The NCR was in complete shock as they looked out the windows of the bus and stared at the prewar glory of Tokyo Japan. Howe's children were jumping in their seats from the wonders and excitement all around them. Even Serena, who would normally chastise her children for their rude behavior, couldn't take her eyes off the sights and sounds around her.

Prewar cars that were in perfect condition drove all around them, moving at speeds the NCR never thought possible. The roads were perfect, not a single crack or pothole along the entire stretch of pavement. Working lights and traffic signs were located on every inch of observable space along the road.

Howe was actually horrified. How was it possible for such wonders to exist? Perhaps he was so used to the dirty and destroyed cities that he visited while on campaign that he was completely taken aback by everything he saw around him. No abandoned buildings, no ruined locations, and so many people on the streets that he felts as though this small section of city had more people than the entire NCR.

Howe was no fool. He knew that war with the JSDF would be impossible. Not only do they have the logistics to completely outlast them, but their army alone was probably larger than the entire population of the NCR, which probably is close to breaking one million people with the addition of Italica. This city only solidifies that feeling of helplessness against an overwhelming enemy, and strengthened his resolve to ensure the NCR will do anything to even the gap.

The Courier likewise was amazed. He couldn't take his eyes off of all the thousands of people around him. Never in his life has he seen so many people in one area. It made him feel so claustrophobic, like he was being suffocated by the sheer weight of the thousands of people around him. He hated it.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" The medic smiled as she sat next to him, looking at him with a small smile at his reaction to the area.

"I've never seen anything like it." He said, not taking his eyes off the window.

"It is a little chilly since its winter time here." She said, pointing at the snow on the ground. "It snowed a little early this year, but it's not unusual." She said.

"So many people..." The Courier noted.

"Japan has some of the densest cities in the world." She said. "It's actually a very difficult place to find some elbow room, especially during rush hour or taking the train."

"No city in the wasteland even comes close to this." The Courier said.

"After a nuclear war, I can imagine." She said. "When I went to the exhibit in Hiroshima, they showed pictures of the devastation caused by the nuclear bombs when the Americans dropped them." She said.

"World War Two... right?" The Courier asked.

"Yes, how did you know?" She asked.

"It's known in our world, though most of the details are lost." He said. "But I'm so used to seeing destroyed and abandoned cities, that I guess this is just a new experience for me."

"Nothing comes close?" She asked. The Courier thought for a moment, remembering the first time he saw Vegas.

"Lights and generated power in the wasteland is rare, but not completely uncommon... if that makes sense." He said. "A lot of people have it. But the first time I saw Vegas was... indescribable." He said.

"What was it like?" Kurokawa asked.

"I stood on top of a small hill on an old highway, near the 188 trading post." He said. Kurokawa noticed that his eyes looked off to the distance, as if he was currently there. "There in the distance, glowing like a massive star in the night, was the city of sin and gambling. Lit up enough to actually block out the stars." He recalled.

"So that was your first time seeing a city... or at least the wasteland version of one?" She asked.

The Courier looked down, recalling another terrible memory. Kurokawa saw it in his face. Despite how much he tries to hide his emotions, she can see the pain reflect in his eyes as he remembered something terrible.

"That right before I went into Freeside..." The Courier was cut off as Kurokawa put a delicate finger on his lips, effectively silencing him.

"Nope." She said with a smile. "No more stories, not right now." She as she removed her finger.

"What do you mean?" The Courier asked, the look of horror and sadness left his eyes.

"All of your stories a depressing and sad." She said. "I mean, I love traveling just as much, but when I travel it's to places like Korea, or Italy... or even America."

"Not exactly like I can go there..." The Courier grumbled.

"My point is, every time you tell a story of a place you traveled it involves people dying, explosive collars, barely surviving and all kinds of different things." She said. "It's depressing and just sad."

"Sorry my life is such a mess." He said with a raised eyebrow.

"Have you ever even gone somewhere that didn't involve almost getting killed?" She asked seriously.

The Courier thought for a moment. He really did try to think of something. After nearly getting killed by the Boomers he had some fun with them. Only had to deal with a couple of ants and raise a World War Two Bomber. Aside from that, not really. He hasn't been to one location that didn't involve almost dying or getting killed by some chem addicted raider.

"And that's my point." Kurokawa said, interpreting his silence as not being able to think of one time. "So no depressing stories while here." She said.

