WOW its been a really long time since I've updated huh? I'm really sorry guys, school's got me so busy and stuff. But anyway I'm not here to make excuses I'm here to make another chapter so here we go!

Chapter 8- Balance Yourself!

Ryuhou and Mimori decided to walk to McDonalds instead of taking a taxi. The stars were out and the moon was full with a light breeze that gently refreshed them. People were staring at them strangely; they had decided to go to McDonalds in their expensively ripped clothes. Mimori had insisted on what Ryuhou called "living in the past" by wearing the clothes, and Ryuhou wanted to give her as good a day as he could. From fighting that monster to fighting Kazuma, they had been through a really stressful day, and Ryuhou didn't want to make it more stressful by arguing.

"2 number 11's," Ryuhou told the cashier.

"Right away," the cashier took their order further back into the room where the other workers had been making the food. They turned around, only to see a very angry Scheris Adjani and a very paranoid Straight Cougar.

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL DAY!" they both asked simultaneously as Scheris took Ryuhou's hand and Cougar enveloped Mimori in his arms.

"Oh Miss Minori, I was soo worried! And just WHY have you been with Ryuhou this whole time!"

"It's Mimori," they said, somewhat annoyed. So much for less stressful….

The cashier came back with their tray of food and they sat at a booth. After ordering their food as well, Scheris and Cougar sat with them. Neither of them would stop talking to Mimori and Ryuhou, so the both of them were silent the entire time, giving each other looks every once in a while.

"Well, uh…look at the time!" Mimori said with a fake smile that only Ryuhou saw through. You have to be one to know one right? "Thanks for eating with us, it was really great, but we have to get up early tomorrow so we should get going!" Mimori grabbed Ryuhou's hand and walked out quickly before Scheris, even Cougar, could reply. "Whew," she said, letting the fake smile go away. "Well I guess no matter what we do, we will never get a break huh?"

"Actually," Ryuhou began. "I know of one place that might do just that." Calling out Zetsuei, and causing many people in the streets to look at them, he and Mimori rode to the wall that separated the mainland and the Lost Grounds territory. It was a bit of a thin wall, Kazuma had been able to punch through it before, but it was thick enough to where they could walk and sit on it easily. The wind was still blowing softly, and the stars seemed to glow brightly with the moon.

"The stars seem so close…" She thought for a minute. "Just like-"

"The night we met," Ryuhou finished. "I knew this would cheer you up." Her heart thudded in her chest. He had taken her there to cheer her up? That was one of the sweetest things he had done for her since they had re-united. Mimori carefully stood up and stretched her arms out, letting the wind make her now torn dress billow in the wind and her hair dance in it. She began to walk on the wall carefully, making sure she wouldn't fall. "Mimori what are you doing?"

"I'm balancing myself!" She replied with a real smile. "It's fun, you should play with me!"

"But why?" Ryuhou asked.

"Cause you deserve to cheer up too! Now come on!" Carefully turning around to face him, she put her hands in his and made him stand up. He sighed and rolled his eyes yet did as Mimori said and balanced himself as well. Mimori looked back at Ryuhou to see that he had a very serious look on his face. She laughed at this and didn't notice the crack in the wall. Apparently the mainland's building companies had missed one of the cracks that Kazuma had made. Either way she tripped and fell, only hanging on by one hand.

"MIRI!" Immediately Zetsuei was summoned, and she was back on the wall again. "You idiot! You can't be so careless!" Mimori could feel her heart beating from her chest again, and she was now trying to hide the fact that she was blushing. Her heart was going crazy, it felt like everything was being cooped up.

"AHHHHHH!" She yelled and laughed and waited to hear the echo of her voice.

"What did you do that for?" Ryuhou asked with a half smile on his face.

"Well you know as well as I do that it's not good to keep feelings bottled up, otherwise you'll explode and do things that…. Things that you don't always mean, or things that will only intensify the feeling, like when….."

