1 Open your F#!$ing DOOR!

*KNOCK!* *KNOCK!*

"Pizza Time."

*KNOCK!* *KNOCK!*

"Pizza Time."

*KNOCK!* *KNOCK!*

"Pizza Time."

*KNOCK!* *KNOCK!*

"Pizza Time."

*KNOCK!* *KNOCK!*

"Pizza Time."

*KNOCK!* *KNOCK!* *KNOCK!* *KNOCK!* *KNOCK!* *KNOCK!* *KNOCK!* *KNOCK!* *KNOCK!* *KNOCK!* *KNOCK!* *KNOCK!* *BAM!* *BAM!* *BAM!* *BAM!*

Incessant knocking soon evolved into violent banging, as the dirtied white apartment door finally opened to reveal on the other side a peeved off 21 year old pizza delivery man. He was fairly tall had short, wavy hair and the complexion of his skin was rather dark compared to most other citizens in Tokyo.

Garbed in a black jacket and red hat emblazoned with the words "Takuya's Pizzeria", his blue eyes angrily looked to the occupant who had just opened the door. And surprise, surprise it was another "fluffy" customer garbed in nothing but his dirtied sleeveless white shirt and black shorts.

Impatiently tapping his feet, the pizza delivery man held up the now cold box of pizza and growled, "Pizza Time, Motherfucker."

"My, my, what a foul mouth you have there, delivery boy. Don't you know its common courtesy to treat your customers with respect?" The "fluffy" man smirked as he finished pushing the door open with his sausage fingers.

"Don't you know its common courtesy to open the door after the first ten fucking minutes?" The young man angrily raised his brow.

"Oh, wow, really? I'm sorry, I dozed off after coming back from work and I had a REALLY awful day." Looking skeptical, the young man looked past the customer to see a large television connected to a gaming console. The very same gaming console that he heard twenty minutes ago go mute after his first knock.

"Aw, how sad… 2500 yen. Cough it up, now." The delivery man growled.

"Actually, I believe my order is free considering you were late to bring it to me in less than fifteen minutes." The fluffy customer said much to the annoyance of the deliveryman, who growled at the stupid motto from work. For every purchase of Takuya's pizzas, every late delivery past the fifteen-minute mark will make the order absolutely free with a smile and a promise to do better next time.

"But I was here ten minutes ago, it only took my five minutes to get here." The delivery man said through clenched teeth.

"Really? Because I was asleep, and I don't remember hearing you so where's my free pizza and smile?"

"…" The young man's glare only intensified as the fluffy customer's demeaning smirk widened.

"Now, now, I don't believe that's an expression a late delivery boy should make. I do believe your place of business also promised that you'd pledge to do better not to screw up again the future, right?"

"…You know what, yeah, you're right…" The young man's raging expression soon morphed to a gentle smile.

"Nice to see you know your place kid, by the way, lovely smile, I can only imagine the practice you must have kissing up to your boss for a shitty pay raise. Now about that free pizza…" The fluffy man rubbed his sausage fingers together and licked his chapped lips.

"Oh, right, I remembered. You ordered a double peperoni, right?" The deliveryman opened the pizza box to "examine" the contents.

"Yeah, now give that baby to me right now, kid."

"Well, sir, since you asked…" The customer barely had time to react before the young man spun the box around and slammed it the lukewarm pizza into his face. The overweight customer screamed in pain, much less from the heat but from the amount of force put behind the pizza throw as the delivery boy only continue to smear it all over his face and wide eyes as they really wanted the grease to sink in.

As the customer fell to the ground, wailing and crying in pain, the delivery boy chuckled, "I'm sorry for being late sir. I hope that you enjoy your free pizza because that one was on the house, and honestly, I promise to do better next time." The deliveryman rolled his left arm, "My right arm is my most dominant one so it wouldn't do to hold back like this next time. Well, from "Takuya's Pizzeria" I wish you a lovely day. Bye!"

The young man gave the overweight customer a wave goodbye with a single finger, one that the screaming fat man couldn't see with tons melted cheese in his eyes, but either way the message he wanted to get across couldn't be anymore clearer.

"Y-You-! Who are you, I'll report you to your boss and have your ass fired!" The agonizing customer forced out the words as he staggered back onto his feet.

Not deeming to turn around as he made his way for the stairs, the young deliveryman shouted, "The name's Michael Hajime, Hormel, and I suggest you wait in line for that!" Because based on experience, this wasn't even the worst confrontation when it came to him delivering pizzas. Ugh, Michael could already predict the ear-splitting scolding he would receive on the phone from his boss. Freaking typical.

As he made his way downstairs, he hopped onto a black leather seat, plopped on top of his work hat a black helmet, kicked up the chrome stand and revved up the engine. Soon, he found himself cruising down the street on his black Harley. He clicked his tongue in annoyance at the recent situation and breathed slowly just to calmed to himself down.

It certainly wasn't the first time that he had to deal with it and it certainly wasn't going to be the last. He still remembers that last delivery with the two chicks at that futuristic building in the middle of town, MBI. Its apparently a world-famous organization for its future advancements and so and so. Sadly, he could never afford any of their advanced products, so he doesn't pay much attention.

But back to those two chick receptionists, when he arrived, he was close to being late at around twelve minutes, which was nothing sort of a miracle considering how busy Tokyo's streets were. But when he arrived the lady at the front desk told him that she wasn't the one who ordered the pizzas and that the one who did was taking their break, plus the lady wasn't going to pay for the pizzas.

