(Y/n)'s POV

All I saw was black... I couldn't feel anything... Where am I?

Not long after, my senses started to come back to me. I could feel something as soft as silk over me as my body was laying on something comfortable. My eyes slowly open as the darkness goes away and I regain my vision. I scan my new surroundings, only to be met with a dark room. I notice that I was laying on a bed that had dark-colored sheets on it. I was still in my skating outfit, but I didn't have my boots on.

I slowly and steadily lift my head up from the pillow it was resting on as I try to sit up. My head hurt a little, probably from what happened to me earlier, which caused me to flinch slightly as I lift my hand up and place it over my head. I remember that I was hit by something just as I crossed the road, so it had to have been a car. But I'm surprised that I had no other severe injuries. Cherry was hit by a skateboard and he got more injuries than me...

The sudden thought of Cherry also makes me remember what happened before I got hit by the car... I was about to be taken away from the inspector, and Kaoru was the reason why. A feeling of sadness washes over me as I look down as my mind drifted to that sudden realization, not even bothering to wonder where I was.

But that wasn't until a deep and chilling voice is heard from my right.

"Oh, you're awake. Good~"

That intimidating voice sends a chill down my spine as I tense up. I put my hand down as I look in the direction I heard the voice, and what I saw made me shudder. Sitting on a chair just a few feet away from the bed I was on was a tall male with dark-blue hair and was wearing a business suit. His red velvet eyes were locked onto mine as a smirk was plastered on his face. I could have sworn I saw this grown man before in public, like during the time I went to spy on Miya that one day, but he also looked like someone I know.

It was the voice that gave it away because I knew exactly who it was.

"A-Adam?" I stutter as my eyes widen at the sight of him. That's when I realize... I was in his house. This is his room. And this is his bed that I was sitting on. I try to back away from him as much as possible, but I make sure I'm not that close to the edge of the bed to not fall since I just woke up from getting knocked out.

Adam sees the fear in my eyes, which causes him to chuckle in amusement. "Don't look so afraid, darling. I have no intention of hurting you. I just want to talk with you," the man says with a smirk as he rests his chin on his hand.

This didn't make me feel any less scared only because I'm in his presence now and he could do anything to me at this point. I lift up an eyebrow when he says that, but I make sure to stay cautious in case he does try to do anything. "Talk? About what?" I ask him.

"Just about a few things regarding your inheritance and background. I already know a lot about you, (Y/n)~" Hearing my name coming from him made me cringe. This was the first time he ever called me by my first name and I already don't like it.

Besides that, I brush that aside as I grew more curious about what he wanted to talk with me about. "Like what?" I ask him with a suspicious tone of voice.

Adam's smirk grows, if that's even possible when it's coming from him, as he speaks up again as a reply to my question. "You're parents for example. It is clear to me that your mother passed away. Her name is (M/n) (L/n), is that correct?"

What he just said caught me off guard. I wasn't expecting him to bring up such a topic during this time. It also surprised me that he knew my mom's name. Is he hiding something? "H-how do you know?" I was able to stutter another question as I was still processing everything that he was saying.

"As a politician, I have my ways of getting the resources I need to know about someone's secrets," Adam briefly tells me. To be honest, the way he put that sentence together made it sound creepy, especially since he is a creep when skating. The only thing that confuses me is that he's not really acting like one at the moment. He sounds serious when he talks but he still has some of that sinister tone of voice.

But now that I stop and think about it, I do remember back when I was at the hospital, the inspector who came to the room said that she didn't know who my mom was because she wasn't in the "system" or whatever it was called. If she didn't know, then how does Adam know? "But how is it that you know about my mother but the investigator who came by the hospital didn't?"

"You mean Kiriko?" Adam asks before continuing without giving me the chance to respond. "As I said before, I have my ways. My secretary was able to gain more knowledge about the case and hid a few interesting pieces of information about your relatives, like your mother's name." He pauses for a moment as he leans back a bit in his chair, looking as if he was deep in thought. "As for your father, Tadashi was not able to get any intel on his identity, which then leads inspectors to assume that you cannot stay here in Okinawa because they think it would be safe for a child such as yourself to go back to your English-speaking country. The one place you grew up in, except you would be sent to an orphanage since you have no other relatives to look after you."

