"I don't understand you, can't you speak Japanese?" Yaya replied anxiously, her eyes having switched from being narrowed slits to wide black saucers in less than a heart beat. Hikari's face was a similar picture, but for entirely different reasons. "You said my name, how do you know me?" Yaya pushed. She'd turned to fully face the young chinese man by now, her hand gripping the back of her stained plastic chair in a subconscious display of tension. Hikari was reaching tepidly across the diner table as she tried to draw the other girl's attention. "Bah, you so rude now..." the lad replied in a disappointed tone, one hand fiddling with the black and blue hem of his jacket and the other wedged into the rear waist band of his faded grey slacks, his gaze slipping briefly toward the oddly immaculate trainers he was rocking his left foot back into the heel of. Yaya's impatience slipped loose again, "I don't understand English. Can't you speak Japanese?" she repeated. The newcomer before her looked disgruntled, tutting loudly before switching into an odd Chinese-Japanese accent and the infinitely blunter, but much more comprehendible Japanese plain form. "Not the sweet little Okimoto girl you used to be. You were cute back then," he said as he sniffed his disapproval. Yaya's expression washed with a weird combination of annoyance and relief, the insult merely distracting amongst the reassurance that she'd finally met someone that recognised her. The girls were home free now, just as long as she could convince this chinese to help her. Biting her tongue she tried to recover the initial greeting by starting over, "Look, I'm sorry; I'm not very good at English. You used my name. Do you remember me? Have you lived here long? I'm looking for someone else who used to live here if you could help us," she explained. Hikari was still badgering for attention in the fringes of Yaya's peripheral vision, and the distraction strained at her mental focus. "I'm looking for a man named Ginji, Ginji Senmatsu. He'd be in his twenties now. Tanned skin, big shoulders, short hair? Do you know him as well?" The Chinese boy's initial affront softened again, the mention of another familiar name relighting his face. He released his jacket hem, holding his hand forward as he offered his recognition to his audience. In the excitement, the young man slipped back into english unintentionally, "You know Ginji-san? Know Ginji too, he big wannabie now." Realising his mistake given the vexed looked that immediately returned to Yaya's face, he quickly switched back to speaking Japanese. "Yeah I know Ginji. Sells good doushin and rip off hentai." And raising a single dark eyebrow into the base of his scruffy fringe he added, "Wait, you two aren't into that kinda thing are you?" There was a snigger from some of the lads at the back, and Yaya glanced their way in irritation. "He's a friend," she declared bluntly. Having given up trying to gain her roommate's attention, Hikari now pondered that last exchange with a degree of youthful ignorance. "Look, can you tell me where he is or not?" Yaya continued, her patience running dangerously short. "I need to find Ginji, do you know where I can find him?" Her request was greeted with a frown as the scruffy haired figure scratched his head in a moment of unreadable contemplation. "I don't usually go handing out people's addresses... it's ain't the done thing, and you of all people should know that..." He sniffed again loudly, the young man bringing the back of his dirt ingrained hand across his nose as he thought the matter over, "But seeing as I remember you two hanging round Tamihime together, I figure he wouldn't mind you catching up to him ..." He juggled the subject some more, and Yaya's nerve faltered briefly with his obvious apprehension. It didn't take long for him to make his mind up though, the Chinese boy simply shrugging as he grinned a huge, yellow stained grin. "Yeah I'll tell you where he is," he said, before switching into a lower, theatrically hushed tone, his strong Beijing accent spilling through, "But you don't tell him where you found out yeah?" There was a shuffle from the back of the room to emphasis the point. Frowning cynically, Yaya gestured in response. "How much?" she asked, beckoning the cost of the young man's aid forth with her curling fingers. The Chinese kid laughed, and waved his own hand dismissively, "You've been gone far too long haven't you?" he chuckled in amusement. "For little Okimoto-chan? No, nothing, don't be stupid," he finished. Yaya's cynicism remained, but that was the answer she'd been hoping to hear nonetheless. "So where can I find him?" she asked. The kid scratched his nose again before pointing the same mucus smeared appendage vaguely toward the window, his arm very nearly braining the attendant who had just returned with the girl's food. "Ginji's got a place in the old train yard. Back near Namidabashi. Hang left on Dashi, then left again when you're running parallel to Shiori. He's lot 26," he explained. Yaya started to rise from her seat. "Will he be th-" she was about to ask, but instead the young lad cut in over her. "Yes yes, no problem like I said. But don't you think you should eat your food first; your friend certainly looks like she needs it." Yaya's neck twisted in steps, her eyes flicking to her flank and then back to the Chinese lad in confusion, before returning to take in Hikari's sheet white complexion more completely. "She not looking so well," he finished in english, before turning to wander back to his friends. "You call by, come see me Okimoto-sama," he called over his shoulder. There were various hushed comments as he rejoined the group in the corner, but Yaya's attentions were taken solely by Hikari's crumbling demeanour; the young girl a train wreck on the other side of the table. "Oh god Hikari I'm so sorry," she blurted, her mind now free from the constant heckle of anxiety and fully focused on the distraught blonde sat before her. Leaning over the table, she took Hikari's hands in her own. "I didn't mean to scare you here; it's just taken me a little longer that I hoped," she pleaded. But Hikari wasn't listening, her blue orbs downcast and lost somewhere in the chipped surface of the table. She was still too stuck on the initial revelation to process much beyond it. Plucking up enough stamina to reanimate, the Konohana girl glanced up cautiously as she mumbled her question. "Was that man in the apartment... was that man Yaya-chan's father?" she asked in a tiny voice. Yaya's frown betrayed the awkwardness of her answer, "I... this isn't the place Hikari. He was... is, I guess. But I'll explain eve-" Hikari cut in, looking up properly this time as she scoured Yaya's face. "But who are those nice people I met at the Dorms Yaya-chan? You said they were your parents?" Yaya sighed. "Look, they are... Hikari this is too complicated to tell you here. Let's find Ginji and then I promise I'll sit down and explain everything. Ginji will help us I'm sure; he'll find us somewhere safe to stay." Hikari's expression remained doubtful. How could anyone in the horrible, disgusting place take care of the girls properly? Especially someone who sold that foul hentai stuff she'd been reliably informed that only dirty old men and perverts looked at. "He looked after me before Hikari," Yaya asserted in a serious tone, noting the look on her companion's face, "He was the only person that looked after me... I'm sure he'll help us now." Yaya drifted off momentarily with her mind elsewhere, Hikari watching quietly as her roommate relived something internally. Then, snapping back to the present, Yaya squeezed her dear friends hands in reassurance. "Let's eat up eh? We'll head off as soon as we're done." She smiled as she nudged the youngster toward the steaming polystyrene tray of noodles and pungent smelling liquid sat waiting for her on the table top. "We'll be in a nice warm flat in no time at all, promise." - - - - - Shizuma turned again, her silver mane tangled and awkward beneath her, the pillow her head rested upon somehow protesting to her presence. With the days past and gone now playing heavily on her mind, she'd awoken shortly after retiring to bed with the pretty red head, the older senior finding herself stripped both of the ability to sleep and perhaps now, even the inclination. Her mind was alive with memories; memories and regrets and matters long forgotten. Sighing softly as she stared up at the ceiling, she glanced across to the foetal form curled up in the dim light of the Dormitory. Nagisa looked restless herself, although more than probably as a by product of Shizuma's own inability to settle than anything else. These single beds were far too small for this, the sixth year mused, the former-Etoile once again longing for a return to the giant sized monster of a bed at the Summer House. At least the red head was still out for now. Unable to clear her mind, Shizuma briefly reconsidered the option of tea, or a late night bowl of breakfast cereal from the upstairs kitchen. But it was very nearly midnight, and knowing all too well from her previous years of sleeplessness that slipping from bed at such an hour would only delay her waking in the morning even further, she resigned to searching for slumber once more. Rolling back to spoon behind the slumbering form beside her, Shizuma's eyelids slipped closed in another attempt to sleep. - - - - - It wasn't long before Hikari found herself regretting the meal, the spicy sauce sitting heavily in her already unsettled stomach, and the immediate return to her feet only compounding matters afterward. Feeling altogether nauseous, she trotted alongside her determined class mate as they retraced their steps back toward the station, the young blonde once again wishing they were about to board a train to somewhere else when they passed it. Reaching the Namidabashi crossroads, Yaya took a moment to orientate herself in the dim orange streetlight before dragging her roommate down a side street towards the railway yard. It'd been a long time since Yaya had stepped foot on these