Hey. I just want to say hello. That's why I updated. JK. Really, I'm joking. I'm actually writing a new chapter. So…yeah. X) AND GUESS WHAT? I'm alive. Heh. I know. That's amazing right? It came as a shocker…even to me! I guess my writer's block been holding me out on Shinji Manor, and it has a cliffhanger. BUMMER RIGHT? Anyways, if you bothered to read this, (which you probably didn't because you want to get ahead already and read because I haven't updated in FOREVER) Review, and put "D3sstorjo is too cool." *shot* JK. Put down, "MAWHAW" (It's really up to you, you can choose whichever. Please don't feel the need to be torn between what to choose.) WARNING: THIS CHAPPY CONTAINS A LOT OF FLUFFY GUSHINESS -….is that a word? OH. And…if you even bother to read this, please put 'I need a purple mustache' on your review. LAWL.

Summary: Paul Shinji is the son of a wealthy business man. He lives the life of a Prince. Maids, Butlers and Chefs surround him as company, but he is always bored. Cold-hearted and ruthless, He demands for anything he needs and consequences for not meeting standards are high. When the new head maid steps in, will her fiery personality change him for the better? Ikarishipping.

Disclaimer: Uh-huh, you just wish I owned Pokemon so it could be filled with romance 8D

Ri, Rika, and Pancake are taking a break. It's just me that's going to entertain you with this story. Yeah. I know. BOO. You guys all love Ri, Rika and Pancakie. xD

Last time on Shinji Manor:

My lips were drawn into a snarl, "He wasn't going to Kenny yet. He was going for the head of the Hikari household…Johanna Hikari."

Shinji Manor

Chapter Seven: Uncovered

~Dawn's POV~

Kenny nearly hurled himself out of the house, screaming demands. Paul stood still, frozen in shock. I grasped onto his stone-like hand and brushed my thumb against it, biting my lip, all the while I was hoping that this was a nightmare. I carefully strapped my sword back on my waist and gazed up at Paul who had dropped his lips into a scowl. The silence and tension rose between us, making things slightly awkward.

"If he…," Paul growled with venom in his voice, "If that bastard kills anyone, I'll make sure I kill him." He sharpened his glare towards no one in particular and turned on his heel, facing me. His charcoal eyes softened extremely and he placed his hands on my shoulders. "I'm sorry…" He frowned.

My chest tightened as I remembered about the reality. Tears overwhelmed my eyes and finally forced themselves to flow freely. Paul raised his arms and wiped a tear away with the same scowl. "I'm sorry…" He repeated.

"It's okay…" I choked out a shaky sob. I groggily rubbed my temples, silently making my way out the door of Kenny's manor, Paul was at my heels.

"Dawn, hurry, I don't know what will happen if Johanna is…killed." Kenny pursed his lips, hoping that no another sound escaped his lips. "Be careful, okay? Just because you love Paul, doesn't mean that I can't care about you." Kenny set his warm eyes on mine before handing me the reigns of a white horse. Its fiery red mane stuck out wildly, but its creamy white hair and milky brown eyes seemed friendly.

I patted its muzzle softly before I mounted onto the horse. I peered behind me to see Paul behind me. I didn't think twice, kicking the horse to a gallop, Paul followed in suit on another horse.

"Dawn, I don't have a good feeling about this. Maybe I should go instead." Paul said firmly, bringing his horse next to mine.

I stayed silent, hoping that he assumed that meant that I was going to my house no matter what. I continued to travel towards the manor, feeling my stomach sink deeper as I got closer to the manor. It was silent almost all the way there, but I broke it.

"Paul," I started, the grip on the reigns started to quiver, "I'm scared. I don't want my mother to die." I croaked out quietly. The long pause of silence made my heart feel constricted in pain.

"It's okay Dawn…" He comforted softly, his expression turned pained as well. "I'm sure she'll be fine…she's a strong woman." He said with the same soft tone. I nodded, hoping that I could believe his words, but, there was still worry in my heart, overpowering the small light of hope that was slowly dying.