Making him wait thirty minutes until the one, who did order them, returned from their break and had the freaking gall to demand that the order should be free along with the other receptionist who he met first. That day was such a pain in the ass, but they were still able to get their free cold pizza after he decided it was a waste of time.

Speaking of wasting time, now was probably a great time for a break.

Just as the thought came to mind, a sudden buzzing from his pocket prompted him to pull out his flip phone and read the Caller ID, it was his boss.

…Yup, right now was definitely a great time for a break.

XXX

[Hajime-san, like I told you before, please act professionally when you're out conducting businesses for the pizzeria.]

"Boss, look, I already said I'm sorry for how I acted, but I'm not apologizing for giving that dick a cheesy black eye." Michael groaned.

[How you act towards our customers reflects on my business as a whole. You have to remember that and just let some things slide.]

Michael narrowed his eyes, "You mean let slide a fat bastard who ignored ten minutes of constant knocking just to get a free pizza. Pizza that your business took painstaking hours to make with many others to earn fair compensation, only to have it unfairly given away for FREE? On top of that, you want me to just take their unnecessary insults with a smile?"

[Yes, I understand where your loyalties lie, Hanamura-san, and I appreciate that, but I don't believe throwing that free pizza we made into his was as beneficial for us either.]

Sighing and rolling his eyes, Michael shook his head and thought, 'Fair point…'

The drive up north wasn't as gruelingly long as his heated discussion with his boss. Yet again, he had to explain why there was another complaint from an innocent customer about their employee assaulting them, arguing with them, or calling them a b****. Okay, sure, he admits that maybe he gets a bit off handle when things awry, but it's not like he enjoys getting pissed.

It's not his fault that most of the Capital city's customers treat pizza delivery guys like shit, so he does what his mother taught him. Treat others the way that you want them to treat you. Well, he intentionally misconstrues that with, treat others the way they treat you. It was a blunt way of doing things, but he finds it better than lying back and taking it.

Nearing the residential area, the once bustling crowds and businesses slowly disappeared in the distance behind him as he drove through more quiet roads and towards his destination, which wasn't too far. A few more blocks and he was sure to reach the place.

[Look, Hajime-san, your contributions to the pizzeria has been substantially helpful. Your able to provide your own mode of transportation for deliveries, you take overtime and you've never missed a single day of work after your…decision.]

"Yeah…" Michael sadly looked to the side at that last comment. Some guilt began to swell up in his chest, but that was soon replaced with fear as his employer only continued to speak.

[But these complaints can't be tolerated any further. One more call from a customer, be it from a fair complaint or an outlandish one, I'll have to let you go.]

That had Michael grinding his bike to a halt with a loud skid in the middle of the empty roads.

"Are you serious, but boss, I-!"

[Hajime-san, this is final. Take the day off for today and be ready to work like an exemplary employee tomorrow. Have a nice day.]

The curt response left Michael speechless as the pounding sound of the hung-up phone's beeping ached his eardrums. Taking a deep sigh, Michael removed the phone from the side of his helmet and flipped it shut.

"Just great." And its been two weeks since his last paycheck, being on thin ice so close to receiving the next one after this week was just another case of his Hanamura Luck rearing its ugly head.

'Getting the day will just only cut the hours I need for my wages short…Just great…' Michael thought.

*BEEP!* *BEEP!* *BEEP!*

"Now I wonder who it is this time…" Flipping up his phone, Michael tiredly opened his phone to glance at the Caller ID. Curiously, he tilted his head at the peculiarity of the caller's choice at calling him during this time of day.

A small smile crept on his face as he answered, "What's up, Yuka-?"

"Hah, we finally got you punk!"

Not too far from where his bike was parked, a rather violent roar filled the quiet streets of the residential area. A rare occurrence, one that made him unintentionally hang up the phone mid-call to go investigate. Now anyone who caught that could already tell that some poor sucker was getting harassed by a couple of punks, a common scene you'd usually find in manga, anime, and mostly anywhere in Capital City's many alleyways. Up here in the northern section, you wouldn't get any of that nonsense, besides gossiping mothers, children happily playing in the playgrounds and the occasional salesman being chased out by non-gullible residents.

So to hear that familiar song and dance in such a peaceful place had him really curious. Pulling his bike by his side, he neared a corner of a nearby house's white walled fence to see the scene. There were four of them in total, and out of the four, three of them fit your typical description of a delinquent or ruffian.

But as for the fourth person being violently pinned to the wall, he had to blink to confirm something that was bothering him once he first laid eyes on them.

'Is that a chick or…yup, that's definitely a dude…' The old elevator eyes trick was a dual edged sword for him and most men, but it was necessary to confirm the silver haired individual's gender.

In fact, had he not thoroughly "looked" at them, he would have mistaken their androgynous appearance for that of a girl's. Their petite figure and his now dirtied modest choice of clothing made it difficult at first glance.

"P-Please, I don't want any trouble. I'm just going-urk!" The pressed young man avoided eye contact with the attacker who was roughly pulling him by the collar of his white dress shirt.

"If you don't want trouble then why run from us after we called for you, eh?" One of the goons stuck their chins out to look menacing. This almost had Michael laughing from the absurdity of the action.

