset about it. Jinpachi was his grandfather, right?"

"Yeah, he was going to give Kazuya one of the most prestigious jobs in his company."

"He passed away, honey."

"What…?"

"Yes," Jun's mom said nodding her head slowly, "It happened soon after you left and poor Kazuya was found unconscious at the mansion and his grandfather was nowhere to be found. Well, you already know that Kazuya is alright so I don't have to tell you that he made good recovery at the hospital. It was all over the news especially the search for his grandfather. He was never found and after all this time, they've declared him dead."

Jun was quiet for so long that Jun's mom worried if she had said too much too soon. She grew concerned when she heard Jun's tears. As if second nature, she swooped over to her side to comfort her as she hugged her closely.

"It's alright, honey."

"Mom…I'm just glad Kazuya is safe. If I had known…"

"Maybe he just couldn't get up the nerves to tell you."

"No, Mom," Jun said shaking her head, "He's not that kind of person. If he wanted to tell me, then he would have. He didn't want me to see him. Now I know why. Now I know that I must."

/

Three days had passed and she still had not found him. Wherever he was, he was far away. Maybe he wasn't even in this country any longer. Each day, she would drive back home in the late hours of the night losing hope little by little. She had come to see her mom, but she had also come to see Kazuya—the guy she couldn't stop thinking about. Even with all the new things she had seen, her mind would more than often return to him and wonder how he was doing. She thought it would be different. She thought that with a long span of absence, she would give him a chance to grow. When she left him, he seemed to have been headed in the right direction. And then all of this. There was no way she could have predicted this, but she felt as if it had been her fault. If only she had been there, he would not have had to go through all of it alone. It was tragedy after tragedy for him and each time, there was no one there for him. It was enough to bring tears to her eyes. She could almost feel his pain despite having not experienced it.

I have to find him.

On the third night, she couldn't find it in herself to go back inside so she decided to sit down on the steps of her porch. These were the very same steps that Kazuya and she had hung out once before. Its significance being that he had never physically come to her house before then. She felt the closest to him there. She had a clear view of the looming mansion, dark and deserted. She could picture the inside of it as clear as day. The mazes of stairs, hallways that went on and on—everything. Often, she would find herself knocking on the large oak door after school just so she could spend some time with him. She wondered if he ever knew how much he had meant to her. She wondered if he ever noticed that she liked him more than just a friend. It was a feeling that always beckoned her to knock on that same oak door almost every day no matter if he seemed annoyed or not. Just being in his presence was enough to brighten even her most darkened days.

She recalled a day like that. Her father had come by to visit for some reason. She had been mailing her father on and off for years then and finally he had gotten up the courage to come and see her in person. One problem though, he had not told her mom about it. In fact, Jun had no clue that he was coming until he knocked on the door. She had been doing her homework when she heard the knock. After the front door opened, all she could hear were loud, angry fussing—it all seemed very familiar. Those voices at that volume; it was just like it was when she was younger. Really, that was all she could remember of her dad. Had Mom not kept photos of him in the album she might have completely forgotten his appearance. Jun crept downstairs to see what was all the ruckus and there he was. Much older looking, he had gained a little weight, but those baby blue eyes were just the same, so was his smile when he caught sight her peeking out from the stairway. He called out her name and she couldn't help, but start running towards him. Their arguing had stopped. The only thing Jun knew was that they were hugging each other. She remembered his warm hugs.

"I've missed you, daddy."

"I've missed you too."

"Are you gonna' stay?"

"I'm sorry, sweetie, I wish I could, but I can't stay for very long."

"Mommy won't let you stay."

"No. Mommy, can't let me stay."

"I don't understand. I want you to stay so stay."

It was then that he released her. She hadn't wanted the embrace to end, but she grudgingly followed in suit.

"You'll understand when you're older. I just wanted to see you one last time."

It was then that she saw flashing red and blue lights from the corner of her eye. She looked around her father and noticed a police car in the driveway.

"Mommy, why is there police outside? Did something happen?"

"No, honey," Jun's mom said from behind as she pulled her inside. "Roger, you have to leave now."

"Alright, I'm leaving. Jun, take care. I always want you to be happy, remember that, okay."

"Daddy," Jun said suddenly when she saw him turning. Her mom still held on to her.

