ALRIGHT ALRIGHT I'M SORRY BUT I'M BACK HERE IS THE NEXT CHAPTER I LOVE YOU I'M SO HAPPY YOU LIKE THIS I WILL DO MY BEST PLEASE WITHSTAND ME!

Izayoi's P.O.V.

Black rabbit was not someone I could trust.

Despite my guts screaming that one sentence, my heart felt heavy. As though the me before this amnesia was finally waking up and crying, suffering from hearing that statement, doing its best to deny it. I know the Sakamaki Izayoi had loved her. Whether it was really the romantic love or friendship love, I did not know, but I knew that she meant a lot.

Or at least used to.

She was the reason behind my sudden change in condition. I realized that when she spoke with me. And it started making sense. She drugged me. The first morning, before anything else, she brought me a glass of water. And since then the symptoms started. She must have thought I was weak enough to keel over that day so she did not do anything and waited, but I got better eventually when the drug wore off in the evening. So the next day, when we were having breakfast, she must have used more. I did think the food was a bit sweeter than usual but disregarded it.

But what gave her out the most was the look in her eyes. She almost looked desperate to keep me away from the fifth gate. To make me and everyone else here in this mansion. To stop pursuing the ones responsible for whatever had happened. Her words were also pained, not the usual worry pained, but forced and scared.

For some reason, she was trying to make us stray from the path.

But her first attempt did not succeed. Right now, we were sitting by Shiroyasha's place (already in the fifth gate, the transportation surprisingly took only one second despite being like milions of miles away) and being warned by her. Something about not destroying buildings like the last time. I had no idea what she meant but I swear she was looking at me.

Well, If I could destroy buildings, what was the problem with some guilds and bad guys?

But again, I remembered nothing. And never tried what I'm capabale of. Also, the broken left arm was useless and moving too quickly hurt my brain and ribs.

You know what, screw it.

Ojou and Kasukabe sat just next to me together with Black rabbit. Jin and Takane-san (who insisted on coming) were in the front, discussing some things. I had stopped listening the very second they started talking so there was no point to start now anyway. On the other hand, I paid attention to the others.

Black rabbit was not trustworthy. But what the other two? They seemed genuinely eager to find out what happened. And they all said that it was only the blue haired girl who found him and brought him here. But being careless could cost me more than I could offer right now so I stayed on guard.

It was frustrating, knowing nothing and not being able to trust anyone. It felt lonely. What was worse, I was familiar with it. Maybe some time before, at some point, I had been like this already - lost and alone. But it was hard to believe that time was with them - they were just too lively to give me time to feel that way. They did mention something about everyone being from a different world so I went with that.

Kasukabe was petting her cat but still paying attention, her face serious and yet very calming. She had an aura around her - a peaceful, friendly aura - which made me feel at ease. Her movements were light and agile and somehow I found it very fitting to her personality. Light-hearted, generous and caring. She didn't seem as the type to lie or hurt innocent people. Maybe she wasn't an enemy.

Asuka on the other hand was completly motionless with a stern expression. I could swear there was a certain fire in her eyes, one that was determined to destroy but also save at the same time. She was an interesting person, fierce and yet quite wise. I heard she had the gift "authority" and it went well with how arrogant and proud she acted. Bickering with her came very naturally so I assumed we have always had this kind of relationship, though no real offense or venom was meant. She was quite honest as well.

Miss Takane was just a doc. Although evil and stubborn, she was a doc. And I sensed no real threat around her, neither any real emotions.

Jin Russel made me feel a little bit protective of him and stirred the urge to mess with him. But that was it. I might not have been so close with him or I just forgot too much. But those two seemed most neutral to me at the moment.

Shiroyasha was plain weird.

And Black rabbit-

was right in front of me.

"Izayoi-kun? Are you alright?" she waved a hand in front of my face and it was then that I realized the discussion has ended and I spaced out.

"Huh? Yeah, I was just... thinking."

I figured that playing along and not showing that I knew of her deciet was the best thing to do. Should anything happen, I was not prepared to fight back. Not yet. So this was the safest tactic.

