The night was still young, with colors of a mixture of blue and gold. The Amamiya Brothers were sitting on the couch and watching TV while having a drink. Actually Hiroto was changing channel after channel, trying to hide his annoyance there. He had just seen the idiotic roommate arrive with the leader of the Hoodlum Squad. He grabbed a bottle of beer and joined Masaki in the living room. But it was clear his mind was spacing out.

"Hiroto-kun! Will you stop that!?" Masaki complained, "I was watching the news!"

Hiroto turned and glared at Masaki and changed the channel back to News and threw him the Remote control. At the same time, the door opened and Amaya walked inside. Hiroto shared a glance with her and then ignored her.

"You are back! How was it?" Masaki asked her, as he was still watching the news curious.

Amaya took off her shoes and walked inside sitting on the couch with them "It went better than I thought it would be!" she said in a cheery tone.

Masaki smiled at her. "Then you figured it out! Did you tell about the USB?" he asked her.

"About that!" she suddenly started to point out all the details she had not yet shared with them. About the Geonchugga, that it's owned by Korean and Chinese Mafia and that it seemed that they were still interested in SWORD.

"Oe! Who told you so many details?" Hiroto question as he interrupted her. He was now leaning back against the couch's back pillows. "For someone that has nothing to do with SWORD. You end up knowing more than you should!"

"Ryu visited me at work yesterday. I think Kuryu has also issues with Geonchugga." she responded and sat crossed-legged.

"Ryu?" puzzled Masaki gazing at her.

Hiroto's brain worked faster and he soon understood who she meant. He froze for a long second as there was no possibility that their idiotic roommate. The one he had thought to hail from high society was connected with that Ryu. "Oe!" he suddenly shouted "Kuryu Groups New Leader?"

"Amaya is all surprises!" Masaki added in a lighter tone trying to balance things.

Hiroto stood up and grabbed her from the arm pulling her up "Damn, how are you connected with Kuryu?" he asked her directly. Until now he honestly never asked any personal questions. But today Hiroto had enough. Still in his jealous state that he would not admit and now hearing about Kuryu. The same Kuryu who costed the lives of their parents and brother.

Amaya freed her arm and sat down. "Calm down! I'll explain!" she answered and waited for him to sit down.

Hiroto sat down, his deadly gaze pinned against her "Speak!" he ordered.

She stared Hiroto in awe, just for a second. A silly smiled appeared on her face. But whenever he was ending up serious and bossy, damn he looked y. She almost hit herself for making such thoughts. She was furious at him for talking to her like that. 'Seriously!' she thought and pinched herself to get back in reality.

"Listen! It's a really long story and I'll not share all the details!" she clarified. Honestly, she was not in the mood to tell them about her life's story. "I was involved with Kuryu since High school. Drugs... don't ask! Anyway, around College, I dated Ryu! I cut any connections. But still, he visited me yesterday and told me!"

Masaki nodded accepting Amaya's story. Hiroto's head dropped in disbelief. The fact that he was connected with Kuryu wasn't bothering him that much since she said that all ties were cut. But her dating Ryu was a lot to take in. At first Cobra, now Ryu! Tonight his jealousy was slowly eating him up. He didn't say anything, he just stood up and walked inside his room living behind a very confused Masaki and Amaya.

---

Through black of day, it was shimmering. Dark of night, Deep night had fallen. She drifted early asleep, after the long day she had. Into her dreams, there was no sun or light, only a power drawing her into the void. Was she dreaming? Or was she awake? Her heart black, scarring darker still, no stars or hope. It was fallen late, nothing, was in use. She was drying out as she never was. Turned her into darkness, turned her into stone and vanished was she into the void.

There inside the deep darkness and the void, deeply down water droplets were falling one after another in an unsynchronized way making the dream more vivid and horrified. In between was a female form sitting. Amaya walked closer trying to see who it was. It was a girl around her age. Although it was dark she could see her in detail. She wore a hoodie and track pants. She looked younger than her age without worries.

"Hello!" the unknown girl said inside her dream.

"Umm... Hi! Why are you here?" she asked her curious "Aren't you scared?"

Now the girl was sitting on a swing her attire changed suddenly. She was wearing a white large gown. She giggled and looked at her. "I came because of you!" she noted smiling at Amaya "I don't need to be scared. They care about me. And I know it! That's how I know I am safe!" she added.

Amaya paused now examining the girl. "For me?" she quizzed "Why?"

"To warn you!" she simply said as she suddenly ended up face to face with Amaya.

Amaya jumped alarmed and stepped back. She could now see the girl clearly. She looked like her. Only she looked younger and so fresh like she had no worries. "You are?"

