He was surprised when Ellie got into the passenger seat of her own vehicle, but Kaz chalked it up to not only her attempting to let him be the gentleman, but also the shock of discovering such a morbid scene. Of course, that wasn't the only behavior that had surprised him; when she had laid her head on his chest while recounting the tale, his heart nearly stopped, then went into maximum overdrive for a perpetual eternity. He fought the urge to place his arms around her waist vehemently, but a compromise was reached subconsciously when his right arm slid loosely on her shoulders, holding her lavender scented presence (was it lavender? Did it smell at all like that or was he imagining things?) close to him. Neither one commented on the sudden intimacy, which suited the executive just fine. There would be more than enough time, hopefully, to discuss matters of the heart. 

He snorted a chuckle when they had been on the road for a couple of minutes and heard Ellie's greeting to his older brother, responding:
"Juntao will be happy to hear that you still remember him. He always considered you a good friend when we still...well, when we were here." While his father was less than ecstatic about Kaz's relationship with Ellie, Juntao proved to be an ally along with his mother, sticking up for Kaz whenever the elder Ujohiri would attempt to dissuade the younger brother from forming attachments. Juntao had received the worst of the "not forming relationships" mantra according to him and quickly resorted to having discreet relationships with multiple women across his academic and professional career, none of which panned out. In a sense, it appeared that Juntao was happy that his younger brother could have one steady, happy relationship unlike himself. That enthusiasm was dashed when they left, of course and history was written. 

"I'm sorry to hear about the divorce, but happy to know you have a roof over your head. Mortgages keep rising in cost exponentially and with the economic climate..." As the car came to a stop, he shook his head and gave her an apologetic glance. 
"How much of nerd did I just sound like? Goodness." Kaz nodded in appreciation at the invitation, walking into the shared home as he responded to her question: 
"Black is fine. Judging from the scent, I doubt it'll require anything else." Realizing he hadn't checked his phone for the inevitable conversation with Juntao, he withdrew his phone and checked his missed call notifications. 
"Unknown?" He mumbled, the caller ID of both missed calls registering as unknown numbers. A voicemail was left, prompting Kaz to check the message. The first few seconds were silent, but then he thought he heard slow breathing, labored, almost forced. A handful of seconds passed before a warbled voice spoke: 
"I see him. I see him right now. Hope you can see him too." The message ended there, hair on the back of his neck standing up on end, chill coursing slowly down his spine. Could it be...no. No it couldn't be linked to the body. Probably some moronic prank caller. Had to be. Right? 

When Ellie returned with coffee, he pocketed his phone and gratefully took the mug, asking with a feigned smile:
"So what IS it like being a vet? I know it was something you were always interested in, but for you to accomplish that dream is special."