A/N: And we're back, dear readers and lurkers! I hope you enjoy.

~ Chapter 10 ~

As she and Haida stepped off the elevator on their floor, both of them paused at the same time. Along the clean, pristine hallway came a ruckus of sorts. Was it wailing? Or laughing? Panicking? The din was faint and vague, but she paused, unwilling to walk further along the hall. It's probably something Mr. Ton's said. Haida cocked his head, his ears twitching.

"Hunh? You hear it, Retsuko?"

She nodded. "I wonder…what's going on."

"It makes me nervous."

"Yeah," she said. "Me too."

They stood another minute before either garnered the courage to walk forward. Had…something been posted to Lifebook? She hadn't seen a new update on her newsfeed, and she hadn't gotten any texts or voicemail from Fenneko, who'd be a reliable source of information. Haida, had he gotten any tidbits, would have told her, right? Was there a department meeting? If there had been, Haida definitely would know. As they closed in on the locker rooms, the noise filtered and it was the loud talking people did which echoed down the hall. Haida hesitated with Retsuko at the Women's Changing Room. He shifted his weight and glanced at the corner separating the main office area from the hall. With everyone talking at once, it was hard to understand individual words.

"I should…leave you here." He reached into the canvas bag and pulled out her bento box. It was better to be careful. "You should hang on to this."

"Okay. See you."

She entered the changing room. Usually, when she arrived, there were four or five other women, but no one was around. They must be at their desks. She checked the time. No, she had at least fifteen minutes left before nine o'clock. How very strange. The silence unnerved her, and when the changing room door slammed open, Retsuko jolted out of her fur.

"RETSUKO!" Kabae shouted, inches from Retsuko's face. "I'm so glad you're here! Have you heard? Fenneko got a bouquet sent to her desk. Did you know she was seeing someone? I didn't think Fenneko even cared about dating, but apparently this guy is serious. Can you believe that? Is it someone from the office? Fenneko didn't say. As soon as she saw the flowers, she ran off. No one can find her!"

"I…" Retsuko had an idea of where Fenneko might be. "I should finish dressing. Thanks for telling me."

Kabae batted a few more questions her way, but Retsuko didn't answer or shook her head, unsure of the correct answers. Eventually, Kabae got the hint and left Retsuko alone to think.

Flowers? For Fenneko? At her place of work? When she rounded the corner, a big, beautiful splay of roses with carnations, daisies, and some other flowers Retsuko was unable to identify, but were nonetheless gorgeous and colorful, splashed against the monochrome décor of the office. Whoa. And she thought Haida's bento box was a romantic gesture. Although, she hadn't realized Fenneko was dating anyone. Had she missed it in a conversation? No…she'd have heard if Fenneko mentioned seeing someone. Why did she not say so? But then again, she didn't confide in Fenneko about her own love life.

Across the room, inside the circle of oohing and murmured gossip, leaned over the bouquet, was Haida. He had elbowed the packed bodies aside to find a position at Fenneko's desk. Between his fingers was a tiny card, which he read, and when he glanced up, his features had wrinkled in thought. Then he slipped the card into his pocket and exchanged it for his phone. Retsuko had not yet entered the buzzing office. He noticed her as she hovered on the outskirts, and as he lifted his phone to his ear, he mouthed Find Fenneko at her.

"Right." They had to close ranks and do damage control.

She turned on her heel to head to the stairwell. They were close to the top floor of the office building, and while Retsuko enjoyed the solitude of Archives, Fenneko liked the wide-open view of the rooftops and cityscape. Retsuko was sure she was hiding out until the last possible moment. Fenneko wasn't the sort of person who liked Grand Gestures. Cutsey-lovey stuff wasn't her thing. Whoever sent her the flowers was way, way off base and if Retsuko knew Fenneko, the guy was in for a world of hurt.

Yoga had given her plenty of cardio practice, so she wasn't winded as she finished the last flight of stairs and exited the stairwell to the breezy rooftop. The rain had stopped last night, but the sky continued to be overcast. Puddles had not yet dried on the cement, and pipes and vents dripped with water. Fenneko was at the edge of the roof, leaning with her back against a dry spot on the wall. She had her phone in her hand; she stared as her thumb flicked through photos or her Lifebook newsfeed.

"Fenneko? You okay?" Retsuko asked. Which is a stupid question. Of course she isn't okay. "Haida and I were worried about you."

