Without further ado, I bring to thee the next chappie :D!

Chapter 96: The start of a looong day

He gently pushed the door open with his foot and strode inside with Yuriko following after him. Riku's reaction, upon stepping into their new room, was similar to that of when she first walked into the glamorous, marble-floored lobby of the hotel. She found herself out of breath as her eyes wandered at the beautiful display before her.

"Oh wow…" Were the words that subtly made their way out of her dainty lips. Her eyes widened with awe and her head slowly turned from side to side, looking at the spacious room that was going to be theirs for three full days.

A smile of wonder slowly spread across her face as their made their way into the suite's living room. "This isn't just a room." She said wondrously. "This is like an entire house! It's even bigger than our apartment in Japan!"

The living room they had just stepped into was fully furnished. It had a sofa that was good enough for four people, and two more cushioned arm chairs on either side. In the middle of the living room set was a table and across the chairs, pass the table, was a big screen TV. The biggest TV Yuriko had ever seen in her life.

She walked in front of it and stared at it, like the curious little girl that she was. "I've never seen a TV this big before." She said softly, as if she was thinking out loud.

Darrow's shoulders shook as he chuckled. Yuriko definitely seemed like a handful. She seemed curious about everything around her…In fact, too curious. But at least she was more behaved than that feisty little boy of Gen. Stryker's.

"Come on, Miss Riku." He said carefully, not wanting to startle the girl. "I'll show you to the bed room."

Yuriko turned towards Darrow and nodded her head. "Okay." She replied.

The living room had an open passage that led straight to the dining area, and a door that led to the bed room of the suite. Since he found no need to bring her to the dining area for now, Darrow walked towards the bedroom door and pushed it open with his foot. Unlike the main door, the door to the bedroom wasn't locked. It wasn't even closed.

"Well, here ya' go, Miss Riku." He said as he placed the baggage right next to the bed. "You may be tired from your trip, so you could crash here for now."

Yuriko excitedly walked into the room and still couldn't believe that this was where they were going to stay. Everything was beautiful and decorated and fully furnished. The translucent curtains that hung by the transparent glass windows looked so smooth and soft and clean. And she loved how the sunlight filtered through them. The bedroom had two medium sized beds. Each of them was big enough for her to roll on and jump on and do other things little kids her age do on beds.

On the side of the room opposite the beds was another TV. Though it wasn't as big the one in the living room, it was still a bit bigger than the one they had at home. The floor was also carpeted. And despite the fact that it was, it looked so clean and well-kept. She almost felt as if they were the first persons to have ever stepped on it.

Then her eyes focused on the beds. They were covered with soft-looking, fluffed comforters designed to match the motif of the room. The same with the pillows that lined up the head part of the beds. Everything just looked so perfect and nice and pretty. She wouldn't even mind living here for as long as they could.

Yuriko excitedly ran to one of the beds and jumped on it with her behind, causing her to gently bounce up and down. She couldn't believe how soft yet firm the cushions were. Just sitting on it made her think of what it would feel like sleep in such a luxurious room and on such a luxurious bed…to lay there, later that night, thinking of what's to come next. She looked up at Darrow who was fixing their baggage and smiled at him.

"Darrow?" She asked softly, not wanting to startle the heavy-weighted agent.

"Yes?" He asked back. He stood up straight after placing their baggage in an orderly manner on the floor beside the bed. He returned her smile and raised his eyebrows knowing that the little girl had something more to say.

"What time is daddy going to come up here? I know he's busy downstairs, but I also know that he'd love to see what this room is like." She asked happily. She knew that whatever Darrow was going to answer, the answer was going to be "Soon." But instead, he answered with something that she wasn't expecting.

The agent breathed in and shrugged his wide shoulders. "I'm sorry, Miss Riku." He said with an apologetic tone in his voice. "I don't want to be frank, but I'm afraid I can't answer that." He noticed the worried look on Yuriko's face and immediately countered what he had just said with something he knew the girl would've liked to have heard instead. "Not to worry though." He immediately added. "Knowing your father, he'll probably be up here in no time. He always worries about you, you know?" He chuckled. "In fact, whenever he's at work, he does his best to get home as early as he can to check up on his one and only girl. I know your dad's away most of the time. But whenever he's not with you, he always thinks about you."