"Fine, I'll keep my mouth shut." He said.

"Not what I mean." She retorted back.

"Then what did you mean?" He asked.

"No stories of killer robots, explosive collars, moon men from mars, or whatever weird and strange stuff is in your world." She said as she crossed her arms.

"Moon men from mars?" He asked.

"While in Japan, you're going on an actual vacation." She said. "No death, no fighting, no radiation, and especially no sadness."

"Sure." He laughed. "Maybe one time I can do something without almost dying." He laughed as he leaned back into his seat, now just enjoying the ride.

Kurokawa smiled and sat up straight with her feet and knees together, showing a level of class he really hasn't seen before. Is this really what people in the prewar world were like? So happy and full of life? It was... cute really. Maybe he would enjoy his time here.

After arriving at the hotel, all of the NCR guests went to their assigned rooms and placed their baggage in their rooms. Howe's children decided they wanted to explore the hotel and he allowed it as long as they stayed near some of the Rangers assigned to protect them.

Howe's room was very nice and luxurious. Many times more so than any rooms they had in the NCR. The closest in comparison was some of the redesigned New Vegas Casino's and Hotels, which had the benefit of having the guidance of a man who was around before the bombs dropped.

Howe was finishing putting on his NCR dress uniform, which consisted of his calf high black boots, brown dress pants that had an old parachute style, and his brown dress shirt and tie which had all his medals and awards on his chest. His awards showed a very decorated and experienced Officer after his years in the army. He also brought his Officers hat as well as his overcoat, which is modeled after the old US Army overcoat from before the war.

"There's my handsome man." Serena flirted while she was redoing her hair. "Good to see you in your dress uniform. It was always my favorite." She giggled.

"Not a fan of my fatigues?" He laughed. "I wore it for you." He said in a mockingly hurt tone.

Once they were fully dressed and ready to meet with Hazama in the lobby, they made their way out of the penthouse suite and rode the elevator down to the main lobby.

The lobby didn't have many people. Mostly some other foreign dignitaries and important Japanese people who were also going to attend the Diet. Many of them cast a sideways glance at the two Wasteland people, but kept moving to do their own business.

Howe saw Hazama over by the Hotel restaurant. He was dressed in his full Japanese dress uniform, which similarly to Howe, had a chest decorated with all his past accomplishments. Though he noticed there weren't as many due to his inexperience at actually being in combat.

Next to him was an older woman, maybe around his age but still showing many of the signs of youth. She wore an odd outfit that the General couldn't place. It looked like a long pink dress with a very wide belt around her waist, covering up whatever curves she may have had around her waist.

"General Howe, Mrs. Howe. A pleasure." Hazama said as he bowed to them. Howe instead nodded and shook the Japanese man's hand.

"Thank you for the invitation." Howe said as he looked towards the new woman.

"This is my wife, Tomiko." He introduced.

"Very nice to meet you both. My husband has complained a lot about you." She said, covering her mouth with her hand as she giggled.

"Oh, yours too?" Serena matched her laugh. Howe and Hazama just looked annoyed at the interaction. "That is a very beautiful dress. I don't think I've ever seen it before." She said, pointing at the dress.

"Do you like it?" Tomiko said. "It's my Kimono. It's a very traditional part of Japanese culture. Many of the younger generation doesn't wear it anymore, but it's a very popular formal wear in Japan." She said.

"I'll be honest, it's so unique." Serena said, admiring the dress. "I would love to try one on one day."

"Well, let us get a seat and we can talk more." Tomiko said. They went to their table where they sat down and looked at the menu.

"The Diet will be tomorrow morning." Hazama said to Howe. "We'll need to be ready by..."

"Honey, what did I say about work at the table?" Tomiko said in Japanese.

"It's important we establish timelines." He tried to argue.

"And we can do that after a lovely dinner. For now, let's just enjoy each other's company." She finalized.

"Oh, does your husband talk work at the table as well?" Serena laughed, able to piece together what they said despite the language barrier.

"I don't always talk work at the table Serena." Howe argued.

"Yes he does. Especially lately." Tomiko laughed.

"It's so good to finally meet someone who understands." Serena joked.

Both men turned to each other and just sighed, agreeing that when their wives teamed up, there was no winning.

