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"What?" I mumbled out blankly, more confused than anything.

Sam groaned in anxiety, running a hand through his hair.

"Damn it, Ari! Why do you always intimidate me into telling you things?! You weren't supposed to know that!" Sam exclaimed, causing me to aggressively shush him in case Keigo was still sleeping.

"And why the hell would you think this is something I'm not supposed to know?? I'm your sister! You're supposed to be on my side, not hers! What does she want from you!? Do mom and dad know about this?!" I asked, as my mind started racing with fear. Diane was never supposed to involve my family in any of this...and by that, I mean my life with her.

From the moment I met her, I knew I wanted her as far away from my family as possible. I never wanted her to use them, or manipulate them, the way she does me. She was only allowed to talk to them occasionally, as a formality. That was our deal.

Clearly, she's breaking it.

"No, mom and dad don't know. Diane told me not to tell them. I am on your side! So is she! She's trying to help you. You know, she said you'd get all worked up about this if you found out. Guess she knows you pretty well-" Sam started saying, before I slammed my hands down on the counter.

"What does she want from you?!" I yelled, cursing myself for my outburst.

Sam hopped off the counter, starting to become more stressed from my attitude.

"She just asked me to keep tabs on you and Hawks. You know, whenever you called home I'm supposed to tell her if you mention him, and what you say about him. If anything new develops in your friendship, I'm supposed to tell her immediately. Normally, it's not a big deal. She'll usually only call me like once a week. But, when she found out Hawks was coming here for the weekend-" Sam started out, causing my heart to practically jump up my throat.

"WHAT?! You told her that Keigo was coming to visit for the weekend?! Why would you do that!!" I called out, throwing my hands up in frustration.

Sam titled his head in pure, utter confusion, watching my face turn to pure panic.

"I-I didn't think it was too big of a deal, Ari. It's not like she's gonna care. The whole reason she asked me to start watching you in the first place, was because she said she wanted to look out for you. But, she knew that if she pried into your personal life too much, you'd get mad....and she's right, apparently. She just asked me to do it in secret, and report back to her. She just wants to make sure you're okay." Sam mumbled, rehearsing the words Diane probably brainwashed into him.

I am furious. Diane's been talking to my brother behind my back. This is exactly what I was afraid of. She's using him. She's broken a very serious boundary for me.

I began anxiously pacing the kitchen, starting to think about all of the consequences to this, all of the things Sam could have told her. While my family didn't flat out know Keigo and I were dating until this weekend, I have told them quite a bit about our friendship. They know him pretty well, just from my phone conversations with them.

I immediately turned back to Sam, my eyes wide with fear.

"D-Did you tell her....I'm dating Keigo?" I croaked out, practically pleading for an answer.

"No!! I didn't find out about that until yesterday. But, that's why I was asking you all of those questions. Because I was...gonna tell her about it on Monday...." He explained, trailing off towards the end when he realized I was practically on the verge of tears.

"No, no, no. Sammy. Sammy, listen to me. You cannot tell her!! Do you understand? I will lose my job, I'll be expelled from school. Hawks will lose his hero agency. Please. You can't say anything about this!!" I exclaimed, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him lightly.

He looked at me in concern, his mouth dropping slightly ajar at my frantic state. Of course, this was a shocking sight for him to see. The only side of myself I ever really show to Sam, is my happiness and positivity. I never let him know when I'm not okay, because I don't want to worry him.

"W-Woah-o-okay!! Hey, relax. I won't say anything, if it means this much to you. I promise. I was just trying to look out for you!! I-I thought you liked Diane. She likes you! I don't think she'd be as mad about this as you think, Ari. She just wants what's best for you. If Hawks makes you happy, I'm sure she'd understand.....r-right...?" Sam reassured gently, quickly pulling me in for a hug.

I hugged him back, squeezing my eyes shut tightly at his pure innocence. This boy has no idea how awful things would go over, if Diane found out about me and Keigo. My entire life would be destroyed. So would Keigo's. So would my family's.

I didn't realize I was shaking in Sam's arms, until....

"Ari....oh my goodness. You're trembling. Come here, sit down." He mumbled, quickly taking me over to the kitchen table.

Wow. I really need to pull myself together, here.

After all....no one likes a drama queen, Ari.

"I'm okay." I uttered weakly, plopping down in the chair.

Sam remained quiet, watching me react to this news. He blankly stared at me, as I forced myself to calm down.

"You know...when I thought about what would happen if you ever found out I was keeping tabs on you and Hawks....I figured you'd be annoyed..." He started off, before grabbing my hand in a reassuring manner.

I looked up at him, noticing how focused he was. Clearly, he was trying to piece something together.