streets, and the further she went, the more she realised the degree to which it had changed. There had been a decorum here before, a linear state of living and a level below which few allowed any to fall. Looking around now however, the streets exhibited a weird sense of polarisation, ranging heavily from the spangly new apartments on the main streets to the near slum like accommodations like the flat she'd briefly visited with Hikari, the estate her father lived on somehow managing to dip even lower than it ever had when she'd lived there before. Something had certainly shook the neighbourhood down in her absence, and she had to admit the thought unsettled her greatly. After all, besides this there was nowhere else for the girls to go but back to Kyoto. Reaching Shiori Avenue, she did as she was told and turned left again, the transients soon finding themselves greeted by the locked front entrance of the railway yards at the end of a darkened one way street, a wide chain-linked double gate blocking the way to motor vehicle traffic, with various placards situated on either side of the barrier to state the opening hours for access to the rentable lockups. Behind it, looming in the darkness, were the many, many shells of abandoned or parked railway carriages, the long lines of storage track and the compartments sat on them stretching out into the hazy distance, the dust and graffiti covering their walls and windows almost uniform in its coverage. Hikari eyed the site with cautious apprehension, while Yaya set about forcing the corner of the fence so she could make an opening off to one side. In the past she'd have simply climbed the obstacle, but something told her Hikari was less than likely to cope with the feat. Pulling at the recently reattached chain link, Yaya glanced back at her companion, the preoccupation in Hikari's blue eyes catching the third year's attention. Busy with forcing the fence, Yaya called back across her shoulder in a strained voice, "What is it Hikari?" Hikari shrugged, feeling awkward about her reservations given Yaya's continued reassurances and their current state of progression. "Uh... this place seems a little creepy Yaya-chan. And it's obviously locked for the night. Should we be going in here? You're damaging their fence..." Yaya stopped tugging at the metal weave and turned back to her companion. "Can you hear that Hikari?" she asked. Hikari looked confused. "Listen carefully a moment," Yaya said, stopping so she could catch the noise again herself. "I don't hea-" Hikari began, but she stopped herself mid-sentence. Beneath the sound of the freeway traffic to their side and the sluggish trains rumbling by on the Namidabashi flyover, she suddenly caught the sound of music. Guitar music, and the dull thud of double bass drums. Her eyes swam in the dark. "Music means a party, which means we're close. So relax," Yaya grinned. "I wonder if he'll give us the couch or the bed?" the third year teased enthusiastically, her next heave at the deformed wire then causing her to sprawl onto her back as the fence gave way. Smiling up from her place of exposition in the brush at the side of the road, Yaya grinned at her companion as she motioned toward the freshly reopened hole. "Come on you, we're home free now." - - - - - Straddling a powerful looking black guitar, the shiny surface of its high gloss bodywork flashing in the strip lights of the dingy garage as it moved, a young Japanese man with tight brown dreadlocks and a heavy set build hammered home round after round of skull crushing powerchords into the instrument's pickups, the impulse racing the various lengths of cable work before exploding from a deep set Marshall amp mounted at pride of place in the centre of the garage. Around him, lost in their own concentrations but bound by the collective music that they were producing, the three other members of his band, two further guitarists and a young chinese man playing drums, followed his lead as they rehearsed one of their freshly prepared, originally-written tracks for what was promising to be the final time that night. Imagining themselves on stage and swimming in the moment as they lived every note of the performance, passion, adrenaline and repressed anger flowed from the speakers within the small room, the pounding beat and spitfire melodics filling the air and bouncing the dust from the walls. Glancing to his flank as his lead guitarist, a slim built kid with surprisingly fair, long brown hair ripped into his end solo, the band's leader grinned victoriously as the rhythm and lead combined perfectly, the growling D-chords harmonising with the squealing top end as it screamed from the white v-shaped replica that the mousey haired kid cradled in his arms, his fingers racing across the fret board as he played. Round and round the solo went, the deep brown eyes of the lead guitarist swimming wide as he castrated each squealing note with his replica's over-abused whammy bar. Finally, as the solo died away and the pounding rhythm and bass of the other two guitars returned to the fore, the band's well built leader growled the remaining lines of the song down a battered old microphone positioned before him, the track soon grinding to a halt, the final roll of the double bass drums and the deep hum of the bass guitar's pickups fading into the still. Grinning to each other with an underlying sense of achievement as their chests strained to pay their oxygen debts and cleanse their searing muscles, the band was about to congratulate itself when an unexpected addition to their number chose to do so for them. Jolted from their moment by the sound of soft clapping coming from the corner of the garage by the half-ajar doorway, one Ginji Senmatsu found himself immediately shouldering his much loved ESP Explorer before the shock could cause him to drop it, the face before him not only the last he ever expected to see before the day he died, but also one of the most fondly regarded. Smiling from behind his dark, stoic eyes as he huffed in shock and surprise, the young man in the centre of the room called towards the two figures huddled in the corner, "Yaya...? Yaya, is that you?" - - - - - Yaya squealed as she shot across the room, the relatively tiny third year jumping into the air as she threw herself around the bulky guitarist standing in the centre, her long black hair exploding messily behind her. She buried her head briefly in the sweaty shoulder of her reunited companion, his huge right arm supporting her weight as it wrapped around her tiny waist, the Nanto girl squeezing him as hard as she could before slipping the foot and a half back down to the ground at his feet. Grinning up into the bewildered face before her, Yaya bubbled over again in excitement. "Ginji!" she giggled, then twitching her nose briefly before rubbing it with the back of her hand, she added, "God you're covered in sweat, take a shower already," she teased. The young man remained his stoic self, but the beginnings of a grin actually crept into the shadow of his expression. "And dreadlocks too, god – such a Gackt wannabie!" she pouted. "Oi, play nice," he rumbled in reply, but this time, the smile broke his moulded mask. He ruffled her hair fondly as she looked down at the slender school girl. "Yaya," he repeated warmly. It only took a moment before that warm smile dropped away however. "...err, what are you doing here?" he asked flatly, his eyes narrowing as he tipped his head to lean forward, the young man casting shrewd eyes across the third year's face. But before Yaya could reply, her expression having immediately plummeted given the seriousness she found herself presented with, the dreadlocked man shook the thought and returned to the matter of pleasantries. "Where are my manners, I dunno... Introduce me to your friend Yaya," he said, calling off into the shadows by the door. Thoroughly petrified, it took Yaya a brief moment of reassurance and a tightly gripped hand before Hikari could stumble forward on awkward knees into the room proper. "Ginji Senmatsu, meet Hikari-chan. She's a friend of mine," Yaya proudly declared. The other members of the band glanced between themselves, and Ginji noted the tone of their expressions. "Guys, let's call it a wrap tonight yeah? I need to deal with this," he growled. The blonde guitarist and the darked haired Japanese bass player nodded understandingly, stepping forward with an air of purpose as the three raised their clenched fists forward into a gesture of solidarity in the air above the centre amp. "Ruurraggh!" they growled, and the three threw twisted smiles of accomplishment. "Fucking awesome tonight guys, truly fucking awesome," Ginji declared, before looking back toward the drummer, the stocky band leader nodding sternly to the slender foreigner sat patting his bare but tattooed shoulders and chest down with a grey flannel towel on the drum kit stool off to one side. "You too china boy. Fucking intense," he said, clenching his fist. "Yah whatever meatball," the drummer replied in a sarcastic tone, "Enjoy the lolicons, just don't tire yourself out before tomorrow's practice eh?" he muttered, his expression moody and his dark chinese eyes twinkling in the light. Ginji's expression twisted into a fond sneer, "Yeah fuck you too chinky," he offered offhandedly, before turning back to address everyone together. "Same time tomorrow yeah? And bring some munchies along, it's gonna be a long one," he grinned, the individual band members signalling their acknowledgement before gathering their things together to leave. Turning back to the two school girls standing awkwardly in the centre clearing, Genji placed his guitar on its stand before continuing his stern interrogation. "So what are you doing here Yaya?" he growled, "And no bullshit." Yaya's expression twisted, and in an almost pleading voice she blurted, "I don't have anywhere else to go Ginji; I can't cope with it anymore and I didn't know who else to turn to..." Her face fell with her next admission, "I'm in trouble," she said, pouting sourly, "and I think the people welfare gave me to are going to