A wide smile spread on Yuriko's tanned face. "I know. And I know that he's going to spend a lot of time with me in this trip because he said so."

Darrow gave out a gentle laugh. "Because he definitely said so."

Yuriko nodded her head, her childish smile still lingering on her face. "Yeah." She added. She actually felt better now, hearing Darrow's words. She knew that her father always thought about her no matter where he was. But hearing that straight from a person he worked with made it feel more substantial, more concrete, more factual. It made her feel that she actually was more important to her father than the worked he loved so much --- the work he had loved even before she was born into this world.

"By the way, Miss Riku." Darrow said courteously. "If you're hungry, we have stored a generous amount of food and refreshments in the refrigerator in the kitchen pass the living room. If you need anything else, press 9 on the phone over there by the bed and a hotel attendant will be with you shortly." He motioned his hand towards the phone on the table beside the bed Yuriko was sitting on. "The people here are really nice and courteous so you won't have to worry about them."

Before Yuriko could say anything, he continued. "Oh. And one more thing…" He had a determined, firm look on his eyes. What he was about to say seemed very important. "Your father had requested that you stay inside this room while he's away…And I believe that is for the best, Miss Riku. The world that you and your father had chosen is a very dangerous place, unless of course if you're smart and careful enough to stay within your safe boundaries." He smiled. "You will stay put, will you?"

The little girl smiled and nodded her head. "Don't worry, Darrow. I'll stay here until my father comes back." She said obediently. She knew what Darrow meant, about the dangers of her father's job, so she had no desire whatsoever to defy his request. She was going to stay in that room and enjoy its luxuries until her father comes back for her.

Darrow smiled back and inhaled, causing his wide chest to heave. He looked relieved that Yuriko had obediently agreed to what her father had asked. "Then I guess it's all settled then. I'll be going now, Miss Riku." He did a small bow as a sign of respect and made his way to the doorway out of the bed room.

Yuriko's eyes widened with surprise and she quickly hopped out of the bed. She stood up straight like a young soldier who had been called to step forward by his commanding officer. Her eyes were focused on the exiting Agent Darrow.

"What do you mean you'll be going now?" She asked, sounding confused. "If you go, then I'll be all alone here, Agent Darrow." She looked lost, almost scared. She looked like a child who was about to be abandoned in a place she knew nothing of.

Darrow saw the sad look in her eyes and knew that his exit was not going to be an easy one. She was just a child…An eleven year old child. She didn't deserve to be left alone like this, and in a place she knew nothing of. But he had no choice. He was not a baby sitter. He had more important matters to attend to --- very important matters that were more significant than keeping this child company.

He exhaled and looked at her with eyes that were both regretful and sorry. "I'm really sorry, Miss Riku. But as much as I would want to keep you company until your father arrives, I'll have to attend to my work downstairs." He really didn't know how to explain it to this child. He didn't know the right words to say. "It's really important that I get back down there as soon as possible. You do understand, don't you?"

Yuriko looked as if she were about to cry. But instead, she fought back her tears and nodded her head like the good little girl that she was. "I understand." She said softly, her words almost drowning into a voiceless whisper.

"I'm really sorry." Darrow said sadly. "But I will meet up with your father downstairs. So I'll tell him that you have settled in your room and are waiting for him." He said in hopes of lifting up her spirits. The last thing he wanted to see was an image of her frowning. "So don't worry, okay?"

"Okay." She replied. She felt as if she had no choice but to say yes and agree with everything that was asked of her. Like Darrow and her father, she also had a role to play. And her role was to sit and wait for as long as it would take.

Darrow smiled and nodded, then made his say out of the bed room. Yuriko's heart sank as she heard him make his way out of the main door and into the lobby. She heard the main door close as he shut it firmly. And in that moment, she felt trapped, and alone. She sighed and made her way onto the bed. She plopped down on it and laid on her back, her arms spread on her sides as if she was about to make snow angels.