"I'm fine. I…didn't want to be center of attention."

"I understand. Haida's taking care of the bouquet," she said. "You should have set it on my desk and removed the card. We would've been happy to take the fall for you."

"To be honest, I thought about it, but you and Haida don't deserve to get into trouble. Mr. Ton specifically warned you. And Komiya…" She clicked her tongue. "So annoying. Who sends flowers to an office?"

"It's certainly a Western gesture. Maybe he didn't know."

"He knows," Fenneko asserted. "I don't understand why. Why force my hand like this? I was clear about wanting it kept private."

"What are you going to do about him?"

"I haven't decided." She sighed and slipped her phone into her pocket. "We've got two minutes to be in our seats. We'd better go."

Retsuko led Fenneko into the stairwell, back down the flights of stairs, and managed to beat Mr. Ton and Tsubone to the office. The crowd of onlookers had dispersed, thankfully, and the obnoxious bouquet was nowhere to be found. Haida was at his computer, applications and work email open on the screen, and he acted like nothing had happened.

"Good morning, Fenneko. Retsuko," he said.

"Good morning."

"Let's work hard today."

"Yes, let's."

Everything is normal. Nothing to see here. Right as their butts hit their seats, Mr. Ton- -with Komiya aflutter- -and Tsubone strolled in to the office floor. Mr. Ton's laser-like eyes scanned the office; some excitement lingered in the air, but no one looked up from their stations. No one gave a hint of the bouquet. Mr. Ton took his seat, brows crunched together, arms crossed and when the second hand on the clock ticked to nine o'clock on the dot, he leafed through a ledger left on his desk by Komiya.

The workday continued on like every other prior day. Mr. Ton practiced his golf swings with Komiya. Tsubone found a bunch of mistakes in Retsuko's work. Tea for Mr. Ton. At lunch, Fenneko disappeared and Haida and Retsuko let her go. Most of their coworkers kept their gossiping to their small groups, and none of them sought further information from either Haida or Retsuko. They had signaled to the others through their actions: Haida hid the bouquet and Retsuko had gone to get Fenneko. We're on Fenneko's side, so don't expect us to talk about her business.

"You think she'll be okay?" asked Retsuko. When she popped the lid to the bento box, she got a good look at what Haida had prepared- -onigiri with pickled plum, a soft boiled egg, salted salmon, and fresh fruit. "Wow! This looks so delicious!"

"My mom used to make the best bento boxes when we were growing up. I just copied her." Haida laughed, but her compliment had embarrassed him as he dismissed his skill and thoughtfulness. Then he sobered. "I wouldn't worry too much about Fenneko. She's the toughest one of us."

They were silent as they took their first bites of lunch.

"Where did you hide the bouquet?"

"I couldn't put it where everyone would see it, so I stuck it in Archives. It'll be fine there until we can figure out someway of transporting it out of the office."

"Maybe put it in a box? After hours would be a good idea."

"That's if Fenneko even wants it around her," said Haida. "I'm surprised she didn't dump it in the trashcan."

"Yeah…I asked her what she would do about the guy who sent it to her, and she said she didn't know yet. Which is strange," she said, now she had time to think about it, "because usually Fenneko is decisive."

Haida didn't reply, his concentration on the salted salmon. "Mrs. Doi called and left a voicemail. She asked for you to come with me again to visit her in the hospital. She said she was sorry to be an inconvenience, but she had something she wanted to ask you as soon as possible. She didn't say what it was."

The abrupt change in topic confused her. Did Haida know something he wasn't telling her? She decided to let it go. "I…I have dinner plans with my mother, but if we leave as soon as work ends, I can manage it." It'll be cutting it close, but I can meet Mom at the restaurant. "I won't be able to stay long."

"I think that's okay. To be honest, she probably wants you to convince me to accept her decision to name me her beneficiary. It puts you in such an awkward position," Haida continued, "since you don't know her very well, and you and I are…doing things our own way in our relationship. It shouldn't be on you to push her agenda on me." He grimaced and set aside his chopsticks. "I'm not making much sense, am I?"

No, she caught his drift. Mrs. Doi seemed to think Retsuko held some power over Haida, but as they were friends first, they were equals in the relationship. "I understand. I'll tell her it's not my place or responsibility to convince you to do anything. You'll make your own decision."