disown me..." The young man frowned and his brow furrowed in concern, "Cmon Yaya, it can't be that bad," he mumbled, but his words were met with the beginning signs of tears and more impassioned pleading, "Ginji, I'm in real trouble..." she asserted. He stared at her for a moment, unaccustomed to having to read this particular face but soon learning the tells again as the past flooded back. "And your friend?" he asked, nodding towards the blonde, "Hikari was it sorry? Why's she part of this?" Yaya looked downbeat, and simply hung her heavy shoulders, "Ginji please... It's just for a few nights while I get my head round everything," she whimpered. Grinding his jaw, the young man scratched at his shadowy stubble before tutting and cupping the back of the youngster's dark mane once more. "If it were anyone else..." he muttered, before drawing her close and planting a fond but standoffish kiss on her forehead. "You'd better explain it all later. Let's get this place locked up for now and then we'll get you somewhere warm. And I'd like to know how the fuck you found you managed to find me after all this time too..." And nodding in absentee appreciation as Ginji passed the Konohana girl his heavy leather jacket, Hikari found herself completely and utterly lost, her eyes wandering between the huge teddy bear of a man and the unending stacks of DVD cases and magazines set across the back wall, their covers plastered with the most shocking of images imaginable. - - - - - Nagisa descended the stairs into the Dormitory foyer on the slightest of feet, the growing whispers in the back of her head already pronouncing the presence of an early morning headache, the young woman having slept poorly and only made worse when she'd woken to find herself alone. Creeping down the lobby corridor to join her fellow Etoile at the end, Tamao stirred as Nagisa's prim black uniform swept with a ghostly swish across the antiquated t-junction wall panels. "Nagisa-chan," the dark haired fourth year noted in a hushed voice, her attentions pulled from the scene before her. Smiling affectionately as she reached for the red head's arm, she went on to disclose the exchange she'd been eavesdropping on, "Yaya's parents are just leaving," she explained, motioning back toward the meeting room opposite, the door ajar and the hint of Sister Mizue's tunic peeking through the doorway. "It doesn't sound like it went well," Tamao added in a saddened voice as she lowered her eyes and turned back toward the meeting room. Nagisa watched as the Sister emerged, the old woman soon followed by a well dressed, professional looking couple who she then led towards the main door, the Sister's expression vexed as she caught Nagisa's eye. It didn't look like things had gone well at all. "We should go, or she'll almost certainly find reason to involve us," Tamao whispered, and Nagisa nodded her agreement, wincing in pain as her head protested the motion. Frowning at the red head's furrowed brow, Tamao led her roommate by the hand in the opposite direction to that which the Sister had left by. "Are you okay Nagisa-chan?" she queried. Nagisa shrugged gingerly, "I didn't sleep so well," she muttered, rubbing the back of her neck as they walked, "I think I have a headache coming Tamao-chan." Tamao parsed her lips in sympathy and cupped their entwined arms with her free hand, "We'll get you some pills, I'm sure Shizuma-sama will have a stash," she said. Then frowning slightly she found herself asking, "Where is Shizuma-sama Nagisa-chan?" The red head sighed, and Tamao found herself wondering if Nagisa really had just curled herself around Tamao's arm or whether she was imagining it. "She was gone when I woke up; she left a note about going to the stables to find Amane-san," Nagisa explained. She sighed softly, and Tamao found herself empathetic to Nagisa's sudden return to sullen melancholy. "Well I'll tell you what," the dark Etoile smiled, her gentle fingers brushing Nagisa's cheek, "Let's go find her together and then she can deal with your headache. I'm sure the fresh air will help on the way," she whispered, Nagisa nodding wearily before resting her head on Tamao's shoulder, "Thank you Tamao-chan," she mumbled. - - - - - Ginji woke with a start, his mind still racing with an unpleasant after image, the words he was shouting at his internally confined ghosts then echoing through his thoughts as he emerged into reality. It took a moment to re-orientate himself, the arm of the sofa awkward against his shoulders and his neck stiff from the angle he'd been sleeping at. His feet were cold too, the big man's legs sticking far too far over the opposite armrest of the sofa and well beyond the edge of the crumpled blanket he had drawn across him. With a wry smirk, he found himself wondering if Jim Bean had some obscure comfort enhancing property; he couldn't remember ever having woken this unpleasantly after a good night's binge with the boys. Drawing his knees up, he swivelled on the cushions, righting himself and sitting forward with his head resting in the cradle created but his well calloused, giant sized hands. For a moment he sat there, contemplating the memories stirred within his dreams, taking the moment to settle the anger and resentment they'd dredged up from the past. Having her here would be as awkward as it was pleasant it seemed. Clicking his neck as he flexed his shoulders briefly, the big man slipped from the cot, padding across the apartment in his cotton boxers, completely several effortless pull ups with the sill of the doorframe before leaning heavily against the fridge, the big man drawing the economy sized unit open while he recovered his much desired grapefruit juice from inside. Downing several swigs from the carton, he then found himself pondering the girls' current welfare. He'd put them up in his bed for the night, the arrangements much simpler that way since the trio had returned to his cramped condo far too late to go about inflating temporary sleeping accommodations and the like. Pacing quietly from the lino of the kitchen and across the messy and chaotic looking living area, he silently perched against the doorway to his room, tipping the cheap chipboard ajar with his foot so he could glance inside. His bedroom was a small affair, with little space on either side of his double bed to walk before bumping into the wardrobes and overhead cupboards. The walls were plastered with posters and banners, the window above his crib's headboard shrouded not by curtains or blinds, but a giant sized L'arc en Ciel flag that blocked the light just as effectively. It had become a veritable shrine to his musical aspirations, from the lead and pewter memorabilia on his bedside table to the cherished signed tickets he'd stuck across the walls. This was as close as you got to seeing the gentle giant's soul. So stood there, he couldn't help but muse at the sight of the two Spican girls asleep in his bed, the faded black sheets drawn across them, their gentle breathing denying the still from becoming an absolute silence. Yaya lay on her back, her head angled slightly off to one side and facing away from the tiny blonde who lay curled across her chest. Hikari's hand rested on Yaya's shoulder, and Yaya's arm emerged from beneath the bundle of fair curls splayed across the pillows. The look on the tinier girl's face was almost serene and angelic; about as peaceful as the young man could ever imagine someone capable of looking, and with a fond crook to his expression, Ginji also noted how calm the once troubled Okimoto girl looked too. He'd never seen her brow that smooth in the long nights she'd spent curled around him for comfort in their troubled past. Certainly there was something more to their story that would need explaining when Yaya awoke. Drifting away from the doorframe, the weary hulk wandered back to the kitchen, his stomach already calling foul and beckoning forth a large slab of bacon and fresh eggs from the fridge as he tipped the coffemate on with a flick of his massive thumb. - - - - - "Uh Tamao-chan?" the red head mumbled as they wandered arm in arm through the grounds toward the riding pens, "I was wondering..." she began. Tamao smiled fondly toward the brown eyes still buried in her shoulder, "What is it Nagisa-chan?" she asked. "Um... with Hikari-chan and Yaya-chan missing... what were you planning to do for Christmas and New Year?" the Etoile Cadette asked. Tamao frowned, the question one she'd yet to answer properly for herself. She lapsed into silence, the sound of bare twigs and gravel underfoot dominating a short while as the two girls strolled along the winding path to the equestrian centre. There was a marked puase before Tamao managed to offer her mumbled reply through a slightly offset gaze, "I'm not entirely sure Nagisa-chan. I had hoped to see my family for New Years," she answered. Nagisa drifted from the other girl's shoulder, returning to an upright position she continued her initial train of thought. "I'm not sure what will happen if Yaya and Hikari are gone long. I thought Shion was supposed to stay in situations like this, so with her gone I think it must fall to us." She mumbled a sad addition into the tree-line flanking her side of the path, "I don't suppose either of us will be going anywhere this holiday." Internally, the pleasant images of a Christmas dinner at Mina and Emmie's bungalow, or a morning together with Shizuma opening presents in the Summer House living room floated from her mind, the long held fancies now fading away as a mounting disappointment conquered them. Tamao was lost in her own thoughts rather than notice the contemplation on the red head's pretty face however, the nagging concern for Rokujo-sama's welfare were she to leave the council President alone with the other two somehow coming to the fore. Brushing the consideration aside, the dark haired student sparked with a grasping positivity, her enthusiasm nudging the red head from her mope. "Well, I'm sure they'll can't be gone that long Nagisa-chan, so I'm sure it won't become a problem. They've only been away a day, and I'm