The conversation was nice. They had a few small breaks in their conversation when the waiter stopped by, causing them to have to remember where they left off. But it was a very good time. Both women were instant friends. Mostly complaining about their husbands who had very similar personalities when it came to work. Though the men could tell it was all in good fun, though at their expense.

Then the conversation started to shift all over the place. They talked about their worlds fashion for women, different kinds of hobbies they had, and also about each other's kids. Once it got on the topic of children, both women complained even more than when they talked about their husbands. Every late night, every fight they had to break up, and the sadness of watching their kids get older and older.

The conversation actually made both men incredibly sad. They knew that peace between the NCR and Japan was unlikely at best. They knew that eventually they would have to go back to scheming and manipulating each other in order to gain the upper hand in the Special Region. Potentially even full scale conflict, meaning there's a good chance their orders would get their own men killed.

Until now, both Generals didn't consider it, but watching their wives laugh and joke after instantly becoming good friends, made it hard to imagine that there could come a time where an order would lead to one of these women becoming widowed.

There was a realization, that both men felt that they had become some version of a friend to each other. Maybe it was the mutual respect they shared or respected each other's ability to plan and strategize a battle. Regardless, the interests of their Nations came first, and whatever feelings of respect they had for each other, would have to be set aside in order to ensure their sides victory.

"Oh, we met in High School." Tomiko said after getting on the topic of how they met their husbands. "He was so shy and timid when he asked for a date."

"Tomiko!" Hazama yelled in embarrassment.

Even Howe had to laugh and he gave Hazama a shit eating grin. He wanted to hear this.

The Courier waited in the lobby for his escort to catch up with him. He decided to take off his riot gear armor and was only dressed in his khaki pants, t-shirt, and brown jacket. It was not at all ready for the cold, but the Courier had been through worse. He also had his .357 holstered on his hip, though concealed by his jacket.

He saw General Hazama, General Howe, and their two wives walk into the restaurant of the Hotel. He didn't much care about it since he was actually excited to get going and see a prewar city in all its glory.

"Ready to go?" Kurokawa asked as she walked up to him.

The Courier raised his eyebrow at her outfit. It was a very simple, yet fitting, outfit. She had on a white knitted turtle neck sweat shirt than went down to her hip. Her legs were covered by a black skirt that went down to just below her knees. He legs were also covered by a thick black stocking that was meant for warmth in the winter months. She stood a bit taller since she also wore heeled boots that kept her feet warm. Folded over her forearm was a red coat and scarf that she would likely put on when she went out of the heated hotel.

"Just us?" The Courier asked.

"Shino is going with Winchester and told us not to catch up." She blushed, knowing that they were going to be alone. "And besides, you'll need a guard to make sure you don't try to steal our secrets." She giggled at her joke.

"I've been trying, but you keep distracting me." He laughed.

"Well, come on. First thing is to check out a Café." She said excitedly.

She put on her coat and scarf and walked out with the Courier in tow.

The city was less crowded at this time of day. Likely due to the time of day. The buildings were tall, very, very tall. He couldn't even imagine it. On principle he tried to stay away from cities since they were typically full of ghouls, raiders, and other terrifying things.

"Hey, no bad thoughts." Kurokawa said next to him.

"Huh?" He asked.

"You're thinking about something bad right now." She said, pointing to his face. "You always make that face when you're remembering something horrible." She said.

"I didn't realize." He said honestly.

"It's ok." She said. "Let's talk about something." She said.

"Like what?" He asked.

Kurokawa started talking about her trip to Italy last year. She knew that he really didn't have anything to talk about that didn't involve some kind of horror, so she knew she needed to do most of the talking. She talked about her trip to Rome, which had the Vatican and the center of the Christian world. How she explored the ruined city of Pompeii during a guided tour that took them through the city and showed how the ancient Romans lived. Even the canals of Venice that gave Gondola rides to anyone that paid.

The Courier listened to her in grateful satisfaction. He was glad to hear her talk about her trip. It was nice to hear how she visited all the nicest restaurants and tried all the different kind of sweets and desserts. It made the Courier a bit jealous of her for living such an easy life, but he was also grateful for the chance to hear such an amazing story. He felt like he could listen to her for hours.

"Are you cold?" She asked, noticing him starting to shiver.

"I've been through worse." He said with a shrug. Though truthfully, he was freezing.

"I didn't ask if you've been through worse." She said with a slight glare. "I asked if you're cold."

"Yes." He laughed at her pout. "I guess I am."

