Ami walked on her way home from an interview when she thought she saw a familiar face in the crowd. As he walked with his head down in a dark jacket with the hood up, he thought he heard his name in the distance ahead.

"Mr. Shingai?" He started to scan the crowd. "Mr. Shingai?" A female voice said again in a hushed tone. Getting a good look at her, he turned around. She caught up to where he had stood to put a hand on his shoulder, but it was too late, the man had disappeared into thin air. He thought about letting it go, but he wanted to know who could call his name so casually, but not here, not out in the open. He knew it couldn't have been a case of mistaken identity because she had looked right at him. As she walked she thought to herself, he is in hiding. 'I shouldn't have tried to approach him. I really shouldn't have. That was so stupid. If he wanted to meet with me, he would've told me. But…he's back,' she thought with a sense of relief and happiness. She was unlocking her door when he appeared next to her.

"Hello," he said making her jump. "Sorry I was rude earlier. Can I come in?"

"Of course." He shut the door behind her. She looked him over for a few moments, happy to see him. "Your hair is shorter. I can see your face much better now," she smiled. "I was worried about you. Can I get you anything?" He was caught aback at how casually and even affectionately she was talking to him.

"Where did you think I went?"

"I, I had no idea." He decided to cut the act quickly.

"Who are you?" He asked, his demeanor off.

"Who am I?" she asked concerned.

"Are you an agent?" She hesitated, confused.

"No, you know that."

"Do I? I've never seen you before. How do you know me?" She was quiet for a long time, in horror that something could've happened to him again.

"You're not…Shingai Hiromi?" she asked hesitantly. His eyes grew large.

"How do you know that name?" He asked suspiciously. She gasped as she put her hands over her mouth in shock.

"You…you're Shingai Kazuhiko, aren't you?" He rushed her, grabbing her by her upper arms, she gasped and froze.

"How do you know him? When did you see him? Where is he now?" He asked anxiously.

"I-" she stuttered and her eyes became misty. "I met him in a hospital after an accident. He had fallen from a cliff. He had amnesia and I was trying to help him regain his memories."

"And did he?"

"Yes. He told me he had a brother, and that you both fell from a cliff, but that his body was never found."

"Where is he now?" Her head fell.

"I don't know. He didn't tell me."

"Really?" He looked at her skeptically, "You two seem close enough that you'd call out to him in the streets and invite him into your home."

"Since you are his brother, you'd know he's very mysterious." He let go and she wiped her eyes.

"What has he told you about him and I?"

"Only that before the accident you both had got mixed up with the wrong people and they tried to kill you. He got mistaken for you and was hunted. Luckily, I was able to help him get his memories back and he was able to defend himself and take revenge on them."

"How exactly did you help?"

"He asked me to go to the house where he grew up to look for clues as to who he was. Well, then he told me to stop because he knew there where people hunting him and he didn't want me to get hurt. I brought him a book call the Shrike thinking it might trigger something, and it did."

"What happened? What did he say?"

Not much, he said we'd meet again when it was safe and thanked me, then ran off."

"Was that the last time you saw him?"

"No. I saw him one other time."

"When?"

"5 months and 2 days. He asked me to meet him, just so he could say good bye."

"Just so he could say good bye?" He asked in disbelief, thinking that if he didn't know any better, he'd think they were talking about 2 different people. "Do you," he began hesitantly, "think he has feelings for you?"

"I don't know. It's never been like that. He told me more about himself, mostly heartbreaking things." He swallowed, suddenly not wanting to know anymore due to shame.

"I see," he said with tears forming in his eyes. He turned away from her to hide his sadness. She ran and got tissues and handed them to him. "Thank you," he said barely audibly. What ever Hiromi had chosen to share with this young lady was not his business anyway. If he trusted her, and he knew his brothers trust wouldn't come easily, if at all, then it wasn't any of his concern. It made him happy that he had formed a bond with another person, something he believed was impossible, but also caused him to break down even more. It also made him relived that his brother was, for all intensive purposes, ok, last time she had seen him. She stared at his back, searching for something to say.

"I tried to make him promise to contact me if he could, when he got settled." His head snapped to her attention.

"He's contacted you in the past? How?"

