A/N: Hehehehehe... I love waiting to post these chapters... I don't know why, maybe I'm a sadist. No, I know I am. So please continue to tell me that I'm evil. It's positively marvelous.

And because my fabulous readers write posts that seem like they're in pain... I decided to post this earlier than I would have regularly. But don't expect this all the time.

Chapter Three: The House

Rikuo sat on his bed slowly sipping his miso soup. It was cold by now, he had completely forgot about it when he was reading the letter. Rikuo didn't mind though, his mind was far away, contemplating what he had read. Did he remember any of it? Yes, bits and pieces, most of which wouldn't have made any sense without Kazahaya's description of the first part of the journey. He remembered emotions strongly, happiness, fear, anger...love. That last one confused him, love? Love for what? He didn't have the capacity to think about it just yet. Maybe if he read more of the letter.

He placed the empty bowl back on the tray and picked up Kazahaya's letter again.

We reached the door in what seemed like ages. I could have sworn that driveway was getting longer and longer. The steps creaked under our weight, and the wind blew cold air right up my shirt. I thought that would be impossible, considering the layers I was wearing. That wind made the hair stand up on the back of my neck. I didn't like that house one bit, and it didn't help that we went to it in the middle of the night. With each creak came each though of how I was going to die. I could see it, or I thought I could. Maybe the house was sending visions to me, memories of how people died in the past. It couldn't have been my death, because I can't see the future. Or at least, that's what I told myself.

The doorway was an easy problem to solve for you. Before we even arrived at it, I could hear the lock break, and the door slid open just a little. I took a deep breath and followed you inside, fearing what I'd see. It was a regular, unused house. The cobwebs were draped over everything. Cobwebs creep me out. They're sticky and have spiders on them... You were unfazed by them, wiping them away at first annoyance.

"Hey, Rikuo," I asked you, even though I knew I was going to get a glance from you and then an 'idiot,' "What are we looking for again?"

You replied, as I predicted, with an "Idiot, we're looking for a ring. Just a simple, plain, gold ring. Will you remember that?"

I gruffed as I usually did, and nodded my head so severely I thought it was going to break off. We continued walking and I started wondering where we were going, when you stopped and motioned for me to do the same. We stood there for a long time listening. For what I didn't have a clue, but you seemed very intent, as if you had actually heard movement. Then, as suddenly as you had stopped, you straightened up again and looked around. I felt completely lost, like I had missed something that was terribly important.

You turned back around to face me, "I think we should..." You started.

"No, if you say split up, I say no." I was determined not to split up, it was bad enough being in a creepy old mansion that had thoughts of death on its every foundation, but to be there without you by my side, I would have gone insane.

You looked at me and turned back around without so much as a protest. I think you knew what I was thinking, no, I knew you knew what I was thinking. So, thanks for staying with me.

Rikuo sat in his bed, dumbfounded. This paper Kazahaya was much nicer than the flesh and blood Kazahaya.

We searched all around that house, never finding anything more than a little bit of silver cutlery and a few broken flower pots. Oh yeah, and a whole lot of spider webs. I let you take the liberty of going in front of me the entire way, just to force you to take them down. We were exhausted. But you kept going, set on finding that ring, and therefore getting out of there. I should have been so fixed on that goal, but I was just too tired. It felt like the spirit of the house, or whatever you want to call it, was sucking the energy out of me. I ignored it though, seeing how you were still pressing on.

Twice around that house, and still nothing. You sat down on a stair and looked up at me.

"We must be missing something," you said, your brow furrowed, "what though? What?"

"Maybe there's a basement, or an attic," I said, though, by this time, I was almost asleep.

The look you gave me was one of pure amazement, as if I had discovered something only you were supposed to know. Then you smiled at me, which I would have found weird, if I was fully conscious. So instead, I smiled back.

You got up quickly, inspired with a new vigor to find a latch somewhere that would lead you to a basement or an attic. I followed along, only slightly less enthused. By that time it was getting hard just keeping my eyes open, yet you didn't notice. After what seemed like forever, you found a little string with a wooden ball attached at the end, which could only mean that was an entrance to the attic. You pulled on this string, and a small extendable stairway fell down in front of us.

You looked as if you found a hidden chocolate shop in the attic, peering in all the dusty old boxes and wondering which would contain the most treasured prize. If you had been a little less wrapped around your image, you would've been bouncing up and down, maybe even laughing a little. Or that's the impression I got. Maybe I was just feeling a drowsy, I was probably hallucinating.

The attic was endless. At this point I sat down and let you do the work, since you seemed so uppity. I must've dozed off, because the next thing I knew, you were tugging at my sleeve and pulling me toward a large armoire, pointing and talking rapidly about 'it.' There was definitely something wrong with the way you were acting, never in the whole time I have known you have you ever acted this...happy. We reached the armoire, and there it was, sitting neatly on a shelf in velvet lined box. Looking at it, I thought it did look rather drab, just a boring piece of gold made to fit around a finger.

Lost in my thoughts, I didn't realize a sound coming from behind us.

A/N: Sigh Another chapter gone... and another to post, if only I get the reward of sweet reviews...