"Didn't you pack a winter jacket?" She asked.

"I wasn't expecting it to be this cold. California doesn't get this cold in the winter." He said.

Kurokawa wasn't surprised at that revelation. Arid places typically don't get as cold as islands like Japan, especially since snow was a lot less common in deserts. She noticed he was starting to shiver even more.

"Do you want me to buy you a coat?" She asked.

"No, I wouldn't have a use for it anyway." He said. "I typically don't carry much on me. Besides, not like I'm having to survive in the wilde..." He was cut off as he felt her body press into his.

"No bad thoughts." She said as she pressed into him, helping to warm him up. Kurokawa was taller than the average height for a Japanese woman, and with the added height of her heels, she was just shorter than the Courier now. Something that was obvious with her so close to him.

"I feel a little warmer." He laughed.

"Good." She said.

When they arrived at their destination, the Courier noticed it was a small shop with a few couches and coffee tables that allowed for guests to sit and enjoy their coffee. Kurokawa took a spot and placed her jacket on the chair, sighing in a content manner with the relief of the jacket in the warm shop.

She brought the Courier up to the counter to place his order, though he didn't have a clue on what he wanted. He never really had these kinds of coffees before. Most of them were names he didn't recognize. So he let Kurokawa order for him.

"Hope you enjoy it." Kurokawa said as they held the coffee. They sat down in the chairs, opposite of each other from the little coffee table.

The Courier noted that the cup was warm on his cool hands. The cold from outside was starting to go away as the coffee helped to keep him warm. It honestly reminded him of a few trips he took east of the Colorado River, after the fall of the Legion. It was winter by that point, and he would keep himself warm by the camp fire and boiling some...

"The sweets will be out here any moment." Kurokawa interrupted his thoughts again. "Have you ever tried Macaroon?" She asked.

Did she intentionally interrupt his thoughts again when she noticed? He honestly doesn't even realize he does it. He just can't help but think about small moments when he's reminded of them. Most of his moments were filled with struggle and pain.

"I don't think I really every tried anything sweet. At least not something that's 200 years old and irradiated." He said. Kurokawa groaned and massaged her head.

"I think it's impossible for you not to bring something up." She said, with a small laugh. "Try a simple no, that way your mind doesn't wander." She said.

"Sorry." He laughed, amused at how hard she's trying to keep him from thinking about his past.

"This is supposed to be a fun vacation. Just sweets and coffee." She said.

The Courier took a sip of his Coffee. He noticed that it was full of cream and sugar, making it extra sweet. It took him by surprise, both the heat and the taste. He almost coughed it out.

"Are you ok?" Kurokawa asked.

"Yea, a little hotter than I thought." He said.

"Be careful, it's very warm." She said. "Here's the Macaroons now." She said as one of the girls brought it to their table. "Dig in." She said.

She went on and on about the different flavors of the small cookies. The red was typically strawberry flavored, while the yellow was vanilla flavored. It all looked so interesting so he tried each and every one of them. It was... delicious. Even the prewar snacks didn't taste as sweet and so full of sugar. Not that they could with over 200 years of...

"Try the Green Tea flavor." She said as she pushed a green cookie into his face, again interrupting his chain of thought.

"Green Tea?" The Courier asked.

"It's a type of tea that's very popular in Asia." She said. "It's pretty much one of our defining things, so whether it's ice cream or cookies, we make everything out of that flavor."

He took the cookie and bit into it. The Macaroon tasted... bitter? At least more bitter compared to the mass of sugar like the other ones. He could honestly say it was his favorite since it wasn't as sweet as the other Macaroons.

"It's nice." He smiled, relaxing in his chair at the sweets and coffee. How long had it been since he felt this relaxed? Had he ever felt relaxed before?

Though, he did have the feeling he was being watched, specifically a lot of the older men in the Café were glaring at him specifically. Kurokawa followed his eyes as they scanned the room, instantly knowing what he was looking at.

"Don't worry about them." She laughed.

"Why are they glaring at me?" He asked. "I know I didn't change, but I doubt they'd know I'm NCR." He said.

"Oh no, they're glaring at you because of me." She laughed when she saw his confused face.

"What did you do?" The Courier asked, causing her to glare at him.

"Do you think I'm a delinquent or something?" She asked, though through the glare he could see her playful attitude.

"You're probably the least threatening thing I've ever seen." He said. She shook her head.

