Sana checked the name on the door and exhaled in relief. She hadn't made a mistake. She entered the code Sei's mother had given her and stepped into the building. His mother had hesitated at first, but she had finally convinced her that the element of surprise was absolutely essential.

She caught her breath in front of the door before taking the plunge. On the plane, she had thought long and hard about how to proceed. When she arrived, Soma would definitely be at work, but there was a chance that "he" would be at home. So she had decided to take the plunge, alone, right from the start.

Nothing happened after the first ring, and she began to doubt. Then, finally, just as she was about to ring again, she heard the sound of locks turning, and the door opened. She was momentarily surprised. Sei's current appearance hadn't been revealed in the newspapers; she hadn't expected his shoulder-length hair... and... she couldn't say exactly why, but he had changed. He naturally seemed more shocked than she was. After all, it had been a few years now, he had been through heavy experiences. It was only natural that they weren’t the young students they once were.

"Sa... Sana, is that you?"

She smiled.

"Surprise! You were playing dumb, so I figured I’d verify for myself that you were still alive. I thought there was only one way..."

His face hardened.

"How did you find me?"

"I met your mother when she was in Osaka, and..."

Seishi gave a knowing smirk.

"Hn... Of course..."

"She explained how to get here, thankfully. However, I'll probably need your help finding Soma's apartment because it doesn't seem so simple."

"I have no idea where he is," he retorted abruptly, "and I don't want to know."

She stared at him, dumbfounded. This wasn't the Sei she knew, and... no idea??

Damn it, Soma had told her that Sei didn't want to reconnect, but not that he'd broken off all contact! She understood perfectly well that things hadn't gone back to the way they were, even excluding their relationship, but Soma hadn't given many details about what was really going on. She shouldn't have come here under these circumstances, not like this!

"I don't know exactly what you're looking for, but..."

"Nothing!"

She shook her head.

"Listen, I'm sorry, I… It was a mistake to come unannounced like this," she stammered. "But I just wanted to see how you were. I'll leave you now. I'll still call you later, in case you change your mind and want to talk a bit. Otherwise… well, just remember that there are people who haven't forgotten you, and everyone sends their greetings and wishes for your good health."

She turned to leave, her face distraught, but Sei suddenly stopped her and pulled her into a hug.

"No, wait! Sorry, I'm the one being a jerk. I think I'm getting a little paranoid. I'm sorry…" he breathed.

He released her and led her inside.

"Let's not stay here. Come in."

She nodded and followed him, more unsettled by this "difficult" reunion than she cared to show. He took her jacket and looked at her.

"My God, this is so unexpected."

She sighed and gave a rueful smile.

"A little too much, actually. I’m really sorry for barging in like this."

"It’s nothing—welcome! I’m the one who’s sorry for the reception. It’s been so long—you haven’t changed a bit!"

"You have, a little," she said with a wink. "But I prefer your short hair."

He took a strand of his hair and examined it.

"Ah... sorry. I'll have to fix that when I go back to work anyway."

He smiled in turn.

She handed him a bag with the small traditional souvenirs she had brought. He took it with a bow.

"Thank you, Sana. You didn't have to. Please, come into the living room. Can I get you something?"

"I'd like a glass of water, please."

She headed to the living room, appreciating the space that her own apartment so sorely lacked. Seishi returned with drinks, and they settled in more comfortably.

It wasn't easy to find a natural conversation after all this time… especially while trying to avoid any direct references to Soma. She didn't dare bring up the subject again, and Seishi clearly didn't seem inclined to. Little by little, however, Seishi relaxed, and she began to hope that after a while, he might open up and confide in her. She had been his confidante for so long; it had been hard for her to find herself cut off and left in the dark. She was still stunned, though, by Seishi's attitude toward Soma. How could he completely ignore Soma while he was in Paris? It must have been terrible for Soma. No wonder he was so depressed. After being so close, how could they remain such strangers to each other? She had never thought they could truly separate—and it turned out to be true for Soma. He had barely arrived in Japan when he regretted and admitted his mistake. Even if they weren't going to get back together, she hoped things would improve. It was such a mess. Above all, they were “best friends in the world,” as they used to call themselves. This was completely unlike Sei, who until then had been more accustomed to facing problems head-on. Seishi went back to get drinks, and she took the opportunity to have a "little break."

 

~*~

 

Ryô went inside and carelessly tossed his shoes aside. He was in an exceptionally good mood that evening. He had been able to help a mother in a truly distressing situation that day and felt particularly pleased. As he expected, Seishi-san was in the kitchen but didn't seem to have heard him. He smiled and slipped behind him, unexpectedly embracing him and rising as high as he could on tiptoe to plant a kiss on his neck.

Seishi-san jumped and tensed, but nothing compared to his reaction when he heard the bathroom door close in the hallway. He recoiled abruptly and whirled around to discover, to his horror, a young Japanese woman staring at them with a look of profound shock.

He searched Seishi-san’s eyes, silently pleading with him to understand how sorry he was. The guilt he saw in the older man's eyes threw him off. Seishi-san, however, gave him a resigned smile and turned toward the stranger.

"Sana, this is Saneda Ryô. Ryô, this is Yamamoto Sana, a… my best friend after Camille."

The young woman's expression had become unreadable. She bowed with a neutral smile.

"Pleased to meet you."

He bowed in return.

"Pleased to meet you."

It was now certain that his evening would be very different from the one he had imagined.

 

~*~

 

Some time later, Sana descended the stairs and left the building. She paused for a moment to gather her thoughts... and stifled a curse. With all this, she still didn't know how to get to Soma's! She sighed. But maybe... maybe it wasn't best to try anything new tonight. She'd had enough emotions and... she needed to think because right now she was completely lost.

Kami-sama... Sei... with that young man... it was impossible... Did Soma even know?

One of their recent conversations suddenly came back to her.

"It's because he didn't love just one man."

Was that what he'd meant?!

Oh, Soma...

She got on the “metro” and carefully checked her route to the hotel.