Disclaimer: Don't own it.

"Oh my..."

The Touzoku mansion had certainly seen better days.

Windows were smashed, glass littering the ground. The front door had fallen partially off its hinges and the wood was rotting. Ivy covered the stone walls and the roof had a few holes. The garden was a mess of weeds and overgrown grass. The gates to the property were rusted and the locks rusted so much that they'd have to be broken off in order to be removed – the rust had malformed the keyholes.

It was clear that no one had been living in this manor for quite some time.

Pegasus pondered at this one. Had Lord Touzoku up and moved his daughter somewhere else? He was pretty certain she hadn't died – the curse wouldn't let her pass on before the cruel end, even if someone attempted to murder her – but she was clearly not here.

It wasn't exactly time to retrieve her anyway, but close enough to where he had decided to track her down – just so he would be prepared (he wanted to see if he'd have to get through any sort of defensive system to get her).

It seemed however, that he would not find the answers here, in regard to where one Lady Ryou Touzoku was residing.

Turning from the once beautiful mansion, Pegasus began to make his way to the nearby town he could see beyond the forest.

"The Touzoku's? We ain't seen them fer years," the Innkeeper said with a shake of his head. "Think I heard on the breeze that the Lord up an' either died or disappeared on one of them trading boats. The girl was taken by the Royal Guard some time ago. You have some unfinished business with 'em or something?"

"Something like that," Pegasus replied, a slight frown on his face. The Royal Guard had taken Ryou? That was quite unusual – was she paying for some sort of debt of her father's?

"Truth be told, it's been so much nicer," the Innkeeper continued. "She was a cursed girl an' that house was probably cursed too. We're all sort of glad she's gone and we don't have to worry no more."

So Ryou was in the capital with the Royals, if he was hearing things correctly.

That certainly would mean retrieving her would be rather difficult when the time came.

But Pegasus was a patient and persistent man and Ryou was the last piece of creating a perfect little doll kingdom (or family) for his beloved Cecilia.

It would take a lot more work to bring Ryou to her final resting place, but he was willing to do so.

Ryou wasn't going to be able to escape from her ultimate fate.

It was going to take some careful planning and perhaps looking into some methods of disguise, but the fact that she was now in the Royal Palace wasn't going to be enough to deter Pegasus from finding Ryou.

There were still some months left before the curse took her. He had time to plan it all out.

Lady Ryou Touzoku was shaking as Seto carried her from her room for another of their nighttime relaxing sessions in the garden. The fevers had been worse lately and it was only because Ryou had been oddly insistent that he'd brought her outside.

The sound of her panting for breath and the sight of her fever-flushed face and sweat-soaked skin was driving his dragon-half crazy.

Ryou felt awful. She felt hot and cold at the same time. But she still wanted to go outside with Seto, at least the evening breeze would feel nice, she hoped. She didn't want to stay lying in bed where she would be even more uncomfortable.

Seto settled beneath the tree again, a low growl of frustration rumbling in his throat as he tried to use his sleeve to wipe some of the sweat from Ryou's face. It was only a distant comfort when Ryou leaned into his touch a little bit.

Are you sure you want to be out here right now? I am not sure this is a good idea.

The faintest of smiles crossed Ryou's face at the words spelled into her palm and Seto felt a tiny spike of worry drive itself into his heart. While it was nice to see a smile from her, he wasn't entirely sure this was a good time to be smiling, with how sick Ryou was.

Just for a while. That's all I ask. Just for a little while tonight I want to be out here.

"I'm not entirely sure how this came about, but she is actually sick," Anzu stated as she stood up from Ryou's bedside. "Well, I have a few guesses on how it happened, but next time her fevers spike so high, please just keep her in bed to rest!"

Seto's dragon half felt rather displeased at being the cause of further discomfort to Ryou, but the Captain of the Royal Guard kept up his usual poker-face expression while Anzu attempted to school him.

"I know it's nice out in the evenings," the healer continued. "But she really shouldn't be carried around so much during the fevers. An open window or even sitting out on her balcony would be enough for some fresh air. Now she has a rather bad cold."

The healer turned to Shizuka, who was standing by looking worried. Lira flicked an ear as she watched the people gathered from her spot at the foot of the bed.

"Shizuka, I'll leave some medicine to at least help temper the symptoms on the night stand," Anzu explained to the servant girl. "Please make sure she takes it twice a day – with a meal would be best. I'm not sure if the curse will make it harder for her to fight off a cold but she should be feeling better in a few days. I've already given her a dose for this morning so she will need one later today."

Shizuka nodded in understanding and Seto stood with his arms crossed over his chest, tail twitching in annoyance. He felt rather bad that he'd caused Ryou to get worse.

At least with the medicine she seemed to be in less discomfort and was currently sleeping soundly.

But she had been so insistent on going outside and knowing her days were numbered, he had wanted to keep her happy. He knew that he should have probably told her no, but the fact that going outside had become something she enjoyed – he couldn't bring himself to refuse her request.

Watching her now, as she lay in bed, face flushed and breathing a little wheezy from the cold, Seto wondered if it had been worth it.

Ryou would probably say it was.

A/N: See you next chapter...