Soujiro stretched his neck as he walked out of the marbled elevator entrance to the Golden Orchid hostess bar. Today had been an exercise and part of him wasn't entirely sure this was the best way for him to unwind his stress, but it was the best distraction. Nothing numbed his emotions like a particularly beautiful girl and fountains of liquor.

As he walked into the bar, he found his eyes scanning the room for the milky skinned innocent girl who had wormed her way into this bar with no ambitions other than to earn her probably generous salary given she did nothing the other girls did. She didn't sleep around, she didn't simper and laugh, she didn't mix her words up, and provided what he was sure was crackpot psycho-analyses on her customers.

Sure, there were probably guys that enjoyed that when they came here, and they probably enjoyed being ripped out for a complete stranger to see all of their insecurities but Soujiro- no he was going to be more careful. He was going to avoid her, that was the only reason he always tried to find her first. Though even he had to admit there was something very magnetic about her uncensored behaviour.

He was a little bit surprised to find her behind the bar today, laughing away beside the male bartender as she shoved his shoulder playfully.

Ah, so was that her scene then? Good for her, she should be fired for so blatantly flaunting real emotions where fake ones were on sale.

For now though he'd stay out of her way, and hoped she'd stay out of his. Are you coming? He quickly texted his best friend. Akira, ever so reliable Akira, replied in less than 30 seconds.

I'll drop by for a second. Is Yuki there?

He felt his eyebrow twitch. Yes.

Call her over for me? I'll be there in 10. He felt the frown deepen on his mouth as he sighed and walked over to usual booth. "Mama-san, can you send Yuki over?" He was upset, entirely too visibly so. His hands were tightened on themselves so his knuckles ran a pale white and he tapped his fingers impatiently against the wood of the table.

After he'd spent so much time painstakingly avoiding her in a few moments Yuki had approached him, smiling as she sat down beside him. "Well, this was unexpected. I didn't think you liked me very much."

"Akira asked for you to be here when he gets here." A strange sort of knowing came on her face as she smirked to herself and he found himself entirely feeling unprepared for the rough way his stomach tousled itself. "What is that for?"

"What is what for?" She replied and he scoffed. Who the hell was she trying to fool here? That! That weird lip twerk where her teeth shined brilliantly for the idea of Akira being here.

"Is something going on between Akira and you?"

"Sure there is! Why else would he call me here?" She accepted his accusation so easily with not a care for the connotations it held which just proved to him that she was making a mockery of his question.

"You're not like the other girls though." He insisted.

"What does that mean?"

Oh now she wanted him to come out and say it? "You don't sell what they're selling." She burst out laughing.

"Oh dear god, you mean- yeah no. I admit it I don't, not that I care. To each woman her own as long as she's safe and secure and understanding of her situation." She reached for the waiter and pulled him aside. "A rum and cola, and what will you have?"

"Gin and tonic." He slipped and looked around aware that the rest of the girls were surprised he hadn't asked one of his regulars to join them. A silence came between them until the drinks came and Soujiro was happy to occupy his throat with the rough taste of his gin instead of speaking to Yuki.

Dude, where are you? He texted. He needed him to come soon. Akira would be like a life raft in this strange conversation.

Sorry man, Riku needed me to pick her up from the dorm. She's throwing up. Idiot, can I come in a bit? Keep her there for me!

Right, Akira's twin sisters. He had to admit they'd grown up beautifully but even he had to say they were complete brats…and much like Yuki they weren't exactly his cup of tea. So the fact that one had distracted his friends only served to fuel the irritation from his long day. "So this is nice and all…but maybe we should…talk?"

"Don't even suggest it." He grumbled. He was going to be very careful with her. "Talking to you is dangerous, like giving you ammunition to make proclamations about someone that no one asked for."

"Oh you mean, that thing where I mentioned that you pay for things you want to hear because you don't have real friends? Don't worry you proved me wrong." She snickered obviously very pleased with herself that she'd managed to get under his skin."Your friends love and care for you a lot."

"Well…we weren't raised by our parents for sure. We raised each other. So a part of us lives within each other." He found his shoulders relaxing just for a second as he leaned against the booth. "God that sounds so fucking gay."

"Only if you want it to be." She teased shaking her head and he was surprised to find that he laughed a little at her joke. God that wasn't even that funny. Get your head together Soujiro. "So- how was work today?"

"And why should I tell you?"