The moon was still hanging at the peak in the sky, curving into a cruel smirk. I held back the want to scream and shout at it, but there was no point in taking out my frustration on something that wouldn't do anything back to me.

The large building started to loom over the trees. The color was duller than usual. My heart pounded violently in my chest. I knew my mom was strong, but I knew that Silver was strong too, and he definitely out numbered her.

I entered the gate, slowing my horse down to a trot, entering the area slowly and cautiously. I slowly dismounted the horse, giving it a strong pat and waited for Paul to get off his horse. He gave me a nod, and we quietly advanced through the door. I kept one hand on my sword, and the other was with Paul's hand. Paul squeezed my hands reassuringly, letting me drag him through the large corridors.

I knew something was wrong. The manor was never this quiet…I could hear my shoes tap against the marble flooring of the building. I shivered, feeling uneasy in the quietness of my own manor. I approached the double doors leading to my mother's room, feeling the tension build between me and Paul.

Slowly, I pushed the doors open, hearing them creak in pain. The room was dark. The candle was burned out, the smell of smoke wafted into my face.

My heart constricted, forcefully making my breathing challenged. I tried to feel my way through the room, relying on my memory, but I tripped over something, pulling something down with me in the process. A loud clang sounded next to me, I suspected that it was the curtain that I grabbed and the curtain rod that made the sound.

"Mom…Mom." I repeated, hearing my voice waver in the large room, echoing off the wall and back into my own ears. "Mom…"

"Dawn." I heard, it wasn't my mother's voice, but it was Paul. His voice was strained, full of uneasiness. "I'm sorry…this is my fault." His voice cracked.

Moonlight filtered into the room, tracing the outlines of a crumpled figure lying on the ground, a knife stuck out from its chest. I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping that I was having a nightmare. "Mom…" I choked, feeling the oxygen suddenly rush out of me. My eyelashes fluttered open and closed and I started to feel dizzy. "No, this isn't real!" I squeezed my eyes shut, viciously pinching my arm, trying to wake myself up.

"Dawn, Calm down." Paul said softly, gently laying his hand on my shoulder. I turned away from the body, burying my face into his chest.

"Tell me this isn't happening." I whimpered, grabbing a fistful of his shirt and balling my fists. The smell of blood entered my nose again and I felt my eyes start to water uncontrollably. "She's not…gone…" I murmured, chanting, repeating those words in my head like a mantra. It wasn't true, it wasn't true, and if it was, it was my fault.

"Dawn, I'm sorry." Paul whispered, his voice was full of sympathy, or maybe even empathy. His eyes glistened in the moonlight, and his bangs covered his eyes. "I'm sorry, this is my fault." He closed his eyes, shaking his head. I swore a tear rolled down his cheek, but I wasn't sure. I blinked, and he became composed once again, though the sympathy was still there.

I wanted to scream in frustration. I couldn't be in denial forever. I knew she wasn't here anymore, I could feel it in the air, a small chill that tossed around in the room. The light flickered, almost as it was pointing to something in the corner of the room. A piece of neglected paper lay on the floor, crumpled up in a tiny ball. I blinked a couple of times to try to get my eyes to focus on it. "Paul…hold this." I said, the sadness wasn't as clear in my voice. I forced the candle to his hand, and he didn't complain.

Slowly, I crouched down, bending down to pick up the paper. Carefully, I unfolded it, taking in a sharp breath as the hand writing was recognizable to me. It was my mothers. Her hand writing was sloppy and was most likely down with haste, but it was still legible.

"Paul, Paul." I said whacking his arms a couple of time before he muttered something under his breath to tell me he was paying attention.

Dear Dawn,

I'm sorry for everything that happened,

Somehow, I knew that something like this was going to happen, and that I would be writing this letter, so I had prepared beforehand.

