Well, folks, what can I say? o_o Usually, I say I hate a chapter, and I get a bunch of reviews. Then I say that I like a chapter, and I get three reviews. x_x Oh well, better then nothing. x) Thanks to all reviewers, and isn't it a great song? -Singsong voice- Heheheh. Now then.

Sorry, guys, this chapter took quite a while. First with my computer breaking down unexpectedly, then our Internet went whacko... Anyhow, enjoy the chapter. ^^;

Chapter 6

Ecstasy

Quietly, Kai padded down the puzzling halls of the manor. He took his time, walking at ease. His eyes wandered over the walls, and he paused every now and then to observe the odd paintings, put up at irregular intervals. Under a random painting, he stopped, gazing absently at its colors as he mused.

Three months ago, he had confessed to Chiara about how he felt for her. It was nerve wrecking, but worth it, as Chiara coyly admitted that she quite liked him too. Now he didn't have to worry about her. Under his own protection, she had nothing to fear, and likewise, Kai. When Ray heard the news, he seemed rather disturbed. Even angry... At the time, Kai wasn't paying too much attention, but he frowned now, thinking. Hm. Mentally shaking his head, he faced the problem at hand; how to tell Kai's grandfather, the supreme 'ruler' of the manor. Kai silently read the faded label under the painting - Unpredictable, Kismet Blaque, 1785. Unpredictable was the right word to use at the moment, how was his grandfather going to act? Most likely, the old man would kick up a storm, Kai thought bitterly. To his grandfather, slaves weren't even human. With a sigh, he turned and continued down the hall.

Of course, he could just be stubborn and refuse to listen to a single word his grandfather says until the elderly gives up. Through experience, Kai found that this strategy often worked, but then again, nothing this big had ever happened. Keeping this in mind, he found himself face-to-face with the grand doors of his grandfather's room. He stared at the ceiling for a few seconds, before knocking upon the door.

"Come in, come in," came the rich bass voice.

Kai pushed one door and shuffled in casually. Without bothering to introduce himself, he slammed the door shut. The loud noise caused his grandfather to sharply glance up from his papers. With a small surprised sound, the Governor Hiwatari carefully and hurriedly stuffed some papers away as Kai silently approached.

"Young Master Kai," he said curtly, "I have you told time and time again. Do not slam the doors shut!"

"I know," Kai answered automatically, a brow raised. "I didn't come for a lecture," he went on, cutting off his grandfather's next words. "I came to tell you something."

The old monarch of the manor placed his chin gently upon his laced fingers, his expression mildly curious. "Well, get on with it."

"I'm sure you remember Chiara." Kai's expression, on the other hand, was stony, as always when he spoke to his grandfather. The Governor nodded, and the adolescent continued tonelessly. "I want to take her off of the servant rank."

His grandfather's reaction was predictable, and Kai wasn't blown over by the roar of outrage.

"Kai!" he exclaimed, his bushy gray eyebrows narrowed fiercely, although the effect was lost upon the non-responsive Kai. "Kai, servants are servants! End of the story! I don't want to hear another word out of your mouth, young whelp!"

Sharply, Kai glanced up. A flicker of flame burned within his glassy eyes, an indication of his irritation. "Grandfather," he said stiffly, "I want her off the rank." His own eyes, so unlike his grandfather's, narrowed as well, the pigment within his optics darkening. In Kai's case, the effect of this expression was much more impressive. He simply looked more... intimidating.

The Governor slammed his fist down upon the desk, (standing up so abruptly that his chair toppled over) causing the odd articles upon the surface to quiver. (From the shadows of the room, a nervous-looking female quickly stepped forward to place the chair gingerly upright. She scurried away.) His face was quickly turning red as he half-bellowed, "Do not be a fool, Kai! There are plenty of girls out there! No need for you, one held in high regards by so many, to want a relationship with a mere slave!"

If he was shocked, Kai did not show it... But then again, since when has he ever shown his emotions if he wanted them hidden? He merely smiled - a careless and vague smile.

"Relationship?" he parroted calmly. "Who said anything about a relationship?" He could've laughed out loud at the sheepish look creeping upon his grandfather's face.

"You mean..." The elder's hands waved wordlessly. "... No?"

