Stand In The Rain

She never slows down
She doesn't know why but she knows that when
She's all alone
Feels like its all
Coming down

She won't turn around
The shadows are long and she fears if she cries
That first tear
The tears will not stop
Raining down

Was it stupid to be standing in the rain, not even trying to find shelter? Quite possibly, but Yuyuko Kurusu didn't really care at the moment. It was this week two years ago that her daughter Miki had disappeared, and Yuyuko was... well, depressed. Still, it wasn't the kind where she broke down crying. THat was reserved for the anniversary of her marriage, her husband's death, his birthday, and Miki's birthday. Those were the days she just lost it. Now, however, she was simply numb.

So stand in the rain
Stand your ground
Stand up when its all crashing down
You stand through the pain
You won't drown
And one day what's lost can be found
You stand in the rain

She won't make a sound
Alone in this fight with herself
And the fears
Whispering
If she stands
She'll fall down

She pulled out her cellphone, checking the time, and sighed. As she'd suspected, she'd indeed missed the bus. She'd wanted to get home early and take a bath after work, but that seemed unlikely now. She hefted her thankfully waterproof duffel bag that held her maid uniform onto her shoulder, and checked the street sign. "...Twelve blocks from home... well, this should be an adventure..." She let out another sigh, and started walking. She was already soaked, her clothes clinging tightly to her skin in a rather... attractive way, her hair plastered down as well.

She wants to be found
The only way out is through everything
She's running from
Wants to give up
And lie down

So stand in the rain
Stand your ground
Stand up when its all crashing down
You stand through the pain
You won't drown
And one day what's lost can be found
You stand in the rain

The rain actually started to pick up, and it was getting chilly, something that made things just so much more enjoyable for her. She couldn't afford to get a cold right now. Worse, it was getting harder to see through the thick sheet of rain. She could step into some building and wait the rain out, but she needed to get home. What if someone called with information on Miki? What if Miki came home, and couldn't get inside the locked house so had to wait in the rain? Unlikely, but a mother could dream.

So stand in the rain
Stand your ground
Stand up when its all crashing down
You stand through the pain
You won't drown
And one day what's lost can be found

So stand in the rain
Stand your ground
Stand up when its all crashing down
You stand through the pain
You won't drown
And one day what's lost can be found
You stand in the rain

Was it stupid to be standing in the rain, not even trying to find shelter? Probably. The sound of the rain soothed him a little. He was seven blocks from his office and had just missed the bus. Seven blocks wasn't too bad.

Maximilian Sypher flipped up his collar and started walking. *Today of all days.* he thought. He brought his cupped hand up to his mouth and took a long drag of his mostly dry cigarette. *How old would you be now Olivia? Four? Five?* He mused, *I wonder what you would have looked like.* Is seemed fitting it was raining. Especially today. It marked the anniversary of this wife and daughter's accident.

He dropped the cigarette and it hissed for just an instant as it hit the ground and pulled out his pack. They were soaked. "Damn." He swore under his breath. He had more at his office but that was another six and a half blocks away. *Mental note: Don't put smokes in the trench coat pocket. Keep them under it. At least his guns were dry.

He wanted to get back so he could take a shower and wash off the day. He had just gotten the evidence he needed to prove his employer that his wife was cheating on him. The pictures were captured on his digital camera stuck in the case slung over his shoulder. He walked for another half block before he noticed the woman next to him. She was soaked to the bone. He would have offered her his coat but it wouldn't change the fact that she was already wet. The rain picked up and it had a chill to it. She was obviously troubled by something. Many years as a police detective and a privet investigator told him that.

Max wasn't in the mood for conversation but it seemed they were traveling the same direction. "You okay?" he asked. He tossed his wet pack into the nearest trash can.

Yuyuko hadn't even noticed the man until he spoke to her, and when he did, she jumped back in surprise, letting out a soft cry of shock and placing a hand over her heart, looking at him with wide eyes. "O-oh... h-hello." She recovered quickly, taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry, you just startled me. As for whether I'm okay... I'm as okay as you could expect, being out in the rain like this. Thank you for asking though." She smiled warmly, and it was almost genuine. She'd had two years to perfect it, after all. It reached her eyes even. Yet for anyone who was a master at reading people, they'd see the tightness in the smile, the subtle signs of it being forced. To anyone else, it would look completely real.

Max wasn't fooled by the smile but she had put an effort into it so he let it pass. "Look I know this sounds a bit forward but my office is only five blocks from here. I figure since we're going in the same direction you could take shelter there until the rain stops." He said Then he smacked his forehead. "I'm sorry introductions first." He held out a wet hand. "I'm Max. I own the privet detective firm just down the street." He offered.

Yuyuko blinked, looking at him in surprise, then let out a soft sigh, nodding. "Alright. I'm Yuyu, it's nice to meet you. Please, lead the way." Internally, she was thinking things over. 'It seems I've finished work for the day on one job, only to start work on another. Still, this kind of work generally pays rather well, so it's worth it. Just have another reason to shower once I get home. I just hope he doesn't want something really strange...'