"It never once occurred to me....that you'd be......terrified, the way you are right now. I thought that since Diane always says she's like a second mother to you....you'd eventually get over it and move on. But....now that I think about it, you never really talk about Diane." Sam started off slowly, narrowing his eyes at me.

I quickly began shaking my head dismissively, trying to steer him away from this topic.

"Hm? You guys ask me about Diane all the time-"

"Yeah, we do. But, you never answer the questions. I mean you never really answer. Anytime Diane comes up in the conversation, you simply change the subject to something else. You'll acknowledge her for no more than a second, before you move onto something else. Something that makes you....happy." He whispered absentmindedly, blankly staring at the table as he started figuring me out.

Uh-oh. Don't let him find out, Ari. Don't let him find out that Diane is nothing more than an abuser.

"S-She does make me happy. It's just....a boss and an intern dating is a serious offense, for any workplace-"

"Ari, is Diane mean to you?" Sam quickly interrupted, his question firm and straightforward.

Firm and straightforward. Well, that was definitely his own question. Not Diane's.

I looked at him blankly, his question taking me off guard.

Sam noticed my hesitation, his brows knitting together, as he squeezed my hand protectively.

"Ari. Tell me the truth. Is Diane mean to you? I will not stand for that. Neither will mom and dad. Come on, talk to me." He said lowly, already starting to get the honest idea in his mind.

I opened my mouth to answer, suddenly feeling the weight and stress of the past eight years with Diane Himura, starting to tighten up my throat.

Pull yourself together, Ari.

No one likes a drama queen.

I swallowed my fears, quickly turning back to Sam.

Be strong for him. Be strong for my family.

It's time to finally find my poker face.

I smiled softly, as I forced all of my muscles to relax. Grabbing Sam's hand, I gave it a gentle reassuring pat, before forcing myself to speak confidently.

"Hey....Diane's been wonderful to me. Honestly. She's great. There's nothing to worry about. It's just....the fact that I'm dating Keigo is something I really don't think she should know about. Sammy, if I want her to know something, I will tell her myself. I promise. But, let me do it. Not you. Diane is my boss, and if she wants something, she can talk to me. I don't want you involved. Do you understand?" I said softly, giving him a small smile.

He was quiet for a moment, obviously trying to decipher any hidden meaning in my words.

Sam's a good kid. He's just young and a little naive sometimes. I know he didn't mean any harm by this.

"Alright. I'll trust what you say, Ari. I won't tell her a word. I'm sorry for going behind your back. It's just, Diane said if I did this, then maybe she'd trust you to come back home more often. Y-You just.....never get to come home, anymore. Sure, I visit you in the city, but I miss having you home. I haven't even been able to show you around my favorite places in town." He sighed, averting his gaze to the table in shame.

I felt my heart melt at my little brother's adorable nature, realizing he just...missed me.

"I'll try to come back more often. I'll ask Diane to give me more time off." I reassured gently, giving his floppy hair a ruffle.

Sorry, Sammy. But, that was an empty reassurance. Diane will not give me more time off. But, I'm doing this for you, little brother. I hope that one day, you'll understand.

He simply nodded, clearly feeling extremely guilty about this whole thing.

As much as I didn't want to continue prying about this topic, I needed to. For my own safety. For Keigo's safety.

"So, what does Diane know about Keigo and I? What have you told her so far?" I asked, wiping my sweaty palm on my leg.

"Not much. I promise. Basically, just that you guys are close friends, and that Hawks came to visit for the weekend. That's it." He quickly said, looking at me apologetically.

I nodded, as I suddenly remembered something from this morning.

Keigo said Diane called him this morning. I bet it was about this.

"I'm gonna go talk to Keigo." I smiled, before standing up from the table.

Sam quickly stood up with me, stopping me from leaving.

"A-Ari, I'm sorry. I really am. What can I do to help you? Anything?" He suggested, clearly starting to become stressed about this.

"Hey, don't worry about it. I'll take care of this, okay? Just don't give Diane anymore information. It's gonna be fine." I grinned, trying to hide my stress from him so he wouldn't worry.

Sam swallowed thickly, pursing his lips in thought, before he finally caved.

"Okay. Well, don't hesitate to ask me for help." He stated, giving me a small nod.

I returned the action, before quickly making my way towards Keigo's room.

.......

Upon arriving in front of Keigo's door, I was about to knock...before I stopped myself. What if he was still sleeping? I didn't want to wake him.

Instead of knocking, I decided to open the door very quietly.

I tip toed inside, noticing his bed was empty. Actually, his entire room was empty. Where the hell was he?

I was about to call for him, when the sound of his voice stopped me.

"I don't know what the hell you want me to prove. I've done everything I can to gain your trust." I heard him say from the balcony.

Keigo?

I've never heard that tone of voice from him before. So angry. So sinister...

So dark.

But, that was definitely him speaking. Now the only question is...

Who is he talking to?