"Pfft, isn't it obvious? The kid must already be aware of what's happening, I mean, it'd be hard not to notice the news coming from that person of all people." The trio of thugs laughed much to boy's fears and Michael's annoyance.

Fists clenched, the boy finally scrounged up enough courage to speak, "Please just let me go, I-I made a promise to go somewhere and wait for someone precious to me!" His words were resolute and firm, but sadly, his shaking demeanor couldn't keep up with mouth as the thugs openly mocked his crumbling confidence.

"Do you hear that? He has somewhere to be!"

"Ugh!"

One of the thugs roughly shoved him against one of the white stone walls.

"Well, he's not wrong. He will have to go somewhere, but with us to present you to precious someone to us, who'll be paying us tons of cash for your scrawny little ass."

"So if you don't want trouble then come with u-hrk!"

"Whoa there, excuse me~!"

While the thugs were going on to speak the usual cliché dribble, Michael revved up the engine to his Harley and blindsided one of them. Now relax, he didn't run him over, it was just a bit of a shove that left him tumbling on the concrete ground, motionless with a probable concussion.

Getting off his bike, Michael parked it as he approached the remaining two thugs who were still flabbergasted by his arrival.

"W-Who the hell are you?" The thug panicked as he attempted to pull something from his pocket.

'Nope none of that.' Michael sighed as he quickly grabbed the fumbling punk's collar and reared his head back to soon crash it against the wide eyed punk, who's eyes rolled back from the sheer force of the impact.

Dropping the second unconscious punk, Michael looked to both the remaining speechless thug and the now surprised boy, who was staring at him rather oddly, it wasn't the wide-eyed thankful look you'd expect from someone being rescued. No, it felt like a mixture of fear and, well, the other part was hard to explain.

So to alleviate the fear part, he laughed and patted his head, "My Granny told me that I got my hardheadedness from my mother, but in a more physical sense, eh?"

"…Uh…"

"…Y-Yeah…" That sucked! He blamed himself for putting his own ass on the spot with that comment. Thankfully, the remaining punk was there to alleviate him of any embarrassment with his sheer stupidity.

"Hey, you!" The thug angrily pointed at Michael.

"Huh, me?"

"Yes, you!"

"I'm not Yu, I'm Michael."

"Yes, YOU!"

"Michael." The grinning teen pointed to himself, "Not Yu."

"That's what I'm telling you! You!"

"But your calling me, Yu."

"Yes, you!"

"I'm not Yu, I'm Michael."

"I know. You!"

Blinking at this, Michael looked around the area.

"I'm not pointing at anyone else just you."

"But I'm Michael."

"I-!"

"Meh, I know I just wanted to fit in a Rush Hour reference. No go on continue…" Michael smirked.

"Y-You bastard, treating me and my boys like fools acting like I don't know why you're here."

"Hm, why?"

"Because of the bounty of course."

"Bounty?" Michael questioned as he looked to the boy, who began to tremble under his gaze.

'What?' He thought out of curiosity.

"You think that you can roll up on us trying make our big break and just take it without a fight?" The punk raised his fists, fully intending to get into a scrap, "Put them up, give me your hands right now!"

Awkwardly looking around, Michael sighed and shrugged, "Okay."

(Two Minutes Later…)

"Y-You haven't seen the last of us!" Beaten black and blue with a few missing teeth, the punk dragged his two fall thuggish friends off, unbeknownst that their fallen heads were scrapping against the rough ground, leaving faint trails of blood.

"And Team Rocket's blasting off again…" Michael sang as a distant memory of his childhood came to mind as the three stooges retreated, turning back to the fallen boy, he met his own blue eyes with his own and reached out, "You alright?"

"Y-Yes, thank you." The boy happily took his hand and picked himself up.

"Don't mention it." The tall man grinned, "Now you said that you had somewhere to be, and I'd be glad to take you if you want."

"…How did?" The boy shirked back from the teen, the fear in his eyes now replacing the gratitude which was instilled in them.

"Crap, sorry, I kind of heard your conversation with those turkeys before stepping in there. But I guess your more worried about that bounty that was mentioned." The boy instinctively stepped back from him.

'Nailed it.'

"Look, don't worry. I'm not interested in taking you in to whoever wants you, I just want to help is all." He noticed that his words weren't really persuading the kid and happily nudged down his cap to reveal the pizzeria logo on it.

"Besides, can't you trust your Friendly Neighborhood Deliveryboy. Unlike some dicks, I'd rather make a living more honestly, so what do you say?" He made his way to his bike and patted the seat a beat behind his own in a welcoming and playful fashion.

"…I…"

"Come on…" His tapping only furthered.

"I suppose that I can trust you." The boy smiled, finally, it may have looked uneasy, but Michael would honestly take anything at this rate.

"Sweet." Rushing over, Michael carried the boy under his shoulders much to the young one's surprise and embarrassment and plopped him on his leather seat. Deciding to simply push the bike, Michael gave the boy a wink and a big grin.

"Now off to…uh…hey are you okay?" Michael asked, noticing the silver haired kid's blushing cheeks.

Earning a slow nod, he began trudging the young man down the road as it took a bit more urging to finally get a location from the shy kid, and gladly, Michael was relieved to hear that he wouldn't have to walk too far considering that they both shared the same destination.