"I am you! Or the form you should have without the wrong choices!" she interrupted her.

Amaya tilted her head "My choices in the past!" she answered.

Silence and stillness. The void rose once more filling the empty space. And in the back of the dream, a voice was heard "No! The ones you will make in the future!"

Amaya woke up trembling under her covers. 'That cannot be! It's a dream! It must be a dream!' She woke up with that thought in her mind. She jumped out of the bed, sweat and few tears run down her face. She only then realized it was daylight. Though the nightmare stayed with her. And the last words that the girl told her terrified her to her core.

---

That strange feeling; it stretched throughout his whole body. It's overwhelming, yet made him feel complete. It has no bound nor length nor depth; it's just absolute. It unfolded into a dangerous fire, that he had never felt in his long life. A fire that was slowly burning inside him deeply in his heart and he was too proud to submit to it. He was too strong and powerful to become a waif of that emotion.

It was almost dawn and he never managed to sleep through the night. His damn mind had a voice of his own tonight and was voicing suggestion after suggestion. As for his heart. That idiotic heart, what would it know. He is one of the Amamiya Brothers, he can put all those crazy worries to sleep. He would find peace soon. It was only that his heart somehow lost its way. And his mind was no longer his.

The dawn had broken like the sweet melody of a blackbird, full of promise, freshness, and newness to come. Now it sat like a cold cup of coffee waiting to be drained away. He was starting his day in the worse way possible. He was angry and disappointed with himself. He spent all night sounding like a fool.

'Listen life is one big road with lots of signs. So when you riding through the ruts, don't complicate your mind. Flee from hate, mischief, and jealousy. Don't bury your thoughts, put your vision to reality.' he thought as he sat up against his bed 'You wasted already one night with those ill thoughts. Stop it now!'

He was strongly fighting his inner voice. It would not win! He would win this debate. 'What about that kiss! You kissed her?' the annoying inner voice asked next. As it was feeding on the chaos it was creating inside him.

It was the promise in the darkness, that witnessed their kiss. A sense of warmth springing from the cold, a drunk memory; it should be called. It was a vastness to gratitude for his warmth. It was a one-stage Game without a repeat policy. It was a flame that burned one time. Nothing more. He drew the line and concluded that it was nothing. Only nonsense.

Today, Hiroto won the debate. Yet, his inner voice would return again!

---

Yet Amaya and Hiroto weren't the only ones that had a strange night. Cobra seemed to have a share with his own nightmare. What could possibly trigger so much trouble upon the Leader of the Sannoh Rengokai? True be told, there was always something bothering him. Cobra was always worried about his Friends, Sannoh and beyond that. He was one of the few who had all the right criteria.

Years ago he was just a random member of the Mugen. Then he became the leader of Sannoh Rengokai. He created that place for Noboru. A close friend, he would do anything in his power to aid him. And that he did. He slowly grew through the pain and battles. His worries were now larger. He was thinking not only about Sannoh but about SWORD. He offered his aid without a second thought.

If it was the right thing to do, he would see it done. It didn't matter how much of him he would lose. Even if he died protecting what matters. He was that kind of man. He didn't speak much. He was often misunderstood. However, he cared deeply and honestly. That's why most saw him as the main point of SWORD. In every battle and incident, he was there answering back and aiding. He was not just the leader of the Hoodlum Squad. He was the center of SWORD.

Tonight though he was feeling less of a person. He was feeling less of a brother. Amaya's words were still echoing in his mind. The time he was worried about Noboru and Mugen. He failed to notice that his sister was reaching her lowest point. When Amaya needed him the most, he wasn't there. He had succeeded in being there for all, than his real sister.

The time she needed him most he didn't see it. He only managed to fight with her until she was out of his life. And above that, he dared to be mad at her. He tried to sleep. He tried to convince himself that Amaya had already forgiven him. But it was him that didn't forgive himself. He was full of himself telling to everyone "We never abandon our friends!" That he ended giving up on Amaya.

'Well done you fool!'

He was not sure how he would now fix what he broke. How he would cover the gap and the years that were lost. But he would try and be there for her. Now more than any other time, he would make sure that Amaya knew she had family and people to support her. Because deeply he was afraid that his sister still thought that she was alone. Even if they talked and figured things out. It takes much more for the trust to be rebuild. He knew that much.

And he was right. Amaya didn't change just because she spoke to Cobra. Surely it took some of her weight away. Surely it made her feel better. Yet one day could not make up for the years she had lost. One day could not be her salvation. She still was lost and terrified. And as always she was hiding it perfectly.

「Upcoming Chapter: Act Sixteen」

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