sure the police will find them soon," she added in assurance. Nagisa nodded briefly, her spirit obviously sapped by the apparent lack of sleep, although somehow however, Tamao found her unable to silence the nagging impression that something else might be playing on her roommate's mind. "Oh, is that?" she exclaimed, suddenly hearing the sound of hooves nearby. Nagisa perked up, her attention tweaked and her deep auburn gaze scouring the underbrush as a brown and black blur shot past behind the trees to their right. Following the pace and the tempo of the footfalls, the red head smiled briefly in awe, "Amane-sama rides so well," she mumbled, but as the figure rounded the bend in the distance ahead of them, the red head found her jaw slack with surprise. Rather than the elegant Spican Prince she'd expected to see mounted atop the beast in her signature blazer and pants, her eyes instead fell across the slender form of her beloved fiancée, the Hanazono girl wearing a similar riding jacket, but the darkened leggings of the Miatorian school standard, her riding boots and stern looking crop gleaming in the sun light. Snaking behind from beneath her suede-finished riding hat, Shizuma's long silver plat floated on the air as the sixth year gracefully cantered her brown-mottled mount to a stand still before the unexpecting fourth years. "Good morning," she called, the sixth year looking down from the perfectly polished saddle, the holt carrying the emblems of both the Miator and Hanazono estates. Nagisa gazed up in awe. "Shizuma?" she mumbled. The former-Etoile chuckled pleasantly at her girlfriend's surprise. "Nagisa, you knew I rode didn't you?" she asked. Tamao glanced between the elegant sixth year and her steed, and the confused looking figure of her roommate beside her. "It seems not Shizuma-sama," she smirked, before returning the greeting politely, "Good morning former-Etoile-sama." Shizuma grinned, "Etoile-sama," she smiled as she tipped the brim of her hat in return. Sliding effortlessly from the saddle, she dropped onto her feet, adjusting the animal's reins in one hand before approaching her girlfriend with a tender morning's kiss. "Good morning you," she soothed, "I didn't wake you did I?" the older girl asked. Nagisa's wistful face slipped again toward disappointment, and the red head shook her head gently before wincing once again. "No, no though I wished you had," she mumbled. Shizuma's expression took a sad edge before smiling as she squeezed her lover's hand. "I'm sorry my love, I was a little distracted that's all. I figured I'd get up and do something useful," she explained, rolling the reins slightly as she led the two girls and her mount back toward the arena. "I thought I'd come looking for Amane. I couldn't help but wonder if she were okay after seeing her with that Kenjo girl on the way into the Ball," she muttered. Tamao had left Nagisa's side as Shizuma approached, and now walked a step or two behind the couple, her tender hands stroking the well natured animal's flank. "He's so gentle," Tamao observed, smiling as the stallion nuzzled at her uniform in response. Shizuma chuckled as she looked back across her shoulder. "He is isn't he?" and she too slowed a pace, releasing Nagisa so she could cup her mount's face and temple. "He hasn't forgotten me either," she smiled. Nagisa's brow dipped in confusion. Tamao explained, filling the gaps for her sometimes still unaware classmate. "Shizuma-sama used to ride on a weekly basis Nagisa-chan," she began, "there was a time when she'd compete regularly against Amane-sama and came very close to beating her on several occasions." Shizuma gestured wryly, "That's possibly an over statement Tamao," she remarked. But the dark haired Etoile ignored the silver haired woman's modesty, "But when, well... Understandably she stopped riding so much after becoming Etoile," she mumbled, skirting the awkward subject of the former-Etoile's younger partner passing away. "Is this one of the horses you donated to the school?" Tamao asked, deftly redirecting the conversation back on track. Shizuma nodded as she reached back for Nagisa's hand again. "He used to live at the Summer House when I visited there regularly and we still had permanent staff for it. Some of the mounts we stabled there came here, the rest went back to the family Estate," And the former-Etoile tickled beneath the steeds chin one final time for good measure, "I've neglected them somewhat," she finished. Tamao parsed her lips before offering quietly, "It's good to see Shizuma-sama getting back to her old self," she said. Shizuma glanced over with a fond look, the space behind her eyes threatening to well with old sentiment and unexpected emotion. Twisting the atmosphere to avoid the awkwardness, she took a leaf from a certain Spican's well rehearsed chorus book to recover the situation before it dissolved, "Well I think you'd all suffered the Hanazono brood long enough don't you? After all, I'd have gotten myself a Shion Tomori reputation if I'd have carried on much longer," she teased. Tamao tipped her head slightly with amused disapproval, and Nagisa chewed her lip as the fourth year's previous subject slipped back into her head. "I wonder if she's planning to come back before term starts?" the red head pondered, less than enthusiastic to see their holiday plans scuppered. Shizuma sighed in a mutual display of disappointment, "This Yaya-Hikari matter really isn't your problem to be lumbered with no," she nodded, adding, "I know they're your friends and I know you must be worried for them, but it's still Shion's job to remain on premises in a situation like this." She sighed as the girls neared the sweeping bend she'd ridden around on the approach from the arena and stables, "I do hope they'll find the girls soon; I was hoping Amane might be here in case she can shed some light on it too. I'm not even sure she knows they're missing and after all, she knows Hikari better than we do, even if Hikari has been away lately." Absentmindedly she then added, "I know Amane regrets a lot of things lately, but she still cares a lot for Hikari; I do hope she's not off doing something stupid." It was at that point that dumbfounded realization punched Tamao squarely in the face. "Oh my... you two don't know do you?" she blurted. "Know what Tamao-chan?" the former-Etoile and her girlfriend asked in unison. Tamao gestured wildly as she failed to convey the words from her head in her haste to relate them. "About Amane-sama and Kenjo-san? After the Ball I suppose you wouldn't have seen anyone to have been told would you," and the fourth year face-palmed at her distraction during the previous day. "I was so tired yesterday, it completely slipped my mind." Having stopped both girlfriend and horse in the centre of the path, Shizuma looked to Tamao for an explanation, the fourth year waving her hands briefly as she focused. "I'm so sorry, it hadn't occurred to me that you didn't know," she said, and then began to relate matters more calmly. "Hikari was in the Dorms just before the Ball. It seems she must have walked in on Amane-sama and Kaname-san doing something because all three were seen running down the Hall afterwards. Amane was wearing nothing but a towel, and Kaname was half dressed as well," she explained. "Hikari was crying... a lot, apparently," she added quietly. Shizuma's face had dropped, and Nagisa's eyes swam with concern. "Amane, and Kaname... are involved?" the silver haired girl muttered in disbelief. Surely that made no sense; this was all too sudden and there had to be a smarter choice than the Kenjo girl available to the former-Etoile. Surely Amane wasn't that stupid. Although Hikari's appearance did quickly explain the horse rider's demeanour when they'd met briefly on the way into the Ball... Something clicked and Shizuma shook her head in dismay. "Not here..." she muttered under her breath, and the other two looked at her in confusion. Sparking with recollection, Shizuma relayed the point. "Amane said that when I met her on the way into the Ball. She must have meant in front of Kaname. God...," and Shizuma's face twisted into a snarl, her fist grasping the worn leather reins tighter still, "If that snide cow is playing her usual games I swear..." she growled through clenched teeth. When she glanced across to her companions, Shizuma found the older Etoile wide eyed with surprise, and Nagisa similarly perturbed. "I'm sorry..." the Hanazono woman mumbled, "I had a feeling she was up to no good, that's all," she explained. "Something must have happened in Amane's Dormitory. There's no way she'd be starting a new relationship just yet, not so soon after Hikari left," Shizuma continued. "She was so crushed by what happened at the Cathedral." Nagisa's eyes swam again, but this time with the matter they'd once rowed over; the deep and dark secret of Yaya's that Shizuma had failed to relate before their trip to Emmie and Mina's, the subject having sparked Nagisa's earlier insecurities the first time round. Tamao looked confused, "Amane knows what happened to Hikari-chan?" Shizuma sighed. "Not exactly," she gestured. "It was something the Nanto girl had wanted to keep quiet," she explained, then considered the runaway situation in earnest. "Oh god of course..." And again the other two looked at her for clarification. "Well it all makes sense now," Shizuma explained, the former-Etoile shaking her head as the penny dropped. "If that's what everyone else thought, then of course, that's what Hikari must have thought. She's probably bolted from Astrea because she thinks Amane is cheating on her. And that Nanto girl will be going over the fight with the forehead." She sighed, "Jesus, this all makes perfect sense now." The trio stood for a moment in silence, each girl tumbling the matter over privately until Shizuma finally snapped into action, prompted by the gentle neigh of her patiently attentive mount who had shaken his mane out idly. "Let's get you back to the Stables," she muttered, patting the horse's flank once again. "And then we'll go back to the Dormitories and I'll pull Amane's