I looked up at the large manor before us and frowned. It smelled more like Takuma than Kaname. Turning to her, my frown deepened at her sheepish grin.
"You messed up didn't you," I sighed, smiling a bit and starting to relax.
"Uh… not quite…" she trailed off and rubbed the back of her neck again.
"What do you mean," I growled, tensing up again.
"Well… he was here. Last night. I swear it to you, if you can get past Ichijou's smell you'll find that I'm right," she was calm, even in the face of my growing rage.
I sighed a bit but nodded, raising my nose a bit higher and sniffing. Suddenly I caught his scent and no longer cared that this was Takuma's family home. I charged forward, slamming past the doors and following the scent of that bastard through the rooms.
I finally stopped in what looked like a library, not that I was paying much attention as he was sitting in front of a chess board.
"Ah, I wondered if you and your bloodhound would find me here," he mumbled, toying with one of the pawns.
"I thought it would take a bit longer since you're precious Ta-kun's scent is everywhere here. Ah well, you'll never catch me!" He looked up at me with a cruel smirk and vanished before my eyes, his scent going with him.
I heard a startled yelp from Kiyo as she stepped forward to inspect where he had been sitting.
"Ok, so it was totally him and he can totally plane jump. Without a portal… Kie this is bad," she mumbled, looking back over her shoulder at me.
"Without… you mean… You're right, this is bad. Can you follow his trail?"
She started to nod and I gripped her wrist just in time to watch him vanish again.
I watched as he vanished again, a smug look on his face.
"Damnit!"
"Don't let go, we'll chase him," she growled, turning her wrist to grip my hang securely.
I simply nodded and we were off.
We followed Kaname to 30 planes that night before exhaustion took over Kiyo. Our final jump took us to my bed in the Moon Dorms where she immediately fell asleep.
Smiling I disentangled myself from her to go shower. When I emerged Ichijou was tucking her in. when he saw me he smiled.
"How'd it go," he whispered, starting to walk towards me.
"She sleeps like the dead until a sword is drawn, no need to whisper," I laughed, stepping forward to hug him tightly.
"Well where was he? Is it over?" Ichijou buried his face against my hair.
"How… uh… how about we go to your room and talk? You're going to want to sit down for this," I mumbled against his chest.
I felt him not before he scooped me up and carried me towards the door.
"I can walk you know!"
"I know, but you look half dead," he chuckled.
"Oh thanks," I grumbled.
"You know you're still beautiful," he smiled, laying me on his bed.
I simply rolled my eyes at him.
"So where did he go," Ichijou asked as he lay beside me.
"Hrr grrrberrrs," I mumbled, my face against a pillow.
"What was that?"
"Your grandfathers," I whispered, fear in my eyes as I looked up at him.
The look of horror on his face made me squeeze my eyes shut tightly.
"I'm so sorry! At first I thought her nose was off but then I smelled him and he was there and I saw it and he was playing with a chess board! And then he jumped! He was gone! Just gone! And we followed him! To like 30 thousand planes! And then Ki got tired and here we are and I'm so sorry," I said in a rush, flinching away from him a bit.
He shook his head, still looking rather horrified and I hopped up off his bed.
"I'll just go steal my bed back from Ki, it's not like we haven't shared a bed before," I mumbled, backing away slowly.
"No," he whispered, his voice cracking. "Please don't leave me right now Kieko."
I shifted from foot to foot for a few moments before nodding and sitting down beside him.
!*!*!*Guess what! There might be a lemon here! Chapter ten will have two versions. One citrusy yummies and the other will be all fluffy but not yummy. ~*~*~*~