"Do you have anything to lose?" She looked visibly perturbed that he had said that which he supposed was a little too defensive even for him. "Look, I can go back to the bar-"

"No- look I'm sorry." Yuki opened her eyes wide as she blinked quickly. "Work was fine. Work was work. Work is challenging and difficult and so I come here to forget it mostly." This was easy to admit. This was true for all hostess club guests...what ammunition could she have against him with this claim that she didn't already have from her other clients?

"Well is it at least going well?" She asked back kindly willing to forget his previous prickly disposition.

"Some days sure." He agreed. "These days more often than not it's the other way around." Yuki appeared to be observing him closely.

"Well…then we'll get your mind off it. What's your favourite colour?"

At that, he felt a more throaty chuckle escape his throat. "And what is the purpose of that?"

"I want to get to know you." She smiled at him kindly and not for the first time Soujiro wondered how much of her smile was real.

Sorry Soujiro….I don't think I'm making it today.

"Green." He replied as he put his phone away. His mind was reeling at whether he was making the right choice by letting her stay here. What was the harm really? Maybe if they could keep it to safe topics. Maybe if he tried to make it so he never tried to make her say something for him...maybe then he could stand her. "My favourite colour is green."

What harm could little Yuki cause anyways?

"Who the hell do you think you are that you can just call me out whenever you want?! Why did you call me here?" Tsukushi banged her fists down on the table as soon as she saw the man who had very rudely texted her.

Come to Royal Afternoon Tea House in Ginza and ask for the back room. Now.

She was absolutely seething as she saw Domyouji Tsukasa laughing away with his friend at a table with an extremely large array of dim sum. His friend's eyebrows shot into his overly large bangs as he looked between the two of them grinning.

Tsukasa appeared completely undisturbed by her rough behaviour and began to innocently point at his friend. "Akira wanted to meet you." He shrugged. "And we were meeting for lunch...and I thought you'd be hungry. Dim Sum?"

"Well anyone who could deal with you-" Akira started snickering as he stood up and held his hand out rather politely. "Makino Tsukushi-san it's an absolute pleasure."

"Thank you?" She gingerly replied her eyes flickering between the two boys. "So what is this?"

"We're having lunch. I thought this would be a good excuse for me to feed you. I repeat myself again...Dim Sum?" He reached up towards her arm and pulled her down to the chair beside him as she roughly landed on the wooden chair.

"Man, you just push and pull me around. Am I your monkey or something?" She grumbled as she took her coat off and put it on the chair.

There was an eerie silence on the table until Domyouji in a very childish tone added. "Well you're the one who said it." He was smiling so wide Tsukushi kicked him roughly under the table. She was so satisfied to see his face fall that she decided she would reward herself with a pork soup dumpling on his far right by the window. "So you're staying?"

"That's what you wanted wasn't it?" She managed to mutter out through large chews. "The pleasure's all mine Akira-san." She added offhandedly remembering she didn't acknowledge the man's introduction well.

Akira leaned back as he observed the dynamic of watching Makino Tsukushi eat practically everything on the table in record time and was even shocked to see Tsukasa reach for a few pieces and put them on her plate as she glared at him.

It had been a few weeks now that his best friend had become completely obsessed with the lawyer who was beside him and Akira couldn't quite fathom why.

She was pretty, he supposed. But not overly so.

She was smart, he was sure. You didn't become a lawyer without a brain but- still.

He supposed in the end it was Makino Tsukushi's confidence that made her attractive to Tsukasa. He'd always fallen like a rock for women who were sure of themselves, women who emulated his own beautiful sister.

Which he supposed at the end of the day was all Tsukasa really ever wanted from a partner. Another Tsubaki. "So it looks like your negotiations wrapped up rather neatly if the two of you could stand to sit here eating with each other." Akira added after a second, surprised at how happily Tsukasa launched into a rather detailed overview of their last meeting.

"I was rather surprised at how eloquent your father was actually." Tsukasa finished looking at the girl beside him with a smile on his face.

"Yeah well…your mom wasn't a hard sell." Tsukushi agreed. "I was shocked she didn't shut him down."

"I like to think I did some pre-work there. I did suggest multiple times they not just shut you down out and out."

"Yes, everything is thanks to you. All praise all mighty Domyouji-sama." The sarcasm in her voice was too much, even Akira couldn't stop laughing.

"Well as long as you acknowledge that." He grinned happily as Makino lifted a bowl of soup and gulped down the remnants of the bowl wiping her mouth haphazardly.

"I'm done here. Is there anything else or can I get back to my job?"

"I'm starting to think that's your excuse for everything." He huffed. "I thought you were quitting."

"I sure am trying…they just won't let me go. Thanks for the lunch!" She swung her purse over her shoulders. "You know the next time you want me to come somewhere…you could text nicer."