"Already so grim? Come on, the adventure is just starting," the long haired blackhead mocked me, reaching out a hand.

I took it with a smirk and stood up: "Then let's enjoy it."

We talked with many people on the streets (oh my god, why were they so cramped? Oh yeah, the festival). Or rather, Asuka and Kasukabe talked. The doc was somewhere taking care of her business in a hospital and Jin decided to stay with Shiroyasha. He was the head of the No-names, after all.

I decided to stick to Black rabbit. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. I needed to get some information out of her. Anything at all.

Proof that she is innocent.

No, I repeated that to myself. She is not.

It hurt.

"What are they even asking about?" I broke the silence after the two girls left us on our own. Black rabbit was about to go as well but I stopped her when I said I felt insecure alone in this place (such a stupid lie). But she bought it and nodded gently, now sitting with me on one of the benches.

"About the weapon Asuka-san found. We know it's from the fifth gate, from here, but we do not know the exact location." she explained, "Hopefully we will have some luck." she smiled and immediately looked around in search of someone who looked knowledgable.

I was thinking what else to say. What did I need to know to determine her intentions?

"Izayoi-kun," she called me out. I raised an eyebrow and waited as she hesitantly opened her mouth and then let the words out: "please be careful. It's scary - the thought of you getting hurt. I...I don't want this to happen again."

The way her eyes were losing their light and getting teared up - this just couldn't be faked. This tender, heartbroken expression was just too unique and real to be an act. It showed that she cared for me very, that she indeed didn't want me to suffer.

So why? Why was she preventing him from knowing the truth?

"Did something happen?" I uncounsciously asked and immediately scolded myself for she could have suspected I knew more than I was supposed to.

"I mean... you look even worse lately. Like... tired and sad. It's not pretty." I corrected myself calmly with a concerned smile.

Black rabbit gasped and seemed to have gotten into deep thought. Her gaze unfocused for a while as though she was thinking of everything she could of told me, should of but for some reason wouldn't tell me. As though everything she was doing at the moment was not her own idea and it struck me that she could have also been the victim, like me.

But it was too early to assume such things. I was just letting my heart get the better of me.

"It's nothing, I'm just worried. That's all. Sorry," she faked a reassuring smile but her voice cracked right after that "sorry" of hers. That word was the only thing that was not a lie.

I nodded, letting the silence fall on us again. She stopped some people around and asked whether they knew of any weapon shop or company which sold the gun like thing we found but to no avail.

"So... what do we do after we find it?" I asked, hoping to hear her opinion.

"We will probably think of a strategy to safely get information. Charging head on is a definite no, we don't know how powerful they are and that could be fatal." she answered but in her look, there was a small warning. Something like don't you dare fight straight on which made sense with my stupid injuries but it tempted me. For that was something she did not approve of. Sure, her words were logical and the idea of showing up in front of their doors and asking Hey, did you by any chance try to kill me? Yeah? Why? was not something a sane person would do. But I liked the thought.

While I reconsidered the options, I decided to try out what power I held. They said it was destructive and really fearsome. I expected being able to shoot lasers and all but it seems their words were literal.

Destructive indeed. That much for being told not to destroy any buildings.

I just tried to punch a wall and the whole house collapsed.

Seriously, whoever could take me on must have been seriously a macho or something because even I had chills from the strenght oozing from my body. I knew I could do more. But feared the consequences.

"BLACK RABBIT! IZAYOI-KUN!" suddenly, two voices interrupted my dwelling and I turned towards it, seeing the excited girls running to us. They were also holding ice-creams and some roasted meat and damn it looked good.

"We found it!" The short haired girl started and immediately took a bite of her food. She noticed my stare and offered a piece though I promptly refused, demanding to know what all they got out of the local people.

"Let's go back to Jin first," Black rabbit suggested and we all nodded though I believed she was trying to buy herself time.

I didn't know anymore. Good or bad, real or not, Black rabbit was a mystery. She loved me, I loved her. She wanted to protect me but somehow got involved in the whole bloody incident. So who was she? And what did she want?