"Of course not," Kai replied smoothly. Gray bangs shifted to cover his eyes, as if on command. They hid the amusement dancing in his eyes. His grandfather was so gullible. "No relationship. I just want her off the servant rank," he added, strengthening his bluff.

Completely relaxing and looking rather shame-faced, the gray-haired man lowered himself heavily into his chair. With a sigh, he rubbed his temples slowly. "I ask for forgiveness, Kai," he apologized hesitatingly, folding his hands serenely upon the desk. "I was assuming."

"Must I repeat everything I say?" Kai growled, arms crossing stubbornly over his chest. "I want Chiara off the servant rank!" The Phoenix tattoo upon his arm seemed to flash in defiance, matching the look of rebelliousness upon his face. "Get - her - off - the - rank," he said slowly, placing both hands firmly upon the edges of the desk.

The ruler of the manor gave up completely. Sometimes, he thought that Kai was too independent. Other times, he thought that Kai was simply too much of a numbskull. Either way, he allowed defeat to wash over him as he answered, his voice weary.

"All right, Kai. She's off. Do what you will with her."

With a curt nod of approval, the stony-faced Kai turned his back and loped out of the room. Pausing at the door, he seemed to contemplate something. Finally, a light smirk descended upon his lips and he slammed the door shut. From behind the closed doors, he heard his grandfather curse out loud. Chuckling to himself, the adolescent walked leisurely towards the one place revolving around his head - Chiara's room.

Upon reaching his destination, he knocked gently open the closed door. After a moment's silence, he jiggled the doorknob, and found it unlocked. Peering through the crack in the door, his sharp eyes swept over the room once; empty. Slightly puzzled, he quietly shut the door, and leaned his forehead against the wood; it felt cool to him. Where could Chiara be? It was around seven o'clock in the evening, and she couldn't be asleep... Her room was empty, anyway. Perhaps she had stolen away to Ceramina's room?

He stuck his hands inside his pockets, and plodded silently up a flight of stairs - took a sharp right turn - passed the family library - and ceased movement as he lifted a fist to knock upon Ceramina's door. He heard a squeal, a flurry of movement, hysterical giggling, and silence. Both eyebrows rising in a skeptical manner, Kai took a small step back and cleared his throat. Another squeal was issued from the closed doors and a muffled voice yelled, "Hang on!"

A flushed and nervous-looking Chiara opened the door; her hair flopped rather prettily around her pink face. She made a small choking sound as Kai's eyebrows rose higher, and promptly collapsed, shrieking with laughter. She rolled off to one side, and Ceramina, looking much more groomed, opened the door all the way, and inclined her head calmly.

"Master Kai," she greeted dutifully. She caught the questioning look Kai sent towards Chiara (who was laughing so hard, her eyes were watering). "Um - she's a bit - hyper."

"Hyper?" repeated Kai, as if he didn't know what the word meant. His emotionless eyes roamed casually around the room. Nothing seemed to be out-of-place. He stepped over Chiara's giggling form, and seated himself upon a nearby chair. Ceramina watched, her fingers twisting nervously. A few moments of silence passed, broken only by Chiara's incessant laughing.

"Do you mind telling me what's wrong with her?" Kai jerked his head towards Chiara. He crossed his arms slowly, and Ceramina began her explanation with a half-smile.

"Well," she said awkwardly, "You see, Master Kai, I had a bit of coffee just now. It always perks me up a bit." She coughed once or twice here, and pointed towards a steaming mug beside her bed. Kai gave it a side-glance, and grunted. Ceramina took this cue to continue. "Uh - around an hour ago, Chiara came over, just to visit. She was still tired and yawning, and half an hour later, I thought of my coffee... I offered some to her, and she drank two whole mugs." She paused here and searched Kai's face anxiously, scared for a reaction. Kai gave no indication that he cared and Ceramina went on nervously. "The she must have taken too much caffeine into her system. Um... She started laughing when I tripped over my feet a few minutes ago, and she hasn't stopped laughing yet."

Kai turned his dead stare towards Chiara, who lay panting. Slowly, she giggled. Then it burst forth in a wild laugh, and there she went again, laughing. Kai traced the stripes on his cheek thoughtfully. Finally, he let his hand drop and gripped Chiara's forearm. "She'll be back," he said simply, tugging the raven-haired girl to her feet. Half supporting her and half dragging her, he exited.

