"Are you sure you've checked every where?"
Kyo looked up at Yuki, who too looked worn out in the early morning light. They had all been up all night, Kyo, Haru, Tohru, Yuki and even Shigure, all looking for Mei.
"Yes." Kyo said "Everywhere... even some places twice... I don't know where she could be."
"Did you check the zoo?" Haru said, tugging on Yuki's shirt
"Yes." Shigure said "I did. What about the school?"
"I looked there." Tohru said "I don't know where she could be... I'm so worried."
Kyo sighed and stood, walking away. Tohru followed.
"Kyo?" She asked, walking into his room
He looked up at her.
"I- I should tell you something..."
"What?"
"I.."
"Come on. I won't be mad or anything."
Tohru looked at him, then sighed.
"I... well Mei... sort of told me that she was going to leave."
"What?"
"Well... not exactly... but... she just kind of hinted at it... she just said that... seeing you guys... Yuki and Shigure and you... it... it hurted her heart."
"Why?"
"Because... she saw wounds that she couldn't heal."
Kyo cocked his head at her, listening.
"She said, she was sad, because she couldn't kiss your pain away and make everything better... and..."
"But--." Kyo began "That's not her job... she's not supposed to take care of me. I'm supposed to take care of her. We are. We're her family!"
Tohru smiled.
"Funny... that's what Mei said... that you guys were her family... and that's why she wanted to help you. And she couldn't..."
"So she left?"
Tohru shrugged.
"Maybe." She said
Kyo sighed and closed his eyes.
"Where would she go..."
He's just a friend... with benefits granted...
"Seto." He muttered, standing and moving over to his closet and pulling out a small duffel bag.
"Kyo..."
"Don't ask. I just have to go, right now."
"Well... this is unexpected."
Mei turned to face Kaiba.
"When my secretary told me there was a Ms. Sohma to see me, I was--."
"Extremely happy?" Mei asked, winking "To see such a wonderful person as me?"
Kaiba smiled.
"Hey Kaiba-boy, miss me?"
"So... let me get this straight." Akito said "First Mei and Kyo are dating, and all is well... then without my permission, Mei switches schools... and soon after that... Mei leaves... and now Kyo has gone after her?"
Shigure nodded.
"That's pretty much the gist of it yeah... oh, have I told you about the tigers?"
"Tigers?"
Tohru smiled at Yuki from across his 'secret base'. He forcibly smiled back.
Everyone's so sad... I guess Mei-chan leaving did have an effect on everyone. I just hope where ever she and Kyo are... they're alright.
"What! She's gone! But she just got back!"
Haru looked up from the maid's uniform that Ayame held in his hands.
"Yeah, she left yesterday... Kyo went after her."
"Oh my poor little princess." Ayame exclaimed, throwing down his needled "I can't! I refuse to work until she comes back!"
"What about the nurse's outfit that she wanted?" Haru asked
Ayame scratched his head.
"Um... well maybe on that..."
Haru reached in his pocket and pulled out the note Mei had left on her dress. He handed it to Ayame. Ayame read it, and a tear came to his eyes.
"Oh you're so welcome Mei-chan."
Kyo tilted his head back into the bus seat as it came to a stop. He got off and looked around the station. Only then did it occur to him that he had no idea where he was going.
"Huh..."
"So... you ran away again?" Kaiba asked
"I told you Seto... not ran away, I just took a short break."
"Uh-huh... and how long do you plan to be here?"
"Why? Don't enjoy my company?"
Kaiba shook his head.
"No, you're fun. I just..."
"Like I said, I took a break. I'll be back and everything will be all normal again."
"Normal? You?"
"Seto!"
Kyo sighed and looked around. All of his years of living in Japan, he had never been to this city (can't remember which.. hell i'm not perfect). He bought and map, and smiled as he found what he was looking for.
"Kaiba-corp."
"Am I keeping you from work?"
"Yes."
"I'm sorry."
"I don't mind."
"But I--."
"It's all right... really... I could use a break."
Later, after the pizza the had ordered had arrived, Kaiba and Mei sat down on his office floor.
"So, how are things?" Mei asked
"Pretty good I guess." He said "However, I could use the sixty-six inches of comfort wrapped around me again. That was nice."
Mei smiled.
"I don't think so." She said "I have--."
"Mr. Kaiba?"
His speaker phone came on. Kaiba sighed and stood.
"What?" He asked
"There's a Mr. Sohma here to see you."
Mei's head perked up.
"Sohma.." She muttered
Kaiba looked at her, as if waiting for her approval. She nodded.
"Send him up."
Mei stood off the floor.
"Seto... could you just give us a moment?"
He nodded and left to the adjourning conferance room. Soon after, the secretary opened the door and Kyo stepped in. Mei swallowed as the door closed and looked at him.
"You look awful." She muttered
"I haven't slept." He replied "What... what are you doing?"
"Taking a break. A vacation... you know..? People do that sometimes."
"People don't just leave without word."
"I do."
"Why?"
Kyo neared her.
"Because... I just had to leave... I couldn't be there... It was my time to go."
"No, it wasn't... Mei you didn't have to leave."
"I did... it's just things you couldn't understand Kyo."
"Try me."
Mei looked away.
"Being around you all... it hurts my heart." She said "It makes me want to grieve."
"Why? What do I..."
"It's nothing you do particularly." She said "It's just the pain in your heart. How much attention you give it... and I can't do anything to stop you. To help you."
"That's what Tohru said."
"Huh?"
"She told me about your conversation... and she figured that was why you left... I'm sorry if I caused you pain Mei Sohma. I'll leave you alone."
From the thin-walled conferance room, Kaiba listened intently.
"What on earth am I going to do?"
"Kyo... don't..." Mei said "I don't want you to leave me alone... I want to be with you. I do... I just... it's hard for me to belong to a family... you know... to be there... so I had to leave.."
Kyo's eyes lightened.
"We'll go away then."
"Huh?"
"We'll leave... right now. We'll just go... for a while... and then come back."
"Kyo... we can't just leave!"
"Why not? We already did. Why don't we just keep going for a while?"
"I can't just... drag you away from your life."
"What life?" He asked
"True..." Mei pointed out "But... school... and training and everything... I can't just.."
"Oh, so it's okay for you to miss school and not me?"
"That's not what I'm saying! Kyo, think for a minuet... do you really want to do this? To just run?"
Kyo looked at her, strangely.
"Mei." He said "Either you come home with me, or I'm running with you, which do you choose? Because I'm not leaving you."
Mei only smiled.
"I love you Kyon-kyon."