"So, you're going to the Hinansho shop? I take it you know the old man then, huh, what you have a big old sweet tooth like an old friend of mine?" Michael asked.

"…Not really. I was told to seek shelter there from someone."

"Shelter? At that old place?" Michael asked, "It certainly isn't run down, but don't you think you should go to the police if your seeking any protection. I don't know your whole story with that bounty, but I doubt the old man has anything to protect himself with unless selling goods that can rot your mouth counts."

"I don't know much beyond what I was told. I believe Head Researcher Sahashi word and that's all that matters." The boy muttered.

"Hm? Head Researcher Sahashi?" Looking back, Michael casted a questioning stare at the boy, who went back to avoiding eye contact with him.

'Guess it must be a coincidence then.' Michael shook off the thought of the client that he was currently tutoring and wrote off the mentioned name as a coincidence.

"Well, either way, you'll find that the two people there are nice." Michael grinned.

"…Really?"

"Yup, I mean, they're a little weird but who isn't, am I right?" Michael chuckled.

"…I see…"

"Besides, I doubt they would kick out a brave kid like you."

"Huh?" By the sound of his voice and the query writ on his face, the older man had probably lost the kid.

"I'm talking about how you stood up for yourself back there."

"O-Oh, so you were there to see that part too…" Looking downcast and a bit embarrassed the young boy folded himself on the seat and buried his head into his raised legs.

Michael felt a tiny bit guilty for watching but had to acknowledge the boy's balls when facing against those three dirtbags. It wasn't a ground standing turnabout, but it was still gutsy, nonetheless. "Sorry not sorry, but don't feel bad, you did good."

"…How? I crumpled up, and had you not stepped in then things would have ended badly…" The boy clenched his hands. The thoughts of being forcibly captured, winged, and used to eventually get to her plagued his mind with doubt and self-loathing.

"Listen the fact that you stood up for yourself at all guaranteed earning my help." Michael explained.

"What?" The boy looked up to stare at the broad shoulders of the tall man pushing the bike.

"Even if it was a shaky step forward, you advanced and that created a miracle. Well, if you consider me stepping in to kick the shit out of some dumbass stooges to be some holy miracle. I would have stepped in either way, but what you did really earned my respect, ya know? Even a crybaby can make something happen if they don't give up."

The deliveryman stopped pushing the bike to give the young boy a warm smile, one that warmed the boy's chest to his very core, "So, take pride in yourself because your definitely stronger than you think."

"…" Not a single word slipped past the boy's lips, the man's encouraging words, the very warmth that his smile brought and his eyes, they were clear and honest. Not like her's which were beautifully green and filled with honesty, no, his was completely genuine. Touching his chest, the boy felt heart beat a few tics faster than normal, and the warmth that filled his chest was growing hotter.

'W-What, am I…?' The thought of "it" occurring so soon after being released was a surprise to him.

But a hard finger flick to the head broke him out of his stupor.

"Ow…" The boy cutely rubbed his forehead in pain.

"I didn't receive an answer tough guy. Remember…" Michael teasingly pointed at the boy.

"Remember wh-ow!" That earned him another flick.

"I may not have many fucks to spare, but I still do have tons of flicks." Michael jokingly gestured his hand to resemble flicking once more, "Remember, that your just as strong as anyone else and could be strong if you don't give up, okay?"

"O-Okay…" The boy blushed, but the pained annoyance on his face translated to embarrassment to the older man.

"Good, now what's your name?"

"Huh?"

"I'm getting tired of talking around addressing you without one, so come on, spill it." Michael urged.

"Oh, right…" He was so engrossed with everything especially the prospect of potentially reacting to him that he completely forgot his manners. Bowing his head, he solemnly said, "Forgive me for not doing so early. My name is Shiina, nice to meet you."

"Shiina?" Michael's eyes widened.

"I-I know the meaning is unsettling. I understand if you…" Shiina meekly looked away.

"That is a badass name." Michael grinned.

"Y-You think so?" Shiina wasn't at all thrilled with it once it was given to him especially considering it was due to the nature of his "talents" that he would rather not use.

"Of course, "Death" that is one badass name that would give people a moment to think about whether or not they want to fuck with you. You should give your parents a medal for naming you that." Michael seriously nodded with a smile.

"Y-You think its that amazing, but isn't it sort of like an omen to be named like this?" Shiina curiously asked, he figured that most people would be freaked out by his name especially once they figure out the kind of stuff that he's capable of.

"Pfft, I'd rather take an omen than be mocked. Shiina, my name is Michael Hajime. My ma named my first name that because it was my dad's and he was some foreigner that she had a one-night stand with. You think people are going to quake their boots on the streets at the mention of "Michael"?" Michael groaned and shook his head.

"I guess they wouldn't, would they?"

"Nope, and that sucks, but you know whatevs… Just remember, enjoy what you got, okay? Otherwise, you'd be stuck in a situation where you get something as bad as the name "Michael" on your front step."

"Hmhmhm, okay…" For the first time since they met, Shiina laughed a bit at Michael's foolish ranting which earned a smile from the older man.

From there on, the two would make conversation much easier with each other. With Michael having to push out the subjects to talk about since Shiina's knowledge on most anything seemed basic at best. Though it didn't mean that Shiina couldn't carry a conversation since he was well-versed in some staggering topics such as plants and the local authorities, but when Michael mentioned MBI, he pretty became silent.

