"You got me lifted shifted higher than a ceiling,
And ooh-wee it's the ultimate feeling…
You got me lifted, feeling so gifted.
Suga, how you get so fly?"

-Baby Bash

Foreword

There will is a short excerpt containing adult themes within this chapter; the segment is written entirely in italic font, so please be aware. If you do not enjoy themes of a sexual nature, then please skip past that part of the chapter. To those who decide to read, please do so at your own discretion.

. . .

Friday came on quicker than Shuichi had anticipated, especially with how eager he was for their impending outing at Yori No Hi. Thursday had all but flown by—not only was there class to attend, but also work, which wasn't typical of his schedule. Given that he needed Friday evening off, he had bargained with Kazuya to exchange his obligation, offering to work Thursday evening in exchange. His stepfather agreed with no complaint, despite the fact that Shuichi's absence would leave him a bit short on staff the following night—but Shuichi rarely, if ever, asked for a night off, and when he explained that it was so he could attend an outing with his friends before their companion who was temporarily visiting Kaiden returned home, Kazuya had readily accepted, assuring him that they would manage without him.

While he was pleased with the outcome of his request, this exchange for freedom left him in a bit of a bind—he had an exam bright and early in his first class on Friday, and with his altered schedule, that left him less time to study in preparation for it. But he would make do, even if it meant sacrificing some sleep. He wasn't overly concerned about the test—as always, he had ample notes to review, and was already exceedingly familiar with the material to be covered. In truth, he was only pursuing a higher level of education because it was expected of him—apart from the occasional matter, most of what was taught to him over the course of his human life was droll and inconsequential. He could easily read and maintain an entire semester's worth of content in a week and still out perform all of his peers, given his exceedingly sharp memory and intellectual capability.

But still, he went through the motions, having to maintain his carefully cultivated façade. It was, at times, an exhausting endeavor, this act of being human, but, in his case, a necessary one. While he had once planned on abandoning his mortal mother during his youth when he had regained enough ability, such a desire had long since fled It was a selfless act from Shiori that had prompted him to discard his ill intentions—she still bore the scars on her arms from this encounter, the deep wounds forever forged into her flesh. Although time had faded them, every time Shuichi caught sight of those distinct blemishes, he was reminded of how truly deep her love for him, her beloved son, ran—he could never abandon her, and that meant playing the role of human for as long as she was of the living world. It was his burden to bear, and he did so diligently. There were times were he longed for the freedom of the Demon World, missing the undeniable thrill of his old life as the bandit king—it was a ruthless, savage realm, knowing little of kindness or peace, but it was home, worlds apart in both structure and process from his current situation.

But for now and the unforeseeable future, such desire would remain an elusive memory. He had committed to his mortal disguise and would bare it until he no longer possessed a reason to remain within the Human World. He had made a promise to himself, and there was no reneging on such a pledge, even if he quietly resented his choice at times. But his life among the mortals, while sometimes mundane, had gifted him a number of things he never would have had if his fate had taken a different path. Experience and perspective were both useful tools, and he was grateful for the opportunity to acquire them. And, of course, there was affection, family, friendship, trust—these things were exceedingly scarce within his mother-realm, whereas within the world of mortals, they were surprisingly plentiful, at least, in his experience. But he knew he lived a privileged life compared to some, which prompted a sense of guilt to blossom every time a bitter notion concerning his situation befell his mind.

So Shuichi played his role as he was meant to, fulfilling his daily obligations and staying up well into the late hours of the evening to prepare for his examination. His venture to school that Thursday morning was made in Davina's company as previously discussed, and it made for a wonderful start—every time he saw her, it was like a breath of fresh air—there was something about her that calmed his chaotic mind, and soothed his inner turmoil. Their dynamic seemed to grow deeper with each encounter, always parting with an eagerness for more of each other's presence.