I'm sorry if I hadn't listened to you, I sincerely apologize from the bottom of my heart. I love you, and I know you love the second Shinji.

Please fight for my sake, your sake, Kenny's sake, and Paul's sake. Keep your love alive. I will be watching you from a distance, but know that I will always be there for you.

I love you,

Johanna Berlitz-Hikari

I couldn't see after I read the letter. She had done everything for a reason. She knew that this would happen, so she did it for me. She never wanted me to get married to Kenny…She never did. I blinked back that sudden rush of tears that I had gotten after I read the letter, but couldn't contain them. I let out a shaky sigh and tried to breathe calmly, failing miserably. My shoulder's shook and my heart and lungs felt like they were going to collapse.

"Paul, let's go get Silver…" I snarled angrily.

He nodded silently, bobbing his head up and down. I closed my eyes, bending down to see my mother's ghostly pale face in the moonlight, her lips seemingly curled upwards in a warm smile. Her hands were clasped around her chest and her eyes were peacefully closed.

I lifted her shoulders, gesturing Paul to help me. He set down the candle on the office desk in front of the window and picked up my mother, walking over to the bed, and gently placing her there. I looked away as Paul tugged the knife out of her heart, and tossed it on the ground beside her bed.

I looked at Paul expectantly, hoping that he would say something, but he remained silent, moving slower than usual, and dragging his feet in the ground. He lagged behind me as we opened the door. I glanced back once again, seeing the lump in the bed. I closed the door behind me and breathed in and out.

"Paul, it's going to be okay, right?" I murmured under my breath. I turned to him, analyzing the strained, depressed face that he had masked on. "It's not your fault Paul. It was none of ours. It's Silver's. He's the one at fault, and we're going to make him pay for this."

"I know, I know." I grumbled, his tone was thick with pain. His eyes were dark and sullen. His hair was disheveled and messy.

We had been through a lot since we met. It was like out re-encounter had set off a spark in our life, turning it upside-down and all around. It had been quite crazy the last few days.

I let my eyes trail around, I moved down the stairs quickly, making my way to the two front doors. I pushed the open, feeling a breeze of cold air hit my face forcefully. "Paul, don't look down, we aren't going to get anywhere if you're being like that." I snapped.

He didn't respond. His chin was still tilted down, his eyes were closed and he just trailed after me like a lost puppy.

I regretted saying that harshly, but it had to be said one way or another. He slowly raised his head, tilting his head towards the moonlight. "It's…been a crazy week." He scowled up at the moon, as it shone its light down at us graciously.

A cloud whipped by, seemingly disapproving Paul's scowl. His lips seemed to lessen its intense scowl, but they were still pulled downwards.

"If you don't stop scowling, you'll get really wrinkly." I stated in deadpan. Paul shrugged, having the same expression as me.

"I can't do anything about it. My mother told me that I was born scowling." He sighed, looking up at the moon. His eyes glistened again.

"Paul…" I said slowly, drawling his name for as long as I could. I didn't know what to say, but I could vaguely remember my mother saying that the Shinji's had also lost their mother and father in an accident many years back, when we were much younger, leaving Reggie, the eldest Shinji to make sure the business went well.

Since my mother was gone, and I had never known my father, I would have to take over the name of the Hikari's since I was the only one left in that descendant.

I looked at Paul, taking in his features. His tan skin, his mysterious, dark coal colored eyes, his sharp nose, his thick eyebrows that constantly seemed to be pushed downwards. His lips were always pulled down into a scowl. I still remembered how the first time I met him, his eyes seemed to be cold and uninviting, but he had changed.

"Dawn." Paul had called out to me, waving his hand in my face, trying to snap me out of my unintentional daze. He looked at me, keeping his eyes locked with mine. "I love you."

I flinched, feeling as if the statement wasn't the most appropriate at the moment. I looked at his eyes, which seemed to have softened.

