She can't sleep that night.

She tosses and turns until midnight, and that's when she finally decides to give up, throwing back her futon and storming out of her bedroom. She notices the door opposite hers - the one leading to Eyes' bedroom - cracked open, and a light still switched on inside, but she ignores it and stays on her path to the kitchen.

Barely two minutes later he's standing in the doorway, watching her settle down atop a barstool with a glass of water in her hand. "Is everything alright?" he asks.

"I can't sleep." She waves a hand at him. "Go back to bed."

"I see."

"And you can stop keeping your door open, by the way. I'm back to normal and I haven't had any more stupid dreams." She flexes her arm, rolling her eyes. "See? No pain."

"I believe you," he responds, taking a step into the kitchen and reaching over to turn on an overhead light. "But I cannot sleep either, I'm afraid."

"Oh." She sips from her glass, mulling over her response before she says anything else. "Because of… earlier, I guess?"

"Yes." He comes to join her at the kitchen island, pulling out a barstool on the opposite side. "I'm unable to stop thinking about the situation."

"Yeah. Me too," she admits.

They're both silent for a while, Kirie nursing her glass of water and Eyes merely sitting still, his hands folded together atop the pale marble countertop. It's the pink-haired woman who finally speaks again, clearing her throat and setting down her glass before she does so. "What happens now?" she asks. "I know you wanted to move back to Japan and live normally, but this Hunter seems intent on… getting their way."

He meets her eyes with his own. "Killing me."

"You know what I meant." She makes a face. "Do you think I like talking about this? Anyway, it's one thing that this guy shot at you, but to go to the trouble of framing someone else for it… he was smart enough to have a backup plan that would keep him clear of the police if anything went wrong. Now he can try again, and - "

"That isn't it," Eyes interrupts, suddenly, shaking his head. "I don't believe that this Hunter's plan was to kill only me."

"Why would you think that?" She lifts an eyebrow. "Sure, the other Blade Children are still around, but the only ones threatened during this mess were you and I."

"And Coen Smit."

"Right, because - "

"Because he was deliberately made, over the course of several months, to believe that Narumi Kiyotaka wanted him to be at a specific location, presumably with a specific weapon, at which time he would be framed for the murder of a Blade Child." Eyes shakes his head again. "I cannot believe that this was only an attempt by the Hunter to cover his tracks. The Hunter's plan for the shooting was clearly sabotaged. If I had been killed, perhaps a situation would have been created in which Coen Smit's gun would have been fired. In this case, it would have been nearly impossible to prove his innocence."

Kirie frowns. "But what does that accomplish? The Hunters weren't after the Watchers, only…"

Eyes doesn't speak, and in that moment of silence - however brief - Kirie realizes her miscalculation.

"... only," she continues, quietly, "the Blade Children, and those who sided with them."

"Precisely," Eyes says, softly, and exhales. "If this were indeed his plan, then you would have been left as the only remaining Watcher… or, perhaps, in his eyes, Saver. And so, without my interference or Coen Smit's, he would have eliminated you." He glances away. "Followed by the others. Narumi Ayumu included."

Saver. Kirie has never even thought to associate the word with herself - not with the woman she is, someone so critical of everything, someone who values logic above all else -

But it's what Ayumu-kun would call me right now, in this situation, wouldn't he? Someone who takes a bullet for a Blade Child is literally a Saver.

She bites down on her bottom lip to avoid smiling in this situation that doesn't call for it; she's picturing that brat's face somewhere in the back of her mind, his eyebrows scrunched together as he gives her a lecture on what a Saver is, and how she's gone and become one. After a few seconds she pulls herself together, and she catches Eyes' gaze again as she speaks. "So you think we're dealing with someone who wants us all dead… not just you."

"Yes."

"Is that what's been keeping you awake?"

"Yes," he answers again.

"I get it. Not exactly an easy topic to put out of your mind." She exhales. "But why start with you?" She taps two fingers on the rim of her water glass. "You have the most resources at your disposal to protect yourself. You could hire an army of bodyguards if you felt like it. And threatening you comes with a bunch of shit in the news." She frowns again. "It'd be easy to snipe Asazuki and Takamachi on their way to their classes or something. Or for Takeuchi, if she's already working with weapons, couldn't the Hunter configure something to explode, or… whatever?"

"It is illogical, in that sense. But perhaps I am the biggest nuisance to this Hunter."

"So it's personal, then?"

"Or he believes that I am the key to unraveling the structure that Narumi Ayumu has built." Eyes is watching her fingers on the glass. "Even if Narumi Kiyotaka began the game and controlled the pawns, and Narumi Ayumu found a way to offer us salvation… perhaps it is true that I am the one who has become the leader of what remains."

"So if he gets rid of you, everything else falls to pieces?"

"I am the only one speaking publicly about my intentions. I am the one who challenged the threat by returning to Japan, by ending my recording contract in pursuit of a new dream." He glances up. "If it were to be seen as potential inspiration for those who remain…"

"It's… possible. I'll give you that." She worries the rim of her glass. "But I don't know if I buy it. It seems like it'd be so much easier to… you know." She mimics a gun with her free hand. "The others can't protect themselves in the same way. Even if you stepped in, they'd be at a disadvantage, right?"

