Chapter 20

It has been two weeks since the Tatsuya incident. Kai was laying on her bed with her feet propped up against the wall reading a book. Amaya and Kanaye left to visit the family they were once in its care the day before and Amaya wouldn't return for at least a week. Usually when Amaya left town Kai would kill time with Toya and his friends, but besides drinking there weren't many things they had in common, but now she found herself hanging out with Shizuru and Kuwabara even more than she herself expected.

Kai flipped the last page of 'The Thorn Birds' and shortly after that she was staring at the closed book in her hands. She had bought the book no more than a week ago in the small bookstore near Shizuru's house, a store she fell in love with quickly and frequently visited before or after her visits.

Kai stood up and left her room, making her way to the kitchen for a glass of water. There she found her mother and Aine bent over the table and discussing random details about the upcoming wedding. By now, Kai was used to this view and the pair ignored her, engrossed in their conversation, as she leaned against the marble counter, drinking her water and staring at them.

"Kai, what do you think about this dress for the bridesmaids?" Sachiko suddenly turned to her, showing her a picture of a lavender colored strapless dress that flared slightly at the hips and flowed to the floor.

"It's nice." Kai said, taking the picture in her hands and examining it more closely.

Sachiko exhaled a small sigh of relief and took the picture back, setting it aside from the rest. "Isao and I want to go look at a house tomorrow, would you like to join us? It's been a while since we did something together." Sachiko asked with a hopeful gleam in her eyes.

"Sure, sounds great, I have a day off tomorrow anyway." She said while putting the glass in the sink.

Just then, Aine's phone rang and she excused herself, leaving the mother and daughter alone. The air between them was strangely uncomfortable, they barely spoke these past few weeks as Sachiko focused on her wedding plans and house shopping with Isao.

"Honey…I'm sorry." Sachiko stood up from her seat and stood in front of her daughter, moving a strand of black hair to rest behind her ear.

"It's okay mama." Kai smiled at the touch. "I'm not mad." She gently touched her mother's hand that was resting on her cheek.

When Kai returned to her room, she frowned slightly to herself, feeling guilty that she didn't tell her about her decision to move out as soon as she found a place she could afford.

--

"Shuuichi!" Aine exclaimed after pressing the speak button of her phone.

"Aine, how are you?" Kurama's smooth, polite voice came through the speaker.

"I'm fine, I miss you." She said timidly, playing with a stand of smooth hair twisting it around a slender finger.

"Are you busy tonight?" Kurama asked, leaning back as he sat down on the windowsill and stared at the river of lights below him.

"Well I think that Sachiko-san and I are done for today. Would you like to come over tonight?" she asked hopefully.

"I'll be over at eight."

"Alright, I'll se you then. I love you." She cheerfully said, a bright smile spreading over her face.

"Bye." Kurama said before hanging up. He avoided this day for a long time, too long. It was time for them both to move on.

--

When Amaya and Kanaye finally reached the Toranaga compound they were both tired of the journey, as they traveled in a doubled pace and each retreated to her own room to rest without exchanging a word.

Amaya was home a day before the meeting set by Makoto-sama and she gladly retired to the luxurious bathroom that was attached to her room. Everything in the Makai was so different from the life she led in the Ningenkai, the luxury and power her clan held here, the respect she was treated with everywhere she went. In the Ningenkai, she was an orphan, and here family members, close or distant, constantly surrounded her.

She allowed her body to relax as she laid back in the large stone tub, the hot water soothing her muscles and thoughts.

"Do you have a precious person?" she asked the fire demon when they sat in her kitchen two weeks ago.

"Hn." The look in his eyes told her he did.

"That's what Kai is to me. The initial reason I came here has no meaning anymore, I only want to make sure she is safe and happy. That is my reason now." She told him.

Sure, she skipped on the major details and twisted the facts, but nothing of the things she told him that night was a lie. Amaya was glad that he was satisfied with her answers because that meant that he won't be sticking his nose in her business, at least not for a while.

