(Don't own it.) -squeals- I hope that "the near future" comes soon.

Part Two of Promise

No matter how much I tried I couldn't stop thinking about him, even when I was asleep. It was beginning to bug me. I even walked into a wall today because he walked by. Kakei laughed at me and told me to take the day off and go for a walk. Maybe if I stayed away, I could get over this obsession.

I took Kakei's advice and went on a walk, hopefully it would clear my mind. After a block or two, I walked past a store that sang familiar. I looked through the window and saw a trinket box. It was the same trinket box that I was going to give Tsukiko for her birthday. But we never made it to her birthday. She never made it.

"Do you want to buy the box, young man?" An old man asked.

I looked back at the box. It was as beautiful as I remembered.

"I'll take it," I replied, handing the man the amount it cost.

The box was cold in my hand on the way home. I passed the water heater and my thoughts went back to Kazahaya. He had said that I'd turned the water heater off on him before. I hadn't done that. I chuckled to myself. He must be losing his mind.

I pushed the door open and walked through the dark living room to my own. I started to rummage through the closet. I was looking for a box that held all of Tsukiko's things when I remembered they weren't in this closet.

I opened the door to the main closet and pulled down a box. I opened the box. It was full of stuff. Wait. There is something missing. I pulled out the larger pieces and searched the bottom.

"Where is it?" I whispered to myself.

"Where's what?" Kazahaya asked from the doorway. I hadn't even heard him come in.

"Nothing. Are you done with work?" I asked, closing the box.

"No, Kakei asked me to get you," he said still standing in the doorway.

"Ok. I'll come down in a second." He stared at the box for a second before leaving.

I put the trinket box into the box and placed it back on the shelf.

"Where is that necklace?" I mumbled walking down the stairs.

As I entered the store, Kakei called me to the back. He was smiling. That smile meant something was up. I went through the door and he asked me to shut it. Now I knew I was right.

"It seems that this is not the right jar. Are you sure this was the only one in the room?"

"It was the only one we could see. So I assumed . . . "

"Would you mind going back and checking to see if the correct one is still there?"

"No. Just me?"

"Yes. Do take gloves. It is going to be cold tonight."

"Tonight? Can't I just go now?"

"There are tenants home at the moment. They should be gone later on tonight. Do you still have th directions?"

"Yea. I'm going back upstairs if that is ok."

"Sure. Be careful."

After my little discussion with Kakei I hurried back upstairs. I still couldn't believe I'd lost that necklace. I pulled the box down and looked through it again, but it just wasn't there. I pulled a few more boxes down and started through them. 'Maybe I put it in the wrong place.' It was about the 3rd box that I stopped looking. I really had lost it.

The sun was setting so I started dinner. Anything to keep my mind off the necklace, which was now plaguing my thoughts.

Kazahaya came in as I was finishing and sat at the table. His quiet routine was getting on my nerves, but I wasn't in a mood to prod. All throughout dinner I noticed he was itching something under his shirt.

"Are you ok?" I asked as I cleared the table.

"Yea, I have a rash. That's all."

"..."

He went to the room, and I grabbed my gloves and started off for the building. It was just the way it had been the other day. I went to the same room, and again there was nothing in the main room. Just a light ring of dust, where the jar had been, in the middle of the room.

I started searching the other room when I heard a knock. I looked toward the front door, but there wasn't another knock. After a moment I went back to my search. There wasn't anything in the apartment. So I made my way to leave. There was another knock as I passed the closet. 'Creepy.'

I slowly opened the door, and there it was. A jar. The jar was larger than the other one, but it didn't have anything in it. I picked up the jar and went to the door. When I opened the door, a rush of hot air flew into the room. I looked back and the room seemed brighter, more lively. 'Odd.'

On my way back to the drugstore, the air got colder. Snowflakes started to fall. The snow started to gather at my feet and I quickened my pace. Kakei and Saiga were standing outside the store, staring up at the clouds. When I approached Kakei looked at me and smiled.

"This is the right one."

"Here."

"No, you keep it with you tonight. I'll give it to the owner tomorrow." Kakei's face was tense as he spoke.

"Ok?"

I could hear them laughing to themselves as I walked up the stairs. I went to turn the knob on the door, but it was locked. He had locked the door again. Lately he had been locking the door when I left. I had teased him about it, but he just said it was safer this way. The same exact thing Tsukiko had said, so long ago. I opened the door and went in. The room was dark. I flicked the switch, and flinched as the light blazed to life. As I took in the room, I relaxed a little.

I had the weirdest feeling of doom, when I opened the door, like that room was what I was going to be walking into. I set the jar on the table and went to my room after flicking the light back off. I changed and flopped onto my bed. I pulled the covers over me and fell asleep.

"Wake up," a voice called.

"Hnnn?"

"Rikuo..." I opened my eyes and Tsukiko was standing over me.

"T-tsu-" I looked closer, but it wasn't her. Kazahaya was leaning over me. I sat up and backed away. He smiled, but it wasn't his smile. It was hers. Her soft smile, I'd seen so many times. I frowned and pushed him away. When I touched him, he groaned and rolled away.

"B-but you promised," he whimpered.

"What?"

"YOU PROMISED!" he shouted. He jumped to his feet, when he did his shirt shifted and revealed exactly what I had been looking for.

"What is that around your neck?" I asked.

(Hmm... that seems like a GREAT place to end. What do you think?)

I hope you like it. Review please? I really like to hear what people think. I'm prepared to beg! -goes to knees-

I can't wait . . . I'm so excited now that they've finally made an announcement. I guess I can throw away my plans to kidnap Clamp now.

–MJ