Disclaimer: ...My mom pulled a Rikuo on me tonight. She came up from behind me when I was on the phone and said, "Say good-bye" cause she needed it and I was like, "Waaaaugh!". I fully appreciate what Kazahaya has to go throught everyday.

Chapter 4: The Courtyard

Rikuo walked back to his hotel room. He had been unsuccessful. Sure, the Courtyard did have a stranged presence, but without Kazahaya to decifer a vision, he had to stop for the night.

When he entered the room, he saw Kazahaya asleep on their bed. Kazahaya was sprawled out on the bed, tangled in the sheets sleeping peacefully.

Rikuo smirked. He would have a fun time waking him up in the morning. Rikuo was considering taking out some of the spare pillows and blankets and sleeping on the floor, but when he looked in all the drawers they were gone.

Surely, the maids had told them that there would definetely be spare blankets and pillows in the drawers. Maybe they made a mistake. He checked the closet; none there either. He had no choice, he would have to sleep in the same bed as Kazahaya. He undressed and went to bed.

-

Rikuo woke up early the next morning to wake Kazahaya up as usual, but couldn't move. Kazahaya had slung his arm around him in his sleep and was gripping him so tightly, it was as if Kazahaya was the cat that wouldn't let go of him the night they had found it. Rikuo gasped as he opened his eyes a little further and found Kazahaya's face a mere centimeters away from his.

Rikuo didn't mean to make his gasp so pronounce, but Kazahaya lifted a sleepy eye, screamed, and fell out of the bed in a tangle of bedsheets, taking Rikuo with him.

"GET OFF OF ME!"

"Hmm, this is a much better way to wake you up,"

They both struggled against the covers, until somebody landed on top of the other in a forceful frenzied tug at on of the bedsheets.

Rikuo was on top of Kazahaya, glaring at him. Kazahaya looked surprised and then angry.

"Get off of me." He said.

"Fine by me," And Rikuo rose, the sheets slipping off of his shoulders as he stood. The sheets fell on top of the still glaring Kazahaya's head.

He stepped over him and crossed to the bathroom muttering, "Idiot,"

"I'LL JUST LIE HERE PRETENDING I CAN'T HEAR YOU!" came Kazahaya's muffled voice from underneath the sheets.

"Good, then maybe you'll shut up!" Rikuo called closing the bathroom door.

"Jerk," Kazahaya said to himself removing the sheets.

-

They went down to the restaurant after they got dressed and Kazahaya told Rikuo about what the Osakan man had said.

"Sounds like a load of bull." Rikuo said taking a sip of his juice.

Kazahaya became angry instantly (big surprise), "HEY! I MIGHT TIE INTO THE-" He broke off as Rikuo pushed a hand to his mouth.

People were starting to stare at them, a few kitchen workers were starting to giggle.

"You idiot, if you keep yelling like that, they'll throw us out."

Kazahaya blushed and didn't say anything or protest to Rikuo's hand over his mouth. Rikuo released him and everyone around them ent back to their conversations.

"I'm just saying, maybe the story is true." Kazahaya said quietly (for once).

Rikuo nibbled on his toast and said, "Well fine, if you can get a vision, of where the flowers are the best in the season and the cherry blossoms, then I'll believe you."

"Well, where's the place?"

Rikuo looked at him, as if he could hardly believe his ears. "In the courtyard idiot! It's obvious. And I was in there looking for the sword last night, and the flowers were in full bloom."

"Well then let's go!"

-

They stepped out onto the courtyard. It was warming up as the sun began to heat the Earth. Kazahaya knelt down and touched the earth.

A rush of images can into his head. A woman, crying clutching something that was very long. She walked over the the center most point of the courtyard, looked around at the beautiful flowers and smiled in spite of her continuous tears. Shre buried the long object she was carrying not too far into the ground. She was suddenly surrounded by traditional samurai, she was being hauled off, still crying and smiling. Then he saw no more.

He gasped as he raised his hand off of the ground.

"What? See something?" Rikuo asked kneeling down beside him.

"Yeah, it was here. I...I saw her. She was so sad." He looked down at the ground.

Rikuo stood up, "Being killed for being a woman...who wouldn't be sad?"

Kazahaya stood up, "Let's go to the center and dig..."

Rikuo, "We have to make sure we don't get caught then."

They dug for a few minutes, and then Kazahaya lashed out, exasperatedly, "It wasn't far into the ground! I saw her dig up less than an inch and burying it."

"Well maybe," Rikuo said annoyed at Kazahaya for giving up so easily,"Over time, more dirt was carried into the area and it got pushed down further."

"Oh," Kazahaya siad returning to the dig, "I never thought about it that way."

"Idiot,"

"Jerk,"

"Dumbass," Rikuo retorted.

"Bastard!"

They dug for sometime until Kazahaya got another rush of images, but it was not from the same woman.

The receptionist was standing outside cheking of the flowers, when a glowing light shone behind her. She turned around and saw the sword. She gasped and then the sword glided to her. She caught it, and then it illuminated. Her eyes slid out of focus. She ran still clutching the sword.

Rikuo, noticing Kazahaya's sudden stop, looked up and saw terror on his face.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"The receptionist..."

"You got another vision?"

"Yeah, the receptionist was looking at the flowers, when suddenly, the ground glowed and the sword fell into her hands and she ran off with it."

They ran out of the courtyard after hastily covering up the spot where they had dug.

"She's cursed!" Kazahaya said to Rikuo.

"Well that's obvious, let's just hope she hasn't killed anyone!" The ran all around the resort, up flights of steps until, finally, on the seventh floor, they found her, aimlessly wandering the halls. She was marking things on clipboard.

"Hey! Ms. Receptionist!" Kazahaya yelled.

She looked up. Rikuo took notice that her eyes were slitting out of focus. He stopped, whereas Kazahaya kept running after her.

"No Kazahaya!" He yelled after him.

The Receptionist was now running towards Kazahaya. He tried to stop, but she was lightning fast and jumped on top of him, her hands twisting around his neck.

Rikuo didn't hesitate to act, he flew down the hall and knocked the girl down, while falling on top of Kazahaya. The woman bumped her head agaisn't the wall. She blinked and her eyes came back into focus.

"Umm," She said, staring down at them.

"What?" Rikuo asked her, "You don't remember anything?"

She blushed furiously, "Umm sir! I must ask you the same question, and in a public hallway!"

Kazahaya stared around at her and distinctly saw something that he knew Rikuo noticed too. An odd aura was looming over the Receptionist's head. As if the curse was leaving her body. It lingered for a few more minutes and then floated down the hall and a narrow strip of light came from inside a nearby closet.

Then what the receptionist said clicked into their brains.

"Kazahaya looked down at the Rikuo on top of him and shouted, "GET OFF OF ME YOU JERK!"

They argued all the while the receptionist blushed and giggled.

So cute...

END! Yes, the curse DID get lifted after the one time use thing. Next chapter...you'll have to guess who gets put under a curse next time.