"A couple phone calls to let me know that his…mission, was going well and that I needn't worry." Kazuhiko was still, but his eyes were wide, again thinking that they were talking about 2 different people, if he didn't know any better.

"Is that it?"

"Yes."

"He left no way for you to contact him?"

"No."

"Really? He shared private things with you and showed you an unforeseen amount of care, yet, he left you no way to contact him?" He watched her wipe her eyes again.

"No. He didn't want to chance anything looking suspicious, any attention being focused on me, anything getting traced back to him. Why to do I feel like I'm being interrogated?"

"Because some of the things you told me about his actions make me think we're talking about a very different person and that begs more questions." She looked down, remembering Hiromi telling her he felt like 2 different people with her. "Did Hiromi tell you why we where involved with those bad people?" He asked, wanting gauge just how much she knew.

"No." He stepped back and let out a breath of relief. So she didn't know about his brother's impulse. He sighed with his back against the wall. His eyes settled on her.

"By the way," he deadpanned. "That was also very dangerous the way you called out him out in the street when you must be aware that people are still looking for him." She looked down at a loss, embarrassed and ashamed.

"I had thought I'd never see him again. It was reckless. I know. But he didn't..."

"What? He didn't what?" She struggled to tell Kazuhiko the hopeless state of mind Hiromi was in with there being no way to contact him to tell him that his brother is indeed alive and is trying to find him. He watched her eyes become sad and her gaze fall to the floor.

"He didn't promise me that he'd see me again, or contact me. The time before that, he had promised. He spoke of hollowness since loosing you and…it being hard to find a reason to live." His face became pained but he said nothing. He sank to the floor. She knelt in front of him silently out of respect and shared sadness. After a few minutes she said softly, I will make dinner for us, she said and rose to her feet. As she cooked in the kitchen, she kept an eye on Kazuhiko to make sure he didn't just leave. He still managed to soundlessly appear in the kitchen doorframe.

"I will call you about once a month to check if you've heard anything from Hiromi." She nodded, writing down her number and gave it to him. He went to walk out the door.

"Kazuhiko wait." You can stay and eat.

"I have to find my brother."

"I know you're in hiding, good meals must be hard to come by."

"It's not important." Seeing him walk out the door broke her heart same as when Hiromi walked away. The moment the door clicked shut, she ran and opened the door, saying;

"I want you to find him just as much as you do. Please accept my hospitality. Please let me help him by helping you." As stubborn and guilty as he felt he knew she was right. He came back in without a word and knelt down with her at the table. She set the table and they ate in silence. When they finished, he covered his face with his hands and said;

"I'm just so tired."

"Rest here for the night," she offered. "What's mine is yours."

"I don't deserve any rest."

"Nonsense, you're no good to anyone, if you don't rest."

"I refuse to intrude."

"A friends' loved one, who was presumed dead, shows up at my doorstep. Kazuhiko, I told you, what's mine is yours." He glanced at the love seat. She was right, as much as he didn't want to need anyone or anything. "I'll bring you a pillow and blanket."

"I don't need anything," he said. She decided to bring him those things anyway. She leaned the pillow on the couch next to him and covered him with the blanket. She knelt down next to him.

"I'm Nakajima Ami. It's nice to meet you," she said, finally introducing herself. He nodded back. She gazed at him for a few long moments in the low light and was amazed at how identical they really were. She bowed and said, good night. He looked at her and spoke,

"You poor thing."

"Huh?" She said.

"I see the way you've been looking at me tonight, you look at me like I'm someone who's face you've taken a profound liking to." Her eyes widened. She was embarrassed and wanted to dispute it, then a little sad and wondered why he even had to say something like that.

"I know he has secrets. He's entitled to some after the hell he went through. It's fine. Though it bothered me when he said he didn't deserve this," she motioned to the blanket that covered him. "Things like comfort. Also, when he said I would fear him if I knew what he's done."

"You would." She thought about challenging him but decided against it. She nodded in acknowledgment and again said good night.

The next morning she woke to find him gone, as she expected. On the couch there was a note.

Thank you for you hospitality, however, I don't think I can allow you to do that again. My wishes are that of my brothers. With my circumstances being what they are, it would be advisable not to involve you further.