number from the records. She's got to be told what's happened if she doesn't already know, and she's bound to have an idea of where they've gone. I'm sure we can fix all this now that Shion's lapdog will have gone home and stopped clinging to Amane's shoestrings." And fuelled by the pressing urge to catch up with her dear friend and once-Etoile, Shizuma hurried the girls back towards the stables. - - - - - Yaya padded from the bedroom with her eyes still half closed, the balls of her hands pressed into her eye sockets and her messy hair a shock of onyx that floated around her face and down across her back. Wearing one of Ginji's massive gym shirts and her low cut briefs, the youngster fumbled toward the kitchen, stretching her back out as she did, yawning heavily as she plopped down into a seat at the kitchen table. Sat opposite her with his feet up on a third chair, Ginji watched quietly as the youngster came to. "Morning," he rumbled, the cup of coffee perched atop his broad chest resting between gentle hands and his dark eyes thoughtful and observant. Yaya yawned again involuntarily, before resting her head in her hands with her elbows on the table. "Good morning," she mumbled, twisting her neck briefly and rolling her head back with her eyes half closed to loosen her neck. "Not sleep so well?" the big man asked. Yaya shook her head dismissively, barking with an awkward tickle, "No it was fine thank you," she whispered, then choking on her dry throat, "just heavy..." After which she smacked her lips together in an exaggerated manner, exploring the foul texture to her mouth and tongue. Ginji chuckled his amusement before tipping his seat backward slightly, reaching to open the fridge and pull the carton of grapefruit juice from the compartment housed in the back of the door. "Here," he offered, and Yaya took the liquid from him as he pushed the fridge door closed and slid her a shot glass from the breakfast bar across the table top. Pouring herself the first of a number of glasses, the third year quenched her thirst, the final refill emptying the dying drops from the then upside down carton. She pouted sheepishly, still bleary from her slumber. The big man smiled, and gestured for the empty container. "We'll pick some more up on the way back from the lock up," he said for reassurance, more than happy to provide for the little one again, although quietly concerned over the whole matter of the girl's appearance in Tokyo. Yaya closed her eyes and drew a long, gradual breath through her nose, before letting it out slowly through her mouth. Waiting a moment for the following head rush to subside, she then tipped her head to face her companion. "I'm sorry Ginj, I don't want mean to be a pain," she sighed. The big man shrugged, his expression honest and plain. "You're no pain Yaya, I'm just surprised you're here." Returning the coffee cup to the table top, he pushed the second chair away from his foot and leant forward with a questioning eye. "So you wanna do this now or when she wakes up?" he asked. Yaya sighed, and curled her knees up before her. "It's hard to know where to start..." she muttered, and the young man leant back, his arm lounging across the back of the wooden chair to signal his more than capable patience. Accepting the invitation with a series of gentle nods, Yaya then tried to explain. "I got myself into a situation over Hikari," she started, her head resting in one palm while she ran the finger nails of her free hand along the curving grooves carved into the table top over the years of ware and tear. "I um... Well, something happened to her and she left the school. She was like, head girl at the time," she continued. Ginji frowned. "Head girl? She's younger than you isn't she?" he asked. Yaya shook her head and gestured to clarify things. "No, she's in the same year. It's done in pairs there. She was with someone else." Ginji frowned again, catching the possibility of an undertone. "With?" Yaya sighed. "With..." she noted, and then held her hands up in admission. "And I'd wanted that to be me." The big man shifted in his seat. "Uh huh." Taking the hint to continue, Yaya tipped her head again, her black mane shimmering as it brushed across her shoulder. "So something happened to her and she left, ending that for them," and Yaya paused a moment longer. "Only... it was kinda my fault." She tried to relate the matter without fully explaining it. "She um... she saw something she shouldn't have done, and it kinda messed her up a bit." Ginji waited patiently, his face remaining free of judgement or predetermination. Relieved by the lack of prying, Yaya carried on. "So I got into trouble over it, several times in fact. I end up in a fight with my school council President," she said. "And then I smashed my room up. And, stuff..." She sighed, blurting loudly, "Look, they're not going to understand. I don't understand. When Hikari showed up back at the school and she asked if she could be with me, I know those idiots the welfare gave me to wouldn't understand either." She sighed, "And Hikari's parents have already banned her from seeing one girlfriend with lots of money and an amazing career behind her. What are they going to say to me huh?" Her expression soured, and Ginji took the initiative with a mind to maintaining the conversation's momentum. "So you ran away together?" he asked. She nodded her reply. "And you came here because you knew I wouldn't turn you away right?" Again, a silent and single nod. The third year's face was downcast and Ginji feared there might be tears brewing behind her closed eyelids. He sighed fondly. "Yaya you know you're welcome here anytime. You don't need to worry about that," he said reassuringly. "I just question if this is the right move," and he raised his right hand into querying bowl shape. "What makes you think they'll kick you out?" Yaya righted herself, and sure enough there were the beginnings of tears. "Because that bitch only accepted me as a miscarriage replacement, and he only wanted a kid because he wanted his promotion. I am at boarding school am I not?" she scowled. Without knowing the background any better, Ginji could hardly debate the point. "So you've come here... what now?" he asked. She shrugged quietly. "I dunno... get a job? Get a place? Do what we used to in the old days... It worked for you didn't it?" she mumbled. The big man shook his head in disapproval, swirling the remaining coffee in the bottom of his mug with a raised eyebrow. "You really want into that?" he rumbled dubiously. Yaya sighed, returning her chin to the balls of her hands. After a moment's thought she muttered quietly. "I didn't think I'd come back to find you in with that lot. You were always... different," she said. Snorting, the young man abandoned his lukewarm cup and pushed away from the table, padding back to the sink to fill the coffeemate's reservoir. "That shit at the garage ain't what it looks like. A means to an end, nothing more. You of all people should know that." Yaya raised a cynical eye. "Funding for the real deal," the big man grinned as he turned back to the table, thumbing his sternum proudly. "We're on the short list for a studio deal," he stated proudly. Yaya blanched. "What, the band?" Grinning like a proud father, Ginji gave a curt nod. "Five band playoff a week from now," he explained. Yaya whistled her awe. "Who'd have thought it..." she muttered, then grinning with a sly edge to her eyes she spat back, "And how do you expect to win with a voice like that leading the band?" Ginji snarled in mock insult, flicking the youngster's forehead. "Ow! Get off, that hurt," the dark haired teen winced, rubbing her brow protectively. Ginji smiled as he returned to the coffeemate. "We'll see. It's a dream sure, but I can't help but feel we're close." And having dumped the stewed contents of the filter into an open bin bag by the sink cupboard, he then turned to rest with his back against the chipboard and his hands on the unit edges either side of him. "So if I let you both stay, what are you going to do Yaya? You know the police will come looking." Yaya scoffed. "Here? Ginji, people come to Sanya to escape the police. They're not going to find us here." And she levelled telling eyes at her friend. "They didn't find you did they." Again, the big man had to concede the point. "Fine, so what will you do?" he repeated. Yaya fell silent for a bit, and for a while the only sound was the guttural pops and growls of the coffeemate. Her mind slipping from the matter at hand, Yaya then looked up with a thoughtful gaze. "This place has changed you know," she mumbled. Ginji tipped his head in question. "You know, before... there were people here. Kids. And we used to look out for each other," Yaya mumbled wistfully. "Where'd they all go?" she asked. Ginji scoffed, turning back to pour a fresh cup of coffee for the pair of them. "So some idiot in the village decided it was time to redevelop Taito. And they decided that to be able to do that and make the area appealing, they'd have to get the kids off the streets first." He waved his bewilderment at the central council's logic. "Only, we all know there kids were only on the streets cos their parents were manuals right? Cos they had nothing else to do?" He reached for the milk as he continued. "So they did what they said they were going to do. They closed all the parks, rebuilt the recs and moved the kids off the streets." He gestured into the air as he made his next point. "Only it was the kids that made this place tick. When the booze and the fags and the dope stopped making money, the dealers had to start bringing the harder stuff in." Popping the fridge door closed, he returned to the table, sliding Yaya a fresh mug of steaming hot froth. "So the shit started crawling out of the gutter, you know, the likes that used to avoid the area because there were plenty of people to keep them in line." Resting his own mug between giant fingertips, he twisted the cup back and forth as he continued. "So things weren't so bad for a bit. Quiet, but the troubles weren't so bad. Only then came the rich kids