"I thought you said you like it when I'm -"

"Shut…up." She looked threateningly at him. "Sorry for my curt behaviour Akira-san, but what can I say? Present company, excluding yourself, really does bring out the worst in me."

"I won't hold it against you." He agreed kindly. Surprised by how easy it was even in these few minutes to talk to the girl.

Tsukasa waved at her as she furrowed her eyebrows confused as she backed away from the room satiated. Once she was safely out of their room, Tsukasa turned to look at him with eyes so wide Akira was sure they would fall out of his head. "So…what do you think of her?" Tsukasa leaned forward excitedly like he was a middle school boy about to share all of his feelings on his new crush.

Akira tightened his smile on his face and put his thumbs up. "She eats a lot! She's- real- healthy!"

"Right?! She fed me once. She also picked out my meal at breakfast and you know there was this one time when -"

Akira pondered interrupting his friend and letting him know that Tsukasa was indeed dating his sister for all intents on purposes but decided to withhold this information for now after observing the look of pure elation on his face. Thankfully, Tsukasa decided to end his tirade of Tsukushi worship himself. "So, I have a question for you."

"Yes?"

"Can you tell me how to find her?"

"Your girlfriend? Just call her. She appears like a genie when you text apparently." He teased. It felt weird to say that now. All of them had been single for so many months now with no stable relationship. He'd just kind of supposed it would stay that way but Makino Tsukushi he had to admit was poised to change all of that. He'd only once before seen Tsukasa this besotted, and it had taken him five years of juvenile behaviour to work up to that emotion with Shigeru.

Surprisingly becoming serious he saw Tsukasa shake his head. "Please, Makino Tsukushi is not my girlfriend…and you and I know both know I don't mean her."

"She's not?" Akira tried to deflect. It appeared the little Domyouji heir did not grasp himself the depth of his feelings for the girl which was more than amusing for Akira. He wouldn't bother enlightening him, Tsukasa would realize in his own time. Tsukasa didn't say anything as Akira sighed. "Why do you want to meet Shigeru?"

"I deserve a sit down with the woman who literally ran away from me and ended up ruining her own life."

"Hey man, you said it yourself. She ruined her life. Don't you think she's been through enough?" If there was someone Akira pitied in their whole situation it was Shigeru but he knew that Tsukasa didn't see it that way. How could he? He was abandoned, he felt hurt, betrayed, and cast aside by the Okawahara princess.

"No!" Tsukasa faked shock. "Please remind me of all the horrible things that happened to the woman who literally fucked up every good thing I had going in my life for no good reason."

"Tsukasa-" Akira warned. He had a habit of doing this. Seeing things from a narrow point of view where everything except his opinion was invalid. He didn't see the reasons why Shigeru broke up with him, even if he did address them. "You know she's not doing well. So what are you going to do when you meet her? Flaunt that you fixed the problems she found in you? Show off that you're the one in better shape? That you're not angry, that you're successful now, that you have a girl who embraces all of that in you? Albeit from what I see a little weirdly?"

"Hell yeah! Is that really so bad?" Tsukasa joked but at Akira's serious expression sighed leaning back.

"Grow up Tsukasa." He sighed. "Her father had to sell their family home to keep their company running, they live in a small house outside of the suburbs. For all intents and purposes yes she's the same person she was – her father's princess daughter but the Okawahara group has been through a tough time. The political blackmail scandal that I'm sure your mother had absolutely no hand in-"

"Akira- please." Tsukasa pushed his head in his hand. "I don't-I'm not done. I need to be done. I can't be done unless I see her."

How could Akira tell him? How could Akira tell Tsukasa this was the worst idea? How could he tell him that it took him months to get over Shigeru the last time? "And you think you'll be fine? You think it's done?" This was the closest he could get without being obvious. Though he was sure this would fly over the Domyouji boy's stubborn head.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Akira wasn't sure if he was being naïve or overly optimistic. Maybe it was a combination of both. How did one feel when they were left at the altar?

Then again, maybe he was selling his friend short. Maybe he was fine now. Maybe he wouldn't self-destruct and try to kill everything in his sight. "Okay." He whipped out his phone.

Tsukasa was confused until he heard his phone ring and then looked at the address on his phone. "What is this?"

"This, my friend, is the club she works at. Go. Meet her. Figure it out. Whatever it is you want to do to her. Just one more question…" Akira felt an evil plan come up in his mind. Oh, how fun it was to play with Tsukasa!

"What's that?"

"Does that mean Makino's free for a date tonight?"

"Akira. I swear to god, do you have a death wish?"