"It's alright, Jun, Daddy has to leave now," he said when he turned his head towards her.

"Will I see you again? You have to come visit."

"I'll try," he said with a smile, but it was only a sad smile—not the one she was used to.

Jun knew instinctively that something really was wrong. She watched as he moved towards the flashing police car.

"Mommy, why is he going to the police car—he didn't do anything. Mommy, we have to go stop them—they're taking him away! How's he gonna' come visit if he's being taken away!"

She felt herself being turned around as her mom bent down and hugged her tightly. "Shh, shh, it'll be okay. You're daddy had to leave with those people. There's nothing anyone could do about it."

"Why? I don't understand."

"When you're older, honey."

"No, now! Please, tell me."

Her mother was silent for a long while and all they did was hug.

"Just tell me," Jun continued to plead, "Just tell me."

Jun's mom sighed, "I guess you'll have to know sooner or later. Your father…you see he is a very bad man. He couldn't live in this house anymore because he was taken to jail."

"So now he's out."

"He had one last request and the judge decided to honor it."

"And now he's going back to jail?"

"No," Jun's mom said shaking her head slowly. Her eyes were becoming moist. "He'll never go back there. He went to jail for a reason and for that same reason your father will no longer be with us."

"You mean…you can't mean…"

"Yes, I do."

Jun suddenly felt cold and stiff. She could no longer process what her mom was saying. All that she could do was run upstairs, shut the door, and cry and cry and cry. Her mom never came up assuming that her daughter needed some time alone to deal with the news. After crying for hours, she crept out of the house and went to the one place that would make her feel better.

She found herself taking the familiar route to his room once she was admitted into the mansion. This time his door was not closed. All she had to do was walk in. She noticed that he had been reading a book on his bed before she stepped in and made her presence known—an activity she didn't often catch him doing.

"What are you doing here so late?" Kazuya said upon seeing her.

"Kazuya, could you do me a big favor—could you just hold me?"

"What?"

"Hold me. It always makes people feel better when you do that."

"I don't even know what that is."

"Just do it!" Jun said becoming frustrated.

She couldn't stop the tears from coming. She had been able to hold them back long enough so that she could get into the house to make it at least seem like everything was okay, but now all the emotion was coming back like a flood.

"Jun, what's wrong?"

There was far more concern and surprise in his voice than she had ever heard before. She felt alone still, standing there and crying helplessly. She thought he would never come. She began to hate herself for ever coming over—why had she even thought that he could comfort her? And then she felt herself being lifted.

"What are you doing?" Jun asked with a shaky voice.

"I'm…holding you. It makes people feel better, right?"

"No, silly," Jun said with a smile and then she began to laugh. She laughed even more at the confusion on his face—it was priceless. "Are you really going to hold me like this forever?"

"I was just doing you a favor," Kazuya answered back haughtily. "You don't have to keep laughing like that."

Jun found herself falling to the ground and landed on her butt. "Hey, that was rude!"

"I really thought something was wrong and all you can do is laugh at me? What's the meaning of this?"

"Calm down, Kazuya. I'm sorry, alright? It was really cute. That's not what I was talking about, but it was good enough."

"Well?" Kazuya countered roughly, "Are you gonna' tell me why you're here? Or did you just want some entertainment?"

She could plainly tell that the other was blushing so she ignored his tone. "Just family problems," she said slowly.

"Ah," he said simply.

Jun knew it was something that he could relate to easily.

"So you decided to run away. Going across the street—so adventurous," Kazuya said in a mocking tone.

"Oh, shut-up, I'm not running off to some far off land and get myself lost—I'm not that crazy."

"Look, if it's really that bad…then, you can stay here if you like."

"Really? That's really nice."

"There's a lot of unused rooms. I'm sure one of the housemaids could make a room up for you and—

"No, I…want to stay here with you. I don't want to be alone in some big empty room."

"I don't know—

"Oh, come on, there's lots of room on that huge bed of yours."

"Ummm…I'm not sure if—

"Oh, don't worry, I won't bite."

"My grandfather never said anything against that kind of thing, but I'm sure he wouldn't like it."

"Then don't tell him."

"Jun…"
"Now, do you want to find out what I meant by holding me. Watch, it's easy."

