The room was illuminated by the moonlight. The cool breeze entered through the opened windows, the curtains softly dancing with the air. This place wasn't familiar to Isa at all. The room was a small.

She realized that she wasn't in her home. The unease grew within her as she also realized she couldn't remember why she was even there. Footsteps were heard nearby, and a silhouette emerged from the dark corner.

"You're awake." The voice was Tatara's. "Are you feeling alright?"

Isa had to think before answering. "I guess so...I kinda feel a little hazy or something-tired I guess. What happened to me?"

"You…" He began and stopped. He sat at the edge of the bed. "You were knocked out."

"How?" Then, the memory of what happened earlier sprang into her mind. "What happened!? Is Mika okay?" She rose to a sitting position, alertness quickly strengthening her body.

"She's probably dead. I saw ambulances coming and people gathering around. Don't know what happened to the driver either. But they're probably dead. No one can survive such a severe incident," his voice was calm, and that was when he realized he shouldn't have sounded that way.

"Are you alright!?" She grabbed his arm, surprised by her impulse.

"I'm fine."

"How did you escape the ghoul?!"

Tatara gave her a blank look, trying his best to look confused, but he knew that he just wasn't used to acting.

"Ghoul?" He gave her a raised brow.

"Ah...nevermind. Sorry. It's just…" she trailed, not knowing what to say. She let her grip off of his arm, staring absentmindedly into the darkness of the room. It felt as if she made a mistake to mention and assume such things, he probably thought she was crazy for believing ghouls existed. But what was that flash of light that she saw? Was it a traffic light?

Tatara's hand grabbing hers made her snap back to her senses.

"Is there something you want to talk about?" He asked her, intertwining his fingers with hers.

"Well…" Isa began. She scooted over so that he could have more space to sit. Instead, he took the action differently and lied down beside her. Nervousness built up in Isa's chest as Tatara rested on his side, facing Isa.

"I've encountered a ghoul before, not too long ago. That's why I had my leg injury," she said.

After Tatara didn't respond, she continued.

"They had red eyes, and it seems they were very mobile. A ghoul investigator saved me before the ghouls killed me. If it hadn't been for that investigator, I would have been long dead," she smiled pathetically. "It's amazing how people can be able to face danger and fight back. Something...I don't think I'll ever be able to do."

Tatara looked at Isa's face, partly lit with light but mostly shadowed, but he could still make out all the features of her face.

Curiosity filled him. "What do you think about ghouls?" Tatara asked her.

That was a familiar question-Takatsuki had asked the same thing.

"The ghoul I saw, they said something about how their lives are constantly hunted down everyday. I mean-I know why people do and how they're a threat to us, but-I don't know... It seems we're very alike. They have feelings like us-they aren't animals-they have feelings and thoughts, just as complex as ours. If they only eat humans as survival...well… It's hard. I don't know. My parents...they were killed by ghouls. I came home one day and saw blood everywhere." She paused, trying to get the memory out of her head before she would start to cry again.

"Well...I don't know. I just go by the thought of everything is there for a reason," she smiled, feeling embarrassed and childish. "But it's hard. For them. For us."

Tatara was interested by her answer. He stayed silent, thinking.

"You must think I'm crazy, don't you?" Her voice was laced with unease.

"No. Not at all," Tatara replied, wishing his voice could be more convincing.

"You're lying," she said barely in a whisper. Really, Isa didn't know if he was lying or not.

Tatara gave her an observant look, his face devoid of expression. He wasn't planning on convincing her, it just wasn't like him to justify himself. Instead, he brushed strands of hair that covered Isa's eyes, tucking them behind her ear.

"I'm not lying," he told her.

Isa inhaled, giving in. Her eyes traveled around the room, taking it all in since her eyes started to adjust to the darkness. A chair was partly hidden by the corner, where it seemed a table stood. A small couch was on the opposite side of the room. That was all she could see.

"Is this your place?"

"Yeah."

It was mostly empty, but it gave off a warm coziness that Isa liked. Or, she thought, that she only liked it because it was his.

"You have work tomorrow, don't you?" Tatara asked.

"Yeah." She completely forgot about it.

Tatara got off the bed. He disappeared and reappeared with something that looked like clothes in his hands.

"Get changed into these. I'll wash your clothes for tomorrow," he said monotonically.

Bashful, Isa took the clothes and Tatara left, giving her privacy. She heard him shut a door somewhere.

Isa slowly undressed herself and slipped his T-shirt and shorts on, both of them a little bigger than her size. She grabbed her clothes and walked towards the room Tatara was in. Turned out she was right, the bed was in a living room, with a table and a single chair. There was the kitchen, and a hallway that lead to a few other rooms.

"I'm done," she said, standing before the door she thought Tatara was in.

He came out and took her clothes, walking passed her and disappearing into the hallway.

Isa sat on the couch, waiting to Tatara to come. She heard his footsteps as he came close. He stopped after seeing her sitting on the couch, as if he was confused.

"I can sleep on the couch for tonight," she said plainly when he was staring at her.

"It's not as comfortable on the couch. Best if you slept on the bed."

"But...it's your bed."

Tatara walked and plumped onto the bed-an action Isa was surprised to see. Somehow it was adorable.

He looked at her, his golden eyes reflecting the moonlight. She couldn't tell what he was thinking-it was almost impossible to read this thoughts when his expression was always so apathetic.

"Come here," he said in a gentle, emotionless voice.

Isa rose to her feet without thinking. It made her remember the time when she first saw in at the cafe, when she had stood on impulse. She walked over to him, remembering when she was first trying to approach him. She sat on the bed, then crawled over to the far side. Tatara lied down beside her, facing his back towards her. He felt like he would make her uncomfortable if it seemed like he was going look at her until he fell asleep.

"Goodnight," Isa said quietly.

Tatara felt something in his chest. He was surprised. "...Goodnight."

Sleep slowly came. Isa's mind was drifting away, but a question popped into her head. Why didn't she go to the hospital after she was knocked out? How did she even get knocked out? Her mind was too hazy to process to think straight.

"Tatara," she said. "How did I get knocked out?" She could tell she was tired by her voice.

There was no reply. He was probably asleep. Isa's eyelids were heavy. It felt like she was half asleep, half awake.

Soon, her eyes shut and sleep came peacefully.

Isa woke up to a bright, orange sunlight shining through the windows. She noticed a clock hung at the other end of the room, indicating she woke up at the right time to get ready for work. Her gaze fell on Tatara who was fast asleep next to her, his body rising up and falling down slowly in even, calm breaths. He was now facing Isa, his hair messy and his red T-shirt crinkled.

She cautiously slid off the bed, not wanting to wake Tatara up. Her clothes were folded on the table-she guessed that Tatara woke up early to take it out of the dryer. The thought made her happy, it was an adoring thing to do.

She changed in the kitchen, leaving Tatara's clothes on the table and looking at him one last time. A smile formed on Isa's face and she left.