"Is that your way of saying I'm beautiful?" She tiled her head and brought her fist up at an angle, trying to do some kind of pose though it had no real effect on the Courier.

"If a bunch of older men are angry at me because of you, then maybe you are." He laughed, which also made her giggle.

"It's kind of a cultural thing." Kurokawa said. "Japan is a very Mono-ethnic country, meaning we really only have one race or ethnicity. So much so that many westerners or non-Japanese Asians can experience racism and prejudice."

"So they think I'm a westerner and don't like me?" He asked.

"Not exactly." She giggled. "Most Japanese people love westerners as tourists. They'd love to meet you. The problem is, they think you're stealing their women." She laughed at his raised eyebrow.

"Stealing their women?" He asked. "Like you?" She nodded.

"Think about it, a beautiful and classy Japanese girl... alone in a Café with a..." She looked over his outfit and scar on his face. "Rough looking westerner." She said.

"Rough looking?" He said, mocking offense.

"After all, you're just here to take advantage of a poor elegant Japanese woman because you have yellow fever. What ever can I do?" She said as she pretended to be scared.

"So they think we're on a date?" The Courier asked with a laugh, though he missed how Kurokawa suddenly got worried.

"It does look that way, doesn't it?" She asked.

"Can't say I've ever actually been on a date." He said.

"You've never been with someone before?" She asked.

"I've had a few casual encounters." He said. "Nothing approaching a date though. Unless you count Red Lucy."

"How'd you guys get along?" She asked, though the Courier noticed she was staring at him with an intense and questioning look. He didn't know why she was like that though.

"She slept with me after she sent me on a job to go steel some creature eggs across the wasteland. Ended up making my way through various mutated creature dens. Like Fire Geckos, Cazadores, and Deathclaws. The Deathclaw one was the hardest. Got cornered in Dead Wind Cavern by the largest and most vicious Deathclaw I ever..." He noticed the look of horror on her face. "I mean... we got dinner?" He tried.

"Even when it comes to romance... you still have to fight for your life?" She asked.

"I wouldn't call Lucy a romance." He laughed.

"I guess I should have expected that when I asked." She laughed. "Do you have a type of woman... you uh... like?" She asked, now getting nervous.

"Can't say. Really haven't known anyone long enough to form connections. I had a few people I traveled with once in a while. Though... we all went our separate ways after the Legion was defeated."

"What do you think about me?" Kurokawa asked. Trying to keep his thoughts away from any pain.

"I feel... relaxed." He said, sinking back into the couch. "Like for the first time, I can just not do anything and enjoy the day."

She smiled as he said that. He was completely oblivious to what she was trying to say, but she was glad to have brought him some peace and quiet. That was good enough for her... at least for now.

Nate walked into the Manga store near the Ginza Strip, which was currently empty since many people weren't out this time of day. The only person around was the single cashier worker, who seemed to be a high school or college aged girl. He walked the isles with the napkin Noriko wrote down for him to find the Manga she wanted.

"School girl with guy with big sword." He said to himself, scanning all the pictures until he found what he was looking for. He saw one book that was promising, however as he checked the title he realized it was completely different from the style and characters Noriko wrote.

He went to another isle, unable to find what he was looking for. He saw another one that matched the description she said, but again the title didn't match.

"Seriously... half of these stupid books have school girls and big swords!" He said out loud, causing the cashier girl to jump at his voice. "My bad." He called out to her.

After realizing that he was getting nowhere by looking for this stupid book, he decided to just ask the worker. He walked up to her at the register, but she seemed kind of worried as he did, probably scared because of his little outburst.

"Excuse me ma'am, I'm looking for this comic book." He said, giving her the napkin. She brought up both her hands and made an X out of them.

"Sarrey... bad engish." She said in extremely broken English.

"Book, book looking for." He said in equally broken Japanese.

"Oh, that's what you're looking for." She said, though he understood only half of it.

After she went into the back of the store she came out with the book in question. He compared the title Noriko gave him and looked at the cover. Sure enough, it was a school girl with a guy behind her carrying a long sword. It's amazing how generic and common that is.

"Thank you." He said in Japanese, causing her to bow. Now all he needed was to get a card for her and some wrapping paper.

