Important Author's note: I started CTD in 2009 (when I was a wee college freshman) and now it is 2018. I've learned a lot, grown a lot and writing this story has taught me a lot. I hope I have improved as a writer from since the beginning. To everyone who has ever read this story, thank you! I love this story, but oh man, it is flawed. I see so many cliches and cringe, it's overlong (seriously, I could delete whole chapters of filler) and parts are way too self-indulgent that it compromises the story. That said, I'm still proud of this fic and it holds a special place in my heart. It's important to me that I finish it and with my glacial pace and knotted plot, it's nigh impossible. So I'm making a few changes. I'm going to simplify things. I'm going to focus on Shin/Davina's relationship and set aside the side character subplots (for the most part).

The subplots will be mentioned now and then, but in passing and their development will be off-screen. I had this whole story outlined, subplots and all, but time is the factor for this decision. Some of my favorite writers, Hotaru987 and Reisa223, have updated recently and they inspired me to finally finish this fic :)

Let's do this.

Counting the Differences
Chapter Thirty-Eight: No Permission Needed

"Summons-san, do you have any idea of how rude it is to eat in front of Murosaki-san who is dieting?" said Tomoka from Akita prefecture, as her Akita-twang never let you forget. For such a willowy girl, with limbs like a giraffe, who could make a toothpick think about dieting, she could stomp like a giant as she crossed the floor.

Murosaki immediately jumped to Davina's defense. "She's not bothering me. It's lunchtime after all."

The girls Davina danced with were disappearing. They could turn and vanish from sight for a split second. Davina wondered if she were gaining weight but it was the other girls who shrank. Had a memo been passed around? Lose five pounds?

The girls skipped lunch, existing on air and energy from the sun apparently. There was Davina with her convenience store bento, piggish next to Murosaki who only drank a coffee. "On a diet," she shrugged.

She pinched the skin on her arm. Crepes with chocolate and cream with Jay and Mira had stuck to her. Maybe she didn't need to lose weight, but her body and diet could tighten up a bit. She crumpled up the uneaten third of her onigiri in plastic wrap and got back to warming up.

The bouncer whom Yankumi argued with, whose bulky figure suggested a former career as a sumo-wrestler, was adamant: there's a dress code. No woman clad in a jersey was almost not allowed into Gusawa's territory.

"Woman, fuck off already!" grunted the bouncer.

"Let her in, nii-chan," said a familiar slimy voice.

Yankumi swiveled around to thank her savior but the words died in her throat.

"Inoue," said Yankumi breathlessly.

"You wanna see the head-honchos, I'll take you to them, free of charge."

"You are too young to get tangled with these guys. Listen, if you need help getting out of this line of work—"

"It's because of this work I bring in any money for tuition," said Inoue. "They're going to pay me a good sum as soon as I graduate to do their books. Just a small section of the business at first, so just Ooedo's books. Pity your deal with Kobe fell through—"

"Oedo? You work for Gusawa."

Inoue stopped in his tracks, clobbered by her ignorance. "Are you playing dumb?"

"Dumb about what?" Yankumi found her throat straining from raising her voice. "Why did you say Oedo as in my family's clan?"

"Sheesh. The ink on that deal has been dry for weeks. Could it really be that you don't know?

"Know what?"

And then he told her. The deal her grandfather struck with Gusawa. To clear Natsumi's deal to their clan in exchange for an heirless clan, heirless because she never wanted to take over after her grandfather. In the span of five uncaring minutes, Yankumi's world shattered into a million pieces.

Not to risk their visits becoming too frequent 3-D returned a week later with a fifth member.

"Kurosaki Yuji." Uchi introduced the blond, saying they were once the three musketeers, him, Kuro and Shin. "Good friend of mine who has returned to Shirokin."

"Don't get sappy." Kurosaki said, cooly, but with undeniable fondness.

Davina studied the bleach blond, but unlike Uchi, his dye job suited him so well he should have been a natural blond. Like the exaggerated characters in her manga books, Kurosaki was tall, all long sharp lines with jagged hair. His squarish eyes were also studying her, from her exposed shoulders down the length of her legs. And he was...Davina would admit in the privacy of her head, that Kurosaki was devilishly handsome.

He outstretched his hand, inviting hers into his. Davina stared dumbly at his open palm for a moment. She hadn't used the western gesture for so long she apparently all but forgot it.

"Yo," joked Uchi. "You forget how to shake hands, Aka-chan?" He knuckled her head playfully.

Davina stepped forward and shook his hand firmly, their eyes meeting, sharing something implicit behind pleasantries.

"Davina."

"Kuro."

Ami pranced away from Kuma's side, graceful as a nymph. Kuma unwrapped the second onigiri, cupping it with both hands. The dark papery seaweed glimmered in the stage lights and peppery tuna made his mouth water. "Itadakimaaas" He opened his mouth wide when a snicker caused him to bite his cheek.

"Debu, you fattie," said Tomoka, her face contorted with revulsion. "Do you really think you need that? Can you even move without your belly shaking? When you walk around here I can't even dance, it's like an earthquake. Ami is a nice girl so she won't tell you that you're embarrassing her."