Now that she had become fairly comfortable with him, Davina was slowly but surely coming out of her carefully constructed shell, her walls slowly withering away as they continued this strange, hypnotic dance. The urge to solidify his claim on her strengthened each and every day, but still he found himself hesitating, quietly fearing that she would reject his proposal, even if there was little evidence of such a concern. And while it was true that their time together was hardly impressive, Shuichi felt a strange familiarity with her that he could not give name to—it was as if some odd, magnetic force drew them together, something he could not truly explain or even begin to fashion into words. Such a concept lingered at the back of his mind every time they were together, but he ignored it in favor of focusing on the moment rather than his thoughts.

When Friday morning came, he made the trip to the university solo, heading there nearly an hour earlier than his standard time in order to camp out in the library and give his notes one final pass. But it was somewhat odd to make the trip without Davina at his side—there was a notable void in light of her absence. He made his way into the massive library of Chishiki No Eda, content with the fact that it was nearly empty. He lay claim to a table and began his task, quickly consuming the information provided by his notes.

So enthralled in his studying he was that he nearly failed to notice his missing counterpart as she stealthily made her way over to where he sat—Shuichi realized it was Davina by the distinctive aroma of her perfume, but kept his eyes drawn to his notebook, not wanting to ruin what was obviously supposed to be a clever surprise.

With a flourish, she placed a tall Styrofoam cup just abreast of his hand, prompting him to glance up—a sweet smile was carved into her lips, her eyes meet his own and holding his stare.

"Morning," she offered in greeted, lowering herself down onto the seat opposite of him, clutching her own cup in her hand.

"Good morning—you're here earlier than usual. To what do I owe the pleasure?" he asked with mild amusement, a small smile coming to rest across his face.

"Wanted to surprise you with some caffeine and to wish you well on your test," Davina explained, suddenly looking shy. "I hope I'm not interrupting…"

"Trust me, it's an interruption I'm more than happy to entertain," he retorted, reaching for the cup she had gifted him. The potent aroma of steaming chai tea rose up to greet him from its minute opening in the lid, causing his smile to widen. "Thank you for the tea—it's much appreciated." He took a hearty sip, relishing the tasty, hot liquid against his tongue.

"You're welcome—figured you could use a little morning pick me up."

"Well, between this and getting to see you, my day is already much improved," he replied, pleased to see the sudden flush color her cheeks. Inspired by this, he reached out to clasp her free hand in his own, fixing it with a firm squeeze. His gesture caused the rosy hue to darken considerably, and he drank in her reaction with satisfaction. "Did you sleep well?"

"Well enough—I'm kind of anxious about tonight, so falling asleep was a bit difficult," she offered with a soft chuckle.

"No reason to worry—you'll be in good company…I, for one, am looking forward to it. But I have to warn you, I'm not much of a dancer."

"That makes two of us," she admitted, shaking her head. "But hey, if worst comes to worst, we find a dark corner to hide out in and people watch, right?"

Shuichi seemed to contemplate this suggestion for a brief moment. The urge to tease her was overwhelming, and given that the opportunity had presented itself, he simply couldn't pass it up.

"That idea certainly has potential, but I can think of a number of interesting things to do in a dark corner with you," he offered casually, despite the mildly lewd insinuation. Her cheeks darkened to a shade reminiscent of a ripe cherry, and Shuichi couldn't help but chuckle at the sight.

"Isn't it a little early for you to be so witty?" she sputtered, but couldn't hide her smirk.

"I didn't realize that my proclivity for wit was a time sensitive concept," he retorted with amusement. "Regardless of what we do, I'd be more than happy to linger in a dark corner with you for company."

"Nice save there…super smooth," she replied, fixing him with firm side eye. "Shouldn't you be studying?" she tacked on, attempting to sound strict despite the smile that toyed at the very edges of her lips.

"I was attempting to, but now sadly, my mind has veered off to activities best done in dark corners," he responded, unable to withhold his laughter.

Davina shot him with a mild glare, trying to appear stern, but failing to maintain her façade as she erupted into her own giggle.