Jun walked over closer to him and pushed her back against his chest. Without any pretenses, she took hold of his arms and wrapped them around her waist.

"There, that's how you do it."

"Well, how do you know?"

"Because I've seen it in movies all the time. I always wanted a guy to hold me like that."

She had felt his body stiffen when she had grabbed his arms so suddenly, but he had not protested and the longer they stood there, the more comfortable he became, she could tell. His previously rapid heartbeats began to calm and he held her more firmly.

"Umm…Jun," Kazuya said nervously.

He tried to push her away, but it was too late because she had already felt it—a very hard and erect body part. When Jun turned to him, he had already turned away.

"Maybe you should get another room," Kazuya said. There was far less authority in his voice than there usually was.

"No! I don't want to be alone!"

"Please, Jun."

"You really gonna' let me walk all the way back home all by myself back to the same place that made me sad? I thought you wanted to help me."

"I do, but—

"Just let me stay with you. I don't care about your—

"Jun!" Kazuya said before she could finish her sentence. It was just too embarrassing and he was blushing profusely.

"My mom told me all about this stuff. You don't have to be scared. I'm not gonna' laugh at you."

There was really nothing she could say to make him turn towards her again that night and there was nothing he could say to make her leave—they were at a stalemate. They stood there for almost eternity until Kazuya spoke up and said that he needed to take a shower so he simply left Jun to her own devices in his room. When she was sure he was gone, she laughed out loud and almost rolled on the floor in a fit of giggles. She hadn't expected as much from him. Then again, she hadn't known what to expect—she just knew that if there was ever a problem, he would somehow be able make her feel better.

She walked over to the light switch and turned it off. She wasn't sure if Kazuya would even come back, but his bed was free as of this moment so she infiltrated it. It was just as soft as she remembered it. It wasn't often that she would have full reign over it—it was often a territory that was off limits. She didn't even need to climb under the covers though she imagined unparalleled comfort resided there. If she was a cat, she might have purred with satisfaction. The center of the bed was the softest, warmest, and obviously the most used location. She spread out her arms and laid flatly there. It didn't take her long to close her eyes in tiredness. She had shed tears a lot that day—it was tiring and his bed was quite enticing. She yawned twice before finally giving in to sleep. She waited for as long as she could for his return, but he hadn't come.

It was in the limbo between consciousness and unconscious when she felt the bed shake a little when another weight was added onto the bed, but she couldn't be sure. In a snap, there was no movement at all. It took her a moment to wrangle herself from sleep then another moment for her ears to pick up the breathing of another—and there were his soft snores, the ones that she remembered. She crept as silently as she could towards his unmoving form and when she was close enough, she laid down on her side and snuggled up against him. She wasn't sure if she had woken the other, but the other appeared largely undisturbed. Even if it was unintentional, his warmth made her feel as if she was in the safest place in the world. No one could harm her. Her emotions were somewhere locked in a lead-lined box and only he had the key and he would give it to no one. She smiled to herself and fell comfortably asleep.

Even now she smiled as an older Jun sat on the steps in utter defeat. There was no way she would ever find him again. She didn't have the faintest clue where to start in the first place. That she was searching for him so hard was silly in itself. It made her look quite desperate. She knew her mom was beginning to worry, but the fact that her mom had not stopped her from her foolhardy mission meant that she understood. She stood up when she could no longer stand to just have memories of him and turned to begin her trek up the porch steps, but something stopped her—a soft voice. Jun turned around to look behind herself.

"Jun…I know your quest."

"Who is it? I can't see you."

"No you cannot. It is up to you if you choose to trust me."

Jun stepped down from the stairs and turned around completely to look at the darkened surroundings. "What's your name at least?"

"I am not allowed to say. Please, follow me."

"But why—

"You are someone who can read a person's soul quite thoroughly. You can sense when there is something wrong. Do you sense that now?"

Jun's eyebrows creased a little, "No, but…"

"Then you know that I am not here to harm you. My job isn't to lead humans astray. I will take you to him if you follow me."

"You mean Kazuya? You'll take me to him?"

"Yes."

"Why are you helping me?"

"I was only sent to help one person, but helping you reaches the same end."

"To help Kazuya, right—that's the one person."

"I've said too much as it is. Please follow me."