"Then perhaps it is pride. Or a personal grudge, as I said."

"Rrgh… damn it." Her fingers slip from the glass and she nudges it away from her hand, watching as the water sloshes dangerously inside and threatens to spill out onto the marble surface. "This is all a bunch of bullshit. Neither of us should have to be dealing with this kind of thing anymore. I don't know how any Hunters would even be around, much less going around shooting at people."

"That is…" Eyes' voice is soft, almost too soft to hear. "... something I have been giving a substantial amount thought to, over the course of the evening."

"... what?"

"You should not have to be involved in this any further." He doesn't make eye contact with her. "I understand that it would be a difficult undertaking, but I am willing to assist you in leaving the situation."

She blinks at him. "The hell are you talking about?"

"I am more than able to provide you with the resources necessary to find a new home and place of employment, regardless of the location. And if you would prefer to assume a new identity, or at least begin living under the cover of a different individual's information, I am certain I can find contacts willing to aid you." He looks down at his hands, which he's folded together on top of the island, almost as pale as the marble in the harsh light. "I agree that this is not something you, nor any of the others, should be subjected to. If this Hunter intends to kill me, then - "

Kirie stands up so fast that she knocks over her barstool. Eyes' head snaps up quickly, his mouth half-open, and she wonders, in that moment, if she looks as angry as she feels.

"I am not running away," she says, emphasizing every word. "Do you understand me?"

"Kirie - "

"No," she cuts him off, "no. Don't say another damn word. Who do you think you are? Some kind of martyr, putting yourself up for sacrifice in front of this Hunter while you let everyone else run away?" She leans forward, her eyes narrowed, refusing to break their gaze. "I'm not a coward, and I didn't take a goddamned bullet for you to have you offer me the coward's way out."

His response is surprisingly calm for someone with a downright furious woman staring at him from just a few feet away. "I do not think you are a coward. I only think you are willing, like I am, to sacrifice your own well-being for the sake of others." He sighs. "And I do not want you to do it any longer."

"So you want me to run away and leave you behind, is that it?"

"I only want you to be safe -"

"But you'd stay here if I left, right?"

"... yes."

"Fuck you." She uses the one English curse she knows; the sudden look of shock on his face is enough to break some of the tension in the room, and she snorts, folding her arms tight across her chest. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm scared, too. Honestly, I'm scared out of my mind at what might become of me - I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow, or beyond that. But that's no reason for me to run off and leave you, or anyone else, behind." She shakes her head hard. "And it's not about being a Watcher or a Saver or whatever you want to call me, it's about being a decent human being. I'm in this just as deep as you are now, and I'm not leaving."

He doesn't respond. She pauses for a moment, then bends down to right the barstool she's knocked over, climbing back on top and reaching for her glass of water again. "So," she says, "if you have any plans that don't involve me running away to some other country and taking on a new name, let's hear them."

He's silent for a moment. The only noise in his loft is the hum of the refrigerator in the kitchen behind them, and there's the faint sound of what might be a motorbike passing by on the street below. Finally he lifts his head and looks at her again. "I don't," he says.

"You don't - ?"

"I don't have any other plans."

"Then I'm not going anywhere." She drinks the rest of the water and places the empty glass back down on the marble. "I'll stay here and figure this out with you. Whether you like it or not."

His expression looks slightly pained - as if he still wants to protest, to tell her he won't allow it - but Kirie meets his gaze with a confident stare, twining her fingers together under her chin. Finally he breaks their eye contact, lifting a hand to rub his forehead. "I hadn't anticipated this kind of reaction, but I also... realize that I cannot change your mind."

She huffs. "Did you really expect me to run away with my tail between my legs?"

"I am not sure what I expected." He looks at her from between his fingers. "I only wanted to find some way to protect you, so that I could then… focus on the situation at hand."

"Sacrifice yourself, you mean."

"... no." He places his hand back on the table, frowning slightly. "My intent is - was - not to stop fighting. But if this Hunter's sole reasons for appearing are personal, and ending my life would save the lives of the others…"

"There's a way out of this that doesn't involve anyone dying." Kirie tips her barstool back slightly, laughing under her breath. "At least, that's what Ayumu-kun would say, isn't it?"

"Yes," Eyes agrees, almost immediately. "It is."

"And whether or not you think that's realistic right now, no matter how horrible things are... I think we owe it to him to try and find it - that way out."

"... you're right."

"I know I'm right." She allows herself to grin. "That's why I'm not leaving. If I had to face Ayumu-kun someday and tell him I left you behind to get killed… no, not even that." She shakes her head. "It's not even that, about having to face him. I'd disappoint myself if I did something like that."