"You are such a smart ass," she said pointedly, taking a quick sip of her coffee.

"It's one of my more redeeming qualities," he offered, highly entertained by their humorous exchange. "But I suppose I do need to finish up here—I'm due at my class in twenty minutes, and I still have two more chapters to review."

"Well, better get to it," Davina said agreeably, quickly rising to her feet. "Good luck! I'll talk to you later." She took her leave of him then, heading towards the exit of the library. Shuichi followed her departure with an eager gaze, his eyes drawn to the delightful sway of those wonderfully ample hips as they moved onward. A soft sigh escaped him—the old adage was indeed correct in its simplicity: he hated to see her go, but he loved to watch her leave.

Forcing himself to focus, Shuichi returned his attention to his notes, knowing that time was dwindling. He only hoped he had enough discipline to concentrate on the task at hand.

. . .

A sudden rush of nervousness washed over Davina as she left the lecture hall that housed her last class of the day, quickly heading for the exit of the vast university on swift legs. Her professor had dismissed everyone nearly half an hour earlier than anticipated, citing a personal obligation as his reason for their early conclusion. Davina was silently grateful for the unexpected reprieve, content with this boon of extra time that would give her the opportunity to better prepare for the arrival of her companions come the evening—she wanted to tidy up her apartment and hit the local grocery store to grab some snacks and beverages to have on hand before things commenced. She managed to reach the station just as the train to her destination pulled into the stop, more than pleased with her timing—it was just after four when she reached the Kaiden depot, and, given the fact that she was already out and about, she decided to get her shopping done before heading home.

Following a short venture, she headed in the direction of her complex, cradling a large brown paper bag filled with a various assortment of snacks and sodas against her chest—she wasn't exactly sure what the girls preferred, so she chose a little bit of everything, making sure to include savory, sweet, and spicy in her collective, hoping to satisfy everyone's tastes. Carefully, she climbed her way up the stairs, managing to make her way inside of her apartment after some creative maneuvering. With a soft sigh, she placed the bag and her backpack on the kitchen counter, quickly surveying her living room with an inquisitive eye.

Luckily, things weren't horribly in disarray, but she still took the time to straighten up, folding her favorite blanket that had been carelessly abandoned on the couch, fixing the messy pillows, and washing the handful of dishes that lingered in the sink. After placing the beverages in the fridge, she swept and mopped the floors, then laid the snacks out on the counter, securing them in a small basket—satisfied with her efforts, she checked the time, surprised to find that it was already after five o'clock. Seeing as the girls were due to arrive at six, she hurried into the bathroom to take a quick shower, wanting to freshen up before the evening ahead.

Stepping under the inviting stream of heated water, Davina let out a long, deep sigh, closing her eyes as she willed her tense shoulders to relax. But as she began to wash, images hailing from her dream the previous evening suddenly popped into her mind's eye, causing her to groan quietly. Her thoughts had been so preoccupied throughout the day that she had almost forgotten about it—but here, in the quiet isolation of the shower, they resurfaced with a vengeance, potent and relentless. A mild shudder raced down the length of her spine as she recalled a specific scene born of her wild imagination, her teeth firmly digging into the tender flesh of her bottom lip as the scenario replayed itself within her mind…

'…without hesitation, Shuichi carefully lowered himself down onto his knees before her, his hands firmly gripping her thighs as he guided her legs apart—for some reason unbeknownst to Davina, she was wearing a skirt rather than her usual leggings, and was lacking in any sort of undergarment. But rather than feel embarrassed and exposed, she felt eager, studying the face of her companion with curiosity from her position atop the couch. He fixed her with a small smile that was meant to reassure, his green eyes aflame with feral hunger. Before she could speak, Shuichi moved forward, inching his face closer to her sex—a shiver racked Davina's body as the warmth from his breath wisped past her skin, causing her legs to tremble with silent anticipation.

