Kailor: Finally got food! Feeling much better. Gotta love Hawaiian bread.

Naruto: We wouldn't know. Hmph.

Nuriko: Yeah, you ate it all.

Kailor: I've no clue what you're talking about. Shoosh.

Her knees trembling, Setsuna followed Konoka down the hall. Kaede bowed to them and disappeared into her room. Brace bowed and made his way down the stairs. On her back she could still feel Eishun's eyes. She fought hard to keep herself from looking back. The image was already burned into her memory. Eishun's long, strong hands covered in blood. His hair even more disheveled. His glasses were long cast aside, blood smeared across his high cheek bones. His brown eyes, so like Konoka's and so not, danced with a perverse joy in the act he had just committed. His robes were stained. His sneer was permanent.

Konoka strode along purposefully ahead of her. She too must have known that the king was still standing in his doorway watching them walk the length of the royal hallway. Her eyes remained on her doorway. They reached their rooms and Setsuna had just barely moved to open her door when Konoka grabbed her vest.

The princess tugged hard and Setsuna spun into her arms.

And found Konoka's lips on her own. Her mind shut down. There was nothing now but that sweet, soft taste of Konoka's mouth. Then Konoka's tongue was sliding along her own and she was kissing back hungrily. She was dimly aware of Konoka opening her room and together they fell through the doorway. Konoka kicked it shut behind her and for a few more moments, or maybe years Setsuna thought, their lips were locked. Then Konoka pulled away and, breathing heavily, stepped a couple paces back.

"I'm sorry." Konoka cleared her throat and smoothed her dress where it had wrinkled. "Chiora had memories of hundreds of uh, consorts. Luckily, she never did anything with my body. But Cairo obviously knows of her as a slut from conversations they had. After I refused to make the first cut on Reed I thought I had to do something more Chiora-like."

Setsuna wondered why disappointment settled into her gut. She licked her lips and could still taste Konoka on them.

The princess was bright red and she quickly turned and moved into the bedroom. Setsuna followed after a second. Konoka disappeared into the bathroom, carrying sleep clothes over her arm. Setsuna settled onto one of the divans, forcing her heart to stop tap dancing on her windpipe.

One of the bookcases along the wall moved. Immediately, Setsuna was on her feet. In one fluid motion, her katana was in her hand, the naked blade humming as if alive.

"Whoa, where'd you get that?" Kaede slid from a tunnel behind the bookshelf, her eyes both open and admiring the katana. Behind her was Brace. Both had changed into their normal attire: Kaede's ninja clothes and Brace's royal guard uniform.

"It's um," Setsuna sought for a suitable answer and decided the truth was the best route. "It's not mine. It was a gift. Magic, given to me. Not my own though." Kaede took the hint.

"It's ok. So it's a secret, right?" Setsuna nodded, sliding the katana back into nonexistence. She watched Kaede's eyebrows rise. "Well, how about we play secret for a secret?" With one sweep of her arm, Kaede whipped the long ragged scarf off of her neck and threw it into the air. It settled back onto her head.

And then it sank to the floor and Kaede was gone.

Setsuna thought for sure her jaw had just broken when it dropped. Brace laughed at her expression. Then he picked up the scarf that had eaten Kaede and flung it over Setsuna's head. She flinched and closed her eyes.

When she opened them she was standing in a small cottage. Kaede was seated comfortably on a couch and grinning widely.

"What…the…f-"

"This is my secret," Kaede chuckled. "My scarf is actually a sort of portal to this place. It's a wonderful way to store people for long trips, especially if they are lazy or I don't feel like putting up with them. It's also a great escape."

Setsuna gazed, wide-eyed around the cottage. It was quaint and cozy. She could easily see why Kaede liked it here. Kaede stood and opened the door to the cottage. There was nothing outside but blackness. Kaede stepped into it. Setsuna hurried to follow, casting one more glance around the cottage.

She landed on her feet unsteadily. Konoka was sitting on the divan and smiling at them. Kaede was wrapping the scarf back around her neck.

"That was amazing! Where did you get that?" Kaede stuck her tongue at her.

"Not telling yet."

"Yo, why'd you start the party without me, guys?" Asuna slid out from behind the bookcase.

"You missed the main event. Cairo had the urge to draw again." Brace muttered darkly.

Everyone fell silent. Setsuna tried her hardest to keep her mind from replaying the scene but she couldn't help remembering the way Reed had writhed beneath Cairo and the demon hadn't flinched or even stopped smiling. Sickened, she sat heavily next to the princess. Konoka's hand gripped her shirt again.

"Ah, well. All the more reason to get out of here," Asuna stated, nodding to herself, as if confirming something someone else had just said. "End of the week right?"

"Right. Not a moment longer." Konoka's voice was almost a whisper.

Grimly, Setsuna realized it must be the worst for her, watching her beloved father do these things, even though she knew it wasn't him. It was probably absolutely horrifying to watch a parent do those things. Not that she would know. She shook her head, pushing away those depressing thoughts before they could really register.

"So does anyone know what that Dragon Dance was all about? It was creepy." Asuna hopped onto the divan across from them. Brace and Kaede settled beside her.

