Kyoko barren as a result of her stab-wound shocked Ulf. He just couldn’t wrap his mind around a life where you weren't even given the choice of having a child or not.

'One day,' the doctor had said. Well, it had been one day. All of them returned home, which was a welcome respite for Ulf, or rather his underwear, which he quickly hid in the laundry basket before he took a shower.

Christina followed him home. She had refused to return to an empty flat, luxury condo or not, and with Amaya in control anything but bringing her home was out of the question.

While Ulf and Christina showered separately, they slept together, and sleeping was the only thing the did, apart from hugging. When the hug turned into fretful sleep he couldn't remember.

When morning came Christina received some underwear from Amaya that were serviceable, if nothing else. The rest of her change came out of his wardrobe, and even though she muttered and swore she ended up dressed for a late autumn camping hike. Everything was a bit large for her, but their difference in size wasn't huge. Once again the word serviceable came to mind.

Ulf, well he only had business suits that were clean, so it was a rather mismatched pair that made their way to the clinic.

Long before they arrived, Ulf had his misgivings about the day, and the lump in his stomach just grew heavier the closer they got. While he could understand Yukio's relief, Ulf suspected his best friend simply lacked the experience to understand why what was coming probably was a life-changing disaster to Kyoko.

One look at Christina told him she silently shared his thoughts. It didn't matter that she hadn't left any children behind in the other world. What mattered was that she knew that she herself had chosen not to have any.

“Ina, who's going to stay with her?” Ulf asked when they left the car, and there were all too few steps until they were inside.

He felt her fingers claw into his right arm. “I can't help her. I don't even know how Ko-chan will react.”

Ulf threw a glance at Amaya, who had driven them there, but she resolutely shook her head. He had suspected she would, and for the same reason as he himself. The feeling of loss, even if it was the feeling of a potential loss, was simply too frightening.

Damn, I'm going to betray you, but I don't have the guts for this. To prevent Christina from even asking, he stopped and pulled her close. “I can't. I'm sorry, but I can't. It's too close to my memories.”

Christina's eyes displayed equal parts disappointment and understanding.

For once Ulf felt the kind of childish regret belonging to a child. He wished 2016 hadn't ended, because if this was the way the bells rang out the old and welcomed the new, he wasn't certain he wanted any of it. With regret came more fear, but there was no delaying it any longer. Ulf clung to Christina's arm the way she clung to his, and together they entered the clinic.

He barely made it into the corridor before he heard wails, as if someone was being slaughtered alive. Without thinking he left Christina behind him, ran through the corridor and tore open the offending door.

Behind it he saw Yukio and the tall doctor from yesterday, and in the bed Kyoko sat straight up screeching her lungs out.

“They told me I can't have a baby. That I can never… Bwah, ah, ah, ah...”

Ulf opened the door and went outside. He left Yukio inside.

Christina sat waiting on a chair in the corridor, and Ulf sank down by the wall. Through the door he could hear Kyoko's wailing.

Nothing we can do now. She's paying for my mistake. He felt drained.

Ulf looked up and saw Christina sobbing silently. Tears ran down her face, and then, finally, he allowed his own helplessness to take control. His cheeks were wet and Christina sat on the other side of the corridor, or an eternity away. Two metres. A chasm he couldn't bridge.

By the door Amaya had taken position. She leaned against it and looked at him. “Urufu, I have the news you need but don't want.”

What are you talking about? Right now he only wanted to crawl over to Christina.

“I know who's behind it, but I can't prove it.”

“What?”

“Or rather, I'm not allowed to. This time it's someone on the inside.”

“What?”

“When I became your handle they told me about the two factions. This time it's someone belonging to the other faction, but it's still someone belonging to the JSDF.”

“What the fucking hell are you talking about?” But he didn't need to ask. He already knew about the dirty infighting, had guessed the day he was called to the principal's office after kicking in a door in the girls' locker room.

Amaya flinched, but she never left the door. “I'm afraid you won't be able to avoid him. It's Kareyoshi Takeshi.”

And that made absolutely no sense at all. “Kareyoshi-sensei? The baboon trying to teach English?”

“Yes?”

“But, even though he's an imbecile he's still Himekaizen.”

“Wake up, moron!” Amaya glared at him and bent down a little. “So every student from Red Rose is a disgusting rapist, including you?”

Ulf backed away from his guardian, and on the other side of the corridor he could see how Christina had dropped some of her apathy and eavesdropped on Amaya's admonishing.

“No, no of course not,” he mumbled.

“And every teacher in Himekaizen is an angel who wants nothing more than filling the students with divine wisdom?” Amaya continued relentlessly.

Kareyoshi. For the first time an enemy had been given a name. Kareyoshi you fuck! Ulf stared at Christina. “We have a name.”