While this act was one she was somewhat familiar with given previous experiences, it felt far different this time around—Shuichi seemed more than excited to please her, acting as if this were some sort of gift rather than the chore her previous boyfriend had made the interaction out to be. He delved in without warning, slipping his tongue languidly down the expanse of her heated flesh, tasting the very essence of her body as if sampling something sweet. An involuntary moan tore forth from Davina's lips at the delightful pressure of his slick appendage, her entire body flooded with sudden warmth.

As if encouraged by the sound, Shuichi buried his mouth against her, his tongue eagerly lapping at her core, consuming her with the vigor of a man starved. Davina writhed against his lecherous ministrations, unable to keep silent in light of the sensations that he was inspiring within her. He was undeniably skilled at what he was doing, delving in and out of her wet heat in the midst of toying with that one spot that set fire to her blood and caused stars to explode behind her tightly closed eyes. She gasped as she felt one of his fingers slip inside, the slender digit curving into a come-hither motion to stimulate that secret center of pleasure buried deep within. With every second, she grew closer to release, unable to stop herself from skirting the edge as he relentlessly devoured her…'

A faint chuckle escaped Davina as she forced herself back into reality, shaking her head in a pathetic attempt to clear her mind of such wayward thoughts. But the dream had felt so real, despite the fact that such contact had yet to occur between the pair—she had roused from sleep, consumed with heat and hunger, her body enveloped in sweat. She found herself somewhat grateful that her day had been busy and full of distractions, for if such thoughts had blossomed within her head while in Shuichi's presence, she wouldn't have been able to maintain her demeanor. Vaguely, she found herself curious if he had ever had similar thoughts regarding her—the idea that he had was certainly appealing, but the odds of her ever asking such a thing were nearly non-existence. Regardless, the mental image of him stroking himself to the thought of her was quite pleasing to behold, even if it only existed as a figment of her imagination.

Forcing aside such thoughts, Davina finished her routine and shut off the water—after drying herself down, she emerged from the bath, clad in a pair of fluffy green towels, and headed for her bedroom. After rubbing herself down with her favorite strawberry scented lotion and moisturizing her face, she wrung out the last bit of remaining moisture from her hair and flung the discarded towels into her hamper. Thinking it best to wait to don her new dress, she opted for some casual clothes, selecting a purple tank top and her standard black leggings.

She decided to tug on the strapless bra she had purchased to wear with her dress in order to get accustomed to the fit—she had never owned one before, due to never needing one. But given the style of the dress she'd be wearing, Keiko had advised that it would work best, so she had acquired one during their shopping excursion. It took a bit of maneuvering to tug the undergarment on and position it properly, but once she had centered it correctly, the bra was surprisingly more comfortable than she had first anticipated. It was black and simple, with underwire and smooth cups that offered ample support to her chest—while it was a strange feeling to not have the present of bra straps clinging to her shoulders, Davina wasn't disappointed at the result—while she did not possess an exceedingly large bosom, she was pretty content with her size. Selina, who was far more ample in the chest than she was, had often complained of back pain as a result—when they were younger teens, Davina had often found herself silently envious of her best friend's size, but now, she found herself grateful to avoid the aches and pains that came with such a thing. And it was far easier to find cute undergarments available in her size, whereas Selina constantly complained that everything for bigger bosoms was bland and notably lacking.

A sudden pang of sadness washed over Davina at the thought of her best friend—how she wished Selina could be here with her, able to share in this experience of a new chapter in her life. While Davina was happy to have finally made some new friends, she couldn't help but miss her—it seemed almost wrong that life would progress in such a way without her there to share in it when she had always been there before. Apart from being far away from her family, being without her ride or die was the only thing she loathed about her life here in Kaiden. Phone calls and video chats were useful tools, but did little to fill the void left by the thousands of miles that separated them now. And while Davina knew that there would be plenty of other experiences to share, she couldn't help but feel a deep pang of longing.