So, rectifying the silence with another topic, the two resumed their friendly chat but with a few more bits of silence sprinkled within it. Michael had to make a mental note not to stare at Shiina for too long, he was obviously making the kid nervous, but he couldn't understand why the boy's cheeks kept flushing.

But lingering on it didn't matter as they soon arrived at their destination. Parking his bike on the wooden fence, he and Shiina walked past the brown wooden divider and onto the sandy lot which housed a delivery truck near the modest sized japan styled home/business with a large sign placed above it signed "Hinansho Shop".

Standing on the porch of the establishment and sweeping out stray grains of sand and other trash that found its way on the lot was a beautiful young brunette garbed in a fitting red and black yukata along with a black choker on her neck. Her long hair bound up in a ponytail reached past her ample rear and hips as her brown eyes studiously kept watch of the task that she was occupied with.

Hearing the sounds of shoes scrapping against sand, the young woman looked up to notice a waving Michael and not so comfortable Shiina trailing behind him.

"If it isn't Michael-kun, how are you doing?"

"Good Afternoon, Saki-san. I'm actually a bit bummed but its nothing to worry about."

"Aw, really? Well, I hope you're here to stuff yourself with most of the chocolate that we have in stock to fix that because I won't be seeing you off unless you give me a smile, got it?" Saki leaned forward and gave the young man a playful wink.

Laughing a bit at that, Michael smiled, "Definitely, Saki-san, but I'm actually here to get something a bit different than simple chocolate." Suddenly a tug on his jacket reminded him of the young boy that he saved.

"Crap, sorry… Say, Saki-san, I have someone here who wants to meet you." Michael gently nudged Shiina forward, "Go on…"

"Hm?" Saki playfully, looked behind, "You did walk with someone, didn't you? And he's a real cutie too."

"…I…" Shiina looked to Michael, shyly.

"Don't worry, she's Old Man's Hinansho's assistant who helps him tends the store."

Fidgeting in place as he was now the center of attention, Shiina coughed to try and compose himself, "Hello, my name is Shiina, and I'm currently here to take up residence with Hinansho-dono, which the Head Researcher requested. Please take care of me!" Shiina bowed.

'Wow, he's really wound up.' The coy smile on Michael's face was matched by Saki's.

"Now, now, there's no need to be so high-strung, Shiina-kun. Hinansho-sama's been notified about you already. We've already prepared you a room and planned out your schedule when helping around the shop." Saki curtly explained as an elegant smile graced her delicate face, "Have no worries, you'll be safely sheltered here until you wish to leave with your "fated" one."

Shiina's eyes widened while Michael curiously tilted his head at that last comment.

'Fate one? Does she mean what Shiina mentioned back there with those thugs?' He thought that but felt as though he was somehow off the mark.

"How do you-?" Before Shiina could ask, Saki turned around pushed her bound hair to the side to show what looked to be a pink marking resembling a bird and a yin-yang symbol. This earned a gasp from Shiina and a "What?" from Michael. Noticing their mixed reactions, Saki confidently took this in stride and focused on Michael first.

"Hm? Is there something wrong with my tattoo, it costed Hinansho-sama a lot just to have one done for me." Saki smiled.

"Oh…I didn't figure you the type to want a tatoo, Saki-san." Michael awkwardly laughed and scratched his cheek.

"There's a lot that you don't know about me, Michael-kun." Saki playfully stuck her tongue out and winked.

"So why did you suddenly show it to us out of the blue?" Michael asked, a bit confused by the action.

"Perhaps I just felt getting people to notice my new look, isn't that right, Shiina-kun?" Saki looked to the shocked Shiina and giggled, "Don't worry, I was told by Hinansho-sama to accommodate you and treat you with the upmost care. We're not even participating so just relax, okay?"

"A-Alright…" Shiina nervously smiled and nodded.

Placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, Saki then began to pinch his cheek with her other hand and smiled, "Good, but we'll have to work a bit more on your smile if you're going to pull us in more customers and since a cutie like you is staying we're going to exploit the hell of our time together, hehehehe!" Saki's cute smile morphed into that of a greedy smirk.

"Eh?" Shiina blinked in confusion.

'Welcome to the hell known as business, Shiina, welcome to hell…' Michael shook his head at the scene amused by the two before looking around to notice the absence of somebody.

"So where's the Old Man?"

"Hm, oh, you mean Hinansho-sama? Well, he's currently busy rearranging some stock but mostly…" Saki mischievously smiled as she glanced back into the store.

"Hyuuuuuuuurck!"

The sounds of pained retching and cries could be heard echoing to the outside.

"His bowels…" Saki giggled.

"D-Did he eat some expired sushi again?" Michael asked, curiously, he sympathized with the old man's plight since he's been in a rough corner, financially, and had to eat some unsavory expired goods just to get by.

"No worse, raw pufferfish."

"Ew~!" Michael flinched back at the horror, "He didn't cook it?"

"He TRIED to cook it but didn't cook it well enough. He also forgot to completely gut the fish so that's also the cause." Saki explained.

'Wait, isn't gutting the fish of its organs the first thing before cooking it? How bad can the old man be when it comes to cooking?' Michael sweatdropped.

"He wanted to thank me for always making him meals by making me lunch…without my help." Saki smiled.

"I see…" Shiina muttered.