They smiled at each other. Haida said, "You're the best. Oh! Are we on for Friday? I wasn't sure since your mom was in town."

"Let's go with a tentative yes," replied Retsuko. "I may end up 'working late' Friday evening. Mom'll want to chaperone us if she knows I'm over at your place."

"Gotcha. Hiro has been told to stay away, but it doesn't mean he'll listen at all."

Retsuko took a dainty bite of the boiled egg. "Don't you worry. If he shows up, I'll give him the boar treatment."

"The Shinjuku Scream?" he said with a chuckle. "I'd pay good money to see you blast him down the hall."

"Did he leave you alone last night? After you came home from seeing Mrs. Doi?"

Haida's face went neutral. "He actually wasn't at home. He must've stayed in his dorm."

"Oh. You must've been relieved."

"Heh. Yeah."

They spoke about lighter subjects, and after they finished lunch, they bought Fenneko her favorite snack and drink. When they returned to their work stations, Fenneko was seated at her desk. She thanked them for their offerings, but did not elaborate. They left her alone. As soon as the work day was over, Retsuko joined Haida in the lobby to take a train to Central General.

Mrs. Doi looked better. Her silver fur was neat, her color was fresher, and she smiled at them as they entered and took a seat at her bedside. Haida and she asked the usual questions of each other: How was work? Did you sleep well? Do you have transportation tomorrow when you're released? Retsuko, for her part, kept herself to herself.

"By the way, my lawyer will contact you by Friday," Mrs. Doi said. "He'll set an appointment with you to come in and sign the requisite papers."

Haida sighed. "About that…please change your mind. You must have someone else you can name as your inheritor. A charity or a nonprofit company…something."

"I've told you. You're the only one. My husband and I enjoyed a rather unconventional marriage. He didn't pressure me to have children, nor did I require them. And as for a charity, it's unfortunate nowadays how you can't trust organizations to use your money wisely. I know you, Haida, and I know the money would be put to good use." She reached for a large cup on a tray pulled over her lap. "Will you do me a favor? Run down to the ice machine and fill this cup, please? The water in the pitcher is too tepid for my tastes."

Haida complied with argument or comment. When the door closed behind him, Mrs. Doi shifted her wise attention on Retsuko. "I'm glad I have you alone for a moment," she said, smoothing the covers with her thin hands. "I'd like to talk to you about Haida. Will you please listen first before responding? I promise it is nothing negative."

"Uh, okay."

"I'll get right to it. It's important to cultivate a relationship based on equality and mutual trust. When my husband and I were married, he was flexible despite the views of our generation. He realized I was a different sort of woman, and he offered me great understanding and great freedom. Whatever choice I made, he supported me. And vise versa." Mrs. Doi closed her eyes a moment. "Haida is a gem. He has a big heart and he'll bend over backwards to make sure you're happy and content. I'm begging you…don't use his generosity and love against him. If you're dating him with marriage in mind, ensure you are also committed to making him happy. If you're not dating him with marriage in mind, don't string him along. He is very serious about marriage."

"He…is?"

"Oh, yes. Very. We have had prior discussions on the subject. One of his life-goals has been to find the right girl and marry her. I thought I'd…give you all the information. I can't bear seeing him hurt."

As tears stung her eyes, Retsuko leaned forward. "I understand you completely. I'll do my best to treat Haida well. If I don't think things will work out, I'll end them as cleanly as possible."

"Thank you."

"All right, I'm back!" Haida announced as he stepped into the room. "The ice machine was out of order, so I had to go to a different floor."

Retsuko smiled with warm welcome as Haida resumed his seat and his conversation with Mrs. Doi. He's serious about marriage. Mrs. Doi's words circled her mind even as her thoughts drifted to Resasuke. Her relationship with him had come out of the blue. He'd taken care of her one time and her world had exploded into pink hearts and wedding bells. Her feelings were obvious the next day and into the following week. But with Haida…they'd gone together to Shinjuku, yoga, and the noodle place, and there had been no sparkles, rainbows, or the floating which hallmarked her time with Resasuke. Did that mean she wasn't in love with Haida? The question frightened her.

When appropriate, she excused herself and said her farewells. She had set up plans with her mother to meet at Birdie Café, so with her thoughts in a confused swirl, Retsuko left to join Mom. Mom was at a table with a pot of tea and her oversized purse on the cushion next to her. Retsuko wondered if she'd be forced to look at portraits today or if Haida had made a good enough impression she'd be off the hook.