A heavy knock on her front door immediately caught Davina's attention, quickly pulling her out of her stupor.

"Coming!" she called out loud, making her way over to the foyer and eagerly tugging open the door. Keiko was standing there, her arms laden with various bags, a small smile perched on her face.

"Hi, Davi!" she greeted, fixing her with a short nod of her head. "I know I'm a bit early, hope you don't mind."

"Not at all! Want some help?" Davina offered quickly—she couldn't help but wonder if Keiko had brought her entire wardrobe with her. She had so many bags, it almost looked as if she were going on a long trip to some undisclosed destination.

Keiko nodded quickly, and Davina reached over to lessen the load, carrying the bulk of Keiko's collective over into the living room as she paused near the door to remove her shoes. Carefully, she lowered the bags down onto the couch before turning her attention back to her companion. Trepidation rose its ugly head once more now that she was no longer alone in her apartment—why was the idea of inviting new people into her personal space so nerve-wracking?

"I've got snacks and drinks in the fridge, if you are so inclined—uh, feel free to make yourself at home," she said softly, trying to keep the anxiety out of her voice.

"Thank you—so, this is your place? It's pretty nice," Keiko offered with a small smile, closing the door behind her and stepping into the kitchen. "It must be great to have your own space like this."

Davina couldn't help but smile mildly at the compliment—it helped ease some of the tension that had unwillingly gathered in her shoulders.

"It certainly has its perks—I lived with my family before I moved here, so this is my first time living on my own. It's definitely much more peaceful," she tacked on with a small chuckle. Even though both of her brothers no longer resided at their childhood home, they were constantly visiting—her mother was hardly ever home due to her job, but her father loved to cook and was constantly enamored with some household project, so things in the MacKenna home were always lively and bustling in some way. She never realized how busy things at home truly were until she had moved into her own space—the quiet had initially come as a shock, but she had quickly found herself liking the tranquility it offered.

"I don't doubt it—I still live with mine, and they are adamantly against me moving out," she replied with a shrug. "At one point, I almost moved in with Yusuke, but his place is kind of a huge mess, and it just…didn't seem like a good idea."

Davina chuckled, shaking her head at the thought. "That's boys for you—my two brothers were absolute slobs when they were kids—luckily, they grew out of it. I don't know how they got away with it, true be told. My mom is a bit of a…neat freak."

"Aren't most moms?" she responded with a short chuckle. "Do you mind if I unpack what I brought? Botan asked me to bring a bunch of things—she's really excited for tonight."

"Sure—I'm gonna grab a soda, did you want one?"

Keiko nodded in agreement before heading into the living room and reaching for one of her bags, unzipping it carefully. She began to remove its contents, strategically placing the items atop the coffee table. Davina slipped into the kitchen, removing two Ramune sodas from the fridge before heading back into the living room.

"Strawberry or melon?"

"Melon, please!" Davina offered her the selected option and she took it with a grateful nod. While she popped open her soda, Davina glanced down at the coffee table with curiosity—it was covered with different cosmetics and hair products, including a battery operated vanity mirror and curling iron. She quietly gaped at the sight—it seemed a bit much all for a simple night out, but who was she to judge?

The last time she had seen such an impressive collection of beauty supplies was the night of prom back in high school—both she and her best friend were still juniors, but dating seniors, hence their invite to attend. She and Selina had gotten ready at Selina's house, spending the entire day leading up to the event pampering themselves. Selina was obsessed with make-up, and had insisted on doing hers—while not typically one for wearing so much, Davina had allowed her best friend to work her magic, and she had been more than happy with the end result. While the event itself had been a good time, far better than she had expected, it was the day itself and later hours that followed that had truly made it a wonderful memory.