"Dawn, I do love you, and I will always love you no matter what. Even if the world was ending, I would love you and I won't let anything happen to you. I'm going to protect you with all my power." He whispered, grabbing my hands. The warmth in his hand seemed to spread to mine, sending shivers up and down my spine.

He leaned forwards, brushing my bangs up, placing a gentle kiss on my forehead before letting his hand slide back down to his side, and letting my bangs fall back over my forehead.

"Paul, I love you too, more than anyone else in the world and you should know that my now." I whispered, feeling my nose start to sting, and the tears feel my eyes again. I stood on my tippy toes, barely reaching the height of his cheek and placed a small peck on it. "I'll make sure that you won't get hurt either." I promised sincerely.

"That means that you shouldn't get hurt, okay?" He mumbled, walking out towards the front of my manor. The fountain was dead, the silence pierced the air. The two horses we took were standing at the side of my manor, starting to fall asleep in the night. I gently nudged my horse, before I was helped onto it by Paul, who followed in suit and climbed onto his horse as well.

"We should go back to the Kenny's manor, just to make sure they have everything under control, if my predictions are correct, Silver will try to attack Kenny next, and as soon as possible, which could be now, or tomorrow." I stated, watching Paul nod, kicking his horse into a run, pulling his horse in front of me. I watched his broad back move up and down as he rode the horse. I bit back a smile, thanking my mother that she accepted me loving him. Tears threatened to pour once again, but I held them back. I knew I was stronger than that.

I sighed, breathing in the cold night air as we traveled through the forest, calming myself down. I watched the stars above, shine brightly, smiling down on us. Fate was pointing us towards victory, and I knew we could defeat Silver, set things straight, and settle ourselves down.

I watched Paul move quickly through the night, the sounds of the horse's hooves pounding against the ground and the harmony of the cicada's and crickets seemed to ease my worry. The orchestra of the nature was telling me that my mother was in peace. She was telling me that everything would be alright.

I love you to, Mom.

Kenny's manor appeared in the distance, the grand building looked as if it hadn't been touched. I let out a breath of relief and felt my heartbeat slow. Thank goodness nothing happened to Kenny yet.

Paul and I neared the building, quickly dismounting our horses, leading them to the stable before we knocked on the manor's door. I knew they were most likely hesitant to open the door in fear it was Silver, but after a few moments, a maid opened the door.

"Dawn, Paul!" Zoey cried, throwing her arms around me, she embraced me and smiled, letting out a breath of relief. "You guys are safe!"

"Yeah…" I gave her a meek smile.

Her smile faltered as she noted the tense aura between me and Paul. "She's…not here anymore is she?" Zoey asked as politely as she could.

I shook my head, giving the same meek smile that I sent her a few minutes ago. "It's okay, she's in a better place, and she's glad that she did that for the sake of me." I said firmly, also convincing myself that it was true.

She nodded, giving me a smile as bright as the stars. "I'm sure she's proud of you, Dawn." Zoey said softly, giving me a light pat on the shoulder.

"I know she is." I said confidently, giving a wider smile than before. Paul wrapped his arms around my shoulders and rested his chin on my head. I was pretty sure that he was dying from fatigue. I turned to Zoey, looking at her expectantly, "Hey do you guys have a room Paul and I could use?" I asked slowly.

"Yes, I'll take Paul there right now." She winked at me. Paul unwrapped his arms from my shoulders and trudged after Zoey, following her up the carpeted stairs. I gave him a reassuring smile and turned to go find Kenny.

I waltzed through the halls aimlessly, until I stumbled to a large double door room, which I recognized as Kenny's office. I let a smile spread across my lips as I lightly knocked on the door.

"Come in." A voice responded from behind the door.

I entered slowly, peering around the corner to see Kenny sitting in front of a desk, resting on a large leather seat.

"I need to talk to you." I said, looking him in the eyes.