The Courier was struggling to keep his breath in check. After the Café, Kurokawa scheduled them to have a massage at one of the local parlors nearby. It was a unique feeling since the Courier never felt anything like that before. He never got a professional massage and it made his joints feel incredibly limber after it was done.

However, as relaxed as he was before, he no longer was. His eyes were scanning all the threats around them. There were so many people on the street, so much so that they kept bumping into him and Kurokawa as they walked. Her body was still pressed into his for warmth, but he was completely on edge.

He saw a man with his hand up to his ear, walking closer and closer. Was he reporting on their position with one of those portable phones?

Another man, this time reaching into his suit jacket. Does he have a gun? Maybe a knife? Should he engage just to be sure, or run away?

And the sound. So many voices and so many steps. Who was talking about him? What were they saying?

"Courier, what's wrong?" Kurokawa asked. He didn't answer, instead rested his hand on his revolver.

Suddenly, a few people rushed by and knocked into him and Kurokawa, separating them in the crowd. She made a high pitched eep sound, but now he was alone in a crowd and she was gone.

What happened? Had someone attacked them? Did they take her and was he next?

He couldn't see over the mass of people all around him. He started to get dizzy from spinning his head and eyes all around, trying to take in every detail. He was about to reach for his gun when someone grabbed his right arm.

Without thinking, he shot out with his left hand and gripped the offender's throat as hard as he could. He squeezed in order to cut off any oxygen to their brain and was about to rest his hand on his revolver. He was going to kill this person and find Kurokawa.

Until he realized in a split second that the person he gripped around the throat was Kurokawa. Her mouth was open, struggling to breathe and trying to pry his hand off her throat. Tears forming in her eyes as she struggled to breath.

"Kuro..." He said as he let her go, causing her to gasp for air. "I uh... I thought..." He tried, now starting to hyperventilate.

She grabbed his hand and pulled him into an alley by the street, away from the crowd and away from the threat. She quickly sat him down and leaned him against the wall. She bent down and balanced herself on both of her heeled feet.

"Calm down Courier." She said, a few years still in her eyes.

Calm down? Wasn't he calm? He was just tired... right?

"You're hyperventilating. You have to breathe." She said.

"Wha..." He tried to say through the gasps of breath.

"It's ok Courier. It's ok. You're fine. Just relax." She soothed, trying to get him to even his breathing.

"Wha-what's going on?" He tried asking.

"You're fine. There is no threat. You're safe... do you understand?" She asked, trying to keep him relaxed.

The Courier calmed his breathing somewhat. He took deep breaths and closed his eyes in order to focus on that.

"P-poison. The food was p-probably poisoned." He stuttered.

"It wasn't poisoned." She said. "You're having an anxiety attack." She said calmly.

"A what?" He asked as he was starting to calm down.

"An anxiety attack. You're dealing with too much emotional and physical stimulus. Your body is having a hard time processing it." She said.

"From what?" He asked.

"If I had to guess, I'd say it was the crowd." She said. "Courier, I need your gun." She said.

"No... I need it." He said.

"I understand, but right now I need you to give me your gun." She said firmly, yet gently.

The Courier wanted to say no, but he trusted her to know what she was doing. She was a medic after all and probably had more knowledge then anyone in the wasteland minus actual wasteland doctors.

"Ok..." He gave her the gun.

"There, now I need you to stay calm. Everything is fine." She said gently.

"I hurt you." The Courier realized as he looked at her neck, right where he grabbed her. "You cried." He said.

"It's ok." She said dismissively. "I've had patients before who reacted when they didn't understand what was going on. And those were just tears. It's a normal response in stressful situations." She said, as she rubbed her throat.

"What happened?" He asked, able to talk easier now.

"I have a feeling you weren't used to such large crowds. So with so much around you, your instincts took over." She said.

"So I was cautious?" The Courier asked.

"Not exactly." She said. "Normally anxiety is good, it helps to keep us alive in stressful situations. But since you've never been surrounded by people like that, and you're past traumas have kept you constantly alert, you just had too much stimuli and it caused you to have an anxiety attack." She said.

"I've never felt like that before." He said.

"I don't think you've ever taken a moment to rest like you have today." She said sadly.

"But it was so sudden." The Courier said.

"It normally is." She replied back. "Don't worry, we'll get you back to the hotel. I'll get a cab." She said. She got up from her crouched stance and went back onto the street to get a cab for the both of them.