"And seeing how you're still standing and not vomiting pufferfish needles; you didn't eat any of his food did you?"

"Shush, he doesn't need to know that." Saki held a finger to her mouth but could resist the urge to laugh.

"HUUUUUUUUUUUUARK!"

"God, he's really suffering in there…" Michael momentarily looked worried before reaching into pocket to grab his wallet follow Saki into the depths of the store, "So since Shiina's business is handled…. About what I wanted to buy…"

'So fast…' Shiina commented at the man's sudden whiplash of emotions.

Ten minutes pass as the transaction finishes. Exiting the building, Michael made his way out with a plastic bag full of double stick popsicles. Now he'll have something to fill him up while he finishes the rest of his day while bringing a possible peace offering to a certain someone should he be absolutely late to visit them.

"Welp, time for me to hit the road…" Michael walked off the porch and turned back to face Saki and Shiina, the latter who's shoulders were being comfortably rubbed by a smiling Saki, "I'll be seeing you guys. Take care, Shiina! Saki-san!" Michael waved.

"Be careful, Michael-kun and remember to get something more substantial to eat later do I make myself clear?" Saki scolded with a teasing smile.

"Yes, mom~!" Michael moaned out as he turned back to walk off.

"Wait!" His walk interrupted by Shiina's sudden call, Michael looked back to spot the flustered young man giving him a frustrated stare.

"Wassup?" Michael shrugged.

"W-Will you be coming back?" Shiina coughed and shakily rubbed his arm.

"In case, I run low on blood sugar, yeah."

"Oh…" That didn't look like it was the response that he wanted.

Walking back up to the porch, Michael roughly tousled Shiina's hair a bit all over the place much to the young boy's chagrin. But as soon Michael graced him with the same warm smile like earlier, the boy's annoyance was replaced with the familiar heat filling his chest.

"But I'll also be checking in to see how you're holding up. Mostly because I want to make your new job harder in case I have an off day at work." Michael chuckled.

"Ah-ah, no bullying the new employee, Michael-kun." Saki scolded.

"Challenge accepted." Michael gave the woman a challenging grin before turning back to Shiina, "Besides, he's pretty strong so he won't mind me playing with him once in a while, right?"

"Y-Yeah." Shiina happily nodded, his cheeks flushing red. A detail that Saki was able to notice with a sly grin forming on her lips.

"See? He even gives me permission." Michael laughed.

"Oh, I bet he'll give you a bit more permission to just about anything with him, Michael-kun." Saki teased.

"W-Wait, I-!"

"Pfft! Probably…!" Michael only continued laughed, failing to get the gist of what Saki meant. Soon the laughter of both him and Saki caused the young boy to angrily pout, which only enticed Saki to continue doing so in the future. Now giving a definite goodbye, Michael gave the pair one last goodbye along with wishing the absent Hinansho-san his best wishes.

As the pair watched the tall man go, Saki snidely remarked, "So thinking about winging yourself to him anytime soon because I could always tell Hinansho-sama that you changed your mind."

"I-I…I'd rather not. I wouldn't want to put too much stress on Hajime-san especially with the Plan being so close to starting." Rubbing their arm, Shiina's mind then flashed back to a young girl in a beautiful white dress, "Besides, I should be spending my time thinking about how I'll find her when their done with her tuning…"

Calmly closing her eyes, Saki sighed, "If that's what you wish." To refrain oneself from joining with their "fated" one was a notion that Saki found distasteful but acknowledged it due to their different circumstances. Unlike her Hinansho-sama, who can provide apt protection against others like her, most other fated ones weren't given the same luxury.

'Plus, Michael-kun already has it hard enough as it is…' Saki sadly glowered, remembering a depression conversation they had two years ago, 'But if there's a will then there's a way, and things will sort themselves out if the two ever…' Saki trailed off looking at Shiina, who intently watched the man finally turn around corner of the fence and disappear.

The boy placed a hand to his chest and took a few comforting breaths, suppressing the heat that ran through his chest as his heartbeat started to return to normal. Though the reaction was cooling from the man's absence, the longing in his remained.

Smiling, Saki thought, 'I'm sure of it, and until that finally happens…'

Shiina jumped as Saki tightened her grip on his shoulder.

"Shiina-kun, no matter what, I'll do best to ensure your victory." Saki gave the boy a determined thumbs up.

"Victory, but I have no intention in fighting in the Plan. I don't even enjoy the prospect of terminating…"

"That's not it!"

"Huh, then help me win what?"

"Don't worry about it just leave it to Onee-chan, okay?" Saki's grin twinkled much to Shiina's apparent confusion.

"Well, alright, but I'm still so lost…" Shiina sweatdropped.

The sound of rubber flapping against sand caught both of their attention as they looked to the front gate to spot a fuming Michael struggling to roll his wobbling bike on the sandy lot. The hair on his head perfectly shaded his bloodshot eyes as his gnashing teeth released a venomous hiss comparable to that of a King Cobra.

"One of those three assholes came back and slashed my tires…"

XXX

Grumbling to himself, Michael played with the popsicle stick in his mouth while tiredly trudging up the stairs of an apartment complex. His next stop for the day was actually for a tutoring job, he was recommended for the job by an old professor of his at one of local colleges in the city. Unfortunately, it was on the South side of town, so he had to leave his bike with Old Man Hinansho and Saki until he had enough money to pay for a new pair of tires.