when the new flats started going up. Originally the harder shit had stayed cheap because the shite buying it didn't have the funds, but when the new lot figured out they were living in the middle of Tokyo's biggest ghetto, then the prices started going up. Shit got expensive, and that's when the problems really started." He sighed as he neared the end of his story. "Rich kids with no bite. Junkies with plenty of easy hits and soft targets... All of this without people like us left on the streets so there'd be no one there to keep it all in check, and no one to sort things out when it got messy. The cops rarely came here before as it was; they certainly don't come here now." Sipping on his fresh round, Ginji muttered quietly as he finished, "Nobody comes here no more." Yaya sighed as she absorbed some of the exuded emotion. "It's funny really... everything but the one thing I wished had changed here has changed." Ginji frowned, not liking the possible implication that came with those words. "Meaning?" he nudged. Yaya sighed more heavily this time, abandoning her cup and soothing her temples. "I went to the old man's place," she mumbled. Ginji sat bolt upright, his face stern and his words edged with a protective anger. "What the fuck did you do that for?" he demanded. Snapping his fingers so she couldn't then avoid his gaze, the big man repeated the words he'd used many, many times before in the past. "Men like that don't change, you hear me? You're not to go there again Yaya. Never. I told you that when you left." The first of many long overdue tears then spilled free. "But I thought..." she blurted. "Thought what?" Ginji snapped, "When did you start acting so fucking dumb?" Yaya shook her head and reburied it in her hands, twisting away against the back of the chair. Mumbling something into the ball of her palm, the young woman sobbed heavily while the emotions were still free to run away from her. Snorting his disappointment, both at the youngster and at himself, Ginji reached big hands across the table, drawing Yaya's left hand toward him. "Come here you," he muttered, and the teenager reluctantly did as she was told, curling into his lap as she sat sideways to his massive chest. Disappearing into his shoulder, Yaya then let the remaining torrent run free while gentle hands stroked the length of her black shimmery mane. "You never go there again," he murmured in a soft voice, "you don't need that prick to look after you no more. You've got me, you know that," he continued. Yaya nodded slowly, sniffing heavily as the tears began to dry up. She'd never been able to cry long. Not anymore. Waiting until her breathing had finally slowed, the burly musician then drew the slender form back away from him so he could catch her eye again. "Did he do-" he started quietly, but Yaya cut him off. "No, no I didn't stay. It was a stupid thing to do," she agreed. Ginji sighed again, then stroked the lose curtain of Yaya's black hair from the side of her face. "We'll figure things out, ok?" he said, and the youngster nodded gingerly, her eyes downcast as she did. Parsing her lips, she then pecked the young man on the cheek before sliding briskly from his lap to curl back up before her own coffee. Taking a long sip, she muttered. "I didn't mean to bring you more problems." Remaining where he'd been for a moment, Ginji then leant forward to cradle his own mug again. "You're never a problem Yaya," he rumbled fondly. But having paused a moment, he then motioned toward the living room behind her. "But she might be..." Yaya glanced behind her, expecting Hikari to be standing in the door way. When she found her roommate wasn't there, she glanced back with a confused expression. "She's not one of us," Ginji muttered, tipping his mug to emphasis his point. "And her parents may well be a lot more determined to find her than yours are to find you." Grinding his jaw briefly, he then popped the awkward question he'd been needing to air all morning. "So what is it between you two?" he asked, "Is this for real or just some school girl crap?" Yaya stopped for a second, biting against her back teeth in distraction. Glancing up from her steaming mug, she replied in a wistful voice, "If you'd have asked me that question a few months ago, I might have been able to answer it." Taking the statement in the tone by which she'd offered it, Ginji groaned his building disquiet. "Well that's something you need to figure out in a hurry Yaya," he stated matter of factly, "this ain't the place to be soul searching," he asserted, and the third year nodded in submission. "I know Ginji-san, it's just... it's been messy that's all." Then glazing over slightly, she added, "I do love her." Chuckling in wry dismay, the gentle giant opposite her smiled at his tiny friend. "Well I'm glad you've finally found someone you can say that about," and he raised his mug theatrically. "Here's to love," he offered, and following suit, Yaya raised her own mug with a wry smile. "To love... and to family," she added for good measure, and the big man's dark eyes twinkled. Letting the moment drift pleasantly, the two then continued to drink up for a while until in concern, the young man glanced over at his lcd oven clock. "Jesus, half eleven. How long does she fucking sleep?" he asked. - - - - - In the end, Yaya had eventually gone through to wake the blonde up herself, the Konohana girl then stumbling through to the kitchen after Ginji had offered Yaya his bathrobe to cover the poor girl's modesty, Yaya's state of undress in a t-shirt and briefs far too uncomfortable a concept for Hikari to manage despite already wearing her own bed clothes. She'd accepted the robe gratefully and having snuggled up in the huge white bundle of fluffy cotton, she'd then followed Yaya into the kitchen in a thoroughly bewildered state. Not really knowing how to approach conversation or how to cope in this unfamiliar setting, she'd simply hung her head and mumbled her appreciation. This wasn't Astrea, this wasn't home, and she wasn't used to wandering around in her pyjamas in front of strange men, particularly in strange apartments full of god knows what. At best, whilst still haunted by what she'd seen back in the Strawberry Dorms she remained utterly petrified by this whole Tokyo experience... ...all except for one aspect of it. Ginji. Strangely, amongst his roguish air and scary appearance and paraphernalia, he truly behaved the gentleman, and so much so that Hikari could scarcely believe it. This giant of a man, with big caring eyes that doted on Hikari's roommate with a fond expression and a compelling desire to protect her... Having bid the tiny blonde good morning, he'd then set about cooking her a full european breakfast, with fried bread, runny eggs and all the trimmings. He'd even poured the tomato sauce for her. And there, with her dear friend and this strange man that seemed so happy to have Yaya back around him, Hikari couldn't help but find an unexpected place of tranquillity amongst the disquiet. It was a distant, miniscule place in the centre of her heart at first, but it was there nonetheless, and as she continued with the day, taking a brief but refreshing shower before being offered a range of replacement attire from a wardrobe full of clothes left by a once girlfriend of the hulking musician, Hikari finally began to find herself back in a state of reasonable coherence. Oddly, considering the size of the giant this woman had apparently been dating, the ex-girlfriend's clothes fit the Konohana girl surprisingly well, although their style and colours hardly matched the third year's usual non-uniform selections. It appeared the woman had also been of the same musical persuasions as the dreadlocked guitarist, and as Ginji ran a few quick errands while the girls prepared, Hikari found herself being dressed up by an amused looking Yaya in the daintiest of black gothic dresses, the matching mohair thigh highs and clumpy leather biker boots turning the once respectable Momoyama debutant into a fully fledged rock-goth chick; her hair even held in high bunches to suit. Yaya was loving it, and when Ginji returned to be presented by the Nanto girl's new prize, he gestured his approval with the sweetest of smiles and a cheeky wink, causing Hikari to blush in a manner she hadn't known she was capable of. Head spinning, but heart increasingly at rest in this odd haven, many miles from the horrors of Astrea Hill and Momoyama district, Hikari slowly began to relax. So just as they were about to leave for the lock up, Hikari finally managed her first unprompted words to the Senmatsu man. "Ginji-san," she called in the quietest of voices, Yaya's friend stood before her with his back turned as he unlocked the front door, "Ginji-san?" she repeated, her nerves straining so she could muster the call a little louder. Turning to glance over his broad shoulder, the hulking musician frowned curiously. "You okay midget?" he asked. And doing her best not to be frightened, she smiled the tiniest of smiles as she offered a slender hand politely to her roommate's friend, "Pleased to meet you Ginji-san," she whispered, curtseying slightly. His stoic face breaking its usual mask once again, Ginji returned the formal greeting with a bemused smile. "Pleased to meet you too Miss Konohana," he grinned, tipping his head to one side. And with that, the odd trio; the giant musician, the dark haired runaway in her sweeping black leather jacket, and the tiny blonde with the matching moe moe bunches and goth lolita outfit disappeared back onto the streets of Sanya on their way to the band's nearby lock up. - - - - - Shizuma sighed, glancing again in frustration at the antiquated wall clock in the downstairs lounge. It had been several hours now since Sister Mizue had disappeared off into the office at the end of the hall, and faced with the scrutiny of the old woman's questions, there would be no way of obtaining Amane's telephone numbers until the old bat had left. Sat curled up on one of the wide beige sofas, Shizuma was browsing a french magazine that she'd imported via Emmie, glancing