Yay Chapter 14!

Chapter 14- I Won't Go (Believe)

Ryuhou was hospitalized for a few more weeks before they finally let him out. Mimori had been allowed to go 4 days after the incident, but the doctors advised her not to do anything too straining. After finally regaining all the blood he had lost, and a few more hearing tests, Ryuhou was allowed to leave, and he was more ready than ever. He unlocked the door to find Mimori already there waiting.

"'Bout time they let you out," she smiled. "Everyone was starting to freak out. There's a get well card from the Commander on the table."

"I'll read it later…" Ryuhou sat on the couch next to her. "You know…" he said seriously, shifting uneasily into the cushion. "Kazuma said something to one of the Alters when we were fighting them… Something about how Alter Users like that disgusted him, and that they were the reason HOLY was needed in the first place…" Mimori looked at him, obviously taken aback. Kazuma might have given her what she needed to change his mind about Alter Users in the Lost Ground! Ryuhou noticed this look on her face. "I'm confused, Mimori." He looked at her, and for once didn't try to cover up his confusion. Kazuma bugged him, and what he had said that day had really gotten to him.

"Well," Mimori said, "I guess that maybe you were a little off about your thoughts on Alter Users in the Lost Ground."

"Maybe… but that doesn't mean I'm not going to kill Kazuma, he's done enough to me already."

"Then what does that mean?"

"It just means I was wrong, it doesn't change anything, my job is my job."

"So, even after you admit that you're wrong, you still won't change what you're doing?" Mimori asked sadly.

"Of course not! To change now would be idiotic! The way I do things works, so I'm going to keep it that way."

"Maybe for you… But what about the people you take? What you're doing is no better than Kazuma taking me, only you're taking a lot more people!"

"It's very different!" Ryuhou protested. "You're a princess, they're criminals!"

"Forget that I'm a princess! I'm so sick of that! And just who labeled them as criminals? Half of the people who get punished are innocent bystanders! Is that fair to them?"

"HOLY is doing what is best for society, in order to keep the peace."

"Peace?" Mimori repeated. "What peace? There's chaos all throughout the Lost Ground! You had to go through it a few weeks ago! And it's not what's best for society, it's what the leaders of HOLY have convinced everyone!"

"And what would you have done if you were in their position?" Ryuhou demanded. "You seem to know all the answers, what would you have done?"

Mimori thought about this. "I don't know," she finally answered, "But I wouldn't have taken innocent people and hurt them in the process!"

"You should really pick which side you're on, Miss Kiryu," He said coldly as he stood up from the couch. Her eyes started welling. 'Crap, not again…'

"So we're back to 'Miss Kiryu', huh? Is that my punishment?" She asked with such hurt in her voice that it made Ryuhou hurt as well. She stood up as well. Her heart was aching badly; it took everything in her to keep her voice from cracking. "Since when did we have sides? When was this ever about sides?"

"Since the Alter users began hurting people."

"You're an Alter User. Does that make you just like Kazuma? Or those guys that attacked us?" Ryuhou, now very angry, backed Mimori into a corner.

"Don't you ever compare me to him or them!" He spat, and for the first time, Mimori was actually afraid of him, and that made her hurt worse than ever before. "And if you didn't notice, the whole reason I fought them was to protect you."

"Was it for me?" She asked, finally getting the strength to stand straight. "Or was it for your precious job?" Her eyes were shimmering; he was relieved that she had been able to contain her tears. She walked past him and ran out of the apartment. What had hurt him the most, however, was the fear he saw in Mimori's eyes. He had never shown so much anger towards her, let alone had he ever allowed it to overcome him.

"She was truly afraid of me…" He said softly as he dwelled on her image. "She was actually afraid of me…." He said, now angry at himself as he punched the wall. He didn't know what to do, he couldn't go after her when she was like that, she would either burn HOLY down, or he would feel worse when he'd see her face. He ran a hand through his hair and looked at the card on the table. He also saw a one more envelope, and he now went to look at it. "….An invitation?" He opened the envelope to see that he had been invited to a royal party in the mainland. He threw the invitation down carelessly. "I won't go."

Meanwhile, Mimori had run as quickly as she could out of HOLY and was now running much slower on the streets. 'Ryuhou… do you hate me now?' She stopped running and put her hands on her knees and began breathing harder. After finally catching her breath, she pulled out her own envelope from her back pocket. 'Father is the one hosting the party; I should call and let him know that I'm going….' She went to a pay phone (a/n: because I really don't know if she has a cell phone or not -;) and dialed her dad's number.

"Hello?" A familiar voice answered.

"Hi Father!" Mimori smiled.

"Hello Mimori!" the other end chuckled. "Did you and Ryuhou get my invitations?"

"Hai, I'm going to be there!"

"Good, good. What about Ryuhou?" Mimori's grip around the phone tightened.

"I'm not sure… I didn't talk to him about it."

"I see… well, either way I look forward to seeing you there. Bye. Love you."

"Love you too. Bye." She hung up the phone gently. 'Will he be there?' she wondered about this for a while before realization dawned on her. 'A dress… my clothes are at home!' She slowly and reluctantly turned around and headed for home.

Ryuhou sat at the kitchen table staring at the invitation. He was thinking a lot about this; it troubled him. 'Is Mimori going to be there?' He asked himself. There was a knock at the door, and he got up eagerly. He opened the door slowly, but it wasn't who he thought it was.

"Hey Ryuhou!" The blue-haired girl beamed.

"Hey Scheris," He said, slouching somewhat in disappointment. :Look, now really isn't a good time, so-"

"What is it?" Scheris asked, knowing that there was something bothering him. "What's wrong?" She looked into his eyes, trying to figure it out.