'Shit, how long has it been since I've done maintenance on it?' Also, he had to save up to pay for that.

He hated having to travel through public transportation in Tokyo, unlike his hometown where all you needed was a bus to get around, here you needed go by bus, cab, and definitely train to get wherever you wanted to go. It took him four hours to finally reach his client's apartment and most of his popsicles were on the verge of melting, so he only hoped that things would finally go his way.

Out of breath, he managed to make to the door. Panting, he wiped away the sweat stinging his eyes and looked up to spot on the white door, a note.

"No, this isn't going to be good is it?" Michael winced as he read the paper.

[Dear, Assho-Michael Hajime-san,]

'Oh, this is off to a great start…' Michael thought.

[After you so rudely hung up on me when I called earlier, I decided to go study at my friend's place for the upcoming Exams this whole week. Don't worry about contacting the University, I'll lie and tell them you did the hours so you can get paid or maybe I won't do it depends on you, big guy, you do owe me for this. So, get ready this weekend to do whatever I want, and make sure to wear something pretty. Love you, bye~!]

With love,

Yukari Sahashi.

"…" Moving as fast as the Flash, Michael immediately went about tapping the numbers on his phone to contact his absent client. Waiting for the first tones to ring through his phone, the call was finally picked up on the other end.

[Hey, Mikey~!]

"Yukari, let me exp-!"

She hung up before he could finish his sentence. Joining his shoulders, Michael's head slumped down. Great, now he had to worry about his job and whatever freaky shit Yukari had in store for him on his day off. He didn't hate the girl, but he certainly wasn't so fearless to deny that she's a bit too…forward especially since she's the only client in her Girl's Only University who wasn't afraid to pick him.

'So petty…' Michael sighed, looking at his wrist watch, then the popsicles in his bag, he tiredly pinched the bridge of his nose, 'I won't even make it in time.'

Dragging himself up for one last trip, Michael slowly made his way out of the apartment, and through the busy sidewalk. Bumping into others was inevitable considering his height. Fumbling to get enough change for bus fees from his wallet, he pulled out just enough yen that would take him to his last stop for the day.

Struggling to put his wallet into his pocket amongst the bumping crowd, he stuffed his entire hand into his pocket as soon as he bumped shoulders with who believed to be female. He couldn't see who exactly it was due to the busy citizens moving along beside him. He offered a quick "sorry" before continuing on to the nearest bus stop.

…

Hm, it sounded like his ears were playing tricks on because he could have sworn that someone was calling after him. Nah, it probably wasn't him, its not like he's the protagonist of a story centered completely around him. Besides thinking that way probably won't help his crummy luck. This is only proven once he finally managed to reach the bus just as it was close to departing.

After coughing up the yen to the driver, he plopped down on his seat near the window to look out it to see the passing buildings.

"Hm?" Someone was rushing to the bus stop, probably a fellow unlucky soul. Well, he couldn't do much about it now. Besides, he needs the rest before having to get up and move again. Yawning, he slapped himself to prevent any drowsy to take him, lest he fall asleep and miss his stop.

'Yukari's apartment, see you later. Hiyamakai Hospital, here I come…' Resting his head against the window, Michael looked up to the darkening sky above, completely forgetting about the unlucky sap waving at the bus to stop, more specifically, waving at him.

XXX

It was nearing 7:50 PM once the bus finally made its stop at Hiyamakai Hospital, owned and named after Hiyamakai Enterprise, one of the most innovative, corporations in the world. He's been told that it didn't hold a candle to MBI, but he doesn't doubt the sheer influence that the large business had over the city. If not for MBI, Hiyamakai Enterprise would definitely be the talk of the town.

Walking up to the front desk in eerily empty and quiet lobby, Michael politely greeted the nurse, who responded in kind with a bit of familiarity.

"Your coming in a bit later than usual, Hajime-san." The soft-spoken woman typed away at her computer.

"Yeah, its been…"

"Another long day?" The nurse smiled at him.

"Have I gotten that predictable?" He chuckled.

"Yes, yes you have." After typing a command on the keyboard, a keycard slips out of a small printer and into her hand.

"Visiting Hours end at 8:00 PM." The nurse sternly reminded the young man and handed him the card.

"Right, I'll be in and out." Michael sadly sighed, "I'll also have the payment for this month's hospital fees by next week, I promise."

"Good." The nurse nodded then that stern exterior of hers melted with a motherly smile, "Now enjoy yourself and make sure to tidy up before you 9:30, okay?"

Michael's eyes widened as the nurse began to place on her jacket and pack her things.

"What are you standing around here for? Get going already, it's not very manly to keep a girl waiting." The nurse teasingly pointed at the elevator.

"R-Right, thank you, Sanada-san!" Bowing his head, Michael couldn't express how much gratitude he had for the woman. As he walked his way to the elevator, the nurse known as Ms. Sanada gave him one last wave as she prepared to make leave for the safety of her home.

Taking the elevator ride up, walking down the sterile white hallways, and finally reaching the large door with the words put on a small nailed on sign titled "Hidaka, Chiho".

Inhaling through his nose, Michael took the longest exhale of his life once he turned the knob of the door to enter the patient's room. A single lit candle was all that brightened the room. Looking about the place, he sadly glowered at the pictures of a family of three hung on the walls. A father, a mother, and a daughter.