The Courier took a few more deep breaths as he sat on the wall. What the hell happened to him? That never happened before. He never had... whatever it was she was talking about. It was like suddenly there was too much around him and he couldn't breathe anymore. He saw everyone as a threat, and interpreted every touch as a potential attack. He never felt that before.

"I got a cab, let's go." She said as she gently helped him off the ground.

"I still don't know why that happened." He said.

"Soldiers who have been on alert in combat for so long become very paranoid in crowds." She said. "It's a common theme with people who have had to go through long periods of stress and fear. So with so much around you, you couldn't keep track of everything and the stimuli overloaded your senses." She said.

As they got into the taxi, he had a moment to breathe and focus. He was just going to try and rest and hopefully forget this whole event ever happened.

After getting the Courier to his hotel room, Kurokawa decided to head down to the bar to get a stiff drink. That was horrifying.

She was used to patients trying to attack her when they didn't realize where they were, but she was honestly afraid she was about to die. It almost reminded them of how they first met, when he interpreted them as enemies. He was reaching for his gun to shoot her, right in the middle of the crowd.

Of course it wasn't his fault. The amount of trauma he went through caused him to be constantly on alert, even when he was safe and sound in a calm area. The crowd only made the situation worse. She noticed how his body started to tense up as the crowd got thicker and thicker. Like he was reacting to even the smallest thing. Then when they were separated, he almost lost it.

She couldn't imagine the horror he went through. He told the stories in such a mundane way that you'd expect he was recounting a hiking trip he took. She noticed he always left a lot of things out from his stories, especially when he seemed affected by them.

He buried his grief and trauma with humor and stories. All the time he has said that people exaggerated his exploits, he does the same as well. Only he leaves out key details that he doesn't want to relive.

Trauma is all he can think about. He can't separate his experiences with the now. Every time he would look at something or try something, he'd look of into the distance as he remembered something from his past. It was sad.

"Hey Kurokawaaaaa." Kuribayashi said as she stumbled over to her, clearly having a few too many drinks.

"We're going to the Diet tomorrow Kuribayashi, you shouldn't be drinking." She laughed.

"Oh don't be such a mom." She complained and sat next to her.

"How was your day?" She asked.

"Oh, it was great. Got a chance to take good old red hat on a date." She laughed.

"Did you take him to another fighting ring?" She asked in amusement. The petite woman always took her dates somewhere where they could get into a fight for some reason. The girl had no desire to do anything romantic or friendly. Which is probably why she's still single.

"Yup." She said happily... making Kurokawa sweat drop.

"And how'd you like it?" She asked.

"Oh it was nice." She smiled. That's a new one. Normally she was sad because her date would call it off.

"What happened?" She asked.

"At first he was all... "I don't want to hurt you..." and went easy on me. Then I started to punch him in the face." She laughed and swayed a little bit.

"Oh?" Kurokawa said confused... how did he not leave?

"Then he went all out. Pinned me down and started getting me into all kind of submission poses." Kurokawa desperately hoped they were still talking about fighting. "Apparently those recon guys know how to fight." She smiled.

"Shino, there are bite marks on your neck." Kurokawa pointed out.

"Oh yea... it was a quick fight when he got serious." She laughed.

"Then he showed you... other submission poses... right?" She asked, worried about the answer.

"Let me tell you, he's not like other men who are so timid around me, or like westerners that treat me like some submissive housewife that's too delicate to hold." She grinned. "He went all out, I was actually kind of scared." She bragged.

"And that's a good thing!?" Kurokawa almost yelled.

"Oh yea!" She yelled back. "I thought I was going to die. It was so great."

"Shino... I always thought you were a sadist... but apparently I got it backwards." She said.

No wonder she always beat up every guy that approached her. At first the medic thought she was just a sadist that loved causing pain. Now she sees that Kuribayashi was trying to get those guys to push back.

"Ok Shino... time for bed." Kurokawa said as she took her drink.

"Oh come on, I just started." She wined. Clearly she didn't just start.

Kurokawa guided her back to the room so she can get some good rest before the Diet tomorrow. Although they wouldn't be actually speaking, it would look incredibly bad to show up hungover. Maybe a bottle of water before bed will help Kuribayashi.

And another one down. Hope you guys enjoy. Next chapter we'll actually be getting back into the politics. I didn't intend for these to go as long as they did, but I think it's important to build up the characters before they all meet each other. Hope you guys enjoy.