Max paused in step a bit. There were subtle signs that she wasn't too thrilled about it. *Then why would she agree to it?* he thought. He glanced at her "You don't have to if you don't want to." He said and coughed a little. He found it a little strange that she would agree to go with him even if it was a bit reluct- He coughed again this time harder. Soon it was a full blown coughing fit. He grabbed a handkerchief from his pocket and coughed into it. When he was done he pulled it away and there was some blood on it. Max shoved it in his pocket and reached into another one.

He uncapped the bottle of cough syrup and took a few swallows. "Sorry about that." He said, "But like I said it's up to you." He continued walking. "It never rains, it pours." he mused.

Well... now she felt a little better about this. She worked as a nurse, she'd seen this sort of behavior before. 'Likely some sort of respiratory disease. Obviously not a contagious one, or he'd be in quarantine.... right, he threw a pack of cigarretes into the trash. So he's a smoker... lung cancer, most likely.' She looked at him in concern, then waved him off. "It's fine, was just caught off guard. Please, we should hurry and get out of the rain." If he had lung cancer... well, it would be nice to make someone who was suffering feel better.

Max's mouth twitched into something resembling a smile but not quite. He nodded and hurried to his office. It was a side building with no windows. Just a door that read "Max Sypher Privet Detective." He fumbled with his keys and unlocked the door. Soon he was in and flipping on the lights. He waited for Yuyu to enter before closing the door. "Oh good I remembered to leave the heat on." He shrugged out of his overcoat and place it on the hanger. His office was relatively tidy. A long row of filing drawers lined one wall. His desk was simple. It had a laptop phone and and some file sorters. There was also some sparse furniture placed strategically around the "common area" the largest was the Futon.

Max walked over to the coffee machine, "Home sweet home." He said and poured out the old stuff. He looked at Yuyu, "The bathroom's over there. Towels in closet next to it. In the bathroom is a portable washer and dryer." He said as he finished up making the coffee. Now to wait for it to brew. He walked over to a filing drawer close to the bathroom and opened it. He pulled out a shirt. "Here, until your clothes dry." He offered.

He walked over to his desk and set the camera down on it. "I just gotta handle a little business real quick." He plugged in the camera and waited for the laptop to boot up.

Max looked back to Yuyu, "How do you take your coffee?" He asked.

Yuyuko, after looking around the room, and giving the shirt an odd look, shrugged. "I prefer it rather sweet, honestly. I don't like it bitter at all, just sweet." She glanced around a bit more, setting the shirt on the arm of the futon. "Bathroom is over there... where do you sleep? On the futon?" That would be unfortunate, she found it uncomfortable to do this on a couch or futon... then again, the times it had been on a couch or futon, they had been rather rough with her. Her husband being the exception.

Max typed on the computer and nodded. "Yup. I basically live here. I have an apartment but I'm rarely there." he commented. Once he up loaded the pictures he started printing them. Then he went to work on his closing report. It didn't take long for the coffee to be done. *Ah the wonders of Japanese technology.* He thought. He stood and walked over to the machine. Grabbing two mugs he fixed two cups. One sweet and one not so much. He handed Yuyu her cup with a few creamers.

As Max walked back to his desk he sipped the liquid lava. Burning his tongue he stopped and put his hand to his mouth. "Sonofa!" He looked back, "Careful, it's hot." He said.

Yuyuko nodded slightly, setting her coffee down as she looked at the futon in mild displeasure. It passed quickly though, and she shrugged. She picked up her coffee again, and took several quick drinks. It burned, yes, but she was used to quickly downing coffee in the mornings, so she was used to it. Besides that, she did blow on it a bit... not that it did much. Then, feeling it was likely best to get it over with, she sighed a bit. It was unintentional timing, but while Max was focused on his work, Yuyuko pulled her tank-top off, over her head, freeing her impressive bust as she started unfastening her belt. The fact that she was still soaking wet would only make the image that much more... eyecatching, once Max noticed.

"So, how did you want to do this, Mr. Sypher?"

Max was still typing on his laptop when she asked her question. He looked up and stared for a moment. Then it turned into two. Finally he realized he was gawking and shook his head slightly. He felt guilty.

Max stood and walked over grabbing the shirt. "This isn't what I had in mind." He said softly. Now he knew why she was reluctant to come before. "My offer was genuine." He covered her breasts with the shirt. "Please don't take offense. You are a very beautiful woman. an actual smile crept on to his face and his eyes warmed a little. He backed away, "Enjoy your coffee, there's plenty more." He said and walked back to his desk. He sat down and started coughing again. It wasn't as bad this time. He grabbed his bottle of cough syrup and took a few more swallows.

He leaned back in his chair. *I wonder what her story is.* he thought. Then he laced his fingers behind his head. He would wait to see what she would do before asking his questions.