Marcus had been Davina's date, of course, and Selina had attended with her current boyfriend, a short fling whose name had long since been forgotten. But once the prom had concluded, the boys wanted to attend a house party being hosted by one of their fellow students, and, after some cajoling, they had agreed. But the party itself was more or less a bunch of high schoolers getting hammered and hooking up, as was expected—they had only been there an hour and Davina recalled feeling acutely uncomfortable. Both boys had gotten intoxicated and were acting obnoxiously, which only made things worse. Selina suggested they bail, and Davina quickly agreed—they ended up going to Denny's at two in the morning, where they sat in a booth, still dolled up from their dance, eating deliciously terrible fried foods and drinking ridiculous amounts of coffee while chatting about their future plans. They lingered until the sun came up and then headed back to Selina's to catch up on some much needed sleep. It wasn't until a week later did Davina find out that Marcus had been disloyal to her at that very party, but that was a story all on its own. When their senior year came around, both girls had decided to skip the prom, instead having a sleepover filled with horror movies, spending their evening getting scared and baking delicious cupcakes. Again, they stayed up until sunrise, drinking coffee while camped out on the kitchen floor—Davina had known that she was leaving for Japan then, but hadn't yet shared the news with her best friend. She hadn't wanted to put a damper on their evening with such a thing.

"Everything okay?" Keiko asked softly, bringing Davina back to reality.

"Yeah, sorry about that…" she admitted sheepishly. "I just…got lost in thought there for a moment. That's quite a collection you have."

"I'll admit, I'm not great at make-up, but it's fun to experiment…speaking of collections, that's a lot of novels," she said quietly, gesturing towards Davina's bookshelf, which was crowded to capacity.

"I love to read—you should see what got left behind in Denver," she replied with a dry laugh. "Picking out which ones to bring was ridiculously hard, but I figure I can always swap a few out here and there when I visit."

"Good idea…there's no such thing as too many books. Do you mind if I take a closer look?" Davina immediately nodded, mildly curious to see what Keiko's reaction would be—she had titles hailing from a number of vastly different genres, some of them pristine and others notably worn down from being reread a number of times.

"Ah, Hans Christian Anderson—I love his fairy tales," Keiko offered softly, her admission taking Davina by surprise as she silently scrutinized the shelf. While Disney had successfully converted a vast number of these stories into family friendly concepts, the origins of such tales were decidedly dark and ominous.

"As do I—which one is your favorite?"

"The Snow Queen," Keiko replied without hesitation, to which Davina found herself nodding approval. "I know it's childish, but to think that the concept of love is capable of enduring all sorts of awful things just…gives me hope."

"I don't think that's childish at all," Davina offered reassuringly, quickly understanding the parallel of the story and Keiko's relation to it. "Love is a powerful force—it's capable of a lot of things, both bad and good."

Keiko nodded in agreement, then turned her attention back to Davina and smiled.

"What's your favorite?"

"The Little Mermaid, hands down. Don't get me wrong, I love the Disney version of the story too, but the fairy tale is just brutal—I can't imagine going through all that pain and sacrificing everything for love, only to find out that it will never be enough. Can't lie, if I was in her position, I probably would have stabbed the prince to get my fins back—he wasn't exactly wrong, but still, what an asshole."

An awkward silence followed, and Davina suddenly felt sick, as if her admission had been a bit too blunt. Keiko was looking at her with a strange stare, as if she were contemplating her statement. Much to her relief, her companion burst out into laughter, shaking her head at the thought.

"Men," she said simply, still chuckling. Davina joined in her candor, happy that her reaction was one of mirth rather than judgment. Another knock echoed in the foyer, prompting Davina to head over to welcome the new arrivals—this time, she opened the door to reveal Shizuru and Yukina, greeting them with excitement.

"Hey guys," she offered with a smile, stepping aside to permit them entrance. Yukina returned her smile as they walked inside, both pausing to step out of their shoes.

"Sorry we're late, I couldn't find my damn shoes for this thing—is Botan still not here?" Shizuru asked quickly, glancing around curiously. Davina shook her head in reply, to which the elder Kuwabara sighed. "Remind me to give her hell when she gets he—"

"No need for that, I have arrived!" a familiar voice called out from just beyond the door way, causing the three girls to look out into the corridor. Botan was standing there, grinning widely and hoisting up a bottle of wine and a six pack of beer. "Had to take a short detour to grab these."