"Hello, dear," Mom said as Retsuko took her seat. "How was your day?"

"Good. Our friend Fenneko was sent a bouquet of flowers at work."

"How romantic." Mom sighed and sipped at her teacup. "Someone must think she's special."

"It was embarrassing! You don't send flowers to someone's office. It might give the wrong idea. Haida and I had to cover for her." Mom had never worked a day in her life, so she didn't know the protocols or rules; she'd probably been bingeing on daytime soaps, where Grand Gestures were the norm. Retsuko picked up the menu and halfheartedly glanced at the food. Her doubt about her feelings stole her appetite. "Anyway, Mrs. Doi is doing well. She'll be released from the hospital tomorrow morning. Haida's pretty jazzed about it."

"He's a sweet boy. Do you have plans for another date?"

"Uh…" Retsuko wasn't sure whether to tell the truth or fib. Mom's tone seemed gentler, softer than normal and not as judgmental or pushy. She was hesitant to tell the whole truth. "We had planned to go out on Friday to dinner and a movie." Close enough.

"Wonderful! I think you've met your match." The singsong way she said it annoyed Retsuko. "If I were you I wouldn't let him get away. I'll stay out of your hair Friday. There are some old friends I'd like to get together with who I haven't seen in ages. It'll be the perfect opportunity to meet them. Also, don't forget you and I have shopping plans on Saturday. I went through your wardrobe the other day, and some of your clothes are looking a little out of style. I was reading a young woman's magazine the other day…"

Mom carried on about Retsuko's lack of fashion sense as the waiter came for their food orders. Retsuko let her mind wander. Could she imagine a future with Haida? The answer was yes. Haida was good husband material. Any woman with a single-cell brain could see the multitude of endearing qualities he possessed. She'd be stupid to throw him back. Forget about rational choices a moment. What did her heart have to say? She remembered the near misses they had on the stoop and in the taxi cab, the heat and electricity they shared…an impending sense of urgency she'd never had with Resasuke.

"…suko!"

"Hunh?" When she snapped into reality, she instantly regretted it. Who should prance her way but freaking Tsunode! Aw, crap. "Tsunode…"

Tsunode bounded to the table. "What a coincidence running into you here. Tee-hee! I'm meeting Manumaru for dinner. You must be Retsuko's mother. It's so nice to meet you. You two look exactly alike," she said with the exaggerated bright cheer. She did not pause for breath. "Retsuko is such a good friend. She's always helping out at work." Redirect her! REDIRECT HER! "In fact, she and Haida have come through for me for the upcoming-"

"Tsunode! That was something else at work today. The bouquet Fenneko received? I was telling my mom about it."

"Goodness, you should've seen Fenneko's reaction," Tsunode said. She latched on to the juicier bit of gossip, even though Mom knew nothing about Fenneko, and talked at length on the subject until Manumaru waved at her from the entrance of the restaurant. "Oh, there's my date. Retsuko, before I forget, could you shoot me a pic of your dress for the gala? I thought it'd be cute if we tried to coordinate. Okay, thanks! I'll see you at work tomorrow."

WHY DID YOU HAVE SAY SOMETHING?! Retsuko looked at Mom. A stone dropped in the pit of her stomach as Mom's gaze reflected deep interest. Oh, no. Since she'd been a kid, Mom was forever sticking her in 'cute' dresses, which were laden with vomit-inducing lace and bows and ribbons. And if Retsuko tried to be happy with the first dress she tried on (to end the pain), Mom tossed more and more dresses over the changing room door. Then they tromped around to a million other stores to try on dresses until the whole experience became one nightmarish blur.

"Did that young woman say you needed a dress for a gala? We can shop for one on Saturday! It'll be fun to go dress shopping like we used to," Mom said. "I remember when you were in grade school and you used to wear those adorable little pink sundresses. Those were the days. I'll look at some websites to see what kinds of formal dresses are in style, but I think something pink would look good on you."

I DON'T WEAR PINK ANYMORE! I'M AN ADULT GOING TO AN ADULT EVENT! Retsuko kept her mouth shut as her mother reminisced, longing for a private room at the karaoke bar. Life was so unfair. And worse, life was so confusing. How did she really feel about Haida?

A/N: A little internal conflict there; can't live life without it. Leave some love in the comments section.