I let out a sigh as I look down for a second and then look back up at Adam. "That is true. But why am I here?"

"I knew that Kiriko had all of the information she needed to send you back home, which meant that you would not be able to participate in my tournament at 'S,' and I can't have that happen to you, now can I~?"

At that moment, my mind went back to the time when I was almost taken away, which was also the time when I found out what Cherry did a while back ago. A small frown appears on my face as I look down again with my hands over one another, trying to stop myself from fidgeting. "Right. Well, I guess you arrived at the right time when you practically hit me with your car."

Adam chuckled in his usual creepy way as he looks at me with those red eyes that looked like they could see right through me. "I do apologize for the inconvenience of that incident. I did not expect you to run out of the hospital building in such a rush. I'm guessing you were there to see Cherry Blossom?"

I nod my head as I avoid eye contact with the man. I get the chills every time I look at him, but I was still feeling a bit down from what happened at the hospital. "You got that right... He seems to be doing fine. Wonder if he's proud of himself," I say almost with an annoyed tone in my voice.

I may not have been looking at him, but I could only assume that he lifted up an eyebrow and his smirk never disappeared. "You found out what he did, didn't you? So tragic, isn't it? Especially since he was one of the few who you trusted the most."

I don't know how many times this guy can surprise me because I look up at him with wide eyes. He also knew about what Cherry did?! "How do you...?" I stop myself as I think for a moment. He gave me a look as if telling me that he already told me how. My shocked face subsides when I remember how he knows all of this stuff. "Right. You're a politic. You have your own way of finding things out."

"It's 'politician.'" Adam corrects, but I just ignore him as I cross my arms over my chest and look to the side with a deadpanned look on my face.

"Whatever," I say as I close my eyes, feeling as if a tick mark formed on my head. I keep my eyes closed as I proceed to speak to Adam. "The point is I don't feel like seeing him right now. It feels like I'm losing people's trust as time goes on. Now someone is looking for me to take me away... And I don't want that. I've made so many memories here in Okinawa that I don't want to lose it by going back home." I open my eyes as my annoyed expression vanishes and changes to a shameful one. "So if it's alright with you, I'm not going to be continuing your tournament, Adam. Everyone else is going to be there and I don't want things for me to shoot up from there."

It was silent after the request I made, which made me nervous. I don't know if Adam is still going to force me to race, but what he said surprised me, which doesn't really surprise me from all of the sudden surprises I've been getting recently. "Very well. I will withdraw you from the tournament and find someone else to take your place if you wish. It is understandable why you are feeling this way, and I don't want my birdie to feel that way~" he says as he strokes my cheek with his fingers.

A shiver goes down my spine from the touch, but I quickly brush his hand away as I look to the side, getting annoyed once again. "And if it's okay with you, I think I'm going to leave now. I'd rather be alone to deal with my problems."

"Of course, my dear. Just exit the manor from the back. Tadashi will be waiting to escort you out," he says as he stands up from the chair he was sitting on and walks over to the door of the room. He stops when he's at the doorway to look back at me with the same smirk. 'Ugh! That smirk of his always finds a way to creep up on me even when I am looking.' "As of right now, I have some business to take care of, so I will leave you to it. Until we meet again, (Y/n)~" he lastly says before exiting the room and walking down the hallway to who-knows-where.

And the moment he did leave, I got a huge sense of relief. I let out a sigh as I lean back a bit, trying to take slow and easy breaths to ease off my nerves. "'Until we meet again'? I don't think I'd want to see him again. He didn't even tell me where the back door is." I look down at the bedsheets that were still covering up my legs as I was leaning back on the bedframe. Realization kicked in when I remembered that this was Adam's room and his bed that I was still sitting on.

.

.

.

"Ew."

I quickly get off the bed and put my boots on. I notice my skateboard was laying on one side of the room, so I go over to it to pick it up after I had my boots on. Once I made sure I had everything, I walk out of the room and wander in the hallways of the manor I was in. I found the stair pretty quickly from the high pace I was walking, but I made sure I was also quiet when doing so. Who knows if there were other people living here? There are more rooms on the second floor, so I could assume that there are.

