He shut the door slowly in a mechanical, matter-of-fact way and walked out into the street. His mind was a void into which every detail of the past weeks his eyes settled on was inside his mind. He sat on his bike and waited for the irritating roommate. Each day he was pledging to drive her out of their house. Each she was only getting closer to him. The only place he was driving her now was her work.

Amaya on shutting the door she had registered the fact, as so many former occasions, that it required a stronger pull to jerk it close. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Hiroto waiting for her and he was hiding his annoyance. She couldn't help but snort, as a few weeks ago he would openly and freely argue with her. But now as the threat of Doubt was in the air, he became more serious. Even Masaki wasn't flirty or cheerful like the previous mornings.

His jaw tightened, his mind and heart remained blank. He spotted Amaya who rushed over and without talking to him climbed at the back of his motorbike. After both wore their helmets, he drove away. Neither of them talked during the short ride towards the Aseia architects building.

"I'm finishing around 8 p.m. today..." Amaya informed him as she was getting off the bike after they arrived in front of the building. Her eyebrow raised in silent question as a familiar face caught her attention. Outside the entrance of her workplace, Yamato was waiting for her. 'What now?' she thought astonished for finding there Yamato.

Hiroto nodded and placed his right foot on the brake petal. He didn't observe Yamato as his mind was still wheeling around Doubt. He was ready to leave as he suddenly shouted: "Oe! Give me your phone!"

She stepped back tilting her head in confusion and gave him her phone. "What do you need my phone for?" she asked him half curious and half agitated.

Hiroto took her phone after Amaya unlocked it, and he opened Google Maps. He enabled her GPS and her timeline routes. Then he returned her phone. "Now log on Google via my phone!" he ordered and handed over his own mobile phone to her. "Log in now!"

She held her gaze against him as long as she could be surprised by his demands. "Stop ordering me around! Why should I log through your phone?" she asked him.

He quirked an eyebrow at her, his mouth twisted and both of his feet touched the ground "To track you down. In case of Doubt manage to reach you. Have you a problem with that?" he responded with anger in his voice.

The shock of the bear truth seemed to curl into her soul. Terror showed in her eyes, but he shook her mind out of that fear. "Not a problem at all!" she mumbled and signed in her google account Via his phone. After she was done she returned his phone.

He leaned in and took his phone, his brow wrinkled in through and he stared at her for a few more seconds. "Don't randomly wander around! It can be dangerous!" he uttered before stepping on the gas and speeding away.

Amaya walked towards Yamato keeping eye contact with him. Though it was clear she was annoyed for finding there someone from Sannoh Region. She paused a couple of feet away from him "Yamato!?" she quizzed "Why are you here? Checking on me?"

"Hey! Amaya!" he greeted his old friend, the one he had not seen for five years. She looked older now. She was only 18 when she moved to New York. And even if she was back in Tokyo they never met. "Can we talk?"

She also noted that Yamato looked different. He was no longer the same wild boy. His attire had changed, the way he stood and talked. Though she never changed her mind. She didn't want to have any kind of contact with anyone from her hometown. "I've to go to work! Why are you here Yamato?"

Yamato sighed "Amaya Please! Can you spare a few minutes?" he asked her again.

She pointed at the cafe across her workplace. "Okay! Let's talk over there!" she finally agreed. Both she and Yamato walked over to the cafe. They order an Ice coffee and sat down for a quick talk. "What's the matter? Why are you here? Did something happen to Cobra?" she quizzed worried.

"Cobra is fine. Just angry at you. Try to call him sometime!" he suggested.

Amaya took a deep breath, that was the reason she hated talking with people that were close with Cobra. They cared too much. "Yamato, we have talked about that. My opinion is not going to change. Now tell me, why are you here?"

Yamato delayed his answer as he looked at Amaya for a few seconds. "You don't want anything to do with Sannoh! I get it! Yet, here you are hanging with Amamiya? Why?" he said in a strong tone waiting for her reply.

"Are you now checking on me?" she yelled at him furious "Yamato I kept contact with you because I know how worried Cobra and the others would be. It never meant I allowed you to tell me what to do!"

Yamato shook his head in denial "That isn't the reason. You left home because you despise our way of living. And here you are hanging out with the Amamiya. Last night and even today! Their world is more dangerous than ours. What are you doing?"

It took Amaya a long moment to answer him. She was taken by surprise that Yamato found out that she was riding around with one of the Amamiya Brothers. She couldn't tell him the truth. What would she say? That Doubt was after her? That she was living with the Amamiya Brothers? That she was lost and needed help? Honestly, she wanted just to cried out for help. She knew Yamato, even Cobra, would forgive her and accept her back. But that was not what she wanted. She had gone through a lot not to get back to her starting point.

"I don't own you any explanation. Yet, if you are that curious listen. My apartment is close to theirs. There has been a crazy stalker around our parts. And Amamiya-san helped me to reach home. We are just neighbors! Are we done now?" she lied boldly at Yamato while looking him directly at the eyes. 'You changed, Amaya! And to the worse!' she thought about herself.

Yamato didn't push her further. He stood up and leaned closer to her. "Amamiya aren't the kind of people who would drive their next-door girl to work. You know that! Just be careful! And since your social cycle got bolder, than it used to be. Come and pay us a visit someday!" he added and left. He could stay and talk with her more. Actually he would want to kick some sense into her and Cobra. But he knew. Amaya, even if she declined it, was like her brother. She would never accept until she would find her answer on her own.

Amaya watched Yamato driving away. The forgotten child inside her wanted to hurry and get back home. Why was she even so stubborn? For what live was she fighting? It was to find her strength! It was to find herself! But why was she still doing it away from home? True be told there was more to the story that was revealed. There was one more darker reason that made Amaya hate Sannoh. There was something more sinister that prevented her to return. But she was not ready to come across that old fear.

She stood up, picked up her purse and her coffee and walked towards the street. She was waiting for the road to empty and she then would cross it. Her mind was spacing out and she never noticed the black van that was approaching her. She took a step forward to cross the road. Suddenly she came face to face with the black van.

Bang! Boom!

After the car sound filled the area time stopped. Her eyes moved slowly following the car door that opened in slow motion. Hirai grabbed her and pulled her inside the car. Her breath was caught in . She couldn't cry out for help. She panicked as her brain unfroze and she realized what was happening. She struggled and tried to reach for the door. Hirai was pulling her back to the seat, while another Doubt member was preparing to inject her with some kind of sleeping drug.

Amaya unexpectedly fought back, she her elbow and hit Hirai right in the gut. He yelped loudly and slapped her along the face. Her slender figure crushed against the car seat as she felt a sudden pinch. It seemed that the other Doubt member had inflicted her with the drug. She struggled for a few more seconds and then drifted asleep. Her purse had fallen down as she was lying inside the black van.

Hirai nudged her making sure she was passed out. Next, he tied up her hands and the black van drove in an old building that Doubt used to own.

「Upcoming Chapter: Act Ten」

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