"It's nothing, I just really need to be alone right now," he insisted. "I'll see you later." He shut the door without waiting for her reply. Once again he sat back at the table, staring at the invitation. Again he heard someone at the door, only this time, the door gently and quietly opened to reveal Mimori trying to look as calm as possible.

Mimori disappeared into her closet and came back with a bag of what looked to be clothes. Ryuhou simply watched her as she purposefully avoided looking at him. He watched as she entered, he watched as she went to her closet, and he finally stood up when she was about to leave. He grabbed her wrist softly. "Mimori where are you-"

"Please let me go," She whispered.

"Where are you going?" He asked again, more stubbornly this time.

"Let me go," She tried to pull her arm away, but his grip only tightened.

"Where are you-"

"Will you let me go or do I have to cry my way out?" Mimori asked softly. Even though she was only whispering, it felt as though she had been yelling. Ryuhou was stunned, and his grip weakened numbly. Her eyes began to fill with tears as she looked at him for the first time since she had arrived. Finally she pulled her wrist away and ran out of the door.

Shadows were covering Ryuhou's eyes as he thought about everything. He looked up to the invitation. "I won't go." 'Who are you trying to convince?' A voice in the back of his head asked. He replied with a grunt and sat in a chair next to the table. He leaned back to where the chair was on 2 legs and had his arms were folded stubbornly. "I won't go."

Mimori, meanwhile, had hailed a taxi and was already on her way to the party. Taking sheets that she had stuffed in the bag, she made four barriers so no one could see her. 'If I'm not ready by the time I get there, father will be worried… I've got to change in here! Changing as quickly as possible, she finally took the sheets down to reveal a very confused taxi driver looking into the mirror.

"…..Ma'am?" He asked, periodically averting his eyes to the road. "….Did you change?"

"Please don't worry about that! Just please get me to where I need to go!"

"Hai!" He concentrated on driving.

"Arigatou gozaimasu!" Mimori thanked him as she paid him. She turned from him to her father's estate. She went from a smile to a gradual frown. She took a deep breath and entered the gates.

"Hello Miss Mimori!" one of the maids smiled and bowed. "You look very beautiful! Your father is expecting you."

"Thank you, Yufumi-sama!" Mimori put on a half smile. She walked in to the dining room to find many older people already gathered there. 'No one my age…'

"Mimori! Good to see you!" Mr. Kiryu hugged his daughter.

"You too, Father!"

"So did Ryuhou decide not to come?"

"I… suppose not…" Mimori said softly. Her father could tell something was wrong.

"So how has it been at HOLY?" He asked, trying to change the subject.

"It's been good!" She lied and faked enthusiasm. 'Sorry Father…'

While her father went and attended the other guests, Mimori went into the kitchen. She had her arms wrapped around her legs as she put her forehead on her knees. Yufumi walked in and sat next to Mimori.

"What's wrong, Miss Mimori?" she asked. "You know, when you were younger after Mister Ryuhou left, you would sit in this very corner when you were sad."

"Is that right?" Mimori asked, trying to sound as alive as possible. "I forgot…"

"Believe in him, Mimori," Yufumi told her. Mimori was very shocked when she said that. Yufumi stood up and brushed herself off. She laughed. "Why do you look so surprised?" She asked. "You're eyes tell it all." With that Fuyumi left.

'Believe in him?' She repeated. 'Can I believe in him?' She hugged herself into a tighter ball and dug her head deeper into her legs.

Ryuhou was still staring at the invitation stubbornly. "I'm not going." He finally stood up and went to his room. He flicked the light on to see his closet cracked. After sliding it open, he noticed something he hadn't noticed before…

Mimori was on the verge of tears by now. "I want to go see him," Mimori whispered. "I still want to see Ryuhou!" Her head was cupped in her hands. "I want to know how he feels! I still want to be his friend! I still want to be…Miri…."Her body relaxed as she calmed down. "I can't go… I won't go…" 'I can't just stay in here sulking.' She stood up and brushed her dress off. 'It's okay as long as I can hold onto the memories…'

She went outside and greeted the other guests. She had cheered up a bit, but her mind was never off of him. 'So what if I'm living in the past?' She asked herself. 'Is that so wrong?' She wasn't paying attention and bumped into someone. "Gomen nasai!" she bowed politely. She was very surprised when the person bent down to her level and lifted her chin up to where they were eye to eye.

"Excuse me," he lifted up her head to where they were both standing straight again, "but you seem to be the only one here who's around my age." He was still holding her chin with his hand as he sincerely smiled at her.

Mimori was blushing a very deep shade of red, and her emotions finally rose until they tipped. "Ryu!" She hugged him with all her might, and yet, somehow, she still felt weak. That is, until, he hugged her back.

"Miri," He said seriously, "I'm…I'm really sorry."

"I knew you'd come! I guess you…found the tux I bought you while you were in the hospital…" She was tearing up; her emotions were getting the best of her. 'I knew because…because I believed in you…'

"Miri, you can't. Please don't cry, not here." His voice wasn't like the other times. It wasn't hurried, and it didn't sound high pitched or angry. In fact, his voice had a very calm tone in it. He put his hand on her head. "Not here." But this only made Mimori want to cry more.

"I don't think I can-"

"I believe in you," he said quickly. It was fast, the words almost mixed together, but Mimori understood it. She nodded her head slowly into his chest.

"Ah, Ryuhou!" Mimori's father now came into view. "I'm so glad you could make it!"

"Me too," He smiled as he and Mimori separated.

"You're looking after my daughter, right?"

"Hai. I along with other members of HOLY are all making sure that Mimori is safe."

"But how safe can you keep her?" All three of them turned around with determined looks on their faces…