up from time to time to answer questions levelled at her by the two younger and current Etoile, the girls knelt before a low coffee table in the centre of the furnished area by the windows. The fourth years had opted to get some of the re-admittance paperwork done early, freeing themselves from any later obligations were the opportunity to go home available toward the end of the holiday instead. Whispering quietly between themselves as the former roommates worked away, Nagisa's headache had oddly dissipated after reuniting with her silver haired fiancée, and Tamao found herself more than appreciative of having something else to concentrate on rather than the previous week's unrest. In fact, despite the underlying cause for the girls having come to the lounge, the group quietly camping the office door until the opportunity to sneak inside presented itself, Tamao found herself secretly hoping that finally, after what had felt like a lifetime of emotional upheaval, a sense of almost normality might be returning to her world. It was about then that two unexpected figures made their entrance to the lounge however. "Shizuma," came a soft although obviously anxious voice. Glancing up from the sloping french text of an article that detailed the winter runways of the Christian Dior collection, Shizuma found herself presented with the worried face of Amane Ohtori. "Amane?" she exclaimed, both Etoile behind the Spican already having paused in their work to stare at the new arrivals. Noting the presence of a second figure, Shizuma then glanced past the horse rider's shoulder to take in the aloof profile of Kaname Kenjo propping up the lounge's fireplace. Both she and Amane were out of uniform, Amane in her usual jeans and shirt, but Kaname strangely wearing what appeared to be a black flannel dress. Struggling to take in the detail with Amane so close to her, Shizuma scowled and returned her attentions to the former-Etoile. "Amane?" she repeated, "Where have you been? I thought you'd gone home or something, I was at the arena all morning waiting for you?" Amane perched on the edge of the couch next to the Miatorian, and the older girl put her magazine to one side as she rested a fond hand on Amane's wrist. "Where have you been?" Shizuma continued. Mindful of the office door being located not so far from the lounge, Amane replied in hushed tones. "I've been off premises all morning, although I saw you'd fed the horses on our way back in, thank you for that." Shizuma dismissed the comment and moved with the more pressing matters she needed to raise. "Amane, what is she doing here?" Shizuma asked, her emerald eyes glancing with a marked objection toward the slender figure by the fireplace. Amane looked back across her shoulder before returning to the silver haired senior. "She came with me," Amane explained. The Miatorian looked bewildered. "Amane, what is going on?" she asked, utterly flabbergasted, "You know Hikari and Yaya are missing don't you?" Amane squeezed the former-Etoile's hand as she nodded ever so slightly. "Yes I know, that's why we're here. We need your help." Shizuma found herself torn between questioning the continued use of the phrase ‘we' or the actual request itself, but Amane beat her to her next words. "We need to get to Tokyo." Shizuma raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Tokyo?" she replied. "Yes, and as soon as possible," the Spican continued. "We'll also need to go back at least a couple of times. You've been wonderful in the past, and you were the only person I could think of to help-" Shizuma cut her off. "Tokyo? Amane that's an eight hour drive! Why in gods name would you want to go to Tokyo? What's going on?" The fifth year sighed, her brown eyes swimming as she held the Miatorian's gaze. "Because that's where they've gone." Shizuma blinked. "Hikari and Yaya? Amane, how can you possible know that?" she asked. Overhearing bits of the conversation, Nagisa and Tamao were already exchanging glances in concern. "You'll have to trust me Shizuma. I just know, and Kaname is certain we need to find them as soon as possible." Shizuma's bewilderment only grew, "Kaname? Amane what the...?" and Shizuma's frustration slipped loose, "Amane, Kaname's the reason this all happened? You do see that don't you?" she said, having dipped crown with a questioning gaze. Holding the sixth year's eyes, Amane repeated her request as she knelt before her fellow senior. "Please Shizuma. The train will only cause problems with ID cards and I want to bring them back as quietly as possible so we can work this all out." Shizuma blanched all over again. "Work what out? Amane can you hear yourself? What in god's name do you think you're going to achieve with her there?" and she leant forward to stress her point. "Do you think Hikari's going to go anywhere with you with that in tow?" she asked. Amane glanced away, her brown eyes sad. Shizuma pushed further, missing the scowl that crossed the Kenjo girl's lips. "Amane, I have no idea why you think the girls have gone to Tokyo, nor how you intend to find them amongst a population of almost thirteen million, but the last thing I'm going to do is help you crucify yourself running around the capital with that at your side. The first thing you should be doing is getting rid of her so you can actually think straight..." and she snarled again with the same fervour that she'd had earlier in the day. "Jesus Amane, what are you trying to do to yourself?" But rather than cave to logic, Shizuma found the Spican suddenly gripping her arm, pulling the sixth year forcibly from the lounge. Rushed to her feet and swept several turns down the corridor away from the office and the burning ears of the others, Amane whirled the sixth year so they were eye to eye. Holding her dear friend's forearms before her, Amane broke into full flow with the wildest of looks in her eyes. "Shizuma please; I can't explain all this, but please, you have to help me," and she leaned forward into Shizuma's personal space, her face filling the pupils of her emerald eyes staring back at her. "I made a choice Shizuma. I made a choice and I-" Realising she couldn't make any sense from there, Amane back tracked slightly for clarity. "I know something Shizuma, I know something you don't," she said, and she sighed as she continued. "But despite knowing that, I made a choice," and with those repeated words, her face began to twist with anguish, "and it was a selfish choice, and I made it for me. Not for anyone else, but for me..." She drifted off slightly, the beginnings of clear crystal tears welling in the edge of her vision. "Amane..." Shizuma whispered softly, but the tone only snapped the fifth year back into motion. "I made a choice Shizuma, because I need too. And I stand by that choice because it was the right one for everyone involved. But if something bad were to happen to her there? If something were to take her away..." and she drifted again. There was a pause, Shizuma this time abstaining so Amane could gather herself. "I wouldn't be able to live with myself," she declared, the Spican's voice strong once again. "You've got to help me get to Tokyo so I can find them Shizuma please. And I need Kaname; I honestly believe her when she says she knows how to find them where they are." Shizuma frowned, once again dubious and confused. "But how do you know that's where they've gone?" It was at that point that a third voice sourced behind the Miatorian former-Etoile pulled them from their conversation in shock. "Because they have one of the two files I've spent the past day and a half hunting for." Turning in surprise, Amane and Shizuma found themselves faced with the fully uniformed, neatly presented figure of Miyuki Rokujo. Gesturing offhandedly with a brown cardboard file, she motioned them back towards the lounge. "Perhaps you'll both join me for this?" she said, heading in the direction the two girls had just come from. - - - - - Having satisfied herself that everyone else was settled and the Sister's office was out of earshot with the door pulled to behind her, Miyuki then crossed the lounge and took her place at the head of the group huddled amongst the sofas at the rear of the room. Gathered around her were the other seniors that had been present during the earlier exchange between Shizuma and Amane, all of whom sat together apart from Kaname, the fifth year remaining aloof and this time perched across the back of the white beige couch behind Amane, the tennis player's outfit now clearer to Shizuma and made of a black two part blouse and flowing nouveau trouser-skirt, the fabric of the later splayed across the back of the sofa. Shizuma struggled with the concept of Kaname wearing such clothes and even more so with the idea that the Spican girls might have gone somewhere that morning where Kaname might have been required to wear it. Had they gone looking for Hikari already? Or perhaps to the Konohana house? What was in that shoulder bag Kaname appeared to guard to so closely, and since when had Kaname worn makeup like that? She looked like an office clerk... Miyuki's voice pulled her from her ponderings. "So, shall we begin?" the council President asked, the dark haired girl opening the file resting in her lap before her. Shizuma and two current Etoile sat forward in confusion, whilst Amane remained stony silent in her semi-emotional state in the corner. There was also an air of unrest exuding from the Kenjo girl, and Shizuma could sense something passing between her and the Miatorian President as the file opened. "The reason they think they know where Yaya and Hikari have gone Shizuma, is because Kaname pulled both girls' files this morning and discovered something you probably would have known yourself had you ever bothered listening to me after council meetings." Smiling undeterminably, Miyuki then added as an off comment. "But you were hardly focused back in the third year were you..." Unable to tell if that were a jibe or just wistful recollection, Shizuma bit her lip at Miyuki's tone, wondering once again if the intrusion into the council President's personal space