"I know." He nodded, gesturing towards a small seat near the fire place, across from his desk. "It's about our marriage isn't it?" He stated flatly. "Well you don't need to worry about that, I already know you hold feelings for Paul, I too, admit that I hold feeling for someone else…" Kenny said, flushing slightly as he said so.

I smirked, "Who's the lucky girl?" I questioned, watching him blush a darker shade.

"Well…um…you k-know." He tousled his hair.

"I know…?" I repeated the last segment of his sentence.

"It's…you know…she's…my maid, Zoey." He forced out the name from his lungs, turning a tomato red as he said her name.

"Awww!" I smiled, clasping my hands together in delight. "You guys would be so cute together!"

He blushed more furiously. "ANYWAYS," He coughed, "I was calling off the wedding because we knew we both like someone else, and the whole marriage wasn't supposed to happen anyways, it was just that your mother…asked if we could 'pretend' that we were engaged or somewhat." He waved his hand in the air.

"Ah…I see…" I pondered out loud, feeling my heart sting as my mentioned my mother, but I shook it off. She really did love me. "I should probably go to bed now." I pointed out, letting out a fake yawn.

He nodded in response, looking back down at his paperwork and waved me a goodbye as I closed the door. I nearly bumped into Zoey as I walked out. I smiled. "So, what are you doing here?" I questioned.

"N-nothing…" She flushed, waving her hands out in front of her. "Um…Miss Hikari, you're room is the first room on the second story. It's on the left." She explained. I nodded, already walking towards the flight of stairs, finding it strenuous to walk.

I pulled myself up the stairs, dragging my feet as Paul did. I saw the doors of the rooms as I hopped up the last step. I knocked on the first door, after I got no response. I opened up the door and peered inside. There was one bed in the center of the room. A lamp was on the side, a small desk and a window. There wasn't much but it seemed quite cozy. Paul sat on the bed, he was dressed in shorts and a t-shirt. He was rubbing his temples.

"Hey Paul." I said softly as I stepped into the room, closing the door behind me. He looked up and acknowledged my presence by giving a small nod, and ripped the covers off the bed. I door was to the right of me, most likely the bathroom. I remembered that I didn't bring any pajama's from my house…who would have in a situation like mine anyways?

I pulled off my dress, leaving me in my under garments, which I felt completely fine in with Paul, but I could see his face flush slightly as I pulled of my dress. Maybe I should have taken it off in the bathroom…

"Dawn." Paul said slowly, patting the space next to him. "I'm tired." He commented, as I made my way towards the spot he was patting, taking off the covers of the bed and sliding myself underneath them. I pulled the blanked over my body and curled into a ball.

"You know I love you." I murmured, drawling out my words. Sleep was starting to get the best of me.

"I love you too." Paul replied with half a grumble and half a yawn. I giggled a bit, my first giggle in a few days.

I moved towards his body, feeling the heat radiate off of him. I love him the most. I thought to myself, wrapping my arms around his strong torso. He shifted above me, and wrapped his arms around me shoulders, keeping me warm.

"Promise that you'll be safe for me?" He murmured before his eyes fluttered shut, and his breath became steady.

"I promise." I let out one last whisper as I felt sleep over come me and my eyes droop, letting me fall asleep in the arms of the one I loved.

~End of Chapter Seven~

OhKAY. My neck it dying, it will soon not be able to hold my head in place and my head will roll off into wherever it is destined to be.

Ignore my grammer issues, which I might have a lot of, you should just be happy that I am updating because I haven't worked on Shinji manor in like...forever!

R&R? Cyber cookies-for all who do so. :D I shall acknowledge you all in the long run! (I actually read your guys' reviews and I love you all!)

Have a good day/ night!

Desstorjo Zephorium! :D

PS: Give thanks to the people who motivated me!-My cousin Serena and my fran/fan HanaIchi Ikari! And all you guys who give reviews. I LOVE YOU ALLLLLLLLL~~! *shot*