Yuyuko was an intelligent woman, but sometimes she could get a bit confused when she was tired. As such, it didn't yet register what exactly Max meant. She frowned, pulling the shirt away, and crossing her arms. "Mr. Sypher, I'd prefer to get this over with quickly, then we can negotiate my payment. I'm also aware the offer was genuine, and I appreciate that you won't just kick me out into the rain afterward. So again, how would you like to do this? ...Though it's up to you, since you are the one paying me for this, I'd prefer if you were not too rough."

Max was a little confused. His eyes instantly drawn to her bare skin. He shook his head. "Yuyu, I didn't invite you here for that. I asked you to come here so you could get out of the rain and wait it out. You were cold and wet. I was only trying to help." He said and stood again. He walked back over and picked up the shirt and held it out to her.

Yuyuko's confusion was evident on her face, followed by scepticism, then realization, then horror. She quickly grabbed the shirt, turning away and pulling the shirt on. She didn't turn back around, wrapping her arms around herself as her face burned with embarrassment and shame. Normally, she just accepted this work as a means to finding her daughter, but here, in this situation... in her mind, this misunderstanding made her look like complete trash. It wasn't the case, but she didn't know that.

"I...I see... I ap-pologize... m-maybe I should leave anyway, I've p-probably made you uncomfortable..."

Max still stood there. He slipped his hands into his pockets. "No, not at all. It was a simple misunderstanding. It's been cleared up." He placed a hand on her shoulder and ushered her to a chair. One of his recliners. "Come on, have a seat, dry your clothes and finish your coffee. If you still want to leave after that I won't stop you. Though I do ask you take an umbrella and one of my coats. It's still cold and wet out there."

He walked back to his desk and sat down. He knew she was feeling embarrassed and a little vulnerable so he gave her some space. While he would like to say this was the first time this had happened in truth it wasn't. It happened once in Chicago. "The chair has a built in massage with a heating pad." He took a sip of his coffee it was a little cooler. He turned in his chair and cracked open a window. "You mind if I smoke?" He asked as he reached for a pack in his desk.

Yuyuko was taking his advice, sipping her coffee this time as she sat there in silent embarrassment, but couldn't help but comment on that last question. "I do, and I don't. The smoke doesn't bother me, but you smoking when you obviously have a respiratory problem, I'm guessing lung cancer, does bother me. You should take better care of yourself... ah, sorry, it's none of my business..."

Max shrugged, "The way I see it. Quitting smoking now isn't gonna stop it so I may as well enjoy it." He flipped out a smoke and caught it between his teeth. He lit it and leaned back in his chair. He decided it was time to pry a little. "So what's your story? You don't have to answer, I just have a natural curiosity." he puffed and blew the smoke out the window.

Yuyuko paused looking back at him. "What do you mean, my 'story'? ...Oh, and since you weren't picking me up for sex, I can tell you my name is Yuyuko Kurusu. Yuyu is just for... that. I don't want people to look me up after."

Max nodded, "Understandable. What I meant by 'your story' is tell me about yourself." He said taking another drag. "Just general conversation." He said.

((Not my best post but it's all I could think of lol))

Yuyuko frowned a bit, not really sure how to respond at first. "I'm... not sure what to say, to be honest. I work three jobs, I live by myself in an apartment, I'm a widow, and every cent I make that doesn't go to necessary expenses is used in trying to find my daughter. That's the basic summary of what my life has been like for the past two years..."

Max nodded, "It's been..." He looked at his watch. "Four and a half years since my wife and daughter died. So I can empathize a little with you. Three jobs? Damn... I haven't done that since I was a kid. Now you mentioned what doesn't do towards expenses goes towards finding your daughter? What happened to her and how have you gone about this?" He crushed out his cigarette and grabbed a pen. "That is if you don't mind my asking."

Yuyuko's gaze dropped, and she bit her lip. "...Two years ago, this week, two days from now to be exact, Miki just... disappeared. No sign of a break in, no struggle, no witnesses. She just disappeared as if she'd never been here. Nobody found any evidence of anything, either. As for my methods... adds in national newspapers, television spots, and seven different private investigators. Some have low costs, and some accept... alternative payment methods."

Max nodded, "Ah I bet I can guess who those guys were." He said and jotted some notes down. "I have a few alternative methods I use in my investigations. Do you have a picture of her?" He asked. "Don't worry i'm just gonna poke around so I don't want any payment. Most of those guys are in it for the money. I don't have that problem." He said and pulled up a database on his computer. He then pulled out his roll-a-dex and thumbed through it.

Yuyuko didn't even hesitate, immediately pulling out her walled, and extracting a picture of Miki; one of many. She walked over to Max and handed it to him, sighing a bit. "Even if it wasn't free, I'd agree. Anything for my daughter..." She wasn't really sure what he could do, that hadn't been done in the past two years, but any chance was worth checking out.