the evening before had been such a good idea, worried now that perhaps she should have abided by Tamao's warnings and not bothered after all. Without having to glance across to her, Shizuma could already feel the unrest in Nagisa's body language building, the red head's headache unsurprisingly threatening to return. Sighing at the all too predictable response to her comment, Miyuki gestured the hand that had been sifting through the paperwork within the A4 folder in idle dismissal. "It never went beyond the upper echelons, but Yaya Nanto's admittance into Spica Girls' Institute was one of the most controversial entrance acceptances of recent years." Shizuma rolled her eyes at the laboured obscurity, and Miyuki snapped her irritation at Shizuma's lack of recollection. "She's not a Nanto Shizuma. Does this not ring any bells?" The silver haired girl sighed and shook her head, holding her hands up in defeat as the fourth years behind her exchanged shell-shocked glances in the silence. Miyuki continued. "She's not even a first, second or third tier Kyoto. In fact, she's the daughter of a lowly dock worker in one of the manual districts in Tokyo," and Miyuki dipped her tone in exaggeration, "Her family name is Okimoto." Shizuma's expression fell blank. "Okimoto?" Miyuki nodded in confirmation. "Yaya Okimoto. Born in Sanya General in the Taito Ward of Tokyo to a Rie and Masaru Okimoto." At this Miyuki removed the page she'd had resting atop the others in the file with her left hand, continuing to read from the next beneath it while the sixth year placed the first carefully, face down on the seating fabric to her side. "Of course, had they found this file first, Kaname and Amane would already know that there's much more to this story than just that. It would seem Amane wanted to go wandering around the largest ghetto in Tokyo cold calling for her ex-girlfriend with a missing person's placard." The reaction in the room was immediately frosty, but the absurdity of the prospect didn't fail to impact with anyone, not unless someone present was withholding further information from the rest of the group. Turning another page over in the cardboard folder she held in her right hand, Miyuki then took a matter of fact tone as she started reading. "Taken directly from the Social Welfare case notes; Yaya Okimoto, second child of the Masaru Okimoto household in Sanya, Taito. First child being one Jiro Okimoto, Yaya's older brother, with both siblings born approximately six years apart. Jiro, as it happens, seems to be a significant factor in Yaya's later separation from her father and her adoption into the Nanto household." Glancing up to make sure she'd captured everyone's attention, Miyuki pressed on, "At age five, Yaya's mother falls foul of a kidney infection that leaves her desperately in need of a transplant. During later suitability testing it becomes apparent that Yaya's elder brother only draws linage from one of his two apparent parents; that of his mother." Stating the obvious just for everyone's benefit, Miyuki added off cuff across the top of the cardboard file, "Meaning Jiro was not Masaru's son." Turning back to the document, she then retook her matter of fact tone, "At age six, Yaya attends her mother's funeral. At age seven, after watching her father descend into heavy bouts of alcoholism, she then watches her father expel his ‘bastard son' from the household. With her father drinking to excess, at age nine, it becomes apparent to the welfare services in the form of repeated teacher complaints that Yaya is no longer being cared for by her father." She sighed as she continued to move papers around in the folder, Miyuki then producing a rather formal looking document that gave the exact date and justifications for Yaya's submission into state care. "Adoption case record. It seems to state that at the point of processing entry, Yaya had appeared to be under the supervision of her older brother Jiro, but not at a given address. Since Jiro at that time had a warrant out for his arrest due to, and I quote ‘a severe and brutal assault on one Masaru Okimoto at the given residential address in Sanya,' it seems then that the state had no choice but to remove Yaya from Taito altogether for fear of her brother finding her, perhaps with the intent of encouraging her to flee with him." Nagisa and Tamao were busy shaking their heads in shock, dismay and unspoken sympathy. But despite the gravity of the tale, both Amane and Kaname across from them appeared unmoved. Shizuma struggled with vague recollections of some such rumour or another that Miyuki had tried recounting in the third year whilst the silver haired tease had been busy chasing Miyuki around their Dorm. Noting the silence, Miyuki shrugged and continued again. "At age ten Yaya is moved to Kyoto, where the case records state she was a ‘well mannered, but deviant and easily frustrated child, with good personal hygiene, a strong sense of ethics and an overall acceptable level of education.' She was apparently deemed so adorable in one testimony that it was the case worker who wrote it who then applied for custody, the legal approval of which was soon after granted. At age eleven, Yaya becomes a Nanto, and at age twelve, she is then enrolled into the Spica Girl's Institute for prowess in both track events and the pool." Miyuki took a deep breath, setting the paperwork to one side. "So you see Shizuma, Amane and Kaname's chances now suddenly increase. Not only do we have the details of Yaya's childhood neighbourhood, but we also have a current address for her genetic father. Although somewhat surprised by the turn of events, it didn't take Shizuma long to cut straight through the confetti and stab the heart of the problem. "And you two want to go there instead of the police why? Surely they know everything Miyuki's just told us already?" she stated flatly. But rather than Amane, it was the Spican council assistant that spoke up this time. "Because Sanya's not the sort of area you fuck about in, and the police are about as likely to find someone there who doesn't want to be found as they are to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow." Her tone cold and cutting, Miyuki then levelled the most telling of all questions at the Kenjo girl. "And how does a second tier Kyoto girl know so much about a manual labour docking district in Tokyo I wonder?" There was a tense moment of silence as the frosty Spican eyeballed the Miatorian council President, something very obviously passing between them and Miyuki's shining burgundy eyes almost challenging the older girl to try her luck. Snapping in irritation, Kaname simply spat her disgust in return, "Fuck you Miyuki, fuck you. I hope you and your first tier whore of a mother die at the hands of your family's collective arrogance." Smiling with an almost tangible sense of achievement, Miyuki simply gestured her appreciation with a sarcastic nod, before turning back to Shizuma with a much more serious expression. "Take them Shizuma. There's no other efficient way of getting to Tokyo without requiring IDs or raising eyebrows, and you're the only person here that can rustle up transport when it's needed." She took a resigned air as she made her next request, "Leave me one of the Etoile, it doesn't matter which as long as I have someone to help me cover for you. And then use whatever it is Kaname has buried behind that mask to find those two before we have anyone else go loopy on us." This time her attentions flicked briefly to the former-Spican Etoile before her tone slipped further toward outright nonchalance, "I, for one, would very much like to go home at some point this holiday. Since Shion has kindly decided to abandon her responsibilities, it falls to some of us present to carry that burden for her. Now I think we've all had more than enough of this place for one sitting so far this term, so let's get this matter sorted out so we can all take a proper break." With which, she set about gathering up the pile of papers before bidding herself excused. But as she reached the door, she called back across her shoulder in a somewhat softer tone of voice, "And Shizuma; I was wondering... when this mess is all cleared up, I thought I might take you up on your offer." Nagisa's eyes shot between both figures, her gaze searching as Miyuki added, "I was hoping you might accompany me to Nabeshima. I can't think of a more appropriate place for us to talk, and neither of us goes there anywhere near often enough." Shizuma's expression fell at the name, and Nagisa was left confused and immediately concerned by the reaction. Nodding her acceptance with her eyes lost somewhere in the floor, Shizuma sighed as Miyuki left, the sixth year then turning her attentions back to the Spican former-Etoile and the ever present shadow at her side. "And you're convinced you can find them Kaname?" she asked. Thoroughly rattled by the exchange with Miyuki and the hostility levelled at her on all sides, the brooding tennis player simply muttered her confirmation, so much more here at play than the silver haired Miatorian was fully aware of. "Fine then, it'll take me a few days but I'll get something arranged, probably for thursday." Amane was about to protest as she looked up, but Shizuma returned her objection with an infallible wall of logic. "Amane it's the christmas break; the drivers have all gone home. It'll take me a day or so just to get one allocated," she explained. And with little choice but to wait, Amane gestured her eventual thanks, the collective atmosphere now horrendously loaded with subtext and unspoken questions. Sat quietly in the corner, Tamao found herself somehow unable to shake the implications of Miyuki's final words. Perhaps the Rokujo girl was finally going to do something positive with the wall of resentment she'd related to Tamao the night before last. After all, the fourth year reflected, there couldn't a more defusing place for Miyuki to discuss such matters with her long standing childhood friend than at the site of Kaori-sama's grave...
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