"Guess I'll allow it," Shizuru retorted with a small smirk. "Especially since you got my favorite beer." Botan's grin widened even further at this remark, sticking to her face even as she entered the apartment and kicked off her shoes.

"Now that we're all here, let's get this thing started!" she announced with a flourish, causing the others to chuckle at her eagerness.

. . .

It was nearing seven thirty when Shuichi left his house to make the short venture over to Yori No Hi—given the nature of the outing, he had put a little more effort into his physical appearance, knowing full well that it would be appreciated by the person he sought to continuously impress. After some consideration, he had selected a quarter sleeve button down shirt with a short collar, in a deep crimson hue, coupled with a pair of fitted black slacks, a black leather belt, and his dark brown oxford shoes. His mother, of her own accord, had taken the garments while he was in the shower and ironed them on his behalf—he was amused when he returned to his room to find his selections perfectly pressed in preparation to be worn. He dressed and groomed himself, generously applying both his deodorant and cologne, then carefully combing his damp hair to ensure that it was free of tangles.

For the finishing touch, he donned his favorite watch, a black banded Asaoka—he didn't wear it often, reserving it only for formal affairs or special occasions. It had been a birthday gift several years back from Shiori, and while he loved it, he knew for certain that she had spent far more on the time piece than she cared to admit. But tonight seemed as a good as any to wear it out, so he did just that, knowing that she would be happy to see him wearing it—and she was, commenting on how wonderful he looked before wishing him well and asking him to be safe prior to his departure. He headed in the direction of the downtown district, eager to convene with his friends.

Following his examination, which had proven to be a simple endeavor that had taken him little over half an hour to complete given his ample preparations, the remainder of Shuichi's day had gone by thankfully quickly. As the hours progress, he found it more and more difficult to keep his focus, his mind willfully drifting off to thoughts more interesting then the subjects provided by his professors. He couldn't wait to see Davina in her new dress—she had come across as energized for their outing rather than apprehensive when they had last spoken, and truth be told, he was entertaining some fairly high hopes for the evening ahead.

Kazuma was the only member of their party presence upon his arrival—he was waiting just abreast of the building, which already boasted a considerable line at the entrance, despite the fairly early hour. The group had agreed to meet at a quarter till eight, but Shuichi was always one for an early arrival—to see that Kazuma had beat him to the punch came as a pleasant surprise, and he fixed his friend with a wave in greeting as he approached.

"Glad you're here," his friend offered with a grin, obvious excitement clear across his features. It appeared that Kazuma had shared his desire to dress a bit more elegantly for the evening as well—he wore a short sleeved navy blue polo shirt and a pair of stone gray slacks, his hair carefully coiffed and a thin, black corded necklace hung from his throat, bearing a small silver paw print charm that had been a gift from Yukina upon her arrival into Kaiden for her current excursion. "Urameshi should be on his way, and then once the girls get over here, we'll head inside. Thanks to my boss doing me a solid, we're on the VIP list for the evening, so we don't have to wait in that long line to get inside."

Shuichi nodded, pleased with this explanation. He could hardly wait for the rest of their group to arrive, eager to see Davina and finally commence their evening with everyone in attendance.

. . .

Author's Note: Again, my apologies for the long wait for this chapter. Work again has consumed much of my life, and unfortunately, a lack of inspiration to write followed when I did manage to have some free time. But luckily, I was able to push a bit and get past the block, at least for the current moment. I'm happy to report that I've already begun the next chapter, and I will be attempting to keep at it when I'm able to. It's my intention that things get a bit spicy come the next installment, so please bear with me. As always, thank you to all of you lovely readers for sticking around and being patient. I truly appreciate you all! Please take care and stay safe out there!