"Oh please, not this memory… Come on Mimori, not this memory!"

"But Ryuhou, don't you remember?"

Ryuhou had bought Mimori a ring, with the help from his father.

"Father, I would like to marry her." He had told him when he was asked why he wanted it.

"Marry her?" his father asked. "Marrying someone is a very big deal, are you sure you want to marry her?"

"Yes Father, I really like her, and if I marry her….." Ryuhou blushed and his father laughed.

"OK OK, pick the one you want…"

"Thank you Father!"

That night, he and Mimori were walking around in his backyard. Ryuhou had insisted on talking with her at the fountain, the exact same place where he had officially given her the necklace. "Mimori, you know I like you right?"

"Yes," she smiled.

"Do you like me back?"

"More than anything!"

"Then…" he got on both knees, forgetting whether it was both knees or one knee that the guys kneel on when asking for a girl's hand in marriage, "Mimori Kiryu…." He said her first and last name. He had watched every romance movie his mother owned, and had even taken notes, in order to do it perfectly ( and yet somehow he could never remember if it was one knee or both). "Would you be willing to marry me?"

Mimori's heart fluttered, no one had ever asked her to marry them before. But she didn't even take a second to think it over. "Yes, Ryuhou, I will marry you!" They both smiled and he hugged her. And if we get married, that means you can't leave!"

"Yah! I can stay with you forever!" they smiled at each other and ran around Ryuhou's house, telling anyone and everyone they could about their "engagement".

"Do you remember what happened when they said-"

"Let's not get into this right now…. I think it's time we went home…"

"But I'm not done balancing myself!" Ryuhou sighed.

"Fine fine, hurry up…" Mimori laughed, but in the back of her mind she remembered what had happened just a few months after they had gotten "engaged".

Ryuhou and Mimori were crying and screaming at their parents."NOO! YOU CAN'T DO THIS FATHER! I'M GETTING MARRIED TO HIM!" Mimori cried. Her face was flushed and hey eyes were puffy. Her parents were making her get into the car so they could move. Her fiancée wasn't taking it too well either.

"BUT MOTHER! SHE CAN'T LEAVE NOW! SHE'S GOING TO BE MY WIFE! MOTHER!" Ryuhou was fighting his way towards Mimori, and Mimori was trying her hardest to get towards Ryuhou.

"Ryuhou," his mother said gently, "If you truly want to marry her, why don't you wait?"

"But Mother! I've been waiting for so long to marry her! I NEED to marry Mimori Kiryu! No one else!"

"Ryuhou!" Her father had finally gotten her into the car. In the struggle, the ring he had gotten her had fallen off. "NOOO! MY RING!" She banged her fist against the window as they drove off. Ryuhou went to the place where the ring had fallen and cried silently as he put the ring in his pocket.

"MIMORI!"

Her face saddened as she remembered that last part. Ryuhou seemed to notice this. "I told you not to think about it," he said to her.

"Do you….still have that ring?"

"I don't know….." he lied.

Mimori's face saddened a bit more, then lit up again. "Hey, betcha can't walk backwards on this thing!"

"You're joking right?" Mimori shook her head. He gave her a determined look and stretched his arms out in order to maintain balance. She walked with him and watched as he walked backwards, never taking off that determined look of his. "OK, your turn."

"My turn?" he nodded. "OK, hold one of my hands so I don't fall off of this wall again!" He took one of her hands and grasped it tightly. She gripped his hand tightly and walked backwards. It was obvious that she was scared, and Ryuhou smirked.

"A member of HOLY, and yet you can't walk backwards on this wall!"

"Oh be quiet Ryuhou!" She smiled and stuck out her tongue, as she had done so many times before. She finished walking backwards and they went home. "You know, even though we fought a lot today, you really made this day good."

"You did too, Miri." She smiled when he called her that. ."Good night." He went to his box and pulled out a small box. Opening it up, he stared at the ring for a while before closing it and going to sleep.