After a few more seconds that felt like minutes or even hours, I make it out of the manor and into the backyard. By now, the sun was already rising, meaning that it was going to be the start of a new day. I look around the backyard with an amazed expression plastered on my face. I've never seen any backyard this big with flowers and bushes and also a pool with no water in it. I look down in the pool and wonder to myself.

"Hm. Why have a pool if you're not going to have water in it?" But right as that sentence leaves my mouth, I notice something in the corner of my eye. I take a closer look at the smooth concrete of the pool and see marks. They look like smear marks from the wheels of a skateboard. That was when I realized... "Oh. So this is used for skateboarding. Huh, I've never really thought about using a pool for that."

I was too busy talking with my own thoughts that I never noticed someone approaching me slowly.

"It's a bad idea."

I was startled by hearing the unfamiliar voice. I look up and see a tall male in a business suit with dark hair and a mole under his right eye. He had an expressionless look on his face as his green eyes stare right into my (e/c) eyes. At first, I was confused about who he was, but then remembered what Adam said earlier about leaving this place. I also realized that this man just spoke English, so talking with him wouldn't be a problem. I stand up straighter as I held my skateboard close to my chest.

"Are you Tadashi?" I ask but then think back to what he said. "What do you mean it's a bad idea? What's a bad idea?"

The man nods his head in response to the first question and then speaks for the last two questions I asked. "Skateboarding. I can see why many people find the sport intriguing, but it's not worth the time. I suggest you quit skating."

I was surprised to hear Tadashi say that. I hardly know who he is, but I intend to know more about his opinion on skating. I tilt my head to the side a bit as I lean on one leg to keep myself stable while standing. "Why's that?" I ask him.

"Skateboarding is very dangerous. There is a high chance for you to get severely injured, especially in a place like 'S.' It could have a bad reputation for you, given the fact that you are still a child. In the end, it only causes much pain and unhappiness," Tadashi explains to me, but the way he explained it to me made it sound like he's had some experience with skateboarding as well.

"I can see where you're getting at. It sounds like you know a lot about skateboarding," I tell him, but Tadashi seemed to have flinched a bit when I said the last part. He looked hesitant to speak again as he looks down at the empty pool with the smear marks, but he lets out a breath to continue talking. "I've had my experiences with skateboarding before and it did not turn out well. Not for me, but for someone else."

I get interested in what he had to say about his experiences, so I remain quiet as I stand there and listen to the man with no expression on his face. "That person always had a strict life and found skateboarding as a breather to get away from it, but it lead him to become more dangerous than he was before. He's hoping to find someone who has the same potential and talent as himself to skate along with and be in a world where it's just him and his 'Eve.'"

This whole explanation and description of the person Tadashi was describing sounds a lot like someone I know. It is a possibility that he's talking about Adam, but I don't want to assume that it's him... 'Yeah, it's Adam.'

Tadashi seemed to have realized that he might have said too much as he looks back at me. "I shouldn't be talking about this... and I can't force you to stop skateboarding either. I have my own opinions about that sport, but so do you. I think it would be wise if you think about everything I said and make the decision yourself," he says as he then takes a step to the side and gestures for me to follow him. "Please follow me, child. I will escort you out."

I nod my head as I follow Tadashi toward the back gate of the manor. He opens it and allows me to exit. As I do, he clears his throat just before he spoke again.

"My condolences for your mother."

I stop in my tracks and look back at Tadashi. I didn't expect him to say that, but it at least made me feel like someone out here still cares. I smile up at him as I also remember that if it wasn't for him, then Inspector Kamata would have found out who my mom was. I bow my head to him in a thankful manner.

"Thank you. I really appreciate your help," I tell him. I could see the corners of his mouth curling up as a small smile slowly formed on his face. He bows his head as well, more than likely returning the gesture.

And with that, I lift the hood of my jacket over my head as I turn around and walk off. I felt a sense of relief not that I was not in the manor anymore. But now that I'm out in public, I have to make sure that no one finds me suspicious, especially since the inspector is now after me. I have to find a place to hide during the day and be able to sneak off during the night to go to 'S.' I am still planning on going to 'S'-- not tonight though-- to at least see how the tournament is doing, but I'm not going to be a part of it.