"But remaining in the current situation…" He frowns again. "You have been injured once already. If you were to be hurt again, or worse - can you truly say it will be worth it? The role you played as a Watcher was not one of involvement, and even now…"

"I knew what I was getting into when I joined up with Kiyotaka, Watcher or not. It was a dangerous situation for all of us. More for you than me." She leans forward on the barstool to make eye contact with him again. "I don't have any intention of sacrificing my life, don't get me wrong. But if taking another bullet from an idiot Hunter will keep you and the others safe - " She shrugs. " - I won't back down, because I know what's right, and it's not to end your lives. It's not to make you, or anyone, suffer any longer. That kind of thing has to be stopped, somehow."

The kitchen falls silent again. Eyes looks away from her, and there's something in his expression she can't quite read, so after a few seconds she stops trying. She picks up her glass and slides off the barstool, going to the sink for more water. "It's been a long day," she says. "You should get some sleep."

"You as well." His voice is barely audible. "You will be returning to work in morning… won't you?"

"Not if I can't go to bed at a decent hour." She turns on the tap and refills her glass, pausing to take a sip before turning to face the kitchen island. "But I'm out of sick time, so if I don't want to start losing money - "

"Don't worry about it." She sees him shift slightly on his barstool, looking over his shoulder at her. "I will take care of everything."

She makes a face. "You say that, but it's bad enough that I'm already living here without paying rent or any bills. And you're not working right now either, so as rich as you might have been with that record label contract you had going - "

"Kirie," he interrupts again, shaking his head. "Please. I will take care of everything. I promise you that there is no need to worry about anything, financially speaking."

She opens her mouth to scold him for cutting her off again, thinks of something, and closes it. After a pause she finally speaks: "Just… how rich are you?"

He laughs quietly, the sound catching her off guard. "I very rarely look at my bank accounts."

"Accounts? Plural?"

"The details are not important." He turns on the barstool to face her, running a hand through his pale hair to clear it from his face. "My career has been financially rewarding up until now, but I care very little for what I have earned. If I am able to move past the current situation with this Hunter, I want to make it into something that is… rewarding in other ways, I suppose."

She blinks at him. "So… are we talking about millions here? Hundreds of millions?"

He frowns. "Kirie."

"I'm just kidding." She laughs, shaking her head at him before taking another drink from her cup. "But I'm serious, I'm not going to let you pay for everything. I should be contributing if I'm going to be living here a little while longer, even if it's by cleaning or cooking or something. And you are not going to pay for my bills."

"But if you find that you need assistance…"

"Of course. You won't let me say no. That's how I ended up staying here in the first place." She sighs. "Honestly, Eyes, from the start of this whole thing, all you've done is worry about other people."

There's the trace of a smile on his mouth. "I am already well taken care of. My desires are very few, and if I can help others, I would like to do so."

She arches an eyebrow at him. "But there's no way anyone can help you?"

It's his turn to pause and search for an appropriate response. Finally he shakes his head, very slowly, blue eyes lifting to meet her own. "My only wish," he says, "is that this situation would… somehow… resolve itself in the way you specified earlier. In such a way that does not result in the death of you, or I, or any of the others involved. Or even further injury, if possible."

"But even beyond that…"

"I will hope for one thing at a time," he responds, turning his palms up in a slight shrug, and then slides from the barstool, placing bare feet gently on the floor. "I am going to make an attempt to sleep again. I…" He hesitates. "... I appreciate your willingness to be honest with me."

"Oh. Of course."

"I did not mean to upset you, by suggesting that you leave. I only…"

"I know. You were only thinking of what seemed best, right?" She places her glass down on the counter beside the sink. "But that's only what you thought. It's not actually what I think is the right thing to do. And that's how you've always been, coming up with plans for people that you think are right, and just making them happen."

"... hm."

She looks across the short distance between the sink and island, studying his expression. "Maybe I'm just the first person to stand up to you. But I hope you know I'm not doing it to make your life difficult. I'm doing it because every time you come up with one of these situations, it usually means somebody else gets saved and you get the short end of the stick, and that's not how anybody should be living. We're kind of in this together now, whether you like it or not." She reaches for her glass again. "So I'm not going to let you sacrifice yourself, just like you wouldn't let me sacrifice myself."

The kitchen is very quiet. Eyes is looking at her, but she doesn't want to return his gaze, having blurted all that out. It feels a little embarrassing to be so honest with him, despite having reached that point a few times now; she still wouldn't quite call them friends, more accidental roommates with some strange things in common, and so saying what she has…

"Kirie," he says, finally, quietly, "thank you."

"I - er, sure."

"You should try to rest." Out of the corner of her eye she sees him move away from the island, walking out of the kitchen and toward his open bedroom door. "Good night."

"... good night."

She stares down at her feet, silently, wondering if maybe she'd gone too far. Maybe she shouldn't have said that - about no one else standing up to him, about him making plans for others - but it's all true, so what reason had there been for her to hold back?

More importantly, she thinks they've just gone around in circles tonight, talking about running away, and avoiding this threat by sacrificing themselves, and looking for a way out that they aren't even sure exists. Right now, neither of them have any idea who this Hunter is or what their motives are.

Everything they're doing is based on guesses. It's all illogical and emotional - the way she least likes things.

She sighs. She should really get to bed. Maybe tomorrow will make things clearer. And if not, well…

She'll figure it out somehow. She always has.