--

Aine was flipping through a magazine, having a hard time concentrating as she kept glancing at her watch, impatient to see her boyfriend. She was so busy with helping Sachiko-san plan her wedding that they haven't seen each other for a very long while.

Dinner for two was set on the table, candles lit around the apartment and quiet music helped in setting the atmosphere. Aine was dressed in a bark blue warp around dress and her hair fell in loose curls to the tops of her breasts.

A knock on the door made her jump from her seat and she smoothed the dress on her body before answering the door to see Kurama standing there. He was dressed in a pair of black slacks and a white button up shirt. Standing on the tips of her toes, her lips met his, only he didn't respond to the kiss, making Aine look at him with a confused expression.

"Come in, I have dinner ready for us." She said, ready to walk to the dining table only to be stopped by Kurama who grabbed her arm.

"We need to talk."

Unlike their past meetings, butterflies didn't float in her stomach at the exiting thought of him proposing to her. Those four dreaded words formed a lump in her throat as she sat down on the couch across the man.

"Aine…" he started, not knowing exactly what to say. "I think that maybe it's time for us to part ways." That was the only way he could think of to put it.

Tears rushed to her eyes and she made mo attempt to hide them or wipe them away. "W-why?"

It was a simple question, but Kurama had a hard time finding a proper answer. "I think that we both would be happier that way."

Aine's hands were clutching the bottom of her dress, the knuckles turning white. "I don't make you happy?"

How the hell did he get himself into this situation? "I think that I'm the one not making you happy. Aine I don't think I can give you what you want." He reached for her hand only for it to be pulled away quickly, as if he was about to put out a cigarette on it.

"You just don't think I'm good enough for you! Admit it!" she screamed as she stood up sharply.

"No Aine, you're wrong, it's nothing like that."

"Then you found someone else!" she started pacing in the room, finally stopping by the shelf that the stereo system stood on. "Don't bullshit me with all this 'We don't make each other happy' crap. You just found someone better." She whispered and her shoulders slumped.

Kurama opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by a loud crashing sound. Aine stood facing him, the system lying in pieces on the floor as she breathed heavily.

"You son of a bitch!" she screamed and ran over to the dinner table, grabbing a salad dish and throwing it across the room. "I hate you!" she grabbed the plates and let them crash into the floor one after the other.

Soon there was nothing left on the table to throw and Aine remained standing in the centre of broken glass and splattered food, her hair wild and her once subtle make-up smeared on her face.

"Get out." She said, her voice breaking and pointed to the door.

"Aine…" Kurama began taking a step towards her.

"Don't." she warned. "Just get out. I don't want to see your face."

Kurama sighed and turned to the door, putting on his shoes and closing it quietly behind himself, he heard another crash as Aine threw something after him.

"I guess she wouldn't want us to just be friends then." He muttered to himself as he got into his car and drove away, leaving the crying girl behind him.

--

Kai sat on the floor of Shizuru's living room an ashtray and a cup of coffee placed beside her as she and Kuwabara played a very violent video game.

"Ha! Told ya' I'd kick your ass!" she yelled in his ear.

"I demand a rematch!" he yelled back, a vein throbbing on his forehead.

"You know you'll only lose again." Kai taunted.

Her cell phone rang making her put up one finger to signal a pause in their bickering.

"Hello?" she asked, unsure, as she didn't recognize the number. "Yeah, sure." The conversation ended in seconds.

Standing up she straightened her shirt. "I have to go. I'll be back in an hour." She said, before placing a kiss on Kuwabara's cheek.

"Alright." Kuwabara walked her to the door and then came back to the living room, choosing a movie from the DVD collection to pass the time.

As the opening credits rolled a knock on the door made him pause the movie.

On his doorstep stood a very confused looking Kurama.

"Hey man, what's wrong?" Kuwabara asked him, as he closed the door once again and followed his friend to the living room.

"I broke up with Aine."

So, who's the mystery caller?

x's&o's