She looked up at the decorated ceiling and closed her eyes. She found it rather funny that despite the fact that the room was so beautiful and perfect, it still felt so empty, so incomplete. The only thing she could hear was the sound of her dull breathing. She didn't even feel like watching TV or reading the books she had taken with her. The only thing she wanted was her father's promise --- the promise that he would be with her in the entire trip…The promise that this trip was going to be for them.

x x x x x x x x

It had already been two hours since Darrow had left her alone in her magnificent prison. And Yuriko felt as if all that time had been somewhat of a waste. She had spent the last two hours sitting in bed, wandering around the room, eating some pastries from the fridge, and watching American TV. Apparently, she found none of her recent activities amusing or adventurous. She was there, in a whole new world, a whole new country, and yet she was locked in her lavishly decorated room.

But what truly made the past two hours such a drag was the fact that she never heared from her father. Not even once. He never called her or checked up on her. She had waited and waited and waited for nothing. And the waiting was what made the past two deafening hours so slow, so dragging, so dull and torturous.

She needed her father. She needed his company right now. She needed to see what was outside. She wanted to jump right out of that curtained window and explore the city. She wanted something to happen --- anything that would make this trip better.

Yuriko sat on the carpeted floor of the living room and leaned her back against the table behind her. She reached back on the table and picked up the remote control of the big screen TV in front of her. She looked bored as she pointed it towards the TV and pressed the on button. She hoped that she would at least see something on TV that would amuse her --- something that would make the waiting hours shorter and more worthwhile.

Then her head perked up, and it impulsively turned to look at the main door. Her eyes looked at it, the door that was a dozen or so steps away from where she was sitting. She heard some noise coming from the hallway. It sounded like footsteps…fast footsteps. Someone was running. What was going on outside? Then she felt her heart beating and something inside of her was telling her to look outside and see what that was.

Should she? But her father asked her to stay inside. Or rather, Darrow asked her to stay inside in behalf of her father. But she was just going to look. Nothing was wrong with taking a peek outside of her cage, right? After all, she asked for something and there it was, waiting for her outside that door, waiting for her in that hallway.

Yuriko slowly stood up, and she breathed in all the air that her little lungs could carry. She slowly walked towards the door, one foot at a time. Her steps were light and cautious. And her eyes were focused on the door and the door alone. She heard the sound of someone running again and her heart jumped. The running sounded closer now, as if whoever it was just ran across her door.

She found herself standing before the door now. This was it. It was either she looked outside, just a little look. She didn't even have to open the door wide open…Or she'd just go back to her TV, forget everything she had heard, and wait for her father for God knows how long. If she was any ordinary little girl, she would have done just that. But she wasn't. And at this moment, she needed some excitement.

Her eyes focused intensely on the doorknob. And with a deep inhale, she slowly reached out to it, her small hand slowly moving closer and closer to the bronze handle. She slowly turned it and the well-defined clicking sound almost echoed in the living room. The door creaked like it hadn't been used in years as she very slowly opened it. Her eyes were filled with curiosity, fear and excitement as she cautiously looked out into the hallway. Then her eyebrows furrowed when she found everything so still and unruffled. Nothing looked odd or out of place, and the running seemed to have stopped.

/"But I thought I heard someone running."/ She thought to herself.

She opened the door wider, wider enough for her to look out of the door with both of her eyes. The opening of the door was wider then her face now. Oh how she wanted to step out of that room at the moment and just explore the hotel. She could actually do that now. Step out and free herself from all that dull waiting. But no. That would be wrong. Doing so would brake the promise she had made to Darrow and her father.

She was about to close the door, when someone from the other side pulled it open. Her hand slipped from the knob and she felt her stomach turn upside down. She didn't know why, but at that moment, she thought she was going to die.

Her eyes suddenly widened with surprise and bewilderment when she saw the figure that had pulled the door open. He was standing in front of her in the hallway, still holding the door open as he looked at her shocked form.

"We meet again!" He exclaimed in a joking manner.

"You!" She shouted as she looked back at him.

"So you remember me! That's cool! I never thought I was the memorable type." He said with a grin and a cocky tone in his voice. "Anyway, can I come in?"

"Junior, I ---" She was tongue tied. What the heck was he doing standing there?