Juliena Hizuri is cooking. Hizuri Kuu, her husband, walks in just then and sees her. He mumbles hastily," I have a plan to meet a friend for dinner" and tries to back out hurriedly.

"Come in and sit," says Julie in a tone that brooks no argument. Kuu meekly walks in and sits at the dining table. Julie silently brings the food to the table and serves them both. She sits down opposite him. As Kuu picks up a spoon, Julie catches his hand violently and says, "Let us pray first."

'We have never prayed before meals. Why start now?' wonders Kuu. They hold hands.

"Oh Lord" starts Juliena, "who in his infinite wisdom has decided to make my last days on earth a wonderful sample of how things would be in hell."

Kuu groans inwardly. 'This again?'

"Oh benevolent God, who has blessed me with a clueless husband and surrounded me with enemies who take my most precious treasures away from me," continues Julie, "Forgive my foolish wants and desires, and occasional curses and please grant me the strength to live out the remainder of the three weeks given to me in peaceful contemplation of your divine self."

"Julie, just what do you mean by enemies and precious treasures.." asks Kuu.

"Let us eat.," she simply replies.

Kuu tries his best to act as though the meal is enjoyable. But he needn't have bothered. Julie is not eating at all. Instead, she is staring at the food and silently crying. Tears drop down her cheeks.

He sighs and says, "Julie, the food has way too much salt already."

Julie gives her husband an exasperated look, gets up, and throws her plate into the kitchen sink with a bang that breaks the plate. She storms into the living room and switches on the television. With a sigh, Kuu follows her.

"My love, what is the matter with you today?"

At first, Julie doesn't reply. She has started playing a video. It is the video of Kuon's and Kyoko's wedding and Ren is just putting the ring on Kyoko's finger. Kuu picks up the remote and pauses the video.

"How many times have you watched that today?" he asks.

Julie doesn't reply to his question. "I cannot help it. This is the only way I can see either of them anymore. Do you realize that it has been five years since that day?" Julie pointing to the video. "At first, they were busy with work. But they at least they called. And now, after that small incident, neither of them even call. Are they alive, are they dead? I don't know. Who am I to know? Only their mother. No one cares that I am dying. They will kill me with their heartlessness before that."

Julie has worked herself up more and more. Kuu sits down and gently puts his arm around her.

"My dear, it was not a "small" incident. We must give them the time and space to figure things out on their own."

"It can't take two whole years to figure it out!" yells Julie throwing away Kuu's hands.

"I think to be fair to Kyoko," Kuu counters, "she would have continued calling you if you hadn't lost your temper with her on the last call. If I remember right, your exact words were, 'Don't ever contact me again you venomous snake of a woman.'"

That just makes Julie angrier. "I said that because she is. She is the reason I cannot see my son anymore. At least her, I see in those dramas and movies. But my Kuon. I don't even know where he is." she sniffs.

"My love, if you want me to find out, you know I can," Kuu replies.

Before Juliena can respond, the phone starts ringing.

The coffin lid creaks eerily as it is opened. Inside on a bed of black roses, Reino is sleeping.

"Get up you vile worthless piece of beagle," Fuwa Sho tells him.

"It is Vie Ghoul," Reino says eyes still closed. "I will tolerate that term only from Kyoko."

"Get up or I'll expose you to this solar lamp that I have and you will burst into flames." Fuwa laughs maniacally.

Reino sits up at that. "So, Karen told you my address and you ran here to wake me up. Must be something really important. Wait let me guess." He makes a show of thinking hard. "Kyoko."

Fuwa gets annoyed and drags Reino the rest of the way out of bed. "Get up in the morning and eat some breakfast as normal people do. Instead of sleeping and wasting your life away like this." He says the first thing that comes to his mind, sounding surprisingly like Kyoko.

"Nice to know you still care so much about me, Fuwa. But, I don't have anything better to do. Nothing fun going on these days, ever since that new band - Death by choco has hit the charts, both us Vie Ghoul and you have been losing in rankings and fans."

He has hit a sensitive spot - Fuwa's face darkens. "Don't talk about choco," he says.

"You want me to curse her? Kyoko. Make it so she never acts again?"

Fuwa clenches his hands, bottling the anger that threatens to burst out of him.

"Still love her then?" says Reino watching Fuwa.

"Who loves her you good for nothing beagle? Not me. I just..."

"Just what?"

Fuwa lets out a breath, "She is not who she used to be."

"I don't care." says Reino, "I stopped caring when she got together with that Ren guy."

Fuwa stops. He had, of course, had some idea that Kyoko and Ren might be dating or something. But, hearing it from Reino... He shakes off the feeling.

"Ren is no longer in the picture," he says instead. "Vanished from the industry more two years ago. No one knows where he is now."

"Yeah so? I still don't care. Ren left, so she is unhappy. Unless you want me to find him?"

"No!" says Fuwa, a little too quickly. "You don't know Kyoko. When I rejected her, she bounced right back vowing eternal vengeance and all. She has eternal energy like a Daruma doll. Always bouncing back. But why has she has not recovered even after two years? What's more, over that time she seems to have gotten worse!"

Reino sits up interested, "Perhaps, they're back." he says half to himself.

"She won't talk to me." Fuwa continues. "So, I need you to go to her and find out what's eating her."

"I refuse."

"What? Why?"

"Why would she want to talk to me? Besides, what's in it for me?"

"How about in return, I don't burn you with this sun lamp?" he holds up the lamp covered with a black cloth. He makes a show of revealing just a little bit of light.

"Ahhhhh. The light. It hurts. It hurts. Stop." says Reino, trying to shield his eyes and then, "Did you expect something like this? You know, I am not a vampire. I just have some skills. That's all. That lamp doesn't hurt me at all."

"What do you want from me then?" asks Fuwa, putting the lamp down.

Reino smiles. The effect is eerie. "Joint single. You and Vie Ghoul. To beat DBC."

Fuwa closes his eyes. Kyoko's deadpan face flashes in his eyes. He gives a slight nod.