Davina witnessed the scene, trembling with the mad rush of mental images like throwing her off stage, hurting her feelings so bad she'd cry a river all the way back to damn Akita...

Kuma absorbed the impact of her venomous words, fangs piercing his heart, evident by the poisoned expression purpling his face. His normal recourse would be to gruff and pound the aggressor until he had his fill. Faced with a girl he couldn't conscientiously lay a hand on, the urge drilled through his veins without anywhere to go. His bottom lip rolled up and he slogged away.

Satisfied, Tomoka spun on her heavy-toed heel down to make way to the changing rooms.

The redhead marched after Tomoka. She banged pointe shoes like Danish clogs on the wooden theater floor. "Tomoka," she called, her voice whipping.

"That's Tomoka-san to you." Tomoka corrected her as Davina narrowed her gaze with blazing eyes.

Davina pictured schooling Tomoka, reducing the girl to quivering apologies, Davina hadn't thought far enough to script anything.

"Tomoka...don't talk to him that way. It hurt his feelings."

The wrong thing to say as Tomoka shrugged her shoulders as if Davina said something inconsequential. "And? Doesn't he realize he's chasing after a ballerina? With how hard Murosaki works to maintain her figure he should think about doing the same."

Davina heard a stiff pop! in her neck as the urge to hit drilled through her arms and she felt remarkable sympathy for 3-D's hot-tempered tendencies. "Whomever Ami-chan decides to date is her business. What makes you think you're entitled to comment on his appearance?"

"Aren't they annoying you too? Why do you care?"

"He is my friend," said Davina.

"Friend? You certainly don't act like that."

"You so much as utter another peep to him you'll regret it. I can handle you trying to bully me, the passive aggressive comments every time I eat something, all child's play. I don't care. But with them, I mean it."

"Mean what? You wouldn't lay a hand on me."

Davina grabbed her collar and shoved Tomoka against the mirror. "I will say it one more time. With them, I mean it."

A rush, stronger than full glasses of red wine, scored through her. Davina wasn't raised as a pacifist (her father instilled that she shouldn't ever feel guilty for self-defense if the moment arose) yet she honest to god abhorred violence. She had scolded 3-D for the same action. Davina scorned her ugly reflection. Had she always been such a hypocrite?

She released Tomoka. However dainty in physicality and body, Tomoka's stricken features didn't express fear as much as shock.

Davina tore away from Tomoka and the mirror to stride fast away from the darkness.

"Uchi told me you hated violence," said a sleek voice that usurped Davina's escape. Kurosaki emerged near the heavy velvet curtain that shielded them from the other dancers and 3-D. "Don't you have to work with her for the rest of the year?"

The air had been sucked out of her and she wanted to spend hours scrubbing herself clean. "I do, but not if she drops out."

His cocky whistle echoed on stage. "I never had that grueling image of ballet. I thought you dancers were supposed to be delicate." He waved his arms like swan wings and for a moment, Davina could imagine dancing with him, her hand in his in the same way he held it before, as he guided her to the floor.

Davina snorted inwardly. If she had a nickel every time someone played the 'ballet is lame' spiel on her... "Everything you see on stage is orchestrated to look perfect, graceful, and divine as it should. But behind the curtain," Davina dragged her fingers along the velvet, sending ripples through the ox-blood curtain as she disappeared behind it, "Ballet is a bloodsport."

Davina dashed out the exit, her focus on her phone even she passed five shadows.

"Guys, really." Davina held up her hands. "I'm not supposed to hang out with you."

"Aka-chan," said Minami. "How can you tell us to go away when we're not here to see you but to invite you?"

"Invite me where?" she asked.

"The event of the century," said Noda.

Minami delivered a card with her name, glittering like stars in chrome silver font. Rainbow confetti rained as she opened the card:

Kozue Ferjani is turning 18 years of age. Your gracious presence is requested to join us in celebration at Tokyo Tower!

The Tokyo Tower? For a civilian party? Did her family have to sell one of their private islands?

"You boys are mailmen now?" she joked.

Uchi swatted the confetti off her shoulder with a huff. "If you honestly want us to scram, just say so."

Davina chewed on her thoughts for a bit, facing four pleading faces. "I suppose I can't stop you from visiting Ami-chan. Nor can I stop you from being at the same party I'm attending."

The boys pumped their fists with a hoot.

"Will your parents make a stink about it?" asked Kuma.

Of course they would, not because of Kozue, but because of the boys. They'd forbid her to go, but Davina was not in the mood for asking for permission anymore. "What they don't know won't hurt them."

ALL MY THANKS to alllll the reviewers you left me kind messages since my last update: Slytherin Studios, Lost-Tribe Daughter, ImAPineapple, HeeHeeHee01, Cheri, KDCervantes, C.B, alissaksanders, and Guest! You all rock and for this update, I have you to thank :) Pardon the short chapter, trying to get back into the groove of things. How's this pace working? 2k-4k feel like a good chapter length? You might have noticed a distinct lack of Shin here, don't worry kind readers, Shin will return soon ;)