A/N: Hello, everybody! I finally managed to get a breather in between my exams and so I have your next chapter here. I kinda figured most of you enjoyed the fight between Ayano and Kazuma last chapter and you will be seeing a more of both our favourite characters here as well, because they both are just way too stubborn to admit they love each other! And yes, a big thank you to all those readers who have given their reviews for the last chapter. I hope I have kept all of you hooked to this story!

So go on, everybody, this is chapter 20 for all of you. And don't forget to rate and review!

Chapter 20

Ayano stilled as soon as she heard the words whispered near her ear. Did she hear right, or was she hallucinating? Once again, he whispered, "I know I don't deserve forgiveness, but… I'm really sorry. I'll do anything, anything, to make this up to you. Just don't push me away." Ayano felt her heart race as she heard him in silence. She was sure he could feel it thud wildly. To her surprise, his seemed to be beat just as erratically. Kazuma sighed and tightened the embrace, adjusting their positions so that his chin now rested on her hair as he leant down and said, "Why aren't you saying anything?" Ayano stood with a huge lump in her throat, not daring to say anything. Closing her eyes, she let herself relax against him, leaning against his heart, listening to it beat fast.

Kazuma gave a silent sigh of relief as Ayano sunk into his arms. God, he had been waiting to do that ever since he had seen her after her 2 months-long stupor. As much as he hated to admit, she had crept under his skin without even trying, and now he knew he was sappy enough to childishly grin as he held her slumped form in her arms, pressed tight and just right against him. He said, "Hey, you tired? You need the sleep. And I need to know what happened after I… left." As soon as he said that, the unthinkable happened. Ayano lurched back, and ripped herself away from him, eyes downcast, breathing heavily. She started with a low growl, "And what makes you think I forgave you, Contractor of the Winds?" Kazuma recoiled visibly from her tone, eyes widening as he registered the change in her. He said, "I apologised to you, I said I will do everything in my power to make this up to you. Can't you ever forgive me?" Ayano scoffed and looked at him with a humourless maniac grin, "And of course I will forgive you, leap right into your arms just like a damsel in distress and we can all happily ever after! What made you think that is going to happen? Don't you realize, Kazuma, you broke me, you broke me for good when you chose to abandon me when I needed you. Even more so, you broke the little hope I had when you didn't help Ren, when he needed you. When I was down, he had taken over most of my duties along with Father and Genma and now is going away for long time, instead of me, to the Clan of Black Flames to help save that clan! Did you even know that about your brother, Kazuma?"

Kazuma replied back quietly, "I, in fact did know about Ren. I simply didn't… face him about this particular issue." Ayano poked her finger at his chest and shouted, "And that! That is your problem, Kazuma! You knew he needed your help, when I wasn't there! Where were you, Kazuma, when he needed you?" Kazuma began to lose his cool, "Listen, Ayano, you know nothing about what happened so don't shoot off your mouth when you feel like it. You have no idea how hard it was for me to even step inside the Kannagi Main House. And either way, I was with Ren when we both took over your duty of ridding the city of Youma, so don't tell me I abandoned my brother when he needed me! I NEVER abandon the ones I love!" Ayano replied back just as heatedly, "And why was it so hard for you to come inside, Kazuma? Why? Did it remind you of the fact that you chose to run along with Lapis in the middle of the battlefield?" Kazuma stilled and cocked his head to the side. Ayano stopped as well, breathing heavily. Then he began slowly, "Are you trying to tell me… all this while, you were angry with me because you think I chose Lapis over you?" Ayano retaliated, "I know you chose Lapis over me, over your family, over all of us! Don't lie to me!" Kazuma finally lost the tight leash over his emotions and shouted out with a dark foreboding look in his eyes, "So, you're trying to tell me, you were jealous? All this time, YOU WERE JUST JEALOUS OF LAPIS?!"