“You can't go after him,” came Amaya's silent voice. “I asked, but they forbade me.” When Ulf listened a second time he realised her voice wasn't silent because of sadness, it was silent due to hatred. “You have to convince the others as well, and,” she looked at Christina, “There's another thing. I've been given orders to break you two up.”

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***

They must have joined the opening ceremony together, because they were still together standing in the staircase just inside the door to the roof. Ulf knew they had, but he wasn't sure, because he was still in a daze from the news just days earlier.

He didn't want to put the lid on, but Kyoko's father had, rather understandably, been in a fury, and he had the contacts needed to dig deep enough to unearth Kareyoshi.

Because the moron is not merely a first class arse, he's an imbecile arse to boot.

How anyone with such an epic lack of braincells had been entrusted with the knowledge of the arrivals was beyond Ulf, but he was, and as such untouchable.

Yukio leaned on the crutch he had received, more for comfort than any real need. It was the kind of antiquity still popular in Japan and the US with the support in the armpits rather than around the lower arms. “And why are we here?” he growled.

Time to lose a friend, Ulf thought. “You can't. Until we have the proof needed we can't start a manhunt.”

“Who cares about proof?” Ryu wondered. He was as furious as Yukio.

You should, you know. Then Ulf regretted his actions last summer. Even with solid proof, manhunts were best left to the police. Society seldom benefited from vigilantes. “Because it's not the right thing to do,” he said and prepared for the worst. “Besides we're told not to.”

Yukio let go of his crutch and hammered him to the floor in response.

Ulf stood up just to be docked once more. The pain was nothing compared to watching the faces of his best friends.

“Where's your loyalty?” Ryu asked.

“We don't go after him because there are better ways.” Ulf touched his bruised chin with his hand. It hurt. He deserved it, but that didn't make ambushing Kareyoshi any more right. He'd have wanted to, but Amaya's explicit orders combined with his memories from last summer told him to stay his course.

“You had no such qualms last summer.” Ryu gave him a disgusted look and stormed away. A few moments later Yukio followed.

“You shouldn't have said anything,” Christina whispered. “You could just have told them to wait. That you had a plan or something.”

“And lied to my best friend? Would that have made things better? To betray him later?”

“Whatever. I'll talk to them.” And with that Christina ran after their friends.

Only Noriko remained.

“Aren't you going as well? Family and friends first, and all that.” Ulf knew that was uncalled for as soon as he said the words, but he sullenly refused to apologise.

“You're hurting. That's why you're mean. Family and friends, and all that. That's why I'm staying by your side.” She gave him a look filled with sadness. “I don't agree with your thinking, and you not with mine, but I'll stand by you in this. Because it's important for you.”

But I would have preferred Christina by my side. The moment the thought ran though his mind he regretted it. He gave Noriko a grateful look before looking down. “I should probably go to the infirmary and tell them I fell.”

“So the school staff is OK lying to?”

Ulf glared at Noriko. “You know as well as I do that school staff is directly involved with the lies.”

She flinched at his words.

“Sorry, that was mean of me. Yes, I'm afraid I'll have to tell a lot of lies. That we all have to.” The worst lie being that Amaya stood behind all those lies when he knew she was spreading rumours among her old colleagues.

She hadn't told him a lot, but apparently Japanese gun-laws more or less guaranteed that the police eventually would hunt the gun-toting killer beyond the grave, if needed. First your sister and now your friend. I'm so sorry, Amaya.

“Urufu?”

He looked at Noriko's concerned expression. “Yeah. I'm off for the infirmary, and you'd better find Nao lest he starts thinking we're doing funny crap behind his back.”

“He wouldn't,” came Noriko's curt reply.

He probably wouldn't, Ulf silently agreed, but he wanted to be alone for a bit.

I wonder how long Christina and I have left, he wondered as he walked down the stairs. Noriko followed him for two floors, and then he heard the sound of her footsteps vanishing into the left wing second floor.

“Infirmary,” Ulf told a teacher who wondered what he was doing in the corridor after class began.

A month, two? Doubt two. They'll schedule her to death if we don't break up, and that'll have her fail her exams for sure. Fuckers! It was unfair, but life was unfair. Guess we have to make every moment count. He grinned despite his dark thoughts. Make a lot of memories as they are so fond of here?

But in the end he accepted that he had very little reason to despair. Whatever he felt paled in comparison with the hell that was Kyoko's life at the moment. Gods I wish there was something we could do? I wish this shit never happened, but that's a bit late now.

With that line of thought he had passed vending machines, locker rooms and cafeteria, and he stood outside the infirmary. It was time to lie his heart out. Like how he had seen Christina do a few times he plastered a stupid smile to his lips and slid open the door.

“Anyone here?” he called. “I seem to have had a little accident.”

He got no answer, and when he looked inside it was empty. Smirking he rummaged through a cupboard in search for something to apply to his chin. After that he'd have to wait. There would be a lot of waiting from now on.