Shaking the bag of watery popsicles to distract himself, he walked over to the hospital provided mini-fridge and stuffed the melted treats in the hard to use freezer portion that's covered in frost. Once done, he plopped himself by the bedside of his most cherished friend.

"Hey, Chi-tan, I made it…" He whispered as he watched the girl peacefully lie on her bed in a deep slumber. Her delicate features relaxed while her long light brown was strewn all over the pillow. He frowned, today was probably another strenuous treatment day and of course he was late again like before.

"Okay, I didn't make it on time, but better late than never, eh?" Michael forced himself to put on a smile, "Got held up by a lot of things today. But I managed to pull through and got us some Sea-salt ice cream. Melted Sea-salt ice cream, but once it freezes, it'll still taste good even if it looks malformed tomorrow."

He chuckled, looking at her peaceful face as she slumbered. Moving a strand of hair out of her face, he smiled and rubbed her cheek affectionately.

"Don't worry, I promise to be here early next time so you could properly chew my ear off like you always did. Might be easier now since I'm on the verge of losing one of my jobs, but what are you gonna do. If that happens, I'll just look for another one. I mean, Capital City's a big place and there's bound to be a killer job that'll pay well." The more he rambled on, the more he felt like he was only reassuring himself that things will be okay.

As if paying for his friend's outrageous room and board at the hospital wasn't enough, he also had to worry about rent money, and the money that he needs to save up and send back to his grandparents. Flipping open his phone, he checked for any new messages and like before, he received two chains of messages titled [Are you feeling okay, Sweetie?], [Hey, Mr. University, make sure to call!].

"Sorry, Gramps and Granny, I'll be sure to make it up to you too. I just need more time, I know a cure will be made soon, so until then put your expectations for me on hold…" Michael bit his lip as he held Chiho's warm hands with big old sweaty mitts.

"You'll be…"

The woman's hand tightened around Michael's much to his shock as her eyes momentarily peeked through her eyelids to happily stare at him.

"…fine…Mi-tan…" She graced him with a frail smile before her mind retreated back to sleep. Uncertain whether she was truly awake to react to his presence, Michael took it for what it was and gently fixed her covers to full swaddle her resting body.

Tapping at her forehead, he blew a raspberry at her, "Silly even when your asleep, you still won't get it through your head that I should be the one saying that to you." He laughed at his own hypocrisy and admitted, "B-But thanks, Chi-tan."

Rubbing his eyes, the sentimentality that rushed through him was dashed by the loud sound of clattering and clashing outside of the room.

"Mmmph…" Chiho stirred in discomfort.

'Shit…' Patting on the head, he did his best to alleviate his friend's distress before angrily looking at the door, 'What assholes are causing a ruckus in the middle of the night?'

"I'll be back, Chi-tan." Giving her one last smile, the young man rushed out the room in search of the noise. Thankfully (Sadly), he could follow the sounds of impacts being heard down the hall and towards one of the vacant rooms of the hospital. Through the glass of the door, he could have sworn he saw streaks of white fluttering along with dangerous red glints of metal tearing through it.

"What the hell is happening in there?" Banging on the door as hard as he could, he shouted, "Hey, whoever's in there! Could you please keep it down, sick people are trying to sleep here, ya know!"

One of the nearby rooms' occupant screamed at the young man, "Take your own advice, asshole!"

"Whoops, sorry, but seriously, could you keep it down, a friend of mine is having trouble sleeping so-."

"No, STOP!" A loud shriek from the other side of the door freaked him out.

"The fu-!?" But what happened next was even freakier for him because the door exploded into pieces and flinging right out of it at was a women garbed in pure white silk crashed right on top of him as his back hit the other side of the wall.

Rubbing his probably broken back, he opened one of his wincing eyes to get a better look at curvy individual that's motionlessly laid out on his lap.

"Aw turkeys…" The veil made it hard to see, but based on her buxom figure, it was definitely a chick and her choice of clothing didn't leave much to the imagination. It solely consisted of white veils, stuff you'd usually find at weddings and other rituals that dealt with purity. Though she was certainly a looker, He was less concerned about her physical appearance and more worried about the many cuts on her body now tainting her veils in crimson red.

"H-Hey, are you okay? Talk to me…" He adjusted the veil that mostly covered her face to properly get a good look at her.

The woman's brown eyes wearily opened to look at him as she weakly reached for his face.

"I-I finally found you…"

"Found me?" Michael asked.

"You, I have to…" The woman's white gloved hand grazed his cheek before limply falling to the side, but before it could hit the ground, Michael managed to catch it.

"What is going on?"

"More than you think, less than you should know, big guy."

"…!"

All of Michael's hair stood up on end as he looked ahead to spot another figure exit from within the room. Standing to be about almost as tall as him was another beautiful woman, she had long wild dark green hair and blue eyes. Her choice of clothing wasn't as risqué as the woman in his arms, but still revealed more skin than any article of clothing had to in the form of a blue and white tight belly-top, revealing some of her endowed cleavage, dark long gloves and stockings held by a garter over her bloomers and thigh high boots.

In her hands was a bloodied spear tipped red staff that was about as tall as her entire body. Though her smile may seem gentle, he could immediately sense the amount of dangerous intent her cold blue eyes has as she stared down at him like cat cornering a pair of mice.

"Now…would you be a dear and hand over that unclaimed bird for me?"