A/N: Kuro is not mine (I cri) New update every Saturday (enjoooy)
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Kathryn pushed ahead of me, carving a path for herself through the meandering masses that strolled leisurely along the cobbled road, her pace rigorous in comparison. As we passed, locals discreetly turned their heads in our direction and clucked their tongues disapprovingly, leaning over to their comrades to hastily titter their opinion on uptight foreigners.
I glanced down at the map Kathryn had given me and looked over the bright red circles of ink she'd haphazardly penned in around each site we'd have to investigate. First was Palatine hill, then the Capitoline, the Caelian, Esquiline, Quirinal, Viminal and Aventine. I sighed and folded the map back into my pocket.
What a bother. Here I was, thinking things might become interesting.
The majority of the morning had been spent researching the hills and their histories, poring over the letter once more (for 'good measure' she'd explained) and puzzling over the secret message, 'The first is in Rome'.
As a result of this, we hadn't gotten around to actually investigating until well after five.
To make matters worse, since she'd discovered I'd been keeping information from her, she hadn't told me any of her plans. In fact, we hadn't spoken more than a few words to one another since the discussion the previous night. Although we had declared ourselves even considering Kathryn's own withholding of information, a noticeable amount of distance had been put between us by my master herself.
I smirked inwardly.
It would serve her well to remember exactly what I am.
The world spun for a moment, and a fleeting memory swam before my eyes.
A flash of blue and grey, of anger and a twinge of fear in the boy's steady gaze.
"You tried to kill me just then"
"Yes"
There was no question in his voice, only a slight unsteady tremble as his pink lips formed the last word. His grip on the silken bedsheets grew tight at my response, and his voice took on its usual haughty façade.
"That's no way to treat your master. I expect better from you, Sebastian"
"Yes, my Lord"
He made to stand, but rested his weight on the bed once more. Though his mask had been donned again, it hadn't yet been given time to settle, allowing for a breath of hesitancy to creep into his tone as he spoke.
"You were really going to do it?"
His posture was relaxed, but the reproachful glisten in his eye shone clear as day.
"Certainly not, I was only ninety-percent serious"
He smirked.
"Right"
My master had returned.
Kathryn had stopped walking. I raised a brow questioningly, and she beckoned to me with a wave of her hand. Speeding up, I joined her.
"Yes?"
"I need to know if we're going the right way"
"Ah, of course"
I pulled the map from my pocket and held it out to her. She scanned it and murmured to herself before handing it back to me.
"It's just a little further"
With that, she took up her previous pace which I promptly matched.
We walked in silence, Kathryn looking pointedly at everything but me while I pretended not to notice. The midday heat was quickly dissipating, allowing the stagnant air to cool and heated mirages to evaporate before our eyes. With the setting sun came also the disappearance of tourists and the reprisal of the city by vivacious Italians talking and laughing up and down the streets.
Kathryn suddenly stopped again and pointed at a deprecated site off to our right.
"That's it, the Palatine hill"
Just across the street from us stood a rather simple archway decorated with a few statues. As we approached the entrance, I noticed a faint inscription engraved in the uppermost section of the structure;
Horti Palatini Parnesiorvm
"Palatine Gardens"
Passing through the arch, we were met with expanses of grass amid tumbled structures. The ruins and the fresh growth of plants offered a melancholy atmosphere that I couldn't help but share in.
A few people were still milling around as we strolled about the area, taking in the sights of broken buildings and imagining, (or in my case, remembering) their former glory. I stole a glance at Kathryn's face, expecting to see the calculating scrutiny she usually exuded. To my surprise, her eyes had softened in wonder, the creases in her pinched forehead vanishing in her daze.
I coughed lightly.
Her eyes instantly hardened as she looked at me.
"What?"
"Oh, nothing"
She sniffed and continued to ogle her surroundings. I let her wander off for a while, taking a moment for myself to try and recall the details of the area.
I was debating whether there had been eight or nine columns near the edge of the place when a familiar sensation startled me from my pleasant reverie. I turned my head discreetly, sensing the source of my discomfort sharply to the right of where I was standing. My nose twitched, and the memory of the unnerving presence in Prague flitted through my mind. Making a show of turning on my heel, I began to stroll back to where Kathryn was walking, my new vantage point allowing me to take a peek behind a ruined column.
Just behind a small group of people, I glimpsed a shadowy figure leaning against the wall of a ruin. From my distance, I couldn't make out any details, but their presence had made a disturbing impression and I certainly had no desire to be observed or otherwise.
Turning away from them for a moment, I made my way across the gardens to alert Kathryn. As I went, I attempted to identify the scent that was sinister in its familiarity.
I found my master looking over at the Roman Forum located beside the gardens. She was so enrapt in her observation that she failed to notice my presence as I joined her.
"I do not wish to alarm you, but I believe a character of possibly nefarious motives has decided to tail us"
My whispered warning got her attention and she cast a watchful eye furtively behind us.
"You're sure?"
"I have sensed this before, in Prague as well"
Her tongue clicked against the backs of her teeth.
"More secrets, Sebastian?"
"I did not think it was of any importance"
"And now?"
I peered over my shoulder in response.
"Find out who it is, Sebastian. That's an order"
"Of course"
Leaving my master to watch from afar, I crept around the gardens to search for the perpetrator. It wasn't long before their offending scent caught in my nose again, bringing once more the sense of foreboding.
This time, it emanated just behind a collapsed wall surrounded by tufts of bright green grass. The setting sun cast its beams over the ruins, allowing them to be shrouded in shadow while the piercing rays obscured my vision. I noticed vaguely that there weren't many people in this corner.
How convenient. Much easier to deal with meddling humans this way.
I took a step forward, well aware that whoever was hiding behind the wall would hear the grass rustle.
"It would be much easier to speak to you if you stopped hiding. Come, reveal yourself"
There was a pause. Then suddenly, from behind the wall emerged the backlit silhouette. As it approached, I caught sight of a red coat slung carelessly about its frame.
And my memory clicked.
No…
The person sauntered over, long red tresses swishing, heels squelching in the dewy grass.
This can't be…
They stopped a few paces from me and adjusted their glasses.
"Well, Bassy. It's been a while~"
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A/N: I had to do it. She's too fabulous. Hope you enjoyed reading, feel free to leave a review and have a wonderful life
Wordsmith8