-----

A few minutes later, Chiara was seated upon the edge of Kai's bed, quietly brushing her wet hair. She was calm; Kai had dumped a cup of water over her. She blinked water droplets away from her thick eyelashes. They rolled down her cheeks, looking not unlike tears. Wiping the moisture away with the back of a hand, she flicked wet locks of hair away from her eyes, blinking questioningly towards Kai.

"Something you wanted, Kai?" she ventured to ask. It was hard to believe that they were 'together'. Under normal circumstances, she wouldn't have dared to sit upon his bed, or to speak before spoken to. Well, the circumstances weren't that normal and so she felt emboldened, but still slightly nervous.

"Grandfather agreed to free you," Kai replied simply. Even though Chiara's actions and way of speech changed with their relationship, he remained aloof and taciturn. Kai, being Kai, didn't let himself get too carried away. After all, to the public, he couldn't display a sudden rush of emotions towards a girl. It would never do to have the whole city bellow out the news. Oh dearly no.

Chiara was shocked into silence for a few seconds, but her voice found itself in a high tremolo, quivering with excitement. "What did you say?" she squeaked, jumping off the edge of the feathery bed in her ecstasy. "He agreed to what?" She couldn't believe it. No way. She was free? As her mind struggled to comprehend this beautiful piece of information, she laughed. Without waiting for reassurance from Kai, she dashed forward and grabbed his hands. Giggling, she spun him around and sent him stumbling over his feet as he toppled onto the bed. Chortling madly, Chiara twirled around the borders of the room.

"I'm free!" she cried happily to a lampshade. "I'm free, do you hear?"

Kai's face twisted slightly in a look of wryness, although he was not angry. Oh no, not at all angry. On the contrary, he was pleased with himself. Despite his attempts to appear serious, he found a slow chuckle rising from his throat. So slow and deliberate was the sound of merriment, that it seemed more of a purr. His eyes, reflecting the sun's dying rays as it set upon the western horizon, turned a fiery garnet hue, and they seemed to hold sadness as he watched Chiara dance.

"Of course, now that you're free, you're allowed to roam wherever you will," he said quietly, flopping back upon his bed pensively.

"Is that bad?" Chiara paused in her joyous capering. She pirouetted, and waltzed towards Kai. Upon reaching him, she threw herself beside the gray-haired adolescent and gently prodded his side. "You don't want me free?"

Kai remained silent for a minute, arms crossed behind his head. Reddish eyes were fixed upon the ceiling. It seemed he was contemplating something. "It's not that," he finally answered. Feeling uncomfortable, he twitched and rolled over, his back to Chiara. Would she leave him for her parents?

Imitating the teenage boy, Chiara was silent as she puzzled over his cryptic response. "Are you afraid that I'll leave?" she offered softly, tracing patterns on his muscular back. Her question was answered with the silence. "I won't leave," she promised, leaning over him. "I won't ever, ever leave."

"Not even to see your parents?" A slender brow rose quizzically as Kai asked 'The Fatal Question'. "Not for your parents or your friends?" Half turning around, he stared up at her; garnet eyes met chocolate ones as he waited uncertainly.

"Aren't I allowed to see my mother and father? You can come with me..." Her face tightened. "But if you really don't want me to go, then I'll stay." With a blink, she added, "Can I still live here?" Her face brightened slightly as Kai nodded his permission. "But I am allowed to see my parents, aren't I?"

Kai snorted and slung an arm around her waist. "Yes. So that's settled," he said quietly, as Chiara snuggled closer to him. As the sun threw its last rays across the skies, the two lovebirds drifted into slumber.

From the window, a pair of eyes watched the two in silent bitterness. Slowly, the eyes disappeared as the figure climbed down from the window and disappeared into the darkness, cursing. Fierce jealousy spread through him. He'd find a way to break them up, oh, just let them go on unsuspecting.

-- end chapter --

Oh my LORD, I'm done with this chapter. .__. Honestly, I hate this chapter. It really makes no sense, but I'm so tired and most of this was written at one am. ==; Sorry. Jeebus. . Shoot me. x_x This one's a shortie, I apologize.