“One Half beak ark shell, couple of California rolls, and warm Sake please! And keep bringing refills, we will be here a while,” Shiina ordered immediately. Akito only ordered a Miso soup. He would leave as soon as he finished it.

“Why is a former psychiatrist treating bullet wounds?” He began, not letting her initiate anything. 

“Because I can,” she said, “Medicine is not terribly difficult, Akito-Kun. Even the best Doctors know only half of what they should.”

“Of course.”

“That’s why they’re so damn dramatic about everything. All that cutting, sewing and prescribing gets boring, all bodies are essentially the same. But minds, now minds are a whole other ball game. No two truly alike.”

“Can’t be a psychiatrist without your license, can you?” Akito said, as the waiter brought her Sushi and Sake.

“Only the law says that Akito-Kun,” she put a California roll in her mouth and he had to wait till she finished chewing for her to continue, “no one can stop me from studying people. I’ve been studying Rein for years."

"Studying?"

"He doesn’t know about it...at least I hope not."

“Is it because he sees things?” the words slipped out before Akito could catch himself.  He immediately regretted it when her expression changed. Shit.

“He sees things…” she said to herself, “Under what circumstances? Did he tell you about it?”

“He just looks off into the distance sometimes, almost like someone’s there. It may be nothing.” 

Where was his Miso soup?

Shiina took another bite and pondered over something, “Hmmm, do you want to know why I lost my license, Akito-Kun?”

No. “Sure, why not?”

“I have a different view on mental illness, you see. None of my peers could agree with it. I don’t think mental illness is something to be medicated. It should be allowed to run its full course. That is why diseases of the mind are so misunderstood."

Akito scoffed.

Shiina raised a finger to stop any words he may have, "I was able to publish some very excellent scientific papers based on my observations. Worth the ten-year prison sentence, don't you think?”

“Playing with the lives of people who trusted you? Not something I agree with, Yuki-San.” Akito said, making a mental note to look for her papers.

Her eyes gleamed. “Do you ever mean anything you say?” 

Then she laughed softly, “Don’t answer that, I know how your kind thinks anyway. Anyone who doesn’t agree with you is stupid. Rein sees through your bullshit, doesn’t he? Likes you despite it all. That’s why you’re in love with him.”

“You’re mistaken, Yuki-San.” Akito said firmly, as the waiter finally brought him his bowl of Miso.

“Ahhh…” Her eyes brightened in an eerie way, “Just friends then?”

“If you could call it that.”

“Do you like hurting him?” She whispered, “Does it feel good?” The waiter threw her a strange glance.

Akito’s spoon stopped halfway to his mouth. He didn’t look up from his bowl, and something cold ran its fingers along his spine, “…Excuse me?”

“You hurt him. You have been...for some time.”  She gave the waiter a saccharine smile, “That will be all sweetheart.”

…Flushed cheeks and hitched breaths, and the taste of his skin…

The soup suddenly looked unappetizing, and Akito pushed it away. Hoping the gesture served as a cue that he found this topic abhorrent. 

Just how much had Rein been telling her? 

Sure, they got rough at times, but Akito had never gone so far that it required medical attention. 

Had he? 

No, of course not. 

Rein clearly liked whatever they did.

“You don’t remember? The scratches here, the bite-”

“I would never hurt him,” he gritted out.

“Really? I always thought he was a bit of a masochist...”

“What?”

She ignored his outrage, “It’s okay to like it, you know?”

Akito almost let the surprise show on his face before he replaced it with righteous revulsion, “You're so out of line, it's ridiculous!" he shook his head, "and why are you 'studying' Rein anyway? Is there something wrong with him?”

“Shit." Shiina paused, "You really don't know, do you?"

"Know what?"

"I'm not telling you if Rein hasn't," she shrugged, "it's his past. Suffice to say it would explain why he's  interested in a near-sociopath.”

“Did you just call me a Sociopath, Yuki-San?”

He felt his face twsit in anger. Akito’s brain was telling him to make a sympathetic expression, ‘show some concern’ it said, but he was beyond frazzled and done putting on an air of civility.  

“Yes, and a Malignant Narcissist.”

That was it. 

Akito was done with this ridiculous conversation. 

He was leaving.

“Why else would you leave him alone after all that happend?”

“What do you want from me, lady?” Akito nearly snapped at her, “It was Rein's decision to lose control and go on a killing spree. You're calling me a sociopath?"

“I just want to observe you, my pretty.” She reached across the table and held Akito’s face in her hands. 

“Both of you are just magnificent,” she breathed, “I just wanted to talk to you. And maybe give you a slight nudge here and there and see how the experiment goes.”

“Good luck with that, Yuki-San.” Akito threw some money on the table and got to his feet.

“Oh, and Akito-Kun?" she said, "I happen to know what you are hiding,”

Akito knitted his eyebrows. She couldn’t possibly have been referring to…

“I don’t know why you are planning on moving in with this girl, but I know the effect it will have on my baby. So, just think about your actions a little more carefully from now on, okay?”

Akito stormed out. Feeling the discomfort of the conversation deep in his bones. 

He couldn't go back to Rein after that. 

The dial tone buzzed for a fraction of a second before Kimiko picked up, "I'll stay at your place tonight."