"Alright, I will. I guess I'm in no position to fuss. I really have no leads as to where he could be."

"At your pace, it would have been impossible unless by some chance meeting. Follow my presence."

Jun stepped forward uncertainly.

"You have senses beyond that of a normal human. Use them now. That is, if you really want to meet him again."

A look of determination came across her face and she took a deep breath. She took another step and then another step. "My mom used to talk about things like this, but how could I have believed her?"

"Your inability to think outside of the box has handicapped you. Your mother does not possess the kind of skill that you were born with; she would not have helped you much even if you had listened to her."

"What do you mean?"

"Quite the inquisitive one. In due time, I promise. Now is too early. For now, your presence shall be enough."

Jun continued to follow slowly but surely.

"Good, Jun, you're doing well. Exercise your senses, strengthen them. Then perhaps one day, you can discover Kazuya's secret."

"His secret?"

"It is for you to find out, but of your own ability—he will never tell you outright. He will always try to protect you, so it is up to you find out on your own."

"I know you said he would never tell me, but what's wrong with just asking him? I'm sure if I asked enough, he'd finally spill."

"If you want to destroy whatever relationship you have with him, you will do no such thing. You will unintentionally place him into a corner and in his mind he would be forced to separate from you. I know your hearts, neither of you would be whole again. Do not engage him in such questions, do you understand?"

Jun simply nodded.

"You must give me your word."

Jun sighed, "I will not ask about his…secret, whatever it is."

"Good. Only know that it is meant for you to discover, but not like that. I will lead you to a car. Climb in to it. There is no way that you could make it to Kazuya by foot."

"We're going to steal a car?"

"We're going to make use of an abandoned car. It's up ahead."

Sure enough on the side of the road, the car was brown and rusted. She had to tug on the door for a good minute before it actually opened after she could break it free from all the rust. It screeched loudly when the door opened. The inside wasn't half bad, just old-looking. She sat down in the driver's seat uncertainly. The car seemed largely inoperable.

"How am I supposed to—

Suddenly the car was turned on, lights and all.

"Close the door. The car will continue to work as long as you follow me."

"Okay."

If there had been any lingering doubts in Jun's mind, they were gone now. She closed the door as hard as she could and pressed down on the accelerator. To her amazement, the car moved and quite smoothly at that. If it wasn't so rusty, she might have wanted to keep the car.

Before she knew it, she was out on the freeway. She looked at the fuel gauge and saw that it was completely empty. She didn't want to stare at it too long. The contradiction was almost too much to swallow. Already she was listening to some disembodied voice—that's how desperate she had become. Now she was driving in a dilapidating car that she hoped was headed for Kazuya's place.

She drove all night without tiring—something kept her awake. It was strange to say the least. She sensed something was there and followed it, but she didn't know just what was there and why she felt that she could trust it. She decided to stop questioning the impossibility and simply go with it. This was her last chance after all. If she ever wanted to see him again, she had no choice but to follow.

The sun was almost coming up by the time she found herself driving into the parking lot of some dinky hotel.

"Are you sure this is it?" Jun said as she looked at the old building after she stepped out of the car.

"I assure you, this is where he resides. Go to room 24."

"Thank you for all that you've done for me. Without you, I would not have found this place."

"You're not even sure if he's there. You thank me too soon."

"I believe I can trust you."

"Well then, in that case, you're very welcome. Now get going."

Jun walked forth towards the hotel. She didn't have far to go. Judging from the numbers and where they started, he must have been on the second floor. She climbed up the metal steps and walked around the narrow path counting the numbers. 21, 22, 23, 24. There, it was as plain as day. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door. The sun was beginning to peak out further from the horizon as she waited for an answer. Her breath caught in her throat when she heard footsteps and then she tried to prepare herself as the door opened.

For the longest moment, all they could do was stare at one another. When she looked him over, she noticed that a few things had changed. He had gained more muscle. Before, he had been completely wiry, but now he seemed more firm, more full and rounded. It was still something he could hide under a proper jacket, but she could tell that he was still training himself. Aside from that change, he was noticeably taller. If she was measuring it correctly he was almost six feet in height.

"Kazuya," Jun managed as she got her breath back.

"What are you doing here? How did you—

"A little bird told me."