"It wasn't a dance. It was a message." Konoka sighed, rubbing her temples. "Chiora has a brother demon who couldn't escape with them for some reason."

"Escape?" Setsuna asked.

"Yes, before my father ran into the demons they were in captivity somewhere. I don't know where. Chiora's memories of that time are fuzzy at best. But I do know her brother is still trapped there and restless to get out and find a host." Setsuna hated the way that word sounded. She curled her lip in distaste. "I think Cairo believes his son has gained enough power to send him a message through the boy who was singing tonight."

"It definitely sounded different from the way he sang in the throne room." Brace added, nodding. "It was still his voice, but he sounded…I don't know. Odd."

"Brilliant description, word master." Asuna scoffed, giggling. Brace turned red and glared at her.

"Children," Kaede laughed. "Be nice." She turned back to Konoka. "So there's another demon trying to get loose. Cairo seemed excited. That must mean this is bad. I guess we'll have to let the gang know that somewhere there is another demon waiting to attack. They'll need to be on their guard."

"Good idea. I'll go and inform Eva of tonight's happenings." Brace grimaced. Obviously, he was only offering to be chivalrous.

"Hmph. We really should have let Reed take out Cairo." Asuna sighed. To everyone's surprise Setsuna was the one to protest.

"We couldn't have let that happen." Noticing all eyes, and ears, were on her, Setsuna continued. "If we had sat there and watched a mere kitchen servant kill the king, rumors would start that Konoka had planned it, to take out the king and become ruler herself. Who would believe that the captain of the guard, who was closer to the king than the assailant, could not have stopped him? Also, the death of a royal with so many foreigners and nobles around would be seen as a huge weakness and someone might decide they can rule better than the present royal family and attack Konoka."

Everyone stared at her.

"That's rather brilliant." Brace commented.

"Extremely tactical." Kaede nodded.

"Smart." Asuna said. Konoka simply smiled admiringly at her.

Absently she ran her fingers along the collar around her neck. The cool metal pressed against her neck. Konoka noticed.

"Oh, damn. I have a slave key somewhere around here. Hang on." She began to rummage through her desk. A slave key was the only kind of key that could open the collar Setsuna wore. There were few made and those few were in the hands of royalty or nobility.

Kaede stretched and yawned.

"Well," she said. "I think we should all get some sleep. Today has been a rather long day, eh?" She clapped Setsuna's shoulder and left through the secret passage, her scarf fluttering out of sight.

Asuna and Brace glanced at each other then left together, whispering. Brace slid the bookcase back into place. They were alone now. Setsuna suddenly became very aware of Konoka's quiet muttering and the shifting of papers and trinkets in the desk.

"Ah ha! Found ya!" Konoka appeared at Setsuna's side and bent close to find the keyhole. Setsuna turned her head away so Konoka could see in the dim light. "Here we go." Konoka lightly splayed her fingers across Setsuna's neck. The swordsman felt her own pulse jump and prayed Konoka had not. The princess slid the key into the hole and turned it twice.

The collar popped open and fell into Setsuna's lap. She looked down at it. She'd worn it since she was a baby. It felt almost like losing a part of her. It was, of course, a part she would chose to lose, but still she felt odd without it. When she didn't hear the tiny chink of metal against skin as she lowered her chin she found herself blinking back tears. Konoka took the collar and locked it back closed. Then she placed it back in Setsuna's lap.

"You might want to keep this until you're really ready to get rid of it," she whispered. Her chocolate eyes danced in the firelight. Setsuna nodded and offered a tentative smile. "I expect you'll be wanting a good night's sleep before tomorrow's session with Eva." Abruptly, Konoka hopped to her feet and pulled the braid out of her hair. Her long, luscious locks and fell down her back in a shimmering cascade of captured firelight. Setsuna had the oddest soaring sensation in her stomach. She stood too and clutched her collar tight.

Konoka pushed the bookcase aside and grabbed Setsuna's hand. She pulled the raven-haired girl into the secret tunnel. A torch shone a few feet ahead. Konoka led her past the torch and down a short flight of stairs. The tunnel turned to the right and turned into a spiral staircase that stopped at a wooden wall. Konoka pushed it gently aside.

Setsuna found herself standing in her own room.

"We created the tunnels to get between each other's rooms without running into anyone in the hallway. Anyone, meaning, Cairo." Setsuna nodded.

"I see."

"I'll show you the rest of the paths soon. For now, um…goodnight." Konoka's shy smile was so completely opposite of the mask she wore around everyone else. Setsuna swallowed and cocked her head to the side. Konoka stopped for a moment and they stared into each other's eyes.

Konoka reached up and brushed Setsuna's bangs aside.

"You're really cute when you do that, you know." The princess's statement turned Setsuna bright red.

"Do what?" she replied, appalled to find her voice hoarse and husky. Was she FLIRTING!

"Cock your head to the side like that. Kind of like a bird does." She had no idea. "It's cute…night."

With that, Konoka slid back into the passage and pulled the bookcase back in place. Setsuna crossed to her new, huge bed and crawled under the covers, not bothering to do more than kick off her slippers.

She needed sleep. So she took it, without another thought.