I felt that there was no other place for me to go to, but then I remember a place where I felt like I could hide when the sun is up...

~~~~~~~~~~

After a few minutes, I find myself coming to a stop on my skateboard just as I arrive at my destination. I look up and see the abandoned Drive-In that I always slept in every night. Honestly, I've never felt so happy to be here.

I let out a breath as I step off my skateboard and pick it up off the ground. I walked toward the entrance and was about to enter the empty building but stop. I look to the side and see that open area that was just to the idea of the building, which is where I assume is used to park cars for the Drive-In. I was curious about what was over there because I haven't been back there before. If anything, I just had a quick peek.

I look at the door I was about to enter through one more time before walking in that direction to the side of the Drive-In.

With my skateboard still in my arms, I look around and take in every detail. There was graffiti on menu boards and steel pillars of the canopy. Everything looked so old that I'm surprised that it hasn't been taken down. But yet again, I wouldn't mind if it wasn't taken down. I like to think that old things hold an important story to them.

That's what my mom always told me...

I let out a sigh as I look down, feeling sad at the memory of my mom and the promise I made to her after she died. "I'm sorry, Mom. I let you down. I won't be able to find my dad," I mumble in a low tone, praying that her spirit was able to hear me if she was even watching me from above.

My heart was hurting as I felt tears welling up in my eyes. I quickly wipe the tear from my eye as I go over to the side of the Drive-In restaurant to sit down and take a breather. But as I do, something on the wall of the structure catches my attention.

Upon close inspection, I notice that it was a smear mark... almost like the smear mark I saw in the empty pool of Adam's backyard, except it was a little different. The marks travel up the wall about a few feet high and then go back down, making it look like an upside-down "U" or a rainbow.

It was until then that I realized what made these marks. They were the marks of wheels from a skateboard. It made me curious about what kind of trick it was to make those marks. I trace my fingers on the marks and feel the rough texture of the stoned material on the wall.

"I wonder..."

Looking behind me, I take a few steps back to create some distance between myself and the wall. I put my skateboard down and rest my foot on it. I take a deep breath for a quick second before pushing myself towards the wall. It felt as if time had stopped for me as I got closer and closer to it. When I knew the time was right, I pull an Ollie and let the wheels of my board travel in the same motion as the wheel marks. As the wheels slide across the wall for a good few seconds, gravity pulls my board back down and I land perfectly.

I was looking down as I try to recall what kind of trick that was. "A Crail Snatcher?" I say to myself as I look back at the wheel marks on the same spot I skated on. I knew that trick. My mom taught me the trick a long time ago. It was one of the few tricks she knew.

"How..." I didn't get the chance to finish my sentence when I saw another pair of wheel marks, but this time on the ground. I walk over to it with my skateboard and knelt down to get a better look at it. The marks look like it was made when a skateboard landed an Ollie, maybe not just any Ollie, but the curve looked familiar.

I picked up my skateboard and aligned the wheels with the marks on the ground and had my board follow the little trail that was on the concrete floor. If I was correct, the way the skateboard would land would be after someone nailed a Laser Flip.

"Huh, that's weird. Mom also knew how to do that trick," I mumble to myself. This had to be a coincidence. How is it that two tricks that my mom knew to pull off are done here? It was clear to me that someone skated here in the past. It could have been anyone, but what if that person was...

"Mom?" My eyes widen after the sudden realization. My mom did grow up here and knew how to do many cool tricks when she was younger. This must have been someplace she always went to do some awesome tricks. "She was here before."

A sudden emotional feeling flowed inside of me as I felt a smile spread across my face. I look up at the sky and it was as if I could feel her presence right now. I at least felt like I belonged in this part of Okinawa since the one person I love the most left many memories behind.

The soft breeze of the wind blows past me as I pull the hood of my jacket down, allowing my (h/l) (h/c) hair to flow with the cool air. The sun shined down on me as it was now up higher in the sky. At this moment, it felt as if nothing else mattered.

All of my worries and fears seemed to have vanished and were now replaced with the familiar sensation of peace... Almost like a spark that is starting off small but will soon grow into a flame as more fuel is added to the source.

A/n: I'm sleepy, but here it is! I tried to write as much as I could throughout the week but was in pain. Don't worry, though, I'm feeling much better now. Many things are escalating in the chapters now, but things will get better in the future ones. Trust me. Thanks for reading and, like always, I'll see you lovely readers in the next chapter!!!