Ayano scrambled backwards at the animalistic look on his face. Well, he had struck home, actually. Most of the resentment she had was because he had disappeared along with Lapis in the middle of the battle. She couldn't believe that after all this while, after so much they had been through together, he still chose Lapis over her. Now that she thought about it, she just felt a crushing sense of defeat that he would never love her the way he loved Tsui Ling. That Kazuma, was just for her, just for Tsui Ling, and now her resurrection Lapis. Refusing to look him in the eye, she bit out, "I'm sorry, that was out of the line. I have no right to talk about your personal life. I am after all, just your partner for hunting Youma. It wasn't right for me to question your decisions. I'll be sure this doesn't happen again. Thank you, for taking care of me and I hope you don't have to cross paths with me again. As the Kannagi Heir, I'm entitled to take decisions on behalf of the current family head. In that capacity, I relieve you of your duty as the protector of the current Kannagi Heir. For what it was worth, it was an honour to work with you. Thank you… for everything" Having said her piece, she turned away from, for the second time that day. But this time, he didn't stop her.

It was night time once she reached home. Once she reached home, she realised quite belatedly, that she was still in Kazuma's clothes and her clothes were back in his apartment. No one had really questioned her appearance at home, but as she flopped back on her bed with a heavy sigh, she knew she had messed up big time. He had actually tried to make things better and she had ruined everything with her hot head. Now that she had cooled down, she was in two minds. While one part berated her for being so hasty, the other part was smug in pushing Kazuma away. Groaning loudly, she felt the beginning of a killer headache. Massaging her temple with her fingers, she took two tablets and drowsily went back to bed. Even though she was so tired, she couldn't sleep. But something caught her attention. She realised she had, in fact never changed after she came home either. Tilting her head downwards, she took a whiff of the T-shirt she wore. Immediately, Kazuma's scent hit her, lulling her into a daze. Unbeknownst to him, she had always liked the way he'd carry her close to him when they flew. During those times, she'd just breathe in his scent and lie absolutely still, afraid to let him know anything about what was going on in her head. Smiling to herself, she snuggled deeper into the covers, pulling his shirt closer to her face, breathing his scent in deeply and soon, she fell into a dreamless sleep.

Kazuma tossed and turned in his bed, unable to get a wink of sleep. He had flown around Tokyo twice already, stood in his balcony for a long time and had done everything to try and sleep but to no avail. Ever since Ayano left his apartment in a huff, he didn't seem to be able to do anything more than just keep replaying the epic battle that had taken place, right there in his living room, inside his head. He knew he should have pulled her back, told her he loved her, not Lapis, but his pride wouldn't let him. He'd rather wait for her to come and beg him to take her back and then, only then would he tell her. Yes, he decided, he was very patient after all, he had all the time in the world. With a satisfied sigh, he turned over and closed his eyes, and tried to sleep….

….

….THAT blessed silence lasted only for a few moments before he threw his covers off him, agitatedly running his hands through his brown hair. He groaned to himself, who was he kidding? He had no hope, absolutely nothing. After pressing her so close to him today, he would never be able to let her go. Throwing his head back, he sighed and got up. Just then, his eyes fell to the pile of clothes nearby. A blue shirt and skirt peeped out from under the pile. As he stared at it, he slowly started grinning. Oh yes, tonight he was going to sleep, one way or the other.

Ayano felt her bed dip slightly to her side. Ignoring the disturbance, she sighed and slept on, unaware of the person entering her bedroom. A strong arm seemed to pull her backwards into a slightly cool wall. It felt very nice, she decided and turned around, trying to make herself more comfortable. As soon as she turned, a scent hit her, a scent that she knew very well, but couldn't really name in her sleep. But it smelt nice so she decided to get closer and snuggled towards the cool wall, breathing in that scent. Immediately, she calmed down and felt a sense of safety seep through her. Pressing herself closer, she sighed in contentment and slept on.

Kazuma started grinning as her breathing became more stable, more rested. She hadn't really recognized the fact that he had, in fact, climbed right into her bed, and she herself had pressed herself so tightly against him, there was no space left in between. Resting his head just above hers, he breathed aloud, finally at ease. He knew there'd be hell when she woke up the next day, but right now he wasn't really bothered. All that he cared about now was how she was right where she belonged, right there in his arms, after so many nights filled with guilt and remorse. Drawing the covers over both of them, he tightened his arms around her and finally slept, a faint smile on his face.