Aoba moved back to Noiz' apartment as soon as he gathered the courage to tell his grandmother about their situation. He insisted on doing it alone, because he thought Tae would take it better if there were only the two of them talking, but Noiz had to face Tae anyway a couple of days later, when he went to help Aoba with all his stuff.

The old woman stayed apart, growling softly. Noiz approached her.

"Thank you for taking care so well of Aoba", he said, bowing lightly. "You did a great work, he is really recovered now. You were right, I wouldn't have been able to take care of him while trying to cope with all that happened."

The small woman nodded, avoiding his eyes.

"Just make sure he takes his medication every day, and a double dose if he has a migraine, and everything will be fine", she said at last, and although her voice was harsh as a bark, Noiz could feel the love she felt for her grandson.

He assured he would, and in the end Tae even hugged him after hugging Aoba. The two boys felt like if they had lifted a weight off.

However, some weeks later, when Noiz was paying a visit at his favourite coffee shop, he crossed two familiar faces that were leaving at that very moment. Annoyed, he asked Aoba about them.

"Virus and Trip?" Aoba asked, puzzled. "They say we have been friends for some years now, and they even knew about my amnesia. What happens? Why is it that you dislike them?"

"Well… They are exactly the kind of people your grandma wanted you to stay away from… They used to give you drugs for free after every Rhyme match. They said they were your number one fans."

Aoba frowned and tapped his fingers on the counter.

"Then I have nothing to fear, as I don't play Rhyme any more or take drugs. I am of little interest for them now."

Noiz nodded, not very reassured.

"Noiz? Is there something else you are not telling me? Did something else happen with those two?"

Noiz sighed.

"Nothing that I know for sure. But there's something about these two freaks that I can't pinpoint exactly, and it's driving me nuts."

"Don't sweat it, Noiz…" Aoba said with a warm smile. "I'll try to avoid them in the future, so just forget it, okay?"

Noiz nodded again and thanked his boyfriend for the latte. He didn't think it would be something easy to forget, though, not when those creeps knew even where Aoba worked.

So that evening he searched for them actively in the Rhyme playgrounds. They weren't usually very far from the game, although he had never seen them playing. They surely had a job similar to his, something to do with bets. But it rubbed him the wrong way the fact that the only data everyone had about them were their Rhyme names, Virus and Trip. They were easy to spot, both of them blonde with light blue eyes, similar haircuts and similar clothes. If they weren't of a different size and age they could pass as twins: Virus was older, about twenty-four, with glasses, and shorter and skinnier than Trip, who was perhaps a year older than Aoba, but taller and more muscular. They watched him come closer with a crooked grin.

"Ah, Noiz-san, good evening!" Virus greeted him. Noiz had noticed that he was always the one talking first. So obviously the leader of the two. "How is Aoba-san? I hope you are taking good care of him."

Noiz didn't move a muscle or blinked. He kept staring at Virus until he finally asked, with his calmer voice.

"Explain me what did you do to him."

Trip smirked, but Noiz didn't even look at him, his gaze focused on Virus.

"If I said I don't know what are you talking about, you wouldn't believe a word, isn't it?" the guy in the glasses said.

Stubborn, Noiz kept staring. He wasn't going to move until he got an answer. After a long silence, Virus let his grin fall and said to Trip:

"Your turn", and he turned away.

The next thing Noiz noticed was a fist against his temple, that made his vision go double and blurry for some seconds. He shook his head, and when he thought he was alright again the second blow came, this time again his stomach, making him lean forward. He ducked the expected knee against his face; he might be a little injured, but he still could dodge classic attacks. He considered taking out his allmates and throwing them against the bigger boy, but the blows were half-hearted and sparse, so he opted by standing his ground and waiting until the attack ended. After a couple of blows more, Virus sighed and ordered:

"Enough, leave him and let's get out".

And he started to walk away without waiting for his colleague.

Noiz grabbed Trip's forearm before he could walk more than two steps.

"Wait! I won't tell the police or anything, but I need to know."

The older boy frowned and shook him off, and for a moment Noiz thought he was going to hit him again.

"You know something that I don't", he insisted.

Trip sighed, annoyed, and Virus called him from the other side of the street, impatient. The tall boy leaned forward for a moment and whispered to Noiz:

"Right now, everybody knows something that you don't. But you got to have Aoba, so stop complaining."

And he finally turned and started walking with fast strides until he met his friend. Noiz considered those words, feeling his blood running cold inside his veins.

When he arrived home, Aoba was still awake, reading something on his coil in bed. His allmate was still active, acting very much as the dog it resembled, and wagged its tail at seeing Noiz. Noiz patted it and the dog made itself comfortable again at Aoba's feet on the bed. He took his clothes off and changed into his pyjamas, and climbed into bed, curling beside his boyfriend.

"Aoba."

"Hmmm?" Aoba raised his eyes from the screen and looked at him with a smile, still distracted, expecting perhaps a kiss.

"How would you feel about a change of scenery?"

"What?"

Now he had all his attention, the coil forgotten onto the duvet.

"I was thinking about going back to Germany when the school year finishes, next month. And I think you would like my hometown; it's very different from Midorijima. You have never gone out from this island, have you?"

Aoba looked startled.

"You… want to go back there? With me? But Noiz, I thought you hated Germany."

"I hated it with my family. But I've got some savings, so we could rent an apartment and live together, not with my parents. I really would like to make new memories of the country, with you."

Aoba seemed uncertain and a bit confused.

"I… I don't know, Noiz. If you want to come back, it's your decision; I won't get in your way."

Noiz grabbed his hands.

"I'm not going back without you. If you prefer to stay, then we stay. I just thought… it would be a good opportunity for you, too. You know, starting again in a new country."

"But Noiz! I… I have a job here!"

"You can find that kind of jobs in Germany, too."

"And I can't speak German!"

"I will teach you, I swear; and I will be by your side to help you all the time until I start school in September."

"But…" Aoba bit his lower lip, thinking hard. At last he couldn't come with more objections and just laughed. "Why, all of a sudden?"

Noiz wouldn't tell him the reason, that's for sure. He just shrugged and smiled.

"I have been thinking about it for some time, in fact. What do you say? Let's give it a try?"

"If I can't adapt to Germany, could we come back when you finish the next school year?"

"Of course".

And when Aoba leaned in for a kiss, his hazel eyes sparkled with enthusiasm. He made himself comfortable on Noiz' chest and they started to plan their new life. Noiz thanked god silently for the small mercy of having convinced Aoba so easily. If putting his boyfriend out of danger meant taking a flight to Germany and dealing with his parents, then so be it.

And this is it! If someone is still unaware of Virus and Trip's role in Aoba's memory loss, please refer to the visual novel, or to my Masters of Memory fic :P

I'm considering writing a follow-up of the boys in Germany, and the more than possible come back of Sly into their lives. What do you think?

It would be after I finish the noiao zombie AU and another fic I have ongoing, of course, so perhaps in a month.

Anyway, I hope you have enjoyed reading this story almost as much as I have enjoyed writing it!