Jun could tell that he didn't like her explanation and he had yet to invite her in. She began to wonder if this was a good idea. Showing up at his doorstep unannounced? Maybe there was some smoother way she could have done this. Just then she began to feel weak. Then she remembered something as she struggled to keep her consciousness—she hadn't actually slept in three days. Now that she was here, now that she had found what she had been looking for. Whatever she had been running on gave out at this moment. She wondered if she had fallen onto the hard concrete or if Kazuya had caught her in time—she wasn't sure about anything until she was able to open her eyes again.

She found herself in a bed that was perhaps the hardest one that ever existed. Her eyes were turned towards the ceiling and it was black as coal and not at all clean. The only light came from the sunrays seeping through the broken blinds.

"Kazuya?" she said weakly.

There was no response. She sat up slowly in the bed and finally took a good look at her surroundings. It was cleaner than she expected. Everything seemed to be in proper order as much as it could be in such a cramped space. All she could hear, now that she took notice, was the water running in the shower. She knew that it had to be him. She suddenly found herself trying to straighten her clothes out so as to look somewhat presentable. She looked around for a mirror and went to it to make sure her hair was alright. She combed her hands through a few times before she was vaguely satisfied and went back to sitting on the bed in a position that would not mess up her clothes or hair.

It felt like an eternity when the water was turned off and another eternity before he even stepped out of the bathroom. She didn't expect to see him completely naked and he hadn't expected her to be awake. Jun was clearly shocked, but Kazuya was far less bothered by it than Jun had expected. His clothes were near and he simply put them on. She wondered if he even knew that she was awake, though there'd be no way of mistaking it, she was clearly sitting up.

"You finally decided to wake up," Kazuya said as he walked over to the only seat left in the room that wasn't the bed.

"Wait, how long—

"Three days."

"Three days? Oh my god, I have to get back home—I have to start packing. I…"

"It seems like it took a lot just to get here. You sure you want to leave so soon?"

"Yeah, it did. You have no idea."

"I have some idea. After hogging my bed for three days, I think I have some inkling."

"I wasn't hogging it. You could have…"

"What? Climb into bed with someone who hardly knows where they are? I doubt it. The bed was yours for as long as you could stand it."

"It is kind of hard."

"One gets used to it."

"This room is kind of small."

"It's not something I would be bothered by."

Jun sighed, "I'm just glad you're safe."

"I'm not safe."

"What do you mean? Someone's after you? That's why you have to hide in this hotel?"

"No, that's not what I mean. I told you not to come visit yet here you are. I tell you one thing and you do another."

"I see; you don't want me here."

"If I didn't want you here, I would have left you out there in the cold."

"Well, obviously you felt sorry for me, I guess you had no choice."

"Sorry, my mind doesn't work like yours. I don't 'feel sorry' for others, but I would never let harm come to you and obviously a girl like you in a place like this by yourself would not have been safe."

"Right, I forgot. You couldn't possibly do something out of charity," Jun said with sarcasm. "We have a lot of catching up to do and I hardly have any time left before I have to leave."

Kazuya grinned at this, "How exactly are you going to get back home if you're in such a rush?"

"I drove here in a car."

"What car? I didn't see yours outside just some rusty heap that hadn't been there before."

What could she tell him? That that rusty car was responsible for her transportation? "I…well…" there was no point in lying about it, "That rusty car out there. It might look like it doesn't work, but when you turn it on, it works really smoothly."

"It might have worked somehow before, but there's no engine and it doesn't look like there's been one for some time."

"What—were you specifically checking out that car the whole time? It wasn't bothering anything."

"No, all I had to do was glance over at it once and deduce as much. You do realize that there is no hood where the engine should have been. Like I said, pile of junk. How do you plan on getting back?"

"What do you want me to say?"

"Try telling me the truth."

"It's not like you've been completely open with me," Jun retorted, but she bit her tongue. She had promised that voice that she wouldn't try to pressure him into telling her something that he didn't want to.

"You're right," Kazuya said much to Jun's surprise, "I was overstepping my boundaries."

Jun didn't like the "boundaries" she was beginning to see between. What of all that progress they had made before? Where had it gone? It was as if they had grown apart. In fact, he felt more like a stranger than anything else. Here in this strange, foreign setting with a voice that was practically unrecognizable from the one she knew—she almost didn't know who she was talking to. She wished she could say that he hadn't changed at all, but that just wasn't true.

