I huddled in several towels, giggling with Yaya as we played cards on her bedroom floor. After warming me up with some tea, Yaya had noticed the dirt plastered against the skin on my arms, causing her to order me to bathe.

I'd gloried in the wonderful heated water; the bathroom had resembled a sauna when I was done with it. She'd place several towels out for me, and I'd decided to use practically all of them. They were lush and soft; I gloried in the comfort.

Yaya set down her cards, choosing to crawl behind me. Plucking a brush from a nearby drawer, she began brushing out my wet locks. My hair went past my hips, so some of it pooled on the floor behind me. As she brushed, I told her about my current situation...without mentioning the wolf blood involved.

"Wow...That's rough.", symphasized the young girl. "I can see why you would be tempted to run off."

"Yeah."

I threw back my head in thought, causing Yaya to protest. "Hey! You'll get more knots if you don't stay still!"

"Sorry." I smiled to myself. Yaya relaxed, being careful not to pull at my hair.

"So, that other guy has a thing for you, like Kukai?"

I shook my head in annoyance. "Not like Kukai. He doesn't see me like that. Ikuto is interested, but that's it."

Yaya made a face. "But he even gave you a nickname. I heard him call you his pet."

I groaned softly. "Don't you tell Rima, she'll murder me."

Yaya giggled. "Never, but she might go hunting for him."

For some reason, I had no doubt in my mind that she would. For all I knew, she'd probably cook him up for Thanksgiving dinner. The thought caused me to smile. I placed my cheek on the palm of my hand.

"Why would you say Kukai would have any interest in me? That would be way too weird."

Yaya gave a little sigh. "You're blind, Amu. He almost always uses your nickname, he's going out of his way to protect you, you guys have known each other forever...I would've figured you'd get the hint by now."

I just shook my head, refusing to believe in Yaya's nonsense.

The front door opened and shut. I wasn't concerned in the least. Rima wasn't the kind of girl who knocked. She just lets herself in.

She rushed up the stairs into the room. Yaya smiled and waved the brush at her. "Hello Rima!"

I gazed at Rima, smiling. Her hair was, if anything, just as long as mine, but hers was an adorable blonde. She sat in front of me, staring into my eyes, almost pouting.

"Why didn't you come to see me when you were in trouble?"

I groaned inwardly. I thought that Rima would understand...although I should have figured. She was very sensitive about our friendship, and anything that threatened it put her into a panic. Hell, any new friends I made were almost always informed of her position as my bestest friend.

"If it were anybody else, I would have, but Kukai knows that you'd be the first person I'd go to."

She nodded, a happy light flooding her eyes. It didn't take much explanation for her to cave in. "Ok!"

She sat back, searching my eyes curiously. "What's with Kukai, anyways? He was totally freaking out, I swear."

I sighed. "Well..."

Yaya interrupted eagerly.

"Kukai's gotten all protective of Amu since they met up with this guy near the wood last week, and he wouldn't even let her do anything by herself, and so she ran away, but then she met up with some perv near my place, so I rescued her, and she was all dirty, so I made her take a bath, and now-"

She paused, looking at the hairbrush in her hand. "And now I'm brushing her hair."

Rima and I exchanged looks. Only Yaya.

"Maybe Kukai is just paranoid about people who show up near the woods because his father is such a were-maniac!", said Rima, giggling softly.

I froze as the subject came up, then tried to calm down. "Yeah, that's probably it."

Rima tilted her head to the side. "But it doesn't really make sense. Why would Kairi just abandon you with Kukai all of a sudden?"

I looked her over. "We never told you about that..."

She shrugged. "I know. Kairi told me himself, just the other day. I've been meaning to talk to you about that."

I nodded, waiting for her to continue.

"He was bragging about getting some new bookshelves or something, but the whole time his eyes seemed...unstable?"

I shifted uncomfortably. "Maybe he's worried that my parents will scold him, I don't know."

Rima shook her head. "No, Amu, I really think he's been worried about you. I think something's been bugging him since he let Kukai take you."

Yaya nodded, her face smug. "Like the fact that Kukai likes 'Kit' or like pervy adores his 'Little Pet'."

I looked at Yaya in horror, just as Rima's eyes began burning in anger.

"What?!"

I chuckled nervously. "Yaya was just making assumptions about Kukai, and Ikuto did say some weird stuff, but-"

"Oh, so you even remembered his name, huh? I swear to...I'm going to slice him to smithereens!"

I grabbed a lock of my hair and twirled it around my finger anxiously.

"Listen, it's no big deal. Right now, I just need somewhere to stay, somewhere Kukai won't be able to find me. A place he'd never think to look."

Yaya nodded silently, securing my hair in a high ponytail so that it wouldn't touch the floor. Rima laid back, her eyes thoughtful.

"I know of an abandoned cottage that lies on the other side of the woods. If we could get you there, without Kukai detecting us, then you could stay there until this whole thing blows over. Yaya and I could bring you food and clothes and stuff, so you'd be alright."

I thought about it. The idea was certainly appealing. Yaya spoke up.

"I know about that cottage. It's perfect, especially since pervy guy mostly hangs out on this side of the forest. Plus, If we travel by day, nothing bad will happen. And I bet Kukai would never dream that you'd go through the forest."

Rima nodded, growing excited by the idea. "There's a gorgeous field surrounding the place; it's breathtaking! We could go out for picnics while you're there!"

I smiled, warming up to the plan.

"Alright, but visits must be subtle. If Kukai were to follow you, this whole thing comes crumbling down. There's this snowy owl that hangs around me sometimes; I could probably train it to send you guys messages and stuff."

Yaya clapped her hands enthusiastically. "Ooh this is going to be fun!"

Rima nodded happily. "As long as we don't get caught!"

I raised my hands over my head, a stretch as well as a gesture of triumph.

"We move out tomorrow!"

As a side note, thanks to my reviewers, you guys are amazing!