Chapter 7

Maria wasn't able to get a lot of reading done that night, since she fell asleep after finding the right section and reading the table of contents. The next day however the book was right where she left it and on the page she left off on so she started reading right away.

There were dozens of different spells, charms and hexes for love. There were some for love and against love. To banish a lover, you would create a hex doll and then light a fire outside. You had to burn vervain leaves along with the little doll and recite a spell. Once the doll was turned into ash the spell was complete.

There was one to make you more desirable. Though she didn't quite understand what that meant, it took a pink candle and virgin olive oil. You rub the oil all over the candle then you carve what you want on it. "I wish for so and so to find me desirable." Then once the candle burns out the spell was complete.

Maria frowned. There were so many love spells but trying to find one where you were trying to bring two people together, one of them not being yourself, was difficult. They were all to help bring a person to the caster or to drive a person away from the caster.

Two hours had passed and she was getting hungry. She hasn't gotten through them all because she had to stop and look up a lot of meanings. She left to get something to eat and was stopped by the keeper of the house.

"Maria-sama, are you not going to LME today?" She asked politely. She was an older woman who had been with the house since her father was a kid. She was very kind but strictly business.

"No, I am going to stay home today," she replied.

"Very well, I will call your tutor and have her come here instead."

Maria frowned. "Can I skip that today, please?"

"Are you ill?" The keeper asked and bent down to feel Maria's face. She tried to think of hot things but it didn't work.

"You are fine and you will not be skipping your studies. A young lady needs to be properly educated and properly dressed especially at this hour." She gestured to her sleeping wear, and Maria nodded.

It was one in the afternoon by the time she was able to continue her research. She had breakfast, had to take her lessons and then lunch. Finally she went to her room and pulled the book to her desk. She skipped anything that had negative words in it; banish, end, bad, jealousy – she had to look that one up - break and away.

She also had to skip anything that required them to do something. She figured if she said the spell with their names then she can do two spells and get them together. But if the spell required them to drink from the same glass or take a bath in a special oil or salt then Maria would have a hard time getting them to do it.

Finally around 4 in the afternoon, she found a perfect spell. It was actually perfect. Perfect Mates spell. There was a list of things she would need and then there had to be a new moon out for it to work. It also said she had to keep the final product until they…

"Con…so…mated." What did consummate mean? Maria groaned tired of looking up so many words. She thought it looked like communicated. She smiled, so as soon as they said their love for each other it would last forever. See, the spell was perfect.

She looked up when the new moon would be and found that there would be one in four days. She looked at the calendar and found that was Friday night. Maria bit her lip. She would have to make sure they were together that night. Just to make sure that if anything happened nothing would be in their way.

She wrote down everything she needed and the date. First is to set up the date and who best to help with this plan, her new partner in crime.

"Hello, Yashiro speaking."

"Yuki-san, I have a new idea!" Maria was really excited about this.

"One moment," he whispered and she waited impatiently.

"Maria, you aren't going to lie and trick them again are you?" He asked threatening and Maria shook her head roughly.

"No, no. I'm going to cast a spell but I need your help."

Yashiro had to step away from the crowded stage to take the call. He smiled to the phone. She was exactly like Kyoko-chan. He didn't believe in their fairy tales and voodoo, but this was what she was into and he really didn't want to break the little girl's heart.

"Well, let me hear what you want to do and then I'll see if I will help," he said suspiciously.

She relayed her spell and he almost busted out laughing. If that worked, Ren would surely be pleased. "I need you to get them to be alone together in a better way than what I did. I can do the rest."

"That's it?" Yashiro asked, and she replied with a yes. He thought about it. What was the harm? He would be able to please Maria by helping her with her "spell" and when it doesn't work well they would have spent some quality time together anyway.

"When are you going to do it?"

"This Friday night, I have to do it on the new moon and it has to be dark." She told him and he took out his planner. Ren had something booked till nine that night, but nothing until 9 AM the next day. That gave him plenty of time to stay up late with the girl of his dreams and still be fine for work. Kyoko only had two shoots this week that he knew about but one little phone call can guarantee her attendance.

"I'll have Kyoko-chan cook Ren dinner that night. It shouldn't be a problem but I'll call you back as soon as I get her to agree." They hung up and he called Kyoko.

She answered right away.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Kyoko-chan. This is Yashiro."

"Hello! What can I do for you Yashiro-san?" She sounded cheery.

"I was actually hoping you could do a little favor for me." He tried to keep the smile out of his voice.

"I don't see why not. What is it?"

"I won't be able to accompany Ren on the last part of the day this Friday and I'm worried about him skipping dinner," he lied. He was such a hypocrite telling Maria how wrong lying was and them him doing it constantly.

"Do you want me to be his manager for that part of the day?" Kyoko sounded worried but eager as well.

"No, no, he will be fine. I am leaving at one in the afternoon but the shoot will last till nine. I can make sure he eats lunch, it's only dinner I'm worried about and while I could cook him something. I know he will eat what you make."

"I think you underestimate yourself, Yashiro-san. Plus, I believe Ren-san is too kind a person to not eat what you make," she stated with what Yashiro knew was a fact, but that would defeat the point of all this.

He sighed dramatically. "I don't doubt that, the question is when he will eat it. What if he eats it the next day for his one meal instead of his dinner? That's why a simple bento won't do. You have to make sure he eats. Could you do that for me?"

"Sure, I can make a bento and then eat with him at his break. When and where…"

"No," he snapped and then coughed. "I'm sorry. You can't. They won't allow guests onto the set. The movie is very hush hush. Please understand."

"It's okay. I'll just surprise him at his place again. That way he can't say no. Leave it to me! I will make sure he gets his proper nutrition," Kyoko said with a go-get'm attitude making Yashiro smile like the Cheshire cat.

"Thank you, you are a live safer." They said their good byes and he called back Maria.

"You're set," he simply said.

"THANK YOU, YUKI-SAN!" She cheered excitedly over the phone and then hung up to get everything ready.