"No, you were just concerned. I'll be alright."

"I know you will. You can go back to doing something you love."

"That isn't all that I love."

"Look, Jun, when will you learn? We live in two separate worlds. Before when we were younger, it was disguised, we lived across the street from one another, but I was never fooled. You don't belong here with me even you have to be able to sense that. I can't go where you go and you can't stay here."

"No," she said shaking her head, "Nothing has to be set in stone. You could come with me away from this place. This isn't you, I know it."

"Then you don't know me very well at all. If you're on a tight schedule, I suggest you leave now. It takes quite a few hours to get back to your place."

"Kazuya, why don't you just come with me?" Jun looked around the small room, "You really don't belong here."

Kazuya placed his face into his palms as if he was stressed. "How long has it been since you left for your education?"

"Four years. It's only been four years."

"A lot can happen in that time. I used to believe in some bright future and now that you're here, you've reminded me of that, but it doesn't do anyone any good to fantasize about something that wasn't meant to happen. I told you I've been busy—I wasn't lying really. Tomorrow, I'll have some place I need to be and I suspect that tomorrow, you too need to be on that plane to take you back to your school."

"Kazuya," Jun said as she climbed off of the uncomfortable bed. She approached him cautiously and then wrapped her arms around him, "I'm sorry for not being there. I really am."

His muscles felt quite tense as she did this and it did not change the entire time. She was standing up and he was still sitting down. At this point, she was at a higher position and his head was at the level of her stomach.

"There's no use apologizing for something you had no control over."

"It's just my way. I thought you knew by now—I can't help it."

"Jun trying to fix the world again, I see. You'll burn yourself out at this rate."

"You're one to be talking. Four years is a long time—I know you couldn't resist training at some gym like a maniac especially when there's no longer any restraint. I'll never know where you get all the energy for it." By this time, Kazuya's arms had come around her waist and he had spread his legs out a little to allow her to come closer.

"Well, from the same place you get your inspiration to work with animals all the time."

"I suppose," Jun said thoughtfully. "Can I stay here with you?"

"Jun—

"Just for the night and then you can drive me back home so I can get my luggage."

"I'll take you to the airport."

"Really? You will? I thought you were in a rush."

"Not so much that I can't take you to a simple airport."

"Let's go somewhere."

"Now?"

"Yeah. We're not just going to stay in here for the rest of the day, right? Let's do something."

"Like what?"

"I don't know what's around here."

"Fine, I have an idea."

Kazuya stood up again to his full height and took her by the hand as he led her forth.

"Wait, where are we going?"

"I haven't decided yet. Whichever place is closer."

"Which is?"

"I'm sure you'll appreciate it more as a surprise."

"Alright, lead the way, mister."

They passed a few haggard looking residents all of which gave her disturbing looks—a few of them licked their lips. However, they straightened up when Kazuya glared menacingly at them. In fact, many scurried off like rats. A few braver ones stood their grounds, but made no advances towards her.

"I guess it is a little dangerous out here," Jun said in quiet tones towards Kazuya as they climbed down the steep metal stairs.

"You're a master at understatements. They'd have raped you without a second thought given the chance."

"What? They were just looking at me funny."

"I'm sure they had the purest of intentions."

Jun was surprised to see the state of Kazuya's car—it was the only thing that even hinted at how much money he really had. Then again, it was the car given to him by Jinpachi. He hadn't actually bought it himself, but he could do so if he ever wanted to. It was a red lotus, very clean and sparkling.

"Okay, how exactly has no one ripped you off? You can't have a car like that at a place like this," Jun said with surprise.

"The people around here know better than to try and do that. Jump in."

The sun was quite high then and Jun found that she didn't want to be anyplace else as they sped down the street. She had no idea where they were going, but she no longer cared.

I wish this day would never end.

/

AN: Looks like I'll be breaking this into two chapters everyone. This is a lot longer than I expected. Oh and fun fact, Kazuya's room number corresponds to his age at this point.

As for more fire, asdfqwerty, probably won't get that until Tekken 2 which is just around the corner